Crack.
The Chitauri soldier froze in place.
Its head twisted sharply to the side, neck bent at an unnatural angle. The green glow of its compound eyes flickered as it stared at Lucas in disbelief.
How had the human suddenly appeared behind it?
The alien never found the answer.
That question was the last thought it would ever have.
Darkness swallowed it instantly.
The Chitauri's body collapsed onto the rooftop, its weapon clattering across the concrete.
Lucas glanced down at the corpse.
"That's it?"
He let out a short breath that was almost a laugh.
Then something shifted inside him.
Within the vast inner space of his awakened Cosmo, a warm current began to flow.
It spread through the miniature universe inside his body.
And somewhere within that endless darkness—
A star lit up.
At the same moment, understanding surfaced in Lucas's mind.
He closed his eyes briefly as the information settled.
The path of Cosmo Awakening was built for battle.
Strength came from conflict.
Growth came from struggle.
Saints were warriors.
They advanced through combat.
Lucas exhaled slowly.
"So if I want to awaken my constellation… I need to keep fighting."
In the Saint Seiya mythology he remembered, every Saint was tied to a constellation.
Cosmo was the power itself.
The constellation was the vessel that shaped that power.
The identity of the warrior.
In the original stories, countless candidates fought for the right to claim a single constellation.
Thousands competing for one place.
But this world was different.
There were no Saints here.
No sacred armor.
No established hierarchy.
Lucas was the only one walking this path.
Which meant something interesting.
In theory—
Every one of the forty-eight Bronze constellations could belong to him.
Pegasus.
Phoenix.
Cygnus.
Dragon.
Any of them.
Or all of them.
Lucas's eyes opened slowly.
"That's… actually incredible."
Most people had to choose.
Lucas didn't.
He intended to take them all.
A new thought suddenly crossed his mind.
If Bronze constellations were possible…
What about the twenty-four Silver constellations?
Or even the twelve of the Zodiac?
Lucas inhaled sharply.
That possibility was almost absurd.
Then the wind shifted.
His eyes snapped open.
Two Chitauri aircraft were descending toward the rooftop.
The pilots had seen the body of their fallen comrade.
Without hesitation, they opened fire.
Energy blasts rained down across the rooftop.
The weakened structure, already riddled with damage, finally gave way.
Explosions ripped through the surface.
Concrete shattered.
The rooftop collapsed.
Within seconds, the entire building began to fail.
The five-story apartment structure groaned as its upper floors caved inward.
Then it collapsed.
Dust and debris surged into the air as the building crumbled into rubble.
Residents who had barely escaped stood frozen in the street, staring at what had once been their homes.
Then the Chitauri lowered their aircraft toward the ground.
Panic snapped the civilians out of their shock.
They turned and ran.
Too late.
The alien soldiers had already received their orders.
Eliminate the humans.
Energy blasts streaked through the street.
Cars ignited.
Walls shattered.
Several fleeing civilians fell instantly.
In less than a minute, the quiet neighborhood resembled a war zone.
When the street finally fell silent, the two Chitauri landed beside the ruins of the collapsed building.
They dismounted and drew their weapons.
Both of them had detected something unusual.
The human who had killed their comrade—
His life signal was still present.
Not weakening.
Growing stronger.
They exchanged a glance.
Then—
BOOM.
The rubble exploded outward.
A blur of motion crossed the street.
One of the Chitauri vanished from sight.
A fraction of a second later—
CRASH.
The alien's body slammed into the wall of a nearby building with such force that it stuck there like a grotesque mural.
Green blood ran down the concrete.
The remaining Chitauri froze.
Its tiny eyes widened.
Not that it made much difference.
They were already the size of peas.
The alien rushed toward its fallen partner.
It didn't make it far.
A flash of movement passed in front of it.
Then its body launched backward through the air.
Only after it had been thrown several meters did the sound reach its ears.
BOOM.
Lucas's punch had already landed.
The Chitauri's chest collapsed inward as it flew through the air like a rag doll.
Its body bounced once against the rubble before coming to rest.
It didn't move again.
Lucas stepped forward from the drifting dust.
He brushed debris from his shoulders.
Then he looked around the ruined street thoughtfully.
One alien had attacked him first.
Then two more had arrived.
Lucas tilted his head slightly.
"So what's next… three?"
His gaze shifted toward Manhattan.
High above the skyline, the massive portal still hung open.
Through it emerged something enormous.
Leviathans.
Gigantic alien war beasts were already descending from the rift.
Lucas's eyes lit up.
For the first time since the invasion began—
He looked genuinely excited.