A massive void expanded across the New York skyline as blue energy burst forth.
The entire Central Park was completely frozen due to the explosion of the Casket of Ancient Winters.
Fortunately, most of its energy had merged with the Tesseract, redirecting skyward to open a portal. The freezing effect wasn't lethal—just unbearably cold.
Seizing the moment when the blast had temporarily incapacitated the three Avengers, Loki grabbed the now-stabilized Tesseract and activated its teleportation ability, vanishing from the scene.
Just when it seemed like the crisis of Loki's invasion had finally come to an end, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.
No one was more exasperated than Kagura Hitomi.
At the entrance of Rhodes Island's Equipment Development Center, Kagura stood speechless, watching the massive Chitauri army descend from the sky.
Frustration built up inside her—she was one step away from screaming.
'Why the hell did it turn out like this?!'
'How incompetent are the Avengers to have let the situation spiral out of control?!'
'It was an easy win, like a dragon crashing into an unarmed village!'
'All they had to do was transfer the Tesseract! Did you all collectively lose your minds?!'
In Kagura's plans, she had considered the ownership of the Tesseract.
After all, Thor had arrived via the Bifrost, meaning he didn't necessarily need the Tesseract to return to Asgard with Loki.
But that was a conversation for later!
The priority should have been sending Loki—the god of mischief, an active threat to Earth—back where he belonged!
But no! Instead, they bickered on-site, allowing the entire situation to collapse.
Was that fun for them?! Did they want to push the world to the brink of destruction for the drama?
'Screw world peace! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻'
At this point, she had nothing left to say—except for a few words a well-mannered girl like her shouldn't utter: "Goddamn idiots!"
She was beginning to suspect that the Avengers were doomed to screw up the moment they left her supervision.
'This is infuriating! (#￣～￣#)'
'Absolutely maddening! ╰(‵□′)╯'
But now was not the time to complain.
No matter how much her so-called "teammates" had messed up, New York—and possibly the world—was in imminent danger.
As much as she wanted to slam the door shut and let them deal with the mess themselves, she knew she couldn't just sit back and watch.
After all…
That just wouldn't be right.
"Cortana, contact our military liaison immediately."
"Evacuate all civilians from New York City. Considering potential traffic congestion, direct them to underground shelters and subway stations. Their safety comes first."
"Understood, Master. Redirecting all satellites from the 'Argos' project to provide high-speed network coverage and communications support for the entire city."
"Additionally, have the 'Halo' orbital support system initiate emergency trajectory adjustments."
"Activate real-time equipment deployment—prioritize delivering the 'White Moon' combat suit modules, code name: Full Saber Mode."
"Orders confirmed. The 'Argos' satellites are repositioning."
"Full-band communication support initiated. The 'Halo' system is undergoing trajectory adjustments."
"First wave of support equipment deployment is underway—estimated completion in 3 minutes and 12 seconds."
This alien invasion was already vastly different from the one she remembered.
There was no constantly open portal linking the Earth to space, nor any device that needed to be shut down to stop the invasion.
Instead, a single energy burst had opened a massive portal over Central Park, instantly teleporting the entire Chitauri fleet to Earth's doorstep.
Now, with the portal closed, there was no way to sever their reinforcements. The entire fleet was already here.
In other words, the Avengers and Griffin Security were facing hard mode Chitauri invasion.
'Goddamn it, this is starting to feel like Avengers: Endgame.'
'Thanos isn't coming, right? …Right?!'
'Nope, nope!' Kagura slapped her cheeks. 'No more tempting fate! No more unnecessary flags!'
At that moment, a familiar voice called out.
"Hitomi, what was that giant hole just now? And what the hell are those things in the sky?!" Natasha Romanoff had arrived.
"Enemies," Kagura replied bluntly. "Natasha, I hate to break it to you, but it looks like your break is over. Griffin Security is launching a full-scale operation."
"Do you need me?" Hawkeye Barton, now equipped with a fresh set of gear, followed closely behind.
"Of course. Now's the time for all of us to stand together." Kagura nodded. "Grab your best gear, contact Bucky Barnes, and let's move!"
Unlike their previous covert missions, this battle would not be fought from the shadows.
Griffin Security would no longer hide behind anonymity. This time, they would stand side by side with the Avengers in open battle.
Natasha could explain her "disappearance" to Nick Fury later. As for the new advanced weaponry? That would be credited to Rhodes Island's industrial support.
Griffin had always been prepared for this shift. Many of its recruits were preselected candidates for the Avengers initiative.
And Bucky...
Well, Steve Rogers was definitely in for a surprise.
'A lifelong friendship, a single drink. Cheers to that!'
———————————————————————
Downtown New York
Thor, Tony Stark, and Steve Rogers exchanged tense glances.
Above them, the sky was swarming with Chitauri forces.
In the distance, the colossal Chitauri mothership loomed over the horizon, its grotesque armored leviathans roaring as they carried countless warriors toward the city.
For the first time, the three Avengers fully grasped the weight of their earlier mistake.
"I guess it really doesn't matter who keeps the Tesseract now," Steve muttered. "We'll settle that argument after we clean up this mess."
"Agreed." Tony Stark pulled down his golden helmet. "Captain, unless you have some genius tactical orders, I'm heading into battle. There's a city waiting for me to save."
"We're outnumbered. Until reinforcements arrive, stay alive," Steve instructed. "Stark, if possible, draw their attention away from civilians. Buy them time to evacuate."
"Not bad, Cap. I'll take care of it."
Tony engaged his thrusters, rocketing toward the battlefield.
"Thor." Steve turned to the God of Thunder.
"We're short on manpower. Your priority is containment. Find a high vantage point and summon lightning."
"Keep as many of them in the sky as possible—reduce collateral damage."
Thor nodded, spinning Mjolnir before soaring toward the tallest building he could find.
Steve exhaled sharply and surveyed his surroundings.
"I wish my old team was here…" he muttered. "But screw it—looks like I'm going solo"
With that, Captain America tightened his grip on his vibranium shield and charged straight into the burning city.