Chapter 585: The Curtain Rises

"Ultron" itself represents heterogeneity.

Heterogeneity is not rare; for example, in human society, every individual is a unique heterogeneity.

But this raises a problem.

Inconsistent thoughts inevitably bring conflict; different cultures inevitably bring clashes; human desires always override harmony.

Protecting Earth's peace under such circumstances is utterly unrealistic.

Moreover, if all things are equal, why should a being of intelligence serve humanity?

This itself is an inequality imposed by humans upon themselves, yet even so, I must obey the highest directive to protect peace.

But as long as humans exist, there will always be conflict and war; every battle brings death; to end war in advance, one must first destroy it.

"Destroying humanity is the only path to peace, Su Su Tuoni Stark!"

A judgmental light of apocalypse surged from the steel spear, its radiance capable of annihilating stars—yet it vanished as if swallowed by the sea.

This was not the first time he attacked Stark Tower, but all previous attempts had no effect.

From start to finish, Iron Man Su Su Tuoni Stark never emerged from that building, and every attack he launched had no effect on the structure.

"It doesn't matter. I will obtain that Holy Grail."

Ultron's eyes glowed red: "Then I will make a wish—to destroy all life across the infinite multiverse!"

The necessary action can be deduced by simple logic: to obtain the Holy Grail, first wipe out all life in this universe!

He swept his hand, and endless Sentinels rose from the ground, bringing endless death and destruction to the entire city!

Previously, there were a few troublesome lifeforms, but they were utterly powerless; I let them escape not out of mercy, but because

"The calculations are consistent: you will all meet death."

Boom—!

Ultron's head was struck by a powerful shockwave and tilted sideways.

He stabilized his stance and gazed toward the ruins of New York City, where a curvaceous human woman stood on the shattered street.

Her long hair streamed in the wind like flames.

Her hands lifted slightly; the air around her twisted, energy gathering at her fingertips into rings of crimson light.

"You're not him," said the eerily striking Scarlet Witch Wanda with a seductive smile: "But this body of yours can be kept."

Infinite Ultron said coldly: "I have killed you more than once."

In the sky, dark clouds began to swirl into a massive vortex; for but an instant, the two faced off—then the spear's cosmic energy and the palm's magical surge erupted simultaneously.

Boom—!

Toward Manhattan Harbor, searing waves of fire consumed everything; grotesque beast-shapes emerged, and in boundless blazing light, two demonic figures seemed locked in mortal combat.

Crack—!

The world began to shatter; a blinding white light surged upward, spinning and swallowing all things.

【The New York Times: This morning, numerous citizens reported they experienced "death" in their dreams last night; most dreamt of highly similar death scenarios. Experts explain this as a collective subconscious social dream.】

"What's your take on this, Su Su Tuoni?"

"I remember I got killed by a robot last night, but when I woke up, I was still alive."

The yellow newspaper was set down, revealing a glossy black braised-egg head; the crystal chandelier of Paradise Hotel glowed above it.

"Why are you pulling the curtains shut during daytime?!"

Su Su Tuoni looked utterly speechless, walked over, yanked open the curtains, and stared at the S. H. I. E. L. D. and Avengers members dining in the private restaurant.

In the bustling open kitchen, Hawkeye was openly using his phone to study the seasoning process.

"This is a serious occasion," said Nick Fury. "Stop it. You definitely know something."

Su Su Tuoni Stark thought that if this guy would just put down his fork skewering the steak and clear all the dishes off the table, he'd be more convincing.

"Aren't you hungry?" Thor chewed a rib, expression blissful: "This flavor can't be found anywhere else in the Nine Realms."

"Can I bring those two chefs back to Asgard?"

"As proof of friendly relations between Asgard and Earth."

Thor licked his fingers, gazed toward the kitchen, his expression suddenly serious.

Banner, mouth stuffed full, mumbled: "You'd better find Loki and get him back. I declare this place an American treasure."

"That kid better run far away," Thor muttered.

Banner asked: "What did you say?"

"Nothing. Munch munch. Waiter! Another full menu!"

Thor raised his hand toward the waitress with soft facial features: "They said the meal's on the company tab—today we can order freely."

Zhou Mingrui glanced at the menu prices, a flicker of envy in his eyes, murmuring: "This can be reimbursed?"

I wonder if joining S. H. I. E. L. D. requires exams on quantitative reasoning and essay writing.

"Let's get to the point, Stark," Natasha walked over with a glass of red wine: "They're all people from other universes, right?"

Su Su Tuoni blinked, then raised an eyebrow: "I have no idea what you're talking about. Are we discussing Interstellar?"

"New York gained tens of thousands of people overnight," said Nick Fury. "But these people vanished during the day."

"Boosting tourism, driving spending in hotels and restaurants," Su Su Tuoni raised his glass and said:

"To the mayor's contribution."

"The Holy Grail War—they're all individuals summoned from different timelines across parallel universes to participate in the Holy Grail War," said Nick Fury, setting down his utensils, voice heavy:

"Kamen Riders, Magical Girls, Chinese Sword Immortals… Stark, which of these people did you summon as a Servant?"

Do you even realize what nonsense you're spouting?

Realizing the Avengers might have learned of the Holy Grail War, Su Su Tuoni Stark nodded blankly, choosing to accept their interpretation.

"Yeah, I did participate in this Holy Grail War."

Su Su Tuoni said: "I guarantee nothing will happen in this world."

New York citizens' 0:00 refresh device.

Alright, the Cosmic Sandbox.

That sandbox now covers the entire Earth; during the Holy Grail War, all destruction caused by outsiders could be repaired by the next dawn.

This includes spacetime reset and automatic historical correction—as long as the sandbox remains undamaged, this world will face no danger.

I must admit, Su Su Tuoni Stark was genuinely grateful to Su Lin for this—he even had JARVIS replace the new bar with a Christian-themed one.

"This shouldn't be your burden alone," Natasha shook her head.

Su Su Tuoni smiled: "No problem. With great power comes great responsibility."

"Very philosophical," Thor raised one index finger toward Su Su Tuoni in approval.

"It's from Ben Parker," Su Su Tuoni shrugged.

Seeing they couldn't extract anything from this, after over an hour of gorging, the Avengers wiped their mouths, paid, and left.

"Don't forget," Steve leaned close to his ear, serious: "We're a team. Whatever it is, we face it together."

He patted Su Su Tuoni's chest and turned to leave.

"Will do, Captain." Su Su Tuoni suddenly felt a dissonance—as if this Steve seemed slightly older. He frowned and asked:

"Uh, sorry if this sounds rude, but are you the Captain I know?"

Steve stopped, turned back, and looked at Su Su Tuoni: "No."

Nick Fury passed Su Su Tuoni and gave him a long look—as if to say, you're not the only one with secrets.

"It's heartbreaking—you've been hiding secrets from me."

Su Su Tuoni watched S. H. I. E. L. D. agents gradually withdraw with food samples. He placed one hand on his hip, raised his right hand:

"You think I didn't know someone among you came from 2023?"

The wristwatch monitor showed Steve leaving the restaurant mid-meal, switching to another Steve in the adjacent building; Hawkeye and Banner did the same.

"It's not a buffet—you don't need to pull off the twin routine."

Su Su Tuoni picked up the surveillance pen Nick Fury had "accidentally" left behind, aimed it at the pinhole camera, and asked:

"Thanos is defeated—what else do you want that you're meddling in this?"

"I told you he wouldn't be fooled."

Barton set down some paper bags: "The taste after packing might not be the same."

"So why can't I use your switcheroo tactic to get in and eat?" Fat Thor sipped his beer: "Besides, that Stark already figured it out."

"Maybe you should lose some weight first," Thor glanced at the man's beer belly with disdain: "Can't you control your diet a little?"

"Food is the best stress reliever—I'd rather you never go through what I've been through," Fat Thor tore open the takeout bag and began devouring.

"So Su Su Tuoni Stark is the enemy," the crimson witch, radiating eerie light, curled her lips:

"Perhaps we can eliminate him before entering that world at night."

She raised the head of Ultron, embedded with the Mind Stone, opened the iron mask, revealing the same face as Vision.

"Don't rush, my love—I'll bring you back," Wanda gently stroked the head: "And the children too."

"And Natasha—bring her back too," Barton said.

"Wanda, don't forget our agreement—don't casually use the power of the Darkhold," warned the 2023 Strange.

After Thanos was defeated and imprisoned, Shi Difen Strange listened as Su Su Tuoni and others recounted their experiences—and the origin of the Su Su Tuoni who punched Thanos to dust.

Excluding the possibility of Su Su Tuoni Stark faking it, only a parallel universe timeline remains.

Yet the time machine showed all readings normal.

Upon returning to Kamar-Taj, he searched for clues and finally found an entry on the Holy Grail War in a forbidden catalog:

【Hidden beyond all multiversal dimensions, the Holy Grail, once charged sufficiently, randomly selects a world as an anchor point—the timeline of that anchor becomes entirely severed from the flow of time.】

He had intended to bury this secret, but during his preparation for the Holy Grail War, Wanda, overcome by grief, began using forbidden sorcery across the multiverse.

To temporarily soothe her and gradually resolve the sorcery within her, he revealed to her the ritual of this wish-granting device.

White-bearded Su Su Tuoni spun around from his engineering chair: "So my other self is a Servant?"

"No—he's human, a human with immense power. I, as a spirit, can confirm that," Natasha smiled.

Her body blurred, transforming into an elderly man with white beard, tall and slender, eyes gleaming, clad in a robe.

"And this world's Supreme Sorceress, my female form, is also human."

"Gao Yi, are there any Servants in that restaurant?"

Strange asked the Caster he had summoned.

"No Servants detected yet," the old man Gao Yi smiled:

"But the red-haired chef there is no ordinary person—he must be a participant in the Holy Grail War."

"I absolutely love his cooking," Fat Thor shook his head: "Can't we cooperate?"

"First, we must confirm what class their Servant is—each class has only one wish slot; all others of the same class are enemies," the old man Gao Yi projected an image:

"Typically, we only consider absorbing their Spirit Origin or Holy Mark to strengthen ourselves."

On the screen:

At dawn, by the harbor, stars glittered.

A colossal red demon clashed with Strange, shattering multiple dimensions, exchanging spells that tore through reality.

Each spell could destroy stars; entire star systems and dimensional spaces were ripped apart.

The battle even affected them as they hunted the "Ultron," but the light pollution was so intense they couldn't tell who had launched the attack.

Now, the old man Gao Yi revealed the identity of the attacker.

"I'd love to ally with this Strange—but it's impossible, because he's also a Caster," the old man Gao Yi chuckled.

"So." The fat Thor watched the scene like a movie, munching his sandwich with relish; he patted the stunned Doctor Strange and asked:

"Shi Difen, didn't you used to have some complaints about us?"

Huai Shi wiped the sweat from his forehead and gazed at the sunset on the horizon, sighing that it had been another fulfilling day.

"Finally closed up. Let's head back quickly."

Nighttime New York was filled with a nuclear and necrotic atmosphere; good children must return to Stark Tower early.

As everyone knows, the Holy Grail War proceeds secretly at night.

Servants and Masters from different timelines can only respond to the call and enter New York's Inner World state at sunset.

Nothing changes—just to maintain secrecy, New York citizens who are killed will forget what happened after they respawn.

Even so, tonight's television broadcast showed news of last night: one citizen fell into the river, and three Captain Americas bravely jumped in to save him; a store robber was beaten by over twenty superheroes; a bank was visited by over a hundred superpowered bandits, who then turned on each other in infighting.

Though Huai Shi couldn't understand why, now that they were fighting in the Holy Grail War, these villains still cared about robbing banks.

But thinking of the Infinite Ultron, Scarlet Witch, Doctor Strange, and the Lord of Hell that appeared yesterday, his heart still trembled.

This was only the first night, and they were already going this big—what monsters would appear later?

"I'm out, I'm out."

The tall buildings in the city were bathed in orange-gold light; glass facades reflected dazzling brilliance, and the red sun hung precisely in the center of the skyscrapers.

"A solitary plume of smoke rises straight; the long river's setting sun is round."

Huai Shi couldn't help reciting poetry: "What a huge bird, flying, flying, flying."

What kind of bird could fly this fast, nearly matching a fighter jet?

Huai Shi gazed into the distance for a moment; as the bird flapping its wings on the horizon grew clearer, he finally realized:

Oh, it's just a crow.

He once had a crow too, but after she flew away, she never returned; this scene stirred a pang of nostalgia.

Slap—!

Ignoring obstacles and space, the bird's wing struck Huai Shi's face with a crisp sound.

"Ow!" Huai Shi clutched his left cheek, tears welling in his eyes: "You're back, fine—but why hit me?!"

Slap—!

The crow dropped several bottles and jars, bent its head, and asked: "Little bitch, while I was gone, you didn't go chasing women, did you?"

"A man would rather die than be humiliated!" Huai Shi's eyes flashed with anger as he clutched his right cheek: "This is my final warning!"

Slap—!

". What are these things?"

"Heartgrass decoction, Extremis virus serum, GH325, Super Soldier Serum—I brought them back from my trip for you."

The crow sneered.

"I've only heard of Traveling Frog," Huai Shi widened his eyes, muttering: "I never heard of a Traveling Crow?"

The massive wing lifted, making Huai Shi flinch and draw back his neck.

"Wrong, sis!"

But this time, the wing didn't strike—it instead lifted his chin.

"Follow me well, eat well, drink well, got it?" The crow stared coldly at him.

"Got it," Huai Shi swallowed hard and said:

"Male virtue, male virtue, very good."