Chapter 297 : When the war is going on
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"Why is it you?" Iron Man looked at Captain America, who had been missing for quite some time, visibly confused.
Then, he noticed Steve's intact left arm and the shield slung confidently at his back.
Tony was quick—he understood immediately.
"Don't think that saving me suddenly makes you my best friend," he said coldly. Even though Steve had just pulled him out of danger, Tony's feelings were complicated. That righteous face only reminded him of Bucky Barnes—Steve's closest friend—and one of the murderers of his parents.
Tony had never forgotten that grudge. He wasn't the type to forgive easily.
Steve either didn't notice or deliberately ignored Tony's bitterness. He responded calmly, "Tony, let's put our differences aside. The Chitauri are invading our world. If we don't unite now, we all lose."
Despite his lingering resentment, Tony knew Steve was right. This wasn't the time for personal vendettas.
He gave a reluctant nod and turned his focus back to the incoming Chitauri horde.
With that, Steve raised his shield and charged into the fray. Hawkeye and Natasha flanked him immediately, working in perfect sync as they attacked the advancing alien army.
That's when Tony spotted another familiar figure—Dr. Bruce Banner.
He quirked an eyebrow. "So it was you who called in Super America Boy?"
Bruce gave a wry smile as he removed the suppressor from his temple. "Tony, I was just following Alex Ray's orders. We need everyone we've got if we're going to win this."
As soon as he finished speaking, Bruce's transformation began.
His skin turned a deep emerald green. His muscles surged with raw power until the Hulk stood in his place.
With a guttural roar, he slammed his fist into a Chitauri fighter, reducing it to flaming debris in a single punch.
"HULK!!!"
Watching Hulk charge into battle, Tony muttered, "Great, there go all my friend points…"
That's right—this was a group mission posted in the chat group. Tony had rushed out as fast as he could. Every Chitauri takedown earned friend points, and he had a ton of things he wanted to redeem in the mall.
The New York civilians witnessing the battle were stunned.
"Mom, look! It's Captain America! He's alive!" a child shouted, pointing at Steve with wide eyes.
"Thank God! With Captain America here, we've got a real chance!" a nearby man said, newfound hope in his voice.
Steve's arrival injected hope into the terrified masses. With their heroes leading the charge, the citizens of the New York began to believe they might survive this nightmare.
But Alex Ray wasn't as optimistic.
Despite the Avengers, Illuminati, and X-Men holding the front line—and even beginning to counterattack—Alex knew the Chitauri hadn't yet revealed their full force.
He could feel it: three powerful auras still lurking behind the black hole. They weren't ordinary soldiers. They had to be generals of the Black Order—loyal to Thanos.
Alex knew exactly why they were here: the Space Stone and the Mind Stone, both of which he had already absorbed. Thanos needed them desperately. If the Ancient One and Odin were still alive, Thanos might not have dared send his generals at all—he might have come himself.
Right now, Alex and Thanos were like chess masters across a cosmic board, both waiting for the other to make a move.
That's why Alex had only dispatched the X-Men to Hell's Kitchen. The others were needed elsewhere—to defend and protect the stronghold.
But Alex wasn't the patient type. Every second of delay brought more destruction to New York. He had no intention of letting Hell's Kitchen come out unscathed while the rest of the city burned. If that happened, the government and public would paint them as cowards—or worse, collaborators.
Alex understood human nature too well. If Hell's Kitchen stood untouched, people would ask: "Why was my home destroyed, but theirs survived?"
Resolved, he shouted: "Thor! Time to find your brother!"
He opened a glowing portal with a wave of his hand.
"You just couldn't wait, could you?" Thor teased, smirking as he stepped forward.
"Of course not. My hammer's been thirsting for a rematch. Loki owes me some quality time," Thor said with a grin. "But are you sure you don't need me here?"
"I'm fine. This is my turf," Alex replied, his tone casual—but his gaze shifted toward the swirling black hole, sensing the darkness brewing beyond it. "I've got guests incoming. Gotta greet them properly."
With that, Alex stepped through the portal and vanished.
Thor blinked. "Guests? What guests?"
But he didn't dwell on it. He was used to Alex talking in cryptic metaphors.
"Whatever. Time to find Loki." Thor gripped Mjolnir tightly and launched into the sky with a thunderous boom.
. . . . . . .
In the middle of Manhattan, the once-crowded streets descended into chaos.
People screamed and scattered as if a death god himself were descending upon them. Terror was etched on every face, their fear driven by something unseen—but devastatingly real.
A sudden crash split the air.
A gleaming scythe swept through the crowd, its blade cutting a merciless arc of destruction. In an instant, dozens of innocent lives were extinguished.
The monstrous figure wielding it was none other than General Corvus Glaive—one of the most brutal enforcers of the Black Order.
Clad in jet-black armor, his cold eyes radiated death itself. The curved blade in his hand dripped with fresh blood as he stalked through the chaos like a predator.
Behind him stood his equally lethal wife—Proxima Midnight—and the eerie, detached Ebony Maw.
Proxima, too, wore dark armor, brandishing a wicked blade of her own. Her expression was devoid of empathy.
Ebony Maw, in contrast, appeared almost elegant. Draped in long robes, he delicately toyed with a silk cloth, holding it to his nose with disdain.
"The air on this miserable planet is absolutely foul," he muttered, disgusted.
Corvus ignored him, his attention locked on a distant district—Hell's Kitchen.
"That's the one," Corvus said coldly. "The place Loki mentioned. The Space Stone is there."
At the mention of Loki, Proxima's expression darkened.
"This is all his fault," she snapped. "He lost the scepter Lord Thanos entrusted to him. If Thanos hadn't ordered me not to kill him, that lying worm would already be dead."
Ebony Maw gave her a dry glance. "We're not here for personal vendettas."
"Whatever," Proxima hissed. "Let's retrieve the relics and raze this pathetic world while we're at it."
The three of them moved forward—unstoppable, merciless, and ready to tear Manhattan apart to get what they wanted.
They were no longer just hunting stones. They were sending a message:
Earth was no longer a battlefield. It was prey.
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Bonus Chapter - 150 Power Stones
2nd Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones
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