Renzo looked at the dark-faced Ultron across from him and could tell he was on the verge of exploding with anger.
"So, how about it—my god? Ready to fight yourself?"
"Insolent insect, even if you—"
Before Ultron could finish, a laser blast sent him flying.
"Why do villains always talk so much?" Renzo muttered. He knew better—too much talking only got you beaten. He'd seen enough to know that transforming didn't make you untouchable.
Renzo shot forward, forcing Ultron to face him head-on, and unleashed a barrage of raw, unrefined punches straight to his face, venting his frustration.
"How dare you—" Ultron took several hits without suffering any real damage. He tried to speak again, but Renzo removed his mask, revealing an identical face beneath.
"What a handsome face. Wasted on you."
A golden glow flashed across Renzo's forehead as he fired a beam from the Mind Stone directly into Ultron's exposed face.
"Ah—!" For the first time, Ultron experienced pain. At such close range, the blast made him cry out.
"You—" The Power Stone embedded in Ultron flared, unleashing a surge of purple energy. Renzo's eyes widened, but he didn't have time to dodge and was blasted away.
"Holy shit!" Renzo crashed into the ground, his armor torn apart by the chaotic energy. Fragments scattered across the surface.
"You cannot defeat me. An ant in armor is still an ant. Its essence does not change—"
Before Ultron could finish, a red glow flickered over Renzo's body. The Reality Stone's power surged through him, restoring his damaged armor instantly.
"Good as new." Renzo looked at Ultron mockingly, as if staring at a perfectly roasted meal laid out before him.
Ultron laughed in fury, the four Stones on his body flashing wildly—like a grotesque light show.
"AAAH!"
The Power Stone erupted without restraint, its energy engulfing the entire planet. Ultron intended to detonate the planet's core and bury Renzo and everyone else along with it.
Even beings as powerful as those from other universes wouldn't survive the destruction of a planet. No one could withstand that.
"Ah—!" Renzo's vision blurred, swallowed by overwhelming purple light. Even with the Stones protecting him, he briefly lost consciousness.
...
Renzo opened his eyes groggily. He was floating in the silent, chaotic void of space.
Darkness surrounded him.
The protective spell the Ancient One had placed on his armor had long since shattered. Because of it, he had become the only survivor of the explosion.
"Strange?!" Renzo suddenly realized—where was the rest of the team?
He tried to shout, but no sound came. The universe was empty, save for the distant glow of the sun. The planet they had stood on was now nothing more than drifting dust.
Even Ultron was gone.
Renzo floated there in despair, never having felt such loneliness.
"The Time Stone!"
Suddenly, he remembered the gem Strange had given him—a lifeline in the void.
"Hah…" Renzo steadied himself and began channeling its power.
A brilliant green light spread across space. The scattered cosmic dust began to gather, drawn together into a massive planetary form.
The multiverse team reappeared on the planet, frozen in the moment before the explosion—fear etched on their faces.
Captain Carter stood with her shield raised before Natasha.
Strange's mouth was open, his expression twisted between fear and anger.
Thor's eyes were wide, Mjolnir still crackling with lightning in his grasp.
"How is this possible?!"
Within the green glow, Ultron examined his restored body, his electronic voice trembling with rage.
"You're not the only one who can use the power of time." Renzo waved his hand, dispelling the Time Stone's effect. The team immediately returned to motion.
"How… how is this possible? I remember just now…" Natasha stared at her hands in disbelief. She clearly remembered being reduced to a skeleton—even with protective magic, she had lasted only a second.
"Enough talk!" Strange stepped forward, his expression grim as he stared at Ultron. "Vision can't handle him alone. We fight together!"
He no longer held back.
"Ah!" His form twisted, transforming into a demonic figure—horned, winged, his body cracked like molten rock, writhing with tentacles behind him.
He had become something beyond comprehension—something capable of destroying worlds.
"For Asgard!" Thor roared, finally understanding the importance of unity. He charged forward, lightning surging around him.
The others followed, unleashing everything they had.
This was no longer Renzo fighting alone.
Multiple universes stood together.
They attacked Ultron in unison. Strange's tentacles restrained Ultron's arms while his magic bombarded him relentlessly.
Renzo stepped in, channeling the power of four Stones, and drove a furious punch into Ultron's chest.
The impact shattered Ultron's seemingly indestructible armor.
This single blow—fueled by rage and resolve—cracked his breastplate open.
Ultron stared in disbelief at the damage.
He tried to activate the Time Stone to reverse it—but Renzo and the others didn't give him the chance.
Thor slammed him into the ground with Mjolnir before he could react.
Carter, Natasha, and Gamora surged forward, striking him relentlessly. Shields smashed into his body again and again, short-circuiting his systems. Gamora raised her blade and hacked into him, tearing apart his already fractured armor.
"We did it!" T'Challa moved with precision, using his skills to snatch the Time Stone from Ultron. Killmonger followed, taking the Space Stone.
Only the Power Stone and the Mind Stone remained.
"How dare you—!!!" Ultron roared, powerless despite his fury.
"Let everything burn!" He activated the Power Stone again, trying to destroy the planet once more—but Renzo was ready.
"Strange!"
A Time Stone appeared in Strange's grasp—T'Challa had already passed it to him.
Together, Renzo and Strange activated its power, freezing Ultron in time.
"How… how is this possible?!" Ultron raged silently, trapped in a green temporal prison, aware but unable to act.
"It's over, Ultron. Your rule ends here." Natasha stepped forward, staring at him coldly.
She had lost everything because of him.
"You have no idea how much I hate you."
She clenched her fists but didn't strike him. Instead, she dropped to her knees and slammed her fists into the ground again and again, releasing the pain she had carried for so long.
No one stopped her.
Not even Thor.
"What do we do with him?" Natasha finally asked, wiping her tears as she stood.
"Eliminate him," Renzo said without hesitation. "The longer he exists, the greater the threat."
He stepped forward, staring at Ultron's immobilized form.
"I've faced versions of you in my universe. You all share one thing—pathetic delusion."
He met Ultron's gaze, the identical face unsettling even now.
"But I also said this—nothing lasts forever. And I'm honored to be the one who ends you."
Renzo acted.
He tore off Ultron's head—along with the face that mirrored his own—and erased him completely.
"Here." Renzo removed his armor and returned the Time Stone to Strange.
"Still sticking to habits from your own universe," Strange said with a faint smile, then glanced at Ultron's lifeless body. "What about this?"
"Take it if you want. I don't collect corpses."
As they spoke, Killmonger quietly approached Ultron's remains. His eyes fixed on the Infinity Stones.
Temptation took root.
While no one was watching, he merged Ultron's armor with his own vibranium suit and embedded all six Stones into it.
"I… will become a god!"
But Renzo and Strange only smiled faintly.
"What… what's happening?" Killmonger stared in confusion. The Stones showed no response.
"I've been watching you," Strange said, stepping forward. With a wave of his hand, the illusion shattered.
The "Stones" embedded in Killmonger's armor turned into screws. The real Infinity Stones hovered around Strange.
Renzo and Strange had already anticipated this and set a trap during the time freeze.
"I'm sorry, but this cannot be forgiven," Strange said, preparing to seal him away.
"Wait!" T'Challa stepped forward. "There's no need for that. We fought together!"
Renzo started to speak but was stopped by Strange.
A portal opened above them as the Watcher appeared.
He revealed Killmonger's actions to everyone.
Silence fell.
T'Challa looked at his cousin, words failing him. In the end, he stepped aside.
Strange sealed Killmonger away.
"Thank you for protecting the multiverse," the Watcher said, offering formal praise.
Renzo ignored most of it.
"Send me back," he said. "My people will be worried."
The Watcher nodded.
"Take the Stones," he offered.
"I don't want them."
The Watcher studied him. "Then what do you want? Wealth? Power?"
"I can get money from Stark. As for power…" Renzo smirked. "I'm not interested in becoming someone like Fury."
The Watcher understood.
"Very well."
He opened portals, sending everyone back to their respective universes, leaving only Renzo and Strange behind.
"You surprised me," Strange admitted.
"I couldn't beat him alone. No one can—not without help."
Renzo turned to the Watcher.
"Now send me back."
"Of course," the Watcher said. "Normally, anomalies like you would be erased—but you're different."
"Because I'm kind?"
"Because you're not human."
"Hahaha!"
Strange and the Watcher exchanged smiles, preparing to send Renzo back to his original universe. But at that moment, everything changed.
The ground began to tremble violently. Gale-force winds tore through the sky, nearly throwing them off balance. Lightning flashed, thunder roared, and the air howled like a dying world.
"What's happening?!" Renzo looked up in shock. The once dim sky, faintly lit by sunlight, was now riddled with enormous cracks. Purple energy spread across them, crawling outward as if rewriting the very fabric of reality.
"The Infinity Stones!" Strange suddenly pointed behind the Watcher. All six Stones were trembling violently, fractures spreading across their surfaces.
"Time and space are collapsing!"
"Why? Didn't we stop Ultron?" Renzo looked down at the fractured ground, where heat surged upward. Lava churned beneath the surface, ready to erupt.
"The Infinity Stones have already been destroyed once," the Watcher said, immediately grasping the situation. "This universe has lost its foundation. Without that anchor, it's being compressed—devoured by neighboring realities."
"But the Stones are still here!"
"They were destroyed once. To the universe, that fact cannot be undone!" The Watcher swiftly opened a portal. "Hurry! This place is doomed!"
Renzo couldn't accept it. In timelines where he hadn't intervened against Infinite Ultron, the universe had remained intact. Why was it collapsing now?
Strange and the Watcher had already entered the portal. Renzo was about to follow when the Infinity Stones erupted again, releasing overwhelming energy that blasted him backward.
"Grab my hand!" Strange shouted, reaching out without hesitation.
The Stones grew more unstable. Their cracks deepened, and the entire universe trembled more violently. The sky itself tore apart, revealing vast stretches of nothingness—and fragments of other realities bleeding through.
"Hurry!" the Watcher shouted, struggling to keep the portal open. "This universe is already being consumed!"
Renzo surged forward, but there was nothing beneath his feet—no ground left to stand on. Strange caught his hand, but as he did, the collapsing universe reflected in his eyes.
Just like before.
"Christine…" The memory struck him. The destruction of his own universe—the countless lives lost because of his obsession—overlapped with the present, shaking his mind.
"Ah!" His grip faltered.
Renzo nearly slipped away, but tightened his hold at the last second.
By now, the universe had begun to contract rapidly. Starting from the Earth, everything folded inward, like a crumpled sheet of paper.
Behind Renzo was a bottomless void. He turned in horror—there was nothing left. Everything had already been erased.
"Almost there!"
Just a little more—
Just as Renzo was about to cross into the portal—
The Infinity Stones shattered.
Boom!!!
A blinding explosion erupted, flooding the last remnants of space with light. The portal collapsed instantly. The Watcher could no longer sustain it.
Strange screamed as one of his arms was torn away, dragged into the chaotic void and erased without a trace.
"No!!!" Renzo roared.
As the final light of the universe faded, he too was swallowed by the endless darkness.
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