Chapter 19: The Battle of the Stones
"Ultron has six Infinity Stones. Only a stone can counter another stone," Ned said.
"But compared to Ultron, none of us can withstand the power of all six stones unscathed," he continued.
"Even if someone could, the Infinity Gauntlet designed by Stark doesn't allow complete or free use of the stones' power. It can only snap fingers!"
"So, I chose the method of separating the stones. But this requires all of us to stay vigilant and not give Ultron the chance to wield all six stones at once and turn us into dust."
As Ned spoke, his hands didn't stop moving. Ignoring the darkening expression on Tony's face after hearing his words, he continued to remove two stones in quick succession.
"Thor."
Ned tossed the Power and Space Stones to Thor. "Attach them to your weapons!"
"Strange!"
Next came the Time Stone. Although Ned was tempted to try using it himself, he knew Doctor Strange was ten times more familiar with it. So, he made a decisive choice and handed the Time Stone to him.
"Don't disgrace the title of Sorcerer Supreme," he added.
Leaving this remark, Ned slipped on the Infinity Gauntlet on his right hand. Only the Mind Stone and Soul Stone remained on it, but they didn't affect him at all.
"Hey, why didn't you give me the Mind Stone? I thought it suited me better," Wanda questioned.
"Because your abilities, paired with the Reality Stone, can modify reality at a moment's notice," Ned replied.
"As for the Mind Stone, your usage is limited to illusions and mind manipulation, which is insignificant to someone like Ultron, who also has the Mind Stone."
"Well," Wanda conceded, saying no more.
Ned looked around at everyone and finally turned to Thor. "Use the Space Stone's power to send everyone else away from here. They're useless in this battle and might even become collateral damage."
"Hey, what do you mean?" Tony Stark spoke up.
Though he had no objection to not being assigned an Infinity Stone—others were clearly more adept at using them—he couldn't tolerate being asked to leave the battlefield.
In the beginning, he had avoided involvement in these matters for the sake of Pepper and Morgan and had even refused Steve's invitation to build the time machine.
But now that the battle was underway, and the opponent was Ultron, a creation of his own making, he felt a deep responsibility. Especially since Ultron somehow managed to get the Infinity Stones, a fact that only added to his guilt as a "Stark product."
And now, this trickster kid was asking him to flee?
"Uh… alright, Stark stays…"
Ned reconsidered after glancing at the remaining combat strength. "Stark and Cap stay. Everyone else, must go."
"Ok."
Thor had no objections. The Space Stone embedded in Stormbreaker glowed brilliantly with blue light. In the next instant, the entire battlefield was illuminated by this light, and all others—brought here by Kamar-Taj's sorcerers—were teleported back. This included the Asgardian army and Kamar-Taj's sorcerers.
"Alright," Ned then turned to Strange. "Give us all a buff, like the one you used when negotiating with Dormammu."
"Hmm."
Strange gave Ned a deep look and then nodded. Activating the Time Stone, a brilliant green light shone, conjuring green magical seals that shrank and enveloped the arms of everyone remaining.
"You do realize Ultron also has the Time Stone? He could easily destroy my spell," Strange warned.
"Yes, but that takes time, and we won't give him any," Ned nodded. Then he looked toward the hovering Ultron and shouted, "Let's go, guys!"
"Ha!"
At Ned's urge, Thor let out a loud shout and hurled Stormbreaker.
As soon as Stormbreaker left Thor's hand, it disappeared in a flash of blue light. Following that, Mjolnir, glowing with a purple hue, hurtled toward Ultron with a deafening roar.
Meanwhile, Ned activated yellow and orange magical seals on the gauntlet, even though Stark's gauntlet wasn't meant to use the stones directly. But, of course, Ned wasn't just anyone—he was a sorcerer.
"Zzz… crackle…"
As Ned's magic flared, Ultron's systems suddenly faltered. The light in his eyes flickered erratically, clearly indicating internal disturbances.
Ned was using the Mind Stone to interfere with the AI-based system built primarily around the Mind Stone itself.
Simultaneously, the Soul Stone's power seeped subtly into Ultron.
Ned's plan was to create a new consciousness within Ultron, similar to Vision, to spark internal conflict and provide an opening for the team.
"Ugh…"
But this plan was disrupted as Ultron let out a low groan. The Mind and Soul Stones on his chest flared with yellow and orange light, neutralizing Ned's interference.
Far from being disappointed, Ned grinned. "Guys, I've managed to keep Ultron occupied with two stones!"
As he spoke, he conjured a clone of himself to charge toward Ultron while his real body remained focused on the magic seals, ensuring Ultron couldn't use the Mind and Soul Stones for anything else.
"Bang!"
In the brief moment of distraction, Mjolnir, infused with the Power Stone, struck Ultron with immense force, smashing him out of sight.
This was the might of the Power Stone.
"You all… deserve to die…"
Before anyone could celebrate, a blue portal opened in midair. Ultron's eerie, fragmented voice echoed as he stumbled out. His chest was caved in, clearly bearing the imprint of Mjolnir, with the Infinity Stones barely intact.
"Boom!"
Before Ultron could act, Stormbreaker, wielding the power of the Space Stone, slashed through him, severing him in half. The axe then spun back into Thor's hand.
"Phew, is that all?"
Thor exhaled, holding both Mjolnir and Stormbreaker in his hands. Shrugging nonchalantly, he remarked, "I think he's not as tough as before."
Tony and Cap shared the same expression. At first, they had been filled with despair upon seeing Ultron with all six Infinity Stones. Who could have guessed he'd be defeated so… easily?
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