Nolan rolled his eyes and ignored Carol Danvers.
It was obvious that she didn't believe a word he had said.
Still...
There was no time to argue.
The enemy would be here any moment.
Just then, a portal opened.
Doctor Stephen Strange stepped through.
"I'm here."
His gaze swept across the gathering.
The Avengers.
The Guardians of the Galaxy.
Independent superheroes who had answered Nolan's call.
Every one of them had come for the same reason.
To stop Thanos.
But beyond the superheroes stood another force that could not be ignored.
The elite armies gathered from nations across the world.
Before arriving, these soldiers had already been briefed on the situation.
Even so...
None of them truly understood what kind of enemy they were about to face.
No one doubted that the coming battle would be unimaginably brutal.
Yet no one could refuse.
No one could retreat.
Because if they did...
Earth itself would fall.
Strange looked toward Nolan once again.
"What about the dimensional rift?"
Nolan answered calmly.
"It seems Ms. Danvers still has no intention of going there."
"But that's fine."
"In the early stages of the war, nothing should happen at the dimensional rift."
"We'll concentrate on defeating Thanos first."
"If trouble appears there later, we'll reinforce it immediately."
Strange let out a helpless sigh.
He glanced at Carol before nodding.
"Then that's our only option."
He remained deeply worried about the dimensional battlefield.
But he understood.
The greater threat standing before them...
Was the Thanos Army.
As they spoke, a soldier approached.
He carried himself with unmistakable military discipline.
His uniform was immaculate.
His cap perfectly straight.
Every movement radiated the confidence of a veteran commander.
"Gentlemen."
"I'm the commander of the coalition forces."
"You may call me Commander Zhou."
"This war is unlike anything we've ever faced."
"But whatever support you require, inform us immediately."
"I'll coordinate every military unit under my command."
"All of us came here fully prepared to die."
"Because behind us..."
"...are our families."
"...our homes."
"And none of us will retreat."
Nolan nodded.
"Then I'll entrust this battlefield to you."
His eyes drifted across the endless military formation.
The backbone of the force consisted of APU Combat Exoskeleton Armor.
A practical battlefield exosuit.
Affordable to mass-produce.
Powerful.
Reliable.
It had already proven itself across countless battlefields.
Mixed among them were soldiers wearing Black Armor.
The Black Armor was a simplified version of the Mjolnir Armor.
Though less powerful, it remained an elite combat suit.
Only exceptional soldiers qualified to wear one.
Above even them...
Stood the warriors equipped with true Mjolnir Armor.
Every one of those soldiers represented the finest elite their respective nations had to offer.
Only those who had reached the limits of human capability could unleash the armor's full potential.
Beyond them...
The true trump card stood waiting.
The Titan Combat Frames.
Positioned at the heart of the APU formations, the massive Titans would provide overwhelming heavy fire support.
The deployment had been carefully planned.
Layer upon layer.
Perfectly coordinated.
Beyond the Titans stood countless Orbital Tanks and other heavy weapons.
This was only the human battle line.
Separate from them...
Another army stood in absolute silence.
No one approached them.
Their presence alone radiated cold steel and death.
This...
Was Nolan's true Mechanical Legion.
Although combat robots had already been integrated into the human army...
They were nothing compared to this force.
These were machines built solely for war.
Nolan took a slow breath.
He could already see the enemy fleet descending in the distance.
The countless warships had also discovered Earth's defensive formation.
Soon...
Dropships began landing.
The hatch of the lead flagship opened.
Thanos stepped out.
Three powerful figures followed behind him.
One was naturally Proxima Midnight.
Another was Cull Obsidian.
The third...
Was someone Nolan had never seen before.
Judging by his position beside the other Black Order generals...
His identity was obvious.
The Black Order.
Although it was a title...
Its members were never permanent.
When one died...
Thanos simply promoted another warrior to replace them.
Apparently, the current Black Order had gained a new member.
Nolan had no idea what this newcomer's abilities were.
But it no longer mattered.
Thanos walked forward.
An enormous energy barrier blocked his path.
He frowned slightly.
"So..."
"Earth knew we were coming."
"How did our plans leak?"
He muttered quietly.
Beside him, Proxima Midnight spoke.
"Perhaps Ebony Maw noticed something during his previous mission to Earth."
Thanos nodded.
"That's certainly possible."
It was obvious that Earth had prepared for their arrival.
Otherwise...
The Lunar Fortress would never have existed.
According to his intelligence, that weapon hadn't existed during Ebony Maw's last visit.
Clearly...
That encounter had alerted Earth.
And in response...
They had developed an entirely new generation of planetary defenses.
Just as he was about to continue...
His eyes narrowed.
Something caught his attention.
Or rather...
A familiar emblem.
"Lock Technology..."
Thanos' face darkened.
He hadn't expected Lock Technology's equipment to appear here.
Nor had he expected such staggering numbers.
Only after scanning the battlefield further did he finally notice Nolan standing among Earth's defenders.
Now he understood.
This battle would be troublesome.
Still...
He wasn't worried.
Nolan was dangerous.
But only a temporary obstacle.
Any obstacle...
Could be overcome.
His objective today would not change.
He now possessed three Infinity Stones.
Their combined power had elevated him to an unprecedented level.
Not even Nolan...
Could stop him.
Only now did he finally realize...
Lock Technology originated from Earth.
And Nolan himself...
Was an Earthling.
He also remembered Ebony Maw's unfinished transmission.
So that was what he had been trying to say.
Lock Technology.
Thanos looked toward the three generals behind him.
"Do you see the battlefield ahead?"
"That is where this war begins."
"Now..."
"Show me your plan."
The three immediately nodded.
Proxima Midnight activated her communicator.
"Attack!"
The command echoed across the battlefield.
Every dropship hatch burst open.
Endless soldiers poured onto the battlefield.
At the same time...
The warships opened fire upon Wakanda's energy shield.
The relentless bombardment shook the barrier violently.
Many soldiers watching from behind the shield grew uneasy.
If Wakanda's defenses failed...
They would be forced into close combat immediately.
Even worse...
The fleet's bombardment looked powerful enough to erase entire battle lines.
But the Wakandan warriors remained perfectly calm.
King T'Challa stared coldly at the enemy beyond the barrier.
This...
Was Wakanda.
Its technology surpassed the rest of Earth by centuries.
Its energy shield represented the pinnacle of Wakandan science.
Destroying it would never be easy.
To Wakanda...
This level of bombardment simply wasn't enough.
Even when parts of the barrier weakened...
The shield's energy network instantly redirected power to reinforce those areas.
The damaged sections restored themselves almost immediately.
Just as T'Challa expected...
Although the alien bombardment appeared terrifying...
It caused no meaningful damage.
Thanos showed no change in expression.
Behind him, Proxima Midnight issued another command.
"All units!"
"Open fire!"
"If the ships alone aren't enough..."
"Then attack together!"
She refused to believe any shield could withstand the combined assault of the entire Thanos Army.
The bombardment intensified.
Then...
The rear warships released another weapon.
Monstrous creatures.
Savage beasts with no intelligence.
Only endless bloodlust.
Completely obedient to Thanos.
The moment they saw the humans inside Wakanda...
Their crimson eyes burned with madness.
They charged toward the barrier without hesitation.
The shield's blazing energy incinerated every beast that touched it.
Yet...
Their deaths changed nothing.
Wave after wave continued charging forward.
Everyone watched in horror.
Only now...
Did they truly understand how terrifying the Thanos Army really was.
They also realized...
None of their preparations had been excessive.
Even Captain Marvel's expression became grave.
She had believed she had already overestimated Thanos' forces.
Now she understood...
If she had faced this army alone...
She would have had absolutely no chance.
Fortunately...
She wasn't alone.
The Avengers were here.
The Guardians of the Galaxy were here.
But strangely...
None of that mattered most to her.
What reassured her the most...
Was knowing that Nolan stood on her side.
Even though she hated admitting it...
The realization gave her an unexpected sense of security.
The thought alone embarrassed her.
She had always viewed Nolan as a rival.
Depending on him now...
Felt like admitting defeat.
Nolan wasted no time.
"Activate the first defensive line!"
The first monsters had already begun slipping through the energy barrier.
Powerful as it was...
The shield had limits.
Continuous bombardment from the fleet had weakened parts of it.
The monsters' suicidal charges finally forced open small breaches.
Once the first creatures broke through...
The shield could no longer restore those sections fast enough.
More and more monsters flooded inside.
Hand-to-hand combat was inevitable.
But before that happened...
Nolan intended to reduce human casualties as much as possible.
His Mechanical Legion would become the first line of defense.
At his command...
Thousands of Slaughter Robots marched forward.
Their razor-sharp steel claws gleamed beneath the battlefield sky.
They were masterpieces of close-quarters combat.
Years ago...
These killing machines had accomplished countless missions for Nolan.
Although newer models had replaced them...
That didn't mean they had become obsolete.
They would always be the vanguard of his army.
The first wave to meet the enemy.
Behind them...
Rows of NS-45 Combat Robots and Terminators raised their weapons.
Waiting.
Ready to fire.
Above them...
The Titan Combat Frames began lifting into the air.
For this battle...
Nolan had committed every resource at his disposal.
Humanity had done the same.
Watching the monsters pour through the barrier...
A faint smile finally appeared on Thanos' face.
He stepped toward the opening himself.
Proxima Midnight...
Cull Obsidian...
And the newest Black Order general followed closely behind.
Weapons ready.
Prepared for battle.
Thanos fixed his eyes on Nolan.
He made no move to charge immediately.
He didn't believe...
That this was all Nolan had prepared.
After all...
The war...
Had only just begun.
Then...
The earth shook.
Thunderous explosions echoed across the battlefield.
Moments later...
Devastating bombardments rained directly into the densest clusters of Thanos' monsters.
Countless beasts were obliterated.
Many vanished without leaving behind even a single trace.
This...
Was overwhelming firepower.
The battle had begun.
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