Tony saw everyone taking cover behind the beam and grinned. He soared into the air, channeling the energy of the Arc Reactor, and unleashed a circular blast mid-flight. In an instant, with the energy pillar as the center, a surge of power rippled outward, destroying countless robots in a single sweep.
"Not bad, huh?" he laughed when the blast ended, watching as the others caught their breath. Seeing Thor replicate his earlier move—using Captain America's shield as an energy amplifier—made Tony burst out laughing.
But his amusement didn't last long. The Ultron Legion surged forward again, giving them no time to rest.
As the battle intensified, Ultron, who had been directing the assault from a distance, finally lost patience. The thrusters beneath his feet ignited, and he launched himself toward the energy pillar. It was clear—he was joining the fight himself.
After watching his army struggle to break through the Avengers' defense for so long, Ultron's irritation boiled over. Despite commanding thousands of units against only a handful of opponents, not a single droid had managed to reach the pillar. No one, least of all Ultron, could tolerate such failure.
"So you've finally lost your cool," a cold voice murmured.
On a ruined building about a hundred meters from the church, Blaine stood with his arms crossed, watching the battle unfold. Clad in his Hunter suit, his aura was completely concealed—none of the robots could detect him. The moment Ultron moved, Blaine slipped into the shadows and began to advance silently.
Vision, noticing Ultron's approach, immediately rose into the sky to intercept him.
As the leader of the Ultron Legion, Ultron was formidable—but against Blaine, he was outmatched.
Ultron struck first, landing an uppercut that sent Vision crashing onto the church roof. But Vision wasn't easily defeated. Regaining balance, he shot back into the air, cloak flaring like a crimson banner. He countered with a powerful blow that sent Ultron tumbling backward, then followed with a flying kick. As Ultron struggled midair, the Mind Stone on Vision's forehead erupted in a blinding yellow beam, searing straight toward him.
Ultron, forged from both the Mind Stone's power and J.A.R.V.I.S.' programming, managed to resist—but only barely.
While Ultron focused on the beam, a transparent field suddenly formed around him. Before he could react, it enveloped his entire body.
"Hold him."
The cold voice rang in Vision's ear like thunder. Startled, Vision turned to see a dark figure materialize behind Ultron—it was Blaine.
Vision immediately ceased fire and hovered just outside the glowing barrier. Inside, Ultron was frozen mid-defense, motionless as though caught in a spell. This was no ordinary field—it was the manifestation of Blaine's newly mastered time-stasis ability.
Vision, ever cautious, stayed alert despite his curiosity. His restraint earned Blaine's quiet approval. Three minutes—a fleeting moment in such a massive battle—was all Blaine needed. He closed his eyes and unleashed his psychic power.
When the three minutes passed, Ultron's body twitched. His systems rebooted, and he tried to take off in panic. Those brief moments had stretched into an eternity of helplessness for him. To anyone else, it was 180 seconds—but to Ultron, trapped in total paralysis, it felt like a century.
The Mind Stone's blast hadn't frightened him; what terrified him was that he couldn't move at all. To be rendered powerless in the middle of combat—no sensation could compare to that horror.
Still, Ultron didn't realize how fortunate he'd been. As a digital consciousness, he'd survived what no organic being could. Under Blaine's time freeze, a human mind would have shattered completely.
The instant his systems regained control, Ultron tried to flee. But before his thrusters could fully engage, his mind went blank—an odd term for a machine, yet fitting. Blaine had hacked directly into his core system.
Ultron's eyes dimmed. His engines powered down. His arms hung limp, his head drooped forward—he stood like a puppet with its strings cut.
"Quick—he's trying to escape…" Blaine said sharply.
Ultron's core consciousness was already attempting to abandon the body and retreat into the digital network.
Acting fast, Vision lunged forward, grasping Ultron's head with both hands. The Mind Stone flared, releasing golden energy that seeped into Ultron's circuitry. Spiritual chains formed, binding his code and locking his consciousness in place.
"Done," Vision said quietly.
Blaine exhaled, relief flickering across his face. The psychic effort to subdue Ultron had drained him far more than freezing time. But keeping Ultron contained was crucial—without it, everything else would collapse.
"Ultron," Blaine said coldly, "your time is over."
He sent an invisible psychic pulse straight into Ultron's head—a command to erase him completely.
'Puff—puff—'
But instead of detonating, Ultron's head remained intact. It didn't explode as expected.
Had he transferred into a stronger body? No—that wasn't it. Blaine already suspected the truth.
His psychic seed had been implanted deep within Ultron's core consciousness. Logically, as Ultron's resistance weakened, the control should have grown easier—but it hadn't.
When Blaine had seized control moments ago, he'd felt his psychic link waver, the seed's strength fading inexplicably. That was why the process had drained him so much more than expected.
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