Chapter 156: [155] : Arriving Just in Time
~ Support & Read 11 Advanced Chapters on My Patreon!
~ Drop some Power Stones 💎💎
<><><><>
The world had changed drastically.
Ever since the zombie incident, it seemed like everything had become unrecognizable.
At first, the disappearance of the zombies brought joy and relief. People cheered, showering the Avengers and the hero from the parallel universe with flowers and applause.
Governments around the world began rebuilding. Medical systems, police forces, and other essential services were restored. Everything appeared to be moving in the right direction.
But… within half a year, the world took on a very different face.
Some people, consumed by guilt over eating human flesh while zombified, committed suicide. Others lashed out at those who had once been zombies, targeting survivors who had turned back into humans.
The world subtly split into two factions: those who had been zombified and those who had not.
Even figures like Captain America and Black Widow faced suspicion—not merely suspicion, but outright Accusations—because they had once turned into zombies and bitten numerous people. Survivors vividly remembered these attacks.
The Avengers were thrust into the spotlight.
At the same time, the Sokovia Accords, which the Avengers had once rejected, resurfaced.
Captain America and others who had never intended to sign the accords were instantly declared fugitives. Meanwhile, those Avengers unwilling to sign the accords were monitored and required government approval for their activities.
But the world did not become more orderly. Instead, it descended into greater chaos.
❁❁❁❁
Click.
In this chaotic world, Spider-Man, Peter Parker, found a rare moment of leisure. Sitting on the edge of a tall building, he opened a bottle of juice.
"What are you doing?" came Happy Hogan's voice through his earpiece.
Peter took a big gulp and replied, "Drinking juice. Orange-flavored."
"There's a robbery happening just four blocks from you, and you're drinking juice?!"
"I know, I know!" Peter sighed wearily. "I know it's urgent, but I just helped a car accident victim get to the hospital. Can't I rest for a second?"
"…"
Happy went silent for a moment before relenting. "Alright, you've got one minute."
"…Got it," Peter replied, almost exasperated.
Thanks to his close relationship with Tony Stark, Peter had been granted significant authority, supported by both Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan.
Officially, Peter Parker was now the heir to Stark Industries. He had access to Tony Stark's resources, including satellites, the Iron Man armors, and even Tony's prized lab.
But this also made Peter the government's chosen new hero, positioned as the leader of the New Avengers, replacing Captain America.
The new team, however, was barely a team—just a few members, including Spider-Man, Ant-Man, Wasp, and War Machine.
Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon were fugitives.
Iron Man and Hawkeye had fallen during the zombie crisis.
Thor and Winter Soldier had vanished into a parallel universe, while Hulk had disappeared after the crisis, his whereabouts unknown.
Vision and Wanda had left the Avengers during the Sokovia Accords controversy to live in isolation. Most other heroes had either gone underground or disappeared entirely.
Those who stayed—like War Machine—did so to support Spider-Man, seeing how overwhelmed he was. Rhodey knew how manipulative the government could be, and he didn't want Tony's chosen successor to be misled.
Ant-Man and Wasp had similar motivations, though guilt over their parents' actions also played a role.
This left the Avengers with just a handful of active members.
With so few Avengers, they struggled to keep up with crises. The government, wary of deploying Stark's Iron Legion after the Ultron incident, feared another rogue AI could emerge.
So even when emergencies outpaced their resources, the government refused to budge, content with the chaos as long as it maintained control.
Given these conditions, Peter's exhaustion made sense. Even superhuman endurance had its limits.
Draining his juice, Peter put his mask back on, fired a web, and swung toward the robbery Happy had mentioned. He quickly subdued the criminal.
Just as Peter prepared to head to his next destination, a sound like shattering glass stopped him cold.
Every hair on his body stood on end. His Spider-Sense screamed, flooding him with overwhelming fear—a danger so severe it nearly paralyzed him.
Looking skyward, Peter pinpointed the source of the sound.
In the sky, a massive figure was hurled out of a glowing rift. Moving with incredible speed, as if struck by immense force, it smashed through two skyscrapers before crashing to the ground.
Hovering near the rift, Peter saw a figure emerge—one he recognized.
With a red cape, a yellow Mind Stone on his forehead, and a chest embedded with other glowing Infinity Stones, it was a familiar yet foreign sight.
"Is that… Vision?" Peter murmured to himself.
The figure resembled Vision but carried an entirely different aura—an imposing, almost malevolent presence.
"This… is your trump card?" the floating Vision-like figure said suddenly.
Peter realized the words were directed at the giant who had crashed to the ground below.
Turning his gaze downward, Peter saw the giant—towering and battered—rise to his feet. "No," the giant replied, "this is far from my trump card."
As the giant spoke, golden threads snaked around Vision's body, dragging him back toward the rift.
But Vision, immensely powerful, broke free of the golden threads. In fact, he used them to pull someone else out from the rift.
"Doctor Strange?! No, wait… a paler Doctor Strange?"
Peter exclaimed in shock as a man resembling Doctor Strange was yanked into view. His skin, deathly pale like a corpse, left Peter questioning whether this was truly the Sorcerer Supreme.
There wasn't time to dwell on it. From the aura alone, Peter instinctively sided with the pale Strange against the ominous Vision.
"Don't interfere," a voice said, gripping Peter's shoulder and startling him.
"Whoa!" Peter yelped.
His Spider-Sense hadn't registered the man's approach, a fact that unnerved him. But upon turning, Peter relaxed—it was someone he recognized.
"Ro… Roger?!" Peter exclaimed. Then his eyes widened. "Wait, why do you also have—"
Peter's gaze locked onto the six Infinity Stones on Roger's chest. A glance back at Vision confirmed he bore an identical set.
What was going on? Weren't Infinity Stones supposed to be unique to each universe? How were there two sets?
Had they gone on sale in bulk?
Roger, newly arrived, patted Peter's shoulder and said, "I'll explain later. Right now, your job is to evacuate the civilians. My job is to stop Ultron. Got it?"
"Y-Yes!" Peter stammered.
Though filled with questions, he recognized the urgency. He immediately contacted Happy and the Avengers to issue evacuation warnings to the nearby populace.
Roger turned his attention from Peter to Ultron, their gazes locking. A faint smile tugged at Roger's lips.
"Looks like I arrived just in time."
With those words, he rose into the air and shot toward the Infinite Ultron.
Boom!
The battle was on.
<><><><><>
Support & Read 11 Advanced Chapters. Ahead of the rest!
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
There is 9 Exciting Fanfics already available on my Patreon!
...
Apply this discount code : C8BD2