Over the past year, Earth had also been in constant upheaval.
Everyone had been quietly developing their own strength.
Someone like Tony Stark, who never really sat still, had already upgraded his armor through several generations.
Recently, he had even been researching an upgrade to a nanotech suit.
S.H.I.E.L.D., on the other hand, had been having an especially hard time lately.
Nick Fury in particular had been driven to the brink.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had been infiltrated by HYDRA so thoroughly that it was practically riddled with holes.
He had even been forced to fake his own death to get away cleanly.
Fortunately, with Captain America's help, they had still managed to sabotage HYDRA's plot and stop them from taking control of the world.
But—
S.H.I.E.L.D. had suffered devastating losses.
Its manpower and influence had nearly collapsed entirely.
Its public bases and resources had been carved up by every major faction.
What had once been Earth's protector
had now become an organization everyone wanted a piece of.
Nick Fury could only gather what remained of his forces in secret and try to rebuild from the ground up.
And it was right at that moment
that the skies above New York City once again grew unstable.
That day,
the people of New York suddenly realized that the sky had darkened.
When they looked up,
dozens of immensely powerful starships had appeared above the city.
New York was thrown into panic once again.
And the warships in the sky immediately launched a fierce offensive.
In an instant,
all wireless communication between New York and the outside world was cut off.
The internet, mobile phones, radio—every long-range communication method known to humanity had completely lost function.
The only thing still capable of transmitting information outward
was deeply buried defense fiber-optic cable.
But even then,
the powerful alien warships were jamming military communications.
The routes leading into the city had been sealed off by alien forces, and every old military unit that should have been rushing to reinforce them was blocked outside.
In an instant,
the entire city of New York was left isolated and without aid.
Only Tony Stark still had a special method of communication that allowed him to assemble the Avengers.
Unfortunately, Thor was still off-world, busy rebuilding his homeland, and had no way to return in time to help.
That meant the only Avengers able to join the battle
were Hulk, Captain America, and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s two agents, Black Widow and Hawkeye.
"Tony, can you tell us what exactly is going on?"
"Where did these alien warships come from?"
Captain America was on the verge of losing his mind.
He had only just managed to get some time off,
and before he could enjoy even a moment of it, alien warships had descended over New York.
"Still not sure."
"But these warships are nearly identical to the Chitauri ships from before. They should belong to the same faction."
"I just don't know what they came here for."
"Their target is very clear. It doesn't seem to be downtown at all—it looks like the Bleecker Street area."
Tony Stark quickly briefed everyone on the situation.
"No matter what their objective is, we can't just let them have their way."
Captain America spoke with absolute resolve.
"Cap's right. Let's move."
"We stop them."
Tony Stark agreed at once.
The group rushed straight toward the Bleecker Street area.
By the time they arrived, an entire block had already been reduced to ruins.
Within a radius of nearly a thousand meters,
only a single lonely building was still standing.
And it was at that moment
that the Avengers converged on the site.
"This is strange, Tony. Didn't you say this force was with the Chitauri?"
"Then why haven't we seen any Chitauri soldiers or the same kind of aircraft?"
Captain America asked in confusion.
But before he could finish—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Dozens of drop-pods fell from the sky and smashed into the ground.
"Cap, looks like there's no need to wonder anymore. They're here."
Tony Stark said with a grin.
Then Tony Stark stopped smiling.
The reason was simple.
Inside those drop-pods that had crashed down,
countless monsters crawled out—creatures that looked like skinless tigers.
Their dark hides gave off a metallic sheen.
One look was enough to tell how tough they were.
Like rabid hounds driven mad, they charged straight at the Avengers in a frenzy.
"What are those things?"
Black Widow could not help asking.
"Whatever they are, they're definitely not friendly."
Tony Stark answered, as weapons began emerging from his armor.
"Roar!"
Hulk let out a furious bellow and transformed immediately.
The Avengers drew together back-to-back, bracing themselves for the incoming assault.
These Outriders had been strengthened by Dormammu and infused with Dark Power.
They were clearly far more ferocious and bloodthirsty than the original versions.
When they saw that the Avengers had no intention of retreating, they shrieked and charged.
In the distance,
there were even a few massive monsters over two stories tall.
Mounted on their backs were brutal weapons resembling cannons, making them look even more savage.
Like a tidal wave,
the Outriders completely surrounded the Avengers.
The moment battle began,
the Avengers immediately realized they had underestimated this first wave.
The reason was simple.
These Outriders were far stronger than they had imagined.
Not only were they extremely resilient, but their hides were also unbelievably hard.
Even the energy weapons on Tony Stark's armor
could only bring them down with direct hits to vital points.
As for Black Widow and Hawkeye, their attacks were little more than scratching the surface.
The weapons in their hands simply could not inflict any meaningful damage on the Outriders.
If Hulk had not been there to hold the line,
those two elite S.H.I.E.L.D. agents might have been killed the instant the clash began.
"What do we do? We're not a match for these monsters!"
"We need reinforcements immediately!"
Captain America panted as he slammed one Outrider flying with his shield.
Just facing enemies at this level was already beginning to wear him down.
The reason was simple.
There were too many of them.
Far too many.
In the blink of an eye,
more than a hundred Outriders had surrounded them.
Their claws could even tear into Stark's armor.
Without Hulk,
they really would have been ripped apart alive.
And even though they had already killed quite a few, the number of Outriders still seemed as vast and endless as the sea.
For a time,
the Avengers were locked in a brutal struggle.
And it wasn't just them.
By now,
other forces across Earth had also received the news.
Even the strongest armies would feel their scalps go numb at the sight of these frenzied Outriders.
The members of the World Security Council once again began trying to reorganize Earth's defenses.
But—
how could that be easy?
The alien flagship's electronic technology was generations ahead of Earth's.
Any nuclear weapon would probably be seized and controlled before it ever reached New York.
For the first time, the nations of the world found themselves completely out of options.
Even Nick Fury, a man famous for always keeping a hidden hand, could only stare helplessly at the intelligence reports in silence.
Thanos had invaded.
And Earth had no way to stop it.
(End of Chapter)
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