Chapter 191 - Chapter 191 As long as the scope is large enough, there are no bystanders

A sharp alarm tore through the tranquility of the top floor of Avengers Tower.Red emergency lights flashed alternately on everyone's faces, reflecting their solemn expressions like judges returning from hell. On the massive virtual screen, the flames and thick smoke of London were like a burning apocalyptic oil painting, outlining the silhouette of that ancient city with shocking clarity.Tony Stark's cursing voice came through the communication channel, with sharp whistling sounds and the roar of explosions in the background; even after Jarvis's multiple layers of noise reduction, the chaos and intensity could still be heard."Guys! I'm in London, and the party here is really lively! These pointy-eared Goth enthusiasts aren't friendly at all!"On the screen, a set of Mark series armor was tumbling clumsily over London, perilously dodging streaks of eerie red energy beams. Those beams weren't simple energy blasts; wherever they passed, the physical structure of buildings seemed to be conceptually erased, silently turning into dust."Tony! Report your status!" Steve Rogers's voice broke the oppression. As the tactical Commander, he quickly entered his element, his eyes like a hawk's, staring intently at every detail on the screen."Bad! Very bad!" Tony's voice sounded like he had just swallowed a mouthful of cold Thames River water. "Their weapons are sinister. Jarvis can't analyze the energy composition; it's more like... erasure on a conceptual level! My energy shields are basically useless against it, and the armor's damage rate is three times faster than HYDRA's energy attacks!"At the mention of "HYDRA," Wanda Maximoff, in the corner, shuddered imperceptibly. A wisp of crimson energy escaped from her fingertips before she forcibly suppressed it.The twins had been brought back to New York by Steve in an almost invitational manner after the Sokovia incident. They were nominally "under observation," but in reality, they were a new force the Avengers were trying to accept. However, old hatreds do not dissipate just because of a brief alliance."Thor!" Steve immediately turned to the God of Thunder beside him, his gaze sharp. "I need everything on the enemy! Weapons, weaknesses, objectives!""Dark Elves... an ancient race led by Malekith 'the Accursed.'" This time, it wasn't the fuming Thor who spoke, but Loki, standing beside him with an equally solemn expression.He had walked to the virtual screen at some point, hands behind his back, his emerald eyes reflecting the sea of fire in London. As Asgard's newly appointed "Grand Preceptor," he knew these enemies from the dust of history better than anyone present."Their warships—those serrated vessels—have optical camouflage and energy deflection shields; Midgard's radar and most weapons are useless against them." Loki's voice was steady and clear, as if stating a piece of ancient history unrelated to himself. "Their Warriors are unafraid of death because their civilization has long since been destroyed. Their existence serves only one purpose—to return the Nine Realms to eternal Darkness.""They're insane," Dr. Banner whispered, pushing up his glasses."No, they are just firm in their beliefs," Lin Huai added calmly, his gaze piercing through the screen, landing on an existence beyond it.Thor stepped forward and growled into the air, "Heimdall! Connect to Asgard! Now!"A faint rainbow light converged before him, and the golden eyes of Heimdall, the Guardian of the Bifrost Bridge, emerged in the light and shadow, carrying a hint of weariness."I see it, Prince Thor. A disaster descending upon Midgard.""Is Father well?" Thor asked in a low voice."The all-father has fallen into slumber." Heimdall's voice was tinged with sadness. "Mother foresaw this long ago, and Asgard's armies are gathering. However, the Bifrost Bridge's energy is insufficient to support a large-scale transport. She will do her best to provide you with support."The light dissipated.Thor turned to the group and took a deep breath. "We must stabilize the situation before Asgard's reinforcements arrive.""Agreed." Steve nodded without hesitation. "Natasha, contact the Military and establish a quarantine zone around London; evacuate all civilians who can be evacuated. But we can't just rush in. We need a plan.""My plan is to smash them all into scrap metal!" Thor swung his hammer angrily, lightning flickering around him."With all due respect, this has nothing to do with us," a cold voice interjected.It was Wanda.She stepped out from behind Pietro, looking directly at Steve with a hint of mockery in her eyes. "London's disaster is an alien invasion. And we are just orphans from Sokovia. Our home is still being rebuilt; we have no obligation, and no reason, to fight for another unrelated city."Pietro immediately stepped in front of his sister, adopting a defensive stance. "My sister is right. This is an Avengers matter."Lin Huai shook his head and walked to the screen.His gaze bypassed everyone, piercing through time and space to land on the war-torn city."It's not that simple." His voice was soft, yet it silenced everyone."The Dark Elves' homeland is Svartalfheim. They want to return the Universe to Darkness, and the most direct way is to detonate the Aether at the center of the Nine Realms or attack Asgard directly. Yet, they chose London."Lin Huai extended a finger and drew a circle on the virtual screen, enclosing the area where the Greenwich Observatory was located."Why here? Because the energy node of the Convergence is here. And also because what they are looking for is nearby.""The Aether Particle," Loki reacted immediately, his eyes narrowing."Exactly." Lin Huai nodded. "I divined before that the location of the Aether Particle was obscured by a powerful force, which even Asgard couldn't find. But the Convergence has made the spatial barriers between different dimensions thin, allowing the Aether's energy fluctuations to leak out. The Dark Elves followed those fluctuations here."As he said this, he suddenly turned to Wanda, his gaze calm and deep."Wanda, feel the energy on the screen more carefully. That... power that even Tony's armor couldn't analyze. What do you feel?"Wanda was taken aback and subconsciously focused her attention on the screen. Crimson energy swirled in her eyes as if she were seeing something deeper than what was on the screen.A pure, chaotic, crimson... existence.That thing had no fixed form, swaying between reality and illusion; every pulse distorted the physical rules around it. It was like the manifestation of some primordial chaotic power from the birth of the Universe."I... I feel a kind of... 'Error.'" Wanda's voice was strained as she clutched her chest, her face turning pale. "It shouldn't exist... it makes everything feel unreal. It... it's screaming."Lin Huai nodded approvingly. "Your perception is sharp. That is the Reality Stone, one of the Infinity Stones, which the Dark Elves call the 'Aether.'"He turned to face everyone, his voice becoming incredibly solemn. "This is no longer a simple invasion. This is a precision extraction operation aimed at surgical removal. Their goal isn't to destroy London, but to take the Aether. Once they succeed, Malekith can use the power of the Convergence to spread the Reality Stone's energy across the entire Nine Realms. At that point, it won't just be London that is destroyed, nor just Earth.""Asgard, Vanaheim, Jotunheim... including your Sokovia—everything will return to Darkness and nothingness."Lin Huai's words caused Wanda and Pietro's expressions to change completely. They might not care about London's fate, but they couldn't ignore their home, which had just begun its reconstruction."It's fine if you only want to care about Sokovia." Lin Huai's gaze fell on Wanda. "But the prerequisite is that there must be a World where Sokovia can exist. If the Universe returns to Darkness, then... think about it yourself?"Wanda fell silent. Pietro looked at his sister and didn't speak further."So what do we do?" Steve broke the silence, knowing that Lin Huai had convinced everyone."We must head to London immediately." Lin Huai began issuing orders with an unquestionable tone. "Steve, Natasha, you're in charge of the ground—evacuate civilians and establish a defensive line. Banner, I need you in the rear, ready to respond to the worst-case scenario at any moment.""Wanda," Lin Huai looked at the siblings, "your power is unique, perhaps the only thing that can briefly interfere with the Aether. I need you on the front lines; once the Aether appears, suppress it with everything you have to buy us time.""Pietro, your speed is the fastest weapon for evacuating civilians. Follow Steve and get everyone you can out of the battlefield.""As for Thor, Loki, and myself," Lin Huai's gaze fell on the two Asgardian princes, "we'll go meet this ancient king. Let's settle Asgard's grievances here on Earth."This time, no one raised any objections.Loki nodded solemnly. "As you wish, Mentor. Asgard's history should not be rewritten by these failures."Wanda glanced at her brother, then at the gold-and-red figure on the screen, and finally took a deep breath, as if making a decision."Fine.""Everyone, gear up!" Steve gave the final command. "The quinjet takes off in five minutes!"Everyone immediately sprang into action. The sound of weapons being loaded and tactical gear clashing intertwined in the command room like a tense pre-battle sonata.Five minutes later, a quinjet cloaked itself and roared out from the top of Avengers Tower, flying like an arrow toward the center of the storm, heading rapidly across the Atlantic Ocean.Inside the cabin of the aircraft, the atmosphere was eerily quiet.The brothers Thor and Loki stood side by side, their expressions solemn. Steve was checking his shield. Natasha was tuning the communication equipment. Banner was taking deep breaths, trying to keep himself calm.Wanda and Pietro sat in the far corner, keeping their distance from the others. Pietro looked around warily, while Wanda had her eyes closed, the crimson energy at her fingertips appearing and disappearing, as if sensing the unsettling power in the distance.No one spoke.But everyone knew that this would be their first time truly fighting side by side under the name 'Avengers.'Outside the porthole were the endless night and a sea of clouds.On the main screen in the cockpit, the fires of London had already stained the entire skyline red.