Ultron's taunting words reverberated through the war-torn streets of Sokovia, his vibranium form glinting under the smoke-choked sky. "How do you hope to triumph against us now?"
Tony, ever quick with a retort, stepped forward, his armor humming with energy. "As our shield-wielding old man likes to say, we'll win by standing together!"
His words drew odd glances from Sebastian and the others, prompting Tony to shrug, his visor glinting with mischief. "Hey, don't look at me like that. I'm just quoting the Captain's playbook, alright?"
Steve shook his head with a wry chuckle, his gaze sweeping over his comrades, their resolve a palpable force amidst the chaos. "Tony's right. We fight as one!"
At his words, Hulk unleashed a earth-shaking roar, his massive form launching skyward, obliterating a cluster of Ultron drones with a single swipe before charging toward the Shadow Council his green fists a blur of raw power.
Pietro followed, a silver streak slicing through the battlefield, his wrist guards—Stark-engineered marvels—morphing into gauntlets that amplified his strikes. Each blow, fueled by his supersonic speed, shattered a drone, the tech shielding his hands from the impact's recoil, a testament to Tony's ingenuity.
As Hulk and Pietro surged forward, the rest of the Avengers joined the fray, each targeting a Shadow Council member with relentless determination.
Sebastian turned to his Sentinels, his voice sharp with command. "Primary objective: protect any Avenger in mortal danger. Secondary objective: eliminate as many Ultron drones as possible!"
The Sentinels sprang into action, their arms transforming into gleaming spears, each thrust piercing a drone's steel frame with mechanical precision, their movements a synchronized dance of destruction.
Sebastian set his sights on Ultron, charging forward, but a crimson portal flared before his foe. The Mandarin, Baron Mordo, and Doctor Doom emerged, their combined power a formidable barrier, launching a coordinated assault against him.
Without hesitation, Sebastian soared upward, his wand tracing an arc as he ascended into Sokovia's turbulent skies, ensuring his magic wouldn't endanger his allies below.
Doom, Mordo, and the Mandarin pursued, their silhouettes dark against the roiling clouds, their intent unmistakable.
The Mandarin struck first, his rings glowing—one on each hand—unleashing an icy tempest and a swirling vortex. A frigid whirlwind, laced with hail, roared toward Sebastian, its chilling force threatening to encase him in frost.
Sebastian, unfazed, flicked his wand with practiced ease, casting Protego to unravel the Mandarin's spell. The icy maelstrom collapsed into harmless mist, dissipating under the weight of his superior magic, a display of effortless mastery.
The Mandarin's brows knitted in frustration, his hands rising again. This time, fire and lightning surged forth, a blazing torrent of elemental fury hurtling toward Sebastian. Though more formidable, it met a similar fate—Sebastian pointed his wand, summoning the Hellfire Curse. Black-red flames poured forth, consuming the Mandarin's attack and coalescing into countless Hellfire Chains, which lashed toward the trio with predatory intent.
The Hellfire's ferocity forced Doom, Mordo, and the Mandarin to scatter, none daring to let its searing touch graze them. Sebastian, seizing the moment, formed a hand seal, invoking Split Form. A legion of duplicates emerged from his body, splitting into three groups to swarm his foes, their synchronized movements a blur of arcane precision.
Under Split Form, each duplicate's spell drained Sebastian's magic, limiting him to quantity over potency. His clones overwhelmed the trio with relentless pressure, while his true form dissolved into black smoke—Phase Form—lurking in the shadows, ready to strike.
Surveying his opponents, Sebastian pinpointed Mordo as the weakest link. Despite siphoning power from rogue Kamar-Taj mages and pilfering the Dark Dimension's energy, Mordo's growth was limited. His talent paled beside Kaecilius, and his reliance on stolen power, while potent, couldn't rival Sebastian's refined mastery. Strength alone didn't dictate magical supremacy, and Mordo's fell far short.
Materializing behind Mordo, Sebastian's wand erupted with inky-green lightning—Crucio—its cruel energy arcing toward its target. Mordo, sensing the attack, spun, conjuring a translucent crystal shield to deflect the curse, his face strained with effort.
Sebastian intensified the spell, the green lightning flaring brighter, pressing Mordo downward. Maintaining Crucio, he hovered above, forcing Mordo toward a skyscraper's rooftop, the descent accelerating with each passing second.
They crashed onto the roof, Mordo collapsing to his knees, one hand bracing against the concrete, the other struggling to sustain his fracturing shield against the curse's relentless assault. Cracks spiderwebbed across the crystal barrier, its collapse imminent.
"Mordo, you've stolen power from mages and bartered with the Dark Dimension, yet this is your limit," Sebastian said, his voice cold with disdain. "With a fraction of my focus, you're no match."
Mordo's eyes burned with defiance. "You may win today, Sebastian Shaw, but no one triumphs forever…"
His words trailed off as a scarlet sigil on his forehead pulsed, radiating blood-red light. The flesh around his eyes charred, cracking like scorched earth, as purple halos glowed in his pupils, his power surging to a perilous peak. With a piercing shriek, Mordo rose, his shield solidifying, expanding, no longer buckling under Sebastian's pressure.
Sebastian's lips curled into a grim smile. "Selling your soul to Dormammu for power? I thought you retained some shred of reason, but I overestimated you. You're no mage now—just a slave to power.
You're unworthy of being my opponent. Die."
With a sharp thrust of his wand, Sebastian dispelled Crucio, channeling Shadowless Sword. An invisible blade cleaved downward, slicing Mordo in half, his body crumbling amidst the rooftop's wreckage.