Chapter 91: The Battle of New York III

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"Tony, watch the stragglers!" Link shouted as he continued firing at the incoming enemies.

He increased his speed slightly, still using his bullets to directly kill the Chitauri soldiers. The bullets were proving quite effective. A few might have slipped past, but before they could turn around to attack Link, Stark's energy blasts had already taken them out, targeting their vehicles instead.

However, the 200 rounds of ammo were quickly exhausted. "Reloading!"

Link swiftly swapped out the empty magazine as his hoverboard handed him a fully loaded one. The hoverboard, constructed using nanotechnology, was crafted from titanium alloy.

With a click, the bullets were chambered once again. Stark managed to fend off the remaining enemies in the meantime.

The Chitauri flyers kept coming in an unending stream, but they couldn't break through the defense of the two men. Eventually, the Chitauri sent a Leviathan through the portal.

Link watched as a massive creature burst out of the space portal. He ceased firing, knowing his bullets would be ineffective against something that size.

He could only watch helplessly as it flew downward. Stark said, "I'll handle this one."

"Alright, there's nothing I can do against that thing," Link responded. He continued wielding his M249 machine gun, holding the line and intercepting any enemies trying to pass through the portal.

This time, he increased his rate of fire slightly. Although he could shoot faster and more accurately, there was no need to overexert himself just yet. After all, his role here was relatively small: just a marksman with deadly precision.

He hadn't even brought his throwing knives—knowing they wouldn't be much use at this altitude. Every decision he made was with careful consideration, still keeping his true abilities hidden.

"Da-da-da-da…" The gunfire echoed as the Chitauri soldiers kept trying to locate him. They couldn't see Link, their vision blocked by the edge of the space portal.

It was much like a landing operation, with the attackers forced to bear the brunt of losses. Link's strategic movements allowed him to smoothly transition during reloads, and his machine gun continued its barrage.

"Stark, Link, we've arrived!" Thor's voice came through. His flying speed wasn't particularly fast, so he'd only just made it to the scene, followed closely by a Quinjet.

Though the streets below were in chaos, no Chitauri had descended yet. The only things falling were the corpses and wreckage of their forces.

Stark said, "Banner, I've brought the big one over to you."

Link added, "I'm still positioned by the side of the portal, taking out the Chitauri soldiers on their flyers. They have a blind spot in their vision here."

"But I'm running out of ammo fast. You need to hurry and check with Dr. Selvig. His mind should have rebooted by now."

"Ask him if there's a way to close the portal."

"Understood," Captain America responded immediately, then said, "Natasha, head up there and see what you can find. Barton, provide aerial reconnaissance and updates. Stark, take them up to the portal. Bruce, it's all on you now."

"Thor, get to a higher vantage point. When Link's ammo is depleted, use lightning to cover his retreat."

Stark quickly outlined the plan, making sure they would block the enemy reinforcements before they could touch down on Earth.

It was a simple yet effective strategy: holding the door. The portal was only so wide, and the Chitauri mothership couldn't pass through all at once. Their forces couldn't just flood the battlefield simultaneously because they'd bottleneck at the portal's entrance.

Additionally, from inside the portal, the Chitauri soldiers could only see what was directly ahead of them. They were blind to the sides, leading to their current disadvantage.

Loki, now realizing his failure, was trapped. His plans had crumbled, and with the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier approaching, he couldn't even offer support to the Chitauri forces. Thanos, uninterested in these expendable soldiers, didn't bother sending in his elite forces like the Black Order, who included powerful warriors such as Ebony Maw, Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, and Cull Obsidian.

Captain America, after giving his orders, began surveying the area to ensure the NYPD had set up proper defensive lines.

Meanwhile, Bruce Banner, now confronted with the massive Leviathan, whispered to himself, "Hulk, it's your turn."

In an instant, his body turned green and swelled in size. "Hulk smash!"

With a mighty roar, the Hulk leaped high into the air and charged at the Leviathan.

Stark, now flying at a lower altitude, reached Black Widow and Hawkeye. "Let's go."

He grabbed both of them and flew upward.

Hawkeye suddenly spotted a few Chitauri soldiers. "We've got enemies landing."

"What?" Stark turned in the direction Hawkeye indicated and saw a number of Chitauri soldiers climbing the walls of nearby buildings. "They came from the big one?"

"It's that Leviathan!" Link shouted. "Nothing's gotten through my defenses here, so it must be that giant creature—it's carrying troops!"

"Got it. I'll handle it," Stark said, dropping off Black Widow at the machine before taking Hawkeye to a higher vantage point to help him clear the enemy forces.

Link, meanwhile, was down to his last ammo box. "This is my last magazine, and my barrel is overheating. Thor, be ready to take over."

"Raaaargh!" Another Leviathan burst through the space portal. Then another. And another.

Three Leviathans emerged in quick succession. Link urgently called out, "Three more have broken through—they're landing troops!"

"Link, I've deployed fighter jets. They'll be there any minute," Nick Fury's voice broke in. "They'll take care of the big ones."

"Alright, take them out before they get too close to the buildings. Let's hope no one's below," Link replied.

Boom! The fighter jets arrived on the scene and began firing air-to-air missiles at the Leviathans. With creatures that large, there was no chance of missing. Boom, boom!

One after another, the Leviathans were struck down, their troops still onboard. Whether they survived the crash or not would depend on their luck.

Unfortunately for the buildings below, the falling creatures were massive enough to cause catastrophic damage wherever they landed.

However, it seemed the Leviathans were intentionally avoiding Stark Tower, likely out of fear of damaging the portal device.

Link thought it would be best to destroy the base of the machine. "I'm out of ammo, Thor, you're up."

"On my way!" Thor replied as the sky above crackled with thunder. Link descended, landing near his car, parked at the base of Stark Tower.

Zzzzap! Lightning struck the portal entrance. Any Chitauri vehicles or Leviathans that attempted to pass through were instantly struck, leaving the portal temporarily clear. However, Thor's energy was already beginning to wane.

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(End of Chapter)