When the first rays of morning light pierced New York's eastern skyline, a storm destined to be recorded in history descended along with it.
The top of Stark Tower.
Loki stood before the energy device of his own design—beautiful in its malevolence—wearing the crazed smile of imminent triumph.
He drove the Mind Scepter in his hand deep into the device's core—the Tesseract!
THUMMM—!
A burst of pure spatial energy exploded instantly!
A blue pillar of light, like the primordial sword of creation, shot skyward, tearing through New York's azure dome!
A massive black wormhole—like the maw of a cosmic abyss—slowly began to yawn open above Manhattan!
On the other side of that wormhole was the deep cosmos, reeking of death.
And endless swarms of Chitauri soldiers piloting single-rider assault vehicles!
"Here they come..."
Atop the Brooklyn Bridge, Cloud finished his last sip of Longjing tea, put away the cup, and rose to his feet.
"Three minutes slower than expected. Looks like that Dr. Selvig fellow has some professional ethics after all—knew to leave a backdoor in the program."
He stretched, his bones crackling like pre-battle warmups.
"Alright, appetizers are served."
"Let's see how far you Avengers can take this performance."
...
"Sir, the portal has opened."
JARVIS's calm electronic voice echoed through every corner of Stark Tower.
"I know!" Tony Stark's voice came from the workshop.
The next second, a mechanical arm brimming with sci-fi aesthetics began attaching pieces of the brand-new red-and-gold Mark VII armor onto his body.
"Showtime!"
His boot thrusters roared to life, and he shot into the sky like a crimson comet—the first to charge toward the heavens now occupied by alien invaders!
The war had officially begun!
"JARVIS! Lock onto every ugly flying thing up there!"
Tony charged like a valiant knight, plunging straight into the Chitauri flight formation.
Energy cannons on both arms, micro-missiles at his wrists, shotgun pods on his shoulders—every weapon capable of firing unleashed at once!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The sky instantly ignited with explosive fire.
Countless Chitauri soldiers didn't even have time to react before being blasted to pieces, trailing black smoke as they plummeted.
"See that?! This is how Earthlings greet guests! Anyone who doesn't want to try the main course better get back to your own planet!" Tony shouted triumphantly over the comms.
But his bold declaration was quickly drowned by reality.
More Chitauri soldiers—ten times as many—poured endlessly from the wormhole!
They swarmed like a disturbed hornet's nest, fearlessly attacking "tin can" Tony from all directions.
For a moment, the sky became the stage for a dazzling yet harrowing "aerial ballet."
Tony pushed his playboy piloting talents to the absolute limit.
He weaved between skyscrapers, executing unbelievably difficult maneuvers, dodging energy beams that fell like rain.
Simultaneously, he used his limited ammunition to pick off enemies one by one with precision.
"Firepower too weak. Mobility acceptable. Endurance concerning."
From the distance, Cloud observed like an examiner, silently scoring Tony's performance.
"Everyone! Hurry! Get into the subway stations! Don't stay on the streets!"
The ground had devolved into absolute chaos.
People screamed and fled in all directions.
And Steve Rogers, Captain America, stood like an immovable lighthouse at the center of the pandemonium.
Shield in one hand, comm device in the other, he methodically directed New York's police in evacuating civilians.
"Captain! There's a breach on Fifth Avenue! We need support!"
"Copy that! I'm on my way!"
Steve cut the line, broke into a sprint, vaulted off an overturned car, and launched himself high into the air. His body coiled, then he hurled his vibranium shield at several Chitauri soldiers attacking civilians!
CLANG—!
The shield became a lethal boomerang, ricocheting between soldiers, each impact precisely pulverizing an alien skull!
When the carnage was done, the shield arced back into his hand.
Without a moment's pause, he charged forward, engaging more enemies in the most primal, bloodiest close-quarters combat!
His fists struck like lightning, each blow carrying the incomparable power granted by the Super Soldier Serum!
His shield served both offense and defense—blocking lethal energy blasts one second, becoming the sharpest weapon the next, cleaving enemies in two!
He was like a tireless war machine, using his flesh and blood to build the sturdiest defensive line for innocent civilians on these chaotic streets.
"Not bad. Has some of our Terry's flair." Cloud nodded. "Willpower: perfect score. Combat technique has improved considerably since Germany. Unfortunately, stamina is limited."
"FOR THE GLORY OF ASGARD!"
A roar descended from the heavens.
Thor, spinning Mjolnir, crashed down from the sky like a true meteor, slamming into a group of Chitauri soldiers trying to storm a bank!
KRAKOOOM—!
Violent lightning erupted outward from where he stood!
The ground cracked. The shockwave sent everything nearby flying!
Dozens of Chitauri soldiers, under this prison-like divine thunder strike, were instantly reduced to charred husks!
"WHO ELSE?!" Thor rose, hammer resting on his shoulder, roaring with overwhelming presence.
He fought like a true god of war—broad strokes, devastating power, unstoppable.
Every swing of his hammer summoned storms of lightning.
His divine strength made him impervious to any attack, like a mobile artillery platform.
"Good visual effects. Very intimidating." Cloud observed. "But wasteful with energy. At least seventy percent of each lightning bolt dissipates into the air. If Shermie taught him how to condense lightning into a Judgment Whip, his combat power could triple."
...
Get 20+ chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"