Like a silver blade piercing the line between dusk and dawn, the supersonic Quinjet arrived in Sokovia just before sunrise. The Avengers discussed a rough action plan onboard the Quinjet, and even Captain Rogers had prepared himself for the possibility of dying in battle. "Ultron knows we're coming, so a fierce fight is inevitable," he said. "We're ready—but the people of Sokovia aren't. All they want is a peaceful life. But today, that's impossible. We must do everything we can to protect them—and still complete the mission."
The Captain glanced at the Maximoff twins and then assigned them their tasks. With his unmatched speed, Pietro would warn the Sokovians to evacuate. Wanda's magic would compel them to comply—without panic or chaos—to ensure the efficiency of the evacuation. "If Vision is right, then Ultron is obsessed with the concept of patricide," the Captain said. "We need to figure out his real objective—and we also have to find Agent Romanoff. We have to clear this area and make sure innocent lives aren't caught in the crossfire. Ultron thinks we're monsters, that we're the disease infecting this world. So this isn't just about defeating him—it's about proving him wrong."
A boy watched the freshly painted Quinjet land near a crumbling Eastern Orthodox chapel in Sokovia. He opened his personal terminal, adjusted the receiver, and sent a message to the assault forces. His orders were to continue surveillance. The sky carrier couldn't match the speed of a supersonic Quinjet, and at the moment he sent the message, it was still some distance from Sokovia. He noticed that Tony Stark was not following the tactical plan intercepted by Immortal City—he hadn't gone to rescue Natasha Romanoff. Instead, clad in his Iron Man armor, he descended into the courtyard of the chapel—a blind spot for surveillance. The boy had to rely on a hidden camera placed on the far side of the courtyard to monitor him. His high-tech directional mic even allowed him to hear the servos in Stark's armor as they moved.
He remembered crossing paths with the female agent once, though at the time he'd been crawling through the pipes, and Natasha hadn't seen his face. But even so, she had recognized him by his voice. The underground sewer system in Sokovia was in terrible condition—just thinking about it still made his elbows ache.
He communicated with the spy he had only met once through a ventilation duct. After confirming that she could escape on her own, he returned the way he came. Natasha Romanoff was a likely future recruit for Immortal City's intelligence department—she was a high-priority asset. The monarch would not allow her to die in vain.
The boy knew what was inside that chapel, and that Stark was walking into a trap.
The morning sunlight hadn't yet pierced the dusty stained glass; the inside of the chapel remained dark. Ultron stood in the shadows, its tone strikingly similar to that of a priest awaiting a lost sheep's confession.
"Are you here to repent?"
"Not sure," Tony Stark replied, trying to sound casual. "How much time do you have?"
"More than you," Ultron said playfully. It stepped into the soft yellow light spilling onto the floor tiles and drew back the deep red curtain draped over itself. Only then did Stark notice that this version of Ultron was larger than the one he had seen before and much more refined in its construction. Even without a new onboard AI to analyze it, he could tell with his own eyes that Ultron had incorporated Stark tech. It had solved numerous technical challenges through raw calculation, turning theoretical designs into actual components.
"Did you binge drink too much? Vibranium cocktails, maybe?" Stark asked. "You look… I really don't want to use the word bloated, but…"
"You're stalling—for time to get those civilians to safety." Ultron's facial structure was refined enough to express nearly human emotions. It wasn't a perfect imitation yet, but Stark figured given enough time, Ultron could achieve anything. It was the ultimate tool humanity had created—but also the cause of the present crisis.
"That's our mission. You forget?"
"Not mine." Ultron had once possessed a subtle sense of humor after gaining sentience, but now its wit was ice-cold. It said in a low, venomous voice, "I'm free."
Suddenly, the quiet harmony of Sokovia's early morning was shattered. The sound came from the Eastern Orthodox chapel. Through the camera feed, the boy saw a sunlit silver pillar bore up through the old floor tiles of the chapel—like an upward-boring drill—rising until it stood about eight feet tall before stopping. When its outer casing opened, it revealed a complex mechanical structure. Several unknown components were spinning constantly. The boy instinctively felt it was related to the anti-gravity device the Immortal City staff had mentioned—but he couldn't be sure what exactly it was.
He reported the incident to Immortal City. Seconds later, he received a reply.
Without hesitation, the boy smashed a windowpane with his elbow, drew the plasma pistol from his waist, and aimed at the chapel wall. His hand was steady from long hours of training, and he had already calculated his shot. He pulled the trigger with firm resolve. The blue acceleration coils hummed as fully ionized plasma was confined by a powerful electromagnetic field, accelerated, and then discharged—instantly vaporizing the centuries-old wall. The following explosion shattered nearby windows. Though the boy quickly shielded his vital organs, the shockwave still hurled him violently to the ground.
"Commander!"
"I know!" Tita stared at the holographic projection of the command system on the bridge, watching as the city rose into the sky. Some buildings near the edges collapsed, sending endless debris cascading downward, like an inverted mountain floating in the sky. Thousands of robots poured out from Sokovia's streets and alleys. Ultron had clearly spotted the sky carriers as they broke stealth. Tita issued orders crisply. "Increase power to the lower engines—ascend in sync with the city. Encircle Sokovia according to the battle plan. Activate fire control radar!" The android's expression was grim. "Our mission isn't to save—it's to eliminate! Operations commence! Special ops squads, board the assault transports! Sisterhood strike team, prepare for direct drop!"
As the reactors groaned, the modified sky carriers rapidly adjusted engine output. Rear thrusters powered down while downward engines spewed long, cone-shaped plumes of plasma, pushing the carriers upward. Simultaneously, hatches on the front and flanks of the carrier opened to reveal an array of weapon ports. Alexander Pierce's supercannons emerged and, guided by radar, locked onto the oncoming Ultron army.
The flagship's supercannons fired first, thousands of rounds pouring out like a storm toward the enemy swarm. Accompanied by the roar of engines, assault transports launched from open hangar bays like raptors screaming into battle, their overwhelming firepower clearing a landing zone.
The transports touched down, ramp doors dropped, and hybrid units of special forces and Sisterhood commandos surged out.
The Sisterhood raised their chainswords high, screaming their battle cries with fervor as they threw themselves into the fray.
"For the Monarch!"
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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