Chapter 20: Final Battle Part 2

Ultron swatted Vision aside like a fly, sending him crashing into a pillar. "He disconnected me from the net," Ultron muttered, staring at Vision's unconscious form. "That body was supposed to be mine."

Despite losing his main link, Ultron's connection to his army of drones remained intact. Through their shared network, he could feel them being decimated—one after another—by a relentless force. Pietro.

With a flash of anger, Ultron rocketed into the sky, heading directly toward Pietro, who was systematically dismantling his army with effortless speed. Punches and kicks blurred as Pietro tore through the robots, each blow destroying a bot in mere seconds. His movements were so fast that to the untrained eye, it seemed as if entire squads of drones were simply vanishing into metal scrap.

Captain America, standing nearby, could hardly keep up. Every bot around him was obliterated in an instant, leaving him to blink in disbelief as he lowered his shield. Thor, Hawkeye, and even Wanda stood frozen for a moment, watching Pietro's deadly efficiency.

Ultron landed with a heavy thud in the middle of the street, waiting for Pietro to close in on him. Pietro noticed and slowed to a stop, eyeing Ultron with a smirk.

"So, what now? What's the plan now that I'm here?" Pietro taunted, crossing his arms.

"I'm here to stop you from disrupting my mission," Ultron replied, his voice cold.

Pietro let out a mocking chuckle. "Oh really? You sure about that? Because, honestly, I don't think you can even touch me."

Ultron's metallic face remained impassive, but his voice took on an edge. "I can."

"Yeah, right." Pietro shrugged, still amused. "I'm faster than you can even think."

Ultron stepped forward, his eyes narrowing. "Fight me. I'll show you how great I am."

Pietro's eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh, I know that line!" He grinned and dashed toward Ultron.

Just as he was about to make contact, a trap sprang up from the ground, surrounding Pietro in a glowing force field. Pietro slowed down deliberately, acting as if he had been caught off guard, and slammed into the energy wall, stumbling back and landing on his butt with exaggerated surprise.

Pietro stood up, inspecting the shield with a curious look. "Well, this is some cool tech." He tapped the surface, testing its integrity.

"Thank you," Ultron replied smugly. "But you won't escape."

"Uh-huh," Pietro started jogging in place, vibrating at high speed, causing dust to swirl around him. "You sure about that?"

Ultron extended his fingers, each one lighting up with energy. "I'm sure," he sneered, launching a concentrated burst of lasers at the trap. The energy redirected into the walls of the force field, and in an instant, dozens of tiny lasers shot out from every corner of the trap, converging on Pietro from all directions.

Pietro's scream of pain echoed through the air as the lasers hit him. He fell to the ground, his body writhing in agony—at least, that's what it appeared to be.

Ultron, however, was puzzled. His scanners were picking up something unusual. Pietro wasn't dead, but... gone. "That's impossible," Ultron muttered, his head tilting in confusion. "Did I miscalculate? There's no way my lasers could disintegrate his entire body… Maybe his speed and pain of receiving the laser disintegrated his body"

Ultron's brow furrowed as he processed what had just happened. Something wasn't adding up.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team noticed Pietro's comms had gone silent, their concern growing with every passing second.

"[What happened to the kid?]" Iron Man's voice crackled through the comms, the sound of his repulsor blasts echoing as he took down another wave of Ultron's bots.

"[Not sure,]" Captain America replied, his shield ricocheting between a group of drones, knocking them out in quick succession. "[Last I saw, he was tearing through those bots like nothing.]"

"[Did something happen to him?]" Wanda's voice was filled with worry as she jogged beside Hawkeye, both of them on the lookout for more threats.

"[Hey, Tony, have you seen Ultron?]" Hawkeye chimed in, loosing an arrow into the head of a bot with pinpoint accuracy.

"[He got the drop on me after I tried to stop him from activating the engines,]" Iron Man answered, his tone frustrated. "[Haven't seen him since.]"

"[I'll find him,]" Thor declared, his voice carrying an edge as he soared through the sky, scanning the area for any sign of Pietro—or Ultron.

Thor's eyes darted around, but all he saw were flashes of battle in the distance. "Where's that kid?" he muttered to himself.

Just then, Ultron attacked from behind. Without warning, he slammed both fists into Thor's back, sending him crashing into the ground below. The impact left a deep crater as Thor struggled to recover, barely managing to turn around before Ultron descended, launching a powerful punch aimed directly at his face.

Thor reeled back from the blow but retaliated swiftly, swinging Mjolnir with a mighty arc and sending Ultron flying. Not wasting any time, Thor flew after him, catching up as Ultron hovered, stabilizing himself in midair.

"Where's the kid?" Thor demanded, his voice rumbling with thunder.

"I killed him," Ultron said coldly, his metallic face emotionless.

Thor's grip on Mjolnir tightened. With fury in his eyes, he raised the hammer and summoned the full power of lightning. "Then you will answer for that!" he roared, unleashing a massive blast of energy. Ultron responded with a concentrated laser beam from his fingertips, the two forces colliding midair, creating a shockwave that rippled through the sky.

Thor gritted his teeth, his lightning blast intensifying as he called out, "Grant me strength, Odin!" The lightning surged, overpowering Ultron's laser and sending him hurtling through the air, parts of his body shattered by the impact.

Breathing heavily, Thor touched his comms, his voice thick with regret. "[I'm sorry... Ultron's killed him.]"

The message hit Wanda like a physical blow. She dropped to her knees, her face pale, tears streaming down her cheeks. "This is all my fault," she whispered. "He died because of me. I should've been the one…"

Hawkeye rushed to her side, gripping her shoulders firmly. "Hey, no. Don't do that," he said softly but firmly. "This is on Ultron, not you. We have to keep fighting. Pietro would want you to keep going. You're an Avenger, remember?"

Wanda wiped her tears, her expression hardening as she stood. "You're right," she said, her voice resolute.

Iron Man's voice came over the comms. "[Alright, team. Regroup at the church. We've got to stop Ultron from triggering that device.]"

Wanda glanced toward the church, her resolve deepening. "I'll make him regret the day he was created," she muttered, running toward the fight with Hawkeye right behind her.

Meanwhile, high above the battlefield, Pietro was free-falling through the sky, having just phased out of the trap Ultron had set for him. A smirk tugged at his lips as he waited for his jet to catch him. "Never thought he'd actually try trapping me," Pietro muttered to himself. "But phasing's a bit too overpowered in the hands of a transmigrator like me."

He looked down, contemplating for a moment. 'I wonder… can I run on air?'

Taking a leap of faith, Pietro stepped forward and found himself dashing downward through the sky, his feet seemingly finding traction on thin air.

"Damn," he chuckled, "super speed really is overpowered."

Back at the church, the Avengers regrouped, the air thick with tension. Wanda's eyes burned with a steely resolve, though her face betrayed the pain of losing her brother. The rest of the team exchanged concerned glances, but they could see it—her determination to end Ultron.

Emerging from the ground like an unstoppable tide, Ultron's bots lined the area, surrounding them. Hovering above them all, Ultron floated in the air, his body gleaming after he had repaired it using the scrap metal from his fallen drones. He looked almost regal, exuding confidence as he watched the Avengers.

"You'll pay for killing my brother," Wanda growled, her voice dark with fury. Crimson energy crackled around her hands, her eyes narrowing as they locked onto Ultron.

"That was the price for betraying me," Ultron replied coldly, his voice calm, almost patronizing. "But tell me, what can you hope to accomplish? You don't have the Hulk here to fight your battles."

"We don't need him today," Thor said, stepping forward, Mjolnir crackling with electricity as he spoke. "We are more than enough. Your forces are dwindling, Ultron. Pietro Maximoff fought valiantly. May Valhalla welcome him with honor."

Captain America, standing beside Thor, adjusted his shield with a resolute expression. "He fought for a better world," Cap said, his voice firm, "and we will finish what he started."

Then, with a commanding tone that made the earth itself seem to hold its breath, he called out, "Avengers, assemble."

The team stood united, their combined strength, determination, and will to protect the world radiating like a storm about to break. Ultron's eyes scanned each of them, calculating, reassessing the situation. But the Avengers weren't backing down not this time.

Meanwhile, inside a cloaked jet, Pietro sat in the pilot's seat, his mind focused and clear.

"Status report on Natasha and Banner?" he asked, eyes scanning the holographic display.

"They've left and seem to have gone into hiding, my lord," Gaia, the AI system, replied calmly.

"Good. Set course for South Korea," Pietro commanded.

As the jet adjusted its trajectory, Gaia chimed in again, "My lord?"

"Yes, Gaia?"

"Do you believe the Avengers will defeat Ultron?"

A small smile tugged at the corner of Pietro's mouth. "They will. My sister and Thor are there. Together, they'll handle him." His tone was confident, almost dismissive of the threat Ultron posed. Then, after a brief pause, he added, "Gaia, it's time we begin our own project. Create a new file labeled *Speed Enhancer*. Under that, create two sub-files: *Tachyon* and *Quantum Speed Limit*. Gather all available research and data on these subjects."

"Understood," Gaia responded, instantly diving into the task, processing the vast resources of information available.

Leaning back in his seat, Pietro stared out into the sky ahead. "Let's hope they finish Ultron soon."

Time passed as the jet soared through the clouds, and soon, news came through—Sokovia had been destroyed, but the Avengers had succeeded. The citizens were safe.

"Looks like they pulled it off," Pietro murmured with a hint of relief in his voice. Standing up from the pilot's seat, he stretched, feeling the exhaustion from his mental exertion. Training, learning Korean, and the battle preparations had taken their toll.

His body, however, felt stronger than ever. Every training session pushed him further, and his speed had reached new heights, bordering on the edge of the impossible. His mastery of vibration control had grown immensely—enough to alter his perception of the world around him.

The jet landed stealthily on the rooftop of U-Gin Laboratories in South Korea, its camouflage still active. Pietro wasted no time, remotely transferring the cradle to its rightful location inside the lab. Once that was done, he flew the jet to a more discreet location, far from prying eyes, where he could lay low.

"Gaia, have you located Dr. Helen Cho's address?" Pietro asked.

"I've sent the location to your phone, my lord," Gaia answered efficiently.

"Perfect. Thanks, Gaia," Pietro said as he exited the jet, making his way toward the address.

A few hours later, he stood in front of a luxury apartment complex, taking in the sleek, modern design of the building. "She really is living the high life," he muttered to himself with a smirk.

Bypassing the security with ease, thanks to Gaia's assistance, Pietro slipped into Helen Cho's apartment.

"Not bad," he commented as he looked around the elegantly furnished space. But before anything else, he glanced at himself in a nearby mirror.

"Time for a change," Pietro said, running a hand through his hair. "First, I need to cut this and bleach it black. And maybe buy some new clothes while I'm at it."