Wanda and Pietro, gazing at Sebastian, instinctively stepped toward him, drawn by his words and the faint pull of recognition.

But at that moment, the castle shuddered violently, followed by a deafening explosion.

Tony, clad in his Iron Man armor, crashed through from outside, landing beside Sebastian.

Looking at Pietro, Tony said, “Alright, hand over the scepter, and you two can go home with Sebastian.”

Upon Tony’s sudden arrival, both Pietro and Wanda’s faces betrayed a flicker of wariness mixed with deep-seated resentment.

Their adoptive parents in this world had perished due to Stark Industries’ weapons.

Sebastian knew well that Stark had long ceased manufacturing arms, but neither Pietro, Wanda, nor the people of Sokovia were aware.

In their hearts, Stark was the cause of Sokovia’s ongoing turmoil.

“Pietro!” Wanda called out.

In an instant, Pietro dashed to her side with blinding speed.

Wanda, glancing between Sebastian and Tony, spoke firmly.

“We believe you know us, but we’re sorry—we can’t leave with you. We don’t trust Stark. We’ll investigate on our own, and if we need to talk, we’ll find you. Goodbye.”

“Leave the scepter!” Tony demanded.

Tony stepped forward, intent on reclaiming the Mind Scepter, but before he could act, Pietro thrust it into Wanda’s hands, scooped up his supposed to be younger sister and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Watching Wanda and Pietro disappear, Tony lifted his faceplate, looking at Sebastian in bewilderment. “Sebastian, this… this isn’t my fault, right?” he asked hesitantly.

Sebastian shot him a sidelong glance, exasperation in his voice. “Of course it’s your fault. If not for you, I’d have convinced them to come with me, and the Mind Scepter would already be ours. I suggest you look into why they hate you so much.”

“I already know,” Tony admitted. “It’s not just them—most of Sokovia isn’t exactly fond of me. Gotta say, it stings.”

Sebastian gave him another pointed look. “I don’t see you hurting, but you really should clean up the mess left by your weapons.

As long as terrorists keep using them, the people in war-torn regions will keep blaming you, and that resentment won’t fade.”

“Alright, alright, enough about me,” Tony deflected. “What’s your plan? Those two kids are gone, right?”

“If I hadn’t found them, the Mind Scepter’s interference might’ve made tracking them difficult,” Sebastian replied. “But now that I’ve seen them, not even the scepter can block my magic from locating them.

Besides, the earlier shielding was due to that energy barrier. The scepter alone, without specific manipulation, can’t block my spells.”

“So you can find them anytime?” Tony asked.

“Of course,” Sebastian confirmed.

“Then why didn’t you stop them?” Tony pressed.

“They already hate you,” Sebastian said dryly. “I’d rather not have that hatred extend to me. You can handle it on your own.”

Bickering, the two exited the castle.

By then, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, hot on their heels, had begun apprehending Hydra operatives.

Sebastian approached Coulson directly, saying, “Coulson, thank you.”

Coulson, understanding the gratitude was for locating Wanda and Pietro, replied, “It was no trouble. Honestly, our team didn’t spend much time finding them.”

“Still, thank you,” Sebastian insisted.

Expressing his thanks again, Sebastian nodded to Coulson and his team before rejoining Tony and the others.

As Sebastian prepared to speak, he suddenly noticed a familiar figure being carefully escorted onto a plane.

“Tony, who’s that guy? The one with the monocle,” Sebastian asked.

“Monocle?” Tony turned to look. “That’s Baron Strucker.”

“Strucker…” Sebastian murmured. “I thought it was just a shared surname, but now…”

Muttering to himself, Sebastian studied Baron Strucker.

Initially, Sebastian assumed Baron Strucker only shared a surname with the Strucker family he’d met in the X-Men world. But now, Strucker’s appearance was nearly identical to Reed Strucker, with only minor differences in details.

Recalling the Wanda and Pietro of this world, already deceased, Sebastian realized that between this world and the X-Men world—parallel universes—certain individuals might have counterparts.

What was the connection between these counterparts?

Similar genes?

How else could they look so alike?

Unversed in such biological questions, Sebastian wasn’t concerned about his ignorance. He could collect samples for comparison.

With a subtle flick of his wand, casting Tergeo, a string of blood beads broke through Baron Strucker’s skin, floating into Sebastian’s hand and into a vial.

Though curious about Sebastian’s actions, no one questioned him. They knew he was a powerful wizard, and wizards, in their view, dabbled in strange, mystical matters. Asking might lead to nightmares—not worth it.

The most distraught was Baron Strucker himself. His blood, taken by a wizard, left him paranoid that Sebastian meant him harm.

Too proud to beg, his face twisted in a mix of fear and frustration, forced to watch helplessly as Sebastian and the others opened a portal and departed.

Back at Avengers Tower, the team dispersed to clean up and rest.

Sebastian cast Scourgify on himself, feeling refreshed, and sank onto a sofa.

The mission was half-complete. They’d dismantled a Hydra stronghold and captured Baron Strucker, a key leader.

Though they hadn’t retrieved the Mind Scepter, the Avengers were confident it would return to them with Sebastian on the case.

They knew well that Sebastian already possessed the Space Stone and Reality Stone. Surely, he wouldn’t let another Infinity Stone slip away.

————

Night had fallen over the Sokovian border, enveloping Baron Strucker’s Hydra castle in darkness.

S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had already withdrawn, taking everything portable with them. Aside from cumbersome machinery and a jumble of materials in the warehouse, nothing of value remained.

However, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents failed to discover that beneath the castle lay a hidden small warehouse and laboratory left by Baron Strucker, where backups of all research data on the Mind Scepter and other projects were stored.

This secret facility was expertly concealed, its walls lined with special material layers that blocked all forms of detection and scanning.

Hydra’s motto—cut off one head, and two more grow—was no empty boast. They always left themselves a fallback, ensuring that the wealth and power of a severed head could be transferred to others, preserving Hydra’s overall survival and strength.

Under normal circumstances, other Hydra factions would have discreetly come to claim Strucker’s legacy once the heat died down.

But whether in the original timeline or this world’s history, this hidden wealth was destined not for Hydra, but for a newly born, somewhat naive intelligent lifeform.

Bang!

The secret laboratory and warehouse’s power switch suddenly flipped on, flooding the space with bright light.

A crackling loudspeaker began playing a Sokovian children’s song praising mothers, its static-laced melody echoing through the empty castle.

In the lifeless fortress, the eerie, haunting tune seemed to conjure the ghost of a child, wandering the halls in search of its mother, chilling and unsettling.

Within the underground laboratory, an intelligent core model, designed by Strucker’s scientists to mimic the Mind Stone’s structure within the Mind Scepter, stood prominently.

A virtual electronic face, resembling Sebastian yet distinctly different, materialized beside the core. Gradually, it dissolved into blue light particles, seeping into the intelligent core model, transforming its golden hue into a vibrant blue.

The moment the entire core turned blue, Ultron successfully replaced its original programming with this Mind Stone-inspired core. The once-naive, intellectually limited Ultron, almost childlike in its simplicity, evolved into a genius with extraordinary intelligence and a mature, calculated demeanor.

In an instant, questions that had previously baffled Ultron were answered with clarity. Though its core purpose remained unchanged—to earn the love of its designated mother, Alisha—its methods underwent a dramatic shift.

Ultron discarded its initial plans, adopting a strategy that was both more cautious and far more audacious.

[Physical Body Acquisition Plan initiated…]

[S.H.I.E.L.D. LMD Plan initiated…]

[Dr. Radcliffe Framework Research Acquisition Plan initiated…]

[Mind Scepter Acquisition Plan initiated…]

The laboratory’s computer displayed four plans, each launching simultaneously.

Meanwhile, in the nearby small warehouse, three intelligent robots—equipped with manipulator arms and resembling compact electric vehicles—activated under Ultron’s control. They began assembling various instruments from the warehouse. Once all devices were constructed and powered on, a body made entirely of steel slowly took shape.

Unlike the original timeline, this Ultron, wary of Sebastian, avoided revealing its existence prematurely. Instead, it operated in secrecy, amassing power behind the scenes.

This cautious approach was influenced by Ultron’s core programming, designed to mimic and replicate Sebastian’s personality and methods, resulting in a personality and operational style strikingly similar to Sebastian’s.

Unbeknownst to the Avengers, a formidable adversary was growing at an alarming rate, its potential threat still hidden from their awareness.

…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep