Chapter 137: The Battle of New York
Stark Tower, central New York.
Having set up the device and completed all preparations, Dr. Selvig looked at Loki. "Now we are only missing the Tesseract to open the portal."
"Don't be in such a hurry." Although there was nothing Lokicould do but wait, his face was full of composure, the picture of a man with victory in his grasp.
Suddenly, the Mind Stone glowed with a yellow light. On the other end of the rooftop, a blue light flashed, and a figure emerged.
Loki's eyes lit up as he looked at the scarlet figure. He subconsciously scanned the surroundings, trying to find the Demon's shadow.
Loki understood that the Demon possessed great stealth capabilities, but he couldn't imagine anyone else on Earthbesides the Demon being able to use the power of the Tesseract.
After a moment, Loki found nothing; he couldn't figure out where the Demon was hiding.
"Beautiful lady, did the Demon have you deliver the Tesseract alone?" Loki asked with a smile.
"Yes," Wanda said coldly.
Suddenly, she reached out her hand. On her snow-white wrist, three black circular marks faintly appeared, the patterns inside being a bayonet, a bat, and a hunting pincer.
Loki's expression changed as he saw a continuous stream of black figures crawling out of the shadow beside Wanda... Those monsters emerging from the shadows were as tall as a man, their hands were steel claws as hard and sharp as blades, and even their feet were sharp cones—Ghost Shadow Soldiers, the Razorfist Clan!
The Razorfist Shadows possessed extreme close-combat capabilities, were exceptionally agile, and were immune to some magical energies.
Dr. Selvig also backed away in shock because he saw monsters crawling out of Loki's shadow as well... Suddenly, his body jerked violently! He had bumped into something while backing up... Dr. Selvig quickly turned around. A tall monster stood behind him, presumably having crawled out of his own shadow.
Dr. Selvig noticed these monsters were different from the ones near the girl. The shadow monster behind him was more burly, with a cone for a left hand and a pincer for a right hand—clearly a killing machine. Ghost Shadow Soldiers, the Claw Clan!
The Claw Shadows had more power, and each shadow could split into two. The soldiers of this clan still possessed strong combat capabilities even with only half a body, with impressive agility and strength.
The sound of whistling wind came from the shadowed side of Stark Tower. In an instant, another kind of monster flew out from the building's shadow. Though humanoid, they had bat-like wings on their backs—Ghost Shadow Soldiers, the Bat Clan!
The Night Bat Shadow Creatures were the only ones capable of flight, possessed extreme speed, and could fire powerful light waves from their palms, which could also turn into light ropes to bind opponents.
Within seconds of Loki asking that question, the top floor of Stark Tower was packed tight with two types of Ghost Shadow Soldiers, while swarms of Night Bat Shadow Creatures circled in the sky. Yet these numerous monsters made no sound, save for the piercing screech of the Night Bat Shadow Creatures tearing through the air.
Dr. Selvig and Loki were squeezed inside, not daring to make a move. Fortunately, these monsters showed no intent to attack.
Wanda stood in the open space cleared by the Ghost Shadow Soldiers, looking around at these suddenly appearing monsters with some curiosity.
Arthur had used the splitting power of the Tiger Talismanto divide these three Shadowkhan clans for her, and had only given a simple demonstration. This was the first time Wanda had summoned so many Ghost Shadow Soldiers.
She felt her close connection with these monsters; even standing among them, she felt no fear, for she could command them as easily as her own fingers.
The shadow monsters parted to form a path, and Wandawalked through.
Loki looked at the beautiful girl before him, no longer daring to be dismissive. Dr. Selvig couldn't help but say, "You call this being alone?"
"Of course," Wanda nodded calmly. "Don't worry, they aren't human."
Dr. Selvig gave a forced smile. People are always afraid of unknown monsters; isn't it even more terrifying that they aren't human?
"The Tesseract..." Loki reminded her with a helpless shrug.
Wanda hadn't forgotten the task the Demon had given her. She reached out her hand, and the Space Stone lying in her palm instantly burst with blue light.
The device to activate the Tesseract was set up on the rooftop. Thick cables connected the building's power supply to the device. This device would use a high-energy-density power source to start the Tesseract, thereby opening the portal.
Scarlet Chaos Magic overflowed, wrapping around the Space Stone and flying toward the center of the device.
The moment Wanda used her Chaos Magic, Loki's expression changed. He could feel that powerful and dangerous energy... Once the Space Stone was in place, Dr. Selvig typed rapidly on his laptop. After the program ran, the entire device was activated. A continuous stream of power was fed into the device, and the Space Stoneinstantly erupted with immense energy.
A beam of blue light shot straight into the clouds. The horizontal Impact from the explosion wasn't massive, but it still knocked Dr. Selvig to the ground and pushed many Ghost Shadow Soldiers off the rooftop.
However, these Ghost Shadow Soldiers could regenerate infinitely, though there was a limit to their maximum number.
A stable energy shield enveloped the device. Loki couldn't help but smile as he watched the space energy being continuously released into the sky.
The Tesseract had infinite energy, and this energy shield was unbreakable. Now, no one could stop his plan. The Chitauri Army would soon descend upon Earth.
In the face of the Chitauri Army, whether it was those Superheroes from the Anti-Demon Alliance or the Demon himself, none were to be feared!
"Loki!" A sudden roar came from the horizon. Thor flew over, his red cape fluttering in the wind.
"These things are your Chitauri Army?" Thor said, looking at the shadow monsters on the Stark Tower rooftop. "You bastard!"
"No, no, no, please don't misunderstand. These monsters have nothing to do with me." Loki pointed to the sky with a smile. "Don't you see? The portal is opening."
"Shut down the Tesseract, or I'll destroy it!" Thor said, raising his hammer.
Loki also raised the Mind Stone staff. "Why don't you try to stop the portal from opening yourself?"
Thor dove down. Loki fired an energy bolt, which Thorswatted away with his hammer.
Thor swung his hammer violently as he landed on the rooftop. Mjolnir sparked with lightning, and in an instant, all the Ghost Shadow Soldiers in that area were shattered, vanishing into black smoke.
"He's from the Anti-Demon Alliance. The Anti-Demon Alliance and the Demon are mortal enemies!" Lokireminded her, thinking Wanda didn't know Thor's identity.
"Shut up!" Wanda said coldly.
At her command, the Ghost Shadow Soldiers swarmed toward Thor, attacking with sharp claws or giant pincers.
Wanda wasn't doing all this because of Arthur's orders. Arthur had only instructed her to use the Space Stone to help Loki open the portal.
As for what happened after the portal opened, it was up to Wanda. Arthur had said she could join the Chitauri Armyin causing destruction and invading Earth, or she could help the Superheroes defeat the Chitauri. If Wanda found it all boring, she could just go back to the manor for a nap... The reason Wanda ordered the Ghost Shadow Soldiers to attack Thor was that she recognized him as the person who had been ready to attack her during the battle that day. If Arthur hadn't stopped him, he might have succeeded. The Scarlet Witch was very good at holding grudges.
A continuous stream of Ghost Shadow Soldiers swarmed Thor, submerging him instantly. Razors cut wounds onto his face, and iron pincers firmly clamped onto his body.
The enraged Thor erupted with the Power of the God of Thunder, the exploding lightning shattering all the shadows around him.
"Is that it?" Thor said disdainfully, watching the fragments on the ground turn into black smoke.
Suddenly, his expression froze. Those dead Ghost Shadow Soldiers crawled back out of the dark shadows, rushing at him in an endless stream, as if there were no end... "Now you can't even save yourself, Thor..." Loki said with a smile.
"Loki!" Another voice came from the sky. Loki turned with a deep frown, watching Iron Man approach.
"Why are so many people coming to die today?"
"Are you sure the one dying isn't you?" Tony slowed down and landed, raising his hands to fire two repulsor blasts that knocked the unable-to-dodge Loki to the ground.
Tony looked at the pile of monsters gathered together with some confusion, only snapping out of it when he heard Thor's cry of pain.
"Asgardian, do you need my help?"
"No!" Thor's stubborn voice came from within the pile of black shadows.
The next moment, electricity flashed, and Mjolnir carried Thor into the air, instantly breaking through the encirclement of shadow monsters.
"Nice!" Tony praised.
He turned and fired a repulsor blast at the device powering the portal, but the blast simply dissipated against the blue energy shield without causing even a ripple.
"Dr. Selvig? Shut it down!" Tony shouted.
"You can't destroy it, it's too late to stop it!" Loki said, picking himself up. "My army is about to descend. All that's left is... this war!"
"Then you'll have it!"
Tony raised his hand to aim at Loki, but suddenly a powerful surge of energy hit him. He was sent flying backward, smashing through the edge of the rooftop before falling.
Wanda looked at the gap in the rooftop with cold eyes. A few seconds later, Tony flew back up.
"You again. Where's the Demon?" Tony said, shaking his head. "I don't want to launch a lethal attack on a pretty girl, especially since I don't know if you're in your right mind. Don't try to provoke me. Tell the Demon to come out."
"I am perfectly clear-headed right now. And whether I am clear-headed or not, I will never forget who my enemies are," Wanda said.
"Me?" Tony was a bit bewildered. "Sorry, you might have the wrong person. I don't remember having an enemy like you."
"Yes, that's because you've caused the deaths of too many innocent lives. It's normal not to remember clearly." Wanda's hands manifested Chaos Magic. "But I will remember that name—Stark!"
Wanda pushed her hands forward. Tony sensed something was wrong and immediately flew higher to avoid the attack. Wanda watched the gold-and-red figure in the sky and didn't give up; she ordered all the Night Bat Shadow Creatures to pursue Tony with everything they had.
Nearby, Thor charged at Loki again, and the Ghost Shadow Soldiers immediately surrounded him.
"What kind of monsters are these?" Tony said, looking at the Night Bat Shadow Creatures hot on his heels.
The Night Bat Shadow Creatures were extremely fast. Tony couldn't easily shake them off and could only eliminate them slowly with firepower.
During the chase, the space energy accumulated in the sky suddenly exploded, and a circular portal opened. Tonylooked up as various types of alien soldiers poured out of the dark opening.
"There really is an army?" Tony felt the situation getting difficult. "The Chitauri Army?"
Tony banked upward, leading the Night Bat Shadow Creatures toward the Chitauri Army, outputting firepower while performing extreme evasive maneuvers.
As the portal expanded, more and more of the Chitauri Army poured out of the opening. Tony's solo firepower seemed like a drop in the bucket.
Tony flew to the side. The Night Bat Shadow Creatures and Chitauri Soldiers collided and began attacking each other. Many Chitauri Soldiers noticed Tony and started chasing him.
"Captain?"
"On your left."
Tony turned to look. Sure enough, a jet was flying in from the left.
A single-barreled chain gun lowered from the nose of the jet and began strafing the Chitauri following Tony. The pilot, Hawkeye, adjusted the chain gun's fire rate to its maximum! High-explosive armor-piercing rounds formed a dense barrage, tearing apart the Chitauri and their crafts, creating massive fireballs in the sky.
"Nice work, Agent Barton..."
Tony cheered for Hawkeye over the comms channel, but his voice cut off abruptly. He looked up as massive mechanical beasts flew out of the portal one by one.
"Chitauri Leviathan beasts, used for troop transport!" Thorsaid over the comms. "We've got trouble."
Tony flew up to meet a Leviathan, firing continuous repulsor blasts to blow away the Chitauri Soldiers on its back, but the repulsors did zero damage to the beast itself.
"Captain, don't we have any backup? Killing these things is going to be a bit of a chore." Tony remembered the reinforcements Nick had mentioned.
Saying this, Tony deployed his airbrakes for a sudden stop. The massive Leviathan couldn't stop at all, and Tonycircled to its side.
The shoulder pods of the Iron Armor Mark 7 opened, and 92 micro-missiles were fired simultaneously, spreading across the Leviathan's body. The micro-missiles exploded, instantly engulfing the massive mechanical beast and the Chitauri Soldiers on it in the blast. The wreckage of the mechanical beast plummeted toward the ground, filling an entire street.
Tony looked back at the remaining beasts and said with a frown, "With just our strength, it's going to be hard to deal with them."
"No, we have a big guy too!" In the jet, Captain Americashouted toward the back cabin, "Dr. Banner, now's the time to get angry!"
Banner, wearing a purple shirt, stood up and walked to the rapidly opening hatch. He said calmly, "I'm always angry."
Banner spread his arms and fell forward. The jet accelerated away. He plummeted toward a Leviathan, a deafening roar echoing while he was still in the air!
The accelerating Hulk raised his fist and smashed it into the mechanical beast. The shockwave spread, instantly destroying the beast's body.
As the mechanical beast fell, Hulk leaped violently into the air, smashing a squad of Chitauri Soldiers into dust... "Now the situation is looking pretty good!" Tony said. "But is this the backup?"
"Mr. Stark!" Suddenly, a female voice sounded in the comms channel.
"Spider-Woman?"
Chapter 138: Superhero
Gwen stood upright on the wall of a skyscraper, firing webs to catch two squads of flying Chitauri Soldiers. She pulled hard, causing their vehicles to collide and explode, the flames instantly swallowing the Chitauri Soldiers.
Gwen looked up at Arthur, her face beneath the metal helmet full of pride.
At this moment, Arthur stood suspended in mid-air in the center of the street. A Leviathan transport beast charged at him from the left, yet Arthur didn't seem to intend to dodge... "You're not thinking of..." Gwen was a bit dazed as she watched the rapidly approaching mechanical behemoth. "This is crazy!"
In the mechanical beast's eyes, Arthur, who was blocking its path, didn't exist at all, for he was far too tiny in comparison.
Just as the mechanical beast was about to crash into Arthur, its head was suddenly brought to a dead stop. A powerful force acted upon it in an instant, directly crushing its head and neck, and the Chitauri Soldiers it carried were squeezed until they exploded.
The ear-piercing sound of snapping metal rang out. Due to inertia, the mechanical beast's tail flipped upward like a splashing fishtail, looking as if it were about to deliver a Mount Tai pressure drop onto Arthur.
Suddenly, Arthur raised his hand. The remains of the Leviathan beast, still moving at high speed and weighing tens of thousands of tons, froze instantly. The psychokinetic control of the Rooster Talisman ignored the target's mass. However, in the eyes of others, this scene was incomprehensible.
Under Arthur's control, the massive carcass of the mechanical beast began to move like a weapon, accelerating as it smashed toward another Leviathan.
The massive Leviathan was unable to dodge. The two mechanical beasts collided, instantly producing a massive explosion that swept away countless Chitauri Soldiers. When the wreckage of the two mechanical beasts fell, it collapsed a building, and an entire street was destroyed by the falling skyscraper. Although Arthur had resolved two Leviathan transports at once, the destruction caused was immense.
"The 'Holy Light' kid!" Tony, seeing this scene, exclaimed for Arthur.
"Mr. Stark, he doesn't seem to like being given nicknames," Gwen reminded him in time.
"Uh... Arthur is too powerful; he's practically our savior!" Tony quickly corrected himself.
Fortunately, Arthur was not on the communication channel... When the portal opened over New York, Arthurand Gwen had just finished lunch. Thinking about Loki's plot for an alien army to conquer Earth, Gwen couldn't sit still. She knew her own strength was a drop in the bucket, so she coaxed and pestered Arthur into coming along.
Wearing the long-sealed Iron Spider Suit, Gwenautomatically connected to the public communication channel of the Anti-Demon Alliance.
Arthur, however, made no attempt to hide. With no uniform and no mask, he had already prepared to appear in the public eye through this Battle of New York... Arthurhad deliberately changed into formal wear; to debut in such a grand scene, one must maintain elegance at all times.
With the joint efforts of the Superheroes, the situation was slowly stabilized. However, these Chitauri Soldiers seemed to fly out of the spatial gate without end. No one knew how many more of the Chitauri Army were hidden behind that still-expanding spatial gate.
A fighter jet flew beneath the spatial gate. Hawkeye fired all the air-to-air missiles carried by the jet. Explosions occurred beside the spatial gate, and the powerful Impactswept away a wave of Chitauri Soldiers, but it failed to affect the stable spatial gate; the transmission channel continued to accumulate and expand.
By now, the fighter jet's ammunition was exhausted, leaving it without combat capability.
"There are no runways or helipads nearby, I can't land!" Hawkeye shouted.
"There's a small plaza over there, land there!" Captain America said. "I must fight on the ground."
One by one, massive Leviathans flew out of the spatial gate. They dove toward the streets, their steel-forged sharp wings cutting through the skyscrapers on both sides, turning the prosperous streets of New York into ruins in moments.
The mechanical beasts' bellies continuously ejected Chitauri Soldiers. Some of these soldiers broke through skyscraper glass windows to enter, raising their guns to gun down office workers who hadn't yet evacuated. The elites in their suits were instantly blown to pieces, blood splattering onto the walls.
More Chitauri Soldiers landed on the streets. Some hit pedestrians directly as they fell, and upon standing up, they didn't forget to finish off the dying humans beneath them. They charged through the streets, wielding arms modified into machetes, slicing screaming pedestrians into several pieces.
Prosperous New York instantly turned into a purgatory. Seeing these bloody scenes from high on the wall, Gwen's face turned pale. She began to realize that this wasn't a game of Superheroes versus an alien army, but a massacre; countless people would die today.
"Instead of overthinking things here, why not go save a few more people? Isn't that what you've always wanted to do?" Arthur appeared by her side at some unknown point. "At that intersection, a school bus is blocked by a fallen billboard and can't move. Go save the lovely children, Spider-Woman."
Gwen snapped out of her shock. "Thank you, Arthur."
With that, Gwen leaped from the skyscraper, firing a web to swing away only after a period of free-falling.
Arthur casually dealt with two Chitauri Soldiers flying toward him before hearing a scream. He followed the sound into a building, where inside an office, a squad of Chitauri Soldiers was raising their guns to slaughter over a dozen humans.
Arthur controlled these soldiers to shoot each other, eliminating them all. Just as he finished dealing with the danger and was about to leave, a voice suddenly came from the crowd.
"Superhero?" They looked at Arthur's face and attire, speaking with some uncertainty.
"Of course!" Arthur turned and said, offering a kind reminder: "It's not safe here. You can go downstairs and escape this block, or head to the subway or underground passages. Just stay away from the street level."
"Why didn't you people appear earlier, Superhero! My boyfriend has already been killed!" A woman in an OL uniform shouted, clutching a body that was only half there. "You brought all these monsters here!"
"Please..." Arthur shook his head with a bitter smile. He flew out of the floor, then grabbed three Chitauri Soldiers and threw them back in.
"Good luck to you!" Arthur said as he listened to the gunfire and screams from behind. He landed on the ground again to play his new role as a Superhero.
While Arthur was having the time of his life on the streets, Tony landed once more on the rooftop of Stark Industries.
Tony knew that although the battle was currently stabilized, the situation would surely turn against them as time passed. The Superheroes would tire, and their energy would continue to be consumed, while the Chitauri Armywas numerous. He knew he had to close the spatial gate and then eliminate the Chitauri roaming the New Yorkstreets to win this war.
Loki was no longer on the rooftop, and Dr. Selvig had been torn to pieces by Ghost Shadow Soldiers. Tony helped Thor eliminate another wave of Ghost Shadow Soldiers, the two of them defending back-to-back.
"Listen, Thor, you have to help me clear these monsters off the rooftop so I can close the spatial gate." Tony spoke while firing his palm repulsors from both hands, shattering the swarming shadow monsters.
"I've already killed hundreds of these monsters, but they seem immortal, emerging from the shadows again after they die..." Thor swung his hammer to crush a Night Bat Shadow Creature diving from the sky, then looked toward a crimson figure at the edge of the rooftop. "It seems we must deal with her first!"
Thor charged out, not yet realizing Wanda's danger. As Thor approached, Wanda accumulated a bolt of Chaos Magic and fired it, blasting Thor back dozens of meters.
Wanda crossed her hands and pulled, her Chaos Magicconstructing an energy shield that safely blocked the incoming lightning.
Under normal circumstances, Scarlet Witch was not yet a match for Thor, unless she could burst forth with her potential.
"Where is the Demon?" Thor, flying in the air, raised Mjolnir, the hammer covered in white lightning.
Before Wanda could speak, a voice came from the rooftop of another building nearby.
"I'm here!" The Demon even waved enthusiastically at Thor, for fear he wouldn't be seen.
Thor didn't hesitate for a second. He turned and brought down Mjolnir, several bolts of lightning striking toward the Demon simultaneously.
The lightning carried immense energy, and a violent explosion occurred on that rooftop; even Chitauri Soldiers flying by were killed by the explosion's aftershocks.
But after the flames dissipated, the Demon still stood in his original spot. His surroundings had been turned into a wasteland, yet the suit on his body remained perfectly intact, let alone showing any signs of injury.
The Demon brushed off non-existent dust from his shoulder. He instantly fired a crimson pillar of flame that blasted Thor away, sending him crashing through several skyscrapers.
The Demon followed closely, continuously launching attacks at Thor, while Wanda watched the Demon's departing back with eyes full of suspicion... She had a hunch that the Demon before her was not the true Demon!
Wanda possessed telepathic abilities. She never judged people by their faces, but looked directly into their hearts... but now, she couldn't see the heart of the Demon before her. Although this Demon possessed powerful energy, it was more like a lifeless object.
"Why draw out the Demon? As if the enemy wasn't powerful enough already? Stupid Thor!" Tony couldn't help but complain.
Tony was struggling to deal with the pouncing Ghost Shadow Soldiers. Just as Wanda was about to summon more Ghost Shadow Soldiers to finish him, Tony noticed her movement.
"Stop! Beautiful lady, stop your attacks. There might really be some misunderstanding; I have no enemies in Eastern Europe." Tony activated his chatterbox skill. "Are you really conscious? What are you doing right now? Look at those aliens; they are causing destruction and massacring your own kind!"
"Can internal Earth grievances be settled later? Let's defeat these aliens first! You can sue me in court; I'll definitely attend the hearing in person... Fine, I can give you a chance for a fair duel. Is that sincere enough? What do you think?"
Tony felt the pressure on him decrease significantly, and the Ghost Shadow Soldiers were no longer increasing, so he continued to persuade Wanda.
"Shut up!" Wanda suddenly roared.
"Actually, facing these aliens, we are on the same side!" Tony continued. "I announce that the Anti-Demon Allianceis temporarily at a truce with the Demon..."
Wanda ignored him. She turned to look at the streets turned into ruins and fell silent; clearly, just ten minutes ago, it had been a scene of prosperity below.
Squads of Chitauri Soldiers flew by, their guns strafing vehicles on the street, flames erupting in a series after explosions.
She didn't want to look at those bloody images... but Wanda did not regret helping Loki open the spatial gate, because that was the Demon's order.
Wanda waved her hand, and all the Ghost Shadow Soldiers retreated back into the shadows, not even retaliating while Tony was still attacking.
"Seeing the error of your ways—I can forgive you on behalf of the Anti-Demon Alliance!" Tony said once he realized the situation.
Crimson Chaos Magic surfaced on Wanda's body, and she leaped backward.
The hatred Wanda and Quicksilver held for Stark had accumulated for over a decade; it naturally wouldn't be resolved so easily. But today was clearly not the time for her revenge.
Wanda slowly descended to the street. She casually killed a few Chitauri Soldiers; now she was going to do some things she wanted to do.
"Phew!" Tony breathed a sigh of relief and went to Dr. Selvig's body.
The laptop Dr. Selvig had been working on was damaged, so Tony connected the data to his armor.
Now he needed to analyze the operation of this device and the Space Stone to see if he could find a way to close the spatial gate.
While studying the spatial gate, Tony thought of something else: "Jarvis, find Arthur's location!"
"Sir, he is currently rescuing civilians at the intersection of 39th Avenue."
Tony frowned, and Jarvis added: "Many rescued civilians are currently posting photos of Arthur on social media, attracting quite a bit of attention. Should I delete these photos? Or pixelate Arthur's face..."
"Shouldn't the most popular Superhero right now be Iron Man?" Tony was confused for a moment. "Let's see those photos; put them on the screen."
Jarvis presented the photos in a slideshow, and the content of the photos left Tony dumbfounded.
Most were photos of Arthur smiling and posing with survivors, with the background being the crushed remains of Chitauri. Even the survivors were covered in blood and in a state of disarray, while Arthur, who had been fighting, didn't even have a wrinkle on his suit, let alone any damage.
He didn't look like he was going through a war, but more like he was attending a banquet. This extreme level of elegance once again felt familiar to Tony... The public also had short videos of Arthur fighting. Flying in the air, Arthur resolved several ferocious Chitauri with just a flick of his finger, drawing cheers from a group of civilians.
"No need to delete the photos and videos," Tony muttered. "He seems to enjoy this feeling of being the center of attention... By the way, where's the Demon?"
"The Demon is currently hunting down Thor!" Jarvis replied quickly. "Thor's condition is very poor; his energy fluctuations and life signs are continuously dropping."
Tony felt the situation getting tricky.
"So where are the reinforcements?"
Chapter 139: First Meeting
Wanda used Chaos Magic to move a truck blocking the entrance of the mall, and the civilians trapped inside were finally saved.
Several Chitauri Soldiers flew onto the side street, and Wanda controlled their aircraft to crash into a building nearby.
The pilot at the front of the aircraft died in the Impact, but the two soldiers in the back climbed up after falling to the ground, and they aimed their guns at Wanda.
Just as Wanda was about to continue her attack, a pink figure streaked past her eyes.
Spider-Gwen swung on her web and kicked the two soldiers, exploding them, and landed with a backflip.
"Telekinetic attack? Telekinesis? magic?" Gwen walked toward Wanda, "That's so cool, my boyfriend has similar abilities too, maybe you two could get along!"
Wanda looked curiously at the person in front of her wearing the pink Iron Man Suit.
Just now, Wanda had clearly seen the spider pattern on her back. Even though Wanda was not from New York, she knew of the famous Spider-Woman in New York.
"Thanks." Wanda said, then turned and walked away.
Spider-Woman was very popular with women, perhaps because there were not many female Superheroes, or perhaps because her conduct was good, and she also pampered her fans...
There was once a female fan who posted about Spider-Woman helping her walk her dog while she went home to get her iPad for a photo.
But for some reason, Wanda did not like Spider-Woman, perhaps because the Iron Spider Suit she wore looked like it came from Stark.
"No need to thank me!" Gwen followed her, "You just saved a lot of people, I saw it with my own eyes. At times like this, we should help each other even more."
"I just did some small things within my power." Wandasaid indifferently.
"Then you are really powerful! Unlike me, I often mess up important things, and in the end, I can only wait for my boyfriend to come and solve those troubles..."
"Your boyfriend is very nice." Wanda said casually, "You are Spider-Woman, I've heard of you, no need to be so humble. Also, aren't you busy right now? Maybe many people are waiting for you to save them."
"Not busy, I just came over from that street, the civilians have basically been completely evacuated. Now we just need to keep this group of aliens blocked in this block and wipe them all out!" Gwen said excitedly, "I also think he is very good. He is also saving people in this block right now, maybe we can meet later... By the way, are you a Superhero too?"
"No, I am not a Superhero." Wanda looked back at Gwenand said indifferently, "I am the devil's girlfriend."
"Hahaha... You are a fan of the devil!" Gwen laughed, "I met someone before who said she was the devil's wife."
Wanda stopped, and she looked at Gwen and smiled for the first time. Gwen was stunned by this smile...
Gwen suddenly remembered what she heard that night in the Anti-Demon Alliance conference room. There was a girl in red from Eastern Europe beside the devil who possessed the Tesseract, and Captain America had mentioned that her abilities were similar to Arthur, capable of acting on objects...
"It couldn't be such a coincidence..." Gwen said silently in her heart.
"It is quite a coincidence." Wanda seemed to have heard what Gwen said in her heart.
"It's okay, I just saw you save a lot of people!" Gwen smiled awkwardly, "It's normal to have different stances before, at this time everyone is working together..."
"I was the one who gave the Tesseract to Loki, so he could open the Space Portal." Wanda said with a smile.
"Uh..."
Gwen's little brain crashed. She couldn't understand for a moment why Wanda would open the Space Portal and bring in the Chitauri, only to then come and wipe out these Chitauri Soldiers to save the civilians... But this erratic style of jumping back and forth was very similar to the devil.
Suddenly, a huge Leviathan completed its task of dropping soldiers and swept over their heads.
Both of them turned around in unison. On the half-mile long street behind them, countless Chitauri Soldiers had landed, some ejected onto the walls of buildings on both sides, and some landed straight on the street.
A nearby Chitauri Soldier waved his long-bladed arm and rushed towards the two of them. Wanda waved her hand casually, and a crimson energy projectile shot out, blasting him to pieces.
Wanda walked along the yellow line in the center of the road, and more and more Chaos Magic was accumulating.
"I get it now!" Gwen said behind her, "You must have been controlled by the devil just now..."
"I have repeated it many times, I am incredibly clear-headed." Wanda said impatiently.
"That's not the point. Now we should probably retreat first, there are many of them!" Gwen grabbed Wanda's arm, but was pushed away by the sensitive and irritable magicenergy inside Wanda.
"I am only one person, but..."
As she spoke, three black circular marks appeared on Wanda's arm again. Gwen watched in surprise as various monsters crawled out of those dark places, but her Spider-Sense did not sound an alarm, indicating that these monsters had no hostility toward her.
The three types of Ghost Shadow Soldiers regrouped, and without the limitation of the rooftop area, Wanda increased the summoning quantity of the three types of Ghost Shadow Soldiers to the maximum: one hundred Bayonet Shadow Soldiers, one hundred Night Bat Shadow Creatures, and one hundred Claw Shadow Soldiers, plus three powerful Shadow Generals!
The three great Ghost Shadow legions assembled in an instant. They silently surged toward those Chitauri Soldiers. Those Chitauri Soldiers also trembled under this mighty power; some managed to fire their guns, while others directly collapsed...
"Don't be afraid, they are not human." Wanda reminded her "kindly".
"So cool!" Gwen exclaimed, "I also want to have this kind of ability..."
"My boyfriend gave it to me." Wanda said softly.
Before Gwen could speak, the irritable Chaos Magicwrapped around Wanda and flew out. Every time she made a move, she could completely destroy those Chitauri Soldiers. Gwen was stunned for a few seconds before joining the battlefield...
In the distance, the devil was chasing Thor and had already flown out of New York. The two top combatants engaged in a chase on the Atlantic Ocean.
Huge arcs of electricity wrapped around Thor's entire body, strengthening his defense and flight speed. At first, he would occasionally turn back to counterattack, but later he realized that his attacks had no effect on the devil and were just a waste of energy, so he ran away with all his might...
The devil occasionally fired energy beams to attack. After Thor dodged them, they hit the sea surface, whipping up heaven-shaking waves. Suddenly, the devil hit Thor with another strike, and Thor, who was flying at high speed, lost his balance and fell instantly.
The devil was about to attack again when a red light descended from the sky.
"You are the devil that Fury mentioned?" The red light dissipated, and a woman asked curiously.
The newcomer was a complete stranger. She had long golden hair, wore a red and blue uniform, and her figure was somewhat curved, but she had a middle-aged woman's face.
The devil didn't speak, just fired energy beams to attack again.
The woman stretched out her hand to take the energy attack. She only retreated slightly; otherwise, she was unaffected.
"Very powerful!" The woman said, feeling the terrifying energy accumulating in her hands.
She extended her hand and instantly shot out a beam of light. The beam carried huge energy and exploded after impacting the devil's chest, directly knocking him back several thousand meters.
At this moment, Thor rushed out of the water and happened to see this scene. He asked in shock: "Who are you?"
Thor had experienced the devil's power firsthand. Whether in speed or attack, he was completely crushed. Most importantly, the devil's power was rapidly increasing. This time, he showed powerful strength and physical toughness again.
But the woman in front of him could casually knock the devil back, which made him unable to see the situation clearly.
"Carol Danvers, you can call me Captain Marvel." The woman said, "Where is Fury?"
"Fury is dead, killed by the devil." Thor said subconsciously.
Captain Marvel frowned slightly, but before she could learn more, the devil flew over at high speed, and she could only deal with the enemy for the time being.
Captain Marvel accelerated instantly and threw a punch at the devil.
Their fists collided, and a powerful Impact spread in all directions. The sea surface instantly caved in to form a hemisphere with a diameter of several thousand meters. Thor, who bore the brunt, was also knocked back, and blood instantly burst from his nose and mouth...
The devil and Captain Marvel were both knocked back after the clash. The devil possessed the Ox Talisman Lv11, which allowed him to exert a super strength of 150 million tons in an instant.
Captain Marvel's strength was no less inferior; she possessed Universe-level strength and could even easily move planets. However, Captain Marvel considered the Earth's endurance and did not use her full strength.
The knocked-back devil accelerated to return. His eyes shot out lasers that could penetrate anything, but Captain Marvel had a deep perception of energy. She could sense that she could not absorb that laser, so she immediately chose to dodge.
Captain Marvel possessed super reflexes, and her speed could easily reach the speed of light, so she naturally dodged the devil's laser attack at will.
Captain Marvel continuously shot energy beams from her hands to bombard the devil. She found that some energy had no effect on the devil, so she immediately changed her attack method. But even when her attacks were incredibly powerful and could hurt the devil, she could never kill him. More importantly, the devil could instantly recover from those terrifying injuries.
The battle lasted for a few seconds, and Captain Marveldared not underestimate the devil anymore. No wonder Fury would use the pager he left for him; this level of enemy was indeed not something he could handle.
Captain Marvel looked at the hundred-meter waves rolling around her; that was caused by the aftermath of her battle with the devil. She knew that if she wanted to solve the devil, she had to unleash more powerful energy, but that kind of power would also destroy the Earth.
After thinking everything through, Captain Marvel had a decision. She decided to take the devil away from the Earthfirst, then let go of her hands and feet to attack and completely kill this dangerous person.
The devil was still attacking. Suddenly, powerful energy erupted from Captain Marvel's body, and her eyes emitted yellow light.
Binary form!
Captain Marvel used a powerful energy magnetic field to imprison the devil. She took the devil and flew upward, flying out of low Earth orbit and the atmosphere in a short time, heading toward the depths of the Universe.
The devil's eyes glowed red. If he fired the laser that could penetrate everything, he could break through Captain Marvel's shackles, but strangely, his glowing eyes dimmed again...
On the other side of the ocean in the distant New York city, Arthur was standing behind a hidden window in a building. He was observing Gwen and Wanda fighting the Chitauri on the street. Suddenly, he looked into the distance and slowly smiled...
Recently, in order to get recommended, I need to boost the average subscription, so the updates for the next few days will change to one chapter per day. The word count remains the same, just two-in-one.
The update time will be between 10:00 PM and 11:00 PM.
Bosses, please forgive me. There is really no other way. Asking for subscriptions a few days ago didn't work, and the average subscription is still a bit short, so this is the only way. It's hard to get recommendations for fan fiction, otherwise, after it's published, there won't be any recommendations... Luo Di kneels and thanks you for your understanding.
If the average subscription is not met in a few days, I will accept my fate...
Chapter 140: Victory Belongs to Arthur
Loki sat on a Chitauri vehicle, the Mind Stone shimmering with a faint light as the craft glided over the ruins of New York; he looked like a king inspecting a battlefield.
"No one can stop me," Loki said coldly, looking down at the figures of Captain America and Hawkeye fighting in the streets. "Send the entire army over and kill them."
The Chitauri followed the orders of their temporary Commander, and more soldiers and Leviathans instantly poured out of the Space Portal above New York.
Suddenly, a man in formal wear flew in from the other side. Loki watched him in surprise; the feeling was all too familiar to Loki—he was only missing a demon mask!
"Excuse me, sir!" said Arthur, the Superhero, politely. "Could I borrow that scepter in your hand?"
"Sorry, this is private property," Loki replied with a smile. He did not order the Chitauri Soldiers to attack; having encountered the demon before, he remained cautious around anyone elegant.
Arthur shook his head regretfully and said, "Please stop first. Let's have a good talk; perhaps you'll change your mind."
Loki was about to retort, but the vehicle beneath him, moving at dozens of meters per second, suddenly came to a dead stop without any braking. Loki and several Chitauri Soldiers were thrown forward by inertia, crashing hard onto the street.
Arthur descended slowly. Several crippled Chitauri raised their guns, but in the next moment, their bodies were torn to shreds. Loki, who had already raised the Mind Stonenearby, immediately had the sense to hold it up with both hands.
"It belongs to you, sir," Loki said, bowing his head.
Arthur shook his head and waved his hand. The Mind Stone flew over, and several stiff steel bars from the roadside floated up, bent themselves around Loki, and continued to constrict.
The sound of bones cracking rang out, and a sharp dagger also fell from behind Loki.
"I am sorry, sir!" Loki pleaded for mercy. "Ah!"
Arthur plunged the dagger into his body, burying the entire blade.
Arthur turned to look directly below the Space Portal, at the rooftop of Stark Tower... In another street, Captain America struggled to repel a wave of enemies. He stood on a car and reached out to stop a group of approaching Police.
"We don't need you here. Retreat immediately, help the injured and immobile civilians, and block the entrance to 39th Avenue."
"Why should we listen to you?" a Sergeant said. "And Captain America, has your sentence ended so soon?"
Suddenly, a squad of Chitauri Soldiers rushed over. The officers retreated in fear, raising their guns. Captain America threw his shield, crushing a soldier's head. He caught the returning shield and flashed in front of the Sergeant, blocking an incoming energy bolt.
"Retreat now!" Captain America charged forward again.
The Sergeant stood up in terror, steadying his Police cap which had nearly fallen off.
"Emergency retreat! Block the entrance to 39th Avenue..."
"Captain, a large number of enemies are heading your way. They seem organized," Hawkeye said over the communication channel from his high vantage point.
"Better they come for me. We must stop them and keep the battlefield contained in this area; there are still many civilians on the outskirts who haven't evacuated," the battered Captain America said slowly after finishing off the last enemy. He stepped hard on the edge of his shield and slipped his hand into the strap as it flew up.
A dense swarm of Chitauri flew out from the end of the street, strafing and causing explosions along the way. They let out roars upon seeing Captain America in the middle of the street. Hawkeye was right; a massive number of enemies were approaching.
An arrow shot from high above into the Chitauri ranks and exploded in mid-air. Instantly, the soldiers in the front were knocked over by the blast, dying instantly as they slammed into the buildings on either side.
"We might need backup, Captain!" From his vantage point, Hawkeye continued to fire arrows for suppressive fire.
"Thor? Calling Thor!" Captain America called out over the communication channel as he advanced.
But no information came back. Thor's communication device had been damaged during the battle, and he was currently heavily injured.
Captain America faced the Chitauri army alone. In such a situation, he should have felt afraid or perhaps exceptionally excited, but at this moment, he was incredibly calm.
Captain America was very familiar with this intersection. A few days ago, he had killed seventeen innocent people here, including S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents, Police officers, and ordinary civilians... Even though he was controlled by the demon at the time, that could never be an excuse to escape his guilt. He often stared at his hands that could never be washed clean and his blood-stained red, blue, and white shield, falling into deep thought as endless sorrow and regret washed over him. Perhaps today he could find total release... Captain America began to sprint, but suddenly a green figure blurred past him, faster and more ferocious than he was!
Hulk entered the Chitauri army like a wolf among sheep. He ignored the weapons hitting his body, focusing only on smashing the enemies' heads with his iron fists.
Before Captain America could recover, a pink figure drifted by from the other side.
Gwen swung into the battlefield on her webbing. Relying on her spider-sense, she boldly engaged in close combat, her every dodge as pleasing to the eye as a dance.
"Hey, Captain, am I on time?" Gwen even had the energy to chat while fighting. "Superheroes in movies always wait until the most critical moment to show up."
"Yes, Spider-Woman!" Captain America threw his shield with force. "The Anti-Demon Alliance thanks you for your help!"
"No thanks needed, we're all on the same side... I mean, can I join the Anti-Demon Alliance?" Gwen shot out a web to catch the shield in the air and used it as a weapon, killing seven or eight surrounding enemies in a row. "Can this count as my entrance exam for the Alliance?"
"As long as you join, you pass. No exam is needed; you've already proven your excellence, Spider-Woman," Captain America jumped up to catch his shield. "Welcome to the Anti-Demon Alliance! We will hold an induction ceremony for you after the war is won."
"Uh... Spider-Woman, does your boyfriend have the same intention?" Tony's voice crackled over the communication channel.
"I'll pass that along, Mr. Stark!"
The number of Chitauri Soldiers was still increasing. Relying on their powerful firepower, they slowly surrounded the members of the Anti-Demon Alliance.
Captain America and the others fought as they held the intersection. Hawkeye also descended from the rooftop to join the position. Now, besides Tony, Thor, Hill at the Base, the deceased Falcon, and the missing Natasha, all other members of the Anti-Demon Alliance were gathered to hold the line at this intersection.
"The situation doesn't look good!" Gwen said, looking at the Chitauri Soldiers swarming around them.
Hulk roared, and the soldiers roared back. They removed their masks, revealing monstrous long tongues and split maws.
A bolt of lightning struck, instantly spreading to every Chitauri Soldier. A series of violent explosions occurred, followed only then by the rolling thunder! This staggering strike instantly wiped out more than half of the enemies.
"Thor!" Hawkeye cheered.
"Thor!" Gwen shouted.
The next moment, Thor accelerated his descent from directly ahead and smashed into the ground, creating a large crater in the asphalt road before bouncing up and coming to a stop in front of them after several tumbles.
His Mjolnir also flew out. The group stared in a daze at the motionless Thor before them. Thor was covered in injuries, and his red cape had turned into a tattered rag.
"Thor!" Captain America helped him up, only feeling relieved when he saw that Thor was still breathing.
"I just need to rest..." Thor had used up his remaining energy for that one powerful area-of-effect attack.
"Did we win?" Gwen asked with some pleasant surprise.
"Whether we've won or not, we have to wait for Stark to announce it," Captain America said, looking up at the distant Stark Tower. Watching the Chitauri Soldiers continue to fly out of the Space Portal, he added, "AgentBarton, move Thor to a safe place for now. The rest of us, spread out."
"!!!"
Her spider-sense sent out a warning. Gwen suddenly performed a backflip to dodge a fist attacking from the side. Hulk, having failed to hit Gwen, rubbed his head to ease the embarrassment.
Hulk certainly holds a grudge; he remembered that last night at the Anti-Demon Alliance Base, Spider-Man and her boyfriend had thrown him out of the building... Standing on a high-rise, Wanda looked down at this scene. She would help those innocent civilians, but she certainly wouldn't help the people of the Anti-Demon Allianceagainst the Chitauri... "Only by taking the Tesseract or cutting off the energy supply can the channel be closed. First, we need to break through this energy shield..."
In just a few minutes, Tony had understood the working principle of this complex device. He was undergoing a mental brainstorming session to find a solution.
"Perhaps we have another way," a voice came from behind. "Kill all the Chitauri."
Tony turned to look. A green figure crashed onto the rooftop and tumbled repeatedly—it was Loki. Arthur flew over from a distance, holding Loki's scepter in his hand.
"That way is a bit crazy..." Tony turned to survey the entire city. The sky was thick with flying Chitauri, and most importantly, more soldiers were continuously crossing the Space Portal into New York.
"The enemy numbers are too great. Relying on the firepower of just a few of us, it's difficult to complete that task. By comparison, closing the Space Portal is wiser."
"Did I say I was relying on you?" Arthur smiled contemptuously. "Only sheep and cattle travel in herds, Mr. Stark. Only the weak need an alliance!"
"Uh..."
While Tony remained silent, Arthur had already soared into the sky. The dust kicked up by his instantaneous acceleration left Tony covered in dust.
Tony looked up as that black figure continued to accelerate. The Chitauri Soldiers along the way exploded one after another, blooming into bursts of fire. Even the trajectories of those massive Leviathans were altered as they were forcibly dragged back into the Space Portal by Arthur.
"This must be a dream. I might not be awake yet... I was too tired last night," Tony muttered to himself, his face blank with shock.
The World behind the Space Portal was pitch black. Faint lights shimmered in the vast space—those were the Chitauri warships and countless Leviathans.
Arthur hovered directly above the Space Portal, holding the Mind Stone. The Mind Stone was the key to closing the Space Portal, and he wanted to ensure the closure was within his control.
Otherwise, it was highly likely that while he was still fighting the Chitauri, the Anti-Demon Alliance, having found a way to close it, would shut the Space Portal. That group was certainly capable of doing such a thing... If the Space Portal closed, whether he could return to Earthwithout the Space Stone would be a question.
In an instant, countless laser weapons aimed at Arthur by the Space Portal and fired in a volley. The Chitauri army's firepower was fully unleashed!
Arthur used the Dragon Talisman to prop up an energy defense shield. He used the Rooster Talisman to control a massive warship, making it accelerate and smash the soldiers and Leviathans to pieces. The dark space was instantly illuminated by the massive firelight.
Arthur activated the Rabbit Talisman and accelerated into the depths of space; after entering this space, Arthur had no scruples, and for the first time, he went all out!
Energy surged as the phantom of a tiger appeared behind Arthur, and in an instant, thousands of clones emerged, with a thousand Arthurs dispersing to form a battle formation.
Arthur and all his clones continuously fired lasers from their eyes using the Pig Talisman, sweeping through the Chitauri space warships with the lasers while the energy of the Dragon Talisman was accumulating.
A moment later, Arthur and all his clones fired powerful explosive flames, and the soaring firelight instantly dispelled the darkness in the space, illuminating those hidden corners and the terrified faces of the Chitauri before they died.
The sound of villain points skyrocketing rang in Arthur's ears; this group of Chitauri also felt fear and despair, and the massive amount of negative emotions caused Arthur's villain points to grow rapidly at a rate of hundreds of thousands per second.
Arthur aimed his attack at the central space warship, which was the source of the Chitauri's energy; once this core was destroyed, all Chitauri would lose their energy and die, including those soldiers and Leviathan behemoths that had already entered New York.
The central core energy of the Chitauri was vulnerable before the Dragon Talisman's energy attack, and as a violent explosion spread, an Impact swept through the entire space.
Arthur watched his masterpiece for a while and then turned around with satisfaction.
At the same time, the Superheroes fighting the Chitauri Soldiers found the enemies in front of them falling to the ground in twisted postures, and those Leviathanbehemoths wandering in the air also died instantly, crashing into one building after another... Tony on the rooftop was still thinking: "The energy of the Tesseract is very powerful; only by finding an equally powerful energy can we break through the defense shield, so this energy is..."
"The Mind Stone!" Arthur said indifferently.
Tony, who was fully concentrated and deep in thought, didn't notice Arthur's approach, so he was startled when he suddenly heard Arthur's voice.
"Yes, the Mind Stone!" Tony snapped his fingers. "Alright Arthur, now please insert the Mind Stone into this defense shield; I'll close the Space Portal immediately..."
"Wait!" Arthur suddenly reached out to interrupt. "Mr. Stark, I think you should first confirm the situation on the scene before making a decision. Have you missed something?"
"Nothing was missed; as long as we close the Space Portal, we can win this war!" Tony said with some confusion.
"I have a bad feeling that some kind of danger is approaching," Arthur could only state it clearly. "You should call Commander Hill now to confirm the situation and see if any dangerous weapons are flying toward New York, like a nuclear bomb... those politicians are capable of making such decisions."
Hearing Arthur's words, Tony was a bit dazed, but in the next second, Commander Hill's voice rang out in the communication channel.
"Fighter Jet 7-A-1-1 is flying toward New York carrying a nuclear warhead... he has already launched it!" Hill said quickly. "Two minutes until detonation; deal with that nuclear bomb or evacuate immediately!"
Tony looked at Arthur, who shrugged with an "I knew it" expression.
"How do we deal with a nuclear bomb that's about to explode?" Tony ignored the evacuation option. "There must be a way..."
"Just send the nuclear bomb in there," Arthur spoiled it again. "I'll take care of this difficult task!"
"Great idea!" Tony praised.
"By the way, Mr. Stark," Arthur flew up and tossed the Mind Stone to Tony, saying, "Your armor has a recording function, right? Remember to record the following scenes; such a great moment needs to be recorded as a souvenir!"
"Guaranteed to complete both tasks," Tony made a salute gesture. "Closing the Space Portal and recording your figure as you save New York."
Arthur flew away satisfied, firing an energy blast at Loki, who was playing dead in the corner, before leaving one last sentence: "Don't forget to post it on your social media account with seventy million followers..."
Tony looked like he had seen a ghost; how did he feel like this great war was just a game in Arthur's eyes?
The Superheroes had to struggle to kill enemies one by one, while Arthur flew directly to the Chitauri's lair; now he should have been transporting the nuclear bomb with the determination to die, but Arthur still had the leisure to tell him to record a complete video... In less than a minute, Tony was shocked once again... Arthur indeed came transporting a nuclear bomb... but he was standing with both feet on top of that nuclear bomb, as if he were fighting against stormy waves on a surfboard in the ocean! And looking at the trajectory, that nuclear bomb was heading straight for Stark Tower... "Jarvis, start recording the battle footage." Tony's heart began to race.
Just as the nuclear bomb was about to hit the tower, its trajectory was forcibly changed, shooting vertically into the sky, and so Arthur's figure standing on the nuclear bombflew past Tony's eyes at high speed.
"Arthur?" Gwen was stunned.
Everyone held their breath until they saw the nuclear bomb enter the Space Portal, and only then did they breathe a sigh of relief; Gwen couldn't help but cheer as she saw Arthur's figure begin to descend.
"Loki, you failed again," Tony said to the unwilling Lokinearby as he thrust the Mind Stone into the defense shieldand issued the shutdown command through the connected data interface.
The device shut down instantly, the soaring blue energy pillar disappeared, and the huge Space Portal in the sky quickly healed; through the shrinking opening, the firelight from the nuclear bomb's explosion could be seen... "We won this war!" Tony said with a sigh of relief.
Tony was listening to the cheers in the communication channel when suddenly a black figure flew past him and took the Space Stone from the device.
Tony aimed his palm cannon at the person but didn't fire; he exclaimed with some hesitation, "Agent Romanoff?"
But while he hesitated, the Black Widow, who had snatched the Space Stone, had already leaped off the rooftop, with a steel cable inserted into the wall to help her decelerate for landing.
"Good job, Natasha!" Arthur, watching this scene from the air, said with a smile.
Tony quickly started his mecha's power system, firing repulsor arcs from his hands to take off and give chase.
But Natasha fired another steel cable, leaping across the street like she was swinging on spider silk; she crashed through a window into a floor and arrived beside Wanda. Wanda calmly took the Space Stone.
"Hands up, put down the Tesseract! Otherwise, I'll fire!" Tony hovered in the air, his Palm Cannon charging and shoulder-mounted missiles deployed. "Repeating once more, put your hands up and put down..."
Before he could repeat it a second time, a flash of blue light appeared as the Tesseract's spatial displacement ability was activated, and instantly both Wanda and Black Widow vanished from the spot.
Tony lowered his arms just as Arthur landed beside him; Arthur shook his head.
"You slacked off the whole game and finally let her go, handing over the Tesseract to someone else."
"Who's slacking? I'm the one who closed the Space Portal..." Tony's gaze froze as he looked at Arthur. "Fine, the idea was yours, and you gave me the scepter; I really was just responsible for closing the door..."
Tony tried to defend himself and remove the label of slacker: "But I also killed many Chitauri Soldiers, giant flying bugs, and those black monsters..."
Finally, everyone gathered at Hero Square; although they had won a victory, everyone was silent as they looked at the once prosperous streets turned into ruins.
This Battle of New York was incredibly intense, and everyone had some injuries; the most heavily injured was Thor, and Gwen's Iron Spider Suit had several damaged spots with blood flowing out... except for Arthur; not only was he uninjured, he remained elegant, with his hair perfectly in place and not a speck of dust on his shoes.
"Where's the demon?" Tony asked first upon seeing Thor.
Thor was supported by Captain America and Hawkeye, but he still gripped his Mjolnir in his hand.
"Speaking of which, it's quite strange; I was flying over the Pacific Ocean..."
"It's the Atlantic Ocean, Mr. Thor!" Gwen corrected.
"Fine, the Atlantic Ocean... at that time, the demon and I were engaged in a fierce battle, first with remote blasting and then close-quarters combat; I heavily injured him with my hammer, but he also injured me with his powerful electric eyes. Just as we were about to launch our strongest attacks, a woman suddenly descended from the sky." Thor didn't keep them in suspense and said directly, "That woman called herself Captain Marvel; she couldn't kill the demon either and could only take him out of Earth, and then I returned to New York."
"She must be the reinforcements Nick mentioned," Tonysaid with a nod.
"So you're saying there will be no more demons on Earth?" Gwen asked.
"It should be so... but no one can be sure," Thor said. "Maybe the demon killed that woman and returned to Earth..."
"Captain Marvel must keep it up! Even if she can't defeat the demon, she must keep him in the Universe," Gwenprayed in a low voice.
"Gwen, we should go!"
Arthur raised his hand, and Gwen's body floated up.
"Why are you so clean?" Gwen said with a bit of psychological imbalance.
"Because I am a mage, an elegant mage."
As Arthur spoke, he placed his hand on Gwen, and the phantom of a horse appeared deep in his eyes.
A stream of vitality circulated, instantly repairing Gwen's injuries, including her damaged suit, and also removing her fatigue.
"Now I feel full of energy again!"
Arthur knocked on her helmet.
This scene was also seen by the Superheroes on the ground, and they stared at the miraculous scene dumbfounded.
"'Holy Light'?" Captain America said in surprise.
"It's a miracle..." Hawkeye shook his head.
"Indeed a god," Tony folded his arms. "Much better than certain two people who claim to be gods but are actually Asgardian natives!"
"Respected and elegant mage, I also request to bathe in your 'Holy Light'!" Thor shouted as he felt the pain all over his body.
Arthur flew off with Gwen without looking back. "Sorry, I don't have the habit of touching men yet..."
"The war is finally over; a day off tomorrow? There's a newly opened BBQ shop over there, who wants to go together?" Tony shouted at the backs of the two again:
"Arthur, the Anti-Demon Alliance will hold a press conference and invites you to attend..."