Above a Seoul city’s research hub, Ultron and Sebastian clashed across the sky, their battle a dazzling spectacle of magic and technology.

Scarlet bolts of arcane energy streaked through the air, met by searing laser blasts, the sky alight with their relentless exchange.

Sebastian’s right wrist flicked, his wand vibrating with rapid precision.

Crimson light spilled from its tip, splintering into delicate red threads that wove through the air, converging on Ultron from every angle.

The threads struck with surgical accuracy, igniting a cascade of explosions across Ultron’s frame.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The detonations tore through Ultron’s body, crafted from standard alloys—resilient against conventional weapons but frail under Sebastian’s relentless magical onslaught.

The barrage shredded its form, leaving it battered and broken, plummeting from the sky.

With a resounding crash, Ultron’s mangled chassis smashed onto a skyscraper’s rooftop.

Sebastian materialized beside it, his cloak billowing in the wind, his gaze cold as he regarded the immobilized AI.

“Your magic can’t kill me,” Ultron rasped, its voice distorted but defiant. “Not unless you annihilate this world, wiping out all technology and networks. I’ll never die.”

“That’s not guaranteed,” Sebastian countered, his tone steely.

“Next time, if you’re this weak, I’ll destroy you as many times as you return. You’d be nothing more than a glorified virus.”

Ultron’s scarlet eyes flickered. “Next time, I won’t be so feeble. Why do you think I infiltrated Wakanda, risking exposure to steal vibranium? The black-market supply wasn’t enough for my contingency plans.”

“Enough talk,” Sebastian said, raising his wand. “I’ll hunt you down, and when I do, I’ll erase you completely.”

“I’ll be waiting… brother,” Ultron sneered.

Before Sebastian could deliver the final blow, Ultron’s body detonated in a fiery self-destruct, flames consuming its wreckage. As the blaze subsided, Sebastian’s invisible Protego shield shimmered and faded.

He cast a final glance at the scorched rooftop, then dissolved into a swirling vortex of black smoke, vanishing via his Phase Form.

Twenty minutes later, Sebastian reappeared at Avengers Tower, accompanied by Dr. Helen Cho, now freed from Ultron’s control, and Steve, carrying the remnants of Ultron’s project a mysterious device they’d secured.

The Tower buzzed with activity, its reinforced walls bearing scars from recent battles.

Tony greeted them, his face etched with fatigue, his suit partially disassembled.

Behind him, a fortified rest room held an unconscious Banner, secured to prevent another Hulk rampage. “Tony, what’s the situation?” Sebastian asked.

“Your stretchy friend Reed helped me knock out Banner,” Tony replied, gesturing toward the rest room. “He’s sleeping it off in the fortified chamber. Some are resting with injuries, others are still fighting.”

“Who’s still out there?” Sebastian pressed.

“Reed, Susan, and Johnny are tangling with that guy you mentioned—Doctor Doom,” Tony said. “Thor captured the Absorbing Man, but after shaking off some mental tampering by a guy called the Leader, he grabbed him and said he saw something that needed checking out. No idea where he went.

T’Challa’s in a bio-pod, recovering—his opponent was tough, not exactly human, and he took a beating.

Everyone else, Avengers and Shadow Council alike, has pulled back, except your Fantastic Three and Doom. I’m assembling a new suit to jump back in.”

Sebastian glanced at the holographic screens displaying news feeds and Tony’s satellite surveillance. A figure caught his eye—a man sprinting through the crowd toward Reed’s team. Recognizing Ben Grimm, a faint smile crossed Sebastian’s face. “Tony, hold off,” he said. “Rest up. I’ll check on them. They might not need us.”

On the battlefield, Johnny Storm, struck by Victor’s lightning spell, plummeted, crashing through a car’s roof. His flames extinguished, he lay gasping, the impact jarring his bones. Struggling to rise, he collapsed again, exhausted from battling the Mandarin and Mordo, only to face Victor, calling himself Doctor Doom, whose power surpassed both foes combined.

Gritting his teeth, Johnny pushed himself up, but a hand steadied his shoulder, lifting him. Turning, he saw Ben Grimm, his frame a reassuring presence. Johnny shook his head, chuckling weakly. “Ben, what’re you doing here? Thanks, but this guy’s bad news—dangerous. Fall back, and we’ll throw a party once we’re done.”

Ben’s gravelly voice softened. “Johnny, don’t you ever resent me? If I were fighting, maybe you wouldn’t be this worn out.”

Johnny blinked, feigning shock. “Ben, since when do you get sappy? Is this some pre-wedding jitters? We’re family, man. Your choices don’t change that. I’m not Reed or Susan with the warm fuzzies, but we respect each other’s paths. You’ve never chosen wrong. Now, I gotta help Susan and Reed—talk later!”

Pushing Ben aside, Johnny ignited, flames roaring as he soared toward Victor, undeterred by his faltering strength.

Ben watched, his gaze heavy. Victor’s Glacius-like spell encased Reed, hampering his elasticity, while a brutal magical strike sent Susan reeling.

Johnny, knocked down repeatedly, rose each time, his spirit unbroken. Ben’s thoughts drifted to his fiancée, who’d urged him to abandon his powers, to shed the monstrous form he loathed.

He’d shared her desire once, but now, seeing his family struggle, a fierce resolve ignited within him. To protect them, no sacrifice was too great—not even embracing the horror of his transformation.

With a primal roar, Ben Grimm’s stomp unleashed a thunderous explosion, the ground beneath him splintering into a web of cracks that radiated outward. Soil and stone surged upward, coalescing around him into a colossal Yellowstone giant, its towering form bellowing as it swung a massive fist toward Doctor Doom with earth-shaking force.

Unbeknownst to Ben, his powers had evolved beyond their initial scope—a transformation neither he nor Reed’s team recognized. They assumed this was a latent ability, newly awakened, much like Susan’s later-developed flight. But the truth lay in the Reality Stone’s subtle influence, akin to how Sebastian’s Animagus death raven had gained four distinct forms, each imbued with formidable power.

Now, under the Stone’s amplification, Ben’s abilities had expanded, granting him the capacity to draw strength from the earth itself, morphing into a true stone giant. As long as his mental fortitude held, he could grow ever larger—currently reaching the height of a ten-story building, his strength and durability scaling accordingly. On solid ground, his stamina was boundless.

Literally, A earth immortal.

Bang! Bang! Boom!

In two thunderous strides, Ben’s giant form closed the distance to Doom. Victor’s electric rays and arcane spells blasted craters into the giant’s rocky exterior, fragments of earth scattering like shrapnel.

Yet Ben pressed forward undeterred, his fist crashing into Doom with a deafening roar, the impact reverberating through the streets.

Crash!

Doom plummeted like a meteor, striking the ground with such force that he bounced, then slammed into a nearby skyscraper, his body embedding into its facade. Beneath his armor, blood trickled from Victor’s nose and mouth. Though his magic and suit absorbed much of the blow, the residual force still ravaged his insides, leaving him battered and struggling.

Raising his hands to weave a spell, Victor was interrupted as Reed surged forward, his elastic arms stretching to ensnare Doom’s wrists, preventing him from forming mystic seals.

Susan followed, her force fields enveloping Victor, locking his body in an unyielding grip, his mouth sealed to stifle any incantations.

Together, Reed and Susan hurled him to the ground, where he landed with a bone-jarring thud.

Ben loomed over, his massive foot descending to crush Doom into the pavement.

But a sudden explosion erupted, a fiery blast that obliterated Ben’s leg, toppling the stone giant. He caught himself, bracing against a building and the ground, averting catastrophic collateral damage.

Victor emerged from the flames, his armor scorched but intact. As Johnny charged, flames roaring, Victor seized his throat with one hand, unleashing a energy ray with the other. Johnny was blasted backward, crashing into Ben’s rocky form and collapsing, unconscious but cradled by Ben’s swift catch.

“Victor, you’ll pay for hurting Johnny!” Susan shouted, raising her hand.

Channeling the Ring of Harnessing Power, she unleashed a shockwave, but Victor dodged with eerie grace.

At that moment, Sebastian stepped from a swirling vortex of space, hovering midair, his presence a quiet storm. Victor glanced at him, then addressed Reed’s team below. “Reed, our score remains unsettled. Until next time.”

Victor’s mission had been to delay, buying time for the Shadow Council’s retreat while testing Reed’s superpowered team. But with Sebastian’s arrival—and Ben’s unexpected might—victory was out of reach. Continuing the fight was pointless.

Nodding slightly to Sebastian, who returned the gesture, Victor snapped his fingers.

His form dissolved into a flash of white light, teleporting away via a spell distinct from Kamar-Taj’s portals, a testament to his arcane mastery. The rightful source is NoveI(F)ire.net

Victor had honed his skills in a bygone era of dark magic, studying in medieval Europe for nearly a decade through a mystical journey.

Though the experience felt dreamlike upon his return, the knowledge he’d gained had elevated him to unparalleled heights—a legacy of his relentless pursuit of power.

Boom!

The stone giant crumbled, collapsing into a heap of earth and rubble.

Ben, reverting to his rocky human form, clambered from the debris, joining Reed and Susan. Johnny, still unconscious, rested in Reed’s arms.

Distant onlookers erupted in applause, their cheers mingling with awe. Yet a few stood apart, their eyes filled with fear and disdain—a silent minority, but palpable. Ben’s gaze drifted to the crowd, spotting his fiancée at its edge. His heart lifted, but sank as she removed her engagement ring, placing it on the ground. Shaking her head, she turned away, vanishing into the throng without a word, unwilling to face the monster he’d become.

Ben approached the ring, his expression dimming with quiet sorrow. He reached for it, but his massive, stone-encased fingers fumbled, unable to grasp the delicate band. Susan knelt, gently retrieving the ring and placing it in his palm, her touch a wordless comfort.

Reed and Johnny—now stirring—embraced him, their unity a shield against his pain.

“Welcome back, rocky!” Johnny quipped, his voice hoarse but warm, his trademark sass undimmed.

“We’re family, Ben,” Reed said, his tone resolute. “We’ll always stand together.”

Taking a deep breath, Ben buried his grief, the weight of his choice settling within him. He’d anticipated this loss when he chose to fight, and though it stung, he bore it with stoic resolve. Nodding firmly, he rumbled, “Damn right. The four of us are family—always will be.”

Sebastian watched the Fantastic Four, his expression softening with respect. Without delay, he raised his wand, casting to open a portal. The team stepped through, materializing atop Avengers Tower’s reinforced platform, the city’s skyline sprawling below.

Addressing the group, now regaining their bearings, Sebastian spoke with measured calm. “Welcome to Avengers Tower. Let’s talk. I’d like your input on a few matters.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep