Chapter 118: Battle of New York (Part 2)
"No wonder he's called the Hulk, he just destroyed a Leviathan with one blow." The Chitauri troop transports were incredibly strong, even Stark needed multiple mini-missiles to take one down, but for the Hulk, it only took a few punches.
Similarly, the Hulkbuster armor was wreaking havoc, mainly targeting the Leviathans. Due to its massive size, the Hulkbuster had ample energy reserves, essential for keeping the Hulk in check.
"Damn, the military response is so slow. This is New York! They're quick to act internationally," Daniel panted deeply, hiding after several consecutive attacks. On this battlefield, the sky and ground were teeming with Chitauri, making him a prime target on his broomstick. Even he couldn't dodge every attack, and Stark was faring worse, being attacked even more frequently.
Direct attacks in battle were manageable, but stray bullets and errant shots were a constant threat, impossible to guard against.
"Fury, when is backup arriving?" The Captain's heavy breathing came through Daniel's earpiece. He was now joined by Black Widow, Shuri, and Carter, rescuing survivors amidst the ground chaos. Despite the numerous monsters, the tall buildings still sheltered many survivors.
"Hang on a bit longer, support is on its way." On the helicarrier, Fury angrily kicked a chair aside. He hadn't anticipated the military would delay, with some generals doubting the alien invasion altogether.
Although the World Security Council was communicating with the military, the lack of immediate action suggested they were stalling.
Fury wasn't surprised by the Council's behavior; after all, its members came from the five major powers. As long as the threat wasn't in their own countries, they weren't in a rush to intervene and were perhaps even curious to observe the alien combat prowess.
"We need support here." As Daniel continued to hide and occasionally take down a Chitauri, the Captain's voice came through again, providing his location.
"I'm a bit far off, might take some time," Stark replied wearily. Unlike Daniel, who found moments to rest, Stark had been in relentless aerial combat, losing several suits already. The sheer number of enemies made evasion impossible, even with Jarvis's control.
"Truly a righteous man," Daniel muttered, deciding to move out. The Captain needed support because they had rescued many survivors and were now targeted by swarming monsters.
This time, Daniel didn't use his broomstick but moved using Apparition.
"This place is really lively," he remarked upon arriving at the Captain's location, seeing them surrounded by monsters. He had to admire the Captain's ability to attract them. The confined underground space was packed with Thanos's Outriders, known for leaving no survivors.
The Outriders were renowned across the universe for their ruthlessness, attacking in overwhelming numbers. Though fewer than in the original timeline's Avengers 3, this invasion still seemed like a test from Thanos.
The Captain and his team held out by leveraging the terrain, finding refuge in a bank vault. The bank's manager had wisely sought shelter here instead of fleeing blindly.
"Fiendfyre." Daniel unleashed a torrent of flames, consuming the monsters. These creatures were strong, struggling in the fire for some time before collapsing. After clearing the basement, Daniel extended the fire outside to hold off more incoming monsters.
"Good thing you arrived in time," the Captain and Carter breathed a sigh of relief, sitting down to rest after Daniel's intervention.
If not for the Captain's timely search for survivors, coupled with Carter and Shuri's efforts, they would have perished. The bank vault was sturdy, but panicked employees had compromised its security, nearly leading to disaster.
"The monsters track by scent or life force. We can use that to lure them together so I can wipe them out in one go," Daniel suggested as Carter and the Captain deliberated.
"I have a wide-area attack spell," he explained. The spell was Fiendfyre, a devastating curse needing ample preparation to unleash fully. Although it could clear out enemies, it didn't distinguish between friend and foe, posing a risk to any hidden survivors. Given the media scrutiny, Daniel wanted to avoid unnecessary civilian casualties.
In the aftermath, despite the chaos of war, people would certainly scrutinize such actions. While he was willing to help, he wasn't as selflessly dedicated as Stark or Coulson.
"First, we need to gather all the monsters," Carter noted, and they quickly decided to split up. The Captain and his team would lure the monsters, while Daniel would eliminate them en masse.
They each took a Chitauri flyer with Daniel's help, ensuring swift movement, with Stark's drones providing additional protection.
"Tony, after I finish here, you need to destroy the Chitauri mothership in space," Daniel instructed. Knowing the Chitauri's weakness, they wouldn't waste the opportunity.
"Got it. I'm on it," Stark replied, preparing the necessary explosives.
"These brothers are still fighting?" Returning to Stark Tower, Daniel saw Thor and Loki still engaged. Despite Thor's superior strength, his reluctance to seriously harm Loki made the battle seem even.
"Please," Daniel said to the Hulk, who was now under Banner's control. The Hulk was crucial to his plan.
Roar.
The Hulk charged, knocking Thor away and kicking Loki aside. As Thor prepared to retaliate, Daniel intervened.
"Leave Loki to him. Don't worry, he won't die. We need you to clear a path," Daniel pointed to the heavily guarded portal.
"Got it," Thor said, noticing the situation and taking off with Mjolnir.
Thor couldn't fly on his own; it was Mjolnir's rune technology that enabled it. As he swung Mjolnir, the sky filled with storm clouds and lightning, striking down Chitauri in droves.
If Thor could fight in space, taking down the Chitauri mothership would be easier.
"Could Asgard's Bifrost destroy the mothership?" Daniel pondered, watching Thor's prowess before dismissing the thought. He didn't understand the higher powers' workings.
Picking up Loki's discarded scepter, Daniel found Loki nearly defeated by the Hulk. Despite his resilience as a Frost Giant prince, being beaten by a mere human had shattered his ego.
"Never thought I'd use Grindelwald's forbidden spell," Daniel murmured, drawing a red circle of fire around him with his wand.
Casting Fiendfyre to its fullest required preparation, and he began to channel the spell's power.
"Something's wrong, the Asgardians refuse to leave," Natasha reported through the earpiece.
"The Asgardians, Sif and the others," Daniel recalled Thor's companions. Learning they were engrossed in battle, he couldn't help but sigh. Asgardians loved fighting, and even now, Sif and her group were reveling in the chaos.
Despite the threat, they had seized Chitauri flyers and engaged closely with the monsters, enjoying the fight. Their rune-enhanced equipment made them formidable.
"Troublesome lot," Daniel sighed, instructing Natasha to use Thor's authority to order them out.
Thor's name carried weight, and Sif's group complied, reluctantly breaking off their fight and taking Chitauri flyers.
"Tony, how's it going? Thor's cleared a path," Daniel radioed Stark.
"Ready," Stark replied, having prepared to destroy the Chitauri mothership.
With Fury's help, Stark had acquired a nuke from the helicarrier, ensuring the mothership's destruction. Unlike the original timeline where Stark manually carried the nuke, Jarvis-controlled drones handled the task.
The Chitauri's overconfidence left their mothership unprotected, conveniently close to the portal.
As Stark prepared to launch, the Captain and Carter had drawn a mass of monsters to Stark Tower.
Flying to safety, Daniel unleashed Fiendfyre. The red dragon-shaped flames roared, consuming monsters and buildings alike.
Satisfied with the spell's effectiveness, Daniel prepared to close the portal with Loki's scepter.
"Watch out, a nuke is headed your way!" Fury's urgent message interrupted, making Daniel curse inwardly at the new complication.
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