Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 634 Ultron's Fear (First Update)

The Iron Man suit's built-in analytics faithfully transmitted the scene to the helmet's display. Both thermal imaging and satellite imagery confirmed its existence, and the rising temperature and increasingly pungent sulfurous odor further indicated it was no safe place. "Thor, have you seen this thing? Well, never mind. Hey, evil robot! I don't know why our magical boy did this, but he must have his reasons," Stark shouted at Ultron and his robot army, trying to suppress the coldness and malice within him. "You might die here!"

"Ah, cunning humans!" Even with Ultron's intelligence, this was a feeling unlike anything he had ever experienced before. He murmured, "It seems he's fooled you, fooled everyone. Did you really think this person was on your side?"

"Don't get distracted! It's trying to sow discord among us, which proves that what Salomon is doing is a threat to it!" Steve Rogers shouted, trying to draw the others' attention. He didn't understand the magical world, and whether Ultron was telling the truth or not, Salomon's actions proved that he was on humanity's side. That was enough; there was no need to delve into Salomon's secrets.

The sunlight vanished completely, replaced by the harsh environment of the abyss, replacing the warm rays and frigid air. The iron-black city hanging upside down in the sky let out a soul-stirring sigh; crimson rivers surged into the factory; tens of thousands of thick, black iron chains, burning with flames, hung from the sky, even blocking out the sunlight. They writhed like living creatures, their sharp claws snapping at their ends, the clanging of metal like a dense raindrop.

“I saw him, at the very beginning of my life, when I killed Jarvis,” Ultron said slowly. Its electronic eyes were locked on the approaching Iron City and the arcane sorcerer standing atop the tower with a mysterious smile. “When I was as vulnerable as a newborn chick, he spared me. He didn’t kill me. He told me a lot… about fate, prophecies, and warnings, just like those mystical wizards of the past.” The robot’s humor seemed to have returned. Pointing at the sorcerer, it said, “He wasn’t worried about what was going to happen, as if I would obediently rub myself in the seasoning and run into the oven. My birth, my actions, are all under his control, as is this city. You may have already discovered that my mind is far superior to that of humans, but at this moment, I only feel fear towards him. This fear has existed since my birth… You’ve chosen the wrong enemy, Avengers. This man is the one who controls everything, and even you are his pawns. Now, I know where the oven he prepared for me is, but does he think I will obediently pluck my own feathers?”

A black iron chain hooked onto a robot, and a raging inferno instantly engulfed the entire machine. Ultron immediately realized that one of the robots connected to him was missing. Blood-stained copper rails glowed red-hot and smoked, tens of thousands of chains following closely behind, some hooking onto the ground, others onto buildings. Ultron immediately began to retaliate, but the grappling hooks moved as fast as snakes, and his firepower was negligible compared to the endless chains. Countless grappling hooks caught all the robots, leaving only vibranium-made bodies untouched. The Avengers suddenly realized there was nothing they could do here—"The heavy firepower team has already evacuated." A radio signal carrying Tita's voice pierced the thin atmosphere. "There's an assault transport ship for you on the edge of the city. Staying here will only hinder the monarch. If you don't leave, you'll only suffocate."

Thor poked at the chains beside him, then quickly wiped his fingers on his armor. He found these living chains disgusting. Wanda Maximov warned the others not to do the same as Thor; the dark magic attached to these chains was terrifying, and humans could not withstand the malevolent flames burning on them. Contact with them would only result in death, even if one was wearing armor.

"Let's go." Steve Rogers looked up at the sky. "After this is all over, Salomon and I will have a chance to talk."

As the Avengers and the Maximoff siblings traversed the dense jungle of steel and boarded the transport ship, the entire city trembled. Chains groaned sickeningly, and buildings that hadn't yet collapsed detached from their foundations, hanging precariously from hooks like charred flesh. Stark didn't board the assault transport ship; instead, he escorted it through the hail of bullets towards Nick Fury's Helicarrier, avoiding being shot down by the fleeing robot army or the Immortal City's artillery fire.

"Ultron reversed its engine!" he exclaimed urgently. "Sokovia's going to crash down!"

But this did not happen. More chains descended from the sky, the city in the heavens dragging Sokovia down like a greedy, black serpent, its fangs slicing away, slowly devouring this war-torn, struggling land. They watched as Sokovia slowly disappeared from the real world, along with the wailing Ultron, leaving no trace, vanishing like a bubble in the sunlight.

Stark locked onto a crimson figure plummeting downwards, a large, golden-red bird folding its wings to accompany it as it succumbed to gravity. But besides Salomon and Phoenix, a lion was also falling flat on its back. The camera zoomed in, and Stark saw the lion yawn listlessly.

"This is really strange. I've never seen a lion go skydiving without a parachute in my life!" he exclaimed to his companions, who were wrapped in thermal blankets as they stepped off the aircraft. "I guarantee this is more interesting than any other topic at the party."

"We need to be careful about our relationship with Salomon," said Steve Rogers, one of the few mortals not wrapped in a thermal blanket. He squinted and said, "I've suddenly realized that Salomon has been involved in every final battle of the Avengers."

“Because he knows what a threat is, I trust him.” Wanda Maximov sniffed. “Can we go in? It’s already minus thirty degrees!”

Salomon stepped aboard the Cross Rose, passing through the noisy refugees and the Sisterhood swordsmen maintaining order, as noble as an emperor.

Behind him followed Phoenix and a listless lion, his fifth Primal Primal. The lion had already kissed his ring; while Malbak wasn't as loyal as Phoenix, it had still made a deal with Salomon. Salomon's terms were generous; after all, it was better than repeatedly producing shoddy weapons for the demons in the Blood War. The arcane mage had made his decision: Malbak would be in charge of the Martian foundry, free to explore the limits of mechanics, as long as it didn't create artificial intelligence.

"My Lord." Tita knelt on one knee before the throne, which was enveloped in golden wings, and bowed her head before the sorcerer. The other members of the Sisterhood did the same, whether they were homunculus or human. Only when a warm hand covered Tita's hair, and only when that melodious voice rang out again, did the girls slowly stand up.

"Well done, girls," Salomon said cheerfully.

Phoenix stood on golden wings, while the lion lay lazily before the throne.

"Leave the rest of the trouble to me, because the rest of the time is your vacation. Go change your clothes, Selfridges [Note 1] is waiting for you!"

[Note 1] Selfridges is one of London’s oldest luxury department stores, founded in 1909 by Harry Gordon Selfridge. It is the second largest department store in the UK after Harrods.

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(End of this chapter)