"...That’s it?"
Wade stared at the empty space where Cassandra had been, hands halfway to his mouth like he’d forgotten how eating worked.
She hadn’t just been strong.
She’d been absurd.
She’d pinned him with a flick of her wrist.
Killed Magneto.
Killed Professor X.
And Rowan had erased her in seconds.
Body. Soul. Gone.
"That," Logan said calmly, flicking away his finished cigar, "was Rowan warming up."
He clapped Wade on the shoulder.
"Now you get why I yelled for him instead of trying to die like an idiot."
"So... uh," Wade said slowly, eyes shining, "does his school accept transfers?"
Logan looked him up and down.
"We hire teachers."
"...Rude."
Rowan waved his hand.
Cassandra’s unconscious enforcers vanished into the Void.
Then he turned to Wade.
"Alright. Field trip’s over. Let’s go save your universe."
The Void was finished.
Most of its prisoners had already been devoured by Alioth.
The resistance was gone.
Cassandra was gone.
All that remained were scattered Deadpools whose universes no longer even existed.
There was nothing left here worth keeping.
Rowan opened a portal centered on Wade.
A distant roar rolled across the wasteland.
The sky darkened.
A colossal storm of black smoke shaped like a dragon tore toward them.
"That," Wade said faintly, "looks unhealthy."
"Alioth," Rowan said, studying it.
"...Or sothing very close to Annihilation’s pet."
Alioth erased everything it touched.
Kang had once used it to wipe entire tilines.
It was far too dangerous to test.
"Ti to leave."
Before the storm arrived, Rowan grabbed Wade and Logan and stepped through the portal.
They erged behind a small car dealership in New York.
Peter was mid–sales pitch to a nervous family.
"I swear, if anything goes wrong with the engine, you can call directly. Wade’s out today, but I’ll handle everything personally."
Wade froze.
Then tackled Peter from behind.
"Peter! I missed you more than my spleen!"
"Wade?!" Peter gasped, then hugged him back just as tightly.
"You’re wearing the suit again. You’re back!"
Logan pinched the bridge of his nose.
Rowan stared at the sky.
"...I’m not paid enough for this."
"Co on," Rowan said. "We’ve still got a Paradox to punch."
Wade finally released Peter.
"Right. Murder first. Emotional support later."
"By the way," Peter called after him.
"I clocked you in this morning!"
Wade blew him a kiss.
"You’re an angel with benefits!"
Rowan raised his hand.
A golden arrow burned into the air.
"Target locked. Paradox."
Black iron sand rose beneath their feet, lifting Rowan, Logan, and Wade into the sky toward Manhattan.
Minutes later, they dropped beside a quiet subway entrance.
To the world, it was just another station.
Below it sat a TVA outpost.
And inside it...
A machine that could erase a universe.
Paradox was down there calibrating it.
Rowan opened the hidden door with a spell and skimd the guards’ mories.
"You two handle Paradox and his people," Rowan said.
"I’m stealing the apocalypse machine."
Logan’s claws slid out.
Wade cracked his neck.
"Finally. A normal day."
Rowan descended to sublevel two.
Ti guards fell one by one under silent stun spells.
He reached the massive device.
The Ti Shredder.
A weapon built to collapse tilines.
Rowan placed his hand on it.
Alchemy surged.
"Awaken."
Magic flooded the machine.
tal twisted.
Panels folded.
Gears reassembled.
The structure stood up.
A humanoid figure locked into place.
The eyes glowed white.
"Ti Shredder Unit online," it said.
"Greetings, Creator."
Rowan crossed his arms.
"Can you still erase a universe?"
"Yes," the construct replied.
"With sufficient magical input or stored energy."
Rowan smiled faintly.
"Good. You’re coming with ."
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