Upon stepping out of the spaceship, the pale-skinned, white-haired Malekith noticed the armored figure flying in the sky.
"Midgardians have such technology?" Malekith mused, momentarily surprised. However, he dismissed it with a wave of his hand.
At his command, the dark elves in black-gray armor raised their energy weapons and fired at the sky. Red energy blasts streaked through the air, targeting Tony Stark, who was flying in his Iron Man suit.
Despite his advanced technology and evasive maneuvers, Tony Stark was hit by a powerful red energy blast, causing him to be propelled backward. The energy blasts from the dark elves were considerably more powerful than those of the Chitauri, creating large craters upon impact.
As Stark struggled against the relentless assault, the dark elves looked on with disdain, clearly believing that these Earthlings were no match for them.
Meanwhile, Pepper Potts watched the scene unfold with increasing worry. She prayed for Stark's safety.
At S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, Nick Fury was also observing the situation and turned to the recently arrived Chitauri commander.
"Are these your people?" Fury demanded.
The Chitauri commander, taken aback, denied it. "These are not Chitauri. You can see for yourself."
"Then who are they?" Fury pressed, his frustration evident.
The Chitauri commander hesitated before responding. "They appear to be Dark Elves…"
"Dark Elves?" Fury questioned, puzzled.
The Chitauri commander briefly explained the Dark Elves' background and noted, "It seems they are searching for something…"
"What could they be looking for?" Fury asked, his curiosity piqued.
The Chitauri commander's eyes gleamed with realization. "It appears the Reality Stone, which my master seeks, may have surfaced…"
He expressed a glimmer of hope, as if he could already envision Thanos acquiring the Reality Stone. His mind raced to figure out how to evade the current conflict and inform Thanos of the stone's appearance.
As the Dark Elves continued their search, red energy blasts wreaked havoc, eliminating uncooperative humans and using strange, devastating bombs that consumed everything around them. Nick Fury watched with trepidation, relieved to see Tony Stark still in the fight but concerned about how long he could hold out.
Fortunately, just then, a green figure appeared on the battlefield, significantly easing Stark's burden. It was the Hulk.
"Banner!" Stark exclaimed with relief as he saw the Hulk smashing through enemies.
Malekith, observing from afar, was equally surprised. "Midgard has such monsters?"
He was taken aback by the sight of such a formidable being on a planet he had deemed weak. The appearance of the Hulk disrupted his plans but also bought him some time.
While Malekith assessed the situation, he was approached by a red, insect-like figure that asked about his identity and intentions.
Malekith waved dismissively, halting the Dark Elves' attack. He decided to delay further action while he secretly summoned reinforcements. Soon, more Dark Elves and their ships would arrive.
Malekith sneered, confident that no matter how many Earthlings came, they couldn't stop him from finding the Aether. He believed that once his fleet arrived, the humans' resistance would be futile.
As more Avengers and other superheroes, including Hawkeye, Black Widow, and even some civilian heroes, converged on the scene, Malekith's anticipation grew.
Suddenly, the sky changed, and small fighter jets emerged from stealth mode, revealing themselves to the assembled heroes and Malekith.
"Humans, you cannot stop us," Malekith declared calmly, addressing Tony Stark.
The Avengers and their allies looked grim as they faced this new threat.
Then, with a thunderous roar, a colorful beam of light descended from the sky.
"What is that?" Stark and the others exclaimed in surprise.
"Rainbow Bridge?" Malekith murmured, his face falling.
The arrival of the Rainbow Bridge, a portal known for connecting realms, signaled a new turn in the battle.
As the vibrant beam illuminated the scene, both the heroes and villains prepared for the next phase of the conflict.
End of Chapter