Chapter 298: My Name Is Kabuto
Boom!
An explosion erupted right behind Thor.
Spinning around, Thor saw a figure clad in crimson armor standing behind him. The strange warrior had a helmet designed to resemble the horn of a stag beetle.
"Master says one should never be distracted in battle," the Shadow Knight said, touching his horn with a swaggering air.
"That outfit... are you some kind of insect?" Thor asked, eyeing the warrior up and down.
"We are the Shadow Knight Corps. You can call me Kabuto," the knight replied, stepping toward Thor and extending his right hand.
"Kabuto? I am Thor, son of Odin, King of Asgard. You may simply call me Thor," the God of Thunder replied, grasping the knight's hand.
"Hello, Thor." Kabuto shook his hand, secretly feeling a bit of regret; he felt he should have come up with a much cooler introduction to match the Asgardian's title.
"Did you come out of those dark holes?" Thor asked, pointing to the rifts leading to the Shadow Kingdom.
"That is the Shadow Kingdom. It is where we rest," Kabuto explained.
"Hmm." Thor nodded.
The conversation hit a dead end, and both of them scratched their heads awkwardly.
"I'll check that area," Kabuto said first, nodding before heading off to clear enemies elsewhere.
The Turning Tide
Just as the Avengers were reaching the point of exhaustion, the remaining fifty or so robots suddenly retreated, flying away from the battlefield.
"Why are they leaving?" Natasha asked, puzzled.
"I don't know," Clint said, shaking his head.
At that moment, Tony's voice came over the comms: "Don't let them get away! Ultron has been kicked out of the internet. If we destroy these remaining bodies, Ultron is truly dead!"
"Thor!" Steve shouted the moment he heard Stark's update.
"On it!" Thor swung his hammer and took off in pursuit. This time, there would be no escape.
Steve watched Thor leave and then turned to the others. "The air is getting thin even for me. We have to find a way to get the civilians down."
"How? We only have one Quinjet," Clint panted, his chest heaving.
"Ladies and gentlemen, need a lift?" Another voice patched into their frequency, filling the team with sudden joy.
It was Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD!
The Rescue
"We pulled a few old relics out of storage," Nick said with a smile, looking toward the rising town.
Five rescue lifeboats launched from a massive Helicarrier, each capable of holding over a dozen people.
"Excellent!" Steve said. "We need to assist in the evacuation. Even I'm starting to find it hard to breathe up here."
"But what about the core?" Natasha asked worriedly. If they all left and Ultron returned, their efforts would be for nothing.
"We'll stay here!" Wanda said, stepping forward. Pietro ran to her side and nodded. "Trust us."
"Go!" Steve grabbed his shield and ran toward the civilians.
"Come on, big guy! Let's go!" Natasha called to the Hulk.
"ROAR!" Hulk scooped her up and bounded away.
"They sure move fast," Clint muttered. He turned to Peter Parker. "Come on, Spider-Man."
"You got it!" Peter grabbed Clint and swung away on a line of webbing.
"Phew... is it almost over?" Pietro asked, sitting on the ground to catch his breath.
"Not yet. Don't let your guard down," Wanda said, patting his shoulder with a small smile. "Go help them. You're the fastest; you can get the people to the lifeboats quicker than anyone."
Pietro looked at her. "Are you sure you'll be okay alone?"
"Of course. You know what I'm capable of," Wanda said, red Chaos Magic flickering around her hands.
"Fine... remember, I was born a whole minute before you," Pietro joked before blurring away.
Wanda watched him go and shook her head with a light laugh. A whole minute? I'm pretty sure I'm the older one. She focused her attention on the battlefield, staying alert—especially regarding the piles of scrap metal on the ground. You never knew when one might crawl back to life.
High Altitude
Tony looked up at the massive propulsion core and spoke solemnly: "Everyone, hurry up and evacuate. We have to destroy the town. The power source is almost drained. Even if the device isn't triggered, the whole thing is going to plummet soon."
"Is there no other way?" Steve asked as he ushered people onto the lifeboats.
"None," Tony replied firmly.
The town was approaching an altitude of 3,000 meters. If they didn't leave soon, the lack of oxygen would kill everyone on board.
"That's a lot of robots!" James Rhodes shouted as he flew in from the Helicarrier in the War Machine armor.
"Destroy them all! Don't let a single one escape!" Tony flew to his side.
Rhodes nodded. "Don't worry. Let's give this story a perfect ending."
On the Ground
"Want some water?" Silas was currently standing with Wanda. He was staying near the site of the primary Ultron body, waiting like a hunter for the "rabbit" to return to its burrow. He didn't want to destroy the prime body yet.
"Do you have some?" Wanda asked, looking around the debris. Where would he get water here?
"I actually prefer juice," Silas said. As the words left his mouth, a Shadow Ninja emerged from a rift carrying two glasses of fresh fruit juice. He handed one to Silas and the other to Wanda.
Wanda took the glass in surprise. "Is your power... some kind of spatial manipulation?"
"You could call it that," Silas said. It was hard to explain the true nature of the Shadow Kingdom.
Wanda took a sip. It was actually quite good. "How is it?" Silas asked.
"Not bad," Wanda smiled. Compared to the carnage elsewhere, they were having a rather pleasant moment. "Why do you always wear a mask?" she asked suddenly.
"I just don't want people knowing my identity. It brings... complications," Silas replied. He didn't want May, Ben, or his friends like Silas Parker—wait, he was Silas Parker—he didn't want his loved ones living in fear.
Superheroes had enemies, and while he wasn't afraid for himself, he had people to protect. Unlike Natasha or Clint who were spies, or Steve who was alone, or Stark whose friends were all heroes, Silas's life was rooted in a quiet neighborhood.
"Can I see what you look like?" Wanda asked curiously.
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