Chapter 83: Collapse

The roar that came from the descending giant wasn't a sound—it was a pressure. Windows cracked from resonance alone. Birds dropped from the sky. Civilians, even those behind secure SHIELD barricades, clutched their heads in pain. The very fabric of space near the beam wavered like heat over asphalt, distorting light and air as if the laws of physics were being bent in real time.

The entity emerged fully—towering, armored, its form a mass of interlocking plates that shimmered like obsidian oil. Every movement it made seemed to ripple with delayed gravity, bending the street beneath its weight. Its limbs were long and jagged, with clawed hands that looked capable of rending steel with ease. With each step, the ground splintered. Traffic lights were ripped from their foundations. The wind itself recoiled.

Tony flew higher, HUD cycling through energy readings that made no sense. "JARVIS, what am I looking at?"

"I do not know, sir. Its composition defies current understanding. The energy surrounding it is ancient. Possibly pre-celestial."

"How much energy are we talking?"

"Exponential. At this rate, it will destabilize the portal and the atmosphere around it within minutes."

Below, Steve Rogers stared up at the descending monster, gripping his shield tighter. "We can't let it anchor. If it lands fully—this city's gone."

Thor raised Mjolnir high, lightning dancing between his fingers. "Then we strike now!" he declared, voice booming like thunder.

He shot into the air, lightning trailing behind him like a comet. With godlike fury, he brought Mjolnir down onto the beast's shoulder in a blinding burst of light. The sound of the impact echoed across Manhattan like a cannon. But the creature didn't move. Mjolnir bounced off harmlessly, the energy diffused across the creature's armor like water on stone.

"It's absorbing impact!" Thor roared as he was flung backward by the creature's passive energy field.

On the ground, Alexander appeared beside Steve in a swirling wave of shadow. His breathing was heavy, armor cracked and smeared with dirt and blood. "It's not just here to destroy," he said, scanning the portal. "It's here to open the door wider."

Natasha clicked a fresh magazine into her pistol. "Meaning?"

Alexander's eyes glowed faintly. "This thing—it's not the invasion. It's the key. If it fuses with the portal, Earth won't just be invaded. It'll become the gate."

Steve swore under his breath. "Then we end this. Now."

Across the plaza, Hulk charged with a thunderous roar. He leapt onto the beast's leg and punched upward with enough force to split tanks in two. The creature didn't budge. It backhanded Hulk effortlessly, sending him crashing through a concrete parking garage.

Above, Tony's voice came through the comms. "I've got one shot. If I overload the arc reactor, I can create a destabilizing pulse. But I'll need help getting close to its chest."

"You'll die," Steve said, voice sharp.

Alexander looked at the creature, then at Tony's arc reactor glowing in the sky. He nodded slowly. "I'll clear the way. You take the shot."

In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

Black tendrils erupted from the asphalt, coiling around the creature's legs. The monster struggled, momentarily slowed as shadows speared upward, piercing joints in the armor. Its movements faltered.

Tony accelerated.

The creature turned, roaring, and raised a massive claw.

But something collided with it mid-air.

Vasili.

The masked figure hit with the force of a missile, redirecting the claw and slamming into the beast's forearm. "Make it count, Stark!" he shouted, holding the limb just long enough.

Tony dove toward the exposed core in the chest. He fired a concentrated blast, melting through the panel. Then, he ripped the arc reactor from his chest and drove it into the cavity.

A pulse of light exploded outward.

The creature screamed. It stumbled, shaking violently. The sky darkened as its energy fluctuated. A massive pulse wave expanded, flattening cars, knocking people off their feet.

The beam tethering it to the portal flickered.

"Stark! Get out of there!" Steve shouted.

Tony rocketed upward just as the reactor detonated. A vortex of violet and blue fire consumed the creature. Its body convulsed, then began to unravel—armor cracking, energy bleeding out. Within seconds, it collapsed into dust and fragments of light.

On the Helicarrier, Fury watched the monitors intently.

"Energy spike off the charts!" Hill reported. "The portal's becoming unstable."

Fury's jaw tightened. "Close it. Now."

A signal fired from Stark Tower. A failsafe Tony had embedded deep into the arc reactor triggered. The swirling portal above began to implode, spiraling inward as the energy collapsed.

A deafening silence followed.

The sky cleared.

Chitauri ships lost power and spiraled to the earth. Drones dropped like stones. The light that once dominated the sky faded, revealing stars beyond.

Alexander reappeared on a rooftop, panting, one knee on the ground. Blood trickled from his forehead. He looked up at the empty sky, heart still racing.

From every corner of the city, SHIELD agents reported in. "The breach is closed." "Enemy down." "Civilians safe."

Fury's voice came through the comms, calm but cold. "Mission complete. Secure the area. Triage and recovery teams move in."

Natasha stood beside the wreckage, watching shadows fade. "He did it," she whispered. "They did it."

Bruce, slowly reverting to human form, collapsed beside a crushed cab. "Please tell me nobody needs me to smash anything else."

Thor landed near Tony, who was coughing but conscious on the ground. "You live, Stark."

Tony smirked weakly. "Just barely. Tell me someone got that on camera."

Clint gave him a thumbs-up from a nearby rooftop, bow still in hand. "Whole city probably did."

Steve helped Alexander to his feet. "You held the line."

Alexander didn't smile, but his nod was enough.

And far, far away, in the depths of space—on a throne carved into an asteroid—a figure watched through a cosmic projection. His eyes burned with anticipation.

He leaned forward.

And smiled.

End of Chapter 83

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