Ultron quickly tried to stabilize himself using magnetic force, his systems immediately engaging the electromagnetic fields around him to halt his momentum.
At least he tried.
But at some point, Hela had appeared behind his back like a shadow of death itself, moving with speed that his sensors had barely registered. Without any hesitation or warning, she directly threw a straight kick, her boot connecting with his back with tremendous force.
And Elric also didn't disappoint Hela's intention either. The moment Ultron was sent flying back toward him, Elric was already in position. With a perfectly timed roundhouse kick executed from above, he directly sent the robot hurtling toward Hela again, like a metallic volleyball being passed between two players.
Boom...
Hela's fist met Ultron's chassis.
BOOM...
Elric's elbow drove into his back.
BOOM...
Another devastating kick from Hela.
BOOM...
They were treating him like a punching bag, bouncing him back and forth between them with brutal efficiency. Each impact sent shockwaves rippling through the air, the sound of metal being crushed and dented echoing across the battlefield.
"You bastards!" Ultron shouted, his voice distorted with what could only be described as rage—genuine emotion bleeding through his mechanical exterior.
With that furious cry, he directly released a massive magnetic field around them, the invisible force erupting outward like an explosion. The sheer power of it pushed both Hela and Elric far away, sending them skidding backward across the ground, their feet carving trenches in the earth as they fought to maintain their balance.
In the past two years, he and Hela had fought quite a bit—sparring sessions, real battles, life-or-death situations. So their teamwork could be considered quite flawless at this point. They didn't need words to communicate their intentions; their movements flowed together like a well-rehearsed dance.
Hela materialized two large swords in her hands, the black blades seeming to absorb the light around them. Without breaking stride, she threw them with all her godly strength, the weapons spinning through the air like deadly discus.
"Gravity Fall!" Elric shouted, his voice carrying across the battlefield.
Using an 8th-tier spell, one of the higher-level magics in his arsenal, he directly accelerated her swords' velocity and increased their mass exponentially. The gravitational manipulation caused the air around the blades to shimmer and warp. The swords moved so fast they became black streaks, directly penetrating Ultron's magnetic barrier like it was made of paper, and then piercing clean through his Vibranium body with sickening precision. One went through his shoulder, the other through his torso.
Directly ignoring the damage to his physical form, Ultron strengthened his magnetic barrier as much as possible, pouring more power into it. Energy crackled around him as the field intensified, becoming visible as distortions in the air.
Both Hela and Elric quickly found out they couldn't break through the shield with their previous level of attacks. The barrier was simply too strong now, deflecting their strikes before they could land.
While they were preparing their next assault, calculating angles and power levels, Vision's calm voice suddenly sounded from the side.
"It will be useless," he said, his tone matter-of-fact and almost sad. "Although Ultron hates life to the core, despises organic existence with every fiber of his being... but in the end, he could not exist without one."
"Stop with your bullshit riddles," Hela snapped, her eyes flashing dangerously as she turned to glare at the android. "What did you want to say? Speak plainly."
Vision looked at Hela helplessly, understanding her frustration but knowing the explanation was necessary. "I mean that he has a mechanical soul inside him, possessing the body of Magneto. And if you destroy his body here, completely obliterate it, he will just leave in soul form. The consciousness, the essence of Ultron, will simply transfer out and escape."
"Oh, do you think his soul can leave from here?" Elric asked, a slight smirk playing on his lips. His confidence was almost tangible. "Let alone Hela, who's known as the death goddess with dominion over souls, I myself have undead power. Soul manipulation is kind of our thing."
"No, you don't understand," Vision said, shaking his head. "A normal soul magic won't work on him. Because his soul was made by the Soul Stone—a mechanical soul, an artificial consciousness elevated to true sentience by an Infinity Stone. It's fundamentally different from organic souls."
"To kill him permanently, a rule-based attack is needed," Vision continued, his voice carrying a weight of certainty. "Something that operates on the conceptual level, that can destroy what he fundamentally is, not just what he appears to be. Do you have one?"
He asked the question almost mockingly, not expecting any answer at all. In his calculations, the probability of them possessing such specific and powerful abilities was extremely low.
"Yeah, I have one," Elric replied casually, as if discussing the weather. "Probably enough to deal with him, at least."
"What?" Vision suddenly turned back, his synthetic eyes widening in surprise. His processors struggled to recalculate the situation with this new variable.
"Okay, then we just need to destroy his body first," Hela said, already shifting her stance. She ignored Vision completely, her focus entirely on Elric now. "After that, you can handle the soul part, right?"
"Yeah, let's—" Before Elric could even finish his sentence, Hela had already started running toward Ultron, her form blurring with speed. She was never one for lengthy planning sessions.
Elric was about to join her, his body tensing to launch forward, but he suddenly felt a mental tug—gentle but insistent. Someone was trying to enter his mind, or more accurately, politely knocking on the doors of his consciousness rather than forcing their way in.
It was none other than Professor X, Charles Xavier himself.
Mr. Elric, the telepathic voice was clear and calm in his mind. I already know the situation from Logan. I've been monitoring the battle from Cerebro. And I just tried to enter Magneto's brain, to reach Eric's consciousness, and I encountered the same energy signature we've been sensing for the previous year. The anomaly we couldn't identify.
But I don't know... maybe because he has entered Eric's body, possessed him completely, his mental power has diminished considerably. There was hope in the professor's mental voice. The defenses aren't as strong as they should be. Even if I still can't break through completely on my own, can't fully breach the barrier, there is a chance to break through it with support.
I felt that Eric is still in there, buried deep beneath Ultron's control, Professor X continued, his mental voice carrying both determination and plea. His consciousness is suppressed but not destroyed. We just need to support him, give him an opening, and we can definitely kick this guy out of his body.
"No, Professor," Elric said aloud. "There is a possibility your plan might work, I won't deny that. But there's no need to take that route. We don't need to take any unnecessary risks. If something goes wrong, if Ultron realizes what we're doing, this guy might just run away."
Elric, think about it, Professor X's voice carried a note of urgency now. What if this guy has implanted a failsafe, some kind of dead man's switch that will activate after the body is destroyed?
Why don't we try my method first? Charles pleaded. If it doesn't work, if we can't free Eric from within, then we can destroy his body afterward. At least give it a chance. Please.
Elric looked ahead, his eyes tracking the battle where Hela and Ultron were now fighting fiercely. Each clash between them released overwhelming shockwaves that rippled through the air from time to time, cracking the ground and sending debris flying. Hela's black weapons clashed against Ultron's magnetic barriers and metal projectiles in a deadly dance.
"Okay," Elric finally said, his voice carrying across both the physical and mental planes. "Let's try your method first, Professor. But we do it fast, and if I sense anything going wrong, we switch to plan B immediately."
He knew that Professor X was saying this mainly because Eric was his friend. Not just any friend, but a very close friend, perhaps the closest the Professor had despite their ideological differences. Their bond went back decades, through countless conflicts and reconciliations.
But still, Elric felt there might be some truth in his words beyond just personal attachment. Ultron was cunning, perhaps the most cunning AI in existence. He absolutely might have contingencies in place, failsafes and backup plans. The possibility of a trap triggered by destroying the body wasn't zero.
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