Chapter 211: The Chitauri Army Descends

Jon knew it was only a matter of time. All he needed to do now was wait. Wait for Loki's grand plan to materialize, for the Chitauri army to rain down from the skies of Earth. An entire alien legion ripe for judgment, just waiting for Zarathos to unleash his hellish fury upon them.

The events continued to play out just as he expected. Loki was captured and placed on the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, where, as per the script, Thor intervened. After a brief skirmish involving Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America, they all ended up bringing Loki back. Everything was going as it should.

On the outside, the mind-controlled Hawkeye and Dr. Selvig were working hard to bring Loki's plans to life. As expected, Clint Barton created enough chaos outside to cause trouble aboard the helicarrier. Meanwhile, the gamma radiation emitted by Loki's scepter began to agitate Dr. Bruce Banner, pushing the Hulk into a frenzied rage, and wrecking the helicarrier from within.

In the chaos, Loki took the opportunity to escape, and although the Avengers faced significant setbacks, there was one silver lining—Black Widow managed to confront Hawkeye and break Loki's mind control over him.

The next part of Loki's plan unfolded atop Stark Tower in New York City. He had Dr. Selvig set up the device needed to channel the Tesseract's energy. Loki chose this building as it was the tallest in the city—a perfect stage for his show. And that's what this was to him: a performance.

He needed an audience for his grand show. Just like when he made his appearance in Germany, trapping onlookers with illusions while he spoke to them about his superiority, here, he wanted all eyes on him. He needed the world to witness what was about to happen. He needed to prove that he, not his brother Thor, was destined to rule.

The Tesseract's energy shot a brilliant beam of light into the sky. It pierced through the atmosphere, splitting the clouds, opening a massive portal. On the other side lay a seemingly endless void.

The Chitauri lay in wait, ugly and menacing, and then it began. In no time, hordes of Chitauri soldiers on flying chariots burst forth, diving through the portal, their sight set on Earth. Following them, a massive Leviathan—a whale-like, armored behemoth—descended behind the invading soldiers, dwarfing everything in its path.

Tony Stark, suited up as Iron Man, flew up and caught sight of the spectacle. For a moment, even he seemed stunned by the sheer magnitude of the army they were up against.

"Well, great," he muttered, shaking himself from his stupor. "They brought the army." He wasn't one to back down from a fight, though. The thrusters on his suit roared to life, and he rocketed forward, his repulsors firing, taking down several Chitauri riders in his wake. He launched a series of mini Jericho missiles, each one splitting into multiple projectiles, bringing down a good number of enemies.

But even as Iron Man fought valiantly, the Chitauri army swarmed New York City. Loki's performance had truly begun, and everything seemed to go his way.

At ground level, the citizens of New York reacted as anyone would—they gaped in awe and terror. Cars came to a screeching halt, people abandoned their vehicles and stared at the sky, the once orderly streets devolving into chaos.

The crowds watched as the beam of light connected the heavens with their city, and the massive alien invaders started raining down. What they saw before them was history in the making. For Earth was being invaded, and the ground shook beneath them as if announcing the start of an event that would ripple across the entire universe.

The Chitauri broke through Iron Man's defensive line, diving into the heart of the city. They unleashed blasts from their advanced weapons, leveling buildings, and attacking innocent civilians without hesitation.

It was pandemonium. People ran for their lives, though many seemed hesitant to leave. They found cover behind glass walls, as if that could stop the blasts of a futuristic alien army. A misplaced sense of safety, maybe, or just a testament to how little humans could comprehend the magnitude of the destruction before them.

Loki watched it all from the balcony of Stark Tower, and he was pleased. Very pleased. His smile widened as he heard the screams and watched the Chitauri lay waste to everything below. For him, this was perfection.

His satisfaction didn't last long, though. A sudden crackle of electricity filled the air, and a figure in red armor and a crimson cape descended from above.

"Loki!" Thor's voice boomed, filled with authority and rage as he pointed his enchanted hammer toward the energy device. "Shut it down, or I will destroy it!"

"You can't," Loki replied, his grin widening. He raised his scepter, looking down at Thor. "The Tesseract is far beyond your petty tricks now."

Thor's eyes darkened, and his grip on the handle of Mjolnir tightened. "Then we settle this in our way."

Without hesitation, Thor charged forward. The God of Mischief did not flinch. He knew Thor well enough. Instead of pulling away, Loki leaped forward to meet Thor head-on. It didn't make much sense—Loki was no match for his brother in a direct confrontation—but it was part of his twisted nature. And besides, there was always a trick hidden up Loki's sleeve.

Far below, New York's finest had arrived, trying to establish some semblance of control over the situation, moving civilians away from the chaos. But their efforts were futile against the tide of Chitauri flooding in.

With Iron Man and Thor battling above, and the ground forces of the Avengers still en route, the city's only line of defense remained the police force, who had little they could do but try to direct people out of harm's way.

Within minutes, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Captain America made their way to the scene aboard a Quinjet, with Natasha Romanoff at the helm. Their eyes widened at the scene before them—the massive portal, the Leviathan, the alien army—and they steeled themselves for the battle ahead.

But just as they prepared to engage, the ominous portal above rippled and twisted as if something even more massive was about to emerge.

A massive Leviathan, an armored alien beast like nothing they had seen before, began descending slowly through the portal. It made everything before it seem minuscule.

The Avengers were ready to fight, but they knew they needed every ounce of strength they could muster, for this was just the beginning of a battle that would decide the fate of their world.