Thor stood at the edge, surveying the chaos below. His expression remained calm, his grip on Stormbreaker firm. The tide of battle was grim, but he wasn't worried.
Massive armies clashed across the battlefield, and while the Avengers and their allies fought valiantly, the sheer numbers of Thanos' forces made the situation precarious. Thor could easily turn the tide with his devastating power, but he remained rooted in place. He understood the stakes.
If I leave this sanctum for even a moment, Thanos will strike.
Thanos' absence was a glaring red flag. The Mad Titan wasn't one to avoid battle, and his conspicuous lack of presence was an unmistakable trap. If Thor left the Holy Place, Thanos would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to breach its defenses. The threat of Baron Mordo aiding Thanos further complicated the situation, as he could use his magic to grant Thanos access.
Thor smiled, breaking his train of thought. "Don't worry," he said confidently. "Reinforcements are on their way."
"Reinforcements?"
Tony Stark's voice crackled through the comms. "Who else could possibly be left to join the fight? Wakanda, Kamar-Taj, and Asgard have already thrown everything they've got at this."
Thor chuckled. "It's not what you think. These reinforcements are local."
"Local? Like Earth locals? Are you serious?"
Cutting the comm, Thor activated his own communicator. "Scott," he called. "We need you on the northern line. Bring what you've got."
"On it!" Ant-Man's cheerful response came through immediately.
Moments later, on the northern battlefield, Scott Lang, now back to his normal size, stepped through a glowing portal created by Kamar-Taj sorcerers. He raised a hand in greeting, his grin as wide as ever.
"Hey, everyone! Reinforcements are coming! I brought them!"
The sound of rumbling interrupted him. The ground beneath their feet trembled, a deep vibration that grew louder with each passing second. Tony turned toward the source, his HUD zooming in on a dark, shifting mass in the distance.
"What the—?" Tony muttered. "When did New York hide this many people?"
"Boss," Friday's voice chimed in, "those aren't people."
Tony's eyes narrowed as he zoomed in further. What he saw left him speechless.
At the northern line, an Asgardian soldier pulled his spear from the body of a Vanguard soldier. Before he could react, another Vanguard pounced, its jaws snapping inches from his throat.
"Ah—!" the soldier cried, bracing himself for the end.
But death didn't come. A shadow passed overhead, and the Vanguard's body was yanked violently to the ground, locked in a death struggle with… an ant?
A giant ant.
The soldier blinked in disbelief, watching the one-meter-long insect tear into the Vanguard. Around him, similar scenes unfolded as swarms of enormous ants surged onto the battlefield, overwhelming the enemy with sheer numbers and ferocity.
"Thor," Tony called through the comms, his voice laden with incredulity. "What are these things? Some kind of Asgardian species?"
"No," Thor replied casually. "They're just ordinary black ants."
"Ordinary?" Tony barked, pointing his helmet cam at the chaos below. "Does that look ordinary to you?"
Thor chuckled. "Pym particles. Dr. Hank Pym discovered how to enlarge not just himself but other objects, too. These ants? They've been scaled up to fight alongside us. If only he could do the same with mosquitoes… imagine buffalo-sized mosquitoes on the battlefield."
"That's… disturbing," Tony muttered, his head spinning. Suddenly, his high-tech Iron Legion didn't seem so impressive anymore.
Pym's ants were more than just large. Their strength and mass had scaled with their size, creating formidable creatures capable of lifting and crushing far more than their normal counterparts. Combined with their natural exoskeletons, which now served as thick armor, they were nearly impervious to conventional attacks.
The Vanguard, despite their ferocity, were no match. The ants swarmed them with terrifying efficiency, their mandibles cutting through armor and flesh alike.
On Sanctuary II, Thanos watched the battlefield through a series of monitors. His expression was calm, but his fists clenched as he took in the scene. His Vanguard, Chitauri, and even the Gigantic Apes were being overrun by these unexpected reinforcements.
"Boom!"
The screen in front of him exploded as he slammed his fist down. The sharp pain in his shoulder reminded him of his injury, still bandaged and far from healed.
Despite the setback, a small smile crept across his face. "It's time," he muttered.
Thanos had been waiting for this moment. His plan wasn't reliant on brute force alone—it was a game of strategy. The reinforcements might have turned the tide temporarily, but the real battle was just beginning.
Thor remained calm as he watched the ants wreak havoc on Thanos' forces. His grip on Stormbreaker tightened. He knew better than to assume victory.
"Thanos will come," he muttered to himself. "And when he does, I'll be ready."
The defenders, bolstered by their new allies, pressed their advantage. Yet, even as the battle seemed to shift in their favor, the tension in the air remained. Thanos was out there, waiting, watching, and ready to play his final card.