At exactly one o'clock, the crowd was already drenched in sweat from the heat. Thankfully, professional medical staff were on-site, so no one got hurt.
"Let's begin. Go cool them off first," Liu A'dou said to Elsa. "Let everyone see your title as the Ice Queen isn't just for show."
Elsa nodded slightly and gave Pepper Pots a reassuring look before turning toward the stage. She opened with a new song, "God Is a Girl." "Let It Go" wouldn't be performed right away—it was a three-hour concert after all, with thirty songs carefully selected by Liu A'dou from Earth and the detective world. He made sure everyone would leave satisfied.
Elsa moved her arms with the music. Snow began to fall, impossibly, in the middle of June, bringing a refreshing chill to the air. It was like having a human air conditioner on stage.
That cool breeze under the scorching sun felt amazing.
The song was beautiful. Peter Parker couldn't help but sway with the rhythm. With the air conditioning in the VIP seats, the temperature change wasn't that noticeable—but the snow definitely stood out.
"The Ice Queen really is something else," Harry thought. Mutant powers were incredible. To control nature so easily—it was something humans couldn't do even with massive machines.
The crowd was ecstatic. Just one song had already ignited their passion. The music itself was top-notch. Some entertainment reporters were already wondering who had written these songs—they were just that good.
Lyrics, melody, vocals, voice—everything was first-class. The concert started off leaving everyone fully satisfied.
Ben threw everything else out of his mind—the royal family, even his uncle. He was completely immersed in the world of music, cheering for Elsa on stage. What he didn't know was that the car he'd snuck out in had a tracking system. The royal family would use the signal to locate their Earth contact.
The excited audience had no idea that in New York, not far from them, a massive battle was about to begin.
On the rooftop of Stark Tower, the building powered by a new element reactor—considered a pioneer in clean energy—was about to be used by Loki to activate the Tesseract's portal.
Loki looked down at New York, slowly placing his hand on the portal switch. It was a device made of iridium, wrapped in an electromagnetic shield. Once activated, it couldn't be stopped. He didn't realize that his own spear could shut the whole thing down.
"This tower will be the monument marking the beginning of my rule over Earth," Loki declared loudly. "Come, my army!"
Woooo—
The portal activated. A blue beam shot into the sky, tearing a hole in the sky—an open wound connecting to space.
The Chitauri chattered in alien language: "Stabilize the portal. First wave, move in, secure the area around the portal. Set up a perimeter. Other units, stand by."
Loki's eyes lit up with excitement as he saw the portal open. Finally—finally—he would have an army of his own. That level of excitement only proved how young and naive he still was.
The Chitauri vanguard charged through the portal on flying craft that carried two pilots each. As seasoned troublemakers among the Nine Realms, the Chitauri were experienced in battle. They advanced in two-person squads. Each craft had one pointy-helmeted squad leader and one round-helmeted soldier.
The soldier piloted while the squad leader manned a large arm-mounted gun. The first wave of craft carried four soldiers each, including two paratroopers. They were the first to drop and land, tasked with securing the area around Stark Tower. Before the main assault arrived, they had to make sure no one got close to the portal.
By the time Iron Man arrived, it was already too late. "Doctor, shut down the portal!" he shouted, already aiming at the machine.
But the doctor was still under mind control. He didn't listen. Tony opened fire. The machine's energy shield bounced the blast back, sending Iron Man spinning through the air. He needed a new suit. But with Loki watching from the rooftop, Tony had no choice but to take the risk.
Captain America, Black Widow, and the now-recovered Hawkeye landed on the ground. They had to stop the enemy from spreading deeper into the city. "We need to keep them contained," Steve said. Even though there were only three of them, each one was worth a hundred soldiers.
The alien invasion had begun. People who were just enjoying a peaceful afternoon in New York were now terrified, shocked, and a bit… curious. After all, this was New York. Even if aliens had a knife to their throats, New Yorkers would still want a clear look. They were known for crowding around to watch, especially when superheroes were involved.
"Get out of here! It's not safe!" Steve shouted, trying to get the civilians to leave. He'd been through war. He knew this was only the beginning. The first wave was here to secure ground. The real assault hadn't even started yet. "They're going to keep coming. Everyone, get out of here!"
But people just kept filming with their phones, eager to upload and rack up views.
Steve couldn't believe it. Didn't people these days have any sense of danger? "Move it!"
Zing-zing!
Two glowing bullets zipped past his ears. Two aliens were closing in. Up close, the Chitauri looked like they wore only light armor, some skin exposed. But their skin was as tough as metal. No wonder they had such a brutal reputation across the universe. They traveled through space with just a breathing mask.
More bullets came. Steve raised his shield to block them. At the same time, Black Widow and Hawkeye attacked. Hawkeye's arrows and Natasha's bullets struck like venomous snakes, targeting the aliens' exposed eyes under their helmets.
The two of them took the first alien blood. These guys weren't so tough after all. Then again, this wasn't something regular soldiers could've pulled off.
Suddenly, a flying craft in the sky began firing at them. The onlookers finally realized how serious things were. Shards from the blasts rained down, stinging painfully against their skin. Panic spread. People screamed and ran, pushing into nearby buildings for cover.
With the area finally cleared, Captain America and the others could fight without holding back. "We hold them here—don't let them cross the overpass. You two hold the line. I'll go rally more help." Then he looked up and muttered, "Tony, you'd better get here soon."
The first wave of police had already arrived after receiving emergency calls. But chaos was just beginning. Police cruisers were blocked in traffic, and the officers couldn't see what was going on ahead. All they saw were people running toward them.
Even with guns in hand, the officers had no clue what they were supposed to be shooting at. They stayed near their cars, using them for cover, peeking ahead—until they finally saw the enemy.
In the sky.
Flying strange machines.
Screaming as they swooped low and opened fire.
Bursts of flame tore down the street toward the police.