[Core Energy Depletion Detected]
[Initiating Emergency Protocol]
[Confirming Power Connection to "White Moon" Combat Suit]
[Emergency Energy Transfer in Progress]
[Emergency Photosynthesis Protocol Activated]
[Core Energy Remaining: 1%]
[Recharging Core Energy]
[Core Energy: 2%... 3%... 4%]
"Ugh..." Kagura Hitomi slowly opened her eyes.
"Am I... dead? Where is this? Huh? Since when does heaven have an Iron Man?"
"Hate to break it to you, but this isn't heaven, Hitomi."
Tony Stark was kneeling on the ground, cradling Kagura in his arms.
Seeing her wake up, he let out a deep sigh of relief and gently knocked on her forehead.
"You're still alive, my little troublemaker."
"Phew… that's a relief." Kagura grinned.
"Looks like I came this close to screwing up, huh? Ehehe!"
"Ehehe, my ass!"
'Bonk—!'
"Oww! That hurt!" Kagura clutched her head.
"Uh… Mr. Stark, can you put me down now?"
"Oh, right."
Tony carefully placed her on the ground, propping her up so she could sit.
"By the way, what's up with this weird little habit of yours? I didn't know you had this kind of fetish."
"What fetish?"
"You know…" Tony gestured to her suit, searching for the right words. "That emergency swimsuit mode fetish?"
"Huh?"
Kagura blinked, then looked down at herself.
The "White Moon" combat suit was designed to activate its "Emergency Photosynthesis Protocol" whenever her core energy dropped to critical levels.
To optimize light absorption, it automatically turned parts of the suit—her arms, legs, waist, and back—transparent.
Which meant… she was essentially dressed like she was wearing a skimpy swimsuit.
"Hey... Mr. Stark..." Kagura squinted at him.
"Can you not look at me with that 'I'm trying really hard not to look' expression?"
"Also! Stop staring at the weird parts, will you? You're supposed to be an adult! Show some gentlemanly restraint!"
"You should know, this is a look of admiration, Hitomi!" Tony countered. "I'd say my reaction is perfectly reasonable."
"Hmph!"
Kagura pouted, turning away in frustration.
She quickly accessed her suit's interface and disabled the "Emergency Photosynthesis Protocol," restoring the "White Moon" to its normal appearance.
Her core energy was at 4%—still dangerously low, but at least she wasn't on the brink of death anymore.
Now that the Chitauri invasion had been repelled and the sky was once again clear, she could gradually recharge via sunlight.
"Yo! My little sister!"
Just then, Thor descended from the ruined microwave emitter tower.
"It's great that you didn't just drop dead on the spot. Otherwise, Loki and I would've had to host a grand funeral for you in Asgard…"
"Hey! I wouldn't just drop dead!" Kagura huffed. "I know exactly what I'm doing, okay?"
"Know exactly what?" Thor raised an eyebrow. "What does that even mean?"
"Ahem. That's... uh, kinda hard to explain, so just don't ask!" Kagura hastily changed the subject, looking out over the smoke-filled city.
"Ah… well, at least we won, right?"
"Yeah. It's over. We won," Tony said, his expression serious.
"Earth just won its first interstellar war."
With the destruction of the Chitauri mothership, all the invading soldiers instantly collapsed like puppets with their strings cut.
Down on the battlefield, Steve Rogers and the others finally allowed themselves a moment of relief, gazing up at Stark Tower with gratitude.
They all knew that the brilliant beam of light launched from its rooftop was what had ended this nightmare, saving not only the Avengers but all of New York.
The exact nature of the Chitauri's control system remained unclear—whether they were remotely piloting their bodies from the mothership or if they were some sort of deep-sea creatures that couldn't function without an external power source.
Either way, one thing was certain: Earth was safe.
"Mmm, that's a relief…" Kagura smiled sweetly. "Things got a little messier than expected, but in the end, everything worked out."
The Chitauri invasion had also left behind a treasure trove of advanced alien technology—weaponry, materials, energy sources, and biological data—things that could significantly accelerate humanity's scientific progress in multiple fields.
There was truth to the saying: war is the greatest driver of technological advancement.
In a way, the Chitauri invasion had inadvertently pushed Earth's civilization one step closer to becoming an interstellar power.
"It's too early to relax just yet." Thor turned to where Loki was curled up in the rubble.
"We still have some unfinished business."
Loki looked up at him pitifully. "What now? Are you going to punch me again?"
…
The team promptly tied Loki up again—this time, confiscating the Tesseract for good measure.
Then, under the watchful eyes of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, Black Widow, the Hulk, and Kagura, Loki reluctantly stepped into position for his return trip to Asgard.
A brilliant rainbow beam descended from the sky, and the two Asgardian brothers, forever locked in their love-hate relationship, vanished into the light.
"So… they'll keep fighting forever, won't they?" Natasha Romanoff mused.
"Loki gives off serious 'disaster gay' energy, and Thor is just a himbo."
"Sharp observation, Natasha." Kagura giggled.
"They're destined to keep their little sibling rivalry going."
"I mean, as someone once said about Thor: 'My brother beats me a thousand times, yet I still love him like my first crush.'"
"Is it really okay for you to roast your brothers like that?" Tony chuckled, ruffling Kagura's hair. "Though, I guess you are technically adopted."
"It's totally fine." Kagura grinned mischievously.
"Yeah, totally fine."
"Alright, everyone! Focus up! We're not done yet!" Bruce Banner, now back to his normal self, clapped his hands. "We still need to deal with the scepter on the Helicarrier!"
[Mission: Defend New York from the Chitauri Invasion / Completed]
[Reward: 20QP]
[Core Upgrade Progress Increased]
[Automaton Core Level: Lv.2]
[Core Upgrade Progress: 150/200]
[New Mission: Help Tony Stark Stop the Mandarin's Plot / 20QP]
Ah… the Mandarin, huh…