Chapter 121: The Battle of New York

In the vast expanse of the universe, an enormous interstellar fleet loomed near a desolate planet. Once teeming with life, the planet now lay barren, its native inhabitants exterminated by Thanos. This was the Chitauri-controlled mechanical army, awaiting Loki to open the space portal.

In the control room of the lead warship stood an alien with brown, rock-like skin and multiple sharp horns protruding from his head. His expression betrayed impatience.

This was Cull Obsidian, one of Thanos's most loyal and formidable lieutenants. Though he possessed no extraordinary powers, he was far from weak. His name, given by Thanos, reflected his unmatched density and strength: "Cull Obsidian."

Superhumanly strong and resilient, Cull Obsidian believed himself nearly invincible, save for the mightiest beings in the universe.

"Has Loki opened the space portal yet?" Cull Obsidian growled, his disdain for the scheming Asgardian evident. Waiting for Loki's trickery to bear fruit was testing his patience.

"No, Lord Cull Obsidian, the stargate has not yet been activated," replied a subordinate. The stargate was advanced technology seized from the Shi'ar Empire, capable of connecting to a massive portal with the activation of the Tesseract.

If Steve Rogers were present, he'd be shocked to recognize the man speaking to Cull Obsidian: Johann Schmidt, the Red Skull, who had vanished decades ago after being teleported by the Tesseract. Recently discovered by Thanos on a distant planet, Schmidt's knowledge of the Tesseract had spared him from execution, proving useful to the Mad Titan.

"Thanos should have sent me," Schmidt suggested, his voice dripping with arrogance. "I have loyal followers on Earth—Hydra endures. They could help retrieve the Tesseract without this massive show of force."

"Bang!" Schmidt's words were cut short as Cull Obsidian's massive hand wrapped around his throat, slamming him against the cold, metallic wall.

"Are you questioning Thanos's decisions?" Cull Obsidian snarled, his loyalty to Thanos absolute. "Speak ill of him again, and I will show you the true meaning of fear."

Coughing and rubbing the red marks on his neck, Schmidt watched Cull Obsidian walk away, muttering under his breath, "One day, Thanos will recognize my value. And Steve... if you're still alive, I will return to settle the score."

Taking his seat, Cull Obsidian ordered, "Contact Loki. I want an update on the plan."

"Yes, Lord Cull Obsidian."

A Chitauri soldier pressed several buttons on the console, projecting Loki's image into the room. Loki appeared aboard a craft, the sounds of intense combat echoing in the background.

"Can't you see I'm busy?" Loki snapped, dodging incoming fire. "I'm almost out of here."

Cull Obsidian's patience wore thin. "How much longer until the portal is open? Thanos's army does not wait indefinitely. I have another war to fight after this."

Loki smirked. "Midgard will welcome you with open arms within half a day. Prepare your forces."

Satisfied, Cull Obsidian cut the transmission and turned to his crew. "Find Dr. Selvig. Make sure he's ready."

Meanwhile, Loki's craft evaded S.H.I.E.L.D.'s firepower, heading straight for Stark Tower in New York.

On the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, chaos reigned. Fires raged, equipment lay in ruins, and wounded agents littered the halls. Fury approached Coulson, who was seated on the floor, looking shaken.

"Coulson, where are Thor and Loki?" Fury demanded.

Coulson, still recovering from the earlier events, recounted, "Thor fell into the ocean. Let's hope he finds his way back. Loki escaped." He hesitated before adding, "If it weren't for Garus, I'd be dead."

"What do you mean?" Fury asked sharply.

Coulson explained how Loki had been freed from the helicarrier's most secure cell by a compromised agent. Despite having the upper hand, Garus had allowed Loki to escape.

Catching up to Garus, Coulson confronted him. "Why did you let Loki go?"

Garus shrugged. "Did I? Loki's illusions are quite convincing." Seeing Coulson's disbelief, he admitted, "Fine, I let him go. I can't explain why yet, but trust me—Thanos won't win. Now, I have work to do."

With that, Garus summoned a massive frost dragon, its nine-meter wingspan glinting in the sunlight, and soared toward Stark Tower.

Tony Stark finally repaired the helicarrier's damaged engine, stabilizing the ship. As relief spread among the crew, the remaining Avengers gathered in the lab. Fury's anger boiled over.

"We call ourselves geniuses and powerhouses, yet one alien made fools of us?" he bellowed. "Banner and Thor are missing. Loki escaped with the scepter. We still don't know where the Tesseract is or where they plan to open the portal."

A heavy silence followed until Clint Barton, now free of Loki's control, spoke. "I'm sorry. This is my fault—"

Coulson cut him off. "We know you were controlled. This isn't on you."

Fury noticed someone missing. "Where's Garus?"

"He's gone," Coulson replied. "I think he knows something."

Tony suddenly stood. "Damn it! Stark Tower has the perfect energy source for their portal. They're opening it at my building!"

Steve Rogers rose. "Then let's move. We can't let Loki open that portal."

The Avengers boarded a Quinjet and raced to New York, only to find a massive beam of light erupting from Stark Tower's rooftop, tearing a black hole into the sky.

"We're too late," Steve said grimly. "Loki opened the portal."

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