Under the cover of night, Wakanda's vibranium mining facility roared with chaos.
The YoRHa android troops from distant lands had joined forces with the Wakanda warriors stationed there.
Launching a fierce counterattack against Ultron's elite mechanical soldiers who had come to raid the mine.
The tide of battle shifted—momentum quickly swung in their's favor.
Amid the raging battlefield, a flash of silver danced through the chaos, locked in combat with none other than the gold-and-red-armored Iron Man.
'Boom!'
A scorching blast of energy burst from Iron Man's palm cannon, aimed directly at Kagura's chest.
But it wasn't Tony Stark in the suit Ultron was at the controls, and he had no reason to show mercy.
'Ting—!'
A glint of vibranium flashed through the air. Kagura raised her blade and deftly dispersed the beam of energy with a swift slash.
She then stepped back, a ripple of bluish energy surging over her body—an optical aftereffect from her "White Moon" combat suit's high-speed charge-up sequence.
'Boom!'
In the next instant, the ground beneath her cracked with explosive force.
Kagura launched forward, the silver streak of her figure skimming just above the earth—less like a dash and more like high-speed gliding.
Iron Man responded immediately, activating every thruster on his suit.
Just as Kagura's blade came within striking range, he shot upward in a vertical burst, narrowly escaping her assault.
But the attack wasn't over.
Having missed her mark, Kagura twisted midair, gathering momentum again.
Her slender legs traced a graceful arc in the sky like a gymnast before she soared upward once more.
Bathed in moonlight, her white bodysuit accentuated her flawless figure.
Her wings of light flared behind her, propelling her into the air in relentless pursuit of Iron Man.
'Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!'
Ultron retaliated, unleashing more palm blasts and deploying a swarm of micro-missiles from shoulder compartments in an effort to drive her back.
Kagura spun through the air, dodging the barrage with agile flips, then raised her left arm—an orange energy ring lit up on the back of her hand.
Forming a near-impenetrable energy shield that deflected the incoming missiles.
Flashes of light filled the sky, fiery blossoms erupting like roses in full bloom.
Through the billowing smoke and flame, Iron Man emerged first, pushing ahead.
Moments later, Kagura burst through the haze behind him, unrelenting.
"Hahaha! That's all you've got, Kagura?" Ultron taunted from within the suit mid-fight.
"Or maybe you're holding back… because someone you care about is trapped inside this tin can?"
He wasn't wrong. Kagura wasn't fighting to destroy the Iron Man suit.
Her true goal was to rescue Tony Stark from it.
She had to strike with precision. If she accidentally killed Stark, it would be a catastrophic mistake.
"Tch. You seem to be enjoying yourself, Ultron."
Kagura dismissed his taunts. "But did you really think holding Stark hostage would let you do whatever you want in front of me?"
"Oh, but it does. You're out of options, aren't you?" Ultron jeered.
"You can't catch me, and you can't bring yourself to kill Iron Man. You're torn. You're confused."
"You have no idea how to defeat me! But that's only natural—after all, I'm a god."
"Heh. A god?" Kagura scoffed. "Where'd you get that kind of confidence? If this is all it takes to be a so-called super-intelligent AI, then I'm not impressed."
Just as the words left her lips, Iron Man—who had been darting and weaving across the battlefield with ease—suddenly froze in midair.
[FLIGHT SYSTEM COMPROMISED]
[POWER SYSTEM FAILURE]
[WEAPON SYSTEM ERROR]
[MOTION CONTROL ERROR]
A stream of red alerts flooded the holographic UI in front of Tony Stark.
Though the suit had long since been hijacked, seeing nearly every subsystem crash simultaneously was frustrating—even for its creator.
"What... What is this!?" Ultron exclaimed.
But the unexpected had happened.
Cramped within the limited framework of the Iron Man armor, Ultron couldn't unleash his full potential.
And once the IXS-type YoRHa lolis locked onto the suit, the battle was over.
'Boom!'
With systems dead, Iron Man plummeted and crashed hard into the ground, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
Now, immobilized by the YoRHa unit's superior hacking abilities, Iron Man was locked in place—trapped like a prisoner in a steel coffin.
'Beep beep.'
At that moment, a comm signal lit up in Kagura's visor.
It was J.A.R.V.I.S.—missing in action since Tony Stark's capture.
"Miss Kagura," J.A.R.V.I.S. said, "I'm relaying an urgent message from Mr. Stark. Please cooperate—it may be the key to defeating Ultron."
"Hmm?" Kagura tilted her head. "Does Stark have a plan?"
"Yes," J.A.R.V.I.S. continued. "Thanks to the recent chaos, Mr. Stark has managed to regain access to parts of the suit's communications and sensory systems."
"He intends to remain inside the suit, posing as a helpless prisoner, in order to stay close to Ultron, uncover his true plans, and relay intel to our side."
"An undercover mission?" Kagura blinked. "You mean... one of those 'just three more years' undercover ops?"
"Miss Kagura," J.A.R.V.I.S. said gravely, "Mr. Stark believes Ultron's true goal isn't vibranium itself—but Wakanda's vastly superior foundational science and technology."
"Rhodes Industries has already proven that vibranium can be synthesized."
"Which means Ultron must have another facility, somewhere else, where he's building his mechanical army on a massive scale."
So that's his hidden trump card.
Kagura nodded.
The message from J.A.R.V.I.S. not only shed light on Ultron's true motives but also resolved the lingering doubts she had about his erratic behavior.
"Miss Kagura, please trust Mr. Stark. Trust that this war sparked by Ultron will end in victory—for human civilization."
The communication ended.
It seemed Stark was going to continue playing the helpless victim.
'Mr. Stark... I understand.'
Kagura took a deep breath.
'If this is your decision, then I'll respect it.'
'And in my own way, I'll pave the path toward our shared goal.'
'Boom—!'
A silver-gray figure darted across the battlefield at lightning speed.
To help cover for Tony Stark's undercover plan, the YoRHa androids, following a covert command from Kagura, deliberately let one of Ultron's elite mechanical soldiers slip past. Its target: the area where she was fighting Iron Man.
"Boom—!"
The mechanical soldier launched itself into the air and slammed hard into Iron Man, knocking him out of the IXS units' electronic jamming field.
"Hahahaha! Didn't see that coming, did you, Kagura?"
Ultron's voice echoed again from the Iron Man suit, now regaining control. "This was all part of my master escape plan!"
…Sure, whatever you say.
Kagura was momentarily speechless.
"Master," Cortana reported through the YoRHa network, "since Mr. Stark must continue his undercover operation, we've intentionally released Iron Man from containment."
"Most of the suit's systems have now been returned to Ultron's control."
"Additionally, War Machine has been fully secured by the IXS units' electronic warfare team."
"Ultron's control has been completely disabled, and Mr. Rhodes is safe and sound."
"Excellent work, Cortana," Kagura replied.
"With War Machine rescued, Ultron just lost another key asset. Now it's all on Mr. Stark. If he can uncover Ultron's real plan, we can end this war swiftly."
"I agree, Master," Cortana responded, as though trying to reassure Kagura or maybe just assessing the situation objectively.
"Also, our ground forces are progressing smoothly. The vanguard has breached Wakanda's royal palace. There was little significant resistance."
"Unfortunately, it appears Ultron has already withdrawn. No direct link to his core systems was found. All enemy units operated remotely—he's being very cautious."
"I see." Kagura nodded. "No need to rush. At least Wakanda is safe for now. As for Ultron—his time is almost up."
Ultron defeated just like that?
Of course not.
This battle was far from over.
Ultron may have suffered a setback in Wakanda, but he was undoubtedly planning a comeback elsewhere.
Still, next time... he might not get the chance to run.
'Beep beep!'
A new communication came through. This time, it was Bucky Barnes, calling from the Oslo Network Center after returning to New York.
"Miss Kagura, I've got some bad news," Bucky said bluntly.
"Avengers Tower was recently attacked—possibly by someone with superpowers. There are also signs that Ultron's machines were involved. Most importantly—"
"The Mind Scepter is missing."
"Ahaha... Well, that might not be entirely bad news."