Both sides were entering the battlefield, but Tony was still wasting time talking with Loki. As expected, Loki didn't attack him. Tony let out a breath and pretended to walk calmly behind the bar to pour a drink. In reality, he secretly activated his latest remote-controlled Iron Man suit.
"You know, you destroyed the home we depend on to survive."
"So what?" Without his suit, Tony was no match for Loki, so Loki mocked him without hesitation.
"We've got a plan. It's made exactly for this kind of situation." While picking up a glass from beneath the bar, Tony hit the activation button and poured himself a drink. "The Avengers Initiative was built to handle enemies like you. We'll pay you back double."
Tony spoke sharply. Loki actually hesitated for a second, but then smirked at Tony's calm face. "You're just mortals. I've got an entire army. You can't stop me."
Tony stepped out from behind the bar, standing right in front of Loki. He stared him in the eyes. "Then try it."
"You're the one who's going to lose." Loki raised his scepter and pushed it into Tony's chest.
Ding.
But nothing happened. Loki didn't see Tony fall under his control.
Tony looked at the confused Loki and said, "Even you can mess up sometimes."
"Impossible. I never mess up." Loki snarled and hurled Tony through the window.
As he plummeted, Tony glanced at the infrared marker glowing on his wrist. He prayed the suit would reach him before he hit the ground.
Boom—A red "coffin" blasted through the wall and zoomed past Loki, racing after Tony. It was the first-generation remote Iron Man suit. Bulky, with an integrated energy system powered by an extra Arc Reactor.
Tony stretched out his arms. The infrared beacon in his wrist synced with the suit. The "coffin" split apart and wrapped around his body. He was seconds from hitting the street.
Thankfully, Tony was the protagonist. Just before becoming street meat, the suit powered up. Fire burst from its limbs and sent him rocketing upward. "Showtime."
Loki stared in disbelief as Iron Man came back from the dead. Regret surged inside him—he should've just blasted Tony instead of tossing him.
"I'll say it one last time. Shut down the portal."
"Never!"
Zzzap—
Before Loki could finish, Iron Man's dual repulsors blasted him across the rooftop. He collapsed, groaning.
Tony wasn't here to argue. 'No? Fine. I'll beat it out of you.'
With more aliens pouring in, Tony took off to find Captain America. They needed a plan.
As Iron Man left, Thor arrived.
Loki sighed. 'Seriously, can't a guy just chill and enjoy the sight of his army taking over Earth? Is that too much to ask?'
"Loki, stop this. Do you even know what you're doing?" Even after all the betrayals, Thor still wanted to save his brother. He couldn't bear to see Loki go down the wrong path again. That brotherly bond never faded.
"Of course I know. I'm taking back everything I lost. I'll show the mortals that Loki is the true ruler of Earth." Loki tried to look composed, elegant even—posing like some grand, successful visionary. But to Thor, he was just a lost kid, making mistake after mistake, and refusing to admit he was wrong.
"Loki." Thor grabbed his brother's collar in frustration. "Look around you! Look at this ruined city. Is this what you call ruling? You think this makes you a king? You don't understand what it means to ascend the throne. Open your eyes and see what's really happening!"
Thor used to believe brute strength alone could rule Asgard. But now he understood that being a king meant more than power. It meant responsibility—making people happy. "Loki, these troops won't follow your orders. Wake up already."
Loki glanced at the smoke and destruction blanketing New York but refused to admit defeat. In his heart, he believed he'd never been given a fair chance. If he just had the opportunity, he could outperform anyone. So even if it was a long shot, he was going all in on this alliance with the Chitauri. It might be his only chance in a lifetime. Loki had to go for it. If he didn't, he'd regret it forever.
He drove a dagger into Thor's abdomen and shoved him away. "No one can stop me!" With a wave of his hand, a flying craft swooped in. Loki jumped aboard, ready to command the war from above.
Thor hadn't expected another betrayal. Clearly, he still hadn't learned his lesson. The stab wound wasn't that serious. But compared to the emotional pain Loki caused, the physical injury meant little. Thor pulled the dagger out and headed toward the others.
Up in space, the Chitauri commander had been monitoring the Avengers. Even several squads hadn't been able to handle them, and they'd lost multiple ships. He ordered more troops to take them out. He also noticed that a few soldiers weren't staying in the designated combat zones and immediately dispatched units to hunt them down.
But the Avengers were the real threat. This group was trouble. The commander paced back and forth on the mothership. Earth's fighters were stronger than he had imagined. And that was exactly why they needed to be wiped out. The galaxy didn't need more powerful civilizations. It was already too crowded.
"Deploy ten two-man teams to eliminate their ground forces. Five ships and three Leviathan-class flyers to handle the ones in the air," he ordered. "Take them down and you'll be rewarded well."
At the same time, the Chitauri launched attacks on roads and signal towers surrounding New York. The portal didn't just teleport soldiers—it also sent signals. They had hacked into America's intelligence network and now had full knowledge of its military base layouts. Airports, highways, and railways were all on their hit list. That's where the Leviathans came into play.
Meanwhile, work was underway to secure the portal. The Tesseract needed to be taken, and the portal couldn't stay open forever. Engineering ships were delivering installation modules to lock the portal into place. They had only two hours to complete it. Once the modules were set, the Chitauri would control the portal's on-off switch.
If the Avengers didn't take out the enemy foot soldiers and shut down the portal soon, their chances of winning would shrink fast. But they couldn't ignore the chaos around them either. Civilians needed protection, and Chitauri soldiers were strong—each one could go toe-to-toe with multiple special forces.
Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye were struggling against the relentless wave of enemies. And the Chitauri weapons were powerful. One hit could take someone out of the fight instantly.
The Avengers had no choice but to win. They couldn't afford to lose.
Now gathered together: Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Iron Man, Thor, and the finally arriving Hulk on his motorcycle.
This was an all-star team. They had to resist the invasion—even if they didn't fully understand the enemy. Because they were the Avengers.