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*****
Once, twice—he'd actually been knocked back twice!
Suspended high in the air, Lam stabilized his posture. As he looked down at the group below, a boiling rage surged within him.
Just then, he sensed an increasing threat.
The source? A seemingly unremarkable girl?
Confused for a moment, Lam—unable to suppress his murderous intent any longer—roared and dove down in fury.
"Die, all of you!"
Jean raised her hand toward the sky, releasing her powers, while Scott fired his full-strength laser beam.
The dazzling ray and the invisible telekinetic force surged toward Lam, slowing his descent.
But this time, the Kryptonian was prepared. He braced himself against the attacks and began pressing down step by step.
"Raven!"
Remy LeBeau shouted, pointing at a nearby concrete slab.
He used his power to charge the slab into a powerful kinetic bomb.
Raven grabbed it and hurled it toward Lam.
This was the same method they had used earlier to momentarily stop him.
But this time, Lam dodged.
Boom!
The slab exploded violently.
Lam sneered and landed on the ground.
Did they really think he'd keep foolishly taking every attack head-on?
Enough playing around—it was time to eliminate a few of them.
As the thought crossed his mind and his sinister gaze turned toward Scott, Jean resolutely began to unleash her "other self."
Though releasing it might spiral out of control and hurt those nearby, she had no other choice now.
If she didn't… they were all going to die.
But—
Boom!
A thunderous crash erupted as a red giant fell from the sky, slamming straight at Lam.
Lam shifted his body and narrowly dodged, his cape trailing in an elegant arc behind him. He glanced at the descending Red Hulk and chuckled darkly.
Seeing this, Cyclops quickly grabbed Jean's hand and shouted, "Jean, stop!"
Jean struggled to suppress the crumbling prison in her mind, gasping for breath.
She was so close—just a moment more, and she would have unleashed it.
Red Hulk.
Everyone present recognized the towering figure.
"Let's take him down together!"
Red Hulk let out a deep growl and charged directly at Lam.
The military hadn't yet arrived, but General Ross had reached the battlefield first.
With the Kryptonian now engaged, the battle grew fiercer. But as the superheroes focused on the invader, the portal that had been mostly blocked was now unguarded. More Chitauri swarmed through.
With the defensive line broken, the Chitauri poured into the city like locusts.
In mere moments, thousands of enemies flooded in.
The situation grew increasingly dire.
Groups of Chitauri soared overhead, unleashing volleys of energy beams.
Boom! Boom!
Explosions echoed everywhere. This once-thriving city was now under siege. Panicked citizens ran for their lives, while others were caught in the sudden chaos—injured, or worse.
And yet, in the face of terror, not everyone ran.
A police officer shouted as he charged forward, firing his weapon. Though vastly inferior to Chitauri tech, he stood his ground—because behind him were innocent civilians.
A mother clutched her child, running amidst explosions—because she was a mother.
A man shielded his elderly father, his body trembling, but his feet did not retreat an inch—because he was a son.
A doctor knelt beside the wounded, treating them even as chaos raged nearby.
One by one…
In such moments, these beautiful, courageous scenes emerged again and again.
At this moment, these ordinary people—were heroes.
What they were doing was no less heroic than what the superheroes were doing—for they, too, were risking their lives.
Energy blasts shattered glass panes. Chitauri soldiers screamed past overhead.
Suddenly, a tiny ant landed on one of the Chitauri soldiers mid-flight. Riding on its back was someone even smaller than the insect.
Hank Pym.
Right now, Hank Pym felt like someone who had found a winning lottery ticket, only to realize upon claiming his prize that it was for last week's drawing—the feeling was absolutely rotten.
He was supposed to be relaxing on vacation. Why the hell did this have to happen now?
Luckily, he'd brought his suit along. Without it, he and Hope would've had no protection in this catastrophe.
Now that Hope was safe for the moment, it was time for him to step up.
Clenching his fist, Hank punched a Chitauri soldier, knocking him off his glider. Then, suddenly growing in size, he took control of the enemy glider, fired a series of energy blasts at his foes, and blew them out of the sky.
As enemy forces targeted him, he shrank again, riding his ant away to evade the counterattack.
Shrink. Enlarge.
Hank Pym flitted through the battlefield, a phantom among the enemy ranks—taking out Chitauri one by one.
But he wasn't young anymore. After just a few minutes of intense combat, he was gasping for air, forced to slow down and focus on guarding this part of the city—helping and protecting the civilians around him.
Meanwhile, Thor was also rescuing people.
Though he'd lost his godly powers and his now-bulky frame made him less agile than before, he didn't fight—he saved lives.
He moved through streets under siege by the Chitauri, scanning the area and helping anyone who needed aid.
"Over there! Hurry!"
Seeing a wounded woman lying on the ground, he dashed over without hesitation.
Loki grumbled under his breath but still followed behind him.
The woman was crawling, her bloody legs dragging along the pavement, leaving behind a chilling trail.
Yet not a single scream of pain escaped her lips. Her dim eyes desperately searched the surroundings.
When Thor knelt before her, ready to lift her up, she suddenly grabbed his hand with all her strength, her head hanging low, her voice hoarse:
"Please… please… help me find my daughter… Lucy… Lucy…"
She kept murmuring, her voice growing fainter and fainter.
"I'll help you find your daughter," Thor said softly, "but you need medical attention. Let me take you first."
Just as he prepared to lift her, Loki coldly said, "There's no need. She's already dead."
Thor struck the ground hard with his fist, his eyes fixed on the lifeless body of the woman on the pavement. Her final words echoed in his mind.
"Lucy…"
Thor whispered, then took off in a full sprint—charging in the direction the woman had been crawling toward.
(End of Chapter)