For a long time now, Dr. Bruce Banner had devoted himself to controlling the monster within—the Hulk. While it was still difficult to restrain his temper once transformed, Banner had finally reached a crucial breakthrough: he could now choose when to become the green behemoth.
With a single punch, the Hulk obliterated one of the massive mechanical "leviathans," smashing it apart in a spectacular explosion. As their mobile mothership was destroyed, nearby Chitauri soldiers let out furious shrieks—but even their savage roars were no match for the Hulk's thunderous bellow.
High above, at Loki's command, the Chitauri army surged forward in full force. More leviathans descended from the portal, each carrying fresh waves of invaders onto Earth.
"Give the order, Captain," someone called out.
Among the six Avengers, Steve Rogers was the only one with extensive leadership and battlefield experience. Naturally, Captain America took command.
"Hold them back until we can close the portal," Steve said decisively. "Barton, get to the rooftops—track their movement and routes. Stark, lock down this area. Anything that comes within these three streets—drive it back or burn it to ash. Thor, I need you to block the portal—call down lightning, fry whatever comes through. Natasha, you're with me—keep the fight on the ground. Hulk… you're up."
Before forming the Avengers, Steve had carefully analyzed everyone's abilities. This plan centered on the Hulk as the main offensive force, with the others controlling and containing the battlefield. Maximizing every individual's strengths—that was Captain America's greatest skill.
Thor leapt onto the top of the Empire State Building, drawing power from the storm clouds above. Massive lightning nets formed in the sky, temporarily halting the Chitauri forces on the other side of the portal.
Clint Barton, living up to the name Hawkeye, surveyed the battlefield from above. His arrows flew with uncanny precision—every shot finding its mark.
Tony's armor excelled in speed and maneuverability. Using his familiarity with the streets, Iron Man led pursuing Chitauri squads straight into traps, wiping them out one by one.
As for the colossal leviathans—those were Hulk's specialty. When the Hulk got angry, it didn't matter whether it was gods or monsters in his way.
Still, even heroes could be overwhelmed. No matter how bravely the Avengers fought, exhaustion would come. As long as the portal remained open, the Chitauri would keep pouring in. Earth's fall would only be a matter of time.
The Tesseract clearly wasn't something that could be shut down by brute force. The Avengers needed close access to study it and find a way to stop it.
Natasha Romanoff hijacked a Chitauri flying craft and headed straight for Stark Tower. Loki pursued her in another craft—he wouldn't allow anyone to shut down the portal.
Under relentless pursuit, Natasha called for help. Barton fired an arrow at Loki—only for Loki to catch it effortlessly, smiling smugly. Arrows couldn't hurt him.
But Barton's arrows weren't just arrows.
They were also—bombs.
…..
After Tony left her on the balcony, Clara took a moment to steady herself before entering Stark Tower. Inside, it was eerily quiet and empty—an entirely different world from the chaos and explosions outside.
The interior wasn't finished yet. Only a few tables and chairs were scattered around. Aside from Tony's private elevator, several doors led to his personal labs.
Clara paused in front of one door, wondering whether she should peek inside—
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion rocked the balcony. Someone was blasted through the air and slammed onto it.
Startled, Clara darted behind the bar counter and hid.
Moments later, Loki, thrown onto the balcony by the blast, was immediately smashed through the glass and into the tower by a charging Hulk.
After suffering such relentless violence, Loki felt his dignity thoroughly trampled by Earthlings. Furious, he let out an enraged roar.
"Enough! You wretched humans! I am a god! I will not be humbled by—"
Before he could finish, the Hulk grabbed Loki by the legs and smashed him into the floor again and again, like a rag doll.
Behind the bar, Clara hunched her shoulders, listening to the deafening bangs. She seriously worried the floor might collapse.
After the brutal pounding, Hulk casually tossed Loki aside and snorted.
"Puny god."
Loki lay sprawled on the floor, staring at the ceiling in disbelief.
For the first time in a long while, he felt like crying.
…..
Clara cautiously peeked out from behind the bar. When she saw the Hulk leap out of the tower, she tiptoed along the wall and slipped back onto the balcony.
There, Loki's scepter lay on the ground, emitting a faint blue glow.
Clara picked it up, briefly considering whether she should pry out the blue gemstone.
"Hey! Little girl! We need that scepter!" a voice called from above. "Can you bring it up here?"
Clara looked up. On the rooftop stood the elderly man from last night—the peanut butter gentleman—Dr. Erik Selvig, alongside a sharp, capable woman with short hair.
When Iron Man had fired at the Tesseract earlier, Selvig had been knocked unconscious by the energy backlash. When he woke—freed from the scepter's control—he saw New York in flames and was overwhelmed with guilt.
"This isn't your fault," Natasha had told him. "You were controlled."
Selvig was just an ordinary man, not a trained agent like Barton. Natasha worried he might break under the weight of it all.
"The scepter… Loki's scepter," Selvig said urgently. "That energy—the Tesseract can't resist it. It can't fight itself."
From the Tesseract, Selvig had learned many cosmic truths—one of them being that the Tesseract and the gem in Loki's scepter were once part of the same whole.
"I built a failsafe," Selvig continued. "The scepter can close the portal—it's right there. Hey! Little girl! We need that scepter!"
Natasha leaned out and immediately recognized Clara Johnson—Tony Stark's unexpected daughter. So this was the unlucky kid Stark had rescued.
"This one?" Clara asked, holding up the scepter.
"Yes! That's it!" Selvig exclaimed. "We need it to close the portal and save the world!"
"Okay! Please wait—I'll bring it up right now!" Clara said seriously. Saving the world clearly mattered more than stealing gemstones.
Clutching the scepter, Clara ran back inside Stark Tower, heading for the elevator to the rooftop.
Suddenly, a large hand grabbed her ankle.
It was Loki.
Even barely able to move, one hand was more than enough to stop a little girl.
"You're not going anywhere," Loki snarled. "Earth will fall. And when it does, your people will become my—"
WHACK!
Clara swung the scepter with all her strength, smacking Loki square on the head.
Loki's eyes went wide. "You little brat! How dare—"
WHACK!
Another hit.
Angry, shocked, and in pain all at once, Loki's eyes rolled back—and he passed out cold.
Clara looked down at him, breathing hard.
"Sorry," she said politely.
"You really shouldn't have grabbed me, Mr. God."
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