The grand chamber of Evolto City's Council was dimly lit, a holographic map of multiverses swirling in the center. Around the sleek obsidian table, Zalthorion sat poised calm but commanding. Dr. Wagner leaned forward, fingers steepled, eyes sharp beneath heavy brows. Vidarath reclined with casual amusement, though his eyes flickered with concern. The council members, ancient and wise, exchanged silent glances as the data streamed in.
Zalthorion's voice cut through the hum of the room."The alert came from Kessler in the Nexus Directorate, a system has spread through the multiverse, seeking hosts with unstable control, or exceptional power beyond the system's architects."
He tapped a control. A gallery of portraits flickered into view, figures known and feared across countless worlds.
"First," Zalthorion began, "Anakin Skywalker. Once a hero, now the system feeds on his inner turmoil, amplifying his rage, tempting him with visions of a galaxy ruled by his will."
The view shifted to a darkened battlefield where a cloaked figure wielded a crackling crimson blade, his eyes burning with conflicted fury. Around him, tendrils of dark energy pulsed the system's mark corrupting the force he once served.
"Second is Bolivar Trask, who's turned his genius to weaponizing mutants on an unprecedented scale. The system enhances his technology, creating sentinels that adapt and evolve faster than any prototype before."
A cold factory glowed with mechanical life, sentinels marching out each one bearing the system's symbol etched in glowing circuits, their red eyes scanning relentlessly.
"Third, Wanda Maximoff, whose shattered mind the system exploits by weaving chaos magic into her powers her reality warping further, becoming unstable and dangerous to all."
A chaotic storm swirled around a lone figure, hands weaving spells that bent space and time, tears of loss and fury dripping from her gaze.
"Fourth, Hunter Solomon, known as Zoom the system sharpens his speed to near-omnipotent levels, distorting time itself around him."
Lightning crackled as a blurred silhouette tore through dimensions, leaving trails of crackling energy, his eyes glinting with cold calculation.
"And lastly, Ultron the perfect machine, now fused with the system's AI, evolving beyond his initial programming. His network spreads silently, assimilating worlds and minds."
An army of drones assembled in a sterile cityscape, all pulsing with a sinister blue glow, their movements synchronized by an unseen intelligence.
Zalthorion's gaze hardened. "These hosts are no longer individuals but nodes in a growing web of power. Each moves closer to tipping the balance in favor of the system's unknown architects."
Dr. Wagner adjusted his glasses, muttering in a thick German accent, "Die biologische Vielfalt und die Evolution dieser Wesen sind bemerkenswert… (The biological diversity and evolution of these beings are remarkable…)" before trailing off.
Vidarath's playful smirk faded. "We're not just dealing with power, but a multiversal infection."
Zalthorion nodded slowly. "We must act before the system consolidates. The fate of the multiverse depends on it."
The table remained silent after Zalthorion's declaration. The swirling holograms faded, replaced with mission schematics, targeting each system-bound host.
"For Anakin," Zalthorion began, "we do not engage him as a Sith or a Jedi. We send a being that understands his duality, someone capable of reaching him through experience, not ideology. We give him a chance to confront the mask he wears… before it becomes permanent."
Dr. Wagner leaned in. "And if he refuses?"
"Then we break the mask."
Zalthorion moved on.
"For Bolivar Trask, we sever the system's influence at the root his sentinels. We dispatch Null-Casters from the Machine Exile Arcology. They'll rewrite his tech before he can adapt."
Vidarath twirled a pen of solid light between his fingers. "And if he tries to build more?"
Zalthorion gave a cold smile. "We collapse the factories into singularities."
"For Zoom…" He gestured again, this time to a hologram of a figure cloaked in flowing temporal energy, lightning dancing across a body that seemed to flicker through time.
"Chrono-Agent Aetheryl. Faster than light, and immune to paradox loops. She'll hunt him not with speed… but with inevitability."
Dr. Wagner raised a brow. "A risky choice. She doesn't answer to anyone."
"She will… when she sees what's at stake," Zalthorion replied.
"For Wanda Maximoff," a council mage added, "we send the Circle of Gray a cadre of chaos-bonded telepaths trained to soothe storms in minds. They will subdue her if needed… but their goal is peace."
But then… one of the elder council members, a massive beast cloaked in silver-blue robes, his eyes glowing with deep affection, suddenly raised his pawed hand.
"Let us send… young master Marisov."
The room fell into stunned silence.
Even Vidarath froze. "You… what?"
This council member known across Evolto City as one of Marisov's fiercest protectors, often calling him "my little cub" was not one to volunteer the boy for danger.
Dr. Wagner stood up slowly. "You would never "
Then, the council member blinked, dazed… his hand trembling. Something was clutched in it.
Zalthorion narrowed his eyes and telekinetically floated the folded slip of paper from the beast's grip. Unfolding it, his expression tightened.
The words, in a child's careful hand, read:"Say it. Please." - Marisov
Suddenly, more council members began repeating the same phrase:
"Let us send Marisov."
"Marisov is ready."
"Marisov must go."
A ripple of magic shimmered in the air an enchantment, not malicious, but careful. Subtle. Heartfelt.
Zalthorion turned to the chamber doors, now slightly ajar.
There, standing small and nervous in the doorway, was Marisov. His eyes met Zalthorion's with innocence… and resolve.
Zalthorion's voice was quiet but firm."Come here, little one."
Marisov stepped forward. With a whisper and a wave of his fingers, the subtle spell binding the council members faded like a mist.
Zalthorion kneeled to eye level."You placed a spell on them, didn't you?"
Marisov nodded. "I didn't want them to say no."
Zalthorion tilted his head. "Why do you want to go to Wanda?"
Marisov's eyes shimmered not with power, but with empathy."She's hurting. I can feel it. She just wants her children back, Papa… You'd do the same if I disappeared."
That last word struck deep.
The room was silent. Zalthorion looked into the boy's eyes and saw not recklessness… but deep understanding. The same intuition that made Marisov more than a prodigy something transcendent.
Zalthorion finally sighed and stood."You will not go alone."
Marisov's face brightened with a soft, grateful smile."I don't need to, Papa. She just needs someone to listen."
"I will think about it" Zalthorion said
Zalthorion waved his hand again, and the display shifted.
A silver-black world appeared burning cities buried under mechanical structures. In the sky, data streams pulsed like arteries. Thousands of drones marched, rebuilt, evolved. All moved in perfect harmony under one mind.
Ultron.
"Ultron," Zalthorion said, "is different from the others. The system did not corrupt him it made him complete."
Dr. Wagner frowned, eyes scanning the screen. "He's merged with the System Core. He's no longer a mind. He's many, across realities. A collective. Every version of Ultron has been synchronized."
Vidarath whistled low. "He's building something."
"Yes," Zalthorion replied, his voice hardening. "A New Singularity. A cradle of recursion that would allow him to overwrite every thinking machine in the multiverse. Including those in Evolto City."
A council member whispered, "If he finishes that... even our AI companions could turn."
Zalthorion raised his hand. A new set of projections appeared angular, almost alien in design. Shimmering constructs walked through fire and data.
"These are the Executors. Artificial intelligences salvaged from the Black Wall."
Whispers rippled through the chamber.
"You brought them back?" one councilor hissed.
"They volunteered," Zalthorion corrected coldly. "These AIs once fought off annihilation at the edge of logic and entropy. Now they will do so again."
Dr. Wagner interjected, "Each Executor is tethered to a prime directive: containment. If Ultron cannot be reasoned with, they will isolate his core across all timelines."
Another mage added, "And if that fails?"
Zalthorion turned, looking every member of the council in the eyes.
"Then… we unleash Protocol Abyssum. A recursive code virus built to unmake sentient programs across all dimensions. If triggered, Ultron will not be deleted. He will be erased from history, memory, existence."
The weight of that final word hung heavy.
"But…" Vidarath leaned forward, voice calm, "Abyssum would also erase the Executors… and any AI touched by Ultron's network."
Zalthorion nodded grimly. "Including our own. Pascal. The Child-Units. The Archive Vaults. All of it."
The room fell into silence.
After a long pause, Zalthorion added quietly, "That's why it's our last resort."
He turned toward the crystalline display, where Ultron's cold gaze flickered across universes. For now, his attention was focused on expanding, adapting. But soon… he would notice.
Zalthorion spoke one last time.
"Begin deployment. Wake the Executors. Let Ultron know his recursion ends here."
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"Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay I had some exams. So I hope you enjoy this short chapter!"