The apocalyptic devastation before him left Tony unusually silent.
For once, he didn't even feel like making a jab about "America's Ass."
"Rejoice," Leon declared calmly as he descended to the ground. "You will all die at the hands of the Great Titan's children."
"Since the day I began serving him, I have never disappointed."
With a casual gesture, the Mind Scepter shot from the rubble and returned to his grasp.
Tony stepped forward without hesitation.
"Never disappointed?"
"Well, today might be your first."
Behind him stood the original Avengers—Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, Bruce Banner, and Thor.
Temporarily stepping into Leon's usual leadership role, Tony declared:
"Avengers… assemble!"
Leon shook his head.
"You've made the wrong choice."
With a wave of his hand, marble slabs ripped from the ground, floating and reshaping into razor-sharp spikes that shot toward the Avengers.
Tony answered in kind.
Behind him, twisted cars and wrecked Chitauri chariots rose into the air, forming matching volleys of metallic projectiles.
The two barrages collided midair in a storm of shrapnel.
"He's mine!" Tony barked over his shoulder.
"Cap—get civilians out. Romanoff, Barton—support evacuation."
Steve nodded.
"Don't know why we're listening to you—but you're right."
They moved.
"Thor," Tony continued, "handle your brother. Wake him up—or knock him out. No holding back."
"Understood!"
Thor hurled Mjolnir and rocketed after Loki. The two vanished in a lightning-charged blur.
"Hulk," Tony pointed skyward. "See those giant flying worms? Smash them."
"HULK SMASH FLYING THINGS!"
Hulk leapt onto the nearest Leviathan and began tearing into it with savage efficiency. Within seconds, the creature plummeted from the sky. Hulk bounced to the next one immediately.
On the streets below—
Natasha dual-wielded pistols, Clint loosed explosive arrows. Chitauri fell in clusters.
After noticing her pistols' inefficiency against Chitauri armor, Natasha coordinated with Clint to hijack a Chitauri chariot.
From that moment on—one blast, one kill.
Steve, having literally strangled a Chitauri soldier barehanded, earned the respect of local officers and began directing tactical formations.
The Main Stage
The true spectacle, however, was above.
Two pseudo-mages.
One wielding magnetism.
One wielding telekinesis.
"Ebony Maw" vs. "Magneto."
Metal shards and debris blanketed the sky between them, firing in massive crosscurrents like a metallic version of the Gate of Babylon.
Tony's magnetism gave him greater control over pure metal constructs—harder, more precise.
Leon's telekinesis was broader, less discriminating—but just as overwhelming.
The battle evolved into a raw tug-of-war for control of every scrap of metal within a hundred-meter radius.
The zone became a death field.
Chitauri unlucky enough to pass through were crushed instantly by the chaotic force interplay. Their wrecked chariots only added to the growing storm.
But stalemate did not last.
Tony began to breathe heavily.
He had already burned massive mental reserves holding back the invasion earlier.
Now he was facing a master telekinetic.
The Mark VI dropped to one knee under the strain.
Helicarrier – Ten Kilometers Away
Nick Fury stood on the bridge, overseeing the battle.
"Director. The Council is online."
Fury frowned and accepted the call. Five faces appeared.
"The Council has made a decision," one began.
"I know what that decision is," Fury interrupted coldly. "And I intend to ignore it."
"Director Fury. Your carrier is closest to Manhattan. Deploy the jet—"
"No. Shut up."
"That's Manhattan Island. Are you out of your minds?"
"And why," Fury demanded, "was the military not pre-deployed?"
"Watch your tone."
"This was a unanimous decision. If the Avengers fail, we nuke the site."
Fury stared in disbelief.
"A nuclear strike? On New York?"
"It's the most reliable solution. We didn't know the enemy's strength. Deploying soldiers would've been pointless sacrifice."
"You're insane!"
"What about the civilians?!"
"A city is an acceptable loss if it reveals the enemy's limits."
Silence confirmed what Fury now understood.
They had intended to use the nuke from the start.
"You cowards."
He cut the feed.
He understood the logic.
But understanding did not equal acceptance.
It was murder.
Fury's eyes hardened.
"Agent Hill. I want a list of which Council members pushed this hardest."
"Yes, sir."
Fury immediately opened a channel to the Avengers in New York.
Back to the Battlefield
Tony's breathing grew ragged.
The metallic storm began tipping in Leon's favor.
Tony had already burned too much.
The balance shifted.
The "Magneto" of Earth was reaching his limit.
And the Great Titan's prophet still stood tall.
The war for Earth had only just begun.
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