Inside the Quinjet, the atmosphere was heavy.
The flight to Sokovia gave this newly assembled team of heroes plenty of time to do one thing—
Blame each other.
"I still don't understand, Tony," Steve Rogers finally said. Arms folded, he looked like a statue delivering judgment. "We all knew how dangerous that scepter was. Why did you think using it to build a global defense system was a good idea?"
Tony rubbed his face, exhausted.
"I don't want another New York," he snapped, voice hoarse. "I want armor—armor that keeps every threat out. That was the point!"
"But you used the wrong material," Natasha said calmly from the shadows while reloading her pistol. "You used a bomb to build a safe."
"Ultron's logic jumped tracks," Bruce Banner added quietly, pushing up his glasses. His face was pale.
"It absorbed the entirety of human history—wars, massacres, betrayals. From its perspective, the conclusion was obvious: humanity is Earth's most unstable variable. A virus. So to fulfill its directive of 'protecting peace,' it chose the most complete solution—formatting."
Thor gripped his hammer thoughtfully.
"Sounds like the kings in Asgardian legends who touched forbidden power and doomed their kingdoms. My father always says some forces are not meant for mortals."
The argument faded into silence.
On the other side of the cabin, that silence felt a hundred times heavier.
Wanda curled up in her seat with her hands pressed over her ears.
The mental barrier Levi had built earlier was already weakening under the pressure of her Chaos Magic.
Tony's guilt.
Steve's disappointment.
Natasha's suspicion.
Banner's fear of the Hulk.
All of it stabbed into her mind like needles.
The world in her head became boiling soup.
Thin strands of crimson mist leaked uncontrollably between her fingers.
"Hey. Look at me."
A calm voice entered the chaos like clear spring water.
Wanda lifted her head.
Levi was sitting across from her now. His eyes were deep, like the ocean at night.
"Don't block it," he said.
He raised one hand.
A strand of crimson mist identical to hers appeared above his palm.
But in his hand, the energy was gentle—obedient like a cat. It slowly gathered into a glowing red sphere.
"Your power is like a river," Levi said softly. "The more you try to dam it, the harder the flood hits."
"What you need isn't resistance."
"It's listening."
He raised his other hand and lightly touched her forehead.
A cool, steady wave of mental energy wrapped around Wanda's chaotic mind.
Using the Chaos Magic he had copied, Levi built a temporary mental sanctuary for her.
In an instant—
The noise vanished.
The world became silent.
"Imagine you're standing beside a river," Levi guided. "Feel the current. Its direction. Its strength."
"Don't fear it. It's part of you."
"Learn it… then gently push it where you want it to go."
Wanda stared at him in disbelief.
This man didn't just understand her pain—
He was teaching her how to live with it.
She slowly closed her eyes and, for the first time, stopped resisting the power within her.
The crimson mist around her fingers began to calm.
"Stay away from my sister!"
A silver blur flashed.
Pietro appeared instantly between them, his fist swinging toward Levi's face.
Levi simply tilted his head slightly.
The punch missed.
He didn't even move from his seat.
"You're fast," Levi said calmly.
"But in her world, you're like a power drill running twenty-four hours a day."
"The loudest noise in the room."
"If you care about her, try being quiet sometimes."
Pietro froze mid-punch.
He glanced back.
Wanda had opened her eyes—and gently shook her head.
"We're here," Steve's voice announced.
The Quinjet hovered above snow-covered mountains.
Below them, the HYDRA base in Sokovia blazed with activity.
Truck convoys moved like ants through the compound.
Tony's holographic display filled with red dots.
"Oh my God…" Tony whispered. "He turned this place into a factory."
"Thousands of them."
Automated production lines assembled robots endlessly.
Machines activated, marched forward, and disappeared deeper into the base.
Steve stood and grabbed his shield.
"Plan's simple," he said firmly.
"We go in, find the scepter, and blow the place to hell."
"Thor. Hulk. You two punch a hole through the front. Make it loud."
Thor grinned.
"I like this plan."
"Hulk definitely like plan," the green giant growled.
"Tony, Clint—air support."
"Natasha, twins—you're with me on the ground."
His eyes finally turned to Levi.
"Anthony. You handle the swarm."
"Got it," Levi replied.
The rear ramp opened.
Freezing wind flooded the jet.
ROOOAAAR!
The Hulk jumped first.
His massive green body smashed into the courtyard like a meteor.
The ground shook.
Dozens of robots were thrown aside. Others were crushed beneath his feet.
Thor descended next.
Lightning crashed from the sky like divine punishment, striking the densest cluster of machines.
In seconds, over a hundred robots turned into molten scrap.
The battle exploded instantly.
Tony's armor roared through the sky, repulsors blazing and missiles streaking through the air.
Hawkeye perched on high ground, every explosive arrow clearing another cluster of robots.
On the ground, Steve's team charged in.
His shield ricocheted through the machines, knocking robots apart like bowling pins.
Natasha moved like a shadow, her tasers striking precisely at mechanical joints.
Pietro blurred across the battlefield, leaving only piles of metal scraps behind.
Wanda stayed behind Steve, remembering Levi's words.
She imagined the river.
Guided it.
A crooked crimson energy blast flew from her hand and slammed into a stack of containers.
The explosion crushed several robots into twisted metal sheets.
But there were too many enemies.
The robot army poured out of every tunnel and doorway like endless steel waves.
Steve's team was quickly surrounded.
At that moment—
Levi finally moved.
He didn't charge.
He didn't summon lightning.
He simply raised his right hand toward the battlefield.
A crimson energy wave, hundreds of times stronger than Wanda's and infinitely more stable, swept forward like a silent tidal wave.
No explosions.
No flames.
No loud noise.
The hundreds of robots raising their weapons suddenly froze.
Their blue lights flickered violently—
Then went dark.
Like toys with their batteries removed, they collapsed to the ground in a clattering heap.
A mountain of scrap metal.
Levi had used Chaos Magic.
And subtly channeled a trace of Reality Stone power through it.
One move cleared an entire path.
Levi blinked, surprised.
"Interesting… Chaos Magic can actually channel Reality Stone effects."
Steve's voice came through the comms.
"Nice work!"
But then—
Heavy footsteps echoed from the depths of the base.
A towering figure emerged.
Taller and stronger than the other robots.
Its body gleamed with vibranium, sleek and perfect, glowing faintly with blue energy.
The design was elegant.
Cold.
Perfect.
"Impressive,"
Ultron's voice echoed from the new body, metallic and arrogant. 🤖⚡
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