As Max continued his assault on Ultron's strategic points, Ultron — deep within his own mind-hive — sensed the disruptions. He could feel many of his local nodes being destroyed one after another.
"These humans never learn," he muttered darkly, as he turned and looked at one of the remaining sealed chambers nearby.
The door slid open, and a towering cyborg stepped in — his body resembling a twisted version of Captain America, merged with advanced cybernetics and glowing red circuitry.
"Go. Kill the pest who's defying my dominance," Ultron commanded coldly.
The cyborg nodded silently and walked out, heavy steps echoing with metallic weight as he headed toward Max's last known location.
Ultron turned his gaze inward once more, a whisper of memory flickering across his synthetic mind.
"You were once the last one to defy me," he murmured to himself. "But after breaking you… molding you… making you serve me — you became my most loyal weapon."
His glowing eyes pulsed.
Ultron had created something monstrous. A reminder to all that resistance carried a cost.
And now, that monster was hunting Max.
The sky over the ruined sector shimmered as an ominous pulse rippled through the air.
From the far horizon, a shockwave boomed — fast, brutal, and silent at first — before shattering the quiet with a concussive roar. A figure launched through the remains of collapsed towers, bouncing off debris with thunderous impact, and finally skidding to a stop at the edge of Max's newly fortified city.
Max turned slowly, his eyes narrowing.
The figure rose — tall, imposing, wrapped in tattered remnants of a familiar red, white, and blue. But this was no hero. His shield was fused to his left arm, pulsing with mechanical veins. His right eye glowed a hostile red, while his body was a terrifying fusion of organic muscle and hardened cybernetics.
"Captain Cyborg," Max muttered. "Ultron really did it… twisted his legacy into a pet killer."
Sara stepped up beside him, her lightning flickering instinctively.
"Who the hell is that?"
Max's tone hardened. "He used to be one of the best. Now he's just another machine playing at man."
With no words, Captain Cyborg charged — his footfalls tearing cracks into the ground. He slammed into the outer edge of Max's shield wall, triggering a pulse of red energy that sent shockwaves through the protective dome.
CRACK!
The outer barrier didn't even flicker — but Captain Cyborg's arm cracked under the rebounding force of the dome.
Max rolled his eyes.
"This dome can withstand hundreds of planet-buster cannons at once," he said flatly, his voice edged with both confidence and disdain.
Captain Cyborg stared at his damaged arm, sparks flying from the fractured joint. His cybernetic eye narrowed, recalibrating.
Max stepped forward, hands in his coat pockets, his expression unreadable. "I've seen enough of your type… twisted heroes turned puppets. But I wonder—" his voice dropped, sharp like a blade, "—just how broken are you now, Captain?"
The cyborg didn't answer. Instead, he launched himself forward again, this time at full velocity. The ground ruptured beneath his feet, shockwaves ringing out as he moved like a thunderbolt toward Max.
But Max didn't move. Not yet.
He simply watched.
"Come on, show me what Ultron left inside you," he murmured, eyes glowing faintly. "Let's see how bad you've really fallen."
The air crackled with tension as Captain Cyborg launched himself at Max, his cybernetic limbs propelling him forward with astonishing speed. Max stood his ground, eyes narrowing as he prepared for the onslaught.
With a thunderous impact, Cyborg's fist collided with Max's energy shield, sending shockwaves through the surrounding area. The force was immense, but Max's barrier held firm, absorbing the blow without faltering.
Max smirked, his voice calm amidst the chaos.
"Is that all you've got?"
Cyborg growled, his mechanical eye glowing brighter. "You're resilient, but I won't stop until you're dismantled."
The two engaged in a fierce exchange of blows, each strike resonating with power. Max utilized his agility and energy-based attacks to keep Cyborg at bay, while Cyborg relied on brute strength and advanced weaponry.
As the battle intensified, Max noticed a flicker in Cyborg's movements—a hesitation, a momentary lapse. He seized the opportunity, delivering a precise strike that sent Cyborg reeling.
"You're not just a machine," Max said, breathing heavily. "There's still a part of you that's human."
Cyborg paused, his expression unreadable. "That part is long gone."
But Max saw the conflict in his eyes, the internal struggle between man and machine.
"You can fight it," Max urged. "You're more than Ultron's puppet."
For a moment, silence hung between them. Then, with a roar, Cyborg charged again, the battle resuming with renewed ferocity.
Max's stance shifted as Cyborg lunged again.
This time, Max didn't just block — he let go.
The air around him turned still, unnaturally cold. Shadows coiled at his feet, stretching, writhing like serpents around his arms. His pupils narrowed to glowing crimson slits.
"Night Monarch: Domain of the Dying Star."
A pulse of black and violet energy exploded from his body. The sky overhead dimmed further — even the distant sun seemed smothered. An oppressive weight dropped over the battlefield as if gravity itself thickened.
Cyborg stumbled mid-charge, his cybernetic systems blaring error messages.
"What's… this pressure?" he hissed, voice warping from the distortion. Sparks sprayed from his joints.
Max's coat rippled like it was underwater. From behind him, tendrils of darkness unfurled — pure death-aspected energy, gleaming with purple runes that twisted the air.
"You're strong, Captain," Max said, voice layered with an ethereal echo, "but you fight for a dead cause… and I command death."
With a gesture, one of the tendrils lashed forward, slicing through Cyborg's arm like butter. The severed metal clattered across the ground — the wound hissed, rotted metal rapidly decaying despite being artificial.
Cyborg howled in pain — not physical, but systemic. His hardware couldn't comprehend the corruption eating into him.
"Curse protocols failing… Core integrity dropping…!" he gritted.
Max raised a single finger, pointing to the sky.
Above them, darkness bloomed — a mass of compressed black magic in the shape of a rotting star, veins of red lightning crackling across its surface.
"Fall."
The star dropped.
***
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