— Outskirts of Wakanda's Capital, Royal Research Center
In the initial wave of attacks.
Ultron took control of Iron Man's suits and War Machine's armor, completely overriding their permissions and unleashed them on the Avengers, delivering a devastating blow.
Even King T'Chaka of Wakanda was among the wounded.
The chaos soon spread from the parliament chamber to the entire capital.
Though the Wakandan Royal Guard responded quickly, Ultron had already hacked into many of the city's automated defense systems.
Those once-loyal defense machines now turned their weapons on their creators.
The tide turned swiftly.
Despite their reputation and valor, the Royal Guard and the elite Dora Milaje were forced to abandon part of the capital.
Under the heavy firepower of Ultron's forces, they retreated to the Royal Research Center and the vibranium mining facilities, an areas where terrain favored their defense.
The vibranium mines are Wakanda's lifeblood.
Prince T'Challa would never allow such a cornerstone of the nation to fall into Ultron's hands.
After several clashes, Ultron appeared to realize that his current army wasn't enough to breach the mine's defenses.
He pulled back to the capital, redirecting his efforts to hijack Wakanda's automated factories to build a stronger force.
Thus, the cliffside Royal Research Center became the last bastion of Wakanda and perhaps humanity's final stronghold against catastrophe.
It was here, at this fortified sanctuary, that the Avengers and Wakanda's warriors cast aside past grudges and failures.
With full support from Kagura, they regrouped, rearmed, and prepared to reclaim their nation and redeem the human race.
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Inside the R&D lab of the Research Center, Shuri was putting the final touches on a new version of the Black Panther suit for her brother, T'Challa.
Made from vibranium, the suit was impossibly light yet completely bulletproof, both flexible and nearly indestructible.
When T'Challa wore it, the power of the Black Panther deity flowed through him, transforming him into Wakanda's mightiest warrior, always charging fearlessly into the frontlines.
This new model, freshly developed by Princess Shuri, employed advanced miniaturization tech that allowed the entire suit to be stored in a necklace.
At a moment's notice, it could unfold and fully equip T'Challa automatically.
In principle, the suit's design had some similarities with Kagura's "White Moon" combat armor.
But unlike White Moon, which was armed with built-in energy sources and weapons to synergize with Kagura's cybernetic body.
The Black Panther suit had no onboard energy or heat weapons.
Its design lacked matter-energy conversion and, as such, couldn't integrate energy weaponry.
This meant the vibranium claws were essentially T'Challa's only offensive tool.
Perhaps the Wakandans believed that as long as the Black Panther was blessed by the Panther God, all he needed was an indestructible suit and sharp claws to rip through any enemy that dared oppose him.
Still, Princess Shuri wasn't content with tradition. She had integrated a new feature: energy absorption and release.
Every impact T'Challa endured in battle would be converted into stored kinetic energy, captured in the microgaps between the suit's vibranium plates.
Once enough energy had accumulated, it could be unleashed in a massive energy pulse an explosive wave of force that could devastate surrounding enemies.
It was the suit's one true "skill." Simple but highly effective.
Although… Kagura really wanted to complain about the whole concept.
"Seriously, Shuri? Is this your idea of strategy? Let him take all the hits, then explode like a gorgeous firework? That's your brother! Are you kidding me?!"
Regardless, with the strength of the Panther God and the suit Shuri had poured her heart into, T'Challa remained Wakanda's unshakable protector and a true titan among the Avengers.
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On the other side of the lab, Kagura had just finished repairing Clint Barton's Ronin armor.
During the previous battle, Clint had recklessly tried to shield Wakandan civilians from an armor-piercing energy blast using nothing but his body.
The stunt left him gravely injured and the custom armor Kagura had made for him in ruins.
"Honestly, Barton! I don't care how high your defense rating is you're still a light-armored unit! Stop trying to be a main tank!"
Next time, she swore she'd make him something closer to a Hulkbuster suit so he could charge around recklessly without worrying.
Thankfully, Wakanda had everything she needed an advanced materials and equipment.
By combining that with the knowledge stored in Cortana's databanks, Kagura had Ronin's armor patched up in under an hour.
While she was at it, she reinforced the suit with additional vibranium components.
Back at Rhodes Island Industries, vibranium was a rare commodity.
But in Wakanda, it was practically everywhere.
Seizing the opportunity, Kagura didn't just upgrade Clint's armor, she also improved Natasha Romanoff's gear, boosting both of their battle-readiness.
Now, even if Iron Man's energy pulse cannon hit again, it might not break through Barton's armor.
'Well… in theory, anyway.'
"Barton, please don't test the upper limits of 'theoretical' protection with your actual life. Griffin Security still needs you. You're basically our Swiss Army knife on the battlefield!"
Kagura also made some adjustments to Natasha's equipment.
This time, Natasha hadn't brought her "Akira" transforming motorcycle into the field.
Instead, she went in wearing a bodysuit based on the early "Flashblade" designs.
After all, the Avengers had only come to Wakanda to deliver a warning, not to fight.
Even if combat did break out, they figured having Iron Man and War Machine in full gear would be enough.
Unfortunately, that miscalculation courtesy of Steve Rogers nearly wiped out the entire team.
Kagura wasn't planning to dwell on Steve's mistake.
No one could've predicted that a single oversight by the two Avengers leaders would spiral into this catastrophe.
But now wasn't the time for regrets. If she couldn't upgrade Natasha's outfit directly, she'd pour everything into her weapons.
To that end, Kagura used Wakanda's vibranium 3D printers, Cortana's quantum conversion tech, and a direct link to the Rhodes Island database to craft Natasha a brand-new multi-form weapon…
These were twin pistols forged entirely from vibranium.
After all… in Wakanda, vibranium was as common as iron might as well use it while they still could, right?
Especially now, with the nation on the brink of collapse, borrowing a little vibranium for weapons wasn't something T'Challa was likely to complain about.
Back to the guns—Kagura had named them: "Heaven's Thunder: Divine Judgment."
Mmm! The name says it all.
Their primary attack mode was electromagnetic pulse blasts.
Since they didn't fire physical rounds but rather energy-based shots, as long as the power supply held, there was no need to reload.
That made these pistols ideal for extended battles.
Well… truth be told, she'd originally planned for a fire-based weapon. But that just felt too flashy.
On the battlefield, flamethrower users were magnets for enemy fire and there was no way she'd let her beloved big sister Natasha attract that much attention!
So, inspired by her original concept—Heaven's Fire: Divine Judgment—Kagura designed the pistols to transform.
When necessary, they could merge into a massive two-handed blade, granting Natasha overwhelming melee capability.
Time ticked by, second by second.
Kagura and Cortana worked tirelessly in tandem, performing the final checks and upgrades on the Avengers' gear.
Meanwhile, Captain America, Steve Rogers, was deep in tactical discussions with Prince T'Challa of Wakanda, coordinating plans for the counterattack on the capital.
This wasn't just another mission.
It was about to become the largest battle yet for Wakanda, and perhaps all of humanity, standing united in a head-on confrontation against Ultron and his mechanical army.