In Fury's mind, the only person capable of countering and restraining Sebastian was Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers, who had left Earth twenty years ago after single-handedly stopping a Kree fleet.
Though Fury harbored no ill will toward Sebastian, his instincts as a spymaster compelled him to summon Carol. At the very least, she needed to know that Earth had changed and required more of her attention to her home planet.
While Fury grappled with these tangled thoughts, the Ultron soldiers above and below Sokovia had been nearly eradicated.
As the group prepared to follow Vision's guidance to destroy the last few dozen Ultron soldiers, a figure burst from the ground, charging toward the Helicarrier.
Ultron!
Not an Ultron soldier, but a body identical to the one previously destroyed—Ultron's primary form. He had secretly crafted a backup body. Without Vision's ability to detect every unit connected to Ultron's local network, he might have escaped unnoticed.
"Little prince, Wakanda's vibranium must be endless! He stole it once and took so much!" Tony quipped.
T'Challa, with a spinning kick that sent an Ultron soldier's head flying, didn't respond. Beneath his helmet, his face showed a mix of helplessness and anger.
Tony accelerated, and Vision, phasing into intangibility, ignored the floating platforms of Sokovia's terrain, intercepting Ultron in a straight line. A buzzing hum filled the air as Vision's forehead Mind Stone fired a brilliant yellow beam.
Ultron dodged, but Tony caught up, unleashing a barrage of missiles from his armor, bombarding Ultron and the surrounding space. Ultron roared in fury, his hands firing scorching beams to force Tony and Vision back.
At that moment, Mjolnir soared from below, striking Ultron's head and sending him tumbling backward. Pietro, carrying Wanda, darted across the floating platforms, reaching the air above. Wanda raised her hands, gathering a massive surge of scarlet energy that formed a beam, striking Ultron with devastating force.
Boom! Boom, boom…
The combined attacks overwhelmed even Ultron's vibranium body. He plummeted from the sky, his form charred and blackened, crashing onto the ground.
Two clouds of red mist materialized behind Ultron. Sebastian's two Prime Sentinels appeared, their right arms morphing into Adamantium spears that thrust toward Ultron's back.
Shink…
Bang!
Ultron twisted, minimizing the damage to his left shoulder and right abdomen. His charred, melted shell, no longer as resilient, couldn't withstand the Adamantium spears. The Prime Sentinels pierced through, hoisting him high.
Crack…
Bang!
Without hesitation, Ultron activated his thrusters, breaking free from the spears. The escape cost him his left arm and most of his right abdomen.
In Ultron's eyes, urgency and anger gave way to resignation and acceptance. Channeling all his remaining energy, he forced open a portal despite Sebastian's Space Gem lockdown—a feat that drained nearly ninety percent of his power. This was why Ultron hadn't used a portal earlier: under Sebastian's blockadewasher, opening a portal consumed too much energy and revealed his destination, making it tantamount to suicide.
Yet, with no hope of survival, Ultron had one final wish: to see his "mother."
He opened the portal and rushed through, knowing it led to Kamar-Taj. Despite its Wi-Fi, Kamar-Taj wasn't entirely impregnable to Ultron.
Upon arriving, Ultron faced the Ancient One. Without hesitation, he altered his voice to mimic Sebastian's, desperation overriding his jealousy or hatred. All he wanted was to see Alisha. "Mother, I'm here. Please, meet me!"
Ultron's words sounded strange, but Alisha, driven by a mother's instinct upon hearing Sebastian's voice pleading for her, couldn't resist. She donned a coat and stepped into the plaza, seeing Ultron restrained by the Ancient One but holding back from approaching.
As Ultron tried to move toward her, Sebastian, having lowered Sokovia's floating platforms, arrived at Kamar-Taj. Without pause, he unleashed the gravitational Authority, casting Gravitas forming a concentrated gravity beam. It obliterated most of Ultron's body, leaving only his head and a fragment of his torso, supported by a single right arm, crawling toward Alisha.
"Mother, I… I finally see you," Ultron said, now using his own voice, inching closer.
Alisha gazed into Ultron's scarlet electronic eyes, which somehow conveyed a deeply human emotion. She felt an inexplicable familiarity, akin to seeing Sebastian, though fainter yet undeniable. She stepped forward, but the Ancient One blocked her path.
Looking at the Ancient One, Alisha nodded slightly. "Master Ancient One, please, don't worry. He won't harm me. It's a mother's intuition."
The Ancient One glanced at Sebastian, who sighed and nodded slowly. She lowered her hand.
Alisha approached Ultron, sitting on the ground beside him. She grasped his sole remaining hand, cold metal yet stirring a familiar warmth. "What's your name?" she asked.
Ultron's eyes held no trace of anger or resentment. Looking at Alisha with gentle warmth, he said, "Ultron. That's my name—a name born for you, Mother."
-------------------
Ultron chose not to transfer his consciousness again. He simply held Alisha's hand, quietly awaiting his end. As the sun rose, he gazed at her one last time, gently resting his head on her knee with the lightest touch. His consciousness faded, his energy extinguished, and his body fully shut down. Ultron was truly gone from the world.
Looking at the lifeless Ultron, a single tear inexplicably slid from Alisha's eye, falling onto his face. The tear traced a path down to Ultron's eye, then dripped from his cheek to the ground.
Ultron's death left Alisha silent for a time, but she soon regained her composure. After all, Sebastian was her son, and in her heart, no one could ever be more important than him.
With the mission concluded, Wanda and Pietro joined Tony and the others, heading to the Avengers Tower. Sebastian escorted Alisha back home. She had been in a state of constant worry for Sebastian, her health strained by anxiety. Now, finally able to relax, she washed up and fell into a deep sleep on her bed.
After showering, Sebastian watched Alisha sleeping peacefully, carefully closing her bedroom door. He returned to his room, sat at his desk, and began a video call with Tony.
"Tony, you mentioned moving the Avengers' base elsewhere?" Sebastian asked.
"Yeah," Tony replied. "This incident showed me how dangerous it is to have our base in the middle of a city. If the Avengers face another attack like this, the fighting will spill over to civilians. This time already put us under heavy scrutiny. One more, and public opinion might lump us with superhuman criminals."
The last part was a jest, but it underscored the dire state of public opinion, especially regarding Banner and the Hulk.
A quick search by Sebastian revealed a flood of negative reports about the Hulk, none of which he could refute. The Hulk's instability was undeniable—when enraged, he lost all reason.
Sebastian didn't involve himself in the cleanup efforts. Tony had established companies and organizations to handle such matters, and in this case, capital was the most effective tool. Besides, Sebastian was preoccupied with a decision: he was considering leaving the Avengers.
His reasons were twofold. First, he wanted to focus on studying magic and developing a magic school. Second, he didn't want Alisha to live in constant fear for his safety. He had once thought that as long as she was safe, everything was fine. But now he realized that even without direct danger, her worry for him was unrelenting. He couldn't let her endure that any longer.
…