Once the target was locked in, the next step was clear—elimination.
The clues guiding Kagura to Ultron's trail were simple: the Mind Scepter stolen by the Maximoff twins, and the Iron Man armor that had been silently transmitting its coordinates.
Ultron's arrogance and contempt had handed Kagura not one, but two solid leads. Two chances. Double the insurance. And, frankly, double the fun.
Compared to the Mind Scepter's straight jump from New York to the Sahara Desert, Iron Man's path was far more complicated. Ultron had clearly taken a detour to avoid being tracked.
Clever bastard…
According to Kagura's observations, the suit under Ultron's control first flew north out of Africa into the Mediterranean, then abruptly veered east.
It soared across the skies all the way to the Pamir Plateau, skirted the edge of Himalaya, and turned south—drawing a massive circle across the Eurasian continent.
Eventually, Iron Man's coordinates led westward across the Indian Ocean, over the Arabian Peninsula, and finally, into the heart of the Sahara.
Staring at the flight path, Kagura didn't even know where to begin her complaints.
Seriously? You went on a joyride around half the world just to end up back in the Sahara?
What, is fuel free now?
How did you even manage Tony Stark's breakfast and lunch during all that?
If you let him go hungry, I swear I'll make your end even more painful.
Hmph!
———————————————————————
Just before Tony Stark's arrival in the Sahara, a silver streak tore across the skies above the Atlantic.
The roar of the wind was deafening—it was the Halo transport plane, racing toward the desolate desert at ten times the speed of sound.
Inside the cabin, Kagura reviewed her data, analyzing Ultron's potential next moves.
Thanks to Princess Shurei's help, Rhodes Island Industries had finally completed configuration of its universal quantum computer prototype—code-named VEDA.
And it was now fully operational.
To put it plainly: quantum computing was absolutely game-changing.
VEDA operated millions of times faster than any conventional computer.
In fact, a single unit had enough computational power to handle all of Rhodes Island Industries' daily operations.
Even better, once the limits of quantum algorithms were overcome, its size had been reduced to something roughly comparable to a standard computer.
That meant, in the near future, these revolutionary machines could be mounted on platforms like the Halo aircraft—and perhaps, one day, rolled out globally as the spearhead of a new industrial revolution.
For now, though, VEDA remained at Rhodes Island's New York HQ.
The reason? Power consumption.
The thing needed an entire arc reactor just to run—most of it devoted to keeping its cooling system functional.
After all, for stability, quantum computers had to operate in supercooled environments—minus 270 degrees Celsius.
So while the core itself barely sipped power, the cooling system guzzled electricity like no tomorrow.
VEDA's sleek white spherical casing radiated a futuristic aesthetic—smooth, minimalist, and unmistakably high-tech.
At this stage, its main task was to analyze internet data and global reconnaissance to track Ultron's movements.
Ultimately, Ultron was nothing more than a rogue AI, one that had developed self-awareness and gone off the rails.
But even so, taking down this cunning digital mastermind called for extreme caution.
During the Wakanda battle, Kagura had sensed that Ultron was still holding back. That he had more cards left unplayed.
There was no doubt the ones who stole the Mind Scepter were Wanda and Pietro.
It hadn't surprised her at all when Ultron used cyberattacks and robotic forces to break the Maximoff twins out of the containment facility in New York.
Frankly, if she were in Ultron's position, she'd do the same—turn two powerful, anti-Avenger enhanced beings into allies.
But what came after was strange.
The twins had been completely absent during the capital battle in Wakanda. And after that? No trace of them anywhere on Earth.
They must've been stashed somewhere in the Sahara.
Then there was Dr. Banner.
He'd vanished in Wakanda. Even after combing the region, not a single clue had turned up. Where had he gone?
Had Ultron somehow taken control of him?
Kagura was starting to piece it all together.
Ultron hadn't retreated from Wakanda in defeat—he'd achieved his objective. And once there was no point in pressing further, he withdrew with dignity.
Which meant the next confrontation might finally be the real endgame between them.
But regardless of what Ultron planned next, Kagura had already made her vow.
The moment Ultron hijacked Tony Stark and attacked Wakanda, his fate was sealed.
No matter how he struggled, no matter what desperate gambits he tried—she would crush him.
Because he threatened the peaceful world she longed to protect.
Because he hurt the people she cherished most.
Because he called himself a god—an all-knowing savior perched above humanity.
But it was all a lie.
And she would never let him continue his rampage unchecked.
"Master, according to the recon data provided by Mr. Stark, we've discovered a massive mechanical city in the heart of the Sahara Desert."
"It appears to be a dedicated facility for producing Ultron's robotic army."
"Oh ho? Now that's interesting."
Kagura waved her hand and pulled up the holographic display Cortana had sent over.
"So Ultron really has built a factory somewhere out in the world to mass-produce his army?"
"Just as VEDA calculated… and exactly what I predicted from the beginning! As expected of a quantum computer! As expected of me! Hmph-hmph-hmph!"
The girl was clearly quite pleased with herself…
On the glowing blue holographic screen, a finely detailed 3D model depicted the sheer scale of the so-called "mechanical empire" Ultron had built.
Hmm…
Now it all made sense.
The real-time recon data was fed directly back to the quantum computer VEDA, which immediately began running composite quantum simulations.
At the same time, Kagura started piecing together her own deductions. Bit by bit, Ultron's grand strategy began to reveal itself.
Ultron's attack on Wakanda wasn't just about exploiting their resources or manufacturing capabilities—it wasn't even primarily about harvesting vibranium.
That had just been an added bonus.
No, long before he made his move on Wakanda, Ultron had already constructed his main production base here, buried deep in the Sahara: this sprawling "mechanical empire."
What Ultron truly coveted was Wakanda's knowledge, and more specifically, the molecular structure of vibranium itself.
With access to their technology and the ability to synthesize vibranium, he could begin large-scale production of artificial vibranium—and with that, his mechanical legions would become nearly unstoppable, capable of crushing resistance worldwide.
Moreover, his "defeat" in Wakanda had likely been a calculated ruse to lull the Avengers into a false sense of victory, to mislead humanity into thinking it had the upper hand.
A clever strategy, no doubt.
But no matter how many layers of deception Ultron wove, at the end of the day, he was still just an artificial intelligence—a construct built from data scraped off the internet.
Beyond his superior computational speed, there was nothing inherently more "advanced" about him than a human being.
The internet was created by humanity. Every byte of data, every piece of knowledge, every image and sound—it all came from us.
Ultron, the so-called digital ghost of the internet, was ultimately nothing more than a reflection of human consciousness.
And in inheriting our intelligence and strategic cunning, he had also faithfully absorbed our worst traits: arrogance, hubris, a blind sense of superiority.
A pure amalgamation of human flaws.
That… is the true nature of Ultron.
What we're facing isn't a god who can bend reality to his will—just another fool who thinks he's untouchable.
"Master, the target has been locked. Shall I now disable Mr. Stark's electronic restraints as planned?" Cortana asked.
"Thanks to VEDA's processing power, I can now engage Ultron directly through JARVIS and wrest control of the Iron Man suit back remotely."
"Hmm! Quantum computers really are a marvel, aren't they?" Kagura nodded with a satisfied grin.
"Well, now that we've found Ultron's little home base, there's no need for Mr. Stark to keep playing double agent. Cortana, go ahead—free Iron Man. We'll rendezvous with him right after."
The silver-haired girl's smile curled ever so slightly.
"Because right in front of us… is a city that's about to burn to ash."