Round 3

Staying alive is the most important thing.

As Zane's words fell, everyone watching the screen grew tense. This final duel was about their survival.

Most people didn't doubt that Zane was serious. After all, if he could toy with aliens, there was little room for disbelief.

On the battlefield, the combatants immediately opened fire on each other. Tony's suit unfurled like a lotus, revealing numerous hidden weapon launchers. The next moment, dozens of small missiles exploded within the ranks of the Chitauri, engulfing half the arena in flames.

At the same time, Thor channeled the bit of divine power he had regained into Mjolnir, summoning lightning from the sky. Several bolts struck down, reducing hundreds of Chitauri soldiers to charred remains.

Everyone was pushing their limits, unleashing their strongest attacks. They knew the barrier would start shrinking after three minutes. Even the Hulk's nearly indestructible body would be torn apart if it touched the edges, let alone the rest of them.

In this arena Zane had constructed, the phrase "time is life" held the deepest meaning.

However, the enemy's numbers were overwhelming. No matter how many they defeated, there seemed to be an endless sea of Chitauri soldiers. It made their efforts feel futile, breeding a sense of despair.

Adding to their worry, their physical strength hadn't fully recovered. Some heroes, with every movement, saw blood begin to seep through the bandages hastily wrapped around their wounds.

Meanwhile, the thousands of Chitauri warriors weren't idle. They all pulled their triggers, releasing a wall of energy beams towards Tony and the others.

Just as the energy beams were about to strike the Earth team, the Ancient One intervened. The space in front of the Earth team shattered like a broken mirror, blocking all the energy beams, before mending itself back to normal.

Zane, observing from above, noticed that a deep wrinkle had appeared at the corner of the Ancient One's eye. It seemed her life force was depleting faster than he had expected. Five years ago, she had resurrected so many heroes at once. The cost she paid must have been greater than he had imagined.

"Those who manipulate time will eventually be manipulated by time," a thought suddenly flashed through Zane's mind.

Meanwhile, the heroes more skilled in close combat charged into the Chitauri ranks without hesitation. Unlike the previous round, they had a plan this time. Leading the charge was the famed Wolverine, Logan. In this scenario, our Uncle Logan was still young, equipped with indestructible Adamantium bones and an incredible healing factor, making him the perfect tank.

The others followed closely behind Wolverine. Energy beams rained down on him, vaporizing his flesh over and over, only for it to regenerate almost instantly, shielding the heroes behind him from harm.

Finally, as Wolverine's claws sliced through the throat of the first Chitauri soldier, the rest of the heroes, full of pent-up rage, roared and charged into the Chitauri ranks.

The battle had only just begun...

In an instant, the entire arena was engulfed in smoke and flames, creating an unprecedented spectacle for the viewers. For the first time, they realized that there were so many superhumans on what they thought was an ordinary Earth.

Wolverine roared, slicing two grunts' heads in half with his claws. A fountain of blood sprayed over his entire body, while dozens of blades stabbed into him. With a painful cry, his eyes filled with bloodshot rage. From a distance, they resembled the eyes of a hungry wolf, glinting ominously in the firelight, radiating primal savagery.

In the next moment, Wolverine became a relentless killing machine, wreaking havoc in the ranks of the Chitauri army. However, other melee heroes didn't share his extraordinary healing factor. As the saying goes, "The initial momentum wanes, the second effort falters, and the third exhausts." After the initial burst of slaughter, the heroes' morale and energy began to wane.

Except for Wolverine, who had embraced his beastly nature for greater lethality, the rest were scattered by the Chitauri forces. They were individually surrounded, struggling in fierce battles. As time went on, the seemingly endless waves of Chitauri soldiers began to take their toll, leaving the heroes with deep, bone-revealing wounds.

Even Colossus, who appeared unbreakable, was being overwhelmed. Struck by numerous energy beams, his metal body turned a scorching red from the sustained heat. The intense heat seared his nerves, like a person being roasted alive; every slight movement brought excruciating pain. Every time he crushed a soldier into pulp, his fist would deform slightly, like a piece of iron struck by a hammer, eventually melding his fingers together into a solid block.

Others fared similarly. Beast, relying on his extraordinary reflexes, dashed across the heads of the Chitauri troops, crushing skulls with his feet. But a sudden energy blast hit his leg, and he fell from the air, screaming, like a plane losing power. Instantly, countless blades aimed at his chest.

At this critical moment, Wolverine, now completely consumed by his primal instincts and drenched in Chitauri blood, tore through the enemies surrounding Beast, shredding them to pieces. Without pausing, he moved on to help another besieged hero.

Despite their desperate, blood-soaked efforts, the heroes' casualties amounted to just a fraction of the Chitauri forces. The Chitauri commander had deployed less than a thousand troops, yet they were pushing the heroes to the brink of collapse. Meanwhile, the remaining nine thousand continued their long-range assault on Tony and the others.

The situation was spiraling towards disaster. At that moment, the Chitauri discovered the most effective method to deal with these seemingly indestructible heroes.

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