Captain America, Black Widow, and Thor formed a triangle and charged toward the center. It was tough going. The Chitauri guarded the critical point of the battle with everything they had. They hadn't even advanced one hundred meters before being forced back to the ground.
Their aggressive push made the Chitauri suspicious. A reckless charge like that stood out. The Chitauri commander immediately deployed elite units to wipe out anyone trying to close the portal.
Thor got bitten by one of the flying fish. It sped toward the outskirts of the city with him in tow, aiming to drown him. Without Thor's cover, Captain America and Black Widow were in trouble. They were deep in enemy territory now. Surrounded. Hunted.
"I should've bought more insurance," Black Widow muttered.
Captain America called for backup. "Hulk, we need you. Now!"
But all he got in return was Hulk's furious roar. He was completely surrounded, and even the Hulk was starting to feel it. He'd smashed way too many things today. He was tired.
"If we don't shut down the portal, we won't win. Hulk, we really need you!"
"Hulk... angry!" Banner's will in Hulk's mind urged him to regroup with Cap. So he went all out with a wide-area attack—Sonic Clap.
With a swing of both arms—boom!
Not just enemies. Buildings nearby twisted, cracked, and collapsed. "ROAR—!" Hulk was going full force now. Nothing could stop him.
Captain America and Black Widow stood back to back. Cap's shield was scorched. Black Widow had long since run out of bullets. But the enemy kept coming. Enough of them to grind them both into paste.
ROAR!
"Our backup's here," Cap and Black Widow said in unison, hearts lifted. Hulk had arrived.
The green monster dropped from the sky, still holding two aliens by their necks. But judging by the limp bodies, those necks had already been snapped. He hurled the corpses like missiles. Hulk was clearing a path for Cap and Widow.
Meanwhile, Iron Man had just caught the nuke and was pushing upward with all his might. The portal hovered high in the sky. "Jarvis, give me more power."
"Yes, sir."
Flames burst from his boots and back as he carried the warhead skyward. "Come on!"
Before the Chitauri air units could respond, Iron Man burned through more energy than he could spare, rocketing straight for the sky.
"Didn't expect I'd be this brave," Tony muttered. He might die, but strangely, he didn't feel afraid. He almost wondered if someone had brainwashed him. This kind of self-sacrifice wasn't like him. But all he wanted now was to win.
"Sir, would you like me to connect you to Miss Potts?"
"Do it."
He'd just crossed into the portal when a sliver of regret hit him. But there was no turning back. The only option now was to deliver the nuke.
The call went through.
"Hey, Tony. How's it going with the aliens?" Pepper's voice fired off like a machine gun. "What's the damage? Are you in danger?"
"...How do you know all that?" Tony blinked. He hadn't even started his dramatic speech. How did she already know everything?
"The aliens are here already. But don't worry—Elsa made a massive ice shield. We're fine. The concert's still going, and the audience has no clue. I just hope when the show ends, people don't freak out when they hear about New York."
"It's fine. You've got this. I'm busy right now—gotta go." Pepper's rapid-fire questioning had killed the mood. Tony figured he wouldn't die. He'd rather say everything in person when he got back to New York.
"Tony, be careful!" Somehow, Pepper sensed the danger.
"Nothing I can't handle," Iron Man replied, ending the call and pushing harder.
His power reserves were running dry. But he'd made it to the alien fleet. He released the warhead, using the last of his energy to give it one final boost.
The portal transferred more than just matter. It also carried Earth's gravity field. If the nuke didn't have enough force, it'd get pulled right back down.
Tony's jet boosters sparked, sputtered, then died out. Gravity dragged him back toward Earth.
On the ground, Cap and Widow were still advancing. But Hulk couldn't help anymore. Like Thor, he was caught by the flying fish and dragged off to who-knows-where. Once again, they were in danger.
Cap was strong, but he was still just one man. No way he could take down this many enemies, especially while protecting a soaking-wet woman.
Black Widow could barely stand. Two brutal charges had drained her strength. She thought, 'This might be it for me.' At most, she could take out three... no, five more aliens. That was her limit. A bullet had grazed her cheek, leaving a burn mark. Her torn outfit exposed skin darkened by smoke. Her breathing was ragged.
Cap held firm, but sweat dripped from his forehead. Even fighting Nazis hadn't been this hard. His arm wasn't injured, but blocking hundreds of attacks over and over made his muscles ache.
The golden spear was still in Cap's hand. But he didn't believe he could reach the rooftop. They were still stuck on the ground. This felt harder than assassinating Hitler. Cap would rather go back to WWII and take another swing through Germany.
But Iron Man had thrown the nuke the other way. If the explosion's radiation came back through the portal and hit New York, it would all be over. The destination was far. Death was near.
Captain America and Black Widow were completely surrounded. Back-to-back, they had no idea how to save the city.
While they were struggling, a blinding light burst inside the tightening ring of enemies, dazzling everyone. Cap raised his shield to block his eyes and glanced at the ground. A shadow stretched long across the pavement. Someone had appeared. But who—an enemy or an ally?
Then came the sound of bodies collapsing, one after another.
As the light faded, Cap and Widow saw that every alien around them had been taken down. Standing before them was none other than Ada Wong—Liu A'dou's wife, future mother of his daughter, the Moonlight Magician, superhero Scorpio Woman, the Scorpio Gold Saint, a multiverse traveler with more titles than they could count.
She made her entrance in style.
"…" Black Widow stared at the golden figure, not sure what had just happened.
"Let me do it." Ada extended her hand, signaling for Cap to hand over the spear. "I already know this is the key to shutting the portal." Liu A'dou had told her.
Ada had noticed the alien threat growing worse and asked Liu A'dou if there was a way to stop it. Though disaster always seemed to follow her in the bioweapon world, that wasn't her fault. She didn't want outbreaks. As a company agent, she was always sent into the most dangerous zones to recover corporate evidence and virus samples.
She usually showed up after disasters began. But not this time. This time, she still had the chance to stop it.
She believed in Liu A'dou's confidence in the Avengers, but reality was harsh. Yes, the Avengers were strong—but the enemy wasn't dumb, and they had numbers on their side. The Avengers could hold the line, but they couldn't push forward.
So Ada asked how to shut the portal. Liu A'dou told her Loki's scepter was the key. That's how she ended up here, saving Cap.
Captain America looked at the spear, then at the mysterious golden warrior. He wasn't sure what to do. Black Widow stared at him, waiting for a decision.
But Cap didn't really have a choice. One look at the alien corpses around them told him that even if he didn't hand it over, he couldn't keep it from someone this powerful. So he quietly placed the spear in Ada's hand. "What are you going to do?"
"End this fight." That's all she said before disappearing.
The camera swept across New York, over buildings and streets, stopping at the city's edge.
The citizens here hadn't been hit by the invasion yet. When Ada suddenly appeared in the street, people froze and stared in curiosity. They watched as she struck a javelin-throwing pose. Trained on Themyscira, her form was like a sculpture from ancient Greece. With the glitter of the Gold Cloth, it was a visual masterpiece.
Burn, Microcosmos. Ada pushed her cosmos to the Seventh Sense peak. Gripping the spear, her eyes locked onto Stark Tower's rooftop, where the portal machine sat.
That's right. She was going to throw the spear across half of New York. Through enemy swarms. Across the city. To close the portal.
Why not just teleport? Because that wouldn't look cool enough.
It was like Kaitou Kid—he could always steal treasures without warning, but still sent advance notices just for the flair. As Liu A'dou's wife, Ada had to master both the skill and the style.
If both teleporting and throwing would work, you pick the cooler one. That's how a real traveler does things.
She reached full power. Her Microcosmos crushed the pavement beneath her feet. Debris floated in the energy field. That was enough—Ada moved.
A gust of wind followed her arm. Or maybe her arm caused the gust. No one could tell. All they felt was a blast in the face—and the mysterious woman's arm was gone. So was the spear.
BOOM—
A storm howled as the spear tore through the air, flying at Mach speed.
Electric flashes trailed it. The heat made particles spark with energy. Everything in its path—ships, flying fish—was pulverized by her cosmos. That was the gift of a traveler to this world. Whoosh—
Cap and Black Widow looked up—not to see the portal closing, but to witness a golden beam piercing the sky. Beautiful and terrifying. A golden line between hope and destruction.
It destroyed the enemy. And saved New York.
BOOM!
The top of Stark Tower exploded in flames. In stunned silence, Cap and Widow watched as the portal finally began to close.
Ada saw it all, then slowly turned away. She left only a golden silhouette behind, along with the click of flashing camera phones—before vanishing into the void, her glory and name hidden.