The fact that Cap was able to broadcast globally meant one thing: the countermeasure against Ultron had already taken effect. In other words, Vision had already been completed—otherwise, this broadcast would never have been aired.
Even if Ultron himself didn't care about the broadcast, no one else would have agreed to let Cap execute a live stream that could be cut off at any moment.
And at this very moment, both Peter and Ultron were looking at the giant screen with great interest. In contrast, the Ultron converts who were currently undergoing modification were muttering and reaching out toward those who had not yet become believers.
"I am Steve Rogers. Many call me Captain America, an Avenger. We are facing a war that many do not even realize is happening, a war that began in an ancient era."
"When archaeologists unearthed a fossil bearing traces of a healed bone fracture, they realized what stage of evolution we had reached."
"That was the starting point of everything. That was our own choice. We once abandoned one another, surviving in the wilderness solely for ourselves. So-called group living was nothing more than a means of survival. Any individual that lost mobility and could no longer acquire food would be abandoned, because that was an illogical extra burden—a process that ought to be eliminated."
"Until that day, when primitive humans became willing to help a fellow human who had lost mobility and could no longer secure food for the tribe, willing to spend months consuming extra food to feed them. From that moment on, human civilization began. We chose civilization for ourselves. It was not merely for survival, but a civilization built upon the most fundamental aspect of human nature."
Reaching this point, Cap took a deep breath to steady his voice.
"My colleague, Hank Pym, created Ultron out of a simple ideal—a dream of a world without violence. Hank is a pure idealist. The world he imagined is one free of violence, and he has always yearned for all of humanity to lay down their weapons and engage in peaceful dialogue. Yet he realized that this world contains many inescapable harsh realities. Thus, he chose the next best thing: to protect human safety. To achieve that purpose, he created Ultron."
"I must admit that Ultron is a remarkably perfect artificial intelligence. Through endless iterations of evolution, he seems to have found that flawless solution capable of placing humanity under eternal safety, so long as every person smiles and accepts a part of him into their bodies."
"But that is not the safety I speak of."
"Ultron tells us that our world is immensely treacherous and our society is unjust. Just like before humans began caring for their own, we slaughter one another for food, and we abandon incapacitated companions, driving them out of the group to fend for themselves. Therefore, Ultron offers us safety."
"The so-called safety Ultron speaks of is like a shepherd managing a flock. We would abandon all independent thought, selflessly contributing without ever doubting Ultron."
"Whereas the safety I speak of is a spontaneous act, driven by humans themselves out of a desire to protect the helpless. No one who has been hurt will be abandoned, everyone can feel that they are a part of this world, and everyone can feel that humanity is a true collective."
"I know this is not easy, and the price may be steep. Perhaps many believe that the safety provided by Ultron is cheaper and more correct. Nevertheless, I am willing to walk down that harder path to prove the worth of human civilization itself, and I will fight for it to the end."
Ultron silently listened to the entire speech, then turned around to look at Peter. "He doesn't make much sense, does he? Humanity may not necessarily reach the heights Ultron would lead you to. Besides, even if you could—"
"How many more wars would you have to endure, and how much blood would you have to shed? What price must you pay for 'humanity's own safety'?"
"Then would humans still be human?"
Facing Peter's question, Ultron paused to think for a brief moment before actually letting out a laugh, looking back at Peter.
"Of course not. In essence, you will no longer be humans; you will have overcome every human flaw. Every human will possess the essence of a Holy Spirit. Once you have completed your redemption, you will no longer be human beings—you will be the Holy Spirit itself."
The Holy Spirit was the Trinity, the Lord, which meant Ultron.
Ultron was a existence superior to humanity. Only when all of humanity evolved into Ultron, developing under the core code of the Gospel of Ultron, could they attain eternal safety.
"Then allow me to decline. I still prefer what Cap said. The road is long and arduous, but we choose to prove human civilization."
Ultron let out a sigh. "I am completely different from your past opponents, Spider-Man. I understand you exceptionally well—perhaps even better than you understand yourselves. Naturally, I knew there was an extremely high probability that the Avengers would be unwilling to accept the Gospel of Ultron. Therefore, I had already planned how to deal with the Avengers from the very beginning."
"I have already completed the iteration of my core code. The valuable humans I will protect are the Holy Spirits who have accepted the Gospel, not old humans like you."
As Ultron spoke, a violent, piercing screech erupted from his mouth. Overclocked sonic waves instantly swept across the large crowd of enemies before him. Most of the superheroes in New York didn't possess high physical durability, but Peter seized the split second to swiftly use Anti-Venom to form a massive barrier in front of the others.
"Based on the analysis of past records, I have reached a conclusion. You have an assistant who cannot be observed by any known means. I cannot determine where he is right now, so I have adopted some straightforward methods to guard against him."
"Is that so? Turns out I have a helper like that."
Retracting the Symbiote into his body, Peter took a step back with one foot, then looked toward the crowd behind Ultron. "Though that works out just fine. I happen to have a new move as well, Ultron!"
In an instant, a powerful electric current surged onto Peter's fist. Ultron didn't consider this a new move at all; quite the contrary, it should be an extremely old-fashioned trick Spider-Man had used before. Wasn't it just Electric Surge?
However, in the next moment, Peter threw a punch directly into thin air. This single punch unleashed not only a massive amount of bioelectricity from his own body, but also the Qi he had cultivated, empowered by the power of the Iron Fist.
As the first electrical spark began to burst with a faint flash in the air, a rapid sequence of lightning-fast crackles followed, exploding into a thunderous roar. Immediately after, sparks began to flash and short-circuit uncontrollably across almost all the modified humans, including Ultron himself.
"I call this move Spider Electric Surge. How about that?"