"Such a deceitful woman. Humans truly have many tricks up their sleeves!" The Chitauri commander glared at the human woman, Melche, who had been taunting them. If her words hadn't been so exaggerated, he might have been convinced and frightened by her lies. Fortunately, her lack of subtlety revealed her deception.
"You're right," Loki agreed, his face reflecting both approval and irritation at being played by the human woman.
Elsewhere
Captain America, seeing the Sentinel robots holding back the Chitauri forces, quickly issued commands, "With the Sentinels keeping them occupied, let's move quickly."
"Keep them occupied until the portal closes. Barton, get to the roof and find their troop movements."
He turned to Iron Man. "Stark, hold the line. Any force approaching these three streets should either be pushed back or incinerated. Natasha…"
With the orders given, Black Widow and the others nodded and dispersed, each setting off to complete their tasks.
"Can you give me a lift?" Hawkeye Barton asked Stark.
"Hold on tight and don't fall," Stark replied, grabbing Barton by the back and flying him to the rooftop.
On the rooftop, Barton scanned for troop movements, firing arrows with precision. Each explosive arrow hit its target, creating a series of explosions.
Meanwhile, Thor landed on another high rooftop, wielding his hammer. Dark clouds gathered, and lightning bolts rained down, targeting the area near the portal.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The lightning strikes forced Loki and the Chitauri commander to the ground. Chitauri ships were also struck down by the storm.
Hulk, spurred by Captain America's encouragement, jumped between buildings, attacking Chitauri forces with great force.
Captain America, after giving a few last instructions to Black Widow, dashed off to rescue Melche and her children.
Black Widow, realizing that even if they defeated the Chitauri, they couldn't close the portal without addressing the core issue, took a risk and jumped onto a Chitauri ship.
After dispatching the Chitauri on the ship, she took control and flew towards Stark Tower, aiming to disable the Tesseract.
Before she could reach Stark Tower, Dr. Selvig, who had been unconscious on the rooftop, regained consciousness. The impact had freed him from Loki's mind control.
Seeing the chaos around him, Selvig was filled with regret for his previous actions. As he noticed Natasha approaching, he called out.
"His scepter…"
Natasha turned, surprised. "Doctor?"
Without waiting for further questions, Selvig continued, "Loki's scepter—it can counter the Tesseract's energy. It can break through the shield protecting it…"
Natasha looked puzzled, so Selvig explained, "The scepter's energy is similar to the Tesseract's, and it can overcome its defenses."
He pointed to the scepter lying on the rooftop, where Loki had dropped it during his battle with Thor.
Natasha quickly retrieved the scepter and, holding it, directed its energy at the Tesseract's shield. The moment they made contact, a blinding flash erupted, and a loud energy collision sound filled the air.
Despite some resistance, the scepter continued to press forward.
Natasha immediately communicated through her device, "I can close the portal. You all hang in there!"
The exhausted Stark and his team felt a surge of hope. Thanks to the Sentinels' intervention and the delay in the nuclear threat, Natasha was not halted and could focus on closing the portal.
As the scepter's tip penetrated the core of the device, the Tesseract's energy flow was disrupted. The brilliant blue beam of energy began to shrink, and the portal in the sky started to close.
"It's over!" The Avengers' faces lit up with relief and joy.
"No!" Loki and the Chitauri commander, witnessing this, were filled with anger and disbelief.
Just as everyone believed the battle was winding down, a yellow portal opened on the Stark Tower rooftop, drawing everyone's attention.
"What is this?" The Chitauri commander, Loki, Captain America, and others looked on in shock.
(End of Chapter)