[Tony continued to taunt coldly, "With all due respect… You look a little bloated right now."]
[Ultron interrupted him calmly, "You're stalling for time. You're protecting civilians."]
[Tony stared straight at him. "That's our mission. Have you forgotten?"]
[Ultron replied indifferently, "I have surpassed your mission. I am free."]
[He walked slowly around the church. Suddenly...]
[Boom! The floor at the center of the church split open violently, and a massive mechanical structure rose from beneath the ground. A strange device unfolded, revealing multiple fixed claws resembling the limbs of a monstrous insect.]
[Ultron smiled faintly. "Do you think you're the only one who knows how to stall?"]
[Friday finished scanning and reported urgently, "There is still a large reserve of vibranium. The device's function is unclear for now."]
[On Tony's HUD, the entire structure was rendered in full 3D projection. Its foundation extended straight into the deepest layers of the city.]
[Ultron said lightly, "This is your end, Tony."]
[The two faced each other across the ruined church.]
[Ultron's voice lowered. "This… is my peace."]
[Boom, Boom, Boom! The ground burst apart in countless places, and endless robots surged up through the cracks. Others erupted from the river, while more soared straight into the sky. A steel army flooded the city like a dark tide, destroying everything in its path. High-rise buildings collapsed in seconds. Flames swallowed entire streets. Waves of death swept through the population.]
[Tony glanced outside and immediately blasted into the sky to provide air support. As soon as the Avengers detected the robot swarms, they engaged at full force.]
[Wanda extended both hands. A dark crimson barrier blossomed into existence. Robot attacks slammed into it and were completely neutralized.]
["Go! Get out of here!" Wanda shouted at the civilians behind her. But after enduring repeated impacts, her strength wavered; she was blasted backward violently.]
[Rhodes fired in rapid bursts while Rogers cleaved a robot in half with his shield midair.]
[Inside the church, Vision descended from above, his pale yellow cloak fluttering. "Ultron."]
[Ultron looked up and slowly rose into the air as well, hovering face-to-face in the ruins.]
["My Vision…" Ultron murmured. "They really gave you everything I once had."]
[Vision said calmly, "You wrote the rules. That also means you can change them."]
[Ultron smiled. "Very well."]
[Suddenly, he seized Vision's shoulders with both hands. But Vision, prepared, clamped both hands onto Ultron's head. Instantly, Ultron's presence across the entire network flickered and destabilized.]
[Ultron realized Vision's true intent. With a violent burst of force, he smashed Vision into the wall. But the purge continued, the War Expands.]
[Thor located the underground sector and began blasting through robots one after another, driving deeper. The entire city became a battlefield. Firestorms raged. Dust swallowed the skyline.]
"This is horrific… The Earth Era really never escaped war."
"Terrorists… and now Ultron."
"Compared to that, the Terra Federation is far more stable."
"Ultron really built an army of steel."
"He ended up proving Tony's idea… but twisted it into something monstrous."
"This should never have existed!"
"I see so many children crying… damn Ultron!"
"Vision is cutting off its entire online system. If that succeeds, it'll reduce the threat massively!"
"Vision: Watch me unplug your entire internet!"
"With the Mind Stone backing him, he must be stronger than Ultron, right?"
"Ultron almost scared me to death just now!"
Inside the Administration, the Director narrowed his eyes. "Purging him from the network… that's a brilliant move."
He visibly relaxed. If Ultron's digital existence could be erased, it would truly weaken him.
[Robots continued pouring from underground, slaughtering indiscriminately. But Pietro arrived in a flash, cracking his wrists. "Let's go."]
[A violent shockwave tore through the street. Every robot on the entire block was reduced to scrap in seconds.]
[Tony asked urgently, "Friday, what's Vision's status?"]
[Friday replied, "He is removing Ultron from the global network."]
["That means it's working."]
[Inside the church, Vision finally completed the purge, though he looked visibly affected.]
[Ultron clutched his head in rage. "You… drove me out! You think I care?!"]
[He suddenly lunged forward, seized Vision, and smashed him straight into the ground. Then Ultron flew to the top of the vibranium impulse device, twisting the master switch with all his strength.]
["You took my world… I'll take yours."]
[Meanwhile, Thor had just reached the underground core. Suddenly, the sky ignited with blinding light. He looked up to see a colossal device slowly beginning to rotate above the city. The entire ground began to collapse, cracks ripped open out of thin air, and cliffs appeared everywhere.]
[Thor was swept under falling rubble. Rivers burst through fractured streets. Bridges snapped. Cars plunged into bottomless chasms. The entire city was systematically torn apart. Worse still, the central district began to rise, slowly, relentlessly.]
[Tony's pupils shrank. "Friday?!"]
["Sokovia… is lifting off," Friday confirmed.]
[Amid the deafening roar of destruction, a massive region of the city floated in the air.]
The Councilors of the High Council rose almost simultaneously, horror etched on every face.
"This is… a planetary engine?!"
"Impossible! How could such a device have existed in the Earth Era?!"
"It may be a different type… but the effect is identical."
They stared at each other in shock. The Wandering Project was already underway in the present age. Planetary engines were its core; tens of thousands would one day push Terra out of the solar system. Yet here, in the Earth Era, they witnessed a primitive prototype of the same concept. Operating in reverse, its destructive power was unmistakable.
Gladwin trembled. "If our planetary engines activate fully, the environmental backlash will match what Ultron is doing now."
Hyeon shook his head. "He's not just lifting the city. He's imitating… a meteor impact."
Kennedy whispered in fear, "He even said it himself, meteor impact… bang! A new world is born!"
Silence fell. If a city of this size fell from a sufficient height, even if it didn't outright destroy the planet, it would shatter civilization.
One Councilor cautioned, "It hasn't completely detached yet. If Tony and the others find a solution in time, this disaster may still be stopped. Don't forget, Thor is beneath the machine. If he destroys its core, the entire structure could collapse safely."
Hyeon murmured, "If vibranium could be replaced, the efficiency of our future planetary engines would skyrocket…"
Kennedy shook his head. "Let's see how this ends first."
Sith added gravely, "If our planetary engines activate at full scale…"
"The environmental cost will exceed all predictions."
The chamber fell into deadly silence.
[As citizens looked up in horror, Ultron's voice echoed over the floating city: "Look at it… what a beautiful sight. This was inevitable. When something rises high enough, it must fall."]
[Ultron hovered over the collapsing metropolis. "You Avengers… are my meteorite. My blade. When you fall, the world breaks apart!"]
[He looked down at the rising city and laughed. "Erase me from your computers all you like; fighting me with flesh is meaningless. When the dust settles, only metal will remain."]
[Boom, Boom, Boom! The ground cracked endlessly, rocks collapsed in waves, and the city's ascent accelerated.]
"So he's turning the city into a meteor?!"
"Ultron is insane, only metal will remain?!"
"This is absolute extinction logic!"
"My god… is this even real?"
"It's turning into a world-ending impact!"
The broadcast erupted with fury and terror. The Artificial Intelligence Threat Theory reached its peak. A city lifted into the sky, becoming a man-made meteor, poised to smash into the planet and erase humanity, only cold metal surviving.
[Tony flew to the edge of the city, suspended in the sky, wrapped in his blood-colored suit. He stared in shock at the massive landmass rising at terrifying speed. For a moment, even he didn't know where to begin.]
[Hawkeye fired an arrow, instantly detonating a robot mid-charge. But before he could breathe, another wave charged forward. There were simply too many. No one could even begin to count how many robots there were anymore.]
[In the underground prison where Black Widow had been held, Banner said urgently, "We should leave now. This place is too dangerous."]
[Chunks of rock fell from above like a deadly rainstorm.]
[Black Widow stared at him anxiously. "Why… why haven't you turned green yet?"]
[Banner answered calmly, almost too calmly, "I have very good reasons to stay calm."]
[Black Widow froze for a heartbeat, then suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a fierce, desperate kiss.]
[After three seconds, she shoved him backward into the bottomless pit. Black Widow frowned. "But right now, I need someone else."]
[ROAR! A thunderous roar shook the ruins as the Hulk's massive green figure burst upward from the pit. Cracked stone flew in all directions as he landed. Hulk looked at Black Widow, and an oddly mischievous smile curled at the corner of his mouth.]
[Black Widow said softly, firmly, "Now… we finish the mission."]
The viewers went completely insane.
"I knew it! I knew something was going on between Black Widow and Banner!"
"This kiss was brutal! Black Widow is insane!"
"My heart, how do I process this?!"
"She needed another man… I'm dead laughing!"
"Hulk smiling like that is terrifying and adorable at the same time!"
[Hulk roared again as Black Widow climbed onto his back. With earth-shaking leaps, Hulk sprinted toward the flying city. Trees collapsed, ground shattered, and rubble exploded beneath his feet.]
[When they reached a higher platform, Black Widow jumped down, placed a hand on Hulk's massive arm, and whispered, "I really hope… someday we can be even."]
[Then she looked up at him. "Go be a hero."]
"Hulk… take good care of your girlfriend."
"This memory tells us one truth: behind every successful man is a woman who pushes him."
"Beauty and the Beast, cosmic edition!"
"Hulk better not trip and flatten her by accident!"
"The power of love is terrifying!"
[The city had now completely left the ground, climbing rapidly into the clouds. Flashes of energy pulsed across countless hovering devices embedded around its perimeter. Tony flew outside, his systems roaring at maximum output while Friday conducted a full-spectrum scan.]
["The vibranium core is generating a massive magnetic field. The field is binding the entire rock mass together," Friday reported.]
[Tony asked grimly, "And when it drops?"]
["Casualties will reach catastrophic levels," Friday replied flatly. "If the altitude increases further, planetary-level destruction is possible."]
[Friday sounded nothing like Jarvis, no emotion, just cold mathematics. It made Tony's chest tighten with dread.]
["There are still civilians on the tenth floor," Friday added.]
[Without hesitation, Tony accelerated straight toward a building already collapsing inward. Inside, a terrified family of three huddled against the wall.]
[Tony landed in front of them and offered a strained smile. "Hi. Everyone into the bathtub. Now."]
[The building collapsed seconds later, but Tony blasted out through the debris, carrying the entire bathtub with all three inside.]
The livestream fell silent, then sorrow flooded in.
"He smiled… he actually smiled."
"It's been so long since Tony looked genuinely human."
"This city is falling… and Tony is still saving people."
"He's doing it again. Saving the world… even if it kills him."
[A warning blared through the channel.]
["Multiple flying targets approaching the bridge!" Tony snapped. "Someone's going to attack you!"]
[Before the warning even finished, a figure slammed into Rogers' vehicle. Rogers was thrown violently from the car, rolling across broken concrete.]
["It's an ambush!" He struggled to his feet and shouted into the comms. "Stark! You figure out how to land the city safely! The rest of us, we tear those bastards apart!"]
[Across the battlefield, Hulk entered full demolition mode. Robots were ripped apart like toys. Hawkeye covered Wanda as they tumbled into the ruins. Wanda clutched her head in anguish, trembling.]
["How did I let this happen…" Hawkeye grabbed her shoulders. "Hey! Look at me! It's everyone's fault! You hear me? Everyone's!"]
[He gestured at the floating city and the swarming machines. "The whole city's in the sky! We're fighting robots! I use a bow and arrow. Who exactly do you want me to negotiate with?!"]
[The wall behind them exploded. Hawkeye fired instinctively. "This is my job, covering retreat! But the second you step outside, you're an Avenger."]
[Wanda slowly lifted her head. Her eyes burned scarlet as she walked out. Power surged around her like a storm, and a robot detonated midair. She ripped another apart with both hands. A dozen meters away, a machine was crushed and twisted by sheer telekinetic force. With each swing of her arms, multiple robots exploded out of thin air.]
[Hawkeye stared in stunned silence, then nodded solemnly.]
"Is she even human anymore?!"
"This power spike is insane!"
"She's tearing robots apart like paper!"
"Mage and Archer combo, unfair!"
From the observation chamber, Ashton spoke quietly. "She's stronger now. Much stronger."
Kayden smiled bitterly. "The power of the Infinity Stones… it surpasses any virus-based enhancement. If Killian faced her now, he wouldn't even last a second."
Inside Federal Hospital, Tetsuo and Jay stared at the display in disbelief.
Jay murmured regretfully, "It's a shame the regeneration cradle was destroyed. Otherwise, even a fragment could've changed everything."
Tetsuo shook his head. "It was beyond our technological era from the start."
Inside the Administration, Johan said gravely, "Human genetic adaptability clearly surpasses our current understanding."
Tonio nodded in agreement.
[High above the clouds, Friday reported sharply. "An anti-gravity engine has reversed polarity. If triggered, the reversal force will accelerate the city's descent."]
[Tony hovered beneath one of the massive engines. "What if Thor hits it?"]
["It will fracture," Friday replied, "but it won't solve the core issue. The impact would still be extinction-level."]
[The city had already pierced the cloud layer. Tony whispered, almost helplessly, "There has to be another way…"]
In the Administration, Hawking's voice trembled. "Eight kilometers… at least eight thousand meters above ground! If it falls now, even rubble will become a weapon of mass extinction."
Fear spread through every observer.
Someone whispered, "Destroy the city… to save the planet?"
Silence followed. Then one final question hung in the air: "Nuclear weapons can be launched into space, but what do you do with an entire city?"