Chapter 295: Give Me Back the Scepter!
From the moment he first held the Scepter and realized it couldn't be placed inside the Shadow Kingdom, Silas had come up with a plan. He used magic to create a decoy Scepter and hid the real one.
As a result, everyone had been fighting over a fake. It was eventually taken by Ultron, while Silas played his part perfectly, deceiving everyone involved. Finally, Silas returned to the original hiding spot and reclaimed the true Scepter. Everything had gone flawlessly.
"A pity it can't be stored in the Shadow Kingdom," Silas sighed to himself. If it could, he was certain that "the big purple grape" would never be able to snap his fingers. If you're missing a stone and can't find it anywhere, wouldn't that just be infuriating?
Silas took the Scepter to a remote corner of Africa where a small, secret base had been established. No one would ever suspect an experimental facility was hidden here.
"Master," Little Black said respectfully.
Silas nodded and handed over the Scepter. "I'll leave the rest to you."
"Rest assured, Master." Little Black took the Scepter and used specialized machinery to extract the Mind Stone. The Scepter, now hollowed out, was tossed aside like common scrap; it had lost its value. Silas left the facility with full confidence—no one would ever find this place.
Meanwhile
"No! Dammit! You tricked me!" Ultron roared, slamming the wooden stick in his hand into the floor.
The moment he had reclaimed the "Scepter," he had returned to his secret base to use Dr. Cho's equipment to transfer his consciousness into a new body. But he soon discovered the most critical component—the Mind Stone—was a fake!
The moment Ultron touched the gem, the entire Scepter transformed into a plain, ordinary wooden stick. To Ultron, this was a profound humiliation. This was simply not the way "humans" were supposed to behave!
Dr. Cho trembled in the corner, terrified by Ultron's rage. she didn't dare make a sound, hoping the robot wouldn't vent his fury on her.
"Where is the real Scepter..." Ultron gradually regained his composure. He had to find it. It was obviously with the Avengers, but he wasn't sure exactly who held it. He had three suspects: Destiny, the insufferable Stark, or—the most likely candidate—Wanda, since she had been holding it the entire time. However, regardless of who had it, reclaiming it through force seemed impossible now.
"In that case..." Ultron decided to pivot to a new plan—one that would directly wipe out humanity. "Hahahaha!" he laughed maniacally.
The Next Day
Peter Parker arrived at Silas's room on time and knocked on the door.
"What's up?" Silas asked, leaning against the doorframe.
"Time for school." Peter sounded bored. Nothing had happened lately; being Spider-Man was starting to feel uneventful. Though, he admitted, a life without criminals and property damage was probably for the best.
"I'm taking the day off," Silas said.
"Alright then..." Peter nodded, turning to leave before stopping. "Is that Ultron guy still a problem? Do you need my help?"
Silas looked at Peter's eager expression and smiled. "Spider-Man will be needed later, but not today."
"I'll wait for your signal then!" Peter said excitedly, his boredom vanishing. He headed off to school with a spring in his step.
"The Avengers should be getting news any moment now," Silas muttered, watching his brother leave.
Avengers Tower
"Found Ultron. He's in..." Tony sent the coordinates to the team.
Over the past day, Wanda and Pietro had temporarily joined them. Whether they would officially become Avengers was still under consideration. For now, they simply wanted to fix their mistakes.
"Avengers, move out!" Steve said, grabbing his shield.
A robotic figure stepped out from behind them. Since Silas had taken the Mind Stone, the Vision could not be born. The current robotic body was merely a vessel for Jarvis's consciousness.
The Avengers boarded the jet. Tony pulled out his phone and sent the location to Silas—their unique way of staying in touch.
"There are still a large number of civilians who haven't evacuated. Our priority is getting them to safety," Steve discussed the plan on the flight. Wanda and Pietro listened intently; perhaps joining the Avengers was a good idea after all.
Upon arrival, the team began the evacuation. Pietro used his speed, while Clint, Steve, and Natasha organized the crowds. Wanda used her Chaos Magic to influence the residents' minds, making them leave peacefully. Tony broadcasted a danger warning to everyone's devices.
Thor descended into the subterranean level, eyeing the massive mechanical engine. "This is quite large."
Outside, Tony was mid-sentence—"Ultron wants to take the whole town..."—when the ground began to quake.
"AAAHHH!"
"Run! Get out of here!"
"Help!"
Panic erupted as the earth split and crumbled. The entire town began to rise into the sky. Legions of robots swarmed out, attacking the fleeing humans.
"It's a trap!" Steve shouted, throwing his shield to save a civilian. "Thor! Destroy that device!"
"I'm on it!" Thor swung Mjolnir, but before he could strike the thrusters, Ultron appeared.
"Do you wish to dance as well?" Ultron sneered. Before Thor could react, Ultron grabbed him by the throat and flew him high into the sky before punching him back down. Thor steadied himself mid-fall, but it was too late—the town was already hundreds of meters in the air.
"Stark, what's the move?" Thor called out.
"Protect the core!" Tony shouted, clearing robots away from the central control device.
On the ground, Pietro was a blur, smashing robots, but he had to stop frequently to catch his breath. The physical toll was immense.
In a nearby building, Clint was firing arrows while Wanda crouched on the floor, overcome with guilt. "This is all my fault..." she whispered.
"Listen to me..." Clint began.
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