"I flew over, didn't just pop out of nowhere," Lyon pointed to the sky. "You were just too focused."
"So, what powers have you two awakened?"
He asked even though he already knew, and even raised his voice deliberately so the little speedster on the other side could hear.
Sure enough, Pietro, who had been running in the distance, dashed back in a blur of afterimages and came to a screeching halt in front of Lyon.
"Super speed—and super physique!" he said proudly, wiping his nose with his thumb. "That's my power! Heh heh~ I'm way faster than sound now. Your speed might not even be faster than mine, Superman!"
Lyon briefly examined him with his super vision.
Pietro's super speed, aside from being a powerful ability on its own, also came with corresponding physical enhancements.
His physique was indeed far stronger than that of an ordinary human.
His metabolism had become extremely fast, and his recovery ability had greatly improved.
However, this healing ability wasn't the same as Wolverine's regeneration.
It was more like a super-accelerated version of a normal human's self-healing.
"Faster than me?" Lyon couldn't help but chuckle. "Judging by your expression, are you thinking of challenging me?"
Pietro lifted his chin. "Why not? Sure, you're Superman and all—pretty impressive, and you can fly—but speed might not actually be your specialty."
Having just gained his powers, Pietro was extremely full of himself.
To the point that he'd completely forgotten those comics he used to read—where Superman's speed could rival even the Flash's.
"How about this—you start running, and I'll try to catch you," Lyon said, one hand on his hip. "Let's compare that way."
"You serious?" Pietro tilted his head, but his gaze was suddenly locked onto Lyon's outfit.
Lyon's armor-formed uniform wasn't a skintight suit.
It looked more like Batman's armor—structured and angular.
Yet despite its design, it still showed off Lyon's muscle definition perfectly.
"Whoa, did you change clothes just now? That looks awesome!" Pietro exclaimed.
The guy really didn't know how to hide his thoughts.
Before, he had seemed full of hatred and bitterness, obsessed with revenge.
But in the past half month, he and his sister had nearly become fully-fledged college students funded by Tony, so naturally, they'd come to understand a lot more.
And like many young men—After letting go of hatred, Pietro's energetic and impulsive nature came spilling out in full.
At this moment, he couldn't even resist reaching out to touch Lyon's sculpted chest muscles.
Only to have his hand slapped away by Lyon.
"Ow—man, that hurt!" Pietro grimaced and shook his hand. "Can't I just touch your cool armor a little?"
Lyon pressed his lips into a smirk. "If you can beat me, then do whatever you want."
Spending time with Pietro, Lyon felt like his own tendency to ramble had been completely cured.
Because this kid could make him speechless at any given moment.
"Then let's try it!" Pietro took off like a rabbit out of a cage, legs flying as he sprinted away.
ZoOoM!
He dashed in circles around Lyon and Wanda, moving so fast that he stirred up the air itself, creating strong gusts of wind.
Several seconds passed.
Pietro kept one eye on Lyon the entire time.
Seeing that Lyon hadn't moved a single step, he couldn't help but grin.
Although Superman was half an idol to him, that didn't stop Pietro from feeling a rush of accomplishment at the idea of beating his idol.
He was absolutely thrilled. In his heart, he thought, as expected—even Superman has to lose to me in speed.
Then a sudden thought struck him. Since Lyon couldn't keep up with his speed—
Why was he still waiting around for Lyon to catch him?
At this point, he could do whatever he wanted!
Pietro abruptly changed direction and ran straight toward Lyon, his figure so fast it left ghostly afterimages in the air.
Wearing a grin he couldn't suppress, he closed in on Lyon, reaching out with one hand, aiming to cop a feel of that cool-looking battle armor.
At the same time, he tilted his head up, eager to catch the stunned expression on Lyon's usually calm face.
But—bad idea.
The moment he looked up, he had a strange illusion.
Why were Lyon's eyes tracking his movements?
And why was there a hint of amusement in that gaze?
Wait—could Lyon actually be keeping up with his speed?
No way…
Just as Pietro was about to dismiss that ridiculous thought—Snap! His wrist was suddenly caught by Lyon.
A tremendous force instantly enveloped him, bringing him to an abrupt halt.
"Got you," Lyon raised an eyebrow, teasing, "You lost, Pietro. Honestly, I think I preferred you back when you always looked gloomy."
"Why?" Pietro asked blankly.
"Because when you were frowning all the time, you seemed more grounded. Not like now—acting all flashy, like that guy who always shows up in a red jumpsuit."
Lyon didn't let go of Pietro. Instead, he activated his bio-force field and enveloped them both.
In the blink of an eye, their figures vanished and reappeared on the summit of a mountain tens of thousands of kilometers away.
"Wanda's over there," Lyon pointed toward the distant horizon, showing the dazed Pietro. "That's my speed."
Then, in the next instant, they returned to their original spot.
Pietro stood frozen for several seconds, his brain struggling to process what had just happened.
He suddenly whipped his head toward Lyon, throat tightening, eyes nearly popping out: "That—was that teleportation?!"
Lyon patted the younger guy on the shoulder. "That was light speed."
After all, He wasn't just Superman.. but a cultivator as well!
Pietro's eyes bulged again, like a goldfish flopping helplessly on dry land, mouth opening and closing, but not a word coming out—his brain totally blank.
Seeing Pietro still frozen, Lyon let him go and turned to Wanda. "And you? What's your ability?"
Wanda glanced at her brother, who was still muttering incoherently, and whatever little mischievous thoughts she'd had instantly vanished.
She had just been planning to use her newly awakened powers to give Lyon a bit of a scare.
But now, thinking it through again... maybe not.
"I think it's… telekinesis and the ability to control people's thoughts. No, wait—maybe it's more like creating illusions," Wanda said, clearly unsure.
"You can try it on me if you want," Lyon offered, seeing her take a step back. "My mental defenses are strong—I'll be fine."
"You sure? Then…" Wanda hesitated and raised her hands. "What kind of illusion should I create?"
"Something that would make me feel fear," Lyon nodded.
"…Alright." Wanda stepped beside him, rose slightly on her toes, and gently tapped her fingertips against Lyon's forehead. Crimson energy trickled outward.
But Lyon waited for a moment—and felt absolutely nothing.
"You haven't started yet?" he looked at her.
Beads of sweat were already forming on Wanda's forehead. "I'm already doing my best to use my power!"
Lyon thought for a moment and quickly understood.
His current mental strength and willpower were, by nature, terrifyingly high.
He also had a small tower guarding his soul within the core.
There was no way a novice like Wanda could induce an illusion in him under normal conditions.
"Doesn't seem to be working?" Wanda gave an awkward smile. She knew full well—there was no way she could affect a monster like Superman.
"Try again," Lyon said, withdrawing all his mental defenses, including the small tower.
This time, Wanda's illusion took effect.
Lyon's vision shifted. In front of him appeared a planet—Earth.
He was floating in space, and with his super vision, he saw that everyone on Earth was dead, including Tony, Natasha, and the others.
The entire planet was engulfed in flames, its surface scarred with ravines and destruction.
When he landed, Tony's corpse suddenly opened its eyes.
"Lyon, why did it take you so long to return from your journey? The enemy was too strong… I'm sorry, I couldn't stop him."
Lyon stood in silence, staring at the familiar bodies lying all around.
Pepper, Sherry, Natasha and her sister, the Men in Black… Every single one of them was speaking, hundreds of faces repeating the same question—
Asking why he had been gone for so long.
This was the very scenario Lyon subconsciously feared every time he traveled between worlds.
What he feared was returning one day... Only to be greeted by a scene of corpses strewn across the land.
"No wonder it's called Chaos Magic," Lyon murmured softly.
Wanda was only tentatively channeling her energy—she couldn't even be said to have grasped the basics of control.
Yet she was already capable of stirring up the deepest worries buried in his subconscious.
Once she became more skilled, her power could easily surpass that of the top sorcerers in Kamar-Taj.
Lyon cast one last glance at the field of corpses, then closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, he was greeted by Wanda's curious and slightly concerned gaze.
"You actually broke free from the illusion on your own… Well, I guess it would've been more surprising if you hadn't," she said, intrigued.
She asked curiously, "That scene just now—was that your greatest fear? But you're so powerful. Why would something like that still worry you? Where would you even go for everyone to die like that without you noticing?"
"Strength is never enough," Lyon shook his head.
Then his tone shifted. "Wanda, your ability is impressive."
"But you got one thing wrong—It's not just telekinesis and illusion creation.
Its true nature should be a power strong enough to alter reality itself, something more like magic."
With a thought, Lyon manipulated the matter in his inner world and constructed a villa.
"You and your brother both have great potential," he said.
"But great potential doesn't equal great power. For the next while, you and Pietro will train with me."
"By the way, time here flows a thousand times faster than the outside world. So we have plenty of time."
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