{Chapter: 302 Fierce Battle}
Top Floor of the Hammer Industries Building – Observation Room
In the dimly lit room at the top of the Hammer Industries Building, the air shimmered with a soft hum as White Queen's eyes glowed a vivid light green. A second later, twin beams of data shot forward from her pupils, flickering through the air before forming a massive, high-definition holographic projection.
The image sharpened into a chaotic street-level view of downtown Manhattan, where explosions lit up the skyline and alien ships tore through the clouds above.
"This is a live recording of the battle in New York's central district," White Queen said with a cool smile, her voice carrying a tone of amusement as she crossed her arms. "You might not be able to join the party in person, but watching from here should be just as entertaining."
Natasha Romanoff and Maria Hill stepped closer, their eyes narrowing as they took in the destruction. Maria's mouth dropped open. "God… Is it already that bad out there?"
Natasha folded her arms, tense. "That's a war zone."
White Queen gave a soft chuckle and leaned against the wall casually. "Darling, this is only the prelude. If you're calling this tragic, then you clearly haven't seen what's coming next. That maniac William hasn't even stepped onto the field yet. And trust me, the Chitauri haven't even deployed their full force."
---
Meanwhile, at Street Level – Downtown Manhattan
On the cracked, smoke-filled streets, Captain Steve Rogers gritted his teeth as he fought off wave after wave of Chitauri infantry. His shield whirled through the air, ricocheting off enemy armor and sending bodies flying. As he looked up at the sky, a shadow passed overhead.
A massive dragon-shaped Chitauri battleship cruised through the skyline like a mechanical leviathan, its metallic scales gleaming in the sunlight.
"Stark, tell me you see that thing," Steve shouted into his comms.
Over the radio came Tony Stark's voice, sharp and laced with sarcasm. "Oh, I see it, Cap. Believe me, it's hard to miss the Godzilla-sized alien battleship chasing me across midtown. I haven't even had time to make a snarky comment about it yet."
High above, Iron Man streaked through the air, banking hard as the battleship roared behind him. He twisted midflight and fired a concentrated laser blast directly at the ship's armored flank.
The beam carved a bright gash into the dragon-battleship's side, sparks flying.
"Well, that left a mark," Stark muttered. "Barely."
As the mechanical beast growled and banked sharply toward him, Tony's voice came again. "Hey Cap, Banner on the field yet?"
Steve glanced toward the far end of the street where the sound of a sputtering engine echoed between crumbling buildings. "Speak of the devil…"
A battered, dust-covered motorcycle rounded the corner, its wheels screeching as it skidded to a halt. Bruce Banner stepped off, adjusting his glasses, his face calm despite the chaos around him.
"Sorry I'm late," he said, as casually as someone arriving for coffee.
"You're right on time," Steve said with a half-smile. "Now might be a good time to get a little… angry."
Bruce exhaled. "I've been holding back a lot of that lately."
Iron Man zipped overhead and hovered above Bruce. "Big guy! Tag, you're it. The fire-breathing spaceship behind me could really use a smashing."
The ground shook as the dragon-battleship roared again, surging forward with destructive momentum, its metal maw tearing through the road as it pursued Iron Man relentlessly.
Suddenly, a flicker of movement.
A figure in sleek black appeared out of nowhere, materializing like a ghost between Hulk and the battleship.
Alice. Dressed in a jet-black combat suit, her aura pulsed with barely contained energy. The T-cells in her body had evolved far beyond their original limits, and now, teleportation was among her arsenal of gifts.
"Let me handle this one," she said, her voice clear, firm, and deadly.
Steve blinked. "Where the hell did she come from?"
With a defiant shout, Alice raised her hand. A violent pulse wave surged from her palm and thundered forward. The ground beneath it erupted violently, concrete slabs flying, cars flipping like toys, and shattered debris rocketing through the air.
BOOM!
The blast slammed into the mechanical dragon's side with titanic force. The creature shuddered, halted mid-pursuit, and let out a deafening mechanical roar of pain.
Explosions ran like dominoes from head to tail, the entire battleship convulsing as internal systems failed. One by one, its segments erupted in bursts of fire and smoke. The sky was filled with shrapnel and twisted metal as its burning wreckage collapsed to the ground.
Alice took a shaky step back, putting a hand to her head. Her temples throbbed with pain — the cost of unleashing that much psychic force in one go. But it was still within tolerable limits.
Steve just stared. "Holy—"
"Language!" Tony's voice snapped back over the comms before Steve could finish.
"But yeah... that was awesome," Iron Man muttered, still in disbelief as he hovered in midair, staring at the destruction Alice had caused. Even with all his advanced tech, he hadn't expected that kind of firepower from a single person.
Below, the Hulk growled with frustration. His massive green form shifted slightly as he glared at Alice—someone had just stolen his spotlight, his prey. That was his job. And now? That woman had obliterated the dragon-battleship before he could get his hands on it.
Steve Rogers, ever the soldier, dashed toward the new arrival. "Who are you? Friend or foe?" he demanded, eyes scanning her up and down with suspicion.
Alice calmly turned to look at him, her expression unreadable. "For now, I'm on your side. As for the future... that's a little harder to predict." Her voice was cool, distant—then, without warning, her figure shimmered and vanished into thin air.
"What the hell?" Steve blinked, momentarily stunned. "Did she just—?"
Iron Man descended and landed with a small puff of dust. "Yup. That's teleportation, Cap. Neat trick, huh? If my data's accurate—and let's be honest, it usually is—she's part of William's crew. Those two went full Broadway demolition together a while back."
Steve frowned deeply. "Then why would she help us? If she's with him, it doesn't add up."
"She's probably got her own agenda," Tony said, brushing dust off his suit. "People like that? They don't play by anyone's rules. Including William's."
"But we still need to be careful," Steve warned. "If William and the Chitauri forces join hands, we'll be overrun. The priority is taking out the Chitauri first—then we deal with him."
"I get it. Trust me, I'm not exactly in the mood to get blindsided again." Stark's tone was colder now, steel laced into every word. "But make no mistake, Cap—when the time comes, I will take that psycho down."
Before Steve could respond, a voice called out from above, tinged with eager adrenaline. "Finally! I'm here to fight on the right side."
Both men turned. Stark narrowed his eyes. "Hawkeye? Wait—you're not still under Loki's mind-voodoo, are you? Because I've had enough betrayal for one invasion."
Clint Barton stepped into view, his bow already drawn. With smooth precision, he loosed an arrow that struck a Chitauri soldier clean through the head. "I'm back to normal, Stark. The mind games are over—and Loki's gonna regret ever messing with me."
"You'll have to wait your turn," Steve quipped, slamming his shield into another Chitauri warrior, sending the alien crashing through a shop window.
Suddenly, a massive roar cut through the chaos as Hulk tore through enemy ranks like a living tank. He leapt between buildings, smashing alien tech and bodies with each thunderous landing while causing a lot of destruction. The ground quaked with every move.
Steve raised his voice above the carnage. "Alright, team! No more holding back! Let's take the fight to them!"
---
Back at the top floor of the Hammer Industries building, the battle played out in high-definition detail across the room-wide projection.
"Alice is seriously impressive," Maria muttered, eyes locked on the destruction she'd caused.
Natasha crossed her arms, her expression tense. "Yeah, she's powerful all right. And then there's Ada. Honestly, none of the people around that scumbag William are normal. Even that sweet-looking girl... she's probably got bodies under her belt."
The White Queen, watching from the shadows, turned with mock offense. "Natasha, that hurts. You make me sound like a lunatic. I'm totally harmless. Really."
Natasha rolled her eyes. "Cut the act. I've seen your idea of 'harmless,' and it usually ends in explosions."
---
In the skies over New York, Loki piloted a sleek alien craft. His face was contorted in rage.
"Send the rest of the army! Tear them to pieces! The victory is MINE!" he bellowed, slamming his fist into the console.
As if in response to his fury, the sky split wider above the city. Another dragon-shaped battleship surged from the wormhole, followed by a second... and a third. Then a fourth.
Each vessel cruised in different directions, releasing wave after wave of Chitauri infantry, their weapons glowing, their numbers endless.
"Hahahaha!" Loki laughed maniacally. "Yes! Let the chaos consume them! Attack! Destroy everything! Burn it all!"
---
Far away, watching from a high vantage point, William stood calmly, his expression unreadable.
"So... this is the game, huh?" he murmured to himself, flexing his fingers. "Alright then. I suppose it's time... to show them what real power looks like."
*****
You can support me by joining my Patreon and get upto 60 chapters in advance.
patreon.com/Eden_Translation