The eastern sky was gradually turning bright. After a long, grueling night, dawn was finally breaking.
Soon, the rising sun would once again shine upon the world, wiping away the veil of night from this beautiful planet.
In the vast lands of East Africa, the operation to reclaim the capital of Wakanda had finally come to an end after a fierce overnight battle.
It was a short but intense conflict, and naturally, the Wakanda alliance—alongside the Avengers—emerged victorious.
Although the battle was brutal, there were surprisingly few unexpected complications.
With the cover provided by Kagura's orbital strike system, "Hammer of Heaven," the Wakandas gathered their elite forces and decisively crushed Ultron's mechanical army.
Led by "Black Panther" T'Challa and Captain Steve Rogers, the Wakanda warriors pushed forward with unstoppable momentum.
Their surprise nighttime assault quickly overwhelmed the enemy, allowing them to reclaim their capital in one fell swoop.
While the main front secured a brilliant victory thanks to Kagura's support, the side flanks, where Ultron had deployed elite mechanized units, also failed to achieve any breakthroughs.
Ultron's attempt to seize the vibranium mining facility amidst the chaos was thwarted at the entrance by none other than Kagura herself, along with her elite YoRHa android squad.
The skirmish ended swiftly.
That seemed to be Ultron's only serious attempt at turning the tide.
Judging from his behavior, it appeared he didn't particularly care about losing Wakanda—supporting Tony Stark's earlier assessment.
Meanwhile, the YoRHa units performed brilliantly in their debut operation, proving worthy of being one of Kagura's ace forces.
During the battle, War Machine (James Rhodes) was also successfully rescued thanks to Kagura's coordinated electronic warfare tactics.
With War Machine back in Avengers hands, Ultron had clearly suffered a heavy loss—what was meant to be a power grab turned into a setback.
The only downside? Iron Man remained under Ultron's control, retreating with him northward, vanishing into the morning mist just before sunrise…
Of course, all of this was within Kagura's expectations—and her plan.
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Wakanda's Capital – Royal Palace Assembly Hall
Seated on his throne, Prince T'Challa—the Black Panther—was reviewing the battle reports.
He scanned over the casualties among the various Wakanda tribes and kept a close eye on the nation's vital statistics.
Although the capital had been reclaimed, there was no denying that Wakanda had suffered a severe blow.
The capital's manufacturing hubs, storage depots, and even transportation systems had all been heavily altered by Ultron's meddling.
Restoring full functionality to the city would take a long time.
Thankfully, the Sky Shield system could be restarted relatively quickly—thanks in large part to Kagura, who had bypassed its defenses using her "Neural Dive" technique instead of outright destroying its power generator.
Still, the warriors gathered from tribes across Wakanda had suffered casualties, and the cost in equipment and resources was incalculable.
As Wakanda's acting king, T'Challa's top priority was to oversee post-battle recovery and give his people the time and support needed to heal and rebuild.
As for the Avengers' ongoing pursuit of Ultron… T'Challa was hesitant to continue participating.
His nation needed stability and strong leadership now more than ever.
Even the coronation ceremony had been postponed, and deploying troops again felt like too much to ask.
In short, the Avengers and Griffin Security would have to handle the rest from here.
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Inside the War Room
The Avengers were deep in discussion, strategizing their next move.
Ultron was still out there.
Though his plan to use Wakanda as a base to destroy the world had failed, he still held dominion over the global internet and could rise again anywhere, at any time.
After reviewing the available intel, Captain Steve Rogers looked around the room and finally turned to Kagura.
"Kagura, what's your take on what we should do next?"
"To defeat Ultron completely, we need to follow a two-step plan," Kagura replied, arms folded.
"First, we need to locate a platform that connects directly to Ultron's core programming."
"This could be one of his high-level mechanical bodies—or a piece of tech that requires direct input from him."
As she spoke, Kagura activated a holographic projection showing an experimental quantum computer at Rhodes Island Industries.
"Once we have access, we'll need a quantum-level electronic warfare bomb—one powerful enough to overwhelm Ultron's processing capacity and delete him for good."
"And to do that, we'll need a fully operational quantum computer."
She paused for a moment, then sighed. "Unfortunately, our current models aren't advanced enough for that. We've hit some kind of algorithmic bottleneck."
"Wait a sec… Are you talking about general-purpose quantum computers?"
A voice came from the corner of the room. It was Princess Shuri.
"I might be able to help with that!"
"Oh?" Kagura perked up. "Wakanda has the tech to build quantum computers at that level?"
"How did you overcome the issue of algorithmic singularity?"
"We didn't," Shuri said with a grin. "We went around it."
She continued, "Vibranium has a unique property—it can absorb not just energy, but also the information embedded in the energy source."
"By leveraging that, we've built quantum computers from vibranium that can identify the kind of problem they're being asked to solve… and generate the necessary quantum algorithms on their own."
"Mmm… I see. Vibranium again. That miracle metal really lives up to its cosmic hype," Kagura said, impressed.
"So, Princess Shuri… any chance I could take a look at that quantum computer?"
"Oh, come on now," Shuri laughed. "If not for your help, we never would've taken back the capital."
"Miss Kagura, you were instrumental in our victory. If you need something, Wakanda will gladly provide it!"
Kagura tilted her head playfully. "So what you're saying is…"
Shuri proudly placed her hands on her hips. "I'll give you one of Wakanda's most advanced quantum computers. I hope its technology helps you take down Ultron once and for all!"
Kagura beamed. "Thank you, Princess! That's a huge help!"
"No need to thank me," Shuri replied. "If anyone owes a debt of gratitude, it's Wakanda. Being able to help you is our honor."
With this, all the components needed to destroy Ultron were finally in place.
Now all they had to do was locate his core and load him up with Kagura's custom-built quantum Trojan bomb.
Next time, Ultron wouldn't have anywhere left to run.
Just then, Steve Rogers turned back to Kagura. "Kagura, do you have any leads on Ultron's location?"
"I do," Kagura nodded. "In fact, Mr. Stark has already regained partial control of his armor. As soon as he finds Ultron's base of operations, he'll contact us."
"Also…" She glanced at Cortana, who stood beside her.
"I've got some good news."
"What is it?" Steve asked.
"The Mind Scepter we left in New York… it's finally been stolen!"
"...Wait, what?"
"That's right," Kagura said with a grin. "It's not necessarily bad news!"