The Avengers, despite their strength, simply didn't have enough people to cover everything.
More Chitauri flew out of the dimensional rift, spreading chaos across the city.
When the X-Men finally arrived in New York, they witnessed a scene straight out of a nightmare.
The devastation shocked even them.
"Where did these aliens come from?" someone exclaimed.
"They're like a legion of demons!" another shouted.
Although the X-Men usually kept to themselves, they were firmly rooted in justice.
Seeing the Chitauri slaughter innocent civilians filled them with anger and determination.
"Don't wait. Let's act immediately," Cyclops said decisively.
"Attack straight into Manhattan!"
The others nodded without hesitation. Storm quickly landed their jet on a relatively clear street, and the group disembarked.
Only four had come: Cyclops, Storm, Alanna (Phoenix), and Wolverine.
But don't be fooled by the small number—their fighting power was extraordinary.
Cyclops' optic blasts could pierce through buildings with ease.
Storm could control the weather itself.
Alanna wielded incredible telekinesis and mind-control powers.
Of the four, Wolverine had the smallest range of attack, but his ferocity made up for it.
Still, no one was invincible.
Storm, for example, could manipulate lightning and even dabble in weather magic, but in a direct fight against Thor, she would be at a disadvantage.
Thor's physical strength and resistance to damage were simply on another level.
The Mutants, while powerful in offense, had relatively average physical durability.
Even Wolverine—without his Adamantium skeleton—would just be someone with an accelerated healing factor.
Against small groups of Chitauri, they were devastating.
But once the Chitauri commander recognized the threat they posed, he dispatched reinforcements in waves.
That's when things got tough.
Not only did the X-Men have to attack, they also had to dodge heavy fire, burning through their stamina.
If it hadn't been for Wolverine's relentless protection, one or two of them might have already fallen.
"We can't keep this up," Cyclops shouted over the chaos.
"Fall back while fighting! There are just too many of them! We need to rendezvous with S.H.I.E.L.D.!"
He tore off the glasses that contained his optic blasts.
A wide beam of red energy erupted from his eyes, slicing dozens of Chitauri ships in half in an instant.
"Scott's right!" Storm agreed.
"We need to retreat!"
They were strong individually, but faced with a literal army, numbers began to matter.
The Chitauri had what seemed like endless reinforcements.
If they stayed any longer, they'd be overwhelmed by sheer attrition.
"Sh*t!" Wolverine cursed, spitting out the cigar in his mouth.
"If you wanna leave, move your asses! Or we're gonna get boxed in!"
Without hesitation, the four retreated while continuing to fight their way toward Manhattan's center.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city, Robert was enjoying a much more peaceful life.
He was fishing in Central Park—ironically located right in the middle of Manhattan.
Central Park wasn't remote; in fact, it was quite a popular location.
Which also meant that when stray Chitauri ships flew by, Robert was directly in their path.
But Robert wasn't just any ordinary man.
With the body of Superman and the power of a Green Lantern, he was practically untouchable.
Laser blasts and energy weapons aimed at him were slapped aside with casual waves of his hand.
A green glow flickered on his right hand, and the Green Lantern ring responded to his will.
In an instant, it materialized a massive sniper rifle made of pure energy.
Pa! Pa! Pa!
Several green bullets shot out, each one carrying devastating power.
Chitauri ships flying overhead exploded mid-air, torn apart by invisible forces.
One moment they were there; the next, they were gone, leaving no trace behind.
"Too weak. Boring," Robert muttered lazily.
Yawning, he sat back down and focused on his fishing rod.
The raging battle around him was irrelevant to him.
The Chitauri invasion?
Not his problem.
If even the Sorcerer Supreme hadn't stepped in yet, why should he?
Robert wasn't a saint.
Better to fish in peace than waste energy on meaningless battles.
Only occasionally, when stray Chitauri flew too close, would Robert lift a hand.
A green flash would streak through the sky, and the invaders would vanish, disintegrated without fanfare.
Thanks to Robert's casual power, Central Park became a strange island of peace amidst New York's chaos.
However, this tranquility didn't go unnoticed.
The battered X-Men, fighting their way across the city, were quick to notice the anomaly.
Their journey so far had been grueling.
Though their strength was formidable, it had drawn unwanted attention.
The Chitauri recognized them as a threat and sent larger and larger waves to destroy them.
Even for seasoned warriors like them, the relentless assault was taking a toll.
Cyclops wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, grimacing.
Just moments earlier, he had blasted a massive Chitauri war-whale in half.
In retaliation, concentrated enemy fire nearly vaporized him on the spot.
If not for Wolverine's quick reaction, he wouldn't have survived.
"We underestimated their numbers," Cyclops said grimly.
"They're everywhere."
None of them could deny it.
Without Professor X's overwhelming telepathy to turn the tide, they were simply overwhelmed.
"Scott's right," Storm said urgently.
"There's less activity near Central Park. Let's head there."
From the air, it was obvious: while most of Manhattan swarmed with Chitauri, Central Park was eerily empty.
As if it were a forbidden zone.
They needed time to regroup, recover, and heal.
Central Park looked like salvation.
Without further discussion, they began a fighting retreat toward the park.
But escaping wasn't going to be easy.
The Chitauri noticed their movement immediately and ramped up their assault.
Energy blasts scorched the ground around them.
Explosions lit up the sky, and the group was forced to dodge and weave constantly.
Alanna clutched her bleeding side but continued fighting.
Storm gritted her teeth, pushing herself to manipulate fierce winds to shield them.
Wolverine took the lead, carving through Chitauri troops with savage efficiency.
Cyclops, despite his injuries, continued to unleash devastating optic blasts, clearing a path forward.
Yet even so, their situation grew more desperate by the second.
(Chapter End)
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