— Wakanda Capital, City Defense Center, Energy Core Hall
After Kagura activated her core skill, "Deep Dive Consciousness", she completely took control of all electronic systems within the building.
With that, traps, automated defenses, alarm sensors—all of it—rendered useless. Total shutdown. Kaput.
With the entire system under her command, Kagura led Princess Shurui and Natasha Romanoff straight through the building's first-floor lobby like they were on a casual shopping trip, strutting confidently toward the central energy chamber.
'Now that's what you call a proper infiltration!'
True infiltration isn't about sneaking in shadows—it's about turning the target area into your own territory.
Once you've claimed it, it's your home. And if it's your home, you can walk wherever you want. No risk of being "detected," no such thing as "mission failed."
After she used her admin-level access to unlock the final heavy metal doors, what greeted them was a vast circular hall.
At its center was a massive vertical shaft, stretching downward to the base of the building and upward to its very top.
Floating in the core of that shaft was a stunning pillar of blue-hot plasma energy, glowing like a column of light connecting heaven and earth.
It shimmered with an almost sacred brilliance, radiating an untouchable sense of power.
Shurui pointed toward the light. "That's the energy generator for the Sky Shield."
"So that's the shield's main power source?" Natasha's eyes lit up. "Can't deny it—that thing looks incredible"
Unlike Natasha, Kagura wasn't too impressed by the visual spectacle.
Her focus was locked on the technology behind the Sky Shield.
Sure, Wakanda's claim of being "a thousand years ahead of the world" might be a bit exaggerated—but the tech behind this shield? Definitely legit. Worth studying.
"Hmm..." The silver-haired girl crossed her arms, tapping her chin. "Cortana, are you seeing this?"
Cortana's voice replied through the comms:
"Loud and clear, Master. Your 'White Moon' suit's real-time relay is working perfectly."
"The engineering behind this large-scale shield generator is impressive, definitely worth integrating."
"My thoughts exactly," Kagura nodded.
Her eyes flicked across the holographic UI rapidly analyzing the generator's mechanics, packaging the data, and sending it to Rhode Island Industries' research servers back in New York.
"If we adapted this tech to our Superdimensional Fortress, it might outperform our current plan using kinetic deflection combined with electromagnetic shielding."
"Excellent judgment, Master," Cortana replied.
"I've finished gathering the data and am starting the deconstruction analysis."
"We should be able to fully absorb the design principles soon and then we'll create an even better, stronger, large-scale energy shield."
"Good work, Cortana." With that, Kagura closed the comm channel. "Alright, time's tight. Let's get to business."
Between the light pillar and the room's entrance stood a narrow metal bridge, the only path across.
This was clearly meant for maintenance workers, though the facility had no human staff.
Like the rest of the building, it was fully automated.
No ergonomic considerations in sight.
The trio walked across the metal catwalk. As they gazed up at the awe-inspiring energy beam, they exchanged glances.
After a pause, Natasha broke the silence. "So... Princess Shurui, we're standing in front of the all-important energy generator. What now? How do we shut it down?"
"Great question." As she spoke, Shurui activated a holographic projector on her bracelet, displaying the internal layout of the energy generator.
"From what I know, the Sky Shield's generator shares the same fail-safe as its control system—it runs on a negative feedback mechanism."
"Unless two authorized users activate it simultaneously, it triggers the system's self-defense mode. The hall will flood with high-temperature plasma, and then we're all—"
"I'm done!"
Before Shurui could finish, Kagura interrupted with a grin.
"Security measures have been disabled. The Sky Shield is now fully ready to be shut down."
"...Huh?!" Shurui stared in disbelief. "How did you...?"
"Come on, I told you, I've got complete control over every electronic system in this building!"
Kagura laughed triumphantly, then hijacked the hall's broadcast system. "To be exact, I am this building now. My will is fused with its systems. I can do anything I want here!"
"Uh... okay then..." Shurui sighed, clearly exhausted from being repeatedly outpaced by Kagura's "outrageous hacks."
"Alright, if there's no problem, then Princess—contact Prince T'Challa and Captain Rogers. Once their forces are in position, I'll shut down the Sky Shield. Then it's full assault on Wakanda's capital!"
"W-Wait!" Just as the plan seemed ready to move, Shurui hesitated. "There's something that's been bothering me."
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"Ultron can't control the Sky Shield, that's true. But shutting it down still isn't necessarily good for us."
"If we break the power balance that's currently confined inside the shield, Ultron might end up on the losing side."
Natasha's expression shifted as realization dawned. "You're saying... maybe the reason Ultron didn't leave any defenses here is because he's waiting for someone else to shut down the Sky Shield?"
"That's a very real possibility," Shurui nodded.
"Think about it, we want to disable the shield so Kagura's reinforcements can join the battle. But what if Ultron has backup waiting to come in too?"
"Why are you spacing out like this?! Isn't the answer obvious?!" Kagura snapped impatiently.
"If we don't shut down the shield, we lose. Period! Whether Ultron has a backup plan or not—this is our one shot at hope!"
Her voice was firm, unwavering. She had clearly thought this through.
"Hesitation gets you nowhere! If you want to move forward, you have to take risks. You'll never find hope by sitting still! C'mon, Princess—you're smart. You know this!"
Shurui blinked, then smiled.
"You're right. On one hand, we have guaranteed failure. On the other, a slim chance of success. No contest. Sorry—I was overthinking."
"Glad you understand! Then notify Wakanda's forces and the Avengers—the infiltration team's mission is complete!"
Kagura stepped forward.
"I'll shut down the Sky Shield in ten seconds. 'Heaven's Hammer' has completed re-orbiting and is standing by to fire."
"The YorHa squad is now within 70 kilometers of the target—ETA to battlefield, 100 seconds!"
The moment that will decide Wakanda's fate... is now.