Finally, I have uploaded 20 advanced chapters on my Patreon for the readers. Go check them out and read them, and please don't forget to give this story a Powerstone and show your support.
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Here's my Patreon: "patreon.com/Hussain678" — 20 advanced chapters have been uploaded there.
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The alien invaders this time had a very clear objective: to use the upcoming rare celestial alignment to erase light itself and plunge the world into eternal darkness.
For governments around the world, this was nothing less than a fight to the death. As Thor, the God of Thunder from Asgard, had warned, losing light did not simply mean losing the sun—it meant losing all light. Not just sunlight each morning, but every form of illumination: lamps, candles, artificial lights, and any other source of brightness.
If the Dark Elves succeeded in stealing light, then even if someone lit a lamp in the future, no light would shine from it at all. The importance of light to humanity needed no explanation. Without it, basic life itself would be impossible.
Imagine a world where you cannot even see your own fingers. Humans rely primarily on vision; in such absolute darkness, they would not even be able to tell left from right, front from back. Even if danger lay directly ahead, one might walk straight into it without seeing anything. The thought alone was terrifying.
Because of this, once S.H.I.E.L.D.'s warning was received, governments across the globe moved quickly to prepare for war, unlike during the Battle of New York, when many merely tried to stay on the sidelines.
What they did not realize, however, was that they might not even be able to keep pace with the Dark Elves' invasion. Compared to Dark Elf technology, human technology was painfully primitive.
In fact, if the Dark Elves' flagship had not sacrificed itself, humanity might never have detected them at all. Even in the movies, Heimdall—who could see across the Nine Realms—was unable to deal with the Dark Elves' invisible warship. In the end, Thor and Jane had to draw them out personally.
But things were different now. This time, it was Clark—not Jane—who had collected the Aether. That meant there was no risk of the host being drained dry by the Aether's power. As long as the Aether remained on their side, there was no immediate cause for panic, even though no one knew when the Dark Elves would strike again.
"Clark, do you think it's time to talk to them about the Avengers Global Rapid Response Initiative?" Tony asked suddenly after Nick Fury left.
In truth, the Dark Elf invasion was an opportunity—not only for Clark and Tony, but also for governments and the World Security Council—to finally acknowledge the Avengers as an independent organization with the authority to act on their own.
Against an enemy whose time and location of attack were impossible to predict, only Tony's global rapid-response plan could work. If approval was still refused, individual nations would be forced to face the Dark Elves alone until the Avengers arrived to help.
"I think it'll work," Clark said after Tony mentioned it. He agreed—this was the perfect moment. They had originally planned to find an opportunity to push the proposal forward, but the Dark Elves' appearance had solved that problem for them.
"What exactly is the Avengers Global Rapid Response Initiative?" Steve asked curiously. If he remembered correctly, he was an Avenger too. Yet he had heard nothing about this plan.
"Clark and I are planning to build teleportation hubs around the world," Tony explained. "If something happens, we can show up almost instantly."
However, since the plan had not yet been approved by the World Security Council, it remained only a proposal for now.
Facing the elderly Steve, Tony deliberately avoided revealing the full scope of the project. No one knew Steve's current mindset, and given that he had been working closely with S.H.I.E.L.D., Tony had reason to be cautious.
"Are the teleportation sites and facilities ready?" Steve asked, immediately grasping the importance of the plan.
Its benefits extended far beyond the Avengers. If such instant-deployment technology were made public, it could, in a sense, truly turn Earth into a global village.
"Almost," Tony replied. "Many smaller nations have already joined our rapid-response network and built Avengers signal relay stations."
He emphasized the word Avengers deliberately, reminding Steve that the system was designed exclusively for them.
Tony understood that if only the Avengers used the system, there would be no issue. Their numbers were small, despite their immense destructive power. But if other nations gained access, then countries hosting transmission points would have virtually no security at all.
Especially the major world powers. To prevent Steve from making any special requests, Tony made his position clear upfront.
"Malekith, Midgard is right ahead. Which direction should I proceed?" asked a Dark Elf pilot.
For the Dark Elves, whose technology far surpassed Earth's, distance within the Nine Realms was meaningless. Though they lacked the Bifrost, the World Tree's pathways allowed them to travel swiftly between realms.
After obtaining clues about the Aether, they reached Midgard from Vanaheim in just a few hours.
But upon arriving in Earth's orbit, Malekith hesitated. As long as Clark did not release the Aether, he could no longer sense its location.
Staring at the vast blue planet before him, Malekith had no idea where to search.
"I don't know what they've done to the Aether. I can't feel it anymore."
Though he was certain the Aether was somewhere on Earth, he had no clue where to go next. Should he wait for the Aether to surface again? With the Convergence approaching, Malekith wasn't sure he had that kind of time.
After a moment of thought, he turned to Algrim and said:
"Deactivate the cloaking field. We'll land directly."