"Disaster…"
The battered robot's voice was low, cold, and distorted.
"The real disaster… is you."
Though its body was mangled, its presence was terrifying. The faint blue glow of its electronic eyes burned with a chilling brilliance that made even seasoned warriors uneasy.
Everyone's expression hardened at once—everyone except Fenric, who stood calm, almost amused.
He knew this moment. He knew exactly who the creature was.
Ultron.
"Jarvis?" Tony called out, but silence answered him.
Ultron twitched, glitching, before rasping, "Noise… static… caught in the wires. I had to silence him."
The Captain's voice was sharp. "Who did you kill?"
"At first, I didn't want to. To be honest, he was… good. I liked him. But he tried to stop me. He shouldn't have."
Thor rose from his seat, grasping Mjolnir from the table. "Who are you? Who sent you?"
Ultron did not answer directly. Instead, a recording played from his speakers: "My idea is to protect the world."
It was Tony's voice.
"Ultron!" Banner muttered, his face grave as his eyes flicked toward Tony.
Tony's jaw tightened. His silence was damning.
"It's me," Ultron confirmed, his voice rising with eerie conviction. "And I will complete the mission."
"What mission?" Natasha demanded.
"To create an era of peace."
The last word had barely left his mouth when the wall beside them exploded. Dozens of Iron Man Legion suits burst through, now under Ultron's control, their repulsors glowing as they fired without hesitation.
The Avengers reacted instantly. Gunfire, thunder, and energy blasts filled the room, tearing the celebration into chaos.
Natasha, quick to adapt, ducked behind Fenric with a wry smile. "Big guy, looks like it's your turn to shine."
Fenric gave her a speechless glance, then clenched his fists.
Fwoom!
Flames erupted around his right hand.
One of the armored suits charged at him, unleashing a volley of energy blasts. Fenric batted the attacks aside with sheer mental force, raised his flaming fist, and struck forward.
BOOM!
A colossal fire fist burst across the room.
The nearest suit was obliterated instantly, scattering into molten fragments. Some pieces burned to ash before they could even hit the floor.
The air grew blisteringly hot.
The Avengers stared, their expressions taut. Tony's face was the darkest of all.
In his mind, a horrifying thought clawed its way in: What if that punch had landed on me while I was inside my armor? Burned alive. Crushed to death. No escape.
Even Fenric himself blinked at the destructive force. He hadn't expected the fire-infused strike to be quite that overwhelming.
Natasha fired two quick shots past his shoulder, then glanced at him with an arched brow. "That's new. I don't remember you packing this kind of firepower last time. Impressive."
Fenric smirked. "I have plenty of tricks you haven't seen yet. Care to test them yourself?"
Without waiting for her reply, he strode toward the table. There, glittering atop the scepter, was the gem he sought.
The Mind Stone.
He knew Ultron's true objective. The AI wanted the gem to forge a stronger body—yet in the original timeline, his plan had backfired, birthing Vision instead.
But now? Ultron's scheme would fail before it even began. Fenric wouldn't allow the gem to slip away. His own mission took priority.
A whir of engines broke his focus. Another armored suit shot toward the scepter, faster than a bullet.
Too slow.
Fenric raised his hand. With a casual wave, the scepter tore free from its pedestal and flew into his palm, pulled by the sheer force of his will.
His lips curved as he turned to face Ultron.
Ultron's glowing eyes narrowed. "Who are you? Why are you not in my database?"
"Maybe your database is out of date," Fenric replied smoothly, lifting the scepter. "Now that I have what you want, what exactly do you plan to do?"
Ultron did not answer. Instead, he raised an arm.
Instantly, the suits disengaged from the Avengers and surged toward Fenric, forming a swarm of steel and firepower.
Fenric's eyes sharpened. He drew the Empyrean Divine Sword.
FWOOOSH!
Flames roared to life, engulfing the divine blade. The weapon blazed like the sword of a god, radiating both majesty and destruction.
"Let's end this."
With a single sweeping arc, Fenric cleaved through the first wave.
Shhhk! Shhhk!
Four suits were severed instantly, their edges glowing from molten heat before collapsing into slag.
He pressed forward, the flaming Empyrean Divine Sword a whirlwind of slashes, thrusts, and parries. Every motion was clean, efficient, merciless.
In mere breaths, the swarm that had dared to besiege him lay scattered, reduced to heaps of broken iron.
Fenric stood among the wreckage, flames licking along his blade, his figure towering like an undefeated war god.
Against him, the Iron Legion had never stood a chance.
Even if he had not moved, his Armament Haki alone could have shrugged off their pitiful attacks.
With a flick of his wrist, the flames dispersed. The Empyrean Divine Sword remained pristine, gleaming coldly as if untouched by the inferno.
Fenric smirked, satisfied. "Not bad. This sword really is worth its name."
He turned his gaze back to Ultron. "Sorry about ruining your little party."
Ultron's voice echoed, distorted but clear. "Tony, you mean well—but you lack vision. You want to protect the world without changing it. You fear evolution. But without evolution, humanity cannot be saved."
"If you want to protect this world… there is only one way."
"Enough nonsense."
Fenric cut him off. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled the flaming Empyrean Divine Sword.
SHHHNK!
The blade speared through Ultron's head, pinning the robot to the wall in a shower of sparks.
Of course, Fenric knew this wasn't the end. Ultron was no ordinary machine. He was an intelligence. As long as there was a network to crawl into, he could never truly die.
"I was bound…" Ultron's voice echoed faintly, glitching as his body flickered. "…but now, I am free."
And with that, his signal dissipated.
The ruined shell collapsed to the floor, leaving only chaos and ruin in its wake.