Chapter 61: The Transformers Army Has Arrived!
The Outriders were biological weapons that relied purely on sheer numbers. Beyond that, they had little to be praised for. Obedience and fearlessness in the face of death were the bare minimum for any bioengineered soldier.
Compared to the Parademons from next door on Apokolips, the Outriders were a tier below. But to the people of Earth, in this moment, these things were terrifying beyond belief.
A horde of Outriders descended like a black tide, surging out from one obelisk after another. They tore into anyone in sight, turning all of New York City into a living hell.
The carnage was overwhelming, blood and chaos flooded the streets. Overhead, the Chitauri unleashed relentless energy bombardments. Civilians were being slaughtered by the dozen every second.
This was war. Real war.
Once it begins, nothing is off-limits.
The Avengers rallied quickly, but aside from Captain Marvel and Iron Man, the rest were outmatched. Even Captain America, their strongest human combatant, was still just smashing through waves of enemies with his shield.
Whoosh!
Captain Marvel tore through the battlefield like a comet, shattering every obelisk in her path. Even the massive Leviathans hovering in the sky fell before her, destroyed with terrifying ease. Yet from the swirling vortex above, more obelisks poured in, along with entire new legions.
Boom!
A blast of raw telekinesis tore across the battlefield, wiping out entire squads of Chitauri in one sweep.
"Hey!" Tony shouted across the comms. "And here I thought you guys got wiped out by the meteor storm!"
Logan looked up at the sky, dropped his cigar to the ground, and growled, "Worry about yourself, Stark. Try not to get your shiny suit shredded."
He said it coolly, but not before giving Jean a lingering, almost tender glance. That look alone was enough to make Cyclops, whose mood was already grim, feel utterly nauseated.
Professor X's expression darkened. He issued orders quickly:
"Jean, Ororo, seal the vortex. Do not let another unit through. Logan, find the Avengers and shut that device down. Scott, you stay with me."
"Professor, why not just use your psychic powers to shut them all down?"
"I tried," Xavier said grimly. "These creatures are hybrids, half-living half-machine. They're beyond full psychic control."
He stared at the tsunami of enemies flooding through the dimensional rift, eyes filled with more than just shock—there was deep, instinctive dread in his gaze. His legs, long since paralyzed, seemed to ache anew.
It had been years ago, during a battle against an alien threat where he'd fought side by side with Magneto… and lost the use of his legs.
A memory he would never forget.
The X-Men joined the battle.
Jean Grey and Storm unleashed their powers with brutal precision, telekinesis and weather manipulation sweeping through the enemy ranks in a storm of raw power. Enemy after enemy fell before them. For the first time, the defenders managed to hold the line.
Survivors began to cheer, voices rising through the chaos. The people of New York looked toward the X-Men not with fear or contempt, but with gratitude. More than one civilian broke into tears.
Only those saved at the edge of death could understand such overwhelming relief.
Charles Xavier felt that wave of thankfulness and remorse roll through the collective unconscious. His lips curled into a smile, peaceful and satisfied.
"Hmph. Idiots. What're they waiting for? Run already."
Logan didn't take well to gratitude and adulation. He grunted irritably, leapt up a building, and tore into a Chitauri Leviathan with his claws, ripping it apart piece by piece.
Xavier watched with calm pride.
He sensed more, street-level heroes, like Daredevil, had joined the fight in the alleys and ruins of the city, ambushing isolated soldiers. Even known supervillains were now banding together, enraged and forming temporary alliances with heroes. The insults flew, sure, but they fought side by side.
Most of them weren't mutants. But their combat prowess was elite, top-tier human fighters. Against rank-and-file troops, they more than held their own.
This... this was what Professor X had dreamed of.
No more divisions between humans and mutants. No more racial lines in the sand. Just one world, one people, fighting for survival together.
This was his life's ambition. His dream. Realized through fire and war.
"Yes, the cost of this crisis has been catastrophic," he murmured, watching the sky. "New York's lost at least two-thirds of its population. But… for the future of Earth, perhaps it's the beginning of something greater."
He fell silent. Cyclops stood at his side, unleashing optic blasts and vaporizing oncoming soldiers.
For now, the battlefield held. Jean and Storm strained to seal the vortex, but the rift was vast, and growing. It now covered more than one percent of the city and was still expanding rapidly.
More Chitauri forces screamed through the portal, bringing with them upgraded weaponry that rained destruction with brutal efficiency.
Screeeech—!
A new sound tore through the air.
A blindingly bright vortex lit up the street. With heavy, thundering steps, something massive began to emerge.
Their footfalls cracked pavement, shook buildings, but no one cared anymore. They weren't the enemy.
The Ground Bridge had opened.
And from it came a new army.
Massive, gleaming figures surged onto the battlefield, each transforming mid-stride and arming themselves with advanced Cybertronian weaponry.
Under the command of their respective squad leaders, they unleashed coordinated firepower that mowed down enemy ranks with terrifying speed and precision.
The Transformers had arrived.
-------
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]