High above the skies of Manhattan, what had been a cloudless, brilliant blue day was suddenly disrupted by a dark, swirling portal—an ominous, deep blue circle about forty meters wide. From it, thick black mist billowed in waves, tainting the sky.
This was no natural storm. It was a space gate, a rift between Earth and the dark, star-strewn void of deep space, opened by the immense energy of the Tesseract. On the other side: a vast Chitauri star fleet, stationed light-years away, now launching its vanguard across galaxies.
The number of Chitauri soldiers onboard their ships easily reached into the hundreds of millions.
At first, New Yorkers didn't notice. The sky was just the sky—until a few happened to look up. Then panic took root. From the portal, Chitauri soldiers began to pour through, grim and menacing. The first wave of their outpost troops thundered down in a screaming swarm, their alien airships cutting through the air with a shriek that echoed across the city.
Seeing this, Stark no longer cared about Loki, who lay dazed beneath him. He blasted upward immediately, aiming to cut off the first wave before they could land and to shut the portal down. But he was already too late.
Daniel arrived just as Stark's suit deployed dozens of miniature cannons. The weapons exploded around the incoming Chitauri troops, but unless the blasts hit vital spots or airships directly, they weren't effective. The Chitauri armor was built for war. Their civilization was centuries beyond Earth's gunpowder technology, now entrenched in the interstellar energy age. Their weapons were devastating, and their armor was nearly impenetrable.
Only Stark's most powerful energy blasts or high-impact warheads made any difference. Even so, he couldn't get close enough to the portal. A hail of energy fire from the Chitauri soldiers forced him down before he was within fifty meters.
Daniel frowned as he saw the widening rift above. He had already tampered with the space device earlier—why was the gate still so large?
The truth was, he had no idea that, without his interference, the Ancient One would have already begun suppressing the portal's growth. Though she disdained fighting foot soldiers, she would have used her immense power to keep the gate's size under control. Daniel unknowingly assumed that burden himself. Thanks to his efforts, once the Ancient One joined in, the gate could be shrunk more effectively. Still, no one knew exactly when she would act.
Daniel's gaze dropped to Loki, still standing atop Stark Tower, clutching the glowing scepter. He considered confronting him, but instead shifted focus to the portal. This wasn't the time to play hero for Thanos' sake.
He had other goals.
"Help Agent Romanoff and the others. I'll handle Stark," Daniel told the squad of U.S. soldiers inside the Quinjet. Then he leapt out.
Below, chaos reigned. Daniel spotted wave after wave of Chitauri troops storming past Stark into Manhattan. Loki stood on a raised platform like a dark king returning to his throne. The streets below were engulfed in war.
He saw Natasha, Hawkeye, and Captain America racing to intercept Loki, but their Quinjet was shot down before they got close. At that moment, Loki's gaze met Daniel's. They locked eyes briefly, then both turned east. Thunder rolled across the horizon—Thor was coming.
Daniel smirked and shot upward. Loki no longer concerned him. He raised his Mjolnir high, channeling lightning into dozens of arcs that shot skyward. They didn't strike the soldiers directly, but instead hit their bio-airships.
These airships weren't mere machines. The Chitauri favored biotechnology, merging organic and mechanical parts to create living vessels with semi-conscious minds. Targeting their heads, Daniel disabled the creatures' control centers.
Without control, the airships spiraled downward, crashing to the city below. Stark, quickly catching on, launched a barrage of miniature missiles. Though ineffective against the soldiers directly, they devastated the bio-airships.
One by one, the alien vessels crashed from the skies like broken stars.
But even that wasn't enough.
Some Chitauri soldiers were ready. They had countermeasures. Many used built-in gear to slow their fall and land intact, weapons already drawn. Killing them via ship destruction was no longer viable.
These invaders had fought across galaxies. They were prepared for everything.
Though Daniel and Stark had slowed the assault, they couldn't stop it. More Chitauri troops slipped past, spreading into the city. Down on the streets, Captain America, Hawkeye, Natasha, and the Hulk were already deep in battle.
Despite being just four, their teamwork was lethal. With Hulk leading, they tore through the first waves. Every time Hulk smashed the ground, alien soldiers exploded in a radius. Captain America's shield ricocheted through multiple enemies, while Hawkeye's explosive arrows found their marks with surgical precision.
Natasha, though outgunned, provided crucial support. Her twin pistols bought her teammates the time they needed. Her coordination with Hawkeye was seamless.
But the tide turned quickly. More Chitauri ships joined the battle. Their attacks rained from above, and even with Hulk, the Avengers began to struggle.
Worse still, other soldiers bypassed the team entirely and began laying waste to Manhattan. Fires erupted. Buildings crumbled.
Then, the Ancient One appeared.
Standing calmly on the roof of the New York Sanctum, she didn't waste time killing soldiers. Instead, every time a Chitauri warrior set foot on her roof, they vanished in an instant—erased from existence.
Across the city, other heroes took notice.
Daredevil, Spider-Man, and even the volatile Green Goblin emerged from hiding. Some came to protect their home, others out of curiosity or greed. The alien soldiers weren't just a threat—they were an opportunity.
In a quiet Chinatown dojo, an old martial arts master opened his eyes before the shrine of Guan Yu. A glowing ring of golden magic bloomed behind him.
Far from the city, in Newark, speedboats loaded with armed fighters sped toward Manhattan.