Even now, Eric O'Grady still felt somewhat uncomfortable.
But Karl knew they were running out of time. He had to hurry over with Iron Man and rescue the others.
As long as Eric managed to lure the enemy's main force over here, everything would work out!
"So it really is you. You escaped last time, but you won't get away so easily this time."
Eric simply stood there.
He lazily yawned, stretched his body, then quietly sat down where he was.
He couldn't care less about Ultron's threats.
Seeing Eric treat him with such complete indifference, Ultron suddenly felt a trace of irritation.
"Looks like you're already prepared to take a beating. In that case, there's no reason for me to show you any mercy."
"Take this!"
Ultron immediately used his full strength and charged straight toward him.
One meter.
Half a meter.
Ten centimeters!
He was about to reach him!
But suddenly, an immensely powerful force hurled Ultron backward.
He failed to withstand it and was actually forced several steps back.
The spell Karl had placed around Eric didn't merely provide protection.
It also repelled anything that attacked it!
No matter how much force the opponent used, that force would be reflected back at them several times over.
Ultron had been caught completely off guard and was immediately forced backward several steps.
Standing nearby, Dotilt merely gave a cold snort.
Ultron naturally heard it.
He turned around and glared viciously at her.
Dotilt constantly reminded herself of what Tothwanwell had told her.
They were at a critical stage of their cooperation, and she had no desire to create unnecessary trouble!
Even so, every time she looked at Ultron, irritation rose in her heart.
She felt that he was far too obsessed with putting on a show of superiority.
"So you prepared for this in advance."
"You're like a coward hiding behind an impenetrable shell."
"I really overestimated you before."
Seeing Eric refuse to leave his protective circle, Ultron deliberately began provoking him, hoping to force him out.
But Karl had already warned Eric in advance about exactly this sort of tactic.
Ultron was extremely competitive, but if Eric refused to leave the circle, there was no way for the two of them to truly fight.
Hearing his taunts, Eric merely scratched his ear.
"If you're really capable, break through the first layer of this protective circle."
"If you can't even break through that, then I don't think you're capable of fighting me at all. Wouldn't you agree?"
A mysterious smile appeared on his face.
Those words struck exactly where Ultron's pride was most vulnerable.
Ultron's expression instantly became terrifying.
He raised both hands, unleashed two powerful energy waves, and blasted them straight toward Eric.
But the exact same thing happened again.
Watching from the side, even Dotilt felt helpless.
"Commander, perhaps we should change strategies."
"We brought so many people with us. Are you really going to handle this alone?"
Dotilt simply didn't want to watch him continue showing off.
They had brought so many troops precisely so they could be used when necessary.
Yet Ultron stubbornly insisted on doing everything himself.
She truly couldn't understand what he was trying to prove.
Ultron immediately realized that Dotilt's suggestion implied she doubted his ability.
His gaze abruptly sharpened.
That single glare was enough to force back everything else Dotilt had been about to say.
Ultron stubbornly charged forward several more times.
Dotilt could only remain nearby and observe how things developed.
The sun was blazing overhead.
One of the Skrulls standing nearby finally couldn't help asking,
"Priestess, are we really going to keep standing here and waiting?"
"He's been attacking for this long and hasn't even managed to injure the target."
"This is already a tremendous humiliation, yet Ultron refuses to give up. He keeps trying again and again."
"It's ridiculous."
"Before we left, we were specifically told that we had to follow his arrangements for now."
"If he wants to keep proving himself, then let him."
There had already been friction between Ultron and Dotilt while they were pursuing Iron Man and Karl.
Their relationship had only grown worse since then.
"You really think you can compete with me?"
"Do you honestly think you're that impressive just because you have a few powerful abilities?"
"I'd like to see whether Ultron can truly accomplish anything after separating from us Skrulls!"
"A robot acting this arrogantly is simply ridiculous."
"If we weren't at such an important stage of our cooperation, I wouldn't even have bothered coming out here with you."
Dotilt could only keep those thoughts to herself.
The entire situation felt utterly pointless and frustrating.
"Forget about him."
"We were told to stay here and wait, so that's exactly what we'll do…"
"If he doesn't order us to act and we interfere on our own, then if something goes wrong, he might turn around and blame us for it…"
Dotilt had already lost nearly all enthusiasm for participating in the fight.
After enduring several of Ultron's attacks, Eric had initially still been somewhat worried.
He hadn't been completely certain whether the protective circle Karl had created for him was truly safe.
But now Ultron had attacked it repeatedly without breaking through even a single layer of its defenses.
Eric finally felt reassured.
He even stood up, intending to tease Ultron a little.
"I remember you being pretty strong before."
"What happened?"
"Have you been causing so much trouble that you've run out of strength?"
"That shouldn't be possible, should it?"
Eric looked incredibly smug.
Seeing that infuriating expression on his face, Ultron could only slam punch after punch into the protective circle!
One fist.
Then the other.
Again and again!
Although Dotilt remained standing off to the side, she never lowered her guard.
She carefully observed every punch Ultron threw and silently memorized the changes produced by each impact.
She also paid close attention to exactly how much force Ultron used each time.
"Looks like that sorcerer is behind this again!"
"I never expected him to create such a perfectly sealed defensive circle."
"There isn't even the slightest opening!"
Even Dotilt couldn't help feeling impressed as she watched.
Meanwhile, Karl and Iron Man had already reached the magnificent palace as quickly as possible.
Even Iron Man couldn't help marveling at the sight.
"Look at this."
"A structure this enormous was built on this planet, yet we never noticed it at all."
Iron Man could hardly believe it.
Many superheroes were currently imprisoned inside.
Worse still, the Skrulls had even used their DNA to create fake copies of them.
Those superheroes should have been under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s close surveillance.
How had the Skrulls managed to capture some of them without anyone noticing?
A faint sense of unease rose in Iron Man's heart.
If that was the case, then there were certain possibilities they absolutely had to guard against.
Now that he had Karl fighting alongside him, they had to do everything possible to rescue everyone inside!
"How long have they been gone?"
Tothwanwell remained behind at headquarters.
Yet instead of feeling confident about the operation, an inexplicable uneasiness lingered in his heart.
As he watched the battle unfold, even Tothwanwell could no longer remain seated.
"What is going on?"
"Ultron took so many people with him!"
"I thought victory was guaranteed!"
(End of Chapter)
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