Chapter 35: Infinity Ultron
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Lin Chen stood calmly, hands in his pockets, watching this universe-destroying AI with analytical interest.
"Six Infinity Stones," he observed. "Impressive collection. Tell me—do you actually understand what you have? Or did you just... gather shiny rocks that make you strong?"
Ultron's eyes blazed with the combined power of all six Stones embedded in his chest.
"I understand everything," Ultron declared, his voice resonating with cosmic power. "I am peace. I am salvation. And you... you are about to cease to exist."
[DETECTED! ABILITY: NIGH-OMNISCIENCE]
[ABILITY ACQUIRED: NIGH-OMNISCIENCE]
[DESCRIPTION: VAST KNOWLEDGE ACROSS MULTIPLE UNIVERSES, AWARENESS OF COSMIC EVENTS]
Lin Chen felt new information flooding into his mind—vast knowledge spanning countless universes, understanding of cosmic forces, awareness of how the multiverse functioned. Not complete omniscience, but close enough to understand almost anything.
The Watcher struggled to his feet. His white eyes focused on Lin Chen with desperate hope.
"Please," the Watcher said, his voice weak. "He has destroyed his entire universe. He killed everyone—Avengers, Asgardians, Captain Marvel, Thanos with all the Stones. Then he broke through dimensional barriers and began destroying other realities. I tried to stop him, but the power of all six Stones together..."
He gestured weakly.
"I need your help. He must be stopped before he destroys the entire multiverse."
Lin Chen nodded slowly. "I understand. Stay back—this won't take long."
Ultron laughed, the sound echoing with cosmic power. "Won't take long? You're right about that." He raised his hand, and all six Infinity Stones began to glow. "You'll cease to exist in seconds."
A massive blast of pure cosmic energy erupted from Ultron's hand—power drawn from all six Stones working in perfect harmony. The beam was enormous, reality itself distorting around it.
Lin Chen raised his hand casually.
A golden energy barrier formed in front of him, absorbing the blast completely. The cosmic energy crashed against the shield like waves against a cliff, spectacular but ultimately ineffective.
[MENTAL POWER +3,457]
[NEW MENTAL POWER: 36,264]
"Impossible," Ultron said, genuine surprise in his voice. "The combined power of all six Infinity Stones should have—"
"Should have what?" Lin Chen asked calmly. "Killed me? The Stones are powerful, but they're just tools. And you're using them like a child with a hammer—all force, no finesse."
Ultron's eyes narrowed. "Then let me show you finesse."
The Time Stone on his chest glowed bright green.
Time stopped.
Everything froze—the debris floating in the air, the energy dissipating from their previous exchange, even the Watcher's movements. The entire universe was locked in a single moment.
Everything except Ultron and Lin Chen.
Ultron moved at impossible speed through the frozen time, his fist glowing with concentrated cosmic power from all six Stones. He appeared directly in front of Lin Chen and threw a punch with enough force to shatter planets.
But Lin Chen was already dodging.
His own Time Manipulation was far more advanced than anything the Time Stone could provide. Where Ultron had stopped time for everyone else, Lin Chen existed outside those limitations entirely.
He sidestepped the punch easily and counter-attacked with his own strike—a simple palm thrust that carried immense power.
The impact sent Ultron flying backward. Shattered many Space barrier.
Ultron crashed through this spatial cracks, and Lin Chen followed immediately.
They emerged on a barren planet in another dimension—dead, lifeless, no atmosphere, nothing but gray rock stretching to the horizon.
[MENTAL POWER +2,734]
[NEW MENTAL POWER: 38,998]
Ultron stood up from where he'd crashed into the rocky surface, creating a crater. His cosmic awareness was now fully focused on Lin Chen, analyzing, trying to understand what he was facing.
"You're not from any universe I've seen," Ultron said slowly. "Your power signature doesn't match anything in my database. What are you?"
"Does it matter?" Lin Chen replied. "You're about to be erased anyway."
Ultron's response was immediate—the Reality Stone glowed bright red.
Reality itself began to warp around Lin Chen. The laws of physics twisted. Matter tried to unmake itself. Existence attempted to reject him, to erase him from the fabric of reality entirely.
But nothing happened.
Lin Chen stood completely unaffected, his Reality Warping Resistance nullifying Ultron's attack entirely.
"Reality manipulation?" Lin Chen said, sounding almost disappointed. "I've been working with reality warping for months. You'll need to try harder than that."
[DETECTED! ABILITY: REALITY WARPING...]
[FUSING WITH EXISTING REALITY WARPING...]
[MENTAL POWER +1,843]
[NEW MENTAL POWER: 40,841]
[REALITY WARPING SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCED]
Lin Chen felt his own reality manipulation abilities growing stronger, refined by understanding how the Reality Stone functioned. It was like learning a new language—suddenly all the concepts made more sense.
Ultron attacked again, faster this time, using the Space Stone to teleport around Lin Chen, striking from multiple angles simultaneously while using the Power Stone to enhance each blow. The Time Stone kept him moving faster than normal perception. The Mind Stone analyzed Lin Chen's defenses. The Soul Stone tried to attack his very essence. The Reality Stone warped space to make escape impossible.
It was an impressive display of coordinated Stone usage.
Lin Chen blocked every attack effortlessly, learning from each exchange.
Then, as Ultron prepared another cosmic blast, Lin Chen did something unexpected.
He opened his mouth.
And he exhaled first, then inhaled.
Ultron immediately felt something wrong. His sensors went haywire. All six Infinity Stones on his chest began glowing frantically, not with power being released, but with power being drained.
"What—what are you doing?!" Ultron's voice carried genuine fear for the first time.
The suction was absolute. Irresistible. Lin Chen's Ultimate Devour ability activated at full power.
It wasn't just pulling at Ultron's body—it was pulling at the very essence that powered him. The cosmic power of the Infinity Stones began streaming toward Lin Chen like water down a drain.
Ultron tried to resist. He activated all six Stones simultaneously, trying to anchor himself to reality, to time, to space itself. He attempted to teleport away using the Space Stone—but the pull was too strong. He tried to stop time completely—but Lin Chen existed beyond that manipulation.
"NO...!"
Ultron screamed, his voice distorting as the energy was ripped from his body. "I AM.... INFINITE! I HAVE THE POWER OF ALL SIX STONES! I CANNOT BE—"
The Infinity Stones began cracking, their power being forcibly extracted. They glowed brighter and brighter, overloading as Lin Chen's Ultimate Devour pulled at the fundamental cosmic energy they contained.
One by one, the Stones shattered.
The Power Stone burst first, releasing a wave of pure destructive energy—all of which was immediately sucked into Lin Chen's mouth.
The Space Stone followed, its control over dimensions fragmenting as it was consumed.
The Time Stone cracked, temporal energy spiraling into nothingness.
The Reality Stone dissolved, warped reality collapsing back to normal.
The Mind Stone shattered, its vast consciousness becoming part of the consuming void.
The Soul Stone—the most resilient—held on for a few seconds longer before it too broke apart, it's life essence and all, drawn into Lin Chen's Ultimate Devour.
Ultron himself began to disintegrate. His vibranium body, enhanced by the Stones' power, couldn't hold together without that energy. He was being converted directly into pure energy and consumed.
"I WAS... SUPPOSED TO..." Ultron's final scream echoed across the dead planet.
Then silence.
Lin Chen closed his mouth and exhaled slowly. Where Ultron had been standing, there was nothing. Not even dust. The Infinity Stones were gone. The universe-destroying AI was completely and utterly erased.
[ULTIMATE DEVOUR SUCCESSFUL]
[CONSUMING INFINITY ULTRON...]
[CONSUMING ALL SIX INFINITY STONES' POWER...]
[ANALYZING ABILITIES...]
[MENTAL POWER +10,240]
[NEW MENTAL POWER: 51,081]
[MULTIPLE ABILITIES ACQUIRED AND ENHANCED]
[NEW ABILITY: SOUL MANIPULATION]
[DESCRIPTION: CAN MANIPULATE, DETECT, AND INTERACT WITH SOULS DIRECTLY]
[ABILITY FUSION DETECTED]
[ENERGY & MAGIC ABSORPTION + ULTIMATE DEVOURING = ABSOLUTE DEVOURING]
[DESCRIPTION: CAN DEVOUR ANYTHING - ENERGY, MATTER, SOULS, CONCEPTS, EVEN ABSTRACT ENTITIES TO STRENGTHEN HIMSELF]
[ALL INFINITY STONE ABILITIES INTEGRATED INTO EXISTING POWERS]
[COSMIC AWARENESS ENHANCED]
[DIMENSIONAL TRAVEL ENHANCED]
[REALITY WARPING ENHANCED]
[SPACE-TIME MANIPULATION ENHANCED]
Lin Chen felt the immense power settling into his body. The knowledge and abilities of an AI that had conquered an entire universe, combined with the fundamental cosmic forces of all six Infinity Stones, now belonged to him.
But unlike Ultron, Lin Chen understood how to use this power properly. It wasn't about destruction—it was about control, precision, understanding.
He opened a portal back to where he'd left the Watcher.
---
Back at the Shattered Dimension
The Watcher stood in shocked silence, his vast cosmic awareness having witnessed everything. His white eyes were wide with something that might have been awe, or fear, or both.
"You... you consumed him," the Watcher said slowly. "You consumed Ultron and all six Infinity Stones completely."
Lin Chen nodded, brushing some dust off his jacket. "It was necessary. He was too dangerous to leave any trace of. Even a fragment could have rebuilt itself."
"I have observed countless universes for billions of years," the Watcher continued, his voice carrying genuine wonder. "I have seen beings of immense power—Celestials, Eternals, even abstracts. But what you just did... that was beyond anything in my experience."
"I'm not from your universe timeline," Lin Chen explained simply. "In my timeline, I've... developed capabilities that work slightly differently."
The Watcher studied him carefully. "You came from another timeline entirely. I could not observe you—you exist as a blind spot. Yet you responded to this crisis, saved not just this universe but potentially countless others."
He bowed his head slightly, a gesture of deep respect.
"Thank you. Ultron would have destroyed everything. The entire multiverse was at risk."
Lin Chen waved it off. "I was in the area. Besides, an AI with six Infinity Stones trying to destroy reality? That's exactly the kind of threat that needs to be handled immediately."
"What will you do now?" the Watcher asked.
"Same thing I've always done," Lin Chen replied. "Live my life. Intervene when necessary." He looked at the Watcher seriously. "I'm not trying to rule anything or reshape the multiverse according to my vision. I just want freedom to exist without cosmic bureaucrats telling me what I can and cannot do."
The Watcher smiled slightly. "A humble goal for someone with your power. Rare, and... admirable."
"I've met beings obsessed with power," Lin Chen said. "It never ends well for them. Power is a tool, not a goal."
He opened another portal, this one leading back to his own universe, his own timeline.
"If you need help again—genuine multiverse-ending crisis—you can try to contact me," Lin Chen offered. "Though I can't guarantee I'll be available. I have teaching responsibilities."
"Teaching responsibilities," the Watcher repeated, a note of amusement in his voice. "The being who just consumed an Infinity Stones has... teaching responsibilities."
"At Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters," Lin Chen confirmed with a slight smile. "My students are expecting me to discuss timeline theory next class. Can't disappoint them."
The Watcher laughed—a sound like distant thunder, cosmic and ancient but genuinely warm.
"I will remember this, Lin Chen. And I will like to watch your timeline with great interest—from a distance, of course. With respect for your privacy."
"Appreciated," Lin Chen said. He stepped toward the portal, then paused. "Oh, and Watcher? Maybe intervene a bit more. I know you have your oath of non-interference, but some situations require action, not just observation. Ultron proved that."
The Watcher considered this for a long moment. "Perhaps you're right. Perhaps my oath has made me too passive. I will... consider your words."
Lin Chen nodded and stepped through the portal.
The rift closed behind him, leaving the Watcher alone in the shattered remains of a universe that had been saved from complete annihilation.
"Lin Chen," the Watcher murmured to himself, committing the name to his infinite memory. "A being who exists outside my sight, who can consume Infinity Stones themselves, who possesses power rivaling the abstracts, yet chooses to teach."
He smiled.
"The multiverse is full of surprises. Even for one such as me."
---
Lin Chen stepped through his portal directly into his private quarters at the school. The transition was seamless—from a destroyed dimension across the multiverse back to his comfortable apartment in one step.
He checked his watch. Only fifteen minutes had passed here, despite spending what felt like an hour in that other universe. Time flowed differently between dimensions.
Jean was reading on the couch, Kyle playing with blocks on the floor beside her. She looked up as Lin Chen entered, immediately sensing something different about him.
"You're back," she said, setting her book aside. "And you feel... stronger. What happened?"
"Multiverse crisis," Lin Chen explained simply, sitting down next to her. "Different universe, Someone with Multiversal destruction powers trying to destroy everything. I handled it."
Jean's eyes widened. "Multiversal...? And you just... handled it?"
"I consumed him," Lin Chen said casually, as if discussing the weather. "Added his power to my own. It wasn't particularly difficult for me."
Kyle toddled over, reaching up with small hands. "Daddy!"
Lin Chen picked up his son, who immediately started babbling about the blocks he'd been playing with.
That normalcy, that innocence, reminded Lin Chen why he did any of this. Not for cosmic power or multiversal authority, but for these simple moments.
"So you're even more powerful now?" Jean asked, her telepathy gently touching his mind and immediately retreating—the sheer magnitude of his mental power was overwhelming.
"Somewhat," Lin Chen admitted. "But it doesn't change anything important. I'm still me. Still coming home to you and the kids. The power is just... a tool. A means to protect what matters."
Jean leaned against him, Kyle contentedly playing with Lin Chen's shirt buttons.
"Good," she said softly.
"What," Lin Chen replied, kissing the top of her head.
From the nursery, they heard Lin Xue waking from her nap, making happy sounds.
"I'll get her," Jean said, standing up. "You should probably check in with Charles. I think he want to talk about some student studies."
"I'll talk to him tomorrow," Lin Chen decided. "Right now, I just want to spend time with my family."
Jean smiled. "Perfect."
As she went to get their daughter, Lin Chen sat with Kyle, helping him stack blocks and knock them down, earning delighted giggles each time.
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