Chapter 124: Chaotic Battle

"Has Garus and his mutant students arrived yet?" Fury was beginning to feel overwhelmed. The Avengers alone were not enough to hold back the seemingly endless waves of alien forces.

"Fury, it's time to authorize the use of nuclear weapons."

The words from the Security Council member made Director Fury stare at them in shock. He noted their collective, unwavering expressions, clearly indicating they had reached a consensus in private.

"Are you insane? There are millions of people in that city, not to mention the Avengers who are still fighting!"

"We are your superiors. You are obligated to follow orders," they replied, their voices leaving no room for negotiation.

"I won't agree to this." Fury terminated the communication abruptly. Turning to Agent Hill, he added, "Hill, keep a close watch on the jet armed with the nuclear warhead. Don't let it take off."

As Fury wrestled with his mounting headache, a surprised voice broke through his thoughts.

"What is that?"

They looked up to see five unfamiliar warships suddenly appearing in the skies over New York. Each was hundreds of meters long, but the central floating fortress surrounded by these ships was unmistakable: Garus's Naxxramas, the Sky Fortress.

Could these warships also belong to Garus? Fury found himself increasingly unable to decipher the enigmatic figure.

Meanwhile, U.S. military satellites had also detected the situation on the battlefield. The mounting casualties among their forces left them deeply frustrated. Was their military truly so powerless?

The newly inaugurated President of the United States declared, "This is our city. We cannot allow these extraterrestrial invaders to rampage unchecked. Secretary Warren, we must create our own super-soldiers, stronger than Captain America."

"Understood, Mr. President." Warren hesitated momentarily before lowering his voice. "But Mr. President, are you certain about approving the Security Council's request to deploy a nuclear weapon in New York?"

The President took a drag from his cigar, leaning back in his chair. "I believe the survivors won't object. As for the dead, do we need to care about their grievances?"

Seeing a Leviathan-class warship charging toward the Azeroth Technologies Tower, Garus was about to summon Sindragosa but found the frost dragon still slumbering.

Damn it, even frost dragons have lazy habits?

"Take down those alien ships!"

The Legion warship's fel cannon began charging. A massive green fireball of fel energy coalesced and launched.

"Boom!" The blast hit a Chitauri warship made of unknown metal. Green fel flames engulfed the entire vessel, consuming even the steel and spreading into the control room, reducing the Chitauri crew to smoldering debris.

The Chitauri's retaliatory fire barely scratched the Legion warship, whose armor, forged from fel iron ore, proved formidable.

Each Legion warship was piloted by a Skrull officer and Garus's mutant students.

Garus's holographic projection appeared on the central Legion communicator within the control room. "Focus on coordinated strikes. Target the largest alien warships. Stay safe."

"Understood, Mr. Garus!" General Kallruth trembled with excitement. Commanding these warships in battle filled him with exhilaration, and Garus's displayed strength ignited hope for rescuing their queen.

When this war ends, I must request his aid to save our queen. She must still be alive.

The five warships dispersed, attacking the invading forces while the Naxxramas hovered above, using its weapons to protect the Azeroth Technologies Tower.

"Garus, is that you?"

Answering his persistently ringing phone, Fury's voice came through from the other end.

Garus glanced at the screen, noting dozens of missed calls from Tony, Steve, Kingpin, and even Dr. Reed.

"Yes, it's me. Surprised?"

Fury asked, "Are those Skrull ships? For a moment, I thought your Sky Fortress had been hijacked by aliens."

"No, they are my ships, constructed using Mo'arg technology. Anyway, there's no point explaining it to you. I'll deploy my forces to handle the Chitauri. That's it. I'm turning off my phone now."

Without waiting for a response, Garus ended the call. He knew Tony would soon figure out a way to close the portal and then come looking for him. After all, the Mind Stone scepter was still in his possession.

"Erik, you go out and assist as well." Magneto's abilities made him a powerhouse in this world. If not for the protective barriers on the Chitauri ships, he could have wiped out their entire fleet single-handedly.

With Garus's forces joining the fray, the situation stabilized somewhat. However, as the portal expanded, the rate of enemy reinforcements increased exponentially.

This reminded Garus of his battles against the Burning Legion. Without closing the portal, the enemy would remain an endless tide.

The Avengers recognized this as well but had no means to shut down the device powered by the limitless energy of the Tesseract.

Atop Stark Tower, Dr. Selvig, shaken back to his senses by one of Tony's punches, gasped, "Mr. Stark. Only Loki's scepter can close the portal."

Tony maxed out the repulsor blast power on his suit, but the protective shield before him didn't budge.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Tony turned to Selvig.

"I was under Loki's control earlier, but I'm free now. You have to trust me."

"Fine." Tony grudgingly agreed. "Where is the scepter now?"

"Mr. Garus has it," Selvig replied, recalling how Garus had pummeled Loki and taken the scepter.

Tony pulled out his phone to call Garus, but the line was dead.

"Great. Looks like I'll have to find him myself."

Spotting the Sky Fortress, which was relentlessly attacking the Chitauri, Tony powered up his suit and flew toward it.

"Gar, Mr. Stark is approaching Naxxramas," Wanda reported as Tony appeared on the radar.

"Ignore him," Garus replied, knowing Tony wanted the Mind Stone.

The only way to enter the Sky Fortress was through the teleport gate, which had been sealed.

"Damn it, you did this on purpose, didn't you?" Tony muttered, hovering outside the Sky Fortress and failing to find an entry point. His frustration grew as he struggled to contact Garus.

Closing the portal was the priority, and he needed the scepter to do it.

"Interesting." From the other side of the wormhole, Cull Obsidian observed the new fleet and the devastating Magneto.

"It's time to join the fray."

Cull Obsidian rose and boarded a specially designed aircraft capable of supporting his massive weight. Blue flames burst from its engines as it sped toward the wormhole and the Tesseract-powered portal.

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