The Avengers spread out to clear the incoming forces. Quicksilver was the first to hit the streets. Seeing the swarm of robots flooding the area, Pietro cracked his neck and burst into motion at full speed.
To the naked eye, he was nothing more than a blue-white blur streaking through the streets. Wherever he passed, robots collapsed into pieces, their bodies shattered beyond repair.
On the other side, Renzo continued trying to purge Ultron from the network. He knew the chances were slim—but he had to try. If he succeeded, Sokovia would never become a floating city.
"Boom!"
Renzo was momentarily distracted, and Ultron seized the opportunity. With a vicious headbutt, he slammed into Renzo's forehead. The impact rang out like clashing steel.
The blow sent Renzo flying backward. His grip loosened, and he was thrown into the air.
Ultron clutched his own head. Though his face remained expressionless, the fury radiating from him was unmistakable.
"Do you think this affects me?" Ultron roared, charging forward. He grabbed for Renzo's throat—but Renzo was ready.
His body turned intangible in an instant, and Ultron passed straight through him.
"You took my body!"
Ultron's voice trembled with rage, madness nearly consuming him.
"You deserved it," Renzo shot back coldly. The Mind Stone flared, and a brilliant yellow beam shot forth, slamming Ultron into a stone wall.
"Your plan ends here."
Renzo hovered above, looking down at Ultron. "You won't destroy our world—just like you couldn't keep my body."
"But I can."
Ultron lay amid the rubble, his tone eerily calm.
Renzo froze for a split second—then realized what he meant.
He spun around, looking toward the vibranium device.
A robot drone had already reached it.
Renzo had been so focused on Ultron that he hadn't noticed when it got there.
"No!"
He reacted instantly, firing a beam that sliced the drone in half—
But he was too late.
The machine had already been activated.
A faint blue glow spread across the ground beneath Thor's position. Startled, Thor paused, glancing downward.
Then the ground began to split.
Cracks spread rapidly through the streets, widening in seconds. The city was torn apart, dividing into massive sections. Panic erupted as civilians screamed and fled, abandoning everything—even their shoes—in desperate attempts to escape.
And then—
Sokovia began to rise.
Like a rocket launching into the sky, the entire city—along with everyone still inside it—lifted off the ground.
"…Damn."
Renzo hovered in the air, staring in shock.
Chunks of stone and debris rained down. Those caught near the fractures were struck and crushed. Some fell into the widening chasms, vanishing into the depths below.
The devastation was unbearable.
At that moment, Ultron broke free from the rubble and ascended above the rising city, watching the chaos unfold with something like satisfaction.
"Do you see it?" Ultron said, his voice almost reverent. "Beautiful, isn't it? This was inevitable. What rises… must fall."
"You Avengers are my finest weapon. When you fail, the Earth will shatter."
"You tried to erase me. You used my body against me. It doesn't matter. When all is said and done, the only thing left in this world…"
"…will be metal."
Elsewhere, Bruce Banner had freed Natasha. In the midst of the chaos, the two shared a brief, desperate kiss.
Then Natasha pushed him back, her expression resolute as she looked down into the abyss below.
"We need the other guy."
Moments later, the Hulk emerged, leaping down with a feral grin.
...
Encased in his red-and-gold armor, Tony soared away from the city, scanning Sokovia from above, searching for any way to bring it back down safely.
"The vibranium core is generating a powerful magnetic field," FRIDAY reported. "It's holding the landmass together. If it falls, casualties will be catastrophic. If it reaches sufficient altitude, the impact could destroy the planet."
Tony's expression hardened.
There was no time to figure out how to reverse it.
First—save as many people as possible.
Across the city, the Avengers worked frantically—evacuating civilians, pulling survivors from collapsed buildings, all while under constant attack from Ultron's drones.
"Damn you, Ultron!"
Renzo had just reached a collapsing building, pulling trapped civilians out one by one. In the next instant, the structure gave way completely, crumbling before his eyes.
He didn't know how many lives had just been lost beneath the rubble.
The sight hit him hard.
He felt dizzy.
He had almost stopped this. He had the power—and yet, he couldn't save everyone.
All around him, tragedy unfolded.
And he could only watch.
"Vision? Vision!"
A voice cut through his daze.
"I'd really appreciate it if you'd snap out of your robot trance!"
Tony's voice echoed through the comms as he carried another group of civilians to safety.
"I failed…" Renzo said quietly. "I couldn't stop Ultron."
"Then stop dwelling on it," Tony replied sharply. He set the civilians down and glanced toward Renzo. "Be practical. Move people. Save who you can. Standing there won't help anyone."
Renzo went silent.
Tony's words struck home.
What's done is done. The only thing that matters now… is minimizing the damage.
"Thank you… Stark."
Renzo rose into the air again, moving swiftly between collapsing buildings, searching for survivors.
At the same time, the Mind Stone pulsed with light—its beams cutting through every Ultron drone in his path.
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