Evenson’s arrival had unquestionably changed the battlefield.
Wherever he walked, Chitauri died in droves.
Unfortunately, the invasion wasn’t measured in dozens.
Or hundreds.
The portal above Stark Tower continued vomiting out fresh soldiers and warships without pause. Every squad Evenson erased was quickly replaced by another.
His victories were spectacular.
The war itself remained unchanged.
"There are too many..."
Captain America drew a ragged breath as he looked across Manhattan.
His helmet was gone. Soot covered his face. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his uniform hung in torn, scorched strips. Every scrape and dent told the story of a battle that refused to let up.
The Super Soldier Serum kept his body going. His metabolism burned through exhaustion, and wounds that would cripple an ordinary man healed with unnatural speed.
His spirit wasn’t so resilient.
Every direction he looked...
There were enemies.
That was the true horror of war.
Even the bravest heroes could lose heart when surrounded without end.
His eyes searched the battlefield.
Natasha, who had stolen a Chitauri skiff, had disappeared somewhere amid the chaos.
Iron Man and Thor were pinned down by relentless aerial assaults.
The sniper position that had been supporting him had finally fallen. Dottie had escaped only by transforming into her elemental form and using her grappling hook to retreat. Hawkeye was right behind her. A second’s delay would have meant death.
Even the Hulk, who had been tearing through the invasion like a force of nature, was now buried beneath concentrated fire from an entire squadron of Chitauri gunships.
Then he saw Peggy Carter.
She knelt on one knee, breathing heavily.
The demonic transformation that had made her so unstoppable dissolved away like smoke.
She no longer had the strength to maintain it.
Each sight scraped against Steve’s resolve like a blade against stone.
He wasn’t afraid of dying.
He never had been.
Sixty years ago, he’d sworn to spend his life defending freedom, no matter the cost.
What frightened him wasn’t death.
It was failure.
If they lost today...
Would humanity lose its freedom with them?
For the first time since awakening beneath Arctic ice, Steve Rogers no longer knew whether victory was even possible.
Heavy footsteps landed behind him.
Two Chitauri lunged without warning, striking from his blind side.
Steve never saw them coming.
Steel flashed.
One alien was impaled clean through.
A shield slammed into the other’s skull with enough force to shatter it.
Lady Sif stepped calmly between the collapsing bodies.
"I thought you were a seasoned warrior, Steve," she said. "Daydreaming in the middle of a battlefield is beneath you."
Steve gave a tired nod.
"I was trying to figure out how we win this."
"There is nothing to figure out."
Sif’s smile carried the fearless confidence of Asgard.
"We fight with everything we have."
"If we prevail, then we celebrate."
"If we do not..."
Her eyes blazed brighter.
"Then we earn glorious deaths."
"Our names will be sung forever, and the halls of Valhalla will welcome us."
Steve fell silent.
He had never cared whether history remembered him.
Nor whether heaven or hell awaited him after death.
Only that the people behind him remained free.
Still...
Perhaps, in moments like these, there was wisdom in Asgard’s philosophy.
"...Maybe I should spend more time around Asgardians."
Another wave of Chitauri advanced, closing in from every direction.
Sif slid her small shield behind her back.
With a sharp metallic click, her double-bladed sword separated into twin blades.
She lowered her stance.
"For Asga..."
The battle cry died in her throat.
The approaching Chitauri suddenly withered before her eyes.
Their bodies shrank like dried leaves.
Streams of emerald light drifted out of them and floated through the air.
The glowing energy gathered above an outstretched hand.
Evenson closed his fingers.
The stolen life force vanished into him, replenishing the mana he’d spent.
"I’d rather you didn’t die on Earth," he said with a faint smile. "That would create a diplomatic headache."
Sif laughed.
"I was beginning to think you’d run away."
"Have a little faith."
Evenson walked toward them, Ulthalesh resting casually against his shoulder.
"I’ve been preparing a spell."
"You’ve been preparing a spell?"
Sif’s expression immediately became suspicious.
"...This wouldn’t happen to involve dropping something enormous on my head again, would it?"
Evenson stared at her.
She really does have trauma from that.
"Relax."
He shook his head.
"The Tesseract has destabilized local space. I’m not reckless enough to start dragging objects across dimensions under these conditions."
Sif visibly relaxed.
"Good."
She spun both swords in her hands.
"Then let’s fight together."
Her eagerness was unmistakable.
Evenson sighed.
"This is the second time we’ve fought side by side."
"I would’ve thought you’d know by now."
"I’m not someone who enjoys fighting."
His eyes narrowed.
"So let’s end this quickly."
Shadow erupted around him.
Dozens of spectral scythes appeared in midair before slashing downward all at once.
Several Chitauri attempting to flank them were instantly carved into pieces.
Whoever believed a Warlock couldn’t fight up close had clearly never met one carrying Ulthalesh.
Evenson raised a hand.
"Flesh to Ash."
The nearest Chitauri began disintegrating where they stood.
Skin liquefied first.
Muscle dissolved away.
Their skeletal frames, tangled with cybernetic components, collapsed into drifting gray dust that scattered on the wind.
He lifted his left hand toward the sky.
"Legion Lightning."
Brilliant fel-green lightning exploded outward.
The storm rivaled one of Thor’s own tempests, spreading across streets and rooftops alike.
Ground troops.
Flying skiffs.
Anything caught within its reach was reduced to ash amid shrill screams.
Only then did Evenson plant Ulthalesh upright before him.
His hands moved through slow, deliberate gestures.
A sphere of absolute darkness slowly formed above the scythe before drifting into the sky.
"Shield Orb."
The orb hovered over the battlefield like a silent guardian.
Bolts of shadow shot from it in every direction, automatically striking down any Chitauri reckless enough to approach.
The pressure around them eased for the first time in what felt like hours.
Evenson looked toward Captain America and Sif.
"Hold the line."
His voice was calm.
"Buy me some time."
"I’m about to cast something much bigger."
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