Chapter 300: Ultron's End—The Final Word?
Silas, Tony, and Thor were flying amidst the colossal propulsion machinery, weaving through falling debris and massive chunks of stone.
"Don't hold anything back now!" Tony shouted. He extended both arms, unleashing two concentrated blue repulsor beams from his palms. Simultaneously, the Arc Reactor in his chest surged, firing a brilliant azure laser that bathed the massive machine in raw energy.
"AHH!" Thor was completely enveloped in a storm of lightning. He threw Mjolnir with all his might, the hammer carrying an infinite torrent of thunderous power as it slammed into the propulsion core.
Silas opened his eyes, channeling the strength of the Ox Talisman. The heat vision he unleashed carried a world-ending momentum, slicing through the heavy plating of the device. But he didn't stop there. With a wave of his hands, countless magical talismans flew out, sticking to various corners of the machinery.
"Time to go, boys!" Silas shouted, opening a ten-meter-high Shadow Portal.
Tony cut his power output and dived into the portal. Thor recalled his hammer and followed immediately after.
"Goodbye!" Silas drifted into the portal, snapping his fingers as he turned his back on the machine.
BOOM!!! CRASH!!!
Every talisman detonated at once. The remaining structure of Sokovia disintegrated, shattering into millions of tiny stones in the sky. Any larger fragments were picked off by SHIELD pilots in their fighters.
On the Ground
Thud!
The group assembled in a clearing in the woods. A broken, battered robot stood there, looking utterly helpless.
"Ultron," Tony said softly. It had all started because of him.
"Cool. You did it. You successfully protected this place," Ultron said. His body was a wreck, looking very much like he did when he first crashed Stark's party.
"You have nowhere left to run. This is your last body," Steve said, his anger toward the culprit clear in his voice.
"You lied to us," Wanda said, her rage even deeper. The ally she had trusted had deceived her and nearly caused the deaths of everyone in her home. Pietro remained silent, but his eyes burned with fury.
"You look just like you did at the start—hideous," Clint quipped, putting away his bow.
"Is this the best you can do?" Thor asked dismissively, tossing his hammer in his hand.
"We are the Avengers," Natasha added.
"ROAR!" Hulk let out a thunderous yell. The sonic wave nearly shook Ultron's fragile chassis apart.
"Ow~" Peter Parker, standing next to Hulk, covered his ears. "Hey, big guy, I'm standing right here!"
"Hmph!" Hulk huffed, looking away sheepishly. The group shared a brief, weary smile.
"It's over. Give us the Scepter," Tony said, returning to the most critical issue.
Ultron looked around at the gathered heroes, his gaze finally lingering on Silas. He paused before speaking. "The Scepter isn't with me."
"You took it, and now you say it's not here?" Tony's eyes narrowed as he raised his palm. "Do you think I won't end you right now?"
"Ultron, stop resisting. You've lost. Hand it over," Steve said, stepping forward.
"Give it up!" the others echoed, all taking a step closer. Hulk even nudged the dazing Peter forward a step. "Uh... thanks," Peter muttered to the giant.
Ultron looked at the circle of heroes ready to tear him apart. He let out a dry chuckle. "I lost. But you lost, too."
"What do you mean?" Steve asked.
"The Scepter... hahahaha!" Ultron looked up at the sky and laughed, a sound that made everyone uncomfortable. As the temperature around them seemed to drop, Ultron lowered his head and whispered, "It's already in your... hands."
His voice was so faint it was almost inaudible.
"What?" Tony frowned, unable to hear clearly.
"Goodbye!" Ultron knew he wouldn't survive the day. He knew Silas had the Scepter, but he refused to say it clearly.
Beep! Beep!
"What's that sound?" Wanda asked, looking at Ultron's glowing chest.
"Everyone, get back!" Tony shouted, his eyes widening.
BOOM!
A violent explosion rocked the clearing. Billowing black smoke rose like a sandstorm, obscuring everyone's vision.
"Is everyone okay?!" Steve shouted from behind his shield.
Ultron had self-destructed.
Peter was the first to react; having dealt with the Green Goblin's bombs before, he had immediately pulled Natasha and Clint to safety. Hulk used his massive body to shield them from the shrapnel. Tony was protected by his armor, and Steve had raised his shield, though the shockwave had sent him flying into a tree.
Wanda and Pietro were the luckiest. Silas had used a defense scroll to block the blast, shielding both of them.
As the dust settled, they saw a five-meter crater. Ultron was gone, leaving only smoldering scraps of metal drifting in the wind. His death didn't bring joy; instead, a heavy gloom fell over them. The only lead on the Scepter was gone.
"Why would he self-destruct?" Natasha asked. If he had stayed silent, they might have kept him alive for questioning.
"I don't know. He said something at the end. Did anyone catch it?" Clint asked. Steve shook his head. He looked at Tony, who had been closest.
"I didn't hear it," Tony said, pausing. "But I can take these remains back. Maybe I can recover some data from the core." Tony jumped into the crater and picked out a charred chip, no larger than a fingernail. It was burnt and half-melted; recovering anything would be a miracle.
Silas remained unbothered. Even if Tony recovered the data, he wouldn't be able to guess Silas was the one who took it.
"Alright. It's up to you then, Stark," Steve said, stowing his shield.
"Whew... finally over." Clint finally relaxed. All he could think about now was his wife and kids.
"Sun's going down," Natasha said, looking up at the Hulk.
"Hmph!" Hulk looked annoyed but obediently held out his hand for Natasha.
Silas was surprised. Hulk hadn't taken the jet to leave? This was a significant deviation from what he expected.
"I have to go. Goodbye, Mr. Stark! Goodbye, everyone!" Peter opened a Shadow Portal to head back; he still had school to worry about.
"I suggest we go to my place for a barbecue tonight," Clint joked.
"Please, no," Tony said, remembering the last time.
"Hahaha!" The group laughed together. Only Wanda and Pietro stood there awkwardly. What are they laughing about?
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