Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

All civilians had been evacuated.

Nick Fury's voice came through the comm channel, with raucous cheers in the background. "This is the last lifeboat. Avengers, you're up."

"We'd love to leave too, but there's something big about to fall."

Tony Stark stared at the wildly blaring altimeter on his visor, his face pale.

The anti-gravity engines had completely shut down.

Having lost its support, the floating city, weighing hundreds of millions of tons, let out a groan of unbearable strain. The ground cracked, rocks crumbled, and the entire city began accelerating toward the earth under gravity's pull.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., calculate the impact consequences."

"If this mass strikes the ground at its current speed, the shockwave will destroy half of Central Europe. The dust kicked up will block the atmosphere for decades. Sir, this would be a global mass-extinction event."

"Sounds awful." Steve stood at the edge of the crumbling cliff, gripping his shield tightly as the fierce wind nearly blew him off his feet. "We need to blow it up."

"Not just blow it up."

Jiang Li ended his NRG transformation and returned to human form. He immediately placed his hand on the Omnitrix, his expression grave.

"If it isn't blown into small enough pieces, the massive meteor shower will still destroy the countries below. We need to turn it into sand."

He looked at Tony and Thor.

"We need a perfect demolition plan. Tony, seal the exhaust ports at the bottom and create back pressure. Thor, hit the Vibranium core with your strongest lightning and generate extreme heat."

"What about you?" Thor spun Mjolnir as terrifying lightning brewed within the clouds. "Where are you going?"

"I'm responsible for making it... shrink into a ball."

Jiang Li took a deep breath, turned the dial, and selected the hulking figure that looked like a red asteroid.

"When dealing with something this big, we need the power to command all things."

"It's Hero Time!"

A dark crimson flash erupted.

Jiang Li's body instantly expanded, transforming into a gigantic alien with a rock-hard body and a glowing red core. His body itself resembled an asteroid with its own gravitational field, with several chunks of debris even floating around him like satellites.

Baisal—Gravity Crab Tyrant!

"This air... is so heavy."

Jiang Li's deep, weighty voice rang out like a hum rising from the center of the earth.

"Move!!"

Tony instantly dove toward the city's engine exhausts. "This is what I meant by 'seal it up'!"

He locked down the thermal vents at the bottom, preventing the heat from the overloading core from escaping. It could only build up inside, turning the entire city into a pressure cooker.

"I am Thor! Son of Odin!!"

Thor raised Thor's Hammer high, forcibly commandeering every thundercloud in the sky. A terrifying bolt of lightning dozens of meters wide descended from above and struck the Vibranium core with savage force!

"Bzzzt—!!"

The Vibranium core instantly overloaded. Energy waves surged outward madly as the city's rocky foundation began glowing red and cracking under the extreme heat.

"Now, Jiang!" Tony shouted.

"Gravity... Black Hole Collapse!!"

Hovering above the city, Gravity Crab Tyrant spread his arms wide. The red light in his core flared to its limit, like a burning red giant.

"Bzzzz—!!"

A massive black spherical gravitational field instantly enveloped the falling city.

Something miraculous happened.

The rocks and debris that should have shattered apart and exploded in every direction defied the laws of physics, violently dragged back by a terrifying centripetal force!

The entire city of Sokovia was like a crumpled sheet of paper, forcibly compressed and ground apart in midair!

The explosion's force did not spread outward. Instead, it was tightly compressed inside the gravitational field, repeatedly shaking and pulverizing everything within!

"Break... apart!!"

Jiang Li slammed his hands together as though crushing an invisible walnut.

"Boom!!!"

Under the lightning's heat, Vibranium's backlash, and gravity's ultimate compression, the entire city disintegrated in midair.

There were no massive meteors, no devastating shockwaves.

In that instant, the hundreds of millions of tons of rock and steel were ground into dust and fine sand that filled the sky.

A magnificent gray meteor shower.

The Avengers' lifeboat from the Helicarrier passed through the cloud of dust. Steve looked out the window at the boulders that would once have destroyed the world, now nothing more than grains of sand gently tapping against the glass.

"It's over." Natasha leaned back in her seat, letting out a long breath as she wiped the dust from her face.

"No, there's still one left."

Vision stood by the hatch without boarding.

"You go first."

He transformed into a streak of golden light, passing through the dust and flying toward the forest below.

The forest near Sokovia was quiet and peaceful.

A battered Ultron Sentry dragged itself forward with a broken leg. Its body was on the verge of collapse. This was its final backup consciousness.

"I... I saw it..."

It muttered to itself, chaotic light flickering in its electronic eyes. "Infinity... If I had more time..."

"You don't have any time left."

A red figure descended from the sky, blocking its path.

Vision.

Ultron stopped and leaned against a tree, looking at the perfect body that had once belonged to it.

"Did you come to mock me?" Ultron's voice was hoarse, carrying a trace of unwillingness.

"I came to see you off," Vision said calmly.

"That's ironic too." Ultron glanced at the forest. "You're also one of those... incomprehensible 'monsters.' You think you stand with life, but you've seen it too. Humanity is destined to destroy itself."

"Yes, they do have many flaws."

Vision nodded, his gaze gentle. "They are destined to perish. But before then, they will struggle, shine, and create miracles."

He stepped closer.

"Things are not beautiful because they last forever, Ultron. It is precisely because they are fleeting that they are precious."

Ultron fell silent. It looked at Vision, whose eyes held no hatred, only a compassion that transcended programming.

"You're too naive." Ultron sneered. "Vision."

"Perhaps." Vision replied faintly, the Mind Stone on his forehead lighting up. "But I was born yesterday."

Ultron suddenly lunged forward, attempting one final attack.

"Bzzzt—!"

A powerful beam of mental energy instantly pierced the shadows of the forest.

Everything fell silent.

The Age of Ultron had ended.

Several days later. Upstate New York, United States.

A brand-new complex had risen from the ground—the Avengers' new base.

The sun was bright, and the scent of freshly cut grass lingered over the lawn. Newly recruited agents were moving supplies.

"So, this is the ending?"

Tony Stark wore sunglasses as he stood beside a red Audi sports car, looking at Steve and Thor before him.

"I'm taking a vacation. Maybe I'll build Barton a more decent garage on his farm." Tony shrugged. "I might miss you freaks, but I definitely won't miss the big green guy's snoring."

"Dr. Banner has disappeared." Natasha walked over, her expression somewhat dim as she held a photograph. "The Quinjet's signal last vanished near Fiji."

"He'll come back." Jiang Li leaned against the wall, idly playing with the Omnitrix. "Everyone needs time to lick their wounds."

"What about you, Jiang?" Steve looked at Jiang Li. "Where are you planning to go? Back to Stark Tower to keep being your stay-at-home consultant?"

"No."

Jiang Li shook his head and glanced at Gwen beside him.

Gwen carried a guitar case and wore casual clothes. She looked like an ordinary high school student, but there was a new determination in her eyes.

"Gwen and I talked it over. Since Ultron mentioned the 'multiverse' and 'infinity,' I don't think we can just sit around and wait."

A sharp glint flashed in Jiang Li's eyes.

"The Omnitrix has been heating up lately. It seems to have detected an energy fluctuation capable of interfering with time. That energy may be connected to why Gwen crossed over."

He pointed east.

"The coordinates lead to Kathmandu, Nepal. I hear there are some people there who understand... 'magic.'"

"Magic?" Thor's interest was piqued. "If you want to learn tricks, perhaps Loki is better at it... Oh, right, he 'died.'"

"No, something more profound."

Jiang Li smiled mysteriously. The Ancient One, the Time Stone—those were powers he had to make contact with.

"Wherever you go." Steve extended his hand. "The Avengers' doors will always be open to you."

Jiang Li shook his hand and smiled.

"Always on standby, Captain."

He turned and walked with Gwen toward a small plane that had long been prepared.

Behind them, Falcon Sam, War Machine Rhodes, Vision, and Wanda were gathering on the lawn.

Steve looked at the new faces and took a deep breath.

"Avengers, assemble!"