The Chitauri were all linked to their mothership, functioning as part of a hive-like collective consciousness.
When the spatial portal closed, every Chitauri unit invading New York was instantly cut off from the mothership.
Like machines deprived of power, they all shut down.
Whether ground infantry, aerial skiffs, or massive Leviathan warships—everything lost control and crashed. The falling wreckage caused further destruction to the already war-ravaged streets of New York.
Much of Manhattan was left in ruins. The post-war reconstruction would be no small undertaking.
Still—
The battle was over.
And they had won.
Tony didn't have time to celebrate.
There was still a major problem overhead.
The front section of the Chitauri mothership—severed when the portal closed—had lost propulsion and was plummeting straight toward Stark Tower.
Even at only one-fifth of the original ship's size, it was large enough to cover several buildings, including the entire tower.
If nothing was done, Stark Tower would be erased from existence. Nearby buildings would suffer the same fate, and the chain reaction would be catastrophic.
"Thor!" Tony shouted, pushing the Gaia Memory's power to its limit, attempting to manipulate the ship's internal mechanical structure.
But the wreckage was far too massive.
The Gaia Memory's output wasn't strong enough, and the Chitauri technology was utterly alien to Tony's understanding. It wasn't something he could analyze in mere moments.
Thor charged upward, swinging Mjölnir at full force.
The hammer pierced straight through the hull—
But achieved nothing.
The ship kept falling.
"Sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. interjected calmly, "my calculations indicate we should immediately evacuate all survivors within a 500-meter radius. The chain reaction from the impact will be unpredictable."
"Damn it!" Tony muttered, watching the wreckage accelerate toward the ground.
"I'm rather interested in this alien warship," a voice suddenly said.
"I can deal with it for you."
It was Genm.
Then his tone shifted.
"But considering I've already given humanity a chance to revive all those who died in the invasion—and now I'm preventing further destruction…"
"You should at least offer something in return."
He casually reached out and took the Tesseract.
"The Tesseract belongs to S.H.I.E.L.D.," Natasha said immediately.
"It belongs to Asgard," Thor added sharply.
Genm ignored them.
He raised the Tesseract, releasing an enormous surge of pale-blue spatial energy. A translucent cocoon formed in midair, enveloping the falling wreckage.
In a flash of light, the cocoon shrank rapidly—
Until it became a small, irregular glowing orb resting in Phantom Dream's palm.
"Put down the Tesseract!" Thor hurled Mjölnir at him.
Gwen lunged forward as well. She didn't fully understand what the Tesseract was—but its immense power was obvious. It couldn't be allowed to fall into Phantom Dream's hands.
Genm remained calm.
With a simple wave of his hand, two spatial portals opened.
Mjölnir passed through one—
And struck Thor himself.
Gwen vanished through another portal, teleported elsewhere.
Thor crashed downward, stunned by his own full-force strike.
By the time he recovered and took flight again—
Genm, He opened a portal and left instantly," Tony said grimly.
Thor gripped Mjölnir tightly. "Where did that bastard go?"
No one answered.
The Chitauri invasion was officially over.
Cleanup operations began. Aside from the Avengers, most others departed.
The Defenders and the doctors from Saint Capital Hospital weren't suited to dealing with government officials.
And Frank and Skarner—well, even less so.
Aftermath
Despite victory, the atmosphere among the Avengers remained heavy.
"Do any of you know where Genm is?" Thor demanded. "I want a proper fight—and to reclaim Asgard's treasure."
He was still furious about being tricked.
Steve spoke up quietly.
"The bodies of the victims… they all disappeared when that 'game field' activated. And rescue teams found no remains afterward."
"Is it possible what he said is true? That clearing his 'game' can revive them?"
Tony's expression grew complicated.
"Maybe," he said slowly. "I don't know."
Death was supposed to be irreversible.
Yet the Bugster Virus had already shattered Tony's understanding of reality more than once.
"So who exactly is this Genm?" Kent asked. "And what is this 'game'?"
Tony sighed and shared what he knew about the Bugster Virus.
Steve listened with astonishment.
"It's only been seventy years since my time," he said. "And the world already has something beyond science fiction?"
Banner coughed lightly.
"This isn't about the passage of time," he muttered. "This simply isn't scientific."
Steve nodded. That sounded more reasonable.
Kent folded his arms. "So the armored riders who helped us against the Chitauri—they specialize in fighting Bugster creatures?"
Tony nodded silently.
Natasha's eyes flickered thoughtfully.
"Can you contact them?" she suggested. "If they handle the Bugster threat, they should know what's really going on."
Tony glanced at her meaningfully.
"I'll reach out," he replied evenly. "And gather as much information as possible."
It wasn't that he distrusted Natasha or Clint.
He distrusted S.H.I.E.L.D.—and the politicians behind it.
After all, while they were fighting the Chitauri with everything they had, a nuclear missile had nearly been launched at Manhattan without hesitation.
Unable to locate the Tesseract in the short term, Thor ultimately decided to return to Asgard with Loki in custody.
The Tesseract had been on Earth for thousands of years.
It could wait a little longer.
(End of Chapter)