Chapter 122: The Ghostly Warplane

Riding atop a Frost Wyrm, Garus soared above New York's Stark Tower. From this vantage point, he spotted Dr. Selvig and Loki on the rooftop. Their instruments were already in place.

Loki, gripping the Mind Scepter, pressed it into a groove on the device, activating it. A shimmering barrier formed around the apparatus, followed by a brilliant blue beam shooting into the sky.

"What is that?"

New Yorkers stared in awe and terror at the beam piercing the heavens, leaving a void in the sky. From this rift emerged countless alien ships, their bizarre designs unmistakably foreign.

"Damn it! Aliens again? Why is it always New York? Is it because of the superheroes? I'm moving!" The city's residents, accustomed to extraterrestrial invasions, were already exasperated. It hadn't been long since the Kree attack.

Chaos erupted as the orderly city descended into bedlam. Chitauri forces swarmed above, unleashing attacks below. Their energy weapons pierced fleeing civilians, leaving devastation in their wake.

Screams, collapsing buildings, and the screeches of alien aircraft filled the air.

The alien onslaught turned the city into a hellscape within moments.

Loki, relishing his apparent triumph, suddenly felt a presence above him. Looking up, he spotted Garus. Loki knew he wasn't a match for this opponent, but that didn't faze him. "Mortal, my plan is complete. You cannot stop me. This city will become my kingdom."

"Did I say I intended to stop you?" Garus retorted.

Only then did Loki notice Garus's indifferent demeanor, as if he were merely watching a clown's performance. This realization irked Loki. "Then why are you here? Do you wish to join my kingdom? You're strong; perhaps I can offer you a place."

"You're full of yourself. I'm here for the Mind Scepter."

With a flick of his hand, a Death Grip ensnared Loki, yanking him toward Garus.

"Bang!" Loki took a punch to the face, stars exploding in his vision as he reeled, disoriented. The scepter slipped from his grasp.

When he regained his senses, he found himself falling, his hands empty.

"Damn it!" Loki snarled, but his frustration soon gave way to a wicked grin. "Thanos' army has arrived. It's too late now."

Garus examined the Mind Scepter, its use far simpler than the Tesseract or the Aether. After fiddling with it, he fired a beam, taking down a Chitauri ship.

"Not bad, but this isn't the scepter's true potential."

In the distance, a S.H.I.E.L.D. jet approached, bearing the Avengers insignia. Garus mused that with so few of them, it was a miracle they'd survive the Chitauri onslaught. After all, Hawkeye and Natasha were merely human.

As he watched the alien horde swarm the skies, Garus mounted the Frost Wyrm again, heading back to Naxxramas.

"Is that Garus?" Peter Parker, ever observant, spotted Garus flying away. "But it looks like he's leaving."

Steve Rogers frowned. "Could he be involved in this invasion?"

The others noticed him as well. Tony Stark quipped, "I'll call him and figure out what he's up to."

Amid the chaos, Garus's phone rang. If not for his keen hearing, he wouldn't have noticed it amidst the din of battle.

"Tony, what's up?"

"Is that you on top of my building?"

Tony's accusatory tone hinted at misunderstanding.

"Yes, why?"

"What were you doing? Did you open the portal?"

"I'm here to stop them," Garus replied. "But I was too late. Their device is shielded. We'll have to take them head-on."

He had no intention of revealing that the Mind Scepter could close the portal.

"Great. That complicates things," Tony muttered. The news made him uneasy; their initial plan had been to close the portal.

"Don't worry. I'm prepared," Garus reassured him. "My Sky Fortress and its fleet will join the fight."

"What fleet?" Tony asked, but the call ended abruptly.

"Open the hatch. I'm going to try closing that damn portal," Tony announced, donning his Iron Man suit.

"Need help?" Peter was eager to assist.

Steve placed a hand on Peter's shoulder. "There'll be more people needing your help down here."

Launching himself skyward, Tony flew toward Stark Tower. Garus might be powerful, but Tony trusted his intellect. Maybe, just maybe, he could close the portal.

The situation on the ground was grim. Steve landed the S.H.I.E.L.D. jet on a New York street, and the Avengers disembarked.

"Johnny?" Steve spotted Johnny Blaze in the cockpit.

"This jet is nice, but the skies are mine." Hellfire consumed Johnny as he transformed into Ghost Rider. Flames engulfed the jet, transforming it into a blazing Ghostly Warplane.

Smoke billowing, the fiery jet took to the skies, immediately drawing the Chitauri's attention. Their weapons targeted it, but the warplane's infernal power allowed it to recover from all but catastrophic damage.

"Wow! That's so cool. But... won't it explode?" Peter was bewildered by the sight.

"Move! We need to end this," Steve commanded, shield in hand, charging toward the densest enemy clusters.

"May!" Peter suddenly remembered his aunt, who worked nearby. But then he scratched his head. "Oh, right. She went to the countryside today."

Earlier, Peter had urged her to leave, anticipating New York would become a battlefield.

"Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is here to save the day!" Peter shot a webline, snagging a Chitauri ship. With a powerful yank, he slammed it into a storefront, igniting an explosion.

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