Tony Stark maintained his composure as he engaged Loki in casual conversation while subtly slipping on the wristband that controlled the Mark VII armor. He moved toward the bar in the lounge, taking advantage of Loki's distraction.
Loki's patience wore thin, and he prepared to use the Mind Stone scepter to control Tony.
But when the scepter touched Tony's chest, a sharp clink echoed—clearly, it had hit the arc reactor embedded in Tony's chest.
Loki's smug expression faltered, his face stiffening. After another failed attempt, he muttered in disbelief, "I've never made a mistake before."
Tony, trying to comfort him, said, "Everyone has an off day. Don't be so hard on yourself, who hasn't—"
Before he could finish, Loki, enraged, grabbed Tony by the throat and threw him to the ground.
"JARVIS, what are you waiting for?" Tony said while struggling to get up.
Loki approached, gripping Tony's chin and sneering, "You will all kneel before me!"
Tony urgently commanded, "Activate, quickly!"
Just as JARVIS initiated the Mark VII, Loki grabbed Tony and threw him out of the building.
Crash! Tony shattered a window and plummeted downward.
Just in time, as he neared the ground, the Mark VII suit successfully engaged, enveloping him in armor.
Tony soared back up to the tower, blasting Loki with a laser beam.
"Hmm?"
At that moment, the Tesseract-powered device activated.
A blinding white-blue beam shot straight into the sky!
Clouds parted, revealing a vast void leading to an unknown destination—a space portal!
On the other side of the portal, the Chitauri commander and his troops saw the suddenly appearing portal and were filled with excitement.
In the next instant, ships began flying through the open portal.
As they emerged, they were greeted by bright sunlight and the bustling buildings of New York.
In no time, the sound of zipping and tearing filled the skies above New York City.
Observing this, Tony Stark said grimly, "Here comes the army!"
Without hesitation, he flew into the sky, charging toward the descending Chitauri.
Nearby Stark Tower, the sorcerers led by Kaecilius witnessed the unfolding scene with awe and reverence.
Their eyes reflected shock and admiration.
"The prophecy of the Master has come true!" Kaecilius murmured in awe.
Another burly sorcerer in yellow robes, named Pele, echoed the sentiment, "The Great One said Earth would face its destined fate, that it would be invaded—could it really be happening?"
"This is Earth's destined fate?"
"So, invasion was the meaning?"
"Aliens invading?"
In that moment, even those like Ulysses, who had once doubted the Great One's power and had been skeptical until now, were left in sheer amazement.
The scene before them perfectly matched the prophecy of the Great One! How incredible!
They also recalled the Great One's next words:
"A war will begin, one of great impact, and Earth will experience the Cataclysm."
Great impact? Cataclysm?
What could these terms mean, and would they all come to pass?
"Is the battle happening in New York City the Cataclysm the Great One spoke of?" Ulysses asked curiously.
"Probably," Pele nodded in agreement.
At that moment, other sorcerers also believed that the Cataclysm mentioned by the Great One was indeed the unfolding event. They watched as Tony Stark soared into the sky, destroying Chitauri ships one after another.
This spectacle caught the attention of New York's citizens.
After all, anyone not blind could see the energy beams shooting from Stark Tower, the space portal above, and the Chitauri ships emerging.
Pedestrians stopped, cars screeched to a halt, and everyone looked up at the sky.
"Oh my god…"
"I feel like I'm dreaming…"
"What's happening? Is it the end of the world?"
Screams erupted, and some people, realizing the danger, fled in panic.
As they ran, Chitauri ships began attacking, firing energy blasts.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Cars and pedestrians were blasted away, blood and flames spreading from Stark Tower.
As people screamed, Syd, hiding in a dark corner, noticed a blue energy blast heading his way, accompanied by a speeding Chitauri ship.
Clearly, the Chitauri had spotted him.
Human, prepare to die!
The Chitauri soldier, filled with the thrill of impending kill, was eager to finish off another Earthling.
Syd, observing the approaching ship, remained unimpressed.
In the dazed Chitauri's gaze, Syd reached out and effortlessly dispersed the incoming energy blast.
Throughout the process, the energy blast barely made his palm ache, not even breaking his skin.
The Chitauri was dumbfounded.
This is a weak Earthling?
"Who am I? Where am I?" The Chitauri was momentarily disoriented.
In the next second, he was unable to think about anything else as a beam of sunlight descended rapidly from the sky, piercing through his chest and the ship.
The Chitauri's face was blank.
Boom!
The ship exploded in the air.
Seeing this, Syd couldn't help but feel a sense of absurdity.
Is this a joke?
Suddenly, he looked up at Stark Tower from a distance.
Loki, in his horned armor, stood on the balcony of Stark Tower with the Mind Stone scepter, while Thor, wielding his hammer, flew into view.
"Loki, shut down the Tesseract now, or I'll destroy it!" Thor shouted.
"You can't. It's beyond stopping now. Only war remains!" Loki grinned.
"Very well!" Thor's anger flared.
Loki leaped into action, engaging Thor in battle.
Watching the fight from afar, Syd paused, ignoring a stray energy blast as he quietly moved to a darker corner, avoiding detection by Thor and Loki.
It wasn't time for him to make his move yet…
(End of Chapter)