At the lab in Pym Technologies.

"Steve, give it up. You can't keep fighting. You still don't fully understand the nature of your body, and for the treatment, I have no idea how to heal you yet."

Steve had relied on his exceptional combat instincts to make the most of the ability Reed had only recently given him during the last battle, but now he had reached his absolute limit.

Even Reed himself did not fully understand the nature of this elastic body. It would take time and calm research to figure that out.

If things were normal, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. But after suffering serious injuries in his fight with Adrian, Steve simply could not keep going.

If he pushed himself any further, no one could predict what might happen to his elastic body, already ravaged by the extreme cold.

"But…"

Steve understood the logic, but as a soldier, as Captain America, he couldn't just sit back and recover while others fought on the front lines.

Besides, ever since he arrived in this world, he had carried a quiet yearning for death. He wanted to give his worth to this era as quickly as possible, then silently fade away.

"Alright. I get it." Hank sighed.

He had his own issues, but he had once fought for peace as Ant-Man with his wife. That alone showed he wasn't cold or heartless.

He could throw attitude at Tony, curse out Howard, look down on anyone else in the world, but the one person he could not disrespect was Captain America, the man the whole nation saw as a hero.

No matter the motives behind the government's propaganda all these years, the fact remained that Steve was a hero. That truth would never change.

"I'll make a trip to S.H.I.E.L.D. for you. Hopefully, my gear is not too outdated."

Hank turned toward the lab's equipment vault and opened it. Inside was his newest suit, an upgrade that combined the Ant-Man armor and Wasp design.

Essentially, it was an Ant-Man suit with flight capabilities.

"Thank you, Hank."

That was all Steve could say to express his feelings, and Hank just waved him off.

"Come on. Don't let the white hair on my head fool you. Deep down, I'm just like you. I never really wanted to leave the front lines either."

* * *

Hank boarded his private jet and headed for Los Angeles, planning to support Fury and Coulson on the Helicarrier.

At the same time, on the docks of New York, Reed stood gazing out at the sea.

Along with him was Reid, motionless, yet the air around him shimmered as light twisted unnaturally.

The former turned to the man beside him and said, "So this is magic?"

The distortion wasn't caused by any trick. It came from an immense surge of magical energy.

It turned out that after gaining the abilities of so many superheroes while keeping his own traits, Reid's magical talent had grown so far it even surpassed Doctor Doom himself.

Even without exchanging for any DC magic characters, he had mastered terrifying magical power in a short time through his own training.

Or, as Luthor liked to put it, a method to control cosmic energy.

This was what the Marvel world called magic.

In Doctor Strange's story, the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj, whether practicing white or black magic, ultimately drew their power from ancient gods. The essence of their magic was borrowing strength from these beings. Doom was no exception either, his magic also originated from an ancient god.

But as an outsider, Reid was obviously not going to be recognized by those entities. He could not use their magic.

Yet the combination of his abilities gave him a talent for magic that rivaled those very gods.

So much so that, while studying the magical tomes Doom had brought, Reid had actually developed his own way to harness the energy of the universe.

"To be precise, this is cosmic energy controlled through special methods. If I can figure out the right approach, maybe one day I can artificially create superheroes, just like Vought's machines do."

Like how Galactus granted power to create the Silver Surfer, reaching that level was only a matter of time for Reid.

"Looks like you were right. Even you did not keep infinite intelligence for yourself, so who am I to think I deserve it?"

Reed let out a bitter smile. If Reid hadn't planned things from the start, how could Steve have ended up with that superpower?

"Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead. You've fulfilled your part. You don't have to worry about me using you any further."

"Why didn't you keep the power I obtained for yourself? Do you not even trust yourself?"

That was Reed's final question. If this ability mattered so much to this man, why wouldn't he take it?

"Without knowledge to support it, infinite intelligence is just an empty shell. It means nothing. Not to mention…"

Reid tapped a finger to his temple.

"I will eventually reach heights even gods can't touch by my own effort. Why take a shortcut that could affect my mind?"

Lowering his head, Reed laughed. "Hahaha! As expected, you and I were never on the same level from the beginning."

He accepted his failure and admitted he was no match for Reid. When he looked up again, the man was gone. In his place was a glowing green portal that shimmered open, and Doom stepped out.

"Let's go, Reed. The revolutionaries of Latveria have prepared a grand welcome feast for you."

* * *

Reed and Doom left for Latveria, cutting ties with this entire incident.

As for Reid, he didn't return to LexCorp to keep watching from the sidelines. Instead, he went to the other side of the Earth, arriving in a reception hall in China.

"I never imagined this, Mr. Pennyworth. To think you possess such a power, one not revealed before."

The leader of the group in the room hid his shock behind a polite smile as he stepped forward to shake Reid's hand.

Behind him stood five tall men in matching red suits, identical in face and build, each watching the new arrival closely, alert to his every move.

The Collective Man, but that wasn't why Reid had come. His purpose did involve them a bit, though they didn't know it yet.

"You flatter me. I'm merely Mr. Luthor's assistant. I'm here because of certain matters concerning Vought. We need to discuss them with your government."

"Shall we... take a seat?"

"Of course. Let's sit down and talk."

**

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