"Let me rephrase that: you bastards, bring it on," Frank shouted.
Natasha rolled her eyes. Was this different from before?
"Hah! Look at me! I've got this beast under control!"
Damon suddenly yelled, his voice filled with excitement. Everyone turned to see the Leviathan beneath him engulfed in flames, entirely under his control.
"Attack!"
Damon wasted no time, commanding the spiked Leviathan to charge at another of its kind. With a thunderous crash, the second Leviathan was impaled and fell to the ground with a guttural screech.
Laughing like a madman, Damon steered his blazing mount into the enemy forces, smashing through the Leviathans like a massive warship.
Meanwhile, the others fought desperately, ensuring the Chitauri couldn't escape the battlefield.
From the sidelines, Loki frowned. He contacted the Chitauri commander.
"Now!" he ordered.
"The warships can't pass through, only energy bombardment is possible," replied the commander.
"Who should we target? The one in red armor?"
"Forget him! You won't hit him!" Loki snapped, glancing nervously at Maverick, who stood defiantly near the gate to hell.
Gritting his teeth, Loki added, "Focus on the others. Especially the one with the hammer—he's the biggest threat."
"Understood!"
The Chitauri commander didn't waste time. The mothership charged its energy cannons, firing four massive blasts toward Thor, the Hulk, Damon, and War Abomination.
Thor and the Hulk were struck directly, hurtling to the ground like falling meteors, sending up clouds of dust. War Abomination barely managed to raise his vibranium shield in time, but the sheer force pushed him into a crater.
Damon dodged behind his Leviathan, but the beast was obliterated instantly by the energy blast.
The assault wasn't over. A barrage of smaller energy blasts rained down, forcing everyone into a frantic scramble for cover.
Seizing the moment, the Chitauri unleashed a fresh wave of reinforcements through the space vortex. Energy blasts streaked across the battlefield, and several unmanned battle suits were destroyed.
"Hey, Maverick, how about some help down here?" Ivan shouted as he dodged a blast. "We can't hold them off much longer!"
"Relax, reinforcements have arrived!" Maverick said with a smirk.
At that moment, hundreds of missiles streaked across the sky, detonating amidst the Chitauri ranks and inflicting massive casualties.
"Council of Blood, reporting for duty!"
Mercury arrived, leading a formation of battle suits flying in perfect formation. Beside her were Peggy Carter, Blade in his combat gear, Spider-Man, Wonder Man, the Hell Sisters, and the Ten Guards, among others.
Those who couldn't fly used gliders to join the fight.
"About time!" Maverick nodded approvingly. He had spent billions on these unmanned suits, and this was their moment to shine.
"Seriously, you built this many suits?" Tony exclaimed.
Ivan shot him a glare. "If you hadn't been slacking, we wouldn't be in this mess. These suits could've handled the Chitauri from the start!"
Tony looked sheepish, but the battlefield didn't wait. A new wave of bio-soldiers surged through the space vortex, forcing him to shout, "Heads up! They're sending more troops! Watch out for energy blasts; their mothership's still on the other side of the vortex!"
"Spread out! Keep the Chitauri contained to this area!" Maverick ordered.
"Got it!"
The battle spread across the surrounding area, with explosions and gunfire echoing everywhere. Buildings crumbled as the fight raged. War Abomination, unscathed thanks to his shield, flew back into the fray, slamming into another Leviathan with a roar.
Damon, uninjured as well, leapt onto a fresh Leviathan, channeling hellfire into its body.
Meanwhile, Thor squared off with Loki, who had seized the opportunity to confront his brother. Their weapons clashed as they resumed their bitter feud.
Hulk roared in rage, his wounds healing almost instantly. He scaled a nearby wall, tearing through it with his bare hands, determined to crush every alien in his path.
The Chitauri's bio-soldiers, mere cannon fodder, kept flooding through the vortex. The alien leaders were intent on overwhelming Earth's defenders with sheer numbers.
Finally, military reinforcements and S.H.I.E.L.D. forces arrived. Though their fighter jets weren't as advanced as the unmanned suits, they provided much-needed support.
Ethan joined the fight as well, and Tony immediately called him out. "Nice of you to show up, Ethan! Why the outdated suit?"
"Because the Mark II is the only one you can't hack!" Ethan shot back, annoyed. "Do you know how hard it was to get here? By the way, Pepper said you're sleeping on the couch tonight."
"What? Why?" Tony protested.
"Because, genius, she said being mind-controlled wasn't your fault, but ignoring her calls definitely was."
Tony huffed. "Like hell I'm sleeping on the couch! Not unless she gets me some nice slippers first."
"Could you be any more whipped?" Ethan muttered. "Let's focus on the fight."
As the battle raged, Jessica obliterated a bio-soldier with her machine gun, its remains crashing into a nearby building. She blinked and radioed Maverick. "Boss, am I gonna have to pay for this damage?"
"You're covered," Maverick replied. "I've got an agreement with Washington—everything's exempt. Go all out."
"Music to my ears!" Jessica grinned, soaring into the air and firing missiles with reckless abandon.
Meanwhile, Tony grumbled, "No property damage for you, huh? Stark Tower's taking a beating out here!"
Ivan smirked. "I enjoy smashing your tower. Got a problem?"
"Focus, people!" Maverick snapped. "And Tony, your cleanup bill isn't my concern."
"Figures!" Tony muttered. "The Stark Group's gonna take a hit on this one."
Despite the chaos, Maverick remained focused. Compared to the movies, Earth's defenders were far stronger—but the interference from Mephisto had tipped the scales. "Damn that demon," Maverick muttered. "I'll deal with him later."
Elsewhere, Mephisto found himself trapped in enchanted armor, screaming at his captor. "You traitor! You dare side with the Sorcerer Supreme against me? I'm your father!"
"Father?" Blackheart sneered. "You've never treated me like a son. You hoard power and expect me to grovel. It's my turn now!"
The armor, crafted from Uru metal imbued with Odin's power, began absorbing Mephisto's energy.
Mephisto turned sharply to the Ancient One, sneering. "What armor is this? I've never seen anything like it."
"It's new," she replied calmly. "Forged from Uru metal, infused with Odin's divine power. Mephisto, this fight is over. You've lost."
"In your dreams!" Mephisto roared. "I am Mephisto—I don't lose!"
He turned to Blackheart. "Help me kill the Ancient One. Then we'll turn Earth into our hunting ground—father and son."
Blackheart's red eyes glowed, a cruel smile tugging at his lips. "Earth bores me. I've got a better plan—I'll devour your projection, return to Hell, and take the throne for myself. I wasn't born to serve."
"You arrogant fool," Mephisto snapped. "You think the Ancient One will just let you walk away?"
"Why wouldn't I?" the Ancient One said, her expression unreadable.
Mephisto paused—then his eyes widened as the truth hit him. She wanted Blackheart to ignite a civil war in Hell. It would keep Mephisto too distracted to meddle with Earth again. She'd planned for this.
"You idiot!" Mephisto snarled. "What's so great about ruling Hell? Join me—we'll take Earth instead. I'll give you dominion over it."
Blackheart's grin turned to a sneer. "If it's so great giving up power, why haven't you stepped down after tens of thousands of years? Spare me the offer. The second I help you, you'll rip me apart."
Mephisto spat, "How can I have a son this dense?"
He looked skyward, seething. If it weren't for Blackheart, the Blood God wouldn't have gained such strength. If it weren't for Blackheart, this plan would have worked. Now he was trapped, defeated. Everything ruined by his own creation.
"Ancient One," he growled, "I concede. I'll give you the Mind Scepter and withdraw—on one condition. Let me leave with Blackheart. Let us return to Hell."
Blackheart's head whipped toward the Ancient One. "Supreme Sorcerer—!"
"Calm yourself," she said with a small wave. Then she looked at Mephisto. "And why would I do that?"
"If you don't," Mephisto warned, "I'll burn everything. I've set a failsafe in the Gate of Hell. With one thought, I can shift the portal's coordinates—from Hell to the Dark Dimension."
The Ancient One's face darkened. "Dormammu…"
"Exactly," Mephisto hissed. "It'll cost me the Earth, but it'll bring Dormammu here. Is that really what you want?"
Blackheart's expression twisted. Even he didn't want to deal with Dormammu.
But to both their surprise, the Ancient One smiled. "What if I say no?"
Mephisto's eyes flared. "Then we all burn."
He triggered the failsafe. Outside, the Gate of Hell warped and twisted, its connection tearing open.
"No!" Hela shouted from her hidden vantage, panic in her voice. The gate was collapsing—and with it, her only way out.
"I'm not missing this chance," she hissed, pouring all her remaining power into her clone. If it reached Earth, she'd be free.
Maverick stared at the gate, unsure what to do. Then a calm voice spoke in his mind: "Channel the dragon's power. Strike where the light appears."
A golden shimmer pulsed across the gate—visible only to Maverick. The Ancient One had marked the target for him.
"Understood."
He leapt into the air, charging the vibranium spear with the full power of the Blood God and the dragon's essence. He dove, lightning-fast, and drove the spear into the glowing point.
The explosion rocked the entire area. The gate shattered. Maverick was blown back by the shockwave. Everything around collapsed—every remaining structure, including Stark Tower.
"My building!" Tony shouted. "Seriously, Maverick? We save the world and you still blow up my tower?"
The imploding gate triggered a violent space storm. Hela's clone screamed as it was ripped into the chaos. Her true form coughed blood and vanished from the sky.
In the mirror dimension, Mephisto watched in horror. "You planned this?"
"Yes," the Ancient One said. "The Gate of Hell is nearly indestructible—unless it's transitioning space channels. That's when it's weakest. A precise strike at that moment? It shatters."
She opened her fan with a flick. "Mephisto, I may not be all-knowing—but did you really think I wasn't prepared for you?"
"You knew the whole time?" Mephisto barked. "Why didn't you stop me sooner?"
She looked briefly at Blackheart but said nothing.
Mephisto followed her gaze—then let out a bitter laugh. "You used him. You wanted him to rebel."
He shook his head slowly. "Well played, Ancient One… I underestimated you. Severely."