Back at Avengers Tower, the oppressive atmosphere grew even heavier.
"That thing… it didn't feel like metal."
Thor was the first to speak. He raised his hand—it was still trembling slightly.
"My hammer struck him, and it didn't even raise a blister." The god had lived for thousands of years, yet this was the first time he had encountered something like this. His divine power had simply vanished into nothing. That frightened him more than outright defeat.
"Physical attacks are useless," Steve Rogers said quietly, stopping what he was doing. The exhaustion in his voice was impossible to hide. "Everything we threw at him… it was like scratching an itch."
He thought back to World War II. The enemies back then had been brutal, but they were still flesh and blood—people who could be brought down by bullets and fists.
But this enemy…
Barely even qualified as an enemy in the traditional sense.
"More than scratching an itch, Cap—we were charging his batteries."
Tony Stark's voice came through the lab's communication system, dripping with self-mockery.
Everyone walked into the lab.
A massive holographic display showed Ultron's structural analysis, but over ninety percent of the diagram was marked with bright red labels reading: UNKNOWN ENERGY CIRCUITRY.
"He's absorbing energy. All forms of energy," Tony said, pointing to the flowing diagrams on the screen. The brilliance usually shining in his genius eyes was replaced with pure frustration.
"Kinetic. Thermal. Electrical… he's using vibranium's properties and the Mind Stone's power to push things into completely ridiculous territory."
"The harder we hit him—the stronger he gets."
Tony slammed his fist onto the cold console.
The skin on his knuckles instantly reddened.
"He said he wants a more perfect body," Tony muttered helplessly. "A vibranium body that absorbs everything isn't enough… so what the hell does he want next?"
No one had an answer.
A creature made purely of logic had desires no human could understand.
---
On the other side of the room, curled up in the corner of a couch—
Wanda hugged her knees tightly.
Her head was buried in her arms.
Her body still trembled uncontrollably.
Ultron's words echoed through her mind like a devil whispering endlessly.
Stark. Missiles. Parents. Fire. Ruins.
The past she thought she had buried had been dragged out again, soaked in blood.
Pietro paced anxiously beside her like a trapped leopard.
He could run faster than bullets—
But he couldn't outrun the nightmares inside his sister's mind.
Levi walked over with a cup of hot water and placed it on the coffee table in front of her.
Steam rose gently.
"What he said… wasn't wrong."
Pietro exploded instantly.
In a flash he stood in front of Wanda, glaring at Levi with blazing blue eyes.
"What did you just say?"
Levi ignored him.
His gaze rested on the trembling girl behind him.
His voice was calm—cold as frozen water.
"Stark Industries missiles killed your parents. That's a fact. You can't erase it."
Wanda's body stiffened.
Her trembling worsened.
"But what Ultron used… was already inside you," Levi continued without sympathy.
"Hatred. Fear. Helplessness."
"He didn't create them."
"He just opened the cage they were locked in."
Levi raised his hand.
A gentle thread of crimson mist swirled around his palm like a tiny living snake.
"Power itself isn't good or evil. It depends on how you use it."
"Will you make it a venomous snake that bites people…"
"Or wings that carry you out of the darkness?"
"That choice is yours."
He flicked his finger.
The crimson mist drifted toward Wanda.
It slowly spun in the air—
Then unfolded into a red butterfly made of energy, glowing faintly with warmth.
Wanda stared at it blankly.
The butterfly fluttered slowly.
The rhythm of its wings seemed to match her heartbeat.
The storm inside her chest eased—just a little.
She lifted her tearful eyes to Levi.
This man spoke the cruelest truths—
Yet somehow gave her space to breathe.
---
"Got it!" Tony suddenly shouted from the lab. "You guys better come see this!"
Everyone gathered around the holographic display.
Floating in the projection was a tiny black fragment, no larger than a fingernail.
It reflected no light.
Like a miniature black hole.
"Vibranium," Tony said grimly. "It fell off Ultron during your punch."
He glanced at Levi.
"The fact that your 'law-level collision' could physically damage vibranium is just… I don't even have a word for it."
Levi knew the truth.
It hadn't been physical damage.
His Chaos Magic had conceptually erased that tiny piece of matter from existence.
"That's not the important part," Banner said, adjusting his glasses.
He pointed to rapidly scrolling data.
"This fragment contains part of Ultron's core data. Right before it detached, he was accessing a database."
"A private database."
"Extremely high encryption."
Natasha immediately asked, "Can we track it?"
Tony grinned.
"Please. I'm Tony Stark."
His fingers tapped the virtual keyboard with dramatic flair.
A name and photo filled the screen.
An elegant Asian woman appeared.
"Dr. Helen Cho," Tony read aloud. "One of the world's leading geneticists."
"Specializes in… tissue regeneration."
Banner opened another file.
The screen displayed a futuristic medical chamber filled with glowing blue fluid.
"She invented something called the Regeneration Cradle."
"Theoretically, it can regenerate any human organ."
He paused.
"Even an entire body."
Silence filled the lab.
Everyone understood Ultron's plan.
A cold shiver ran down their spines.
"A body made of flesh… and vibranium…" Tony whispered in horror.
"That's what he wants."
"The truly perfect vessel."
"My God…"
Steve broke the silence.
"We have to stop him."
"Tony, can you locate Dr. Cho?"
"Seoul. South Korea," Tony replied. "A private research facility called Utopia."
"Prepare to move," Steve ordered immediately.
Yet the heavy atmosphere remained.
They were about to confront an unkillable monster and stop the birth of a new god—
And none of them knew how.
---
"Hey."
Levi's lazy voice suddenly broke the tension.
Everyone turned to look at him.
He leaned against the lab doorway, studying Steve's serious expression with obvious amusement.
"Cap, quick personal question."
Steve blinked, confused.
"What?"
"You remember that Earth kid I brought back from space? Peter Quill," Levi said thoughtfully.
"I checked his records. His mother was from Missouri."
Steve still looked lost.
"Okay…?"
"And during World War II," Levi continued casually, "you toured the country selling war bonds."
"You went to Missouri too, right?"
Steve frowned.
"Yes… why?"
Levi smiled widely.
"Just a coincidence."
"His mom looks exactly like one of the girls who asked you for an autograph back then."
"Based on the timeline… she could actually be your daughter."
He tilted his head.
"So I was wondering."
"Is it possible that during your tour… you accidentally left behind a romantic debt?"
The command room fell silent.
For three seconds.
Then—
Tony exploded with laughter.
"OH MY GOD!"
He doubled over, clutching his stomach.
"I knew it! Captain America! The moral icon of the nation!"
He pointed at Steve, tears streaming from his eyes.
"You've got a secret daughter out there—and your grandson is a space pirate!"
"If that headline ever leaks, it'll be the biggest scandal of the century!"
"Way bigger than alien invasions!"
Natasha turned away, shoulders shaking as she tried not to laugh.
Thor chuckled loudly.
Banner grinned.
Even the tension about the upcoming war seemed to disappear.
Steve rubbed his forehead helplessly.
"You're all talking nonsense."
"And if you keep going," he sighed, "I'm going to sue every one of you for defamation."
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