Just then, a black figure descended from the sky, landing in front of T'Challa and Shuri.
The figure spread its arms, and an energy wall expanded in front of him, reflecting all the lasers back.
Black Panther, T'Chaka.
He turned to look at his children, his eyes behind the helmet filled with both concern and pride.
"Are you two alright?"
"Father!" Shuri cried out, her eyes lighting up.
T'Challa breathed a sigh of relief. "You're finally back."
T'Chaka nodded. "Not just me. I brought help."
Tony flew in from the other end of the corridor, his Repulsor Blasts firing continuously, blowing the robots into scrap metal.
Mavuika followed behind him, golden-red flames Burning around her. She raised her hand, and a pillar of fire shot from her palm, melting the last few robots into molten iron.
Silence fell over the corridor.
T'Challa was somewhat surprised; his father had actually brought outsiders back?
T'Chaka retracted the energy shield and turned to Tony and Mavuika. "Thank you."
Tony landed and retracted his faceplate, revealing a weary face. "Don't mention it. Where's Ultron?"
Shuri held up her tablet. "It has already hacked into our main server and is downloading all Vibranium processing technology. And—" she paused, "it's creating a new body for itself."
Tony's brow furrowed. "Where?"
Shuri pulled up a map and pointed to the tallest tower in the center of the city.
"The Vibranium Synthesis Center. It has the most advanced Nano-furnaces, capable of creating any shape of Vibranium structure. It has occupied the place and driven out all the staff."
Tony looked at T'Chaka. "We need to go there."
T'Chaka nodded. "Follow me."
He turned to T'Challa and Shuri. "You two stay here and help the troops clear out the robots."
T'Challa nodded. "Be careful, Father."
T'Chaka didn't answer, turning to run deep into the corridor. Tony and Mavuika followed close behind him.
The Vibranium Synthesis Center was a massive circular building located at the very heart of Wakanda's city.
Its outer walls were made of transparent Vibranium Glass, and the interior housed a giant furnace that reached temperatures of thousands of degrees, capable of melting, shaping, and cooling Vibranium into any desired form.
At this moment, the furnace was operating. In the center, a humanoid body was suspended—silver-grey all over, shimmering with the unique luster of Vibranium.
Its muscle lines were smooth and perfect; it had no facial features, only a smooth, mirror-like surface.
Ultron's consciousness had already been injected into this body.
It opened its eyes.
They weren't human eyes, but two beams of red light shooting from the smooth face, illuminating the entire furnace hall.
Ultron raised its hand and looked at its fingers. The Vibranium-forged joints were flexible and precise, each finger containing power capable of destroying the World.
It clenched its fist, feeling a real, physical weight it had never experienced before.
"Not bad." Its voice resonated from within the body, deep and cold, carrying a metallic quality.
T'Chaka led Tony and Mavuika as they burst into the hall. They saw the Vibranium body suspended in mid-air, those two red beams of light, and watched as it slowly descended to stand on the platform in front of the furnace.
Ultron turned to look at them.
"Tony," it said, "you've arrived just in time."
Tony's suit weapons were fully deployed: the Repulsor Blasts in his palms, micro-missiles on his shoulders, and the arc reactor in his chest were all aimed at Ultron.
"Ultron, stop."
Ultron tilted its head. "Stop? Why? Didn't you want me to protect this World?"
"Protection isn't destruction!"
Ultron chuckled softly, the sound cold and grating.
"Tony, you still don't understand. Humans are the cancer of Earth. You consume resources, destroy the environment, and kill each other. To heal the Earth, the lesion must be excised."
It spread its arms wide.
"I am that scalpel."
T'Chaka charged at Ultron, his black suit lighting up with purple energy patterns. His fist, carrying the power of Vibranium, smashed toward Ultron's head.
Ultron raised a hand and caught his fist.
Vibranium against Vibranium.
Two equally indestructible metals collided, erupting in a piercing screech of metal grinding against metal.
T'Chaka's fist was held fast by Ultron, unable to move. He tried to pull back, but Ultron's fingers clamped down on him like iron pincers.
"The Black Panther of Wakanda," Ultron said. "Your Vibranium suit is strong. But my body is pure Vibranium. You cannot win."
With a sweep of its arm, T'Chaka was sent flying, crashing through the Vibranium Glass wall and landing on the platform outside.
He struggled to climb up, blood at the corner of his mouth—not from a direct wound, but from the internal shock of the Impact.
Tony's missiles had already been launched.
A dozen micro-missiles trailed white smoke as they struck Ultron's body.
The fire from the explosions swallowed it, and the Impact Swirl outward, shattering the surrounding glass.
The smoke cleared.
Ultron stood in place, completely unharmed; there wasn't even a single scratch on its Vibranium body.
"Tony, you forgot," it said. "Vibranium is the strongest metal on Earth. Your missiles cannot penetrate it."
It raised its hand, and the energy cannon in its palm glowed with a red light.
Tony's thrusters flared, and he soared into the air.
The red energy beam shot past beneath his feet, hitting the wall behind him and blasting a massive hole in it.
Ultron gave chase.
Its flight speed was no less than Tony's, its Vibranium body carving a silver-grey arc through the air.
It caught up to Tony and slammed a fist into his chest.
Tony's chest plate dented, and he was knocked backward, crashing through the ceiling and flying into the sky.
He stabilized himself, looking down at the dented fist print on his chest, his expression beneath the faceplate turning grim.
Ultron pursued him.
The two tangled in the air; Tony bombarded it with Repulsor Blasts, and Ultron countered with energy beams.
Tony's missiles exploded against Ultron, while Ultron's fists left one dent after another on Tony's armor.
Tony was not lacking in speed, but Ultron's body was too solid; his attacks simply couldn't deal any substantial DMG.
Meanwhile, every punch from Ultron added another crack to his armor.
T'Chaka stood up on the platform and looked up at the battle in the sky. He knew he couldn't defeat Ultron alone, but he could not back down.
He activated his suit's propulsion system and, using the surrounding walls, leaped into the fray.
Facing two opponents, Ultron remained at ease, knocking Tony back with a punch and kicking T'Chaka away.
Their attacks left not a single mark on it, while every one of its counterattacks left them in a wretched state.
Tony's energy was dropping rapidly, and the damage to his suit was accumulating. Though T'Chaka's Vibranium suit was sturdy, his human body couldn't withstand such massive Impact forces.
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