Back in the room where both Fury and Strange were, everyone turned their gaze toward another of the people surrounding the table.
"Do you have them?"
"I do," Loki smiled.
Through the cameras, they watched as the few ships that still retained energy concentrated it all into a single enormous beam. Although its size was considerably smaller than the one powered by the Power Stone, its strength was still enough to cause a historic catastrophe, now that Earth no longer had its shield.
Everyone in the room saw the beam fired toward Earth and then… it missed.
It missed so badly that anyone would have thought they had not even aimed at the planet.
On Thanos's ship, the soldier who had previously moved in fear before his lord was now shouting furiously through the communications.
Although before Thanos he was nothing more than an ant, incapable of even talking back, to the rest of the soldiers he was still a feared figure. After all, he was the commander of the entire army.
"What the hell are you doing?!" he roared in rage, "You missed completely! What were you aiming at?"
He immediately turned toward Thanos to apologize, but Thanos did not blame them. Instead, he smiled, though not with happiness.
"It seems Loki has grown," he said.
"Sir, even though the shield is gone, we also do not have enough energy to use the cannons, and the main cannon was destroyed. Should we release the Outriders?"
Thanos thought for a moment before answering.
The Outriders are creatures that are part of Thanos's army. They were not natural beings, but genetically designed. Quadrupedal, savage, more like beasts than people, capable only of following simple orders.
Thanos usually uses them to break defenses or saturate the battlefield through sheer numbers.
After thinking it over, he agreed and ordered them released, this time with the objective of spreading out and causing casualties. Due to their enormous numbers, it was almost impossible to eliminate them all before they spread.
Dozens of ships descended toward Earth, dispersing across multiple cities before opening and releasing the Outriders.
In the meeting room, Fury watched the scene and stood up.
"It looks like it's S.H.I.E.L.D.'s turn. Maria, stay here and keep informing me of the situation."
Maria Hill looked at him in surprise for a brief moment.
"Sir, are you planning to go to the battlefield yourself? It's not necessary, our agents can…"
"Hill," Fury interrupted her before she could continue, "do you know what my first major contribution to S.H.I.E.L.D. was? Dealing with some damn aliens."
He paused before continuing.
"I made a mistake. I trusted them, I cooperated with them, and thanks to that I reached this position. Meanwhile, right under my nose, they kept spreading all over Earth. By the time I realized it, it was already too late."
His voice grew harsher.
"That mistake almost destroyed the Avengers. This time, I will personally make sure every last bastard dies."
With that said, Fury left the room, leaving everyone in silence.
On Earth, Fury appeared directly at Stark Tower, in Manhattan, one of the cities where the Outriders had been released.
Although these creatures could spread quickly like parasites, Earth already had its own. In every corner of the world, there was S.H.I.E.L.D.
And in less than ten minutes, every city infested with Outriders was completely surrounded by agents.
From the cameras, Thanos's soldiers laughed. Part of their confidence in the Outriders came from their numbers.
Although their individual strength was not extraordinary, they were still several times stronger than the average human, and in such numbers, Thanos trusted that they could easily deal with most of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s agents.
When Fury appeared on the battlefield with his characteristic black trench coat and eye patch, Thanos recognized him immediately.
He knew every one of Earth's forces.
And his impression of Fury had always been… strange.
Despite being the leader of the most powerful organization on the planet, with countless soldiers and even enhanced humans under his command, Fury was still just a normal person.
As soon as they saw him, all the Outriders charged toward him.
Roaring loudly, one of them propelled itself off the ground with its two legs and four arms, advancing at full speed, as if it feared the others might steal its prey.
When it was only a few meters away, it leapt toward Fury with the intention of devouring him in a single bite.
But while it was still in the air, Fury had already extended his arm, a weapon in his hand. Before the Outrider could react, he fired straight into its head. With barely a pitiful groan, the creature's skull burst open and it fell dead instantly.
Without paying attention to the corpse, Fury turned and fired in bursts at those approaching, dropping them one after another with precise shots to the head.
The Outriders pulled back for a moment, dominated by fear, but soon their instincts took over and they advanced again.
Surrounded by thousands of them, Fury showed no fear. He continued firing coldly, preventing them from getting close.
Of course, he was not alone for long. More and more S.H.I.E.L.D. agents arrived, joining the fight and firing relentlessly at the beasts.
After a while, Thanos watched from his ship as the Outrider forces were being stopped with surprising ease. Despite their enormous numbers, a single shot was enough to turn them into corpses. They were no different from fish on a cutting board.
As he watched, Thanos's mood became a roller coaster.
At first, he felt satisfaction at seeing everything progress according to plan, with the Outriders flooding the cities. When the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents appeared, he was not too concerned. Even though Fury's individual skill surprised him, he did not consider it relevant. After all, a single person could not change the course of a battle.
However, his expression soured when he noticed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s technology and the ease with which they eliminated the Outriders, especially when he saw that all the agents were carrying those weapons.
His mood improved briefly when he observed that many failed or reacted poorly due to fear. After all, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s massive recruitment had begun only a few years earlier, and many had never witnessed anything like this.
But that feeling lasted only an instant.
The balance tipped clearly back toward Earth.
At first Thanos did not notice it, but after watching for a while he realized it.
Among the hundreds of normal agents there were people who were not. Perfectly trained women, with strength and agility comparable to that of the Outriders.
However, they did not dedicate themselves to killing indiscriminately like the members of S.H.I.E.L.D. Their role was different. They supported the others, covered mistakes, protected flanks, and guided the battle in silence, steadily pushing it toward victory.
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