"Damn it!"
"There's still no way to avoid it!"
"It seems the only option left is to defeat Aaron after we take control of Earth."
As Aaron fired, Loki realized there was no room for maneuver. Though he had been the one to initiate this battle in name, the real control of the army lay with the Chitauri leader, who hadn't been tricked into fighting Asgard.
Loki was left to play the role of second-in-command while the Chitauri leader took charge of the strategy.
After considering his options, Loki turned and left the area. There was no longer any point in staying here.
He was aware of Aaron's fighting abilities, and he knew these lower-tier soldiers had no hope of defeating him. It was a dream to expect them to succeed.
While they could overwhelm him with numbers, that would take too much time—and Loki would be in danger too.
With the Chitauri pressing down on New York's borders, no place was truly safe.
After landing, the Chitauri began to attack indiscriminately. According to Loki, their plan was to kill all resistance and use one or two cities—or even entire countries—to force Earth into submission.
One of the focal points in New York was Stark Tower, a prominent landmark. Hundreds of Chitauri had gathered there.
Tony Stark, fully suited up in his Iron Man armor, was preparing to take on the invaders.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., what's going on over there?" Tony asked, noticing the movement nearby.
"Sir, that area may belong to the God of Magic. According to surveillance, that's where Miss Qing Gray was last seen."
"Are the aliens crazy? They're daring to provoke that evil star? They really are asking for it!" Tony muttered, mocking the alien forces.
But first, he had to deal with the Chitauri and assist S.H.I.E.L.D. in fending off the alien invasion to save as many lives as possible.
However, as he glanced at the data from J.A.R.V.I.S., his expression grew serious.
Tens of thousands of Leviathan warships were rampaging, accompanied by countless Zeta Swiss soldiers. Could they really win this fight?
"Dr. Banner, I need your help," Tony called.
"Uh, alright," Bruce responded, preparing to prod the Hulk as usual.
But—
"What's wrong?"
Tony turned to see Bruce still standing still.
"I don't know… Hulk doesn't seem to want to come out," Bruce explained, his voice tinged with confusion.
"Wait, I need to concentrate," Bruce said, looking embarrassed.
He tried again. "Come out, please!"
"NO!" came the growl in response.
"Dude, what's going on?" Tony asked, baffled.
"Uh… he seems to be in a bad mood. Maybe it's because he smells someone?" Bruce speculated.
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Maybe I can help. It's not a good time to go on strike."
With that, Tony aimed his palm cannon, charging up. "Relax, I'll be gentle. This won't hurt at all."
"F**k, this isn't funny!" Bruce snapped.
"Boom!"
In an instant, the Hulk emerged, smashing Tony aside with a powerful punch. The Hulk roared angrily, his fury unleashing as he grabbed a Chitauri soldier by the foot and swept through several others in a single motion.
But as he prepared to continue his rampage, his movements halted abruptly. His angry eyes fixed on something in the distance, a mixture of rage and fear flashing across his face.
Aaron had appeared, standing in the distance—his nightmare come to life.
Though Aaron looked slightly different from usual, now wearing the magical Superman form, the Hulk instantly recognized the terrifying presence. The aura alone confirmed it was him.
Aaron was floating in the air. Instead of using Psychokinesis, he manipulated magical energy, propelling himself with more speed than before. He wanted to test how strong he was in this Superman form.
With the Chitauri forces nearby, it was the perfect time to experiment.
Aaron held the Space Gem in his left hand, his eyes glowing crimson.
The next moment—
Boom!
Two searing beams of light shot out from his eyes, cutting through the Chitauri ranks effortlessly, clearing a large area in the process.
Aaron's "heat vision" obliterated the Chitauri, their defenses useless. One touch, and they were done.
This was the power of Aaron's magical Superman form—able to manipulate magic into nearly any form of energy at will.
As more Chitauri advanced, they were met with Aaron's unrelenting assault. His display of power also caught the attention of the Chitauri leader.
The leader, who had been commanding his troops to wreak havoc while searching for Loki, realized he needed the Asgardian to bring him to the Tesseract, a trade to please his master. But with Loki out of sight, the Chitauri leader continued his search, sweeping through New York and beyond.
Then Aaron appeared.
Without hesitation, the Chitauri leader sent more troops to engage, thinking nothing of the Earthlings. After all, Earth was a backwater planet, ripe for conquest. Without Asgard's interference, it would have been destroyed long ago.
However, as soon as Aaron appeared, the Chitauri leader's attitude shifted.
"Is that… the Tesseract? No, wait… Infinite Gems!" the leader exclaimed.
"Aaron possesses the Infinite Gems!"
With a wild laugh, the leader ordered more reinforcements, sending out ten Leviathan warships and countless Chitauri soldiers.
But he underestimated his opponent.
Aaron stood his ground, unaffected by the massive Chitauri onslaught. When heat vision wasn't enough, he switched tactics. With a deep breath, he gathered his magical energy and exhaled, turning the air around him to ice.
Thousands of Chitauri and Leviathan ships were frozen in an instant, falling helplessly to the ground, their life forces snuffed out.
Aaron wasn't done yet. He focused, his eyes flaring with heat again, and turned his body into the sharpest arrow, cutting through the air at a speed beyond human comprehension.
To onlookers, it looked like a rain of Chitauri falling from the sky, along with Leviathan warships that were pierced and exploded in mid-air.
"Sir, the speed of the God of Magic has reached Mach 10 and is still increasing rapidly!"
"Sir, he isn't even using a shield! He's destroying enemies with just his physical strength!"
"Sir, the Chitauri are regrouping in other directions. We need support immediately…"
A flood of reports came in, but Nick Fury remained unfazed. His eyes were fixed on the battle. "Do you think he's the God of Magic from Asgard, or is he Superman in a magical suit?"
Others exchanged puzzled glances.
"Who's read Superman comics?" Nick Fury asked. "Doesn't his ability look like what we're seeing here?"
"Maybe?" Phil Coulson hesitated.
"So… our enemy is still a god of magic with a steel body?" Natasha Romanoff shrugged.
"At least he doesn't have a cape," Fury muttered, looking skeptical.
Aaron continued to showcase his overwhelming power. Just when it seemed like there was a limit to his strength, he revealed more abilities, making the situation even more complicated.
Meanwhile, Tony Stark, still cleaning up Zeta Swiss near Stark Tower, couldn't ignore the stark reality of Aaron's power. Collecting data on his foe, he found himself more and more convinced that Aaron's physical prowess was even greater than the Hulk's, and certainly far beyond anything Tony had anticipated.
And all those weaknesses he thought he had uncovered? They didn't exist.
"Sir, should we stick to the previous battle plan?" J.A.R.V.I.S. asked, breaking his concentration.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., focus on dealing with those damn aliens!" Tony snapped. "Don't get distracted."
"Sir, I can multitask. But I think we may need to rethink our entire strategy."
"I get it! Just handle the alien attack routes. We can't let them continue spreading chaos."
Nearby, Hulk looked on, his gaze almost mocking. Tony groaned. "Not today."
Shaking his head, Tony focused on fighting the Chitauri.
Meanwhile, the Chitauri leader was losing control.
He had sent hundreds of Leviathan warships and thousands of Chitauri soldiers, thinking sheer numbers would crush Aaron. But his forces were already being decimated. He hadn't counted on Aaron's full power.
"Send more troops! I'll make him pay!" the Chitauri leader roared.
Just as he rallied more forces, a sudden thunderous noise filled the air.
Boom!
Thunder crackled as Thor, Mjolnir in hand, descended from the sky.
"Aaron, I'm here to help! Hahahaha!" Thor shouted, his voice booming.
"It's been too long since we fought side by side. Today's a great day to compete on who can destroy more enemies!"
"I won't lose to you again!" Thor grinned, full of confidence.
Aaron raised an eyebrow. "You're feeling confident today. Did you get stronger?"
"Definitely! I'm not the same as before," Thor responded proudly. "But I want to finish off these scum who dared invade Asgard first, then we'll see."
Aaron blinked in surprise. "They invaded Asgard?"
"Yeah, a bunch of lifeless beings. My father and I wiped them out before. They're nothing," Thor said dismissively. "I cleared out tens of thousands of them before coming here. I'm ready to show them they shouldn't mess with Asgard!"
Aaron nodded, understanding that Thor had now fully unlocked his powers. Even without Mjolnir, he could summon thunder.
But Aaron wasn't worried. He wasn't afraid of Thor, especially with the Storm Axe still out of reach.
"Let's compete then," Aaron grinned.
"No problem. Prepare to be amazed!" Thor replied, undeterred.
The two turned their attention to the Chitauri. With thunder crashing around them, they charged into battle, unstoppable forces joining forces to bring devastation to the alien invaders.
As Thor wielded Mjolnir, calling lightning down on his enemies, Aaron, in his Superman mode, tore through the battlefield, his heat vision and freezing breath demolishing anything in his path.
The Chitauri leader watched in horror as his troops were annihilated.
"Monsters! They shouldn't exist!" he shouted, as his forces were reduced to rubble.
Thor and Aaron's combined assault was overwhelming. Even the Hulk, with his incredible defensive power, couldn't be ignored.
The area where Aaron appeared had become a no-go zone for the Chitauri.
To prevent further casualties, the Chitauri leader issued a final command.
"Target that area! Fire the salvo!"
But it was too late.
The battle had already been decided.