Chapter 18: The Rise of Infinity Ultron
"The enemy has already been..."
"Crack crack crack!"
"Boom!!!"
Just as Captain America was about to say the enemy had been defeated, the sound of "crack crack crack" suddenly echoed through the sky, followed by a loud explosion. A robot brimming with an eerie aura appeared out of thin air, and around it, the multiverse barriers were slowly repairing themselves.
"The essence of life..."
The robot hovered in mid-air, muttering softly.
"Ul... Ultron?"
Tony Stark looked at the robot in disbelief.
"That's not important... but look at its chest..." Captain America's voice trembled as he spoke.
Following his words, everyone looked up and saw five Infinity Stones—purple, green, blue, orange, and red—neatly embedded on Ultron's chest. The sight made his already massive and intimidating frame even more menacing.
"This... this is impossible!"
"Hmm?"
Perhaps hearing the chatter below, Ultron let out a faint hum and lowered his head, gazing at the countless Earth defense forces that had originally been gathered to deal with Thanos.
"Alright, now it's barbecue time. By the way, don't you feel hot wearing such a peculiar mask all the time?"
Back in 2012, on the first floor of Stark Tower, Tony Stark, who had recovered from Ant-Man's antics, looked at Ned and asked.
"I..."
Just as Ned was about to respond, his body suddenly began to flicker between solid and intangible states. Even his voice became ethereal.
"Mystic Sorcerer? What's going on?"
The Avengers, who had just experienced a major battle, were clearly on edge. Seeing Ned in such a state, they immediately raised their weapons and shielded Tony Stark, who had removed his armor, while Hawkeye nocked an arrow and aimed it directly at Loki.
"Is this your doing?"
Although they were worried about Ned's condition, the Avengers still held onto a sliver of hope, thinking that perhaps Ned, with his abilities to phase and disappear, was simply leaving now that the battle was over.
"No... no, it's not."
Ned, who had never experienced such a situation, was understandably panicked. He quickly tried to open a portal to seek help from the Ancient One, but before he could act, he flickered one last time and disappeared entirely.
"Sorcerer?"
Captain America called out tentatively, looking at the spot where Ned had just been standing.
"Ugh..."
High above, Ultron glanced at the glaringly obvious Tony Stark below. A surge of inexplicable rage arose within him, and in the next moment, he prepared to wield the power of the Infinity Stones to annihilate all life on Earth.
Five-colored lights began to bloom, and a yellow glow faintly emerged from Ultron's forehead—a sign that all six Infinity Stones were being activated simultaneously.
"Boss, detecting an extreme energy surge similar to the earlier snap!"
Down below, Tony Stark received a warning from Friday.
"Shit!"
As Ultron's creator, Tony didn't know where this version of Ultron had come from, but he instantly understood its intentions. He cursed under his breath but realized it was already too late to stop him. All he could do was watch in despair as the glow from Ultron's body intensified.
"Crack!"
"Clang!"
Suddenly, another rift appeared above Ultron, tearing through the multiverse barrier. A rotund figure wrapped in a red cloak fell out of nowhere, slamming into Ultron and interrupting his actions before plummeting powerlessly to the ground.
"Is that...?"
Doctor Strange, hovering above the crowd, looked at the falling figure wrapped in the red cloak and murmured in disbelief. At the same time, he felt a faint stirring from his own Cloak of Levitation.
"Hmm?"
Midair, Ned finally regained his senses. Thankfully, the sentient Cloak of Levitation had taken hold of him and guided him safely to the Avengers' side. Otherwise, given his disoriented state, he wouldn't have been able to stabilize himself with magic in time.
"It's you?"
Seeing Ned, Captain America breathed a sigh of relief. Glancing at Ultron above, he said in a heavy tone, "Is this the crisis you mentioned that requires the Infinity Stones to resolve?"
Captain America's words made Tony, who had been about to ask Strange if this was one of the one-in-14-million scenarios, pause. Instead, he turned to Hawkeye, retrieved the Infinity Gauntlet, and looked resolute.
"Uh..."
Hearing Captain America's question and looking up at the Infinity Ultron, Ned felt a wave of frustration crash over him.
"Saying it out loud ruins the suspense."
After a moment of hesitation, Ned finally said this.
Then, steeling himself, he snatched the Infinity Gauntlet from Tony's hands and acted first. "What are you looking at? You think your body can handle this power?"
Without waiting for a response, Ned quickly pried the red Reality Stone off the gauntlet. A crimson magic circle floated above his palm, releasing an aura of magic that enveloped both himself and Thor.
"Hmm?"
Thor, though confused, trusted Ned as a comrade based on Captain America and Tony's reactions. He didn't resist but remained curious about the spell being cast on him.
"What...?"
Before Thor could voice his confusion, he felt a weight lifted from his body, as if an enormous burden had been removed. Ned's physique also visibly transformed—his flabby frame now replaced by toned muscles, resembling Captain America's chiseled build.
"Uh... so you stole my gauntlet just to lose weight?"
Tony Stark's voice, full of disbelief, echoed from within his suit. The other Avengers, unfamiliar with Ned, were equally unimpressed with his casual use of the Infinity Stones.
"No, no, don't view unfathomable magic with your mortal perspective," Ned replied, waving off Tony's criticism. "Five years ago, Thor nearly decapitated Thanos with one swing. Why can't he do the same now?"
"..."
Thor, unsure why he was being called out, decided to let it slide, given that Ned had just restored his godly physique.
"Hey! Scarlet Witch!"
Ned called out to Wanda, tossing her the Reality Stone.
"Huh?"
Wanda caught the red stone mid-air with her chaos magic, her gaze questioning. She didn't understand why such an important object was being handed to her.
"Use your powers to test this stone," Ned said. At this point, Wanda and the others were still unaware of the true nature of her abilities, believing her powers stemmed from the Mind Stone. Ned played along with their assumption.
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T/N:
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