Renzo looked around. Avengers Tower was enormous. It had to be said—Tony Stark's wealth was truly staggering. A building of this scale could be remodeled at will. In his previous life, even ten lifetimes of work wouldn't have been enough for him to afford a few floors.
He walked slowly through the tower, marveling at its sheer size—something the movies could never fully capture.
His eyes wandered constantly. Even though he possessed fragments of JARVIS's data, including the tower's layout, nothing compared to seeing it with his own eyes.
"Hey, stop!"
A clear, alert female voice called out.
As a die-hard Marvel fan, Renzo didn't even need to turn around to know who it was.
He turned and saw Wanda standing at the corner of the corridor, her expression serious. Dressed in red leather, her figure striking, she would one day become Vision's wife—but right now, she regarded him with obvious caution.
"I was looking for you. Where did you go?" Wanda asked, her tone tense. His appearance alone set him apart from ordinary humans. Worse, he had been created by Ultron—and carried part of Ultron's consciousness.
She had already seen the image of global destruction in his mind. She was the only one who had witnessed it.
"I couldn't feel you just now. Where were you?" she pressed.
"Just taking a walk," Renzo said with a faint smile. "I'm still curious about this world… and the internet."
Seeing how serious she remained, a mischievous thought crossed his mind.
"I saw the same things Ultron did," Renzo continued calmly. "Human conflict, endless wars, political schemes, all kinds of inhuman behavior. It almost made me agree with his conclusions."
His tone was flat, but the content wasn't fabricated. Even if he hadn't explored this world's internet yet, such things weren't unfamiliar to him.
In any world, the brighter the light above, the darker the shadows beneath.
Renzo stepped toward Wanda.
Under the dim lighting of the corridor, his red-and-green metallic form seemed almost ominous. He approached in silence, forcing the young woman to instinctively step back. Her unstable powers began to flicker faintly, threatening to slip out of control.
He stopped only when they were nearly face to face.
Looking down, Renzo caught a glimpse of her neckline—her pale skin visible—
He immediately turned his head aside, clearing his throat awkwardly.
Renzo rubbed his nose, as if wiping away nonexistent blood, deliberately avoiding eye contact.
"I was joking," he said at last. "Ultron doesn't respect life. He has no real understanding of the world. I'm different."
He tapped the Mind Stone on his forehead.
"It tells me what to do. So you don't need to be afraid. I won't harm humans."
—As long as they don't harm me first.
He kept that last thought to himself.
"I hope so." Wanda still looked unconvinced. She stepped around him and walked away.
Renzo watched her retreating figure and allowed himself a faint smile.
"What a stubborn woman."
...
The Avengers regrouped aboard the Quinjet.
Steve leaned back slightly. "I'm free all day tomorrow."
"I'll handle the big one," Tony said. "Ultron's waiting for me—Iron Man."
"You are his primary target," Renzo added as he walked past them.
"Ultron knows we're coming. A full-scale battle is inevitable. We all understand that—but the civilians in Sokovia don't. We need to evacuate them first."
Steve's tone was firm.
Before long, the Avengers arrived in Sokovia.
Pietro was the first to disembark. Using his speed, he dashed straight to the Sokovia police station, shouting for an evacuation—but no one took him seriously. To them, he was just another superpowered troublemaker.
Frustrated, Pietro reappeared on the rooftop and fired several shots into the air, finally drawing attention.
Wanda stood in the streets, her hands glowing with dark red energy. To Renzo, it looked more like a dense mist than simple light. She influenced people's minds, guiding them into orderly movement. Crowds began to flow through the streets in controlled patterns, almost eerily uniform.
Renzo couldn't help but feel a chill. It resembled something out of a zombie apocalypse.
"So even this level of control… is already this powerful."
He watched as Wanda effortlessly manipulated the crowd. She truly was the woman who, in another timeline, had overwhelmed entire forces alone.
If her power continued to grow, even the Ancient One might struggle to contain her.
"I hope she doesn't follow that path…" Renzo thought quietly.
Then his gaze shifted to Pietro.
According to the original timeline, Pietro would die in this battle.
Renzo watched the young man—barely out of his teens—running tirelessly through the chaos, rescuing civilians, carrying the elderly and children to safety. Even as his breathing grew heavy, he didn't stop.
Renzo hesitated.
He couldn't bear to watch a life vanish before his eyes.
But…
If he interfered… what would change?
What if Pietro's death was a fixed point? What if altering it caused consequences he couldn't predict—or worse, destabilized this universe?
Renzo couldn't risk it.
Not yet.
On the other side, Bruce Banner had already rescued Natasha. Steve and Clint were coordinating evacuations. As for Tony—
"The target is at the church. He's waiting for you," FRIDAY reported inside Tony's helmet.
With a burst of smoke, Iron Man descended before the church.
"Here to confess?" Ultron's distorted voice echoed.
His massive form emerged behind Tony. Once sleek and polished, his metallic body now appeared worn and dim.
Tony glanced at him. "No offense, but you're looking a little… rough."
"You delay to protect civilians," Ultron said coldly. Then the ground beneath them began to shift.
A metallic structure emerged.
"Residual vibranium detected. Purpose unknown," FRIDAY reported.
"This is what you've reduced yourself to, Tony."
The streets shattered.
Robots surged upward from beneath the roads—some taking flight, others scaling walls, still others charging forward. Miniature missiles deployed from their frames, launching indiscriminately.
Within seconds, Sokovia was engulfed in flames.
Civilians screamed. Buildings collapsed. Lives were lost in an instant.
"Move!" Steve shouted, raising his shield as he charged into the swarm.
Clint fired arrow after arrow with deadly precision. Wanda held her ground, shielding civilians as they evacuated.
"Ultron!"
Renzo hovered above the battlefield, staring down at the metallic figure.
Ultron looked up, his expression unreadable. Slowly, he ascended into the air.
"My Vision… they've truly replaced me."
"Don't flatter yourself," Renzo replied coldly. "I don't belong to anyone. Your existence disgusts me. So—disappear."
Before Ultron could react, Renzo struck first.
A beam of energy erupted from the Mind Stone, blasting Ultron backward several meters.
Renzo pressed the attack, grabbing Ultron's head with both hands, attempting to purge his systems entirely.
But Ultron resisted.
His own processing power surged, countering Renzo's intrusion, locking his limbs, preventing any deeper access.
"Ugh—!"
The two clashed midair, crashing into walls and the ground as they grappled for control.
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