The situation did not relieve Commander Kl'rt's concerns. On the contrary, he frowned deeply.
He could clearly see that the number of energy cannons fired did not match the total of available weapons. One of the battleships' energy guns hadn't fired at all.
"Why didn't the left wing battleship engage?" he demanded through the fleet communicator.
Although the energy cannons had managed to smash many of the mirrors, this discrepancy angered him. They had been prevented from reaching Earth, blocked by that strange warrior at the portal, and now someone was disobeying his orders. Were they attempting to seize command?
"Hello? Hello? Is this thing on? The universal translator shouldn't be broken, right?"
Marcus's voice came through the battleship communicator. He had already eliminated all Chitauri personnel on the left-wing battleship and was now extracting Aya Stars while casually conversing with Commander Kl'rt through the vessel's communication system.
"Who are you?" the commander asked, confused.
"Ah! I can hear you, so it seems to be working," Marcus replied, watching the Aya Stars rapidly forming in his hand. "Who am I? Didn't you witness everything just now?"
These words momentarily stunned the commander. He looked at the massive mirrors still surrounding his remaining forces, and the image of Marcus blocking the portal flashed in his mind.
With sudden realization, Commander Kl'rt issued urgent orders to his remaining warships:
"All vessels redirect artillery fire! Target the left wing battleship! Attack!!!"
Under his command, every warship turned its weapons toward the compromised vessel, unleashing a barrage of concentrated fire.
The battleship was shattered into pieces by the intensive artillery bombardment, erupting into a spectacular fireball in the vacuum of space.
But this didn't harm Marcus in the slightest. Before the commander had given his order, Marcus had already completed extracting the Aya Stars and secured three glowing specimens in his pocket.
"Eight warships still remain," Marcus thought to himself. "Not only can I complete my extraction, but I might even bring a few ships back to Earth."
While the fleet's artillery was still destroying the compromised battleship, Marcus accelerated again, swinging his energy blade as he rushed toward another vessel.
The moment he breached the battleship, Marcus deployed his DEX Pixia and swept through the corridors.
With experience from his previous assault, his efficiency had improved. The continuous stream of bullets from the DEX Pixia eliminated many Chitauri before they could even react.
In short order, every Chitauri aboard the battleship had been neutralized.
"These Chitauri commanders are no different from their soldiers," Marcus observed. "It seems they rely solely on overwhelming numbers to invade other worlds."
In his assessment, the overall technological level of the Chitauri was not particularly advanced—only slightly superior to Earth's current capabilities.
They invaded planets not through sophisticated technological weapons, but by leveraging their biological technology to create disposable soldiers. Their strategy mirrored the Zerg's human wave tactics, using sheer numbers to overwhelm different worlds.
Reaching the energy core of the battleship, Marcus continued extracting Aya Stars.
Meanwhile, after witnessing the explosion of the first battleship, Commander Kl'rt issued new orders to his surrounding fleet.
"Continue attacking those mirrors! Our troops cannot remain trapped within this reflective prison."
Boom!
Several energy beams erupted again, shattering more of the Spectral Rage's mirror surfaces.
But this assault once again put the commander on alert. He noticed that another warship had failed to fire.
"Didn't we eliminate that intruder? All battleships, target the left wing's second vessel! We must completely eradicate this threat!"
Countless energy beams bombarded the identified battleship, which erupted into a fireball just like its predecessor.
The commander then noticed that the third ship on the left flank wasn't firing either, sending him into a panic.
With the first two warships serving as examples, he understood what had happened to this vessel. In such a short time, three warships had been compromised by the mysterious warrior—an outcome he'd never anticipated.
"Attack! Attack any warship that isn't firing!!!"
As he gave the order, the third battleship met the same fate as the first two.
Marcus emerged from the destroyed vessel and darted toward the remaining battleships.
He had extracted all available Aya Stars. Now it was time to complete his mission.
Pushing Razorwing to its limits, Marcus flew swiftly between battleships. He knew the commander had realized he was still alive.
But he wasn't concerned. The Mind Scepter was no joke—and a mere Chitauri commander with a handful of warships posed little challenge.
Moving with extraordinary speed, Marcus cleared all the battleships, leaving only a few mind-controlled Chitauri at their posts to maintain essential functions.
After completing this, Marcus boarded the largest command ship.
"This is practically a Railjack. What Howard built for me would barely qualify as a landing craft by comparison."
While speaking, Marcus continued his mission through the flagship. He had transformed into Volt, his body surrounded by electrical energy as he wielded Gram in devastating arcs.
Some Chitauri attempted to fight back, but Marcus had entered his acceleration state, moving far faster than they could track.
Before they could even attack, he sliced through their ranks with a single sword stroke, beheading all who opposed him.
Swoosh!
Marcus rushed into the command center, raised his hand, and gripped the commander's neck. He slowly lifted the Chitauri leader who had orchestrated the Earth invasion.
"Now you're the only one left."
The commander struggled desperately, attacking Marcus repeatedly, trying to break free from his grasp.
But no matter how he fought, Marcus remained unmoved.
"Aren't you concerned about saving your army? Let me show you what happens when these mirrors are finally shattered. Fire!"
At his command, all the captured battleships opened fire simultaneously. The sustained barrage smashed the remaining mirrors.
The moment the last mirror shattered, the Chitauri remnants that had been surrounded suffered an invisible attack.
They instantly disintegrated into a crimson mist, filling the space before them.
This devastating outcome made the commander's eyes widen in disbelief. His entire army had vanished in seconds.
"See? This is what you wanted," Marcus said softly.
Lightning flashed from his hand, and the commander's body illuminated with electrical energy. Within moments, the Chitauri leader was reduced to charred remains in Marcus's grip.
The Chitauri invasion had barely begun before it ended. Now it was time for Marcus to return to Bucky's wedding.
"Come to think of it, bringing these warships as a wedding gift might shock the entire world."
He planned to convert the largest battleship into his own Railjack. The other vessels, however, served no purpose for him—one would make an excellent gift for Bucky.
"Wait, is that... the purple potato's contact?"
Noticing an image of a domineering purple-skinned figure on the battleship's communication module, Marcus was surprised. He hadn't expected this commander to have direct contact with Thanos.
"So this guy was a direct subordinate of Thanos," he realized.
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