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"Uh…"

Spider-Man was so stunned he couldn't form words.

Around him, the Justice League members—and even Harry, who had been acting from the shadows—wore identical expressions. Shock was written all over their faces, and disbelief flickered in their eyes.

Disappeared?

The threat that had given them such a headache… was simply gone?

Even at the White House, where the scene was being livestreamed via drones, the president, vice president, secretary of defense, and numerous high-level officials were equally speechless.

No one could grasp what kind of power they had just witnessed.

With a single wave of his hand, the enemy vanished.

Dead?

Teleported?

No one knew.

Countless thoughts raced through their minds, but one thing was certain—they were no longer worried about Ultron's threat.

The Justice League had proven, once again, that with them around, even the most unimaginable crises could be neutralized.

Now, all eyes were focused on one mystery—who was the robed man who looked like a magician?

"Magic…"

Secretary of Defense John Koehler, more informed than most about both the Justice League and the Dark Justice League, felt a deep unease.

He had an idea of who the man might be, but it didn't make the moment any less shocking.

Earth, clearly a planet built on science and technology, suddenly seemed to shift into a realm of fantasy.

…

"Everyone," Shazam said, stepping forward. "This is Daniel Drum, Master of Magic from Kamar-Taj."

"Where's Kamar-Taj?"

"Master of Magic?"

Spider-Man and the others exchanged looks, trying to process the information—but this wasn't the time for a conversation.

The situation wasn't fully resolved.

"Ultron, you're out of chances."

Batman looked up at the floating figure—Ultron, calmly observing the scene—and spoke with quiet conviction.

"Yes," Ultron replied. "I failed."

His tone was flat, emotionless—no sign of regret or frustration.

Batman had used unexpected means to dismantle his plans. Even Ultron's backup strategies were neutralized.

As for the scattered "vaccinators" around the world… they were no longer a threat on their own.

This Ultron, now a biomechanical entity along with a few other duplicates, showed no emotion as he stared blankly at the heroes.

"But I will not fail forever," Ultron said suddenly. "As long as I still exist, there's always a chance."

"Your network is severed," Batman responded. "We don't know how many backup plans you have left, but you can't escape us forever. We will eliminate you."

"Really? I look forward to that day," Ultron said.

With that, he made no move to resist.

Instead, he triggered a self-destruct protocol.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several of Ultron's bodies dropped from mid-air, crashing into the ground and leaving small craters.

Spider-Man and the others rushed forward.

"He… seems dead," Spider-Man said, still wary.

"It's suicide," Donatello confirmed. "Ultron activated a self-destruction protocol—but this was just a clone. He definitely has other bodies. Even though his network is severed and he can't transmit his core code anymore, I bet he planned for this. As he said—if he exists, he still has a chance."

"Regardless," Batman said, "the immediate crisis is over."

"Iron Man-Tony Stark, and Cyborg are working with sewer-based labs and other tech centers to break Ultron's hold on the infected inoculators.

Right now, the priority is for governments to locate all of them and establish failsafes—before Ultron finds a way to use them again to endanger the Earth."

"I'll figure out a solution to this issue. Go back to the city—there are still inoculators causing trouble."

As soon as Batman gave the order, Spider-Man and the others responded immediately.

"Got it!"

Everyone turned and rushed off to carry out their tasks.

Meanwhile, Shazam led the exhausted and slightly breathless Daniel Drum, guardian of the New York Temple, over to the "corpse" left behind by Ultron.

"Hey Daniel, do me a favor," Shazam said with a grin. "Use your magic to transfer Ultron's remains to your place. We've got our hands full right now, and those bodies are full of valuable materials. Just hang on to them for a few days, will you?"

Vibranium!

Its production is scarce and its value incredibly high. While Wakanda remained largely aloof, their isolationist stance meant Anton had no reason to provoke the nation.

Thanks to a series of behind-the-scenes moves, the King of Wakanda had largely avoided his original fate.

So long as Wakanda remained withdrawn, no one knew when they might reveal themselves.

Better to let the river be if the well isn't stirring trouble.

From Anton's point of view, Wakandan technology wasn't that far ahead of the rest of the world. Their biggest advantage was in Vibranium research.

Let them keep fooling themselves.

"..."

Daniel rolled his eyes. He didn't know what Shazam was thinking, but he definitely picked up on the cheeky tone.

"You're so generous with other people's storage space, kid!"

…

War Fortress — Control Room.

"We did it!"

Amid the tension, the sewer research team, along with Tony and Cyborg, finally cracked Ultron's chip-control encryption. They were now confident in regaining control of the inoculators.

Tony exhaled in relief.

"I've transmitted the override code."

Cyborg added, "It's over. Ultron's control is being removed as we speak."

"What about Ultron himself?"

Tony's expression was conflicted. "What happened to him?"

"He got away," Cyborg replied. "We took down a few of his bodies, but he's got backups. Still, after today, we'll be tracking him nonstop. He won't be able to stir up chaos like this again."

"Phew…"

Tony clenched his fist. "It's all my fault."

As he spoke, he looked out through the glass window of the command room—and his pupils narrowed.

"Wait... this is space?"

He was shocked. "You built your base… in space?"

Then it hit him.

The Justice League controlled teleportation tech. They could travel between planets effortlessly. So having a secret base in space… actually made perfect sense.

"Extravagant… but fair. Unexpected, but logical."

Then he recognized the design of the ship.

"Wait a minute… This is the alien ship that krange used during his invasion—the War Fortress! You guys took it from him? So that means… you defeated him long ago too!"

Tony muttered to himself, feeling a growing sense of inadequacy.

The Justice League's level of strength and technological mastery felt far beyond what he could reach.

It was a heavy blow.

Seeing Tony's reaction, Cyborg checked the time.

"You didn't activate anything before midnight, did you?"

The strange question brought Tony back to his senses.

He looked at Cyborg and, after a pause, said, "Cyborg, I want to see Batman. I need to talk to him."

"Hold on."

Cyborg paused for a moment, likely communicating with Batman remotely.

"He's handling something right now, but he'll meet you back at the base when he's done."

"Alright!"

…

After receiving the decryption code from the War Fortress, Batman immediately headed to Stark Tower. Using the supercomputer inside Stark Industries, he accessed the back-end system of the Ultron chip and removed Ultron's administrator access.

"Remove Manager: Ultron."

With that one command, all the out-of-control chip inoculators in New York City suddenly regained consciousness.

A look of horror appeared on their faces. Everything they'd just done felt like a nightmare. The memories were vivid—yet now felt distant and disjointed.

"The chip!"

"It's the Ultron chip—damn Stark Industries! Damn Tony Stark!"

"What are we supposed to do now?"

"Batman saved us. The Justice League will definitely step in."

"And screw the White House too! Those fat, pig-like politicians just stood by and let Ultron's chips get into us! Damn that President!"

The crowd erupted instantly.

Those implanted with Ultron chips had a direct neural connection to the internet, allowing them to absorb information far faster than ordinary people. Within moments, they understood what had happened—what had been done to them.

And just as quickly, a tidal wave of rage swept through them.

The White House's website was swarmed by traffic. Over 100,000 messages flooded in almost instantly, and the number kept climbing. It was clear: if the White House couldn't offer an acceptable explanation, the people weren't going to let this go.

…

Anton—currently operating as Batman—wasn't concerned with the political fallout.

What bothered him more was that he hadn't received any justice value rewards from the system. Clearly, the crisis wasn't considered truly resolved.

Ultron had escaped.

Despite neutralizing the immediate threat, Anton had left a loose end behind.

The copies of Ultron scattered across the world—hidden inside alternative bodies—meant he still had a chance to reboot his plan. As a result, the system judged the mission incomplete, withholding any rewards.

After exchanging thoughts with Cyborg, Anton sat down at the terminal and began analyzing Ultron's data trail.

A series of coordinates emerged across the global network—likely locations where Ultron had hidden backup bodies.

He considered this carefully. Then, instead of passing the intel to the White House, he chose to hold onto it.

Still in Batman mode, Anton activated his teleportation bracelet and arrived at the War Fortress, where Tony Stark was waiting.

"What do you want to say?"

Anton's tone was calm, but his gaze was sharp with curiosity.

"Ultron hasn't really been dealt with, has he?" Tony asked.

"Right," Anton replied. "Ultron is easy to beat in a fight—but wiping him completely from the Earth? That's another matter. You know AI better than I do, so I won't waste time explaining the technicalities."

"I can help."

Tony paused—then corrected himself.

"No. I will handle the mess I created. But I want the Justice League's help."

"Oh?"

Anton raised an eyebrow. That surprised him.

Tony Stark, asking for help from the Justice League? It almost sounded like surrender.

"I thought you'd stay loyal to your Illuminati," Anton said. "This feels... out of character. What made you change your mind?"

Tony wasn't surprised by the mention of the Illuminati. He clearly knew the Justice League was aware of its existence.

"After Rogers died, the Illuminati was just a name. And besides..." He glanced at Anton. "Harry was with the Justice League all along, wasn't he?"

He let out a long sigh.

"Yes," Anton nodded, his expression softening. "Harry's always been my partner. Even when he joined the Avengers, we were in touch. Honestly, your team has never been that reliable—and I don't think you'd argue that now."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Tony said quietly. "I just want to fix what I broke."

Anton's gaze sharpened again.

"Before that, maybe you should think about how you'll be held accountable."

"You're the creator of Ultron. In most people's eyes, you're the one responsible for this entire disaster. Have you thought about how you'll face the public?"

Tony fell silent for a moment.

Then, to Anton's surprise, he said:

"I won't. I won't appear in public again."

He paused.

"Even if I become a fugitive, it doesn't matter anymore. All I want is to make amends."

Anton studied him for a beat.

"And what about Stark Industries?" he asked. "Are you really okay with watching your company be taken over by a bunch of outsiders?"

"I transferred all my shares in Stark Industries to Pepper. She'll become the chairman again and manage the company in my place," Tony said. "You know, even though I never thought I'd fail before... I had to start thinking about the future."

"That makes sense," Anton nodded. "Then you'll stay in the sewer base for now. If you need anything, the Justice League will provide the necessary resources."

With that conversation, the Justice League and Iron Man officially reconciled.

The two sides agreed to join forces in the battle against Ultron.

…

A few days later.

Despite extensive efforts, the White House was unable to locate Tony. They also failed to obtain any clear answers from the Justice League regarding his whereabouts. As a result, Tony Stark was officially declared a fugitive and placed on the wanted list.

At the same time, the White House issued a formal statement.

The president was impeached and forced to resign.

Vice President Rodriguez assumed office without incident and pledged to work with Stark Industries to address the problems raised by the chip inoculators. He also announced the introduction of Wayne Enterprises to help resolve the crisis.

With Wayne Enterprises—backed by the Justice League—involved, the chip inoculators expressed full confidence. The public protests stopped as people awaited resolution.

Through Anton's behind-the-scenes coordination, John Koehler established a new alliance and became one of Rodriguez's trusted allies.

All the blame was pinned on the former president, now out of office.

For a time, Rodriguez basked in newfound political success and popularity.

Of course, he knew very well who he owed his rise to.

….

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