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3rd Pov
Ultron: "Party's over."
On Ultron's shouting, Clint, also known as Hawkeye, released his arrows at Ultron. Ultron didn't bother to dodge or evade them, letting the arrows hit him directly. The arrows exploded on impact, releasing thick smoke into the room. As the smoke cleared, everyone was stunned to see Ultron standing without a single scratch, still holding Thor's hammer.
Seeing that nothing had happened to Ultron, Natasha, also known as Black Widow, quickly fired her gun. At the same time, Steve, also known as Captain America, threw his shield directly at Ultron's head. Ultron casually caught the shield with his other hand. Tony, in his Iron Man suit, fired his laser beams at Ultron, but just like before, they had no effect.
Thor, realizing he couldn't recall his hammer, looked visibly confused.
Thor: "Why can't I call back my hammer?!"
Steve: "We didn't even injure him!"
Clint: "My arrows aren't doing anything either."
Steve: "Stark?! Tell us why our attacks aren't working!"
Tony: "I don't know! His body should be made of the same metal as my suit. Even though my suit is pretty durable, these kinds of attacks should at least do something!"
Ultron looked at them with amusement and said, "Is that all? Are you guys done attacking?"
Everyone looked tense, unsure of what would come next. Then they saw something that horrified them.
Raphael POV
"Party's over!"
On my shouting, Hawkeye released his arrows, which I didn't dodge because thanks to my Major Thermal Resistance and Physical Attack Resistance, those arrows couldn't even scratch me.
Soon after, Black Widow's gunshots followed, and then Tony hit me with his plasma beams. But again, these low-level attacks had zero effect. Captain America threw his shield at my head, which I casually stopped with my other hand.
While they were all stunned that their combined attacks had no effect, I activated my mind acceleration.
Mind Acceleration: 1,000,000x
'Hmm... As much as I want to enjoy this moment, slowly taking down each of them and gathering the infinity stones one by one, it won't work. I've already destroyed the Mind Stone. When the time comes for the creation of Vision, which is now impossible, the timeline will diverge. Even if I defeat the Avengers now, the timeline will diverge again. I need to deal with Kang soon,' I thought.
After a brief moment of analysis, I made my decision. 'I need to speedrun everything—gather all the power, evolve, and then deal with Kang. It might be boring in the short term, but once the timeline diverges, there will be infinite alternate realities to explore and enjoy: the cartoons, the comics, the What If versions, and more. So it's better to power up now, enjoy later.'
I exited my accelerated state and addressed the Avengers.
"Is that all? Are you guys done attacking?"
They all focused their attention on me with tense expressions.
Then I shouted, "Devour this crutch and the shield! Void God Azathoth!"
Two purplish-black fog-like tendrils extended from my hands and engulfed both the shield and the hammer. The sounds of metal shattering echoed through the tower. The items disappeared into the fog, leaving everyone in shock.
Mind Acceleration: 1,000,000x
{Uru Metal has been acquired!}
{Vibranium Metal has been acquired!}
{Skill Rune Magic has been acquired!}
{Extra Skill Thunder Manipulation has been acquired!}
{Extra Skill Weather Manipulation has been acquired!}
{Attempting to evolve Extra Skill Thunder Manipulation... Successful!}
{Unique Skill Lightning Manipulation has been acquired!}
{Attempting to create a body with Uru and Vibranium...}
{Fusion of Vibranium and Uru... Successful!}
{Data about Vibranium-Uru Alloy has been acquired!}
{Renaming Vibranium-Uru Alloy to Orichalcum... Successful!}
{Changing body into Orichalcum... Successful!}
{Extra Skill Orichalcum Body has been acquired!}
My body transformed, becoming stronger. Now I possessed a high-magic-talent body.
This meant that while I could use skills and magic with any type of body, using them in a body with no magical affinity would reduce their power by 15%. That limitation no longer applied. Furthermore, my ability to use Magicules as energy meant my spells would be significantly boosted.
However, this transformation drained half my Magicules.
Exiting my accelerated state, I observed the Avengers' reactions—horrified, bewildered, shocked, and completely stunned.
"Thank you for making my body stronger," I said with a smile.
Thor, enraged at the destruction of his hammer, charged at me and attempted to punch me square in the face.
Steve: "Thor! No!"
Tony: "Thor, he's too dangerous! Don't fight him in melee!"
Thor ignored them and punched me. I didn't bother to move or evade.
Skringgg!
The metallic sound echoed throughout Stark Tower. Thor's punch didn't even move me an inch. He was shocked but continued attacking in a furious rage.
While Thor raged, some bullets were fired at me. They reflected off harmlessly. Agent Hill was the one firing. 'Really? She's attacking me with bullets? Even after watching everything? Fuufufufu... I guess to her, doing something is better than doing nothing.'
I looked toward the Avengers and declared, "Now it's my turn to attack you."
Thor: "How?! Ho... How did you break my hammer?! Why aren't my punches affecting you?!"
Raphael, is he crazy or what? I guess Thor still has his pride. Well, he did love his hammer like it was his wife.
Raphael: "I don't answer mongrels! Take my ultimate attack! BitchSlap!"
Haha, I made Gilgamesh proud, but I still got out of character for a bit. Not that I care.
Third Person POV
Ultron: "I don't answer mongrels! Take my ultimate attack! BitchSlap!"
Ultron slapped Thor hard, sending him flying outside Stark Tower. Thor crashed through a set of windows, breaking the glass, before falling to the ground outside the building.
Banner, who had been watching the entire scene unfold, was horrified. He knew he had to act quickly to stop Ultron.
Banner: "Guys! Get away from Ultron! I'm going to transform!"
Steve: "Very well! You're our last hope!"
Natasha: "I've contacted S.H.I.E.L.D. They'll be here soon."
Clint: "Where's Tony?!"
Steve: "He's gone to suit up in his Iron Man armor."
Clint nodded, and everyone quickly scattered to put some distance between themselves and Ultron. Banner moved toward Ultron and began his transformation.
Hulk: "SMASH!!!"
Hulk charged at Ultron with both fists raised and slammed him hard. Ultron countered with a punch of his own. Their fists collided mid-air, releasing a shockwave that shattered the surrounding glass and cracked the floor beneath them.
Ultron swiftly moved at bullet speed, punching Hulk sideways and sending him tumbling out of the tower.
Ultron slowly levitated from the ground and flew out of the tower.
Hulk fell to the road below and roared loudly, frightening nearby civilians who immediately began to run away.
Soon, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and police arrived, quickly evacuating people to safety.
Ultron hovered in the air above the road while Hulk prepared to leap toward him.
Ultron: "This is going to be fun."
At Kamar-Taj
Third Person POV
The Ancient One sat quietly, deep in thought.
"A few hours ago, the Time Stone reacted strangely," she murmured to herself. "Although I tried to discover why, I found nothing."
She sighed deeply, concern creasing her forehead. The Time Stone had never behaved like this before, and none of the previous holders' notes mentioned anything about such an event.
As she pondered, the Time Stone glowed faintly again. She attempted to investigate once more but still could find no cause for its odd behavior. Slowly, the glow faded.
'Sigh… still no answers. I suppose I should try looking into the future to ensure it remains safe.'
She concentrated, trying to peer into possible futures. To her shock, she couldn't see any futures at all.
"Why can't I see the future? Is something blocking it? No, it can't be. Cosmic beings generally don't interfere with the mortal realm. The Infinity Stones are among the most powerful forces in the universe — nothing should block them unless something multiversal or... another Infinity Stone is interfering."
She reasoned that perhaps another Infinity Stone was causing the Time Stone's malfunction. She decided to investigate this matter later.
Ancient One: "I will focus on this later. For now, let's see what the news says."
She turned on the TV and switched to the news channel.
News Reporter: "As you can see, the Avengers and the police are struggling to fight a powerful robotic being. After the recent battle between Hulk and this robot, many buildings have been destroyed, and there have been numerous casualties."
The Ancient One's eyes widened with surprise and worry.
Ancient One: "No, this isn't how it's supposed to be. Ultron's first fight with the Avengers should never have escalated to this level. This isn't the future I saw with the Time Stone. There was no possibility of such a future."
She continued watching as the Avengers seemed to be losing the battle easily. Her frown deepened.
Ancient One: "This strange behavior must have something to do with Ultron… Hmm… Should I intervene? No, not yet. I will wait and watch. Once my suspicions are confirmed, then I will intervene."
At the Time Variance Authority
Mobius: "So you still can't determine the cause of the timeline divergence?"
Random Worker 1: "No, sir. We can't find the cause, and the fact that this particular timeline branch isn't diverging again is equally shocking."
Random Worker 2: "Yes, sir. Despite this timeline having diverged, there are no other timeline divergences. It's behaving exactly like the main timeline."
Mobius: "This is impossible! Are you sure there isn't some error in the equipment?"
Random Worker 1: "We've double-checked, sir. There are no faults in the equipment."
Mobius sighed heavily and then heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see Ravonna, his superior.
Mobius: "Ravonna! Have you informed the Time Keepers about this?"
Ravonna: "Yes, I have. They replied that, for now, no action is necessary."
Mobius: "Are you certain? I believe the timeline divergence is caused by Loki."
Ravonna: "Don't worry. The Time Keepers have already said no intervention is needed. They will handle it."
Though unsatisfied, Mobius breathed a small sigh of relief, deciding it was best to let the Time Keepers manage the situation.
In a Castle at the End of Time
Kang: "No! This can't be! This makes no sense!"
He paced nervously.
Kang: "This parallel timeline is behaving exactly like the main one and hasn't diverged further, almost as if something—or someone like the TVA—is keeping it in check. The original timeline hasn't been affected either, which I thought impossible."
'Who could be causing this? Loki? No, it can't be her.'
Kang: "I've tried to find the reason but couldn't. It's like something is preventing me from discovering it."
'Are the Celestials involved? No, they didn't intervene when I destroyed thousands of parallel timelines with Alioth, so it's unlikely.'
'Tsk… For some reason, Alioth refuses to devour this timeline. If it had, I wouldn't be here now.'
(Note: Alioth is a devourer of time and space, similar to Azathoth, and because Ultron used the Origin Skill Void God Azathoth, Alioth fears him.)
Kang: "Could something be making Alioth scared? Infinity Stones? No… Could it be caused by the Cosmic Entities?"
He swallowed hard, a sacred look crossing his face.
Kang: "If they're involved, this is going to get messy."
In a White Void
The Living Tribunal stood before a figure known as OAA (a clone of Azura Mazda).
Living Tribunal: "Lord, for what purpose have you summoned me?"
OAA: "I have summoned you for a very special reason."
After several minutes of discussion...
OAA: "Have you understood my instructions?"
Living Tribunal: "Yes, my lord. I understand and will carry out your orders."
OAA: "I have chosen him as my successor, a cosmic entity. I have granted him special powers, giving him the potential to become stronger than any of you."
Living Tribunal: "My lord, should I inform the other cosmic entities?"
OAA: "No. Not yet. They will cause problems if they learn of his existence now, and he is not yet strong enough. Unless he becomes multiversal tier, do not inform them. If they interfere, you are authorized to stop them. I know your current strength is only comparable to the Phoenix Force, so I am granting you a permanent boost and resistance to abilities that steal or copy."
Suddenly, the Living Tribunal felt his power increase thirty-two times. He gained new abilities and minor access to the Origin of Order.
Living Tribunal: "Thank you, my lord, for this power. May I ask about this new ability?"
OAA: "It is a version of my Origin of Order. Though weak compared to the original, it will significantly enhance your other powers."
Understanding the value OAA placed on him, Ultron, and Raphael, the Living Tribunal bowed respectfully.
Living Tribunal: "Thank you, my lord, for entrusting me with this."
OAA: "Very well. But if you fail to protect him or cause him harm, you will face punishment."
Living Tribunal: "Do not worry, my lord. I will carry out your orders with utmost dedication."
A few moments later, only OAA remained in the void.
'Since he is the son of the Original, he is my son as well. I will protect him, and he provides me great entertainment. Fufufufu.'
To be continued...