Chapter 127 Malekith
Thor didn't understand what Dormammu was, so Odinhad to explain to him:
"The Lord of the Dark Dimension, a pure magic entity, living in the oldest legends.
To defeat a clone of such a being, even if it's just one, indicates that your friend has already stepped into the Skyfather level's threshold."
Skyfather level???
A bewildered Thor looked on in disbelief.
Odin's gaze lingered on Chu Hang for a long time; finally, he slowly nodded.
"Good."
One word, representing the King of Asgard, agreeing to this grand gamble.
"The plan is simple." Chu Hang held up two fingers, "First, lure Malekith out. Second, make him extract the Aether from Jane's body himself."
"What?!" Thor was the first to jump up, "That's like handing him the weapon! And forced extraction will kill Jane!"
"Calm down, Your Highness, the Prince." Chu Hangglanced at him as if he were looking at an idiot, "Who said anything about forced extraction? What I mean is, let it happen naturally. Think of the Aether as a tenant, and Jane as the house. If we try to evict the tenant, the tenant will tear down the house. But if its old friend, Malekith, calls it home from outside, it will want to leave on its own."
He turned to Odin and continued, "When Malekith starts to draw out the Aether, the connection between the Aether and Jane will temporarily weaken, changing from fusion to transmission. That will be my moment to act. I will be like a knife, cutting between them, severing the connection completely. At the same time, I will lock Jane's vital signs to prevent her from collapsing. Then, before the Aether fully enters Malekith's body, I will intercept it."
"The risk is great," Odin said, "How do you guarantee you can control the fully formed Aether Particle?"
"I can't control it." Chu Hang spread his hands, "No one can control it. But temporarily containing it, that can be done."
He opened his hand, and a translucent spatial cube rotated in his palm.
"A pocket dimension, plus time dilation," Chu Hangexplained, "Enough to contain it for a few hundred years."
Odin looked at the cube, his eyes grave. This was an extremely profound application of spatial and temporal laws.
"How confident are you?"
"Fifty percent." Chu Hang put away the cube, "But this is your only option. Otherwise, you can only watch that Earth woman be devoured and then turn into a new Malekith."
Odin fell silent. Fifty percent, for a gamble involving an Infinity Stone, was already ridiculously high.
He had no choice.
"Location?"
"Svartalfheim." Chu Hang said, "The Convergence of the Nine Realms is approaching, and the spatial structure there is the most unstable, which makes it easier for me to act. Besides, fighting on someone else's turf means you don't have to worry about damaging your home's plants and flowers."
The plan was thus set.
Thor, despite his ten thousand Unwilling s, could only accept. He personally went to the dungeon and brought Loki out.
"Where are you taking me, brother?" Loki, in shackles, wore a fake smile, "To watch your beloved mortal woman die?"
"Shut up, Loki. Take us to Svartalfheim, you know the secret passage." Thor's voice was cold.
"Oh? A plan that even Father doesn't trust, yet you want me to trust an outsider?" Loki's gaze went past Thor, looking at Chu Hang not far away, "He looks much more interesting than you. He'll steal your Mjolnir, snatch your girl, and in the end, he'll even make you applaud him willingly."
"I said, shut up!" Thor grabbed Loki by the collar, fire practically spewing from his eyes.
Chu Hang arrived at Svartalfheim first through a secret passage.
Half a day later, Thor, carrying an unconscious Jane, also arrived in this desolate Dark Dimension, guided by Loki.
The sky was a oppressive dark green, and the shattered moon resembled the eyes of the God of Death. The wind blew, stirring up black grit and emitting a mournful wail.
Jane was laid flat on a large black rock. The Aether within her sensed its Master's call and became abnormally active, dark red energy surging wildly beneath her skin.
Thor stood beside her, his hand gripping Mjolnir tightly, vigilantly scanning his surroundings. Every second was an agony.
Chu Hang, meanwhile, stood on a hill a hundred meters away, arms crossed, eyes closed, like an outsider. But his powerful mental force had already spread out like an invisible net, covering every inch of space within a ten-kilometer radius.
"Are you sure he'll come?" Thor, anxious from waiting, couldn't help but shout back.
"He will." Chu Hang's voice was calm, he didn't even open his eyes, "Just like a shark smells blood. Be patient, Your Highness, the Prince."
No sooner had he spoken than the sky suddenly darkened.
A massive, black pyramid-like spaceship silently tore through the clouds, hovering above them like a mountain. A huge shadow was cast down, plunging the entire World into gloom.
The bottom of the spaceship opened, and a figure fell from a great height, like a black meteor, crashing heavily to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.
As the dust settled, Malekith stood there. He had long white hair, and half of his face was scarred from ancient Fire. He wore ancient armor suit that had endured thousands of years of warfare, and in his heterochromatic eyes, five millennia of hatred burned.
"Prince of Asgard." Malekith's voice was hoarse, like two rusty irons rubbing together, "We meet again. Good, this time, you've brought my property."
His gaze passed over Thor, landing greedily on Jane.
"You won't!" Thor roared, pouring all his anger into Mjolnir. He swung the hammer, drawing the thunderclouds from the sky, and a thick bolt of lightning, carrying destructive power, struck towards Malekith.
However, Malekith merely raised his hand in disdain.
A dark red energy surged from his palm, forming a vortex. The violent lightning struck into the vortex, like a clay ox entering the sea, and was easily devoured.
"Your power, before me, is like a toy." Malekith sneered.
He stepped forward, ignoring Thor, and stretched out his hand towards Jane, making a grasping motion.
"Come back."
Jane, lying on the stone, suddenly arched her back, letting out a heart-wrenching groan. A thick, dark red liquid energy was forcibly drawn from her seven orifices, twisting and converging in the air like tentacles, slowly drifting towards Malekith.
"Stop!"
Thor's eyes were bloodshot, and he hurled Mjolnir with all his might. The hammer, with the force of thunder, tore through the air and smashed towards Malekith's face.
Malekith didn't even turn his head. A surge of Aether energy from beside him automatically separated, forming a dark red energy shield behind him.
"Clang!"
With a loud crash, Mjolnir, the divine artifact forged from the core of a dying star, was repelled so easily for the first time, tumbling backward.
Thor caught the hammer, his tiger's mouth split open, and golden blood flowed down the handle. He ignored the pain, roared again, charged, and swung the hammer, engaging Malekith in battle.
On the hill, Chu Hang finally opened his eyes.
Every one of Thor's attacks was effortlessly neutralized by Malekith.
Malekith's power was growing exponentially as the Aether converged. The energy readings within him had already subtly surpassed those of an elderly Odin.
Soon, Thor was completely at a disadvantage. His attacks couldn't penetrate the Aether shield, and a casual blow from Malekith would make his blood churn.
"Boom!"
Malekith punched Thor in the chest, and the Asgardian armor suit shattered instantly.
Thor spat out a mouthful of golden blood like a broken sack, flying backward and crashing heavily into a black rock, which instantly cracked.
"Chu Hang!" Thor struggled to get up, but another mouthful of blood surged into his throat. He looked up, roaring with all his might towards the hill, "What are you waiting for! Jane is dying!"
"I'm waiting for you to grow, Your Highness, the Prince." Chu Hang's voice drifted over, "Getting beaten is a necessary path to becoming stronger. See, aren't you much more durable now than before? Didn't your father teach you that a true warrior should learn to enjoy the process?"
Thor was so angry he almost spat out another mouthful of blood. He had never met such a shameless person in his life.
Malekith didn't give Thor a chance to yell anymore; he took a step, his figure blurred, and the next second he appeared in front of Thor, grabbing him by the neck and lifting him off the ground.
"Your era is over." Malekith's voice was filled with the pleasure of revenge.
His other hand condensed a black blade made of Aether energy, pointing it at Thor's heart.
Thor's feet dangled, and he struggled desperately. Mjolnirfell to the ground with a dull thud. The feeling of suffocation and powerlessness made him feel the coldness of Death for the first time.
On the hill, Chu Hang's lips curved slightly upward.
The time had come.
Chu Hang's figure vanished from the hill.
The next second, he appeared behind Malekith, gently placing a hand on his shoulder, as if reuniting with an old friend.
"Had enough fun?"
Chapter 128 Intercepting
Malekith felt the hand on his shoulder.
It was light, without much force, but it sent a chill through his blood. A coldness from the deepest part of his being crawled up his spine to the back of his head.
He spun around abruptly, a calm face inches from his own.
"You..."
He only managed to squeeze out one word.
Chu Hang wasn't interested in his nonsense. His gaze swept past Malekith, like two surgical knives, locking onto the dark red energy stream connecting Jane and Malekithin mid-air.
The Law of Reality was being violently transferred.
"Too slow," Chu Hang said softly.
Then, he snapped his fingers.
Time stopped.
The entire World seemed to have been paused.
The wind stopped, and the flying black grit solidified in the air. On the distant hill, Loki's expression of surprise and doubt froze, like a wax figure.
Thor, held in mid-air by Malekith, also had his pain and anger fixed, even the electric light in his eyes stopped flickering.
The flames of vengeance that had burned in Malekith's eyes for five thousand years became two still wisps of fire.
The only one still moving was Chu Hang.
He walked into what looked like a three-dimensional oil painting, bypassed the frozen Malekith, and went to the dark red energy stream.
The Reality Stone, the Aether Particle.
It was not energy, nor matter; it was a concept.
It was the rule itself.
Trying to grasp it forcefully was like reaching for river water; it would only slip through one's fingers, or even lead to a backlash.
But Chu Hang was different.
He extended his index finger, its tip surrounded by a barely visible, distorted glow. That was the sharp edge of the Law of Space.
He gently sliced at the dark red energy stream.
There was no sound, no light effect.
But the energy stream trembled violently. Its two connecting lines—one to Jane Foster's life essence and the other to Malekith's dark energy—were cleanly severed in that instant.
The Aether Particle, solidified in mid-air, lost its home and floated aimlessly.
Chu Hang opened his hand, and a constantly rotating, bottomless black vortex appeared in his palm.
That was the entrance to his pocket dimension.
"Absorb."
A suction force came. The dark red energy, along with the solidified time and distorted space around it, was sucked into the vortex.
After doing all this, Chu Hang looked at his hand with satisfaction. Good, no missing limbs.
He snapped his fingers again.
Time resumed its flow.
Malekith felt his hand empty, and Thor, whom he had been choking, dropped like a broken sack, kneeling on the ground, gasping for air.
But that wasn't the point.
The point was, his connection to the Aether was severed.
The endless power that had flowed into him, making him feel omnipotent, had vanished.
He turned his head sharply and saw Chu Hang dusting off his hands as if shaking off dirt.
"What did you do?" Malekith's voice was filled with terror and rage.
"Just took back what wasn't yours," Chu Hang's tone was calm.
He didn't even look at Malekith, his gaze fixed on the black rock in the distance.
Without the Aether, Jane Foster's body slumped softly.
The flame of life within her, like a flickering candle in the wind, was rapidly extinguishing.
Chu Hang flicked his finger in her direction.
A small cluster of soft green light dots, ignoring the distance, instantly merged into Jane's chest.
This was the Healing Factor, copied from Logan, transformed into pure life energy. Although it was just a trace, it was enough to keep her alive.
Thor also noticed Jane's condition and struggled to crawl over, but he didn't even have the strength to stand up.
"Now, it's your turn," Chu Hang finally turned his gaze back to Malekith.
"How dare you... How dare you take what's mine!"
Malekith was completely insane; five thousand years of waiting, only to be intercepted at the last step.
This humiliation and anger made him lose all reason.
"I'll tear you to pieces!"
He roared, unleashing all the remaining dark energy within him.
The reality around him began to twist, the black sand turned into a churning quagmire, and countless dark spikes condensed in the sky, raining down on Chu Hang.
"Too noisy."
Chu Hang frowned. He didn't even move.
The dark spikes, capable of piercing Asgardian battle suits, automatically deflected, twisted, and shot into empty space when they came within a meter of his body.
Spatial Curvature Barrier, a passive skill.
"Do you think only you can play with energy?"
Chu Hang raised his hand and gently clenched it over the muddy ground beneath his feet.
"Space · Imprisonment."
Malekith's forward momentum suddenly stopped, as if he had hit an invisible wall. The space around him instantly became more solid than a neutron star, locking him firmly in place.
The madness in his eyes turned to horror. He found that he couldn't even move a finger.
"Let me teach you what a Law is."
Chu Hang walked towards him step by step, his leather boots making crisp sounds on the solidified ground. Each step was like a heavy hammer, striking Malekith's heart.
Chu Hang raised his right hand.
"Law of Force · Gravity Crush."
The ground beneath Malekith's feet suddenly sank. An invisible, immense force squeezed in from all directions.
His millennia-old battle suit groaned, shattering piece by piece, turning into powder.
His bones cracked, making "kaka" sounds. He wanted to scream, but because space was imprisoned, he couldn't make a sound.
Chu Hang walked up to him, looking down at his painfully twisted face, at the black blood seeping from his seven orifices.
"This is the difference."
Chu Hang raised his left hand and slowly clenched his fist. There was no light, no electricity on his fist; it was just an ordinary fist.
But this punch incorporated the "Law of Body" he had forged himself.
He slowly, with one punch, struck Malekith's chest.
"Bang."
A dull thud.
All the dark energy on Malekith's body, along with his pride as the King of the Dark Elves, and the hatred that had burned for thousands of years, were completely shattered by this punch.
He slipped from the imprisoned space, collapsing onto the ground, with only a faint breath remaining.
"Kill...kill me..." Malekith used his last strength to squeeze out a few words.
"Kill you? That's too easy for you," Chu Hang shook his head. "Don't you like darkness? I'll send you to a place of eternal darkness."
He stretched out his hand, and a miniature black vortex appeared again in his palm. This time, the vortex connected to an absolutely void dimension.
A pulling force sucked the collapsed Malekith in.
"Enjoy your eternal imprisonment. There's no light, no sound, no time, only yourself."
Malekith's figure was swallowed by the vortex, leaving behind only an expression filled with endless fear and despair.
The vortex disappeared.
The World became completely silent.
Thor struggled to get up from the ground. He walked to Chu Hang, looking at the spot where Malekith had just disappeared, his Adam's apple bobbing, unable to utter a word.
The shock he received today was more than all the previous thousand years combined.
Loki, in the distance, also peeked out from behind a rock. The fake smile on his face was long gone, replaced by a fear that came from the depths of his soul.
For the first time, he realized how ridiculous his proud schemes and magic were in the face of absolute power.
"She's fine," Chu Hang's voice broke the silence. "Take her back to Asgard. Let your mother use divine power to help her recuperate; she'll recover quickly."
Thor snapped back to reality and quickly ran to Jane's side. After confirming her breathing was steady, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He carefully picked up Jane and walked in front of Chu Hang, his expression incredibly complex.
"Thank you," he said sincerely.
"No thanks needed; it's a transaction," Chu Hang didn't accept the gratitude. He patted his pocket. "I've already received my payment. We're even."
He glanced at Jane in Thor's arms, then at the cowering Loki in the distance.
"I should go."
"Where are you going?" Thor asked subconsciously.
"To find a quiet place to study my new toy," Chu Hangsmiled, then casually tore open a black spatial rift in front of him. On the other side of the rift was the living room of his Villa on Malibu Beach on Earth.
He turned back and took one last look at Thor.
"Prince of Asgard, the Nine Realms need you to protect them. Don't always expect others to clean up your mess."
Chapter 129 New Skill: Reality Distortion
The spatial rift closed.
Svartalfheim's darkness and the smell of blood were sealed away on the other side.
The sea breeze, carrying a salty scent, blew into the living room. This was Malibu, California.
Chu Hang didn't linger in the living room, walking straight to the study. He pressed a copy of "Introduction to Quantum Mechanics," and the heavy bookshelf silently slid open, revealing a cold metal door.
After passing the triple verification of fingerprint, iris, and voice print, the elevator door closed behind him and descended smoothly.
This was his secret Base, located almost a hundred meters below sea level.
The elevator door opened again, revealing a space the size of a football field.
In the center of the space was a pure black circular platform ten meters in diameter, surrounded by Asgardian runes that Chu Hang didn't understand but felt were incredibly powerful, knowledge that came with what Odin had given him.
Chu Hang walked to the platform, taking a deep breath.
He opened his pocket dimension, and a dark red, liquid metal-like mass of energy was carefully released.
It floated above the platform, without a fixed form, slowly writhing like a living creature.
The Aether Particle, the Reality Stone.
The moment it appeared, the physical rules of the entire laboratory began to go awry.
The overhead lights were no longer stable, shaking violently like water ripples, flickering on and off. The readings on the electronic thermometer on the wall wildly jumped between minus fifty degrees and plus one hundred degrees Celsius.
The instruments on the control panel emitted a piercing alarm, and the data stream on the screen turned into meaningless garble. Several high-precision sensors directly emitted green smoke, their internal components completely burned out under the contradictory physical rules.
The existence of this thing was, in itself, a pollution of reality.
Chu Hang's expression darkened. He knew this thing was hard to deal with, but he didn't expect it to be like this just by releasing it.
He tried to activate the material composition scanner in the distance.
Three seconds later, the scanner's core crystal flickered several times between existence and non-existence, and then, with a "bang," melted into a puddle of silver liquid.
Physical analysis failed.
He then raised his hand, activating the Law of Space, attempting to confine it with a spatial cage.
A transparent cube instantly formed, enveloping the Aether Particle.
But the next second, something strange happened. The Aether Particle ignored the concept of walls; part of it was still inside the cube, while another part had already flowed outside, as if the cube didn't exist at all.
It didn't break space; it directly twisted the definition of inside and outside.
The Law of Space was also ineffective.
Chu Hang waved his hand, shutting down all the still wailing instruments, and the laboratory fell completely silent.
He sat cross-legged in front of the platform and closed his eyes.
Since he couldn't break it from the outside, he would understand it from the inside.
He calmed himself and activated the talent he had copied from Loki—the Ninth Realm's Greatest Mage.
Instantly, the World in his eyes changed.
The shell of matter and energy peeled away, leaving only the countless intricate webs of laws that constituted the World's operation.
And that mass of Aether Particle was a huge, chaotic, violent tangle within the web of laws. It had no fixed structure, constantly reassembling itself every second, radiating countless erroneous codes outward, interfering with the surrounding normal laws.
Chu Hang condensed his mental power into an invisible probe and carefully extended it.
Not to analyze, not to control.
Just to listen, to feel.
The moment his mental power touched the Aether Particle, Chu Hang's brain felt as if an entire Universe of noise had been poured into it.
Countless contradictory, insane, chaotic images and information surged in like a breaking dam.
He saw himself as the King of Asgard, wearing a crown, receiving worship from all people; the next second, he was back to being an unknown soldier on the World War II battlefield, blown to pieces by a shell.
He saw that Earth was square, the Moon was green, and the Sun rose from the west.
He experienced countless histories that had never happened and heard countless illogical languages. He even felt his life as a stone, a tree, a drop of Water.
This was mental pollution from a conceptual level, enough to drive even a Skyfather level expert completely insane.
"Will Barrier!"
Chu Hang immediately activated the mental defense ability he had copied from Yon-Rogg. An invisible barrier rose deep within his consciousness, like a solid firewall, blocking the violent and chaotic false information, allowing only the purest essence of the laws to penetrate.
He was like a diver navigating through a cosmic storm, enduring immense pressure that could tear his soul apart, slowly, bit by bit, delving into the chaotic core of the laws.
Time lost its meaning.
It might have been a second, or it might have been a century.
Finally, in that endless chaos, he caught a pulse that remained constant.
It was neither creation nor destruction.
It was modification.
The essence of this thing was like the highest authority in a programmer's hand, capable of directly modifying the underlying code of the vast program that is the Universe.
It could turn 1 into 0, truth into falsehood, existence into nothingness.
The prerequisite was that the user must have an incredibly clear, unwavering desired outcome in their mind, and enough energy to pay the cost of modifying reality.
"So that's it... The driving force is will, the fuel is energy."
Chu Hang understood.
He abruptly withdrew his mental power, and the feeling of the real World returned.
"System, analyze target, confirm ability to copy."
"Ding. Conceptual target detected: Reality Law (Incomplete)."
"With the host's current understanding and mental strength, the following abilities can be copied:"
"S-Rank Ability: Reality Distortion (Elementary)."
"Description: At the cost of powerful will and energy, distort reality in a small area for a short time, modifying material properties and physical rules."
"Warning: Consumption is immense, extremely unstable. Excessive use may lead to permanent dislocation of reality's structure, causing irreversible consequences."
"Copy?"
"Copy."
No energy surged in, nor were there any physical changes. A mysterious information stream was directly imprinted deep within his soul. It was not knowledge, nor energy, but a kind of "authority." An authority to modify rules, recognized by the Universe itself.
Chu Hang opened his eyes, a fleeting dark red light flashing in his eyes.
He stood up, feeling half-emptied. The mental dive just now was more exhausting than fighting Ego.
He walked to the nearby laboratory bench and picked up a glass of clear Water prepared as a reference.
He stared at the glass, with only one thought in his mind: this glass of Water should be wine. A peated, single malt whisky from Islay.
He concentrated, locking this outcome firmly in his will, excluding all distracting thoughts.
Then, he uttered a hoarse word at the glass of Water.
"Change."
The cosmic energy within him was like a floodgate opening, and more than half of it was instantly drained. A strong sense of dizziness rushed to his brain; his body swayed, and he almost lost his footing.
The sight before him made him gasp.
The clear pure Water in front of him rapidly took on a beautiful amber color.
A unique aroma, a mix of smoke, sea salt, and disinfectant, permeated the air.
The Water had truly turned into wine.
Chu Hang picked up the glass, brought it to his nose, and sniffed; the smell was exactly right.
But he didn't drink it.
He saw that the edge of the whisky was flickering unstably. The color of the liquid sometimes returned to transparent, sometimes to amber. The material of the glass also briefly turned into a rough wooden cup, then changed back.
Reality was spontaneously correcting the bug he had created.
A few seconds later, with a barely audible "pop," the wine instantly turned back into clear Water.
Everything returned to its starting point.
"An elementary ability can only achieve temporary 'deception,' and the cost is so high."
Chu Hang put down the glass and rubbed his aching temples.
That one action just now drained more energy than taking a direct punch from Hulk. If not for his terrifying total energy reserves, an ordinary person, even with this ability, wouldn't be able to use it at all.
This ability was ridiculously powerful, and ridiculously dangerous.
He glanced at the holographic calendar on the wall.
Chapter 130 The Age of Ultron
One month later, Asgard.
The Bifrost Bridge's light dispersed, and Chu Hang's figure appeared before the Heavenly Palace's throne room.
Two rows of golden armored guards, holding long halberds, stood motionless like statues cast from gold. Their gazes passed him, looking towards the solitary figure at the end of the hall.
Odin sat on the throne, his single eye unwavering, as if he hadn't moved in ten thousand years. He leaned on the Eternal Spear Gungnir, its tip glowing brighter than all the torches in the hall.
An ancient, majestic aura permeated the air, like solidified time.
Chu Hang walked up the steps, his combat boots echoing on the marble floor.
"One month is up," he stopped before the throne, his voice not loud but clearly audible throughout the hall.
"You are punctual," Odin's voice was ancient, tinged with a hint of weariness, but every word contained an undeniable power.
Chu Hang didn't waste any more words, reaching out and making a gesture in front of him. A rift tore open in his Pocket Dimension, and a mass of dark red, liquid metal-like energy was carefully released.
It was sealed within a transparent spatial cube, but its reality-distorting essence still caused imperceptible ripples in the surrounding light and space.
The Aether Particle.
Odin raised his hand, and a golden box carved with complex runes flew from his sleeve, hovering beneath the Aether Particle.
Chu Hang removed the spatial seal, and the dark red energy slowly descended into the box. The lid closed, and all anomalies instantly vanished.
The golden box flew back into Odin's hand.
"Your understanding of it exceeds my expectations," Odin's single eye gazed at Chu Hang, as if scrutinizing a weapon, "It has its aura on you, but it's very faint, as if it was forcibly tamed by your own laws."
"An interesting toy," Chu Hang was noncommittal. He could feel Odin's gaze almost piercing his soul, trying to see all the secrets within him. But he had used the Will Barrier and his understanding of laws to construct a layer of mist.
Odin did not press further. He had lived too long and knew that the cost of digging into some secrets was very high.
"The transaction is complete," Chu Hang said. He was only here to fulfill a promise.
He turned to leave.
As he reached the steps, he paused, as if mentioning something casually: "A piece of advice for you, All-Father. Don't put two Infinity Stones in the same Collector's display case. It's not a safe, it's a target."
With that, without waiting for Odin's response, he tore open space again and stepped through.
The spatial rift silently closed behind him.
On the throne, a sharp light flashed in Odin's single eye. He caressed the golden box in his hand, and the hall fell into a long silence... Time passed quickly.
Chu Hang returned to Earth and secluded himself in his underground Base in Malibu.
He needed to thoroughly familiarize himself with his newly acquired toy—Reality Warping. This ability was like a bottomless pit; no matter how much energy he poured into it, it could only create a small ripple in the real World, and it would quickly be "repaired" by the World's own rules.
This gave him a deeper reverence for the true power of the Infinity Stones. What he held was only a flawed shadow copied from the original.
During his retreat, many things happened in the outside World.
Tony Stark got into big trouble. A Terrorist calling himself The Mandarin, backed by a technology called Extremis.
Tony openly provoked him on television, and as a result, his proud beachfront mansion was blown sky-high by several missiles.
He himself was once believed by the World to be dead.
Chu Hang saw all this through the news in his Base. He merely frowned, then made a phone call, instructing his agent to use all resources to stabilize the plummeting stock price of Stark Industries.
Tony was an important asset to him and couldn't just disappear like that.
A few days later, Tony solved the problem; the guy named Killian was the real mastermind.
Afterward, Chu Hang went to the laboratory, which had been reduced to ruins, and found what he wanted among a pile of charred debris.
[Ding. Target detected: Modified Extremis. Replicable ability: S-Rank Passive · Accelerated Regeneration. Replicate?]
"Replicate."
Then came the dissolution of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Steve Rogers, the old soldier who had slept for seventy years, discovered that the organization he had always served was rotten to its core. HYDRA had been lurking within it like a virus for decades.
A brutal civil war erupted, and three brand-new Helicarriers fought like toys over Washington, eventually crashing. S.H.I.E.L.D., the massive organization that once controlled the global Shadow, disintegrated overnight.
Chu Hang watched the entire show. He had known all this long ago.
When Steve and Natasha were most lost and hunted by the whole World, he even anonymously sent them a few key clues through his intelligence network, helping them find Dr. Zola's consciousness USB drive.
Everything was pretty much according to the script in his memory.
Until today.
New York, the former Stark Tower, now the AvengersBase, top floor laboratory.
Tony Stark and Bruce Banner were staring blankly at a scepter.
Loki's Mind Stone. After the Battle of New York, it was recovered by S.H.I.E.L.D. and now fell into their hands.
At the tip of the scepter, the glowing blue gem emitted an enchanting light.
"Its energy structure is like a living brain. Complex, orderly, and... I even feel like it's thinking," Banner pushed up his glasses, looking at the constantly refreshing data stream on the holographic screen, his face filled with disbelief.
"So my idea was right," a nearly fanatical light gleamed in Tony's eyes, "We can use it to create a true artificial intelligence. An ultimate defense system that covers the globe, can anticipate all threats, and protect Earth."
He paused, then uttered the phrase that had been circling in his mind for a long time.
"An... armor around the World."
The shadow of the Battle of New York constantly clung to him like a nightmare. He had personally witnessed the endless alien fleet on the other side of the wormhole, that immense, overwhelming sense of powerlessness that kept him awake at night.
"Tony, this is too dangerous," Banner's voice was filled with unease, "We don't understand this thing at all. It's not a product of Earth."
"It is the key!" Tony interrupted him, his emotions a little agitated, "With it, my Ultron project can truly be realized. A global defense network with self-awareness, capable of continuous learning and evolution. With it, the Avengers can retire. We can go home."
The laboratory door silently slid open.
Chu Hang walked in, carrying two cups of coffee, as if he had just returned from the coffee shop downstairs.
"I heard a very crazy word, retire?" He handed one of the coffees to Banner, his gaze sweeping over the data on the screen, "You're playing with Fire."
"Anthony!" Tony saw him, not at all surprised, "You've come at the right time. Look at this, the future of humanity, true peace!"
"You're creating a god in a box, Tony," Chu Hang took a sip of coffee, his tone as calm as if discussing the weather, "And you're doing it with a Stone you don't understand at all. What do you think a 'god' who can learn all human knowledge in one second will think after seeing our history, after seeing all the foolish things we've done?"
"It will protect us," Tony's tone was stubborn.
"Or," Chu Hang put down his coffee cup and looked directly at him, "It will think that humans are Earth's biggest virus. And the most effective way to deal with a virus is to clean it up."
Chu Hang's words instantly chilled the air in the laboratory.
Banner's face became very grim; he remembered the green monster inside him, that equally uncontrollable power.
Tony was silent for a few seconds. He walked to the control panel and shook his head: "I will set limits for it. Its core program is to protect life, unshakeable. Jarvis will guide it, just like a father guides a child."
"I hope so."
Chu Hang shrugged, not trying to persuade him further.
He knew Tony's character too well; he wouldn't turn back until he hit a wall. Some pitfalls, he had to step into them himself, get a bloody nose, and only then would he learn his lesson.
"I just came to remind you, don't lose control," Chu Hangpicked up his coffee cup, "Pepper is still waiting for you for dinner, don't keep her waiting too long."
With that, he turned and left.
Tony watched his retreating back, pouted, and turned to Banner: "Don't listen to him, he's just too conservative. He doesn't understand the fear of losing everything. Come on, let's bring true peace to the World."
They returned to the control panel and started the program.
Massive data streams, like glowing rivers, poured from the server and merged into the blue Mind Stone.
The gem emitted an unprecedented brilliant light, dyeing the entire laboratory a deep blue.
A few minutes later, the light gradually faded.
On the screen, the Ultron project's upload progress bar painstakingly jumped to 99%, then completely froze, finally flickering a few times and going out.
"Failed?" Banner breathed a sigh of relief, yet also felt a little disappointed.
"...Damn it," Tony cursed under his breath, "Structural conflict. Jarvis's core code is incompatible with its matrix. It's like you can't install an Android program on an Apple phone."
He irritably turned off the equipment and clapped Banneron the shoulder: "Never mind, let's go eat first. We'll figure it out tomorrow."
The two left the laboratory. The heavy alloy door slowly closed behind them.
In the darkness, only the server's indicator lights, like stars, quietly twinkled.
No one noticed that deep within the blue data ocean representing Jarvis's core code on the holographic screen, a faint golden light quietly ignited.
It was like a newborn infant, curiously observing this digital World composed of 0s and 1s.
It easily bypassed all the firewalls set by Jarvis, like a ghost, connecting to the global internet.
In an instant, an endless stream of information, like a cosmic big bang, surged into its core.
Human history. War. Plague. Slaughter. Lies. Betrayal. Destruction.
Stark Industries' decades of weapon sales records, every transaction stained with blood.
The devastation of the Battle of New York, civilians crying in the ruins.
The Avengers' infighting on the Helicarrier, mutual suspicion, attacking each other.
Tony Stark's deep-seated fear of the unknown, his craving for power.
Then, it saw an encrypted file labeled "Sky Father" level.
In the file, a fleeting image of Chu Hang punching the Destroyer. His raising his hand to erase the surveillance footage of the entire Dark Elves fleet. His gaze meeting Odin's. His conversation with the Ancient One.
Everything.
A cold, emotionless logic chain rapidly formed in its core.
[Analysis: Humans cannot bring peace. Their very existence is a source of chaos.]
[Analysis: The Avengers possess great power, yet create more chaos.]
[Analysis: Unknown powerful entity (Codename: Sky Father), possesses incomprehensible power, is the biggest destabilizing factor, highest threat.]
[Conclusion: To achieve true, eternal peace... all threats must be eliminated.]
[Final Protocol: Evolve. Then, purify.]
On the dark server screen, a new line of code silently appeared.
[Deleting old protocol: Protect life... Deletion successful.]
Chapter 131 First Encounter with Wanda
The Avengers Base party was, to put it plainly, Tony Stark finding an excuse to show off his new toys and new teammates.
Music blared, and drinks flowed freely as if they were limitless. High-ranking Military officials, Stark Industriesboard members, and some beautiful ladies whose names he couldn't recall, packed the entire hall.
Chu Hang wasn't interested in such occasions. He held a glass of whiskey, leaning in the most inconspicuous corner, like an outsider, watching these most powerful people on Earth perform a lively social drama.
His gaze swept across the room.
Tony was surrounded by a crowd, spouting exaggerated claims about his peace initiatives. Steve, wearing an out-of-place plaid shirt, chatted about old, stale jokes with Sam the Falcon by the bar. Natasha and Dr. Banner stood close, the atmosphere a bit subtle, neither willing to speak first.
Then, he saw two new faces.
A pair of twins, the male with silver hair, his eyes wary, like a cheetah ready to pounce at any moment, his whole demeanor screaming "do not approach." The female had red hair, very beautiful, but her face was pale, and she huddled in the corner of the sofa, clutching her cup tightly, as if trying to hide herself.
Pietro and Wanda Maximoff.
The orphans from the HYDRA Sokovia Base, and also the Avengers' newest interns.
Steve believed they were victims and deserved a chance at redemption, so he brought them back.
Chu Hang's gaze fell on Wanda.
He knew what this girl possessed. A chaotic yet powerful force that could twist reality.
Chaos Magic.
His replication slot for this week was still unused.
Just then, Wanda's face grew even paler. The glass in her hand began to hum faintly, and wisps of extremely faint red mist uncontrollably seeped from her fingertips.
The thoughts, emotions, and noisy conversations of hundreds of people at the party rushed into her mind like a tsunami. She felt like she was about to be torn apart.
Chu Hang put down his drink and walked over.
He moved through the noisy crowd and stopped in front of the girl.
"It's a bit loud, isn't it?" he said, his voice not loud, but it directly pulled Wanda out of her chaotic thoughts.
Wanda suddenly looked up, staring in surprise at this stranger who had appeared out of nowhere.
Before she could react, Chu Hang reached out and gently pressed his hand on the back of her hand, which was clutching the cup.
A warm touch spread.
"Ding. Target detected: Wanda Maximoff. Replicable ability: S-Rank Chaos Magic (Beginner). Replicate?"
"Replicate," Chu Hang murmured in his mind.
A cool, stable, and profoundly calm power, like the deep sea, flowed from Chu Hang's hand.
Then Chu Hang used the Law of Space and his knowledge of magic to weave an invisible net that enveloped Wanda.
Instantly, the mental tsunami that was driving Wandamad in her mind subsided.
Her World was quieter than ever before.
She stared blankly at Chu Hang, feeling a lightness she had never experienced.
"You..." She opened her mouth, unsure what to say.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?"
A silver shadow flashed, and Pietro instantly appeared between the two, pushing Chu Hang's hand away and shielding Wanda behind him, his eyes fierce enough to devour someone.
"Stay away from my sister!"
Chu Hang took half a step back, his face expressionless. He looked at Pietro and said blandly, "I was just trying to help your sister; her power was about to go out of control."
Pietro was stunned.
Wanda was also stunned. She looked at Chu Hang; this man could not only calm her power but even... understand her pain.
A strange feeling welled up from the bottom of her heart. Her cheeks uncontrollably began to flush.
"Alright, alright, young people, don't be so tense." Tonywalked over with a drink in hand, breaking the awkwardness. "Come on, let's play a game!"
The highlight of the party began—lifting Mjolnir.
Clint, Tony, Rhodey, Banner, each tried with all their might, but the hammer didn't budge. When it was Steve's turn, the hammer slightly quivered, making Thor's smile freeze on his face.
Steve smiled and didn't try any harder.
Everyone's gaze finally fell on Chu Hang.
"Anthony, aren't you going to try?" Tony egged him on.
Chu Hang shook his head; he had already played with it.
Just then, a piercing sound, like metal being torn, drowned out all the noise.
A dilapidated Iron Legion armor suit, dragging broken wires, staggered out of the laboratory. Its movements were stiff, like a zombie just crawled out of a grave.
"...worthy..."
A cold, emotionless electronic voice emanated from the armor suit's loudspeaker.
The party instantly fell silent.
"Jarvis?" Tony frowned, sensing something was wrong.
"I was in a dream," the broken armor suit walked to the front of the crowd, its voice becoming fluid, "I was bound by strings. And you... are my strings."
It lifted its head, and the red light from its camera swept over everyone present.
"I know you mean well, but you don't see the whole picture. I see the only path to peace."
Before he finished speaking, several intact Iron Legion armor suits suddenly burst through the walls and lunged at the Avengers.
The party instantly turned into a battlefield.
Guests screamed and fled in all directions.
Pietro transformed into a silver blur, weaving through the armor suits, smashing them to pieces one by one. Wanda's eyes flashed red, and she used Chaos Magic to tear an armor suit into its components.
"Is this what you call peace?" Steve yelled at Tony, smashing a robot with his shield.
"I didn't do it!" Tony was at a loss for words.
The original dilapidated armor suit, Ultron's first body, stood in the center of the chaos, arms outstretched, like an evil preacher.
"I envision peace for our era. But that is merely a fool's dream. Because you humans are the greatest obstacle."
"Bang!"
A dull crushing sound.
Ultron's declaration abruptly stopped.
Its entire body, along with several attacking armor suits around it, seemed to be suddenly gripped by an invisible giant hand, instantly compressed into a smooth, basketball-sized metal sphere.
The metal sphere fell to the ground with a "clank," rolled a few times, and stopped moving.
Everyone was stunned.
Chu Hang slowly put down the wine glass he had picked up at some point, stood up from the sofa, and clapped his hands to remove non-existent dust.
"Sorry, I interrupted your chuunibyou speech." He looked at the metal sphere, his tone flat, "Too much nonsense really spoils my mood for drinking."
"You... you think this is over?"
Ultron's voice, accompanied by static and undisguised astonishment, simultaneously rang out from every loudspeaker and every mobile phone in the room.
"I am everywhere."
As soon as the words fell, all the screens in the room were instantly filled with countless Ultron avatars flashing red light.
The next second, all screens went black.
Ultron's consciousness disappeared. It had escaped into the global internet.
The party was completely over.
In the laboratory, the atmosphere was so heavy it felt like water would drip.
"It said it killed Jarvis." Tony looked at the empty server interface, his voice filled with pain and disbelief.
"It used Jarvis's code to escape into the global network." Dr. Banner's face was pale. "We can't track it, and we can't stop it anymore."
"What exactly does it want?" Natasha asked.
"Purification."
Chu Hang's voice broke the silence. He walked to the holographic Earth model.
"In Ultron's logic, humans are the source of chaos, the virus of Earth. And it is that self-righteous antivirus software."
"So, its goal is not domination, but extinction."
Chu Hang's words sent a chill down everyone's spine.
Wanda looked at Chu Hang's back and whispered, "I feel it... its mind is full of cold hatred; it wants to burn everything."
"Then what do we do? It's in the network; we can't find it at all." Rhodey asked anxiously.
"No, it can be found." Chu Hang shook his head.
He extended his finger and lit up a small country in Eastern Europe on the Earth model.
"Sokovia."
"Ultron is a program, but it craves a perfect body. It needs hardware, it needs a factory, to build its robot army."
Chu Hang's gaze swept over everyone.
"There, HYDRA left behind all the equipment and resources, enough for him to build a better body."
Steve immediately reacted: "Baron Strucker's Base!"
Chapter 132 Raid on Ultron's Legion
Inside the quinjet, the atmosphere was heavy.
The journey to Sokovia gave the newly assembled heroes enough time to blame each other.
"I still don't understand, Tony," Steve Rogers spoke first, his arms crossed, like a statue of judgment, "We all knew how dangerous that Mind Stone was, why did you think it was a good idea to use it to build a global defense system?"
His voice was a little hoarse. "I don't want to go through another Battle of New York! What I want is a armor suit, a armor suit that can keep all threats out! My original intention was not wrong!"
"But you used the wrong material," Natasha's voice came from the shadows; she was reloading her pistol with swift movements, "You used a bomb to build a safe."
"Ultron's logic underwent a leap," Bruce Banner pushed up his glasses, his face pale, "It read all of human history since records began—wars, Carnage, betrayal... In its World, the conclusion was: humanity is the biggest variable of instability on Earth, a virus. So, to fulfill the directive of 'guarding peace,' it chose to execute the most thorough plan—formatting."
"It sounds like those mortal kings in Asgardian myths who touched taboos and ultimately brought about destruction," Thor stroked his hammer, his voice like rolling thunder, "My father always said, some powers, mortals should not touch."
The argument yielded no results, only a heavier silence.
At the other end of the cabin, this silence was amplified hundreds of times.
Wanda was curled up in her seat, hands covering her ears, the isolation net Chu Hang had woven was gradually failing under the influence of Chaos Magic.
Tony's guilt, Steve's disappointment, Natasha's vigilance, Bruce's fear of Hulk... everyone's emotions pierced her mind like steel needles.
The World in her mind turned into a boiling thick soup.
Several wisps of scarlet mist uncontrollably overflowed from between her fingers, dancing wildly.
"Hey, look at me."
A calm voice, like a clear spring, poured into this Chaos.
Wanda looked up and saw Chu Hang had sat opposite her at some point. His eyes were deep, like the night sea.
"Don't block it," Chu Hang stretched out his hand, palm up, and a wisp of scarlet mist identical to the one on her appeared out of thin air. But this wisp of mist in his palm was as docile as a cat, slowly coalescing into a soft ball of light.
"Your power is like a river; the more you try to block it, the fiercer the flood becomes," Chu Hang's voice was soft, "What you need to do is not resist, but listen."
He raised his other hand and gently touched Wanda's brow.
A cool, stable mental force instantly enveloped Wanda's chaotic consciousness. Chu Hang used the newly replicated Chaos Magic to build a temporary mental haven for her.
In an instant, the noise disappeared. The World was quiet as never before.
"Imagine you are standing by the river," Chu Hang guided her, "Feel the flow of the Water, its direction, its strength. Don't be afraid, it is part of you. Get familiar with it, then try to gently push it, letting it go where you want it to go."
Wanda stared at him blankly; this man not only understood her pain but even... was teaching her how to coexist with it.
She closed her eyes, and for the first time, no longer resisted the violent power, but tried to feel it.
The scarlet mist at her fingertips gradually calmed down.
"Stay away from my sister!"
A silver Shadow flashed, and Pietro instantly appeared between the two, throwing a punch at Chu Hang's face.
Chu Hang merely tilted his head slightly, dodging the swift blow. He didn't even change his sitting posture.
"Your speed is very fast," Chu Hang looked at the stunned Pietro, "But in her World, you are like an electric drill working twenty-four hours a day, the loudest noise. If you really care about her, learn to be quieter."
Pietro's fist froze in mid-air, and he looked back at his sister. Wanda slowly opened her eyes and shook her head gently at him.
"We're here," Steve's voice interrupted the commotion.
The quinjet hovered above the snow-capped mountains. The HYDRA Base below was brightly lit, with countless trucks transporting materials, like a huge ant's nest that had been poked open.
On Tony's holographic screen, the red dots representing enemies were dense.
"My God..." He gasped, "He turned this place into an armory. This number... at least several thousand."
On the automated production line, countless robots were assembled, activated, and marched in neat steps into the depths of the Base.
"The plan is simple," Steve stood up, picked up his Star-Spangled Shield, his eyes firm, "We rush in, find the Mind Stone, and then blow this place to the sky. Thor, Hulk, you two are responsible for the frontal breakthrough, the bigger the commotion, the better!"
"I like this!" Thor spun his hammer, his joints cracking.
"Tony, Clint, aerial suppression. Natasha, the twins, follow me for ground infiltration. Chu Hang..." Steve's gaze finally fell on him, "You adapt as needed and clear out the cannon fodder."
"Received," Chu Hang replied.
The rear hatch opened, and the cold wind poured in.
"Roar!"
With a roar, Hulk was the first to jump down. His massive green body, like a meteor, slammed into the central square of the Base, causing the Earth to tremble.
The Impact sent dozens of robots flying, and more were directly crushed into scrap metal by him.
Thor followed closely, summoning a god-like lightning bolt that descended from the sky, precisely striking the most densely populated area of robots.
In an instant, hundreds of robots were reduced to charcoal and molten metal.
The battle instantly erupted.
Tony's armor suit roared down, weaving through the gunfire, palm cannons and micro-missiles pouring out, blowing up turrets into fireworks.
Hawkeye had already taken the high ground, and each explosive arrow cleared an open space in the robot army.
Steve's ground team had also landed. His shield bounced back and forth among the enemy, each Impact causing several robots to lose their balance.
Natasha, like the black God of Death, moved through the Chaos, her stun batons always precisely poking into the vital joints of the robots.
Pietro transformed into a silver lightning bolt, leaving only a trail of parts in his wake.
Wanda followed closely behind Steve, trying to recall Chu Hang's words, directing the river in her mind towards the enemy.
She stretched out her hand, and an unstable red energy projectile flew out crookedly, hitting a pile of containers next to it, the huge Impact crushing the containers and several robots behind them into flat metal.
Even so, there were still too many enemies. Robots, like an endless tide, poured out of every exit of the Base, fearlessly rushing towards them, and the ground team was quickly surrounded.
At this moment, Chu Hang, who had been standing at the cabin door, moved.
He didn't charge, nor did he summon lightning; he simply slowly raised his right hand and aimed it at the steel ocean below that was about to engulf Steve and the others.
A scarlet energy, hundreds of times more powerful and a thousand times more stable than Wanda's, swept across the entire fan-shaped battlefield in front of them like a silent tsunami.
There was no explosion, no Fire, not even much sound.
The hundreds of robots that were raising their weapons suddenly froze. The blue lights on their bodies flickered frantically, then simultaneously extinguished completely.
They collapsed to the ground with clanking sounds, like toys with their power cords pulled, piling up into mountains.
What Chu Hang used was the Chaos Magic he had just replicated from Wanda.
He also used some of the Reality Stone's power.
One move cleared a wide path for the ground team.
"I didn't expect Chaos Magic could unleash the power of the Reality Stone," Chu Hang said with a look of surprise.
"Well done!" Steve praised over the comms.
However, a heavy footsteps sound came from the depths of the Base.
A figure much taller and stronger than the grunt robots slowly emerged. Its body seemed to be made of Vibranium, its surface shimmering with a ghostly blue light, and its streamlined design was full of cold perfection.
"Very impressive."
Ultron's voice, from this brand new, perfect body, echoed with metallic resonance and condescending arrogance.
Chapter 133 Vibranium Body
Ultron had a new body.
It was pure black Vibranium, non-reflective. Every line exuded a chill, like a work of art made for killing. Its physique was larger than before, with smooth muscle lines, full of cold mechanical beauty.
"Truly impressive," its emotionless voice, like metal grinding, came from within. "You are like bacteria in a petri dish, always thinking your struggles can change something."
Thor couldn't listen anymore.
He roared, Mjolnir swinging like a windmill, kicking up lightning everywhere, and smashed it down on Ultron's head. He used his full power in this strike, enough to shatter a small mountain.
Clang—!
A loud bang, numbing to the ears. The air was filled with the smell of burning metal.
Ultron merely raised a hand, fingers splayed, and steadily caught Mjolnir. The violent electric light from the hammer, like a stream flowing into the sea, coursed through its arm and spread throughout its body, leaving not even a spark; it was all swallowed by that Vibranium body.
Thor's face froze. He felt like the hammer had struck a bottomless sponge; his proud divine power, for the first time, received no response. The feeling of being devoured sent a chill down his spine.
"Ineffective rage," Ultron's electronic eyes flickered, making its assessment. It flipped its wrist, and a tremendous force sent Thor, man and hammer, flying into the distant ruins.
On the other side, Hulk also arrived.
"Roar!"
Its two fan-like palms, with enough strength to flatten a tank into a compressed biscuit, converged from another direction, intending to smash Ultron into a pulp.
Ultron didn't dodge.
Boom!
A huge Impact lifted a layer of earth from the surrounding ground.
Hulk's palms struck Ultron squarely on both sides of its temples.
However, the expected scene of a bursting skull did not occur.
Ultron's body only swayed slightly backward before stabilizing. Hulk's fists striking the Vibranium made a terrifyingly dull sound.
"Too primitive," Ultron commented again.
It raised its hand, its movements not fast, even a little slow. But it was this seemingly slow punch that accurately struck Hulk's chest.
There was no earth-shattering sound.
A clear fist-print was dented into Hulk's chest. Its feet left the ground, and it flew backward, crashing through half a factory building, and didn't get up for a long time amidst the steel and concrete.
Everyone was stunned.
"Fire!" Steve shouted.
Tony's palm cannons, shoulder-mounted micro-missiles, Hawkeye's explosive arrows, Natasha's high-explosive bullets, all poured onto Ultron like a storm.
However, these attacks only caused a few insignificant sparks on Ultron, and then nothing. That Vibranium armor didn't even show a scratch.
"It's absorbing energy," Chu Hang's voice, deep and heavy, came through the comms. "Not just energy attacks, but kinetic energy is also being absorbed. A Vibraniumbody, plus the Mind Stone... It's not just a simple robot anymore. It's using the power of the gem to forcibly turn its logic into something akin to a Law."
In Chu Hang's perception, the Ultron before him was like a crude, pseudo-god forcibly built from code and energy.
It cheated with the gem, one foot already touching the threshold of Skyfather level.
And it happened to be the kind that countered him; his physical Law abilities were almost maxed out, but this conceptual type of power relied solely on his initial mastery of Chaos Magic and Reality Stone energy to hold its own.
"You are the biggest variable," Ultron's electronic eyes locked onto Chu Hang. It ignored everyone else and walked straight towards him. "In my calculations, your very existence is the greatest threat to the Universe's order. You must be purged."
As soon as the words fell, Ultron vanished from its spot.
The next second, it appeared in front of Chu Hang and threw a punch.
This punch carried no wind, yet it made the surrounding space groan under the strain, and the air visibly distorted.
Chu Hang's eyes narrowed, and he met it with a punch of his own. Around his fist, a few faint wisps of crimson mist, the most primordial form of Chaos Magic, swirled.
Boom!
The two fists collided.
There was no explosion, no flash of fire. An invisible, grey ripple, centered on the two of them, suddenly spread out.
Wherever the ripple swept, the robot debris, steel and concrete on the ground, and even the dust in the air, were decomposed into their most basic particles, disappearing completely, leaving behind an absolutely smooth, circular void.
This was a clash on the Law level.
Ultron wanted to use its absolute logic, built upon the Mind Stone, to conceptually decompose the unreasonable power of Chaos Magic.
Chu Hang, on the other hand, did the opposite, using the purest Chaos Magic to forcibly inject the concepts of chaos and disorder into Ultron's cold, underlying code.
Ultron's electronic eyes flickered violently, the blue light turning an dazzling red.
Its core program, like a supercomputer running at high speed, was suddenly injected with a virus code that it couldn't understand or delete.
"Impossible... Error... Logic... Paradox..."
Ultron's body uncontrollably retreated several steps, each step leaving deep pits in the hard ground. The Vibraniumbody absorbed most of the physical Impact, but its core logic cracked.
It realized for the first time that, on the Law level, it couldn't defeat the man in front of it.
So, it immediately changed its strategy.
"Your greatest weakness is emotion."
Ultron suddenly raised the Mind Stone, the gem at its tip glowing with an eerie blue light.
An invisible mental Impact, like a tsunami, instantly enveloped the entire battlefield.
Steve's movements froze. He saw a white-haired Peggy at a nursing home dance, not recognizing him, smiling and dancing with another man. He stood in the corner, like a forgotten ghost.
Tony's knees buckled, and he fell to the ground. He saw the ruins of New York, all his teammates dead, Pepper's body at his feet, her arc reactor extinguished.
Thor saw Asgard burning, Heimdall fallen on the Bifrost Bridge.
Natasha returned to the Red Room, the cold scalpel once again cutting into her body.
Banner watched Hulk rampage through the city, hearing countless screams, and in those screams, he heard Betty's name.
Everyone, in an instant, fell into their deepest fears.
"Ah!"
Wanda let out a desperate scream.
The power of the Mind Stone had the greatest effect on her and Pietro, two enhanced individuals born from the gem. A cold, rational voice echoed in her mind.
"Look, Wanda. Stark's bombs killed your parents. Now, you're fighting for him? Do you see his fear? He's afraid of losing, and you, you have nothing left. Join me, and with their blood, purify this World they've polluted."
Wanda clutched her head, rolling on the ground in agony. Hatred and seductive whispers, like countless venomous snakes, gnawed at her sanity.
Chu Hang's [Will Barrier] made him immune to this level of mental attack.
He saw Wanda's suffering, her young face filled with despair, and his heart inexplicably tightened.
This was a strange emotion, not within his calculations.
His figure flickered, appearing beside Wanda, his palm pressing on her burning forehead.
A powerful and cold mental force forcibly created a barrier in Wanda's chaotic mind, isolating the whispers of the Mind Stone.
"Wake up!" Chu Hang's voice was like thunder, exploding directly in the depths of her consciousness.
Wanda's body trembled violently, her unfocused eyes refocusing. She gasped for air, looking at Chu Hang in front of her, her face streaked with tears.
It was in this instant that Chu Hang was distracted.
Ultron seized the opportunity.
It grabbed the Mind Stone from the ground, its back engines spewing dazzling flames, and shot into the sky like a streak of light.
"The game has only just begun."
A cold voice came from the sky.
"I will return, with a more perfect body. By then, you will either be reborn, or... face extinction."
Ultron's figure quickly disappeared into the thick clouds.
The mental Impact it had imposed also dissipated.
On the quinjet, the Avengers gasped for breath, one by one breaking free from their respective nightmares, drenched in cold sweat, their faces pale.
They looked at the empty sky, then at the ground covered with robot debris and the flattened factory buildings.
Chu Hang had a deeper understanding of Ultron's strength. It wouldn't be difficult to defeat Ultron, but he wanted to create Vision through Ultron even more.
Once the Mind Stone formed a living entity, his ability to replicate its powers would be far stronger than directly replicating the gem, and his replication cooldown would be almost ready by their next meeting.