Sebastian ushered Alisha through the shimring portal to Kamar-Taj, the air humming with the ancient magic that perated the sanctum's hallowed halls.
The Ancient One stood waiting on the other side, her serene presence a stark contrast to the urgency of the mont.
Sebastian dipped his head in a respectful bow, his voice warm yet formal. "Ancient One, it's been a long ti."
The Ancient One returned the gesture, her smile gentle but tinged with the weight of their shared knowledge. "Indeed, it has been far too long, Master Sebastian.
Were the circumstances less pressing, I'd relish the chance to discuss your remarkable progress. Leave Alisha in my care—I'll ensure her safety. You have my word."
"I have no doubt of that," Sebastian replied, his trust in her unwavering despite the complexities of their world.
He knew the Vishanti Trinity sought to bind him to their cause, their subtle pressures a constant undercurrent in his dealings with Kamar-Taj. Yet he also understood their limits.
To avoid pushing him into outright opposition, they would not only refrain from interfering with the Ancient One's protection of Alisha but likely reinforce it. This certainty had guided his decision to bring Alisha here rather than to Asgard's distant realm.
"Master Ancient One, I'll take my leave," Sebastian said, turning to Alisha with a softer tone. "Mom, I'm off."
"Be careful, Sebastian," Alisha urged, her voice laced with maternal concern. "If anything goes wrong, co back to . We can find a quiet place where no one knows us and live peacefully together."
Sebastian's lips quirked into a bittersweet smile, a mix of amusent and affection at her words. He nodded repeatedly, reassuring her, before conjuring a portal with Portus, its swirling vortex enveloping him as he vanished.
Reappearing in Avengers Tower, Sebastian found the team prid for action, their resolve palpable. Without delay, he opened three portals, each shimring with arcane energy.
As before, the Avengers split into three units, while S.H.I.E.L.D., bolstered by War Machine and Falcon, mobilized the Helicarrier toward Sokovia's airspace.
Sebastian, Wanda, and Pietro ford one team, tasked with evacuating Sokovia's civilians, with Sebastian ready to deploy magic to aid the effort. The Fantastic Four—Reed, Susan, and Johnny—comprised another, charged with locating and destroying Ultron's Frawork device.
Tony, Thor, Steve, Banner, Natasha, Barton, T'Challa, and Vision ford the third, their mission to pinpoint Ultron, sever his network connections, trap him in a local system, and eradicate him, all while staying vigilant for the Shadow Council's interference.
Sebastian, Wanda, and Pietro materialized in Sokovia's bustling city center, the air thick with panic as civilians sensed the looming threat.
Sebastian and Wanda wove spells to guide people to safety, Sebastian maintaining multiple portals to funnel crowds out, while Wanda used her chaos magic to compel stragglers to move toward the exits. Pietro, a blur of speed, scoured the city for anyone overlooked, ferrying them to the portals with unmatched swiftness.
Despite their magical aid, evacuating an entire city in monts was a daunting task, the sheer volu of people slowing their progress.
Suddenly, Sebastian's gaze snapped upward, sensing a disturbance. A portal—not his own—crackled open above, and Ultron descended, his vibranium form gleaming with malevolent intent, landing before Sebastian with a thud that echoed through the square.
"You even copied Tony's Mark Ω data!" Sebastian remarked, his eyes narrowing at Ultron's advanced design.
Ultron raised a hand, a fla of unmistakably magical origin flickering in his palm, his voice cold and deliberate. "Magic is a fascinating force, one I couldn't decipher directly. So I adopted Tony Stark's thods to harness its power.
It's sufficient, though. With this body and my strength, I'm confident I can defeat—or kill—you, and take your place to protect Mother perfectly."
"Your concern for Mom is noted," Sebastian said, his tone sharp but controlled. "But I'll protect my mother myself, no need for your interference."
"You, Sebastian Shaw, are unfit to protect Mother or to be her kin," Ultron retorted, his voice dripping with disdain. "Only I am worthy, only I have the capability. You're rely an obstacle in my path."
With that, Ultron lunged, his vibranium fra a blur of lethal precision.
Sebastian swiftly opened a portal before him, redirecting Ultron to the other side, and turned to Wanda and Pietro. "Keep going—I'll hold the portals open. Ultron's mine."
Stepping through the portal, Sebastian erged ready for battle. A whoosh of air signaled Ultron's attack, and Sebastian raised his wand, casting Protego to summon an invisible barrier that deflected a searing beam. With a flick of his wrist, he redirected the beam outward, then swept his wand in an arc, unleashing a barrage of unseen blades. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ nοvelfire
Sectumsempra
!
The invisible blades struck Ultron's body, sparking against his vibranium shell, leaving only faint gray marks and a cascade of sparks—no deeper damage.
Sebastian's brow furrowed. He knew the Sectumsempra's potency, yet it barely scratched Ultron's fortified form,
confirming the heavy use of vibranium. Ordinary magic wouldn't suffice against such resilience.
Hellfire erupted from Sebastian, its black-red flas roaring under his precise control, coalescing into torrents that surged toward Ultron.
Explosions rocked the air as the Hellfire Curse's streams struck Ultron, each impact a deafening blast. Having wielded Hellfire's authority for so long, Sebastian had devised a new technique, inspired by the Ghost Rider's chains. These whip-like streams were his latest innovation: Hellfire Chains.
With another wand flourish, the fiery streams solidified into black-red chains, lashing and coiling toward Ultron with relentless force. Even vibranium struggled against Hellfire's otherworldly heat.
Ultron countered, his hands emitting molten streams of energy—Sebastian's semi-original Lava Plasma spell, plundered via Tony's Mark Ω data. The plasma clashed with the Hellfire Chains, detonating in fiery bursts that shook the ground.
Amid the chaos, Vision's voice crackled in Sebastian's ear.
Reacting instantly, Sebastian shifted from offense to containnt. His Hellfire Chains wove into a dense net, ensnaring Ultron in a blazing lattice.
Vision materialized, his form phasing through the fiery net with ethereal grace. Seizing Ultron's head, Vision's Mind Stone glowed, infiltrating Ultron's systems. In monts, he severed Ultron's network link, trapping him and his drones in a local network, cut off from the world.
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