The battle for New York had finally begun to turn.
Not because the Chitauri had weakened.
Because the Hulk had arrived.
It wasn’t his fault he was late. Everyone else had either teleported in or flown to the battlefield. Bruce Banner had been forced to make the trip the old-fashioned way, riding a battered motorcycle across half the state. If he’d landed any farther from Manhattan after falling off the Helicarrier, he might still have been on the road.
The moment Hulk entered the fight, the battlefield changed.
One punch caved in the skull of a Chitauri Leviathan.
The enormous biomechanical creature crashed into the streets below.
Then Hulk leaped.
Again.
And again.
He ricocheted across Manhattan like a green artillery shell, smashing Chitauri soldiers and vehicles wherever he landed.
If there was one lesson every invader was about to learn, it was this:
A warrior with limitless stamina, limitless rage, and no cooldowns was an absolutely terrifying thing.
With the front line firmly occupied, the ranged fighters had no excuse to hold back.
Dottie settled comfortably atop a nearby skyscraper.
Her equipment and abilities were built around long-range support. Yes, her sniper rifle had a bayonet attached if things became desperate...
But she had no intention of charging into melee beside Carter.
This was where she was most dangerous.
Every shot she fired was carefully chosen.
Or rather...
Every shot followed Carter.
Boom.
A Chitauri soldier attempting to ambush Carter from a blind spot exploded as a bullet infused with Shadow magic tore away its upper body.
Carter paused for the briefest instant.
She glanced toward the distant rooftop.
Their eyes met across several city blocks.
A faint smile tugged at her lips.
Dottie returned it.
"Oh, Peggy..."
She lowered her eye from the scope for a moment, lifting her tactical visor.
"...you’re absolutely breathtaking."
Even in demon form.
Especially in demon form.
The curved horns.
The burning fel eyes.
The enormous wings.
To everyone else, Carter looked terrifying.
To Dottie...
She looked beautiful.
A faint blush crept across her cheeks.
"What was that?" Hawkeye asked curiously.
He was positioned nearby, providing sniper support of his own.
"Nothing."
Dottie answered without looking away from her target.
Clint shrugged and resumed firing.
Then he blinked.
For just an instant...
He could have sworn he saw a faint green light flash above Captain America’s head.
"...Huh."
Probably eye strain.
He’d been staring through optics all day.
"Barton."
Natasha’s voice suddenly crackled over the comms.
"I’ve got a present for you."
"Catch."
Clint frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
A second later...
He understood.
Natasha had hijacked a Chitauri skiff and was racing toward their position.
Close behind her...
Loki.
Clint’s expression hardened instantly.
The memory of being enslaved by Loki’s scepter still burned in the back of his mind.
He drew an arrow.
Measured the wind.
Released.
Loki barely spared it a glance.
With effortless contempt, he caught the arrow in midair.
He turned toward Hawkeye with a smug smile.
Then...
The explosive arrow detonated directly in his face.
A fireball swallowed him.
Clint smirked.
"Geometry."
The blast hurled Loki onto the roof of Stark Tower.
His luck lasted exactly three seconds.
"HULK!"
A massive green figure landed beside him.
Loki staggered upright, every remaining shred of dignity clinging to his voice.
"Enough!"
"I am a god!"
Unfortunately...
The Hulk had very little respect for divine speeches.
Before Loki could finish his declaration, Hulk grabbed him by one leg.
Then the god of mischief discovered exactly how durable reinforced concrete really was.
Left.
Right.
Left.
Right.
The tower shook with every impact.
When Hulk finally let go, Loki lay embedded in the floor like a decorative tile.
"Hmph."
"Puny god."
Hulk walked away.
Loki stared blankly at the ceiling.
Every bone in his body felt broken.
Earth is terrifying...
Thor... please take me home...
"The ritual is complete."
Evenson lowered his hand.
"You don’t need to guard this place anymore."
His demons immediately prepared to join the battle.
The first one to move, however, wasn’t the battle-hungry Doomguard Taylor.
It was Sarah.
The succubus spread her wings and dove from the rooftop, shrieking toward the battlefield.
"You filthy monsters!"
"You almost ruined her beautiful face!"
Evenson sighed.
Love made people irrational.
He silently wished the Chitauri good luck.
They were going to need it.
"Hey, big guy."
Just as Taylor prepared to leave, the imp Tripsy tugged on his armor.
"I’ve got an idea..."
A grin spread across the little demon’s face.
A few moments later...
The Chitauri discovered yet another nightmare.
Taylor charged through the streets clad in a massive shell of spectral blue energy.
His battle axe rose and fell like a guillotine.
In his other hand...
He swung Hubs around as a weapon.
Perched atop Taylor’s shoulders, Tripsy cackled with delight while hurling fireballs into the sky.
"Hahaha!"
"Behold!"
"The mighty armored Susanoo!"
"Take this! Grand Fireball Technique!"
Evenson pinched the bridge of his nose beneath his hood.
"...They’re impossible."
He extended one hand.
Ulthalesh flew into his grasp.
His palm struck the fel battery embedded in his chest.
With a low hum, the stored fel energy flooded through the conduits woven into his robes.
The runes burned into both arms came alive.
Crimson and black patterns writhed like living serpents beneath his skin.
Ulthalesh’s crimson blade flared brilliantly.
Just as she had promised, the twin runes stabilized the Artifact Weapon’s overwhelming power, allowing Evenson to borrow it without immediately losing himself.
"...Ghh..."
He doubled over.
A guttural growl escaped his throat.
The fabric across his back suddenly bulged outward.
RIIIP!
His robes split apart.
A pair of enormous dreadlord wings burst free.
Curved horns tore through his hood.
His entire presence changed.
Dark.
Ancient.
Apocalyptic.
Scythe in hand, Evenson stepped to the edge of the rooftop.
His magically amplified voice rolled across Manhattan like distant thunder.
"I am the beginning of the end..."
"The shadow that blots out the sky..."
"The funeral bell of destruction."
Then his voice rose into a triumphant roar.
"I exist for one purpose."
"To witness the death..."
"...and despair..."
"...of invaders."
He spread his wings to their full span.
"Chitauri!"
"The judgment of the Black Scythe Lord..."
"...has arrived!"
...
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