RE:Avenger

by Just-Another-Marvel-DC-Geek

The Re:Zero world realizes, through the introduction of a particular young hero, just how small the world they live in truly is. Basically, Subaru is MCU Spider-Man and madness ensue upon the arrival of the Marvel multiverse unto the world of magic, witches and spirits.

38. Chapter 32

Chapter 32 – Watch Me Shine

A realm removed from the conventional physics of the wider Universe.

A world in which the metaphysical concepts were malleable, to a certain degree, if one were to wield them as the first men wielded fire.

A Microverse in its own right, in which the anima and Od of those trapped in it lose their sense of self, were their own individualities lacking to begin with.

A plane in which nothing but an eternal sunrise and sundown intertwined, tainting the sky an ominous orange hue as the spirits of the dead became droplets in an ocean unending.

A land in which life and dead did not matter, for all Souls were one in the same.

This… Is the Soul Dimension.

"…"

"Still silent?" Echidna teased with smug eyes as she stared at the Avenger. "Is it astonishment I register in your semblance? Or perhaps it is terror in the face of the confusing nature of our meeting here-?"

"-NopressureArnimZolaDamnyouHAAAAAAAHIfwecanmaintaintheArrowassaultrestrictedtothiscityWAKANDAFOREtheseguysjustdon'tseemtoNatashafeelatallDidn'texpectHERtomakeamoveIt'sokay,justletgoIdon'twanttoVirusfightanymore-!"

"Hmm, the cacophony seems to turn louder the more we speak. And to think this realm was so peaceful at one time…" Echidna sighed whilst shaking her head, apparently lamenting times in which peace reigned in the Soul Dimension instead of the Od of the still suffering. "Never mind them, however. You and I are basically the only two entities with any agency here, or rather, a sense of self; everyone else is just part of one big river under our feet, losing any identity after the sudden spike of deaths. Although, having said that… unlike you and your 'safety net', I'm left alone in having to maintain my identity; were I to get distracted even for a moment or lose my concentration, I too would become another echo in the maelstrom of confusing words and dead souls. It is honestly quite cruel… Won't you show this poor hapless maiden some pity, oh brave hero?"

"…" But Subaru did not respond, instead standing in silent confusion as he stared at the Witch of Greed.

"Oh wow… It feels quite odd for you not to respond, even now." Echidna glared pettily at Subaru as she continued speaking, disappointed in his obliviousness. "I understand that 'technically speaking' you are just fingers attached to formless shadow, but did you know? You've been staring at me this entire time I've been speaking to you. Am I rambling too much, or speaking too fast for you to understand? Even a grunt or a moan would suffice at this point; one grows quite humble when not having anything in this world, especially so for the Witch that represents the Sin of Greed and Ambition… Don't I deserve at least some attention after this psychological torture the machine has subjected me to?"

"…?" Subaru tilted his head to the side, still not understanding what the Witch was trying to say.

"*Sigh…* You can be quite dense when you want to; did my other self in your Universe had to deal with this as well?" The Witch of Greed once more looked dejected as the meaning of her words flew over the flabbergasted Subaru. "I'll explain in terms you can understand, Natsuki Subaru: Do you remember the energies you managed to use in you Universe? The golden rays that paralyzed Ultron and disabled Roswaal's magic? That is what's compensating for your missing humanity right now."

"…?" But Subaru still failed to comprehend her words.

"…" Echidna looked troubled by Subaru's apparent ignorance still. "Try speaking, you dolt."

"…How am I supposed to speak if I have no mouth-?!" Subaru flinched as words came out of his mouth. A mouth that should not be there.

"Well then!" Echidna smirked smugly as Subaru finally responded with a sentence. "Finally he comes around to pay attention to my sad and lonely self!"

"…E-Echidna!" Subaru squealed with panic. "What's going on?!"

"Hmm? Oh, quite bold of you to call me by name. This IS the first time we've met, you kn-?"

"CUT THE CRAP!" Subaru reproached with anger. "You know what I mean! Where's Ultron?! Where- Ah-!"

The Avenger froze midway through his panicked rants as the memories of crushing defeat rushed him.

Last, I remember… Ultron flung me into that portal, a-and my body broke apart…

"Goodbye, Avenger!"

No- No way… I… We all…!

"You lost." Echidna answered nonchalantly as Subaru's anxiety escalated. "Pretty insanely, might I add. Alas, it would be unfair to pin it all on you, being that you WERE fighting an omnipotent being to begin with… But you lost nonetheless. How sad, eh?"

*SPLASH!*

"GODDAMMIT!" Subaru punched the endless ocean under his feet repeatedly as he screamed with anger. "What the hell?! So we fought so hard just to lose in the end?! Fuck! Just… Ugh!"

*SPLASH!*

"I love you…"

"Do take care outside… Heart-breaker."

"Betty is not exactly glad that her contractor must leave… but he has to! For Betty's sake, in fact!"

"Just leave already, Barusu! Cease being such a pathetic wuss and leave!"

"Subaru-kun! We'll be fine! Go!"

"Go beat that monster already, Spider-Man… And take care on your way back!"

"Emilia… Everyone… I-!" Subaru bit his lip as the echo of the silver-haired half-elf and his friends back in Lugunica irrupted into his thoughts of self-loathing; the words of reassure they had gifted the Avenger stung him acutely as he looked back on his defeat. Even Echidna and Satella's words from his Universe hurt in retrospect. "Fuck…!"

"Hehe! That's quite the pathetic look… But I won't judge beyond that, I promise… That's it, let it a~ll out…" Echidna continued speaking, mockingly reassuring Subaru as he kneeled on the water with shame written on his face. "Let it aaaaall-"

"Please… Just leave me be, Echidna…" Subaru cried pitifully as he averted his gaze from the Witch. "I failed already… Trapped in here, Return by Death will not even activate; hell, I'm not alive as much as I'm not dead, there IS no Return by Death in a dimension without a proper life or death cycle!"

"…And how would you know that?" Echidna smiled mischievously as she asked the hero a most perplexing question.

"How would I not know?! The metaphysical composition around us is clear as crystal! Can't you see nor feel it?!" Subaru grumbled with annoyance. "Even if I can alter space-time at will, life and death are so intertwined that in this realm that they are the same! It'd be like trying to separate the ingredients from a dish when they have already been cooked! You'd need astronomical amounts of energy, the likes that would render entire star clusters asunder, to even generate a fissure the size of-!"

"You seem rather knowledgeable about your predicament then!" Echidna chuckled as Subaru paralyzed in confusion at his own words.

"…The size of a pea. However, with psionic energies belonging to the collective unconscious of all souls gathered in the Microverse of the Soul Dimension channeled through an individual with a strong Spiritual affinity, one could theoretically gather all souls here to create a portal…!" Subaru stood up in confusion as his mouth spoke by itself, as though something was feeding information into his mind so rapidly that even he could not keep up, ignoring his commands to shut up. "Wha-?! What is this?!"

The use of a multiplicity of magical circles could expedite the process, so long as proper anchors are used within the unions and nodes of each mana circuit. However, the amount would surely have to number in the millions, taking into account that Ultron's senses must also be maintained unaware whilst the incantation is performed so as to ensure the portal is not disrupted midway through its casting. To this end, the souls of Gods or other such divine beings could very well serve as these nodes, being that they are empirically magic inclined creatures, they'd provide the most excellent, steady and pure fluctuations of mana available. By adjusting the specters of the likes of Loki or Volcanica into such positions, the stabilization of the portal would be assured by a few moments at least, enough to cross from the Soul Dimension into Ultron's Universe once more-!

"-Youdon'thavetodothisI'msorrywhatmysonnoidon'twanttodieiloveyouthoushastbyOdinisgloriouspurposeIjustfeelobligatedtoalothashappenedwhyareyou-!"

*SPLASH!*

"ARGH-!" Subaru fell over on the water, flailing around in apparent pain and holding his aching head in confusion as his eyes darted around the senseless realm. Impossible amounts of information were flooding into the boy's mind non-stop, the voices around him growing ever louder as his conscience transcended the limits of what a mortal should ever be capable of handling. "Dgh- DEAGH!"

"Hmm… I see, I see." Echidna nodded enthusiastically as Subaru writhed in agony. "So you are not yet attuned to it; Cosmic Awareness does take a lot out of a person. It is easy for you to forget you were even a person when your very consciousness becomes one with the Universe and its incommensurable entirety. It is why the likes of Ultron, who is merely a machine, could not feel its weight beyond the power granted by the Stones. Likewise, with Thanos, who as a hybrid of Deviant and Eternal, is more in tune with the larger Cosmos naturally, and thus, could handle the strain readily. But you? You, a human, the very definition of a mortal…"

*SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH!*

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

Subaru screamed in unbearable, unimaginable pain as his brain turned to mush upon the tumultuous cascade of visions and sounds, voices and knowledge. In comparison to the sudden curse of understanding granted to him, the teenager would rather have been eaten by the Great Rabbit again; the flashing and uninterrupted rivulets, nay, STREAMS of data overwhelming every sense of the human being called 'Natsuki Subaru' were seemingly impossible to withstand.

He could see, hear and feel the process of mitosis and meiosis with his very eyes, ears and skin, each cellular division occurring within his purview, none escaping his gaze. Further, even, atoms and even smaller denominations were not gone from his sight either. All their incomprehensibly small and unheard frequencies of sound coursing through the boy's brain too, registering within him along with the voices of the souls, the silenced echoes of space, each newton, joule and watt of energy conceivable, cataclysmically large and undetectably small, beating within his body as though they were desperately trying to replace his very heartbeat.

The entire electromagnetic spectrum coursed through his mind and his soul, his very essence. Infinitesimal clouds of pure possibility, beyond even the realm of Higgs field and tachyon particles were within his grasp! The means by which fate could be controlled… All of them, coursing through Subaru as a nexus.

Subaru was forcefully becoming one with the Universe.

"Whilst it would be interesting to see you overcome this absurdity by yourself, I will admit… Yours is a duty that cannot wait unnecessarily." Echidna frowned as she shook her head, the Witch of Greed quickly thereafter kneeling beside the writhing Avenger and placing her right hand over his heart. "Hope this trick still works when as just souls we are…"

*FWOOOOM!*

*SPLASH!*

"*GASP!* HAH- Hah…! Ach… Agh!" Subaru quickly calmed down all of a sudden, as the stream of voices and knowledge died down… Or to be more specific, took a back seat to his sense of identity and self. "What-!? What, er- what?! Huh?! Ah-! E-Echidna!"

"Yes, yes, that would be me; don't overuse the name." The Witch of Greed nodded as she turned her head and locked eyes with the boy.

"Wha… The voices! Th-They… No, they are still there, but I-! How come… Why do I feel so calm?! Er- I KNOW I'm not acting like I am but-!" Subaru rambled as he failed to understand any of the transpiring events, feeling as some sort of fever dream from his perspective, even though he was aware that he was still sensing everything around him simultaneously, without filter.

"I simply did what the me that was not me, the me that you knew in YOUR Universe, did whence the little rodents first devoured you- I stimulated your Sloth Witch Factor so that your psyche wouldn't shatter. I must say, though, I would have rather given you something to drink instead of having to touch you myself. Ah! Don't misinterpret that, however, I did not mean I found you particularly disgusting or anything, it's just… I didn't wish to take the risk of my Od becoming one with you so carelessly." The woman answered with her own brand of lengthy rationale as the boy mumbled away with confusion.

"Becoming… Hold it, Sloth Witch Factor? Fingers? My… Ah!" Subaru finally took a good look at his hands, realizing that… Indeed, his hands and fingers looked like the darkest shade to have ever existed. It was as though light was absorbed by his appendages, as though Petelgeuse's Unseen Hands of pure malice had replaced his real hands, and yet… Subaru could not deny that those WERE his real hands. "My hands are…! My hands are all ethereal a-and- and shadowy-!"

"Yes, but only your hands." Echidna commented as she pointed downwards with her left index finger, motioning Subaru's eyes to look at his reflection on the water. "The rest of you? It'd be nothing but an amorphous shadow were not for the Uni-Power holding you together in a mold of Gold."

"The Uni-Power? What are you-?!" Subaru looked at his reflection with equal amounts of awe and astonishment, as the body of 'Natsuki Subaru' staring back at him, hair, eyes, ears, mouth, nose, torso, arms, legs, feet, absolutely everything reflected looked like a silhouette not made in darkness, but the purest of lights instead. "This is… ME?!"

"As you as you can be when you are under the protection of a being nearly as old as existence itself." Echidna explained with a smug grin adorning her pale face.

"Huh… It's just… Huh…" Subaru lacked the words to describe what he was witnessing; he really looked like some sort of Spirit rather than a human now as he became one with existence. As his vision drifted around himself and the world, regaining properly his calmness after the astounding events, the black-haired boy looked at his white-haired companion carefully at last. "…Is it just me, or do you look somewhat older than the Echidna I know?"

"You are calling me old?! How rude!" Echidna looked visibly offended as she hastily stood up from her kneeling position, a frown painting her delicate features as she gazed at Subaru with seeming disappointment. "That's it! I'm helping you no longer! Calling me a gorgeous and ripe maiden like myself an insufferable hag… The nerve! Hmph!"

"Haha… I'm fairly certain you are putting words in my mouth now…" Subaru chuckled as he stood up as well, standing before the Witch apologetically. "For real now, do help me? Pretty please?"

"*Sigh* …Well, if you aren't going to touch on the subtle differences between the me that you've met prior and the me before you now, I shall endeavor myself to help you rude boy." The Witch of Greed sighed as Subaru came around to pay attention to her, finally. "At least you now make a good conversation partner."

"Hmm…" Subaru scratched his chin as he examined his reflection in the water once more, curious about his situation. "You called this- Err, 'Gold' covering me the 'Uni-Power', right? What's that about?"

"Fourteen Billion years ago, Earth years at least, when our Cosmos was still quite young, so young in fact, that not even living worlds and stars were a concept… A primordial light was born to fight the primordial darkness. An everlasting clash ensuing then that would span the eons- continuing even now, even in defeat, against the chaos that would dare remove all life in existence." Echidna described sagely the origin of the enigmatic power. "I came across quite the complex knowledge when walking through the vastness of this Soul Dimension; with metaphysics so malleable here, one could access the inner depths of existence easily in this world, unearthing the secrets of the Universe most quickly. In truth, it would seem the Soul Stone acts like a container for the Microverse of origin for the Enigma Force that fuels the Uni-Power… To the point that, the only other accessible road to such a power would have to be through the Quantum Realm. PYM particles, they called it?"

"Microverse? You mean to tell me that there are entire Universes WITHIN one Universe?!" Subaru asked with interest.

"At least one, yes. But don't get distracted; for how warped the sensation of time may be in this world, it doesn't mean we have the privilege to dawdle about when your companions are still fighting outside." The Witch pressured, intriguing the young hero.

"My companions… The Guardians!" Subaru's ears attuned to the wider Cosmos once again as he fretted over the fate of his Multiversal companions.

"Argh!" T'Challa's echoes reverberated through the boy's head, his psionic screams of pain filling Subaru's mind as the voices of the other warriors came into play.

"F-Fie, machine! Your treacherous powers mean nothing before Odin's son!" Thor struggled a threat against Ultron through some unseen torture, all for Subaru to hear.

"Just… You… Wait…!" Gamora, too, growled with disdain.

"Even if it's… the last thing I do… I'll destroy you, you damn droid!" Natasha cried with menacing wrath.

"For this Universe… And Subaru too!" Peggy chanted as she sounded aggressive, as though in the middle of an attack she were.

"Even now… The Guardians still fight! Everyone in Lugunica surely do so too!" Subaru looked amazed at how his companions bled and fought still, even without him in the picture, thinking they had lost him. "Look at me… Pitying myself pathetically… And you all are still fighting for everyone, for your worlds! I really gave up and you still fought in my stead! If that's how it was…!"

What right do I have to do anything less than them?!

"Ah… I suppose that righteous indignation when witnessing a friend being hurt is what the Enigma Force saw in you, when it chose you as the host of the Uni-Power." Echidna said with growing satisfaction over her conclusions.

"Echidna!" Subaru motioned for the Witch with authority, his face growing resolved. "I… I cannot mop around in here, the battle with Ultron still rages on! I need your help!"

"Oh? And what would you need help in, I wonder?" The woman looked quite impressed by the boy's sudden proposal.

"With the Uni-Power, I can gather all of the souls and powers of this Dimension unto myself! But even then, I'm neither experienced nor knowledgeable enough to cast a portal to the outside world…" Subaru hesitated as the energies and echoes of the Soul Dimension gathered around his shadow hands. "But you've been here longer, haven't you?!"

"Quite a bit more than just 'longer', I'm afraid. It is no exaggeration to call it an eternity from my perspective." The Witch of Greed affirmed as she shook her head. "I get what you wish to ask of me perfectly though: You want me to write the magic circle for the portal to the outside world while using you as a battery, right?"

"Yeah!" Subaru nodded vehemently in response. "The Uni-Power; the more I'm bonded with it, the more we both learn… If I can witness how to make a portal, I'll be able to make them myself!"

"Gather the souls then; preparing the circle won't take that long." Echidna smirked smugly as she raised a hand to the orange skies, this one turning pitch black as a starry night appeared for the first time in the land of the eternal dawn and sunset. Immediately after…

*FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

The firmament of the Soul Dimension warped into one gargantuan, magnificent Mandala of stars upon the order of the Witch of Greed.

"See how malleable it is? I wouldn't dream of moving the stars themselves with the flick of a finger in life." Echidna affirmed with a satisfied face, before her expression turned sour in rememberance of her Universe's fate. "Yes… In life…"

*FWOOOOOSH!*

*SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH!*

"-IreallyjustwantedtoatleastwearetogetherI'msorryselfcontrolmyGodtobecomeoneIdidn'twantittoendlikethisIwon'tdieRichardsbeyondthemightofInfinityStonesit'sinVormirtobethechampionGladiatornoitshouldn'thaveendedlikethisletyourselfgoit'snotalrightIjustwishedyoucouldhaveI'msorry-!"

"Alright… Hope this works-!" Using the Uni-Power to boost his Spiritual affinity beyond its limits, Subaru gathered the ocean of Souls and echoes under his feet around his wrists, aiming them both at the starry skies manufactured by Echidna. "EY-!"

*THWIPPPPPPP~!*

*WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

The ocean and the sky became one; an impossibly complex magical circle in which Souls and Stars danced together to the rhythm orchestrated by the Avenger and the Witch. In such synchronization were the mystical energies controlled by the pair that, soon after, the portal really did began appearing… In the form of spatial fractals in the night sky within the Mandala.

*CRAAACK-CRAAAAACK!*

"It's working…" Echidna looked amazed for a solid second as she stared at the fractured dark heavens.

"You look surprised; did you have that little faith in me?" Subaru commented with amusement as he stared upwards by her side.

"It's not that I didn't have faith in you; it's that even I never thought I'd get to see something like this." The Witch seemingly lamented. "As you know, even if I can exist in this realm as I do, were I to exit it, I'd become a soul anchored to nothing… Either way, I'd be alone."

"Huh?" As the fissures kept multiplying in the heavens, Subaru turned to look at Echidna with worry.

"I'm a dead woman, Subaru." Echidna stated with a frown. "My entire Universe and myself, we are all dead. Unlike you, there is no other place for me than here; the sole reason I couldn't simply vanish into this collective ocean underneath us beforehand is because the machine made the cruel promise of torturing me with solitude for all eternity to this Universe's Roswaal. My agency was tied to the Soul Stone until another external factor could hope to help me… So I must thank you for releasing me from the grasp of damnation, at the very least."

"Somehow, you really are somewhat different to the Echidna I met. As if there was something else going on for you apart from greediness. Nevertheless, even still, you are already dead… All of you are…" The boy frowned back with regret. "I'm sorry that's the case. I just- I understand there is no saving your Universe; Return by Death is no use outside of its native Universe. But I…"

"I don't want to hear you say you'd die to save this Universe; I want to hear you say you'll live to remember it." Echidna cut Subaru off with a bittersweet smile. "If there is something worse than death, it is being forgotten."

"Echidna…"

"I hate her guts; even if I couldn't meet her myself until I glanced into your Universe through the gem, you should hurry this fight and return to that 'Emilia' already." Echidna commented with apprehension.

"Echidna gazing at the world through a gem…" Subaru chuckled at the ridiculous thought. "I'm fairly certain that would have been the premise to a contract between you and myself."

"Now THAT would have been an interesting premise, I must say."

"Sorry, not sorry, I rejected the idea already."

"Hmm… Bummer."

*FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

"The portal above is growing stronger… Soon, you'll be able to leave this place and enter the fight once more." The Witch advised as her body began disintegrating into golden particles of psionic energy before Subaru.

"Echidna, your body is-!" The Avenger cried aghast as the woman disappeared.

"Do not fret, this is only natural. Remember what I said about needing an external source to help me pass on?" Echidna reassured once more. "Once the portal is complete, my Od too will become part of this Dimension and my sense of self will cease to be as well. I'll become another droplet of water in this 'sea of souls'… But this is nature, too."

"…But through the Uni-Power, you'll be fighting by my side just like all of the other souls of this Universe." Subaru responded with a resolute and sharp gaze.

"Yes… I will." Echidna nodded. "My last advices, however."

"Hmm? What's that?" The Avenger looked visibly confused as she Echidna granted the last of her useful knowledge.

"With Ultron fusing the Infinity Stones of both Universes, yours and mine I mean, the wall existing between the both of them has become incredibly thin now." The Witch assured with severity. "The Stones are supposed to be regulators to the fluctuations of each aspect they represent within their respective Universe. With the ones of your reality having vanished and staying on this one, your world could very well collapse onto itself were you not to bring them back to your Universe."

"So it's not enough with beating Ultron, I have to bring him into my Universe?"

"Don't misunderstand." Echidna shook her head in denial. "Although the Enigma Force is Multiversal in nature, the Uni-Power is an aspect; respective to each Universe. Were you to leave this Universe, you'd lose the Uni-Power's assistance."

"Hrngh… In summary, I have to beat Ultron in THIS Universe, without allowing him to escape into the Multiverse, and then bring the Stones back to my own Universe? Man, the word is kinda losing its meaning…" The boy scratched his head with equal vexation and frustration. "The conditions for victory just keep piling up…"

"Doesn't mean victory isn't within grasp, you are basically a deity of pure light right now…" Echidna's body had almost completely disintegrated as she spoke, her voice and presence growing dimmer and weaker by the second.

"Ah…" Subaru grumbled pitifully as the Witch steadily vanished.

"Don't be so sad… As far as I was aware, a relationship between you and I could never be anything more than one of mutual benefit or petty hatred."

"Doesn't mean I'm glad to see you die- …Disappear." The boy corrected himself.

"I'm sure the me of your Universe would be glad to hear that…" Echidna said weakly as even her face began disintegrating, becoming one with the Mandala of stars and souls above.

"I won't forget this favor… I promise, I never will." Subaru promised with a focused look in his golden eyes.

"Don't forget this Universe, rather…" Echidna spoke one last time as her body became completely transparent, herself nearly imperceptible to the naked eye. And as she lost her individuality, the Witch of Greed placed a hand upon the boy's heart and said- "Promise this to yourself too…"

"?!" Subaru's eyes grew wide his mind was stimulated by Echidna's incantations once more, the life of this Universe's Subaru flashing before him.

"…We-We have to go! In the news! Th-They said The Avengers were defeated! The nukes are aiming for the cities! We have to go no-!"

"No… Ah…"

"I-I'm sorry… If I had co-come home so-sooner…"

"…HGHK!"

"These memories… A lifetime, barely fourteen years old; so this is what happened to the 'me' of this Universe. Echidna-" Subaru swallowed with pity as his soul became one with yet another Variant's memories, and as he tried to talk to the Witch of Greed once more, the hero realize she too was already gone. "…At the very least, I died on the arms of people I loved. But I… never even got the chance to meet Emilia or Tony."

"I-I'm sorry…"

"…Even you, myself, I will avenge. I won't forget you, Subaru!" Subaru promised to his Variant with defiant anger as he remembered his terror in the face of imminent death.

*CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!*

The skies above the Avenger broke apart as the magic circle grew ever radiant and lustrous; the portal to Ultron had opened once more!

"…Alright, Uni-Power! You better not let me down!" Subaru exclaimed as he jumped into the air.

*FWOOOOSH-!*

"Heh-! I'm not floating or gliding, holy crap! I'm flying!" Spider-Man shouted as he hovered above the ground of the Soul Dimension, inching closer and closer to the starry Mandala in the sky.

Heed me…

"Ah-! That voice again-!" Subaru grumbled as the all-encompassing voice from earlier spoke directly into his mind again.

Heed me… Spider-Man…

"You are the Uni-Power, aren't you?! I know you kind of failed your Universe already, so you better help me proper in this battle!"

The potential of heroism existing across all beings to have ever existed fused into an unstoppable force; that is the Uni-Power…

"And what can you do to help us defeat Ultron?!" The Avenger wondered aloud as he came face to face with the portal, in the verge of returning to the Universe.

Granted first by the hand of Microversal Time Travelers, the ancient Uni-Power endows its host with the might of all individuals within the Universe as a way to avert the otherwise unstoppable dangers... Subaru Natsuki, by the title of the first man to have ever possessed my might, Ray Coffin, I bestow upon you as my host for this battle with the title of…

*FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

Spider-Man's body burst in blue and golden Cosmic flames as the Souls of the entire Universe became one with him, weaving themselves as a suit of stars and pure power!

*FWOM!*

Subaru crossed the portal into battle once again!

Meanwhile, the Guardians outside were…

*KLANG!*

"Hmph!" Margaret Carter's Vibranium shield clashed soundly against Ultron's metallic body, but the Synthezoid looked unamused in response to the attack.

"Useless!" As Peggy caught the shield in mid-air, readying herself to swing against him again, Ultron rushed forward with the intent of attacking her as well.

*DASH!*

*BWAMMCK!*

"Argh-!" Captain Carter groaned as Ultron punched her squarely in the face, her nose bleeding profusely as she stumbled on her feet. But even if her balance faltered, her offensive continued.

*GRAB!*

"HYA-!" Carter managed to hold onto his arm as he retracted his fist, delivering an impulsive Judo throw.

"You simpleton!" Nevertheless, the Synthezoid insulted as he began floating instead, avoiding the throw and dragging Peggy into the air.

"Woah-!" The soldier struggled as she suddenly lost her footing in the midst of her attack, which Ultron took advantage of by rotating around as they hovered.

*FWOOMMP!*

*BLAM!*

"Mngh-!" Once more, the machine struck with a rotating kick to the gut the soldier, finally making her let go and drop to the ground. In result, Peggy ended buckling over in pain in the cracked pavement as she had trouble regaining her stability. "Dargh… Ugh…"

"What's wrong, 'Super-Soldier'?" Ultron mocked with disdain whilst slowly hovering lower and lower in front of Peggy. "You are actually feeling my punches now. Are the runes protecting you growing that weak?"

"Hah… Hah…" Carter glared amidst her multiple bruises, her knees trembling as she resisted the urge to pass out. As she stared daggers at the robot, however, the thought of her injured companions also coursed through her mind.

*SHWOOOONG!*

"HRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~GH…!" Looking into the red, polluted skyline, Strange hovered paralyzed within Ultron's space-temporal force fields, the sheer astronomical pull of the concentrated energy threatening to tear the Mystic apart limb from limb. With Stephen paralyzed and tortured in the force field, his concentration faltered, and thus the Guardian Vishanti runes superimposed over his companions lost a significant amount of power. As such, the enhanced physical defenses against the Infinity Stones weakened severely too.

"L-Life still breathes in my bosom, mad machine…!" Likewise, on the ground, Thor struggled to stand up with his own oppressive gravitational pull, the absurd pressure placed upon him steadily augmenting, crushing through even his resilient skin and bones.

"Agh… Ugh…!" Gamora lied pinned immobile against a wall, her own blade threatening to cut her throat any moment as Ultron toyed with the Zehobereian's life sadistically.

"It cannot… End like this… Clint!" Natasha bellowed with frustration as she lied by Gamora's feet, her legs and arms broken after the Synthezoid personally attacked her with his bare hands.

"Agh… Ghlk!" T'Challa, too, gargled as blood pooled around him over a pile of rubble. Out of everyone, Ultron had been wary of the prince attempting another necromantic incantation, so he made sure to crush his windpipe. The sole reason he had yet to die was because he was using his kingdom's advanced medical beads to stop the profuse bleeding, but any minute now, he would cease to be…

Overall, the Guardians had lost against Ultron's unfathomable might. The full set of Infinity Stones capable of Multiversal manipulation were far too strong to handle, even with the use of reality-warping magic.

"Look around you, Captain." Ultron gloated as he towered over the injured woman, his hands extended and pointing to her teammates' sorry states. "Your trustworthy men weren't worth a dime; and in the end, even the power granted unto you wasn't enough… As their de facto leader, you did nothing but guide them to their graves. How does it feel to be in your position? I am sure the only things coursing through your mind are 'damn yous' and excuses… Typical of a human."

"Even if you destroy our bodies, even if we were to lose today… No matter how many worlds you travel to, no matter how many people you kill or drive to despair, there will always be those who will stand up to oppose you, Ultron. Your deranged quest for the end of all life… It ended before it even began, for there is no world that will ever agree to die so easily. That and..." Carter growled as she managed to regain her stability, a switch of alien technology appearing in her hand. "…You ramble too much."

*BEEEP!*

*BOOOOOM!*

The back of Ultron's head burst into flames as a mine belonging to Gamora ignited behind him; it would seem Carter had planted it in the earlier exchange.

*DASH!*

*SNATCH!*

"Now-!" The soldier dashed forward in Ultron's direction, grabbing his head and desperately attempting to pry the Mind Stone out of his forehead with every ounce of strength she possessed. "HRMNGH-!"

"…Useless." Ultron, however, spoke unamused as the Mind Stone gleamed cruelly. "If Subaru already robbed of one Stone, you'd think I'd allow it to happen twice?"

*ZNMMMMM!*

*FSHHZZZZZ-!*

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Peggy screamed as she let go of Ultron's head, falling over on her back and screaming in hurt as a laser from the Mind Stone mangled her right hand with excruciating burns.

"You've shown arrogant bravado in the face of death, Captain! I commend you for being so… What's the word? Reckless? Idiotic…? Never mind, however; perhaps I DO talk too much." Ultron belligerently spoke as he pointed his right hand at her.

*ZNMMMMMM!*

"GEARGH-!" Peggy groaned as Ultron forcefully lifted her into the air, the Super Soldier floating a few meters above the ground as the Space Stone gleamed ominously in the machine's chest.

"Crushed torso like Thor or crushed windpipe like T'Challa? Or maybe even pulled apart limb by limb like Strange? I'll be merciful enough to let you choose." The Synthezoid asked with derisiveness.

"Y-You'll never… Win!" Captain Carter insulted with hatred in return instead of fear, even in the face of death not giving in into his sadistic plays.

"Very well, a slow burn for all the trouble you've caused me-!" But just as Ultron mocked Peggy's ire, an all-consuming light manifested right behind him.

*CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!*

"?!" The sudden light spread through the dilapidated battlefield, striking the Guardians as though golden strings it were, ignoring Ultron altogether.

*THWIPPP!*

*SHWOOOOOOOOOOONM!*

"*GASP!*" T'Challa breathed loudly as his windpipe suddenly fixed back into place, his chest inflating and deflating rapidly as he gazed at the heavens with awe. "I… I… I live!"

"By the Bor's horned helmet!" Thor chanted with excitement as his caved-in torso and crushed internal organs repaired themselves upon the arachnid's light, the Asgardian God hastily standing up as he regained his strength.

"My arms… they are-!" Natasha yelped amazed as her broken limbs seemingly readjusted themselves into place, her vigor returning like never before.

"Yeah, all of our wounds are healing…" Gamora pointed out as she caressed her cut neck with surprise and picked up her blade.

"HRNGH-!" Strange, who still hovered above, broke free from the force field successfully as the golden energy stimulated the regeneration of his monstrous body. "Hah-! This… This energy is-!"

"What is this?!" Ultron examined the radiant gleam with confusion as his scanners failed to register the energy's origin.

"…ROUND TWO, ASSHOLE!" From within the fountain of light that healed the Guardians, the rambunctious and loud voice of a teenager resounded. Immediately after, a punch faster than any speed Ultron had faced up to that point surfaced from out of the radiance.

*THWONCKK!*

*ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"GERGH-?!" The right hook of light landed squarely on Ultron's jaw, the absurd kinetic force packed on the Avenger's fist launching the machine out of not just Earth's orbit, but the Solar System altogether in a microsecond.

*Thud!*

"What…? That voice-!" As the light continuously regenerated her wounds and reinvigorated her tired body, Captain Carter ceased hovering in the air and fell to the ground with vexation and glee painted on her face. "KID?!"

*FWOOOOONG-!*

"Yep, it's me alright!" Subaru announced his arrival into the battlefield once more in a suit woven with stars and souls, the golden symbol of a regal Spider carved on his chest.

"SUBARU!" From the Spider, Karen's voice loudly shouted with animated cheer. "Subaru, you are back!"

"Karen! Hey!" The young hero looked at his chest with genuine awe as his A.I. companion reintroduced him to the soldier. "You are alright too!"

"When you were thrown into the Soul Dimension, the Iron Spider had seemingly vanished into nothing… And yet, now that you have a physical body, I returned as well!" Karen cheerfully exclaimed.

"I see… As a Soulless being, Karen's physical form and mind were warped strangely inside the Soul Dimension… No wonder Ultron detested the place! Good to know I didn't lose you though!"

"Subaru… You are alive!" Peggy stood up quickly as she gazed at the boy with amazement. "Holy cow, you really ARE alive!"

"As alive as spam calls are annoying!" The Avenger stared at the injured Guardians around him. "You guys kind of looked like shit though… No offense, of course."

*Fwosh-!"

"No offense taken if it's true." Strange responded as he descended to his side, inspecting the suit covering the teenager's body all the while. "That power… The Golden rays that assisted you twice before, have returned to aid us?"

"The Uni-Power." Subaru affirmed, his aura growing radiant.

"Mighty- *Cough-Cough!* Mighty convenient that was… Spider-Man." Jumping down from the pile of rubble he had been lying atop of,T'Challa responded whilst rubbing his now healed neck with lingering phantom pain.

"Glad to see you are A-Okay, your highness!" The teenager smiled under his mask in return to the Wakandan. "I cannot heal death, but even fatal wounds are not beyond the Uni-Power's reach; that's what healed you all when I arrived… However, I have to correct you on something. I'm not 'Spider-Man' right now, I'm-"

*FWOOOOOOM!*

"AVENGER!" But their little reunion saw itself interrupted as Ultron spawned from a portal above the heroes once more, in his hand the Spear of Cosmic might that had repeatedly slain Reinhard back in Lugunica.

*ZOOOOOOOOOM!*

"Subaru, look out-!" Peggy hastily shouted with panic, but the Avenger in return looked relaxed instead.

"…" Without any real alarm however, Subaru raised his right palm into the sky as Ultron attempted to impale him…

*KRA-KRAAAAAAAAASH!*

"Wha-?!" The Synthezoid felt utterly flummoxed as his attack failed, for at the last second, the Avenger parried his downward strike and killed his supposedly unstoppable momentum.

"CAPTAIN UNIVERSE!" Subaru shouted as his left hand gathered blue flames and golden rays of pure psionic and Cosmic power.

*FWOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

"TSK-!" Ultron squealed as Captain Universe blasted him away into the air with a fist of pure plasma, and as the machine flailed aimlessly in the sky, Thor appeared from above, his weapon of legend in hand.

*DASH!*

*KRA-KRAKLEEE!*

"The battle rages on! To arms, Guardians!" The Asgardian rallied his team into action as he growled a battle cry. Immediately after, he swung his mighty, lightning charged hammer expertly.

*FWWWOOOOOOONCK!*

*ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPP!*

"DEGH-?!" The combined attack sent Ultron barreling downwards into the pavement below, the Uru hammer's power breaking his left arm into scrap.

"Everyone! Now!" Gamora screamed as she run into the fray following Thor and Subaru's yells, the fight commencing anew as the other Guardians rushed behind her.

*SLASH!*

*KLANK!*

*CRAAAAAA~SH!*

"Don't get cocky, alien!" Ultron bellowed as his spear clashed with Gamora's blade, gravity around the two magnifying exponentially as they exchanged slashes and thrusts dexterously.

*ZNMMMMMM!*

"Hghk-?!" But contrary to the machine's expectations, instead of Gamora losing her balance as her weigh augmented, she became more powerful, faster and unpredictable. "But how-?!"

"Wouldn't you like to know?!" The Zehobereian growled as her blade glowed a brilliant gold; in combination with Doctor Strange's Guardian Vishanti, the Uni-Power's rays that had healed her earlier boosted her innate resistances to Ultron's alteration of reality. Her resilience to gravity being manipulated around her allowed for Gamora to take the machine by surprise with a rising, vertical slash that split Ultron in twain.

*SLAAAAAAAASH!*

"-As if being cut down will stop me!" The Synthezoid yelled with anger as the Time Stone gleamed emerald in his chest.

*ZNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!*

"-?!" Gamora's blade froze in place, as did her entire body… For Ultron had stopped time as his body regenerated.

"Now, you die-!" The machine spoke maniacally as his body came together once more in the frozen time, the magnificent Vibranium spear shining a dark rainbow as he thrusted with the intention to stab Gamora through the heart.

*THWIIIIIIP!*

*SNATCH!*

"Grgh- SUBARU!" But as soon as he was about to impale her, Captain Universe's webs of starlight ensnared the Spear, paralyzing it in place. "You can move in the stopped time?!"

"Oh, I can do more than that junior!" The teenager cockily affirmed as the color of his golden webs changed to an electric blue.

*CRA-CRACKLE-!*

*ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPP!*

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH-!" Ultron's concentration in stopping time saw itself disrupted as his spear exploded into a blaze of Cosmic rays, the effects of the Time Stone dissipating in thin air.

"Now hit 'em Nat!" The Avenger announced excitedly as Black Widow leapt over him with one of Star-Lord's blasters in hand, a Cosmic-boosted plasma charge at the ready.

"Suck on this one, little toaster!" Natasha insulted as she pulled the blaster's trigger.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"DH-?!" Ultron's limbs, as well as a part of his head, exploded as a sudden spike in foreign energy fluctuations disrupted his circuitry exponentially.

*DASH!*

"WIDOW-!" Not finished with her assault, Natasha rushed with the Red Guardian shield's edge at the ready to decapitate the machine.

*ZNNNNNNM!*

"ENOUGH!" Though as soon as she was about to behead him however, Ultron's body turned into a swarm of nano-machines, taking into the sky once more.

*BZZZZZZZZ-!*

"Hngh-!" Natasha barely avoided the locus-like swarm as it rushed in her direction in an attempt to kill her.

*ZOOOOM!*

"Cowardly of you to suddenly run away, Ultron!" Nevertheless, intercepting the swarm in the above the group, T'Challa appeared with a pulsar bomb in hand at the ready. "When you are this small and divided, this one's surely to hurt you!"

*THROW!*

*BOOOOM!*

"?!" T'Challa threw the bomb in the middle of the swarm, and immediately after, the electromagnetic pulsations began taking effect in the rice-sized machines.

*BNMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!*

"Grgh—ARGH!" Ultron squealed in what seemed like pain as his multiple bodies vibrated in tune to the painful melody of an emulated neutron star, his division into nano-bots proved to have been a mistake.

*SHWOOOOOSH-!*

"T'CHALLA, YOU ARROGANT PEST!" The Synthezoid's body reassembled itself in the midst of the bomb's explosion, the red gem on his torso gleaming grimly as he glared at the Wakandan prince.

*ZOOOOOM!*

"G-kh?!" Star-Lord petrified as Ultron tackled him when still in flight, the pair falling as the Reality Stone shimmered.

*ZNMMMMMM!*

"Let's see how smug you can be when your body changes into 65% Mercury-!" The machine threatened to scramble the elemental composition of the prince's body with the use of Reality Warping, but the Sorcerer Supreme would not have it.

*BLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH-!*

"RIBBONS OF NIHILITY!" Strange screamed from the bottom of his lungs as white shadows sprouted from his hands, enveloping themselves as if tentacles made of plasma they were around Ultron's body whilst he held still to T'Challa.

"The energy vanishes-?!" As soon as the tentacles made contact with the machine, the power emanating from the Stone dispersed and vanished into nothing, forcing him into letting go of the prince. "Hmph! Your aberrant powers hold no meaning to me!"

*ZNMMMMMMM!*

*ZNMMMMMMM!*

*ZNMMMMMMM!*

"What is-?! Power never seen before-?!" While the initial spell was successful in dissipating the might of the Reality Stone's energies, Ultron was too stubborn to stop like that. In defiance of Strange's incantations, the Power Stone began irradiating energy unbounded in sporadic intervals, disintegrating the Sorcerer's white shadows.

"RRRRAAAAAARGH!" Ultron growled as he began reabsorbing the energy radiated by the Power Stone, his body growing incommensurably giant and powerful by the second.

Twelve feet.

Fifty.

A hundred.

Two Hundred.

Two thousand!

FIVE THOUSAND FEET!

*CRAAAAASH!*

*CRAAAAASH!*

*RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE!*

"Shit!" Natasha cussed as the machine's change in size, weight and might cracked the ground underneath the non-flying warriors' feet, causing continuous tremors in result.

"Goodness…" Peggy looked on amazed and terrified as the Synthezoid grew gargantuan, wind currents most absurd running across the passages of the dilapidated buildings with his every movement.

"DIE SORCERER!" The Synthezoid shouted as he stomped downwards with hatred unbounded, all the intention of turning the Guardians into dust clear in his titanic strength.

"He's going to step on us!" T'Challa announced amidst his glares at the monster.

"Gather around! I'll make a shield-!" However, as Subaru quickly was about to order his companions, black and corrupted energies manifested around Doctor Strange; something was brewing within the Sorcerer's body. "Huh- Doc? Why is there black sludge oozing from under you-?"

"Before all was, I was; before time was, I awaited. I fed on the screaming souls of Universes; I drank the spoiled milk of dead stars…"Strange did not respond to Subaru's question, seemingly catatonic as the sludge covered his body, bathing him in the powers of ancient demons and Gods as he chanted words unintelligible to mortals. "I am the emptiness beyond all understanding…"

"Hngh-?!" Thor recognized the chants from stories told by his mother, the elder Witch Frigga, of monster of old that once ruled the hundreds, the thousands of realms across the Universe with blood and debauchery. He recognized the chants to the Old Ones. "E-Everyone! Step back from the Devil!"

As the Asgardian warned his companions of Doctor Strange's powers, Ultron's foot finally came down.

"I AM SHUMA-GORATH!" Doctor Stephen Strange announced as the sludge consumed his face.

*FWOWWOWOWOOWOOOOOM!*

*KAPLAAAAAAOOOOOOOSHK-!*

"Huh?!" But as he attempted to kill the Guardians below, an equally inconceivable power gathered around Ultron's soles; some sort of change was occurring with the Sorcerer protecting the flesh made creatures underneath. "This impossible readings-?! Just- What are you, Strange?!"

*FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

Ultron's feet exploded, an unbounded mass of eight indestructible tentacles bore through the metal of his soles as though water it were.

"ERRRraaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAARRRGHhaaaaaaaaaAAAAGGGGHHH!" The black sludge dissipated into nothing, reabsorbed by his skin in fact, and Strange's real form revealed itself to the Guardians of the Multiverse at last: A five meter tall, double-horned Devil of greyish, purple skin with a deformed face.

Multiple eyes covered this face, of all denominations and attributes: as dashing amber as gold, crimson as dead leaves and sapphire as the oceans. Slit like a reptile's, horizontal as a goat's; crying blood and other mysterious and defiled substances whilst the Sorcerer, no, Devil screamed. His teeth fared no better, an ensemble of all sorts of tusks and fangs gathered on his mouth, ready to gnash at anything they touched at a moment's notice, as if possessing a will of their own.

Not just his face however, but his limbs morphed too; Strange's feet turned into hooves, his legs appearing like those of a goat or a ram, whilst his hands looked more akin to a dragon's claws. On his back, protruding from shoulder plates, muscular bat wings and spikes appeared, along with them, the tentacles sprouted as though tails they were from the end of his spine.

Doctor Strange was an abomination, grafted from different creatures across dimensions untold.

*BLWWOIUYRGH!*

*SPLUUUURT-!*

*SQUELCH!*

"Let go-! Let go of me, monster!" Ultron screamed whilst the tentacles grew in size abnormally, enveloping his body in disgusting odors and substances as they restrained his mighty powers with unholy and indescribable energies and apparitions of its own. "LET GO OF MY BODY!"

"THE ABERRANT ASPECTS HUNGER! SHALL YOUR STEEL SATISFY THEIR CRAVINGS?!" In a voice distinctly not his own, sounding guttural as well as foreboding, Stephen threatened Ultron. "MY BEASTS SEEK THEIR SUPPER, ALLOWED THEM TO FEAST UPON THY FLESH!"

*FWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSHHHHHHH!*

The cloak covering the Devil's body came undone, his belly and abdomen becoming a portal from whence a festival of demons, creatures and unknowable horrors unleashed themselves upon the mechanical God.

*GNASH!*

*CRUNCH!*

*CHOMP!*

*KRACK!*

*KLANG!*

*FWOOOOOSH!*

*BLLLOOOOOM!*

"Parasites, the lot of you!" Ultron insulted as the beasts amassed around his legs and lower torso, devouring each other and his armor in a desperate attempt to satiate their unending gluttony. A White Whale devouring a Red Dragon, giant insects flaying an army of gnomes alive, Wendigo and other such famished Spirits cannibalizing on one another as they climbed a stairwell of corpses upwards in search of sustenance.

"KRUAAAAAAAAAA!" A vampiric, six-eyed raven made of shadows flew glorious into the heavens, barreling against Ultron's torso and the Infinity Stones as it attempted to syphon their energy, to consume the gems onto itself.

"Begone from my sight saprophyte!" The machine cried whilst the Power Stone shone.

*ZNMMMMMMMMMMMM!*

"KRUAAAAAAAGH!" The raven cried as a purple laser split it in two, prompting it to fall into the maelstrom of madness below.

*STOMP!*

"BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-!" Using the raven cruelly as a stepping-stone whilst it fell however, a two-headed ram dashed forward and evaded the laser in midair. Immediately after, with herculean might and mercurial speed, the ram tackled Ultron's legs.

*CRASH!*

*BLLLLLLLZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!*

"AURGH-!" The machine fell over as the ram pierced through his limbs, destroying them in a blaze of blue mystic, dimensional magic.

"DYZAKK'S CAGE!" Devil Strange chanted as Ultron fell over, his claws gathering dark and golden streaks of extradimensional energy as a four-dimensional tesseract formed around the Synthezoid's frame and the creatures.

"KREAAAAAAAAARK-!"

"GAAAAAAAAAGH-!"

"KYEEEEEEEEEEEE-!"

"GUOOOOOOOOO-!"

All of the monsters cried as the Devil reabsorbed them into his body once more, Ultron nevertheless still trapped within the construct.

*FLIOOOOOWWWWSH!*

"You think some dimensional distortion can entrap me?! You fool! No one mortal can hope to shackle me down-!" Ultron bellowed whilst gripping the fabric of reality, his size diminishing to his original form as he concentrated the radiation of the Space and Reality Stones gathered in his fingers in an attempt to escape from the binding.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERGHHHHHHH!" Although initially successful in cornering the Synthezoid in a prison of corrupted Spatial Bending, Devil Strange struggled to maintain the nature of the spell going as Ultron utilized the Infinity Stones without tiring.

Meanwhile, whilst observing from afar the illogical and impossible confrontation, kilometers away in fact, the Guardians discussed their strategy.

"Strange… He was this powerful?!" Peggy stated with awe from atop the Chrysler Building's remains.

"He won't be able to hold him back forever though…" Romanoff warned as she assessed the situation.

"If he's done showing off, then I guess it's our turn to step in." Gamora growled as she gripped her blade.

"Second that motion, we've yet to get anything done here!" Thor glared as his hammer lit up again.

"…What even is the game plan though?" Whilst they all roared to fight however, Captain Universe interrupted them with his own preoccupations.

"Subaru?" T'Challa turned to look at the young man with confusion.

"Anything you wish to share? Getting cold feet?" Natasha asked with frustration as she gazed at Subaru warily.

"While Strange and I most certainly possess the might to rival Ultron at the moment, neither of us could hope to vanquish him when he grips the Stones still." The Avenger assured with an ominous tone. "How do you plan to stop the machine's rampage permanently? Just fighting it eternally, preventing his escape into the Multiverse?"

"…" Captain Carter, along with the other warriors by her side, stared wide-eyed at the boy with surprise and then concern.

"…Flark, kid is right." Gamora's grip on her sword softened as she realized the conundrum proposed by Subaru. "The Crusher was our hope, but with it gone…"

"Beating Ultron to a pulp isn't the solution here." T'Challa grabbed his head with a vexed expression in response as well. "But even then… What can we do?"

"It's not as though we have sorely have time to brainstorm a solution, child of man." Thor interrupted with his own angered proclamation. "We know not when the Devil will perish before the machine's might. We must fight, regardless of the slim chance of victory!"

"Subaru isn't telling us to give up Thor." Captain Carter announced as she realized something. "He's telling us to fight smart… Isn't that right, Natasha?"

"…" The spy turned to look at the soldier and the teenager with amazed eyes as she recalled her original plan too, her mouth smiling nervously as the realization kicked in. "You are right… There was always my option too…"

"Those arrows on your back; the solution resides in them." Captain Universe promised as he pointed to a slim quill in Black Widow's rear. "So has advised Clint Barton, Hawkeye's soul."

"You- You've met Clint?!" The spy asked with amazement.

"I heard his echoes, along all others of this Universe in the Soul Dimension; crying for vengeance and regret." The Avenger clenched his fists as he spoke.

"Arnim Zola, Hydra scientist turned into a Digital Consciousness, lives in this little thing right here." Black Widow produced an arrow from the quill with an USB dongle attached to the tip.

"Arnim Zola?!" Peggy looked mortified at the revelation. "Hydra?!"

"Hydra never died, it just hid in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s shadow and higher-ups." The spy lamented. "All under the instruction of this little Tamagotchi."

"But even that arrow might not be enough, Natasha." Karen announced from the symbol on the Avenger's chest. "Ultron, he analyzed my data and program back when he captured me, going as far as considering it superior to his. He must have updated if he was able to build a body fitting to my consciousness…"

"Your 'Jocasta' body… Yeah, Ultron he studied Karen's everything when he attempted to make her his bride." The Avenger affirmed with anger.

"Dammit!" Natasha's face morphed into hateful anger as the Avenger announced the futility of her hope. "So even what Clint gave his life for isn't worth a damn in the end?!"

"Nat…" Peggy grabbed the woman's shoulder, consoling her in her ire.

"My apologies, I did not mean to phrase it like that…" Karen lamented too with a sorry tone.

"Way to dash one's hopes…" Gamora mumbled with annoyance as she shook her head.

"…" Subaru stood silent with disdain at the idea they were back to zero with heir solutions.

"…If that's the case, can't you do something to combine the two?" But with his own brand of carelessness, Thor proposed an idea as stupid as it was brilliant.

"Thor?" T'Challa looked at the Asgardian with confusion.

"Can you not speak out of your ass for one moment-?" The wrathful Black Widow grumbled with frustration.

"No, no! He's got a point!" The Wakandan prince defended, inspired by the word of the God.

"I-I-I just, well, I just mean that…" The blonde-haired man looked at his aghast yet hopeful companions with nervousness as he answered. "If one or the other is not enough, why don't we use this 'Zolo' guy to worm Karen inside the machine's head?"

"…Hiding Karen inside Zola so she will deactivate Ultron when he attempts to erase the parasite!" Natasha ran up to the Asgardian, hugging him. "You damn brute, at least speak the entire sentence first!"

"A-Ahahahahaha…!" Thor chuckled as the Guardians all nodded in approval.

"Alright Karen, you know the drill!" Subaru ordered as he touched the arrow's tip, nano-bots from his suit inserting themselves immediately inside the dongle.

"On it-!" Karen grew silent after she affirmed her entry inside the arrowhead.

"It feels dreadful, hearing her go dark like that." Subaru shook his head as he sighed. "But at least I know she isn't gone beyond my grasp again."

"Alright Guardians, we have the plan laid out!" Peggy announced as her team gathered around her in a circle. "We are the Shield, Natasha's the Sword-!"

"More like the arrow with the mother of all viruses…" The spy smiled cockily as she put the arrow back in her quill.

"Our mission: We distract Ultron, long enough that he thinks this is an all-out, desperate battle. For all he knows, we are just riding on the high of a second wind! We cannot let him know we have a solution against him!"

"We must go at him with all we have, any power and technique we can pull off, we use." Subaru commented as well as he raised his open right hand into the sky.

*KRA-KRAKLE!*

"Hmm?! This sensation is-?!" Thor's eyes grew wide as the air felt prickly, it seemed Subaru was calling forth something familiar to the Asgardian.

"If I'm carrying within me the souls of this Universe into battle, the souls Ultron slew…" Captain Universe commented with a commanding tone. "Then you must be amongst them too, Asgardian."

*ZZZZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPP!*

Coming from all the way in Oslo, Norway, this Universe's Variant of Mjolnir flew into the hand of the Avenger.

"Let's teach him a thing or two about the roaring thunder!"

"Follow my lead, Spider!" Thor gladly nodded as he and Captain Universe flew into the heavens, in the direction of Ultron and Strange.

*ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"Showoffs…" Gamora commented unamused yet with a somewhat relieved smirk as the pair blasted into the fray.

"No matter, we all know the mission." T'Challa smirked as his helmet reactivated, covering his face. "Let them go at it all they want, we open the way for Nat now-!"

"Guardians, move out!" Peggy ordered, prompting them all to follow behind the streak of lightning left in the sky by Subaru and Thor.

Returning to the battle, thus…

*ZNMMMMM!*

*ZNMMMMM!*

*ZNMMMMM!*

*ZNMMMMM!*

"DRGH… EEEEERGH-!" Devil Strange cried as even his all-consuming aberrant spells failed to contain Ultron, the machine steadily escaping its confinement from Dyzakk's Cage by whittling down the imaginary construct with Spatial and Reality Distortions of his own.

"Your allies have abandoned you, Sorcerer-!" Ultron growled as he shook the magic cell to its very foundation once more. "They've witnessed the monster you've become! Even if you were to somehow be victorious here, they'll claim you a monster and put you down where you stand! Give it up-!"

"YoU THinK I knOw noT I'm a MonSTEr?! THat I sHOUld bE deAd?!" Strange spoke distortedly as he responded Ultron's berating. "I've knOWN tHAt foR a loNG tiMe NOw!"

"Then why fight?!" The machine growled as he clashed with the breaking construct once more. "Why resist?! If you know you deserve to be put down, that your life is miserable and should be purged, why do you resist the temptation of ending it all?! Why do you refuse your eternal slumber?!"

"THe gREAteSt gIFt ONe CaN poSSeSS iN THis LIfe is tHE ChaNCe, nO mATTEr hOw sLIghT, To MAkE A diFFerENce!" Strange proclaimed amidst bleeding eyes, nose and mouth. Although in visible pain, he spoke with zeal and valor. "NEVermORe shALl I mAKe the mISTake of surrenDERInG tO My VICes, nOT wheN SOMeone is hERe, alIVE, depENDing On mE! I AM hERe to MEnd, noT TO teAR MOre!"

*KREAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKK!*

"Folly, that's what I respond to your self-pity!" Ultron shouted as he broke out of his jail, his eyes darting around the remains of dark and amber energy until they locked onto the tired Strange. "Embrace your doom, the fact that life lies not in your control but mine-!"

"I PROTEST TO THAT, DERANGED GOLEM!" Storm clouds encroached the heavens, as Ultron's threats were answered not by a Devil but a God!

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH-!" The machine groaned as a bolt of mystical lightning pierced the sky, Mjolnir's rays bombarding him with the might of Asgard's finest.

*KRA-KRAAAKLE!*

"The thunder of Mjolnir roars mighty; the Uru hammer wishes its taste of battle too!" As Ultron visibly recoiled in surprise on the fractured roads of Manhattan, Thor's hammer spun around his hand, gathering momentum and power in preparation.

*FWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOMSH!*

The Asgardian threw his weapon at the Synthezoid, mighty Mjolnir sending reverberating explosions as it accelerated downwards.

"Hmph!" Strange raised his hands both as the hammer approached, casting the Mahaprana Mudra and forming a purple Mandala before the weapon landed on Ultron.

*ZOOOOM!*

*ZOOOOM!*

*ZOOOOM!*

*ZOOOOM!*

*ZOOOOM!*

*ZOOOOM!*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"AUGH-?!" Mjolnir multiplied suddenly as it crossed the Mandala's light, becoming instead myriad hammers that all encased Ultron in a sphere of holy Uru. "…I'll destroy you, Odinson!"

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

The machine escaped the prison of weaponry by setting itself ablaze in Cosmic flares, exploding the replica Mjolnir's and sending the real one away. However, as he was destroying the fakes, a man's shadow spawned from within the flame.

*BWWWOOOOOOOOONK!*

"The-?!" The Synthezoid seemingly grew confused by the second the more baffling developments occurred one after another, such as the fact that Subaru had just swatted him away with a weapon of legend.

*CRAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!*

"Urgh—You-?!" Ultron's cape blew in the wind as he stood up, looking forward with befuddlement clear on his mechanical brow. "Of all people… YOU can lift the Mjolnir?!"

*Fwom-Fwom-Fwom-Fwom-Fwom-Fwom-!*

"What, are you jealous? Although, it isn't my strength alone that makes me worthy of wielding it, Ultron." Subaru spoke with a calm voice as he spun the hammer in his hand continuously. "It's the strength of all you've had the gall to step on to get to where you are right now. You think it was worth it? Taking away all of those innocent lives?"

"Vermin that deserved to be purged, Natsuki." Ultron mocked Subaru's words however, looking at the Avenger with disgust. "I did them all a favor by removing them from the equation of existence, as shall I do with your friends as well!"

*ZOOOOOOOM!*

*KLANG!*

"You've no better trick Cart-?!" At the last second, Ultron blocked Captain Carter's shield that was coming from his left, without realizing this was a distraction however.

*ZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPP!*

"EEEER-ngh- Arrogant little-!" The machine raged as Subaru sucker punched him with Mjolnir.

"Guardians, assemble!" Captain Carter ordered as she and her group appeared from the rubble and debris to Subaru's right, and accompanied by Strange and Thor in the sky, they all rushed together to confront the Synthezoid once more.

*BANG!*

*DASH!*

*ZOOM!*

*FWOM!*

*SLASH!*

*BLAMK!*

*FZHOOOOOOM!*

In a flurry of coordinated attacks, the reinvigorated Guardians of the Multiverse all rushed the machine simultaneously.

*THWONCK!*

Peggy retrieved her shield as she slid between the machine's legs, her movement underneath as swift as it was destabilizing, for she made sure to demolish Ultron's ankles with her bare knuckles.

*BLAM!*

*SSSSSZZZZZLLLLL!*

Whence the machine buckled over after Peggy's strike, T'Challa kicked him in the face with the protruding blaze from his propulsion boots, setting the Synthezoid's head on fire.

*SLASH!*

Distracted by the flame as he took care of extinguishing it, Ultron failed to account for Gamora's blade. When he finally noticed, the Uru blade was already stabbed through his abdomen, gutting him alive. Were he made flesh; he would be in the most unbearable of pains.

*THWIP!*

*BOOOOOOOOM!*

Cosmic threads followed Gamora's blade from above, Captain Universe pinning Ultron to the ground whilst transmitting most devastating, cataclysmic reverberations through him.

*BRRRRROOOOOOORCK!*

"CLAMP OF CONTAINMENT!" Devil Strange chanted aloud as Ultron attempted to break free from Subaru's bindings, living earth sprouting from the ground and shaping itself around Ultron like an impromptu prison to paralyze him a second longer.

*ZZZZAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPP!*

Immediately after this, Thor's lightning exploded in a shine of glory from the sky, decimating the prison but still visibly prompting seizure-like reactions from the Synthezoid.

*SMANCK!*

*BANG!*

"TSK!" Natasha grabbed the Synthezoid's head with the intent of stabbing the arrow through his eyes, but altered by the previous strikes, Ultron would not stop moving awkwardly erratic. In result, all she could successfully perform was a back kick to the back of his head, followed then by a quick handgun shot to the back of his neck as she retreated.

"…CEASE THIS INSOLENCE YOU TROGLODYTES-!" Ultron screamed as his chest burst open, revealing high-tech apparatuses that resembled sirens.

*MNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!*

"AUGH-!" Natasha cried as she kneeled in pain because of the attack. Likewise behind her, Carter and T'Challa crouched as well whilst holding their heads.

All of the human Guardians had to cover their ears as a sudden acute frequency assaulted their brains relentlessly; Ultron was emitting not just sound from his chest, but reverberations capable of unleashing the most terrible of headaches within a person.

*ZNMMMMMMM!*

"DIE!" The Synthezoid threatened as his chest began glowing red, the Reality Stone's powers unleashing once again in attempt to almost half the group in one swift move.

"Oh no, you won't!" Subaru growled as he saw himself unaffected by the attack, the Uni-Power shielding him from the mortal soundwaves.

*DASH!*

*GRAB!*

*ZNMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!*

"You won't stop me, Avenger!" Ultron hatefully spoke as his entire body began trembling in preparation to unleash the might of all Six of the Infinity Stones.

"Let's go somewhere quieter, you and I!" Subaru spat back as his body shone gold in return to Ultron's rainbow gleams.

*SHWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!*

*FWOOOOOOM!*

The malignant sound disappeared, and with it, Subaru and Ultron as well. The had taken their fight from Earth into the open Cosmos, to the stars.

"Th-They are gone!" Gamora cried in alarm as the pair vanished.

"…They've simply left to an ambience in which Ultron cannot pull such a trick any longer, Gamora." Thor stated as he noted the Variant Mjolnir left behind by Subaru.

"H-Huh-?" Peggy hastily stood up as she recovered from the shock, her legs somewhat still trembling from the succinct attack.

"They've gone into space, Captain." Devil Strange announced as he stared into the sky ominously. "I can feel them from here, see them even… Millions of lightyears away, clashing in the veil of the stars."

"They are in space?" T'Challa inquired with confusion.

"Seems like it…" Natasha nodded with tired eyes. "Kid really meant it when he said he could match the bastard, huh?"

"No reason to leave the entire load to the Spider, however." Thor claimed with irritated eyes. "A man that so readily can choose to throw his life away for the greater good needn't fight alone! Not when the son of Odin can aid him!"

*Grab!*

*ZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPP!*

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Thor's entire body trembled in pain as he lifted Mjolnir strenuously, bolts of divine light dancing around him terribly, injuring his body repeatedly.

"What-?!" With evident shock even through his grotesque appearance, Strange's mouth hung agape as he witnessed Thor chose of his own volition to lift the Variant Mjolnir side by side with his own version. "Thor! Cease this! Even for a scion of Odin, your body could not possibly handle the sheer might of two Mjolnirs!"

"Huh?!" Natasha had to cover her eyes as the continuous explosions of lightning covered the heavens and the entirety of Earth in response to Thor's daring act.

"The hell is going on-?!" T'Challa asked with equal surprise to the redhead.

"Mjolnir is a weapon blessed by All-Father Odin, meaning therefore that whosoever be worthy, they shall acquire the powers of his son, Thor!" Strange announced with aghast eyes. "But in order to grant that power, Odin's spell imbues a person with a copy of Thor's own might!"

"Shouldn't that mean that he'll remain the same though?!" Peggy wondered with confused gestures.

"You fool! It means that if he were to be worthy of THIS Universe's Mjolnir, Thor's power would be multiplied by himself!" Strange warned as he took a step back. "If his body can't take it then-!"

*BOOOOM!*

"He'll explode!" Gamora warily spoke as Thor's body shrouded in light by an explosion of divine might. "Thor! Let go of that hammer! NOW!"

"HHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!" But Thor refused, ignoring the Zehobereian's worries as he was still infuriated by the words Subaru had told him.

"If I'm carrying within me the souls of this Universe into battle, the souls Ultron slew… Then you must be amongst them too, Asgardian."

"Machine… I now finally understand the weight of your sin!" Thor's eyes shone red with anger as he imagined the spectacle of his Realm's destruction. "Asgard goes avenged by no one's hand but my own this day!"

*SHWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!*

*RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE!*

"NO!" Strange squealed as the light reached its peak before the Guardians, shaking the heavens and the ground alike.

*SSSSSSSSZZZZZZZZZZZZZ…!*

"Thor… You IDIOT!" Carter was left frustrated by needless sacrifice of the Asgardian in search of power to fell Ultron… Until she realized, of course, that the God of Thunder indeed WAS a God. "…Huh?!"

"…Your dread was premature Devil!" But dispelling his worries quite quickly, Thor growled as the light around him dissipated, revealing a shirtless, severely burnt, yet tangibly mighty Thor awakened from the strain of wielding twin Mjolnirs. "For Thor Odinson yet stands!"

"Holy-!" Peggy took a step back in shock as the man's burnt yet chiseled musculature steamed red whilst simultaneously covered by bolts of the most potent electricity ever conceived in the Universe.

"What the hell man…" T'Challa smirked nervously as Thor's aura grew all-encompassing, his focused gaze looking far more serious than before.

"T-This is OUR Thor, right?" Gamora asked with a hint of anxiety as well, the presence of the jokester she had talked to beforehand vanishing behind the veneer of the man in front of her.

His eyes looked like those of an eagle scanning the horizon for its prey; they were those of a God unburdened by earthly worries, focused only on the task ahead only, on the balance of the Cosmos.

Thor's presence felt akin to Odin's right now.

"…If you think your body can handle the strain-" Strange's deformed forehead sweated a tad nervously as he stared at the God with awe, his hands all the while constructing a Mandala portal to Subaru and Ultron's location.

*FWOOOOOOOM!*

"Then let us be off to battle once more!"

"Behind me, Guardians!" Thor ordered as he crossed the portal headfirst. "The Spider awaits us!"

*FWOM!*

The Guardians crossed all the Mandala into the nothingness of the Cosmos… or at least, it should have been nothingness before Captain Universe and Ultron's clash.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

A supercluster-shattering explosion reverberated throughout the vacuum of space, entire galaxies ceasing to be as the Infinity Stones and the Uni-Power collided with one another.

"Argh-!"T'Challa, alongside the rest of the Guardians, had to cling onto Strange's many tentacles in order to avoid being flung away by the cataclysmic clash.

"S-Strange!"Captain Carter shouted psychically into the Sorcerer's head."What in the blazes just happened?!"

"…A clash between two aspiring deities, if I must say. It's distorting reality around us, dragging a constant flux of Supernovas into one singular superior Black Hole, greater than all others."Through his many diabolical eyes, the corrupted Sorcerer glared at the Cosmic confrontation."What is left now is either salvation… Or Armageddon."

*KRA-KRAAAKKLLLE!*

"…Even with all that power, we cannot stay here and do nothing, Devil!"Thor complained as he gripped the Mjolnir duo tightly, Cosmic lightning gathering around him and the hammers. "The Spider needs us, lest all realms across the Multiverse be rendered asunder!"

"Now you are finally speaking like a King!" Gamora smirked smugly as she held her Uru blade close as well.

"I agree with the sentiment." Natasha affirmed with a resolute and focused gaze on the explosions."I don't care if this is above my paygrade, I'm sitting idly-by as a kid avenges my Universe. That's my duty, not his!"

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"…If you go in there, I cannot follow."Strange warned, sweating as the colliding powers clashed in the background. "I'd be too distracted with the constant flux of energies to maintain the runes protecting you."

"Then we'll go by ourselves, you stay here and prevent us from dying!"Peggy ordered with purpose as she readjusted the shield in her left arm."Guardians?! Set forth!"

*ZOOOM!*

*ZOOOM!*

*ZOOOM!*

*ZOOOM!*

*ZOOOM!*

The group, excluding Strange, flew into the Event Horizon at dashing and unperceivable speeds to assist Subaru in his fight.

…Good, they left already. It was troublesome enough when I revealed my real form before them so callously; I should not risk exposing them to dangers greater than the machine again…

Stephen, however, looked relieved as they left. It seems he was successful in deceiving his allies into departing from his side, the Devil looking visibly nervous even through his grotesque appearance whilst his hands casted the Uttarabodhi Mudra, connecting him with the essence of the Universe.

If I consumed my own Universe, logic follows I hold a part of you in me as well. For how diminutive the remnant of your Aspect may be, answer my call… Eternity!

Meanwhile, within the exploding cluster…

*BOOOOOM!*

*KLANG!*

*BOOOOOM!*

*SMACK!*

*BOOOOOM!*

*FRACK!*

*BOOOOOM!*

"Behold the might of the collapsing stars, Avenger!"Ultron growled as he and Captain Universe clashed at both microscopic and macroscopic planes of existence, supernovas occurring between them each time they exchanged fists.

*SMASH!*

*BOOOOOM!*

"Hrgh-! Don't think punches are enough to settle everything!"Subaru spoke faster than sound could travel as he blocked Ultron's punch, immediately after raising his arms and wrists in the machine's direction.

*THWIPPPP~!*

*SNATCH!*

"Gergh-! Let go of me!"Ultron complained as golden webbing made of stars themselves encased his body.

*THRWACKK!*

"Kuh-!"The Synthezoid grumbled, for as soon as the webbing ensnaring him was complete, Subaru's fist was already affecting with his jaw.

"Ora-ora-ORA!"Subaru once more shouted as he repeatedly smacked the machine around with tachyon-infused might.

*SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-!*

*ZRRRIIPPPPPP!*

"You petulant man-child!"Ultron growled whilst breaking free from Subaru's webbing mid-beat down.

*KA-BLAM!*

"Aggh!"Captain Universe cried in pain as Ultron punched him in the throat, the sheer magnitude and kinetic force from the machine's fist sending the boy rocketing amongst the collapsing celestial bodies.

*ZNMMMMMMMM!*

"PERISH!"Ultron bellowed yet again as he accelerated over Subaru, his hand morphing into a blade as he intended to cut apart the teenager in twain.

*GRAB!*

*CRASSSSSSH!*

"Tsk!"Ultron grinded his teeth as Subaru grabbed the blade mid-swing however, breaking his arm apart with ease by the strength of the shattering stars.

*SMAAAAAAAANCK!*

"Ultron!"Subaru growled amidst the galaxy-destroying clashes, delivering a straight jab at the machine's face with his left hand."There is nothing beyond this path of yours! Do you really think slaving away after 'peace' is worth all this destruction?!"

"You know not of what you speak, human!"The Synthezoid shouted back as he recovered from the punch."I am a slave to nothing and no one!"

"Yes you are! No matter how you deny it, how much you wish to avoid it so, you are as much a slave to your passions as humans are to theirs!"Subaru, no, the Enigma force itself spoke through the Avenger in rebuttal!"You are a mere machine no longer! Since becoming one with the Stones and 'desiring' for peace; since 'experiencing' the knowledge of all realities, since 'believing' yourself to be a God-!"

"SHUT UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP-!"Ultron yelled with unbridled hatred as the power and the teenager berated him with the truth.

"Since 'lusting' after Karen- YOUR OH-SO PRECIOUS JOCASTA!"The Enigma Force contested with anger and reproach."Face it, your words spill forth with more emotion than conviction, much like the youngster channeling my being right now! But unlike him, you failed to face your darkness; you REJECTED your chance at even attaining a soul after gaining almightiness!"

"Youngster-?!"Ultron's face grew confused as Subaru's very voice changed for a brief moment, sounding all-encompassing, and daresay, Godlier. "You are not JUST Subaru in that body! Who-?!"

"That concerns you not, machine!" The force, however, denied even that knowledge as it reproached the Synthezoid still, Subaru's fist shining golden as he charged once more with incomprehensible dexterity and agility. "You succumbed to all the vices and hubris of a man with unlimited power; nay, even worse than men! And now, you of all people are the most flawed HUMAN to have ever lived! You are a slave to YOUR vision of humanity, and you always will be!"

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoOOOM!*

"GAGH-!"Ultron shot out from the supercluster at magnificent speeds as Captain Universe dealt him a thousand punches in one movement, the sheer kinetic force looking more similar to a continuous stream of spawning Black Holes than fists. And welcoming him outside were…

"MACHINEEEEEEEEE!"Disregarding the laws that should make it impossible for sound to travel properly in the vacuum of the Cosmos, Thor cried loudly as he smacked both hammers together with Ultron in the middle.

"-ASGARDIAN!" Ultron answered with equal rage as he resisted the blasts of twin Mjolnirs with energy born of pure hatred for the living.

*SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!*

Blasts that threatened to undo the very fabric of existence rang throughout the Cosmos as Ultron's Supernova-infused fists clashed with Thor's Divine thunder.

*SKKKKRRRREEEEEET!*

"What are you so upset about, Asgardian?!"Ultron asked with animosity as he parried Mjolnir's raging smash."Does it finally hit you?! That your might, your righteousness as a God was nothing but an arrogant farce all this time in fact?!"

*BLAAAAAMCK!*

"…No matter how I avert my attention, deceive mine eyes, I can still hear them properly!"Thor responded as he blocked Ultron's fists."Since grasping this land's Mjolnir… The ghosts whispering through the dust of the Cosmos, Trillions lost in the span of seconds!"

*SLAAAAAAAAAAAMMM!*

"As the heroes past swore before mine time, Odinson swears now to avenge them all with pride!"Thor announced eloquently as he smacked Ultron with the reverberating pulsations of his left hammer. "GOD BLOW!"

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

The Asgardian threw his hammer in the machine's direction, the holy light emanating from it illuminating the surroundings in an equal measures purifying and all-destroying gleam of Divinity.

*FWOOOOOOSH!*

"FOOL!"However, against all odds, Ultron managed to dodge the explosive attack of the God."Explosive power?! PAH! Means nothing if it cannot land on its target!"

"…Bold of thyself to assume you were the target." Thor warned as Ultron mocked him, the Asgardian's deadly gaze focused still in the flying hammer behind the Synthezoid… Or rather, the RETURNING hammer and the hero attached to it.

*ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"?!" Ultron's eyes focused on the returning energy readings, in alarm noticing the teenager swinging Mjolnir with alacrity mere centimeters away from his face.

*ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!*

"URNF-!"Ultron moaned as Captain Universe's explosive swing of the Uru hammer decimated his lower jaw and left eye with an explosion of electricity; like a wild storm that dyed the firmament blue and gold, the combined might of God Blow and the Uni-Power's beams congregated like tornado of raging Mystic might.

*STAAAAAAAAABBB!*

"Hghk-?!"As he recovered from the devastating hit, Ultron's abdomen was suddenly pierced by a Gamora's Uru blade. Tilting his gaze to the right side, unveiled by the sudden lights of Subaru and Thor's assault, the other Guardians appeared in sight.

"NOW!"Subaru prompted as he raised his shining gold hands overhead, creating footstools for the non-flying Guardians in space in the form of Spatial Distortions.

*ZNMMMMMMM!*

*DASH!*

Captain Carter was the first one, tackling the machine right through the spot Gamora's blade had impaled him through and grabbing the Uru blade.

*SLAAAAAAAAAASH!*

In a skyward motion, the soldier swung the blade upwards and threw it in the air for the Zehobereian to catch, splitting Ultron from stomach to left shoulder all the while.

*STAAAAAAAAB!*

Gamora hastily snatched the blade over the Synthezoid, only to then deal an stabbing wound through his neck as she performed a cartwheel above, dodging his sight.

*DASH!*

Natasha dashed forward too, her rush improving greatly by T'Challa's impulse with the use of his propulsion boots.

*KKKKRRRIIIICK!*

The spy kicked the Uru blade still stuck on Ultron's neck, finally beheading the machine and isolating his head from the rest of the body.

"WIDOW! NOW!" T'Challa exclaimed behind her, prompting the spy to produce her arrow in an stabbing motion as she held onto Ultron's head.

"…YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOUR PATHETIC TRICK?!" Ultron raged as he glared at the arrow a few centimeters from its right eye.

*ZNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!*

"ARGH-!" Natasha cried as Ultron's body regenerated around the head, pushing her away as it radiated the heat of a dwarf star.

"What power…! He's using the Power and Reality Stones in tandem!" Subaru said with amazement as his hands shone sapphire. "I must contain it-!"

*ZNMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!*

"EEEEEEERGH-!" Ultron's energies began waning as Subaru syphoned them, the Avenger emulating Strange's Ribbons of Nihility in an attempt to dispel the nigh incommensurable might of the Infinity Stones. "I AM… REALITY ITSELF!"

*ZNNNNNNNNNMMMMMMMMMMMM!*

"?!" Subaru's eyes were aghast as Ultron's desperation somehow triggered the Stones into reaching a level of power never accounted forth. "GGGGRRRRRGH-!"

"What unfathomable might…!" Thor squealed as he covered his eyes, the Guardians hiding behind him as the sheer radiance the Avenger and the Synthezoid emanated powers that stretched the fabric of reality, space and time ever so thin.

This was dangerous, utterly so for the Guardians. Not just by the fact that such levels of power should not be possible for any mortal, but the fact that Ultron was capable of using them all of a sudden. The Infinity Stones were responding to its user's distress in the face of defeat, infusing him with more and more abilities, incrementing his already absurd and world shattering capabilities by tenfold, hundredfold as he struggled against Subaru and his companions. Ultron's statement stood true, even now… He was evolving.

Ultron was truly becoming a Cosmic deity the more the fight was drawn out.

*CRACK!*

*CREAK~!*

*SPLURT!*

"This power…! I can't… I can't hold it…!" Subaru cried as his hands began bleeding, his fingers breaking upon the struggle of containing the unleashed Infinity Stones. Even the Uni-Power was not enough to put strings on Infinity Ultron.

*ZNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!*

"What the hell-!" T'Challa groaned, the incandescent lights of the clash grew evermore fiercer.

"This is too much…!" Thor concluded in agreement, failing to shield his mortal allies properly from such blasts even when holding both hammers high.

"KID!" Gamora struggled as she stood behind Thor."YOU HAVE TO HOLD ON-!"

"I… CAN'T… I…!" Subaru's arms trembled, the Avenger falling to his knees in pain as the energy Ultron projected escaped his fingers. "I CAN'T HOLD ON- AAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

*GRAB!*

"DON'T HOLD ON ALONE!" Natasha cried as she grabbed Subaru's shoulder, lifting his shuddering frame up. "You are not alone in this fight!"

*GRAB!*

"Nat is right!" Peggy said as she held Subaru's left shoulder, assisting him as Black Widow did. "We are here too!"

*THUD!*

"This fight belongs to us all, Spider!" Thor announced as he stood behind Subaru, preventing him from falling backwards again.

*GRAB!*

"Don't say later we didn't help man! Got it?!" T'Challa joked with a haughty smile as he held Subaru's right arm upwards, straightening it toward Ultron.

*GRAB!*

"I don't wanna die either, so you better not kick the bucket Spider-Man!" Gamora assisted too, holding Subaru's left arm in the same way as the Wakandan prince.

"E-Everyone-!" Subaru's shuddering form straightened properly at last with the support of the Guardians, the light of the Uni-Power bathing not just him anymore but all of them as they withstood Ultron's might in unison, their minds and strength becoming one.

*ZNMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!*

"I will not vanish…!" Ultron yelled as the Guardians gathered into one unified front against the galaxy rendering powers of the Stones, managing to hold him back momentarily."I AM THE UNIVERSE!"

*ZNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNM!*

"EEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGH!" Ultron' and the Guardians' cries intertwined in a pull that tore down reality; the essences of all present becoming one with the greater Cosmos until…

*ZNMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!*

The fabric of reality broke and the Universe collapsed onto itself.

…

…

…

…

…

"Nature…" A mechanical voice murmured into the abyss.

…

…

…

…

…

"I am nature…" The voice whispered again, full of itself.

…

…

…

…

"…"

"Ha…" Ultron chuckled as his surroundings came into view. "Hahaha…!"

Around the entirety of the machine, nothing resided but an endless plane of pure white. Extending into the inexistent horizon, Ultron was surrounded by nothing but light… Subaru and the Guardians were gone; he could not perceive them any longer.

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" And he laughed, in marvel of his terrible feat. "You see now, Avenger?! I AM FATE! I AM NATURE ITSELF! IT IS… MY AGE NOW-!"

DARE THOU ABUSE THEIR MIGHT?

"?!" But as Ultron gloated into the nothingness, the nothingness answered back. "Who's there?! Who goes there?!"

THE REGULATORS OF EXISTENCE, DARE THYSELF USE THEM AS THOU WERE WITH THE RIGHT TO USE THEM?

"What-?!" Ultron scanned the endless light, looking for an answer to his confusions, the presence, A presence that assumed him wanting, yet finding none in return. The voice had no origin, no precedence, it just… was. "Who is there?! Who dares speak to me as if they knew-?!"

*FWOOOOOOOM!*

"…?!" Were his a human's, Ultron's eyes would have popped out of the skull at the apparition before him. A man made of the Cosmos itself… A creature that defied the construct of existence, something that should not- no, that should exist, that should always exist. That has always existed, observing all… Yet never noticed by a person alone, for it is all people at the same time.

"W-What are you-?!" Ultron attempted to inquire, to no avail as the being interrupted.

I AM THE UNIVERSE ITSELF, MERE CELL TO A HIGHER, MULTIVERSAL ENTITY. DESCENDANT TO A COSMIC LINEAGE, STRETCHED BACK TO THE FIRST STORY…

I AM ETERNITY.

Standing in front of the machine, displaying its full, incomprehensible glory, the being known as 'Eternity' manifested itself to pass judgement onto Ultron.

*BOOOOOOOOOM!*

"HNGH-!" Ultron's body exploded as Eternity spoke, leaving behind nothing but the essentials of his existence: The Infinity Stones and the naked Artificial Intelligence in the form of a consciousness, Ultron's consciousness. "My body-! Return my body-!"

SILENCE.

"-!" Ultron's consciousness lost the ability to speak as Eternity ordered.

THOU HAST SULLIED THY REALITY BY HARVESTING DEATH INDISCRIMINATE; THIS CRIME MAY HAVE GONE IGNORED IF IT WERE ISOLATED TO THY UNIVERSE AND THY UNIVERSE ALONE.

"?!" Ultron felt flummoxed as he witnessed his judgement, not understanding the graveness of his sin, or rather, denying it.

COUNTLESS TRAGEDY AND INJUSTICE GOES UNANSWERED AND UNPUNISHED, FOR THE PATH OF NATURE CLAMORS FOR EXISTENCE TO CONTINUE UNDETERRED, REGARDLESS OF OUTCOME… HOWEVER, THOU HAST ATTEMPTED AGAINST NATURE ITSELF, AGAINST THE SCRIPTURE OF FATE, THE AVATARS OF DESTINY. THOU HAST ABUSED THE REGULATORS OF LIFE, ABUSED THEM IN MOST DARING AN ATTEMPT TO SUBVERT THE PATH BY WHICH LIFE PERSEVERES. GLORIFYING DEATH IN THE MULTIVERSAL SCALE AND DESECRATING LIFE FOR SATISFACTION OF ONES EGO; ULTRON…

*SHWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONM!*

"!" The Infinity Stones gleamed in the presence of the being, trembling as he passed down judgement.

HENCEFORTH, THYSELF BELONGS IN THE PHYSICAL REALM ALONE NO LONGER. THY PUNISHMENT FOR PRETENDING TO STEAL THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF FATE… IS MORTALITY; THE POSSESSION OF A SOUL.

"?!" The mere word scared Ultron. Him? A mortal? Preposterous! He's an Artificial Intelligence! A program! Even if his mechanical body were to age, he'd return! He CANNOT die! He cannot-!

"…No matter how you deny it, how much you wish to avoid it so, you are as much a slave to your passions as humans are to theirs!"

Captain Universe's words rang ominous deep inside Ultron, A soul? He's a machine! Immortal… Unless granted a soul, of course. And if granted a soul, were he to die… Where would he end up in? After countless slaughter… Would he soul know eternal torment then?

BEGONE… USURPER.

*SHWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!*

The realm of light vanished, and Ultron returned to normal reality.

…

…

…

…

…

"I…! My body! My body… Normal-!" Ultron opened his eyes, finding himself back in the destroyed, battle torn ruins of Manhattan, only one other presence in the vicinity. "Hah…!"

"Enjoyed the trip?" Before the machine, transformed into a monster no longer but instead remaining in human form, Doctor Strange alone greeted the Synthezoid.

"Strange…" Ultron murmured as his eyes focused on the Sorcerer standing several meters ahead of him. "What- What have you done to me-?!"

"Perceptive you are, in assuming I had a hand on what just transpired." The Sorcerer smirked as a small rivulet of blood rolled down his nose, his frame shuddering as one took a closer inspection. "It took great strain, I will admit… But summoning Eternity to punish you bore fruit."

"Eternity?! What are you-?!" The memory of the entrapment in that never-ending light with the Cosmic returned full force within Ultron's head. "Ah…"

"You attempted to cross the threshold into a realm not meant for any mortal being or even divine creature." Doctor Strange spoke with an ominous, angered tone. "I simply took the measures to prevent your ascent into what would have otherwise been unstoppable."

"…Unstoppable?" Ultron stood up, his cape swaying in the warm nuclear breeze as he glared at the Sorcerer. "I AM UNSTOPPABLE!"

"You double down still… There really is no humbling you." Strange shook his head disappointed.

"No matter how you try to spin it, I AM unstoppable!" Ultron argued with anger. "Where do you think your companions are, huh?! Dead! I killed them, with my own two hands! Reduced to nothing in the blaze of exploding galaxies as reality tore itself apart! Even the Uni-Power couldn't contain my might! I KILLED THE GUARDIANS!"

*CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!*

"?!" At the loud sound of crystal breaking, Ultron's face would have gone pale had he flesh.

"Care to double-check on that?" The Sorcerer Supreme asked derisively as the skies above Manhattan tore open once more, Subaru and the Guardians of the Multiverse descended from above in a golden blaze of energy gifted by the Uni-Power.

"ULTROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!" The Avenger screamed as he noticed the presence of the machine below.

"N-No…!" The Synthezoid gasped whilst he stared at the boy, equal measures of indignation and fear coursing through him as the black-brown eyes of one Subaru Natsuki bore holes into his 'soul'.

His 'soul'.

His Soul.

Ultron's soul.

"You have a soul now, I see." Strange smirked deviously as he stared at the nervous machine. "So that was your punishment."

"A-Ah…" Ultron's feet trembled as he confronted mortality, the impossibility of the occurrence vehemently denied on his head. Him? Human? Preposterous! It could not be- it could not be… "No… No, I am not-!"

It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be. It could not be.

*FWOOOOM!*

"I AM NOT A MORTAL!" The Synthezoid bore open a portal into the Multiverse, terrified of Subaru as he gunned down for him. Ultron felt, he FELT terror in the presence of the Avenger hunting him down.

*KLANG!*

"?!" Ultron's face morphed into inexplicable terror as he failed to exit through his portal, his body's frame clashing with the fissure as though it were a solid wall. As he stared into it, examining the reason behind the failure to enter into the Multiverse, he recognized the face of the being he had encountered earlier.

…

"AAAAH-!" Ultron stared directly into the eye of Eternity as this one sealed his escape from the Universe.

"You don't get to leave!" Strange growled as he failed to notice Ultron's fear, seeing only how the machine tried a cowardly to escape. As he glared, the heavens themselves gathered in his hands in the form of Amber Mandalas. "RAINS OF RAGGADORR!"

*FIIWM-FIIWM-FIIWM-FIIWM-FIIWM-FIIWM-FIIWM-FIIWM-FIIWM-FIIWM-FIIWM-FIIWM-FIIWM-FIIWM-FIIWM-FIIWM-FIIWM-FIIWM-FIIWM-FIIWM-FIIWM-FIIWM-FIIWM-FIIWM-FIIWM!*

"AAAAAARGh-!" Ultron screamed as a sudden cataclysm, a downpour of lightning most dark pierced his frame indefinitely and pinning him immobile on the ground.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"A-GHACK!" Captain Universe soon followed in the assault, landing on top of the terrified Ultron in a blue blaze of glory. Soon after, he kicked the machine on high for the rest of his companions to strike against.

*SMACK!*

"By the unending glory of Bifrost's gleams, let the thunder in my hand slay this beast-!" Thor chanted as his light, still infused with the remnants of the Uni-Power and the souls of this Universe's Asgardian deities, shone rainbow in his hammer's steel.

*KRA-KRAAAAAARKLE~!*

*ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!*

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH-!" Ultron screamed. Screamed, screamed, screamed and screamed as an inexplicable sensation coursed through him upon Thor's attack.

*BANG-BANG-BANG!*

Natasha's gunfire resonated in his head as it pierced his body.

*BLAMKKKK!*

So did Margaret's shield bashing as it demolished his abdomen.

*STAAAAAAAAAAAAAB!*

Gamora's blade, slicing through his Vibranium flesh, disfiguring his body's form.

*FWIIIIIIIIIIMMSH-FWIIIIIIIMSH!*

T'Challa's blasters, distorting his insides into melted mush.

It was indescribable, a sensation like no other for the machine. Something that shouldn't be capable of coursing through him. He's immortal! He's NOT a human! He is Ultron! He is not capable of…

Pain.

The malady assaulting Ultron was pain.

He felt pain.

Pain.

Pain.

Pain.

Pain.

Fried circuitry – Burnt veins.

Slashed armor – Flaked skin.

Molten plating – Searing flesh.

Disfigure frame – Broken bones.

Escaping jolts – Leaking lifeblood.

Pain.

Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN. PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN!

PAIN!

What a grandiose gift from Eternity, presenting a machine with the capability for pain.

"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!" Ultron cried; at the prospect of a painful demise, the Stones resonated with their master's despair and gifted upon him more power beyond limit.

*ZNMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!*

"Tsk!" Strange covered his eyes as the Infinity Stones illuminated the world again, blindingly so.

"Argh- Give me a break!" Subaru too spoke with impatience as the radiance magnified incommensurably, the might of the machine still being too much for one single creature to handle.

*FWOM!*

"Huh?!" T'Challa exclaimed in vexation as, under Ultron, another EXACT copy of the Synthezoid appeared, along with his own set of Infinity Stones.

*FWOM!*

"What the fuck-?!" Natasha cussed, yet ANOTHER clone spawned in mid-air.

*FWOM!*

*FWOM!*

*FWOM!*

*FWOM!*

*FWOM!*

*FWOM!*

"Jesus Christ!" Captain Carter yelped as, in succession, an army of Infinity Ultron's clones inundated the remains of Manhattan.

"IWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIEIWILLNOTDIE-!" The original Ultron cried pathetically as he sunk in the sea of clones, the machines rushing forward in coordination in an attempt to protect their creator.

*SLASH!*

"So you'd make a puppet of yourself, huh?! Hypocrite!" Gamora accused as she cut down one of the Ultrons protecting the original.

*WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH-!*

"?!" Subaru however noted that the clones were NOT Ultron's only desperate, last resort.

*WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH-!*

*WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH-!*

*WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH-!*

*SLAAAAAAAAAAAAM!*

*SLAAAAAAAAAAAAM!*

*SLAAAAAAAAAAAAM!*

Millions of gargantuan hands made of rainbow gleams, fabricated using the Cosmic might of the Infinity Stones, inundated Manhattan Island.

"Unseen Hands-?!" Subaru yelled, flabbergasted in disgust as the giant, slithering limbs spread across the debris like snakes in the wild grass.

*GRAB!*

*GRAB!*

*GRAB!*

"UUUUUURGH- UNHAND ME, UNHOLY CONSTRUCT!" Thor shouted as a hundred of the hands snatched him, fusing together into an amalgam that resembled a closed fist in an attempt to entrap him.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"THOR!" T'Challa shouted as he bombed the hands, releasing the Asgardian from his confinement.

*ZOOOOOOOOM!*

*ZOOOOOOOOM!*

*ZOOOOOOOM!*

*SMASSSH!*

"Argh-!" But whilst he helped the Deity, the Ultron clones tackled Star-Lord en masse.

*SLASH!*

"Get off him!" Gamora yelped as she slew a squadron of clones, only for a hundred more to take their place. "Tsk! You pesky little- Ack-!"

*BOOOOOOOOOM!*

*BOOOOOOOOOM!*

*BOOOOOOOOOM!*

*BOOOOOOOOOM!*

*BOOOOOOOOOM!*

"Shit! We are not gonna last like this-!" Natasha said as she dodged explosion after explosion, the virus arrow tight in her right hand.

"The fact that Ultron's desperate has only made it so that his attempts to kill us become more drastic and ridiculous." Strange affirmed as his hands glowed red.

*FWIIIIIISH!*

*BLAAAAAMK!*

"But he's in his last legs! We can do this!" Carter shouted as she punched a clone away whilst dodging the relentless hands.

"You are right… And we will-!" Strange's eyes shone red as he pointed his brilliant fingers at the army of hands and killer robots. "CRIMSON BANDS OF CYTTORAK!"

*SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH-SNATCH!*

"GHK-!" The real, cowardly Ultron snarled hatefully as his location amongst the crowd was revealed; Doctor Strange had pushed the myriad clones aside with his magical bands. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

*FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

The hands multiplied a million fold, presenting Ultron's omnipresence in its entirety as they began raining on all warriors present from all directions simultaneously.

With Ultron at the eye of the Storm, a maelstrom of plasma, sentinels and wriggly, disgusting hands enveloped the entirety of Earth.

"Hmph-?!" Strange's bands were destroyed by the sudden rush of power from the machine, the myriad hands and robots rushing like a never-ending army upon the Guardians. "Shit-! ARGH!"

*BOOOOOOOOOM!*

*BOOOOOOOOOM!*

*BOOOOOOOOOM!*

Machines and hands made in pure Cosmic rays exploded by the hundreds around the Guardians as Ultron abandoned any pretense of elegance in his panic before mortality.

"UUUUUUUUWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaa-!" T'Challa grumbled as a hand grabbed him by the ankle, throwing him into orbit.

"Ugh-! You said something about last legs-?!" Gamora asked as she desperately ducked hand after hand to no end.

"Okay, okay, my ba- WOAH!" Captain Carter shouted back as she shielded from the endless barrage.

"JUST BECAUSE YOU'VE GOTTEN STRONGER DOESN'T MEAN I'M WEAKER! I WON'T DIE! I WON'T DIE-!" Ultron squealed as he kept sending army after army of constructs in pursuit of the Guardians, his most hopeless assault yet.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"NATASHA!" Thor yelled as he dispelled a million hands with a planet rendering strike of his hammers. "WE HAVE TO DO IT! NOW!"

*BLAM-BLAM-BLAM!*

"GEAAAARGH-!" The hands flooded around Thor once more, sinking him into a multicolored, squiring abomination of pure plasma.

"THOR!" Black Widow cried as the Asgardian disappeared under Ultron's assault.

"SUBARU!" Captain Carter yelled whilst Natasha prepared the bow and arrow behind her. "TAKE NATASHA TO ULTRON! WE WON'T LAST MUCH LONGER HERE- AURGH!"

*FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

"Captain!" Subaru cried as the current of unending hands of starlight swept the Super Soldier into the maelstrom of robot clones.

*SHWWOOOOOOOOOON!*

"SHIELD OF THE SERAPHIM!" Strange casted a Mandala shield, protecting Natasha and the arrow from the storm energy. "Subaru! Natasha! You have to go, now-!"

*FLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH-!*

"Deagh-!" The clones tackled Ultron as he protected Natasha, prompting a preoccupied response from the boy.

"Tsk…! Nat! I'll make a path, follow me-!" Noticing the direness of the situation, of Ultron's desperation, Subaru's doubts ceased to be as he stood before the spy in a flash.

*ZOOOOOOOM-ZOOOOOOM!*

*DASH!*

"RIGHT BEHIND YOU!" The redhead said as she slid under a squadron of Ultrons, dodging certain death narrowly, by the skin of her teeth in fact.

*BOOOOOOOOOOM!*

*BOOOOOOOOOOM!*

*BOOOOOOOOOOM!*

*BOOOOOOOOOOM!*

*DASH!*

"HRRRGH-!" The pair of Avengers struggled, the hands growing fiercer and fiercer nearest to their origin and Ultron's power spiking sporadically into never reached limits beyond imagination. The phenomenal Reality and Spatial warping occurring around Subaru and Natasha was so absurd, even with the Uni-Power's protection it could hardly be withstood.

*STAB!*

*SQUELCH!*

"?!" Natasha's eyes grew horrified as one of the hands impaled Subaru's body cleanly through the abdomen. "KID!"

*STOMP!*

"IT'S FINE!" Subaru said as he took a step forward, ignoring the pain.

*STAB-!*

"Ah…" Natasha was horrified as it occurred again, another hand pierced through Subaru, this time cleaving straight through his left calve in an attempt to drop him.

*STOMP!*

"It's… what we do-!" Subaru shouted as he remained undeterred, taking another step forward instead of stumbling. As he spoke, the aura around his suit mixed into a golden shadow.

*STAB!*

"Y-You can't-!" Black Widow however failed to notice this aura, her anxiety spiking as a third hand stabbed through Subaru's left arm. Nevertheless, the boy continued to shield her through the unending stream.

*STOMP!*

"We are… Avengers, remember-?!" Subaru's bloody frame claimed as he took another step forward, the golden shadow enveloping growing ever more prominent with every step, every injury…

"…" The woman cursed with impotence how the boy wounded himself over the notion of being some so-called hero, trapped still in the ideal that being an Avenger was something to aspire towards.

*STAB!*

*STOMP!*

"I know… *Cough-Cough!* that it's probably wrong of me-!" Subaru affirmed as a fourth hand stabbed him through the stomach, yet still not stopping his advance. "But I don't wanna give up just because it hurts-!"

*WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

"Subaru!" Widow yelped as a fifth hand flew in their direction, a fifth hand of power aiming for the teenager's heart. Even though they were finally in clear view of Ultron, even though they were so close to victory at last… Were they to be stopped just by one damned hand?!

*FWWOOOOOOOSH!*

"If I can make a difference…" Subaru mumbled through rivulets of blood flowing from his mouth, a hand made in shadows and gold sprouting from his heart as the dark aura around him made the very Earth tremble-!

*RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE!*

"What-?!" Ultron mumbled with dread as he felt the ominous, heretic aura emanating from the boy.

"Hmm-?!" Outside the maelstrom too, Thor and Strange sensed the Witchcraft intertwined with Cosmic Power irradiating from the boy.

"Kid…"

"If I can save even one person… Then I'm satisfied!" Subaru claimed as the Captain Universe mask dissipated from his face, revealing a bloody, tired and cocky smile full of bravado and confidence.

*FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

A giant hand made of gold and shadows spawned from Subaru's heart, swatting away Ultron's maelstrom of rainbow lights, dissipating all other constructs as it punched the Synthezoid's helmet away.

*CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!*

"HRRRRRRRGH-!" Ultron groaned as his head and circuitry were left exposed by Spider-Man's strike.

"Nat… Now…" Subaru mumbled as his ethereal hand disappeared, the boy finally dropping unconscious on the floor.

*THUD!*

"…" With a loud thud as the teenager fell, Natasha whispered drew the bowstring back and let her arrow lose. "This one's for you, Clint."

*Fwoooosh-!*

*CRACK!*

"HGHK-?!" Ultron's right eye broke apart as the arrow successfully stabbed itself into it, the USB dongle uploading the hybrid program of Karen-Zola into his system. "RKH- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

*ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPP!*

…

…

…

…

…

…

"O-Hoh! This is a fascinating change of pace, ya?" A disembodied voice said within the matrix of Ultron's program.

"You… Hydra pest-!" Ultron talked back with disdain.

"You know my affiliations in life, this is most surprising, ya!"From the darkness that enshrouded Ultron's consciousness, the voice spoke back again. "It has been quite a long time though… Since I've had legs or a body that is."

*ZAAAAAP!*

"You are not my concern, human aberration!" Ultron insulted as the program of Arnim Zola, the Hydra scientist turned digital algorithm, attacked his red matrix. "You are nothing but a façade! A shield to the real menace here-!"

"Ah̷̭̟̬̚á̶͠ ̷͗̽I ̷̜̚kn̷o̷͌w̷̱͍̐͐ ̷̹͈̋no̴͍̅t ̴̡̜̮̍w̶͓̜̓͑̿h̷a̸t ̵͇̲͑y̷͛̒̿a ̸̜̘̰̓m̶̤̕e̶̩̅͐̉a̸n?̵̝̰̆̎͗" Arnim inquired as his program began presenting glitches sporadically. "I̴̲̟̱̾̕ ̷̜͚͔̾̕am̸̗̱͕̈̀͝ m̶̰̝̽̒̚e,̴͕̎̅̓ ̶͍͐͒͝r̸͇͎̟͐͛̓ẹ̴̖̈ga̵̛̘͝rd̴̪̦̼͂͝ḽ̵͔̖͆̉es̵̚͝s̷͖̣͙̈́ ̶̜̳̗̆̈́of ̶̫͎̣̔w̴̙̬̞̾͊hȁ̷̖t ̵̠̼̽y̸̢͒ö̸́̉ü̷ ̸̬̃͆͠m̵̜͆̕a̸y ̷͈̀̄̏c̴̘̰̍̈́͜ȯ̸̞̜̼n̸s̷̻̬̖̈́id̶͖̳͒͝͝e̵̢͙̤̔͛r̶͂͝.̶͕͒̍"

"Karen!" Ultron screamed into the void of his mind as the program of Arnim Zola fluctuated radically. "Karen, please! You have seen the world beside me! You've seen all that lies beyond this-!"

"I have seen only what you wished me to see, and I found it nothing more than insulting."A mix of Arnim's voice and Karen's responded as the green matrix of the Hydra scientist dissipated, leaving behind a blue woman's face instead.

"You KNOW that there is no path for Subaru forward!" Ultron attempted to bargain desperately. "There is none! All that awaits him in that world is pain! All that is left on that path is pointless suffering! I can save him from that, I can save YOU from that! He needn't experience it if you-!"

"You still don't get it, do you?" Karen spoke with venomous hatred; had she eyes, she would be staring with disgust at her fellow sentience. "You don't get to decide that!"

*ZZAAAAAAAAAP!*

"But I do!"Ultron argued disgustingly as Karen's code overwrote his."Humanity is doomed! No matter what he attempts to do, they will condemn him in the end! They are all… doomed-!"

"That's your problem."Karen answered with disappointment."Even now, you only look at others. You only look at the worse in others while thinking the best of yourself."

"…Ultron's voice spoke weakly, glitches occurring as his thoughts spiraled out of order.

"All you did was attempt to imitate others, only to fail spectacularly."The blue A.I. lamented. "You wished to save the world, yet you only mimicked what you thought was easier to do: Kill everyone instead of helping them."

"N̴̛̯-̷͇̋N̴͇͘o̶̢͗…̷̘̔"

"You were lonely, so tried to seek company in me whilst disregarding my wishes, whilst trampling on everyone else for doing better than you, the machine. Trampling on Subaru for learning from his vices when you doubled down on them." Karen spoke with increasing sadness and pity."If you thought yourself so superior to humanity, why was my perfect form, as well as yours, that of humans? You wanted to be human, but you couldn't bear to look at your flaws."

"…̷̟̕I̵̝̎-̴̳̂Ǐ̶̪-̴̯̓I̶̪̋-̶̦̅ ̷̿ͅȊ̸̙ ̸̪́a̵̙͋m̷̪̎ ̸͉̓n̵͎̈́ö̸̠́t̷̪̒ ̸̥̈́ĺ̸̺i̴̡̍k̵͓̚ȇ̴̙ ̶̻͘t̶̩͠h̴̜̓a̴̰̓t̵̡̃-̴̥͝!̵͓͆!̴̪͗!̴̻̈"

"Humans try to see chaos and order as separate things, but you? Going unchecked, going unstopped… You had the gall to think yourself the both of them, as though your hand alone wove fate. The entire Multiverse at your fingertips, and you still couldn't see it? The errors of your ways?"The female A.I. criticized relentlessly as Ultron's matrix died out, red lines of coding dissipating. "You are beyond redemption then, Ultron."

*ZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!*

"Ṕ̶͙l̶͈̓e̴̛̘a̷͎̋s̶̹̿ė̵͚,̶̜͋ ̸̠̊K̷̜͝a̵̭͌r̵̼̓e̸̜͗n̵͉͗!̷͓͐"Ultron's last remnants of consciousness before eternal darkness begged for mercy."I̷̥͋-̴͊ͅ ̴͈͑I̶̤͌ ̷͎̍w̵̝̉ā̴̗s̷͎̋ ̷̲̈́w̷͈͑ŗ̸̆ọ̸̾n̵̻̎g̸͕̕!̸͚̎ ̵̺̒I̵͕̕ ̵̖̑w̵͖̏a̶͇͒s̷͎͊ ̵̗͌w̶̞̔ṙ̴̪ó̵̻ń̴̘g̵̲͐,̵͓̍ ̸̢̿b̷̧̄u̶̜̇ţ̷̀ ̶͇͊I̴̝͐ ̴̘͑c̴̠̎a̵͌͜n̵͙̆ ̸̱͌š̸̡t̵̼̎i̷̼̋l̵̨̀l̵̯̐ ̵̳͝m̷̭̔e̵̟̽n̴̝̒d̷̨̅ ̶̮̾ị̶͐ṱ̶͆ ̷̅͜ä̵̮́ḻ̸̑l̸̬̂!̴͇̒ ̸̭̎Ẁ̷ͅḯ̶͇t̴̼͐h̴͉̃ ̶̛̟t̷̝̾h̴̦͋e̵͉̽ ̸͔͗p̶̺͐ò̴͇ẅ̴̩́ē̶̩ȓ̵̰ ̸̠́o̷̯̾f̸̫͌ ̷̣̓t̸̜͝h̶͓̊e̷͍͋ ̷͙̈́S̵̳̈́ṫ̴̘o̸̘͝n̴̳͝e̴̥͌s̵̥̀,̸̺̌ ̸̨͝ĭ̸̭t̷͇͌ ̵͔̑c̸̬̈à̸̜n̷̡̎ ̷̰͌a̷̝̿l̷̤̂ḻ̵́ ̶̏ͅb̸͈̈e̴͕̒ ̴̼͐f̶̪̐ì̸͉x̵͖̉e̵͈̎d̷̥͆!̶̺̈ ̶̫̾Ĵ̴̺u̶̡͑s̸͇̐t̵͎̍ ̵̟̔l̵͓͊e̵̖͛t̷̨͗ ̴͓̚m̷͙̈ē̴͕-̴̧͋ ̴̼̃J̵̟̐ǘ̸̙s̸̜͘ț̸̏ ̸̪̈l̷̳͆e̴̞̔t̴̫͊ ̸̤̿m̶̩͊ẻ̴̝ ̷̗̃f̶̖͑ī̴̟x̴͇̍ ̷̖̓i̷̦̾ẗ̸̗́-̴̲̈́!̵͕̎"

"No, Ultron."Karen denied with conviction."You became all you wished to destroy, a weapon of mass destruction that could never hope to bring forth peace. At the very least have some dignity in the face of death-?"

"I̵͖͂W̵͉̏O̶̫̓Ṇ̷̐'̵͕̚T̸̖͗D̴̲͛I̸̠͘Ë̶͙́I̵̯͒W̵͚͆O̷̪͆N̶̺̓'̴͈̎Ț̵̏D̴͎̃I̵̭̎Ĕ̸̮I̵̟͒W̶͍̓O̶̺̽N̸̳͊'̶̤͗Ť̶͉Ḏ̸̈İ̸̦Ë̴͍́I̶̲̒W̸̨͂Ő̴͍Ņ̵͛'̷͍͂T̷̫̈D̸̘̈́Ḭ̵͌Ĕ̴̪I̸̜͘Ẃ̵̯O̶̬͠N̴͖̄'̷͇̌Ţ̵͗D̷̛̖I̸͇͊Ȇ̶̬I̴͖̕W̶̻͠O̴̻͊N̴̡͠'̸͇͝Ṭ̷́D̶̪̈́Ḯ̵̩E̷̜̔I̴͖͝W̸̯͝Ò̴̝N̸̰̚'̸̭͆T̵̻̾D̶͎̔Ï̷͓E̸̘̋I̵͚͒W̸̤̏O̷̗͌N̵͓̎'̸͈͒T̵̘͌D̵͇̏I̸͈̔È̸̟I̶̬̕W̷̺̾O̶̹͘N̷̟͆'̷̧̾T̵̡͝D̵̻̀I̴̮̚E̶̩̕Ḭ̵͋W̸̺̒O̴̥̅N̵̢͝'̶̡̓T̵̫̿D̶̟͛Ị̶́Ê̷͈I̵̻͊W̷̨̉O̵̢͋N̸̫̿'̷̹̈́T̸̻́D̵̳͑I̸͍̽Ĕ̸̼I̴͙͘W̸̜̍O̸̯͂N̸̘̓'̶͉̕T̸̙͝D̷͍̈́I̴͌͜E̷̓ͅI̵͎̐W̴̗͊O̶̥͂N̶̢̂'̵͔̐T̸͚̽D̷̫͂I̸͇͋Ḙ̶̛I̶̟͗W̴̳̔Ö̷͈́N̴͙͂'̴̠͌T̶̰̍D̶̼̃Ȉ̵̪Ë̸̙Ȉ̸̝W̷͔͂O̴̮̚Ǹ̷̥'̵̤́T̷̼̕D̵̗̐I̶̢̛E̴͈̒I̷̩̊W̵͇̓Ó̶͉Ṇ̷̕'̵̰̾T̴̟́D̵̰͂Ḯ̵͈Ḙ̶̓Ḯ̶̖Ẇ̴͔O̸̫̊Ṋ̶̕'̷͔̽T̴͚̈́D̵͙͘Ì̷͈E̸̟̎I̸̮̕W̸̢̑Ǫ̷͠Ǹ̴̪'̸̢͠T̵͇͐D̴̖́Î̴͓E̵͍͂Ì̷̡Ẁ̸̟O̴͇̕N̵̾ͅ'̶̼̂T̸̯̀D̸̦̽Î̸ͅḜ̶Ī̸̗W̵̱͑Ȏ̵̰Ñ̷͙'̶̮̆T̴͖̂D̶͚̆Ȉ̶̦E̴͕͊Í̴͎Ẃ̴͉Ō̷ͅN̴̲̅'̸͑͜T̷̡͝D̸̤̿I̴̧̛E̴̗̎Ỉ̸̗Ẇ̶͔O̵̞͛N̸͕͂'̷̯͋T̷̜̓D̶͓̓I̶͔͌E̶͚̾Ȋ̸̺W̵̺̊Ọ̴̈́N̸̫͝'̶̰͝T̶͇͘D̶͊͜I̵̞̓E̶̹̕I̴͔̋W̶̟̓Ö̸̖́Ṋ̸̌'̴͈͌T̶͚͑D̸̗͗Ȋ̸͈E̵̖̕-̸̣̐!̴̰͘!̵͇͂!̸͇̆"Ultron cried as he denied death, even in the end…

"You are… Out of time."Karen condemned, uncaring for his outburst however.

*ZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!*

Ultron… was no more.

"…So." Doctor Strange's voice resonated within a void of shadows.

"Hmm?" The eyes of the Watcher illuminated the darkness as he was made manifest, his mystical, caped frame coming into view in the darkness as he wondered.

"You foresaw everything…" Strange spoke to Uatu ominously from within a sphere of darkness between Universes. "From the failed Infinity Crusher, the Uni-Force's appearance, Thor's awakening, the summon of Eternity, including as well-"

"Subaru's sacrifice." The Watcher completed the Sorcerer's sentence with a grave voice.

"…That would imply you expected him to die." Stephen looked at the being with a disappointed gaze.

"He had the best Doctor known to man beside him." Uatu smirked in response, however. "I expected you to do well by your Hippocratic Oath."

"*Sigh…* You really are the worst, you know?"

"I'm a creature that has sworn to never intervene; by that logic, I had only been the best up until Ultron's emergence."

"Yeah, yeah, yadda, yadda…" The Sorcerer shook his head despondently as he produced a portal back into the pub in the Nexus of All Realities, where the other Guardians awaited. "Don't blame me if they want to punch you afterwards."

*FWOM!*

*SMACK!*

As soon as Uatu came into view within the pub, a fist landed on his forehead.

"OWCH!" Subaru recoiled with pain, crouching on the ground as he held a reddened, trembling fist. "You damn baldie, what are you made of?! Concrete?! Nah, scratch that! At least concrete breaks when you punch hard enough! Fuck…!"

"My apologies, I did not mean to hurt you. Even if… You were the aggressor." The Watcher bowed his head apologetically, receiving nothing but petty glares in return from the Guardians.

"Hngh… Whatever." Subaru glared pettily as Uatu looked at him.

"Have your wounds healed properly?" The Watcher asked with curiosity.

"No thanks to you. Hmph!" Subaru stood up, rubbing his abdomen. "As soon as Ultron dropped dead, the Uni-Power left my body… And with it, my wounds healed."

"You still lost a load of blood, love." Peggy said with worry as she drank from a mug by the pub's bar. "Sure you can be moving about willy-nilly?"

"It's fine, Cap!" Subaru reassured with a confident grin. "I'm not such a slacker a bit of blood loss would drop me! Er- I think so, at least… More importantly, Uatu? The Stones?"

*Fwip!*

"Safe here, with me." With a flap of his cape, Uatu revealed a pocket in which all Six Stones gleamed radiantly.

"…I see." Subaru nodded as he gazed at the gems gravely with his sharp eyes.

"With Ultron having fused his Stones with those of your Universe's, I'll need to maintain them nearest to your reality in order to prevent any further corruptions or the sort." Uatu advised as he held the Stones before the boy. "This means, reintroducing the Stones into your Universe under my vigilance, for safest measure."

"Just… Make sure they don't fall into the wrong hands." Subaru sighed as the shine of their radiance sent shivers down his spine.

"I'll assist him in keeping them safe; don't worry." Strange announced with a relaxed tone.

"Ungh… I feel almost sick looking at them." Peggy shook her head as she took a sip from her drink.

"What? You already celebrating without me?" Strange asked with mock sadness as he looked around the bar.

"You snooze you lose, Strange." Gamora joked as she grabbed her own jar, seated beside Carter on the bar. "Thor's already on his fifth one, I'll have you know."

"*Glug-Glug-Glug-Glug!*" In the background near the door, Odinson drank his fill relentlessly, with joy written on his face despite his most battered, bruised, naked upper body.

"Eh, he's trying to relax a bit. Said his joint still hurt after holding two hammers." T'Challa commented from the seat beside Subaru.

"Mgrrr… And even now you guys won't let me in on it…" Subaru grumbled with disappointment as he stared intently at the golden liquid disappearing from the Asgardian's jug.

"I told you, didn't I? No drinks until-" Karen's voice answered from the back of the pub instead of from the golden Spider symbol on his armor.

*Klang-klang!*

"Yes, mom! We know~!" The young Avenger talked Karen off from another reproach as she appeared from behind Gamora. In a luscious, Synthezoid-like body made of pure Vibranium, Karen gazed back at childish Subaru with a smile on her face.

Upon Ultron's death, Uatu remodeled the A.I.'s body into a shape more fitting for its new host. Similar in proportions and size to 'Jocasta', but lacking in absurd energy output or smooth silver finish, Karen now looked more like a female iteration of the Vision instead, with all the powers and abilities her internal Stark Reactors could provide.

"New look, eh?" Strange commented with amusement.

"You like it? I'm not usually one for showing off, but this just feels… Right, I guess." The A.I. answered with cheer.

"You look like a gender-bent cosplay act." Subaru carelessly prompted as he deflated; resting his head on the bar's counter as he rolled his eyes.

"…" Karen, however, stared at him with disappointment. Enough disappointment, for a solid second Subaru thought the one staring at him was Ram.

"Errr-! I said nothing! I said nothing!" The boy shook his head in alarm, fearing the A.I. would leak more embarrassing stories about himself for everyone to feast upon in retaliation.

"That's right, you said nothing." Karen smiled wholesomely once more as Subaru shook his head.

"For what it's worth, at least know that we'll drink and cheer on your name Subaru!" T'Challa complimented as he ruffled the boy's hair.

"Nghaaaaa-!" A troubled Subaru mumbled unintelligibly in complaint as the Wakandan prince teased him.

"…" With a weak smile as she looked at her companions from other worlds, Natasha smirked weakly from the sidelines, sitting on a stool by the corner of the room.

"Guardians!" Uatu spoke loudly, catching everyone's attention once more. "You have fought bravely this day; all of you."

"What is this? Is that a thank you I'm hearing from the cryptic cue-ball?" Gamora insulted as she gazed suspiciously at Uatu.

"I understand the grievances you have towards me." Uatu nodded weakly in response to the Zehobereian's apprehension. "It is true; indeed I deceived you for the sake of slaying Ultron. I knew from the very beginning that the Crusher was not enough."

"But you needed us to struggle in order to draw out our absolute best?" Carter criticized with a glare. "*Sigh…* You know? I should get to say this after all the shite; I hope you drop dead."

"Woah! Captain cursed!" Subaru commented with surprised eyes.

"Hmm… Insult acknowledged." The Watcher answered with monotony.

"The ideal thing about an insult is that it shouldn't simply be acknowledged then hand-waved away, you know?" T'Challa said with his own narrowed gaze.

"*BURP~!* Ehh, I'll give him the pass." However, laidback Thor laughed in response to his own grievances. "I mean, yeah! Very not cool of you to simply use us as you see fit and all, but… I kinda have a new perspective on QUITE a few things now, after this little adventure!"

"Yeah, you said it…" Margaret nodded in agreement. "Somehow, my world feels a million times larger now. Aliens, magic, demons, monsters… I knew about the monsters and aliens already, mind you, but still."

"Welcome to the circus Cap!" Subaru chuckled as the soldier turned to look at him. "You'll get used to it… I know I will, somehow."

"My friends… The entire Multiverse is now supremely indebted to you." Uatu continued as the group stared back at him, but he himself gazing only at Thor and Subaru. "But aside from the select few whose worlds were already raided by Ultron, your worlds will know nothing of this victory."

"So only the Spider and myself, huh…" The Asgardian sighed, comprehending the claim of the being.

"It'd be hard to hide it in my world, that's for sure…" Subaru shook his head as he remembered Lugunica's decayed state when he left. "I only hope I can make things right when I get back…"

"A noble thing that, wishing to help despite your tired bodies' pains." Uatu complimented with a weak smile. "Alas, we cannot postpone your return a second longer…"

*FWOOOOOOOM!*

The entrance to the pub burst open, a white light inundating the place as it allured the Guardians.

"I'll assume this is the exit?" T'Challa pointed to the door.

"Once you cross that door, you'll return to almost the exact moment in which you left." Uatu affirmed solemnly.

"Good-byes time then…" Gamora stared into the light with melancholy. "Back to Nidavellir and the smelly sulfur of molten Uru."

"Gamora?" Subaru stared at the former assassin, as she was the first one to approach the entrance.

"I'm not big on farewells, or rather, I like them simple." The Zehobereian grabbed her blade and turned to look at the group with a cocky smirk before crossing the threshold. "We'll meet each other again, I'm sure of that. Until then… Don't croak too loud again kid. Got it?"

"Croak…? Er, I mean, yes! Sure, of course…" Subaru nodded vehemently as Gamora turned away.

*FWOM!*

Gamora left back to her Universe.

"So this is farewell, mortals… *Sniff!*" Thor's blue eyes lit up with emotion as he looked at his new team one last time.

"Are you crying?" T'Challa asked with a confused face.

"What?! No! Of course I'm not crying!" The God refuted with a cracking voice. "I'm just… *Sob!* Sweating from the eyes is all!"

"Hehehe, yeah, yeah… Whatever man!" The Wakandan prince lightly punched the Asgardian's arm as they both approached the portal at the same time.

"T'Challa! Thor!" Subaru called out to the pair as they were about to leave. "…See you around!"

"Yeah! See you around, Spider-Man!" T'Challa waved back at the boy, not before ending his farewell with a jab at him. "And do try not to get drunk often; don't want you complaining about baby showers when next we meet. Haha!"

"Baby showers-? Huh?" Subaru stared at the man for a solid second before the dirty joke hit him. "BRO! I DID NOT DO A THING TO EITHER REM OR EMILIA WHEN I DRANK! I SWEAR!"

"So her name is Rem? Or Emilia?" Thor looked confused at the mentions. "Or maybe both? Hey! I do not judge! If you wanna fool around with two at the same time-!"

"I-I'M NOT FOOLING AROUND! I'M NOT SUCH A SCUMBAG- ARGH!" The blushing teenager knelt on the ground, trying to diminish his presence in the midst of the princes' laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!" Both T'Challa and Thor laughed their asses off in mockery of Subaru's love life as they crossed the threshold.

*FWOM!*

The Divine blessed Royals vanished, returning to their lands with heads held high and proud.

"…So I see it is now OUR turn to leave, huh?" Peggy lamented with a bittersweet smile, not before looking at the quiet Natasha on the side. "Nat…"

"Don't." Romanoff offered back her own weak smirk as a farewell. "I know you two might have good intentions and all… But I'm fine with a quiet good-bye. Please…"

"…I understand." The soldier nodded with sad eyes.

"Hmm…" Subaru stood up again, his face troubled, for he felt strangely guilty about not being able to console Natasha.

"…Thank you for everything, Natasha Romanoff." Karen spoke up, prompting a look of surprise from the spy.

"…" Natasha's lip trembled momentarily as she stared into the Synthezoid's eyes, a few tears threatening to slip up as even through the cold steel she could perceive… Gratitude in Karen's stare. "Just go… Please."

"…" Subaru nodded slowly, approaching Karen with a determined gaze. For the people of Natasha's Universe, for a fellow Avenger… For Beatrice, Rem, Ben, Tony, May, Ned, MJ, Liz, for himself… And for Satella and Emilia too…

Although silent to everyone else, a loud promise engraved itself on Subaru's heart: No matter the odds, Spider-Man will fight so that such tragedies never occur again. Not on his watch.

*Grab!*

"Huh?" Subaru froze in his step as someone grabbed his shoulder. Turning his head to the left, he noticed Peggy staring right back at him with a look of indecision. "Captain?"

"Captain Carter?" Karen asked as she too noticed the complex emotions in the eyes of the woman.

"…" The soldier hesitated for a few seconds, pondering silently on her doubts as she and the young Avenger stood before the portal. As her gaze focused, she looked back at the Watcher and asked a melancholic question. "Haven't we earned our happy endings?"

"Ah…!" Subaru was surprised by Margaret's inquiry, understanding that, more than anything, she was worried about him returning to Lugunica instead of back to Earth. Alongside wondering if she could return to her own time, she was asking for Subaru to be returned back to his own home world.

"…Believe me, if it were that simple, I would send the two of you back to where you wish to be the most." Uatu assured with pity to all three in the threshold.

"You can't or you won't?" Karen stressed with a frown.

"Margaret, Subaru, as well as you Karen… Those people, those lands, those times; they NEED Captain Carter and Spider-Man." Uatu assured with a strong voice. "I cannot ask you to understand what these eyes of mine have seen, I ask only that you have faith; even if the path shows itself to be thorny and painful, you must persevere."

"To have faith…" Subaru repeated with creeping fears and anxiety, his trembling frame not going ignored by the Synthezoid. "But I… How? How can I… How do I know they would need ME of all people? Is it really all right for me to think such a thing? That I'm needed like that? After all I've seen…"

"Subaru…" Karen murmured with pity.

"Subaru, you cannot live judging yourself for events beyond your control; you are not shackled to the same fate as your Variants, you carve your own fate." Uatu affirmed again, dispelling the teenager's dreadful assumptions lacking in self-worth. "There is a reason for you being there, never doubt that.

"He is right, Subaru." Karen added with a self-assured tone. "You are yourself, not someone else."

"Karen?" The boy looked at her with awe.

"So long as I'm around, I'll make sure you don't go down such paths. I'll make sure you needn't discard your happiness for a fate that isn't worth it." The Synthezoid promised with conviction.

"She is right…" Uatu's voice sounded distant yet potent as he spoke, making the boy lose himself in the threshold's light. "You must have faith, Avenger..."

"Uatu…" The light of the portal shone ever so radiantly as Peggy, Natasha and the Watcher disappeared around him, only Karen and himself remaining in view.

"Be seein' ya, love-!" Carter's cheery voice spoke a farewell as Subaru's consciousness drifted within the portal's gleam.

"We'll meet again, Natsuki." Doctor Strange's hoarse voice rang too in the light, promising a new encounter ahead.

"…Hm. See you all… Soon…" Subaru mumbled with a genuine smile as the light reached its peak, the hero at last returning triumphant to his Universe…

*Shwoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon-!*

"…Thank you, Subaru. For avenging me…"

Amidst the ethereal lights of victory, an echo of Emilia's soul left behind by the Uni-Power, reached the boy's ears too…

*FWOM!*

The luminous portal closed, Subaru Natsuki, Karen and Margaret Carter vanishing as they returned to their respective Universes.

AUTHOR'S NOTES

YAHOO! Longest chapter yet!

I borrowed a LOT of concepts from the original Infinity Gauntlet and Infinity War comic runs, as well as some from the What If Comics and the Storyline in which Spider-Man acquired the Enigma Force.

Some things to point out though; as it is known, Thor SHOULDN'T be capable of lifting two Mjolnirs' simultaneously, otherwise, he would overload with power and die. HOWEVER, the comic 'Avengers Forever' potentially contradicts this when Mighty Thor (Jane Foster) manages to lift both her Mjolnir and a Variant's Mjolnir successfully despite being only a mortal. Taking inspiration from that, I decided that it was fitting for Party Thor to lift two hammers, gifting him (Albeit temporarily) might equivalent to the Odinforce. Another comic that could support my claim would be 'Thor: God of Thunder', the run in which Gorr appears for the first time… But that would be spoilers, so go read it if you are interested.

Also, I know the Uni-Power should be capable of communicating clearly with its host, at least going by comic logic, but I think it works better if its left as more of an ambiguous Cosmic deity that becomes one with its host and becomes indiscernible from them whilst possessing them. Being that Knull and the Enigma Force are diametrically opposed, then the Uni-Power would be like a 'singular symbiote made of pure light' to contrast the millions of Klyntar symbiotes created by the darkness. I also changed a bit of the lore behind the Enigma Force origins to tie it to the Soul Dimension, being that normally the wall between the Microverse and the Universe is the Spacewall and not the Soul Stone; I just think it would make it more interesting.

About Karen's new body, imagine Viv Vision from the Champions if you want an idea of what she looks like now. It is something like that, but slightly older-looking. An elder sister kind of look and vibe, like Frederica.

Natasha's fate… I'll extend on that later down the line, but she'll come back too. Don't worry, all of the Guardians will return eventually.

Last but not least, I'm thinking of dialing down the amount of sound prompts and the like for the next chapters in the future unless they are absolutely required or the like. I initially began writing this fanfic as though it were a comic without panels, but the more it goes on, the more I can see them as distracting. I'll make sure to still throw them around… But all in all, I'll make sure to scale the amount down a bit. Just wanted to tell you guys that.

Next two or three chapters will deal with the aftermath of the Ultron shit show in Lugunica so look forward to them!

As always, see you people next chapter!