After discussing with Christy, Bucky decided to postpone the wedding. He had already begun arming himself, ready to join the battle.
"Bucky?" Steve frowned. "Leave this to us. You and Christy should get out of here."
"Come on, Steve. Don't forget I'm also a Howling Commando. Let's consider this the first battle after our reunion!"
Bucky had completed his preparations. After kissing Christy, still in her wedding dress, he hurried toward the portal.
Only Christy and Pepper, who was serving as bridesmaid, remained behind. At Happy's urging, they got into a car and drove away from the danger zone.
Though they didn't know exactly what was happening, the situation was clearly beyond their ability to handle. Their own safety had to be the priority.
The portal in the sky grew larger by the minute, causing countless people throughout the city to stop and stare.
They didn't understand what this enormous gateway signified. They could only vaguely make out numerous Iron Man suits hovering in the air, as if guarding against whatever might emerge from the portal.
With a resonant hum, aircraft resembling flying chariots rushed through the portal. Behind them came a creature larger than a whale, gliding through the opening.
Boom! Boom!
The moment these aircraft emerged, they launched their attack. Streaks of blue energy shot from their weapons, bombarding the ground like artillery shells.
"Let's move!" Steve ordered.
Everyone sprang into action. Tony and his suits targeted the alien creatures, firing repulsor beams at the invading soldiers.
These alien warriors were Chitauri, soldiers under Thanos's command. Like locusts, they destroyed everything in their path without mercy.
Thanos had assigned Loki to attack Earth, and the Chitauri were the army helping him conquer the planet.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Steve's shield bounced continuously, knocking down a Chitauri soldier with each rebound.
"Everyone spread out! Focus on evacuating civilians first! Tony, try to draw their fire—we need to lure them away from populated areas."
As he spoke, Steve knocked down another newly-landed Chitauri, then turned to look at Banner behind him.
"Dr. Banner, now would be a good time for you to get angry. That big creature is yours."
Everyone was fully engaged now. Tony needed to both block the portal and attract the Chitauri's firepower. He had no capacity to deal with the whale-sized creature as well.
"Heh, leave it to me," Banner replied with a grim smile. "Hulk is always angry!"
As he spoke, Banner's body grew rapidly. His skin turned green, and his clothes tore apart. Only his pants—apparently specially designed with excellent elasticity—remained somewhat intact, preserving his modesty.
The fully transformed Hulk was clearly excited. This was the first time everyone had actively encouraged his destruction. Even the rational Dr. Banner within wasn't objecting to his violence.
ROAR!
Hulk bellowed, pushing off the ground with such tremendous force that the concrete cratered beneath him. He shot into the air like a living cannonball.
"HULK SMASH!"
His massive fist slammed into the leviathan's body, halting the huge monster's forward momentum.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Hulk delivered punch after devastating punch. The thick armor plating on the biological ship cracked and shattered under his relentless assault, revealing vulnerable flesh beneath.
Seeing that Hulk was handling the leviathan, Steve turned his attention back to the Chitauri soldiers surrounding him.
Flinging his shield with practiced precision, Steve used it both as an offensive weapon and as cover while battling the alien invaders.
Rat-tat-tat!
A series of gunshots rang out behind him. Steve turned to see a Chitauri soldier drop to the ground, and his old friend Bucky standing with a smoking gun.
Bucky's metal arm gripped another Chitauri soldier by the throat. With a sudden squeeze, the powerful mechanical limb crushed the alien's neck instantly.
"Today was supposed to be my wedding day," Bucky said coldly.
Even though the ceremony had only been postponed, he was furious. Why did these alien invaders have to appear now, of all times?
"Don't worry," Steve reassured him. "We'll help you hold the wedding as soon as we've dealt with these guys."
A blue energy beam suddenly passed between them.
"You two—now is not the time for catching up!" Natasha, the Black Widow, called out as she dropped a Chitauri weapon she'd commandeered.
The two friends stopped talking and rushed to different locations, working with police to evacuate civilians while fighting off the continuously landing Chitauri forces.
RUMBLE!
The clear sky suddenly darkened with storm clouds. Lightning bolts rained down from above, striking numerous Chitauri ships. The vehicles exploded into fireballs mid-air.
Thor appeared amid the thunder, lightning arcing from Mjolnir in all directions, decimating the airborne Chitauri forces.
But as soon as his attack subsided, several more massive leviathans emerged from the portal, accompanied by countless smaller ships. It seemed like the end of the world.
"Someone please help me seal this portal!" Tony shouted.
He couldn't hold out much longer. His suits were running low on power, and he couldn't block the continuous stream of invaders.
"Let me handle it," Marcus's voice came through the communication channel.
Everyone looked up to see a ball of lightning rocketing toward the portal.
A massive electrical pulse erupted before the portal. Countless Chitauri ships caught in the discharge went dark, their pilots instantly killed by the powerful current.
The leviathans became wrapped in Tesla coils of electrical energy, current surging through their massive bodies. Chitauri soldiers nearby were electrocuted instantly, their bodies charred beyond recognition.
"I'll leave these guys to you," Marcus called out. "I'm going to check out the other side!"
With that, he shot through the portal into the space beyond.
There were numerous Chitauri warships waiting on the other side—perfect for extracting Aya Stars.
Watching Marcus pass through the portal, Tony turned his attention back to the city below. Although Marcus had blocked further Chitauri forces from emerging, many had already made it through before his intervention. Those still needed to be dealt with.
The thrusters in his boots flared to life as Tony rocketed toward one of the remaining leviathans. These massive creatures caused far more damage than individual Chitauri soldiers, making them the priority targets.
"Let's round up these big ones and take them down together!" he called to the team.
While they fought fiercely in New York, aboard the helicarrier, Fury was arguing with members of the World Security Council.
"The situation is under control! There's absolutely no need to launch a nuclear strike!"
The council members' thinking was incomprehensible. The situation was clearly being contained, yet they still proposed launching nuclear weapons against Manhattan.
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