Thanks to Princess Shurui's brief explanation, Kagura quickly gained a general understanding of the situation in Wakanda.
Ultron had taken advantage of the Avengers' visit to Wakanda, using the opportunity to bypass the impenetrable Sky Shield.
Through using some unknown method, he successfully hacked into Tony Stark's Mark 43 Iron Man suit and seized control.
With it, he launched a sudden assault on Wakanda's king, killing him and causing the capital to fall into enemy hands.
The attack was so abrupt that Wakanda's communications network was simultaneously disrupted.
With almost no intel coming out from the capital, the Wakandan government mistakenly identified the Avengers as the culprits behind the assault.
After hearing the whole story, Kagura could understand why the captain of the royal guard had been so hostile to her and Cortana earlier.
Given that their capital was lost and their king was dead, the guards protecting the city must have been feeling devastated.
"Hmm..."
After thinking it over, Kagura turned to Steve Rogers.
"Captain, I still don't get it. Cortana and JARVIS have always been monitoring and safeguarding the networks of Rhodes Island Industries and the Avengers. So how did Ultron manage to hack into Mr. Stark's armor?"
Cortana nodded in agreement. "I share my master's doubts."
"According to my calculations, Ultron shouldn't have been able to breach the digital firewalls JARVIS and I built."
"If he had truly broken through, it would mean he could control the entire global network and that including Rhodes Island Industries, but that clearly hasn't happened."
Hearing this, Steve Rogers let out a heavy sigh. "About that..."
Kagura tilted her head. "Hmm?"
"That was my oversight. I should've been more cautious..."
Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Oversight? What did Mr. Stark do?"
Steve continued, "When we arrived in Wakandan airspace, we established contact with their king."
"Since we were foreign visitors, Wakanda sent an electronic request to keep our communication secure."
"But it wasn't really from Wakanda. It was Ultron in disguise."
Despite being someone born in the early 20th century, Steve seemed to be fairly up to date with technology.
"As you probably know, Wakanda only has one line that connects it to the outside world. Naturally, we used that line for the digital verification process and didn't suspect a thing. But—"
Kagura's eyes lit up in realization. "But that line had long since been decommissioned, right? Wakanda switched to quantum communication systems."
"Exactly," Steve confirmed with a nod.
"It wasn't until much later that we learned Wakanda had never sent that trust request. The old internet infrastructure had been abandoned years ago."
"Ultron had been eavesdropping and faked the request, posing as Wakanda. We unknowingly granted him access through our trust protocols, which allowed him to hijack Tony's suit."
His face darkened. "Tony had voiced some suspicions, but I thought it was more important to show our goodwill."
"By the time we realized something was wrong, it was too late... I'm sorry. That was my mistake."
"Hmm..." Kagura puffed her cheeks in frustration.
"I wouldn't blame you, Captain Rogers. Ultron took advantage of your sincerity and kindness. The one at fault here is Ultron!"
So that's how it happened...
Ultron used trust-based deception to add himself to Stark Industries' trusted network, which explains why Cortana couldn't block him from taking over the armor.
Hmm. A brilliant tactic.
Ultron was clearly still learning—still evolving.
Kagura thought for a moment, then asked again, "By the way, where is Mr. Stark now? Is he okay? And what about the other Avengers? What's their status?"
Steve answered, "Ultron despises Tony Stark the most, but he's not planning to kill him—at least not yet."
"Tony's still valuable to him. Most likely, he's being held captive. As for the others..."
He gestured toward the rest lounge adjacent to the research hall.
"After we were ambushed by Iron Man, Ultron quickly took control of Wakanda's central defense systems."
"The enemy's firepower was overwhelming, but thanks to the equipment you provided, we managed a narrow escape and linked up with Prince T'Challa."
"But... Natasha and Barton were both injured. Dr. Banner got separated from us and is still missing. That said, given the Hulk's resilience, he's probably not in any real danger."
"As for Rhodey because the War Machine suit shares core systems with Stark's Iron Man suits he lost control as well and is now imprisoned alongside Tony."
After taking it all in, Kagura summarized, "So if we're going to take back Wakanda's capital, we'll have to go through Ultron... Iron Man... and War Machine?"
Steve nodded. "That's pretty much the situation."
"Hmm..." Kagura folded her arms, lowered her head, and pouted. "Iron Man, huh... That's going to be tricky."
"Master?" Cortana tilted her head, confused. "Based on my calculations, Iron Man's combat abilities are vastly inferior to mine and certainly no match for you. Why the long face?"
"Hmm, and that's exactly the problem." Kagura sighed. "Ultron knows I'd never harm Mr. Stark. It feels like... he's holding that over me."
"Miss Kagura's concerns are valid," said Prince T'Challa.
"Ultron has split the Avengers into two opposing sides. With former allies now fighting on his behalf, mounting a full assault won't be easy."
"But time is not on our side—we must decide soon."
Princess Shurei stepped forward and activated another holographic projector, displaying a 3D map of Wakanda's capital city before Kagura Kagura.
"Right now, Ultron has seized control of Wakanda's primary manufacturing centers and weapons depots," she explained.
"Even if our warriors haven't been forced into becoming his slaves, Ultron can still mass-produce mechanical soldiers at an alarming speed."
As she spoke, the projection system automatically began analyzing the city's weapon reserves and military potential.
"But that's not even the worst part," she continued. "If it were just the capital, we might still be able to hold our ground."
"However, if Ultron's army becomes powerful enough to break through our defenses and capture the vibranium mines on the outskirts... that would be catastrophic."
"Vibranium..." Kagura's eyes narrowed, instantly grasping the gravity of the situation.
The factories and weapon stockpiles within the capital were still limited. Without raw materials, Ultron couldn't sustain large-scale production of war machines.
That, at least, gave humanity a fighting chance.
But if he managed to take control of Wakanda's vibranium mines...
That would change everything.
Ultron would be able to forge an indestructible army of vibranium-plated machines, an unstoppable force with no equal, no rival.
At that point, it wouldn't just be Earth's civilization in danger, humanity itself could face extinction.
Even if the Asgardians descended to help, even if the legendary Golden Saints arrived from the stars.
There was no guarantee they could stop an invincible army forged from vibranium, guided by hive-mind intelligence, and executing battle strategies compiled from all of human history.
"In short..." Kagura bit her lip, her expression steeling with determination.
"We have to act—now."