Ch.: 14. Ascending City, Survival War starts, Manav's Thoughts

The Sokovia started to tremble, and the anti-gravity repulsors installed in the underground space of Sokovia began to power up. Thor looked at the repulsors above him while fighting Ultron robots.

"Friday?" Tony Stark asked, blasting Ultron robots as he performed flips mid-air to dodge attacks coming from every direction.

"Sir, Sokovia is on the ride," Friday replied.

The Avengers, locked in battle with Ultron's robots, suddenly lost balance due to the powerful lift of the city beneath them.

"This is bad! We have to do something! People are still on the city—they haven't been fully evacuated!" Captain America yelled into his comms while sprinting toward a bridge that was splitting in the middle as it rose with the city. He grabbed an Ultron robot while running and smashed it against one of the bridge's iron pillars.

Captain stopped and looked as another part of the bridge and city sank out of view. Sokovia's center was lifting higher into the air, surrounding the church at its core.

Pietro, running at high speed and tearing through Ultron robots, lost his footing and crashed into a wall near the road.

---

Manav suddenly woke up and bolted upright in his bed as he felt the entire room shaking.

"Whoa! Is there an earthquake?" Manav yelled, standing on the bed.

"No! Sh*t, I fell asleep while the Avengers were fighting Ultron and his robots. I'm late!" Manav quickly realized what had happened.

He grabbed his backpack chest from the side of the bed and strapped it on. Then, he pulled out his upgraded iron armor, donning it swiftly, along with an iron shield and sword.

After equipping himself, Manav moved toward the window and carefully pushed the curtain aside enough to see outside. He saw Ultron bots flying in various directions, likely heading toward the Avengers.

Suddenly, all the Ultron bots stopped mid-air, and their faces turned from blue to red.

"Do you see? The beauty of it, the inevitability. You rise only to fall. You, Avengers—you are my meteor, my swift and terrible sword. The earth will crack under the weight of your failure. Purge me from your computers. Turn my own flesh against me. It means nothing. When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world will be metal."

Ultron's speech echoed from the robots as they projected his words. Hawkeye interrupted by shooting one of the robots, causing it to crash. Another quickly replaced it, continuing the speech where it had left off.

---

(Another POV)

Bruce and Natasha were walking near each other.

"We gotta move!" Bruce said urgently.

"You're not gonna turn into that big green guy?" Natasha asked.

"I've got a compelling reason not to lose consciousness," Bruce replied, looking at Natasha with affection.

Natasha stepped closer and kissed Bruce fiercely, pushing him backward toward the edge.

When the kiss ended, Natasha looked at Bruce with determination. "But I need that big green guy."

She shoved Bruce off the edge, forcing him to transform mid-air. Hulk leaped back up, landing in front of Natasha with a mischievous smirk.

"Let's go save people," Natasha said.

Hulk nodded, letting Natasha climb onto his back and hold his neck. With a powerful jump, he launched himself toward the rising Sokovia.

Landing on a large piece of falling debris, Hulk propelled himself from one piece to another, gaining speed. Finally, he landed on Sokovia's jungle section.

Natasha was thrown forward by inertia but landed skillfully, sliding on her legs. Hulk swatted a tree off his shoulder, clearing his path.

"Well, this makes us even. Now go and be a hero," Natasha said, watching as Hulk ran toward the city where the battle raged.

Hulk smashed an Ultron robot to pieces upon landing and roared, attracting the attention of nearby robots. They turned and began firing their repulsors at him. Hulk leaped toward another robot, crushing its head with a single blow before turning to his next target.

---

(Another POV)

Manav sat on his bed, gripping his iron sword and shield. He was fighting a war of wit within himself.

"Where should I go? To the church to stop Ultron from using a broken robot to deactivate the machine, or to the spot where Pietro will be killed? If I save Pietro, Wanda won't be distracted, but what if there's a butterfly effect? What if Ultron survives or uses hidden measures he didn't employ in the movie?"

Manav frowned, then asked aloud, "Hey, Prompt AI, can Wanda read my mind?"

[No, you're not safe. Since you've been transmigrated to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Lord God assumed Wanda wouldn't pry unless provoked.]

"Okay, so I'll save Pietro first, then try to contact Tony to prevent Sokovia from being destroyed. If Pietro lives, Wanda won't be distracted."

Manav stood up and walked to the door but hesitated.

---

Iron Man flew beneath Sokovia, inspecting the anti-gravity repulsors glowing with blue energy as they lifted the city higher into the sky.

"Sir, the vibranium core has a magnetic shield holding the rocks together," Friday reported.

"What happens if it drops?" Tony asked, already dreading the answer.

"If it drops now, it will kill thousands. If it goes any higher, it will lead to global extinction."

Tony flew toward a nearby apartment teetering on the edge. "There are people in that building," Friday said.

Breaking through the wall, he found a family of four huddled in a corner. Scanning the room, he spotted a bathtub.

"Get in the tub! Quickly!" Tony ordered. The family obeyed, and Tony lifted the tub, breaking through the wall to carry them to safety.

After setting the tub down on solid ground, Friday interrupted. "Sir, you've got airborne incoming."

"You've got incoming?" Tony relayed to Captain America while blasting nearby Ultron robots.

"Incoming already came. Stark, focus on taking the city back safely. Our job is simple: tear these things apart. If you get hurt, hurt them back. If you die, walk it off," Captain said before engaging another group of Ultron robots.

---

(Another POV)

Hawkeye and Wanda, overwhelmed by the increasing number of Ultron robots, retreated into a nearby building, smashing through the glass.

Hawkeye took another shot at a robot before noticing Wanda sitting dazed.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked with concern.

"This is all our fault," Wanda said softly.

"Hey, look at me," Hawkeye said firmly. "It's your fault, it's everyone's fault—who cares? The city is flying, we're fighting an army of robots, and I have a bow and arrow. None of this makes sense, but I'm going back out there because it's my job. I can't babysit you. If you step out that door, you're an Avenger."

Wanda stared at him, then nodded.

"Good chat," Hawkeye said before heading back into the chaos.

---

Captain America struggled to save a woman trapped in a car hanging off the bridge. Before he could pull her to safety, the car's back half broke, and it plummeted.

"Rogers, catch her!" Thor shouted as he flew from beneath the city, gripping the car. He pulled the woman out and hurled her upward.

Captain caught her and helped her climb to safety.

An Ultron bot flew toward the woman, but Captain hurled his shield, striking its chest.

"You can't save them all…" the robot taunted before Captain activated his gauntlet, recalling the shield and smashing the robot mid-air.

"Hey! You'll never what? Finish your sentence next time!" Captain joked, running toward another battle zone where civilians were under attack.

Thor joined him, launching Captain's shield with Mjolnir to tear through a group of Ultron robots.

Ultron, watching the destruction from above, growled with rage. "You're bothering me, Thor!"

Ultron dove toward Thor, who was unaware of the incoming attack as he fought off nearby robots.