{Chapter: 306 Garbage God}
The Hammer Industries Building stood alone—a lone monolith amidst the inferno of Manhattan, the last unbroken structure in a city swallowed by war. A shimmering energy shield flickered like a blue aurora around its edges, repelling falling debris and stray plasma blasts. This was no ordinary defense—this was the result of genius. A modified application of the arc reactor, perfected and weaponized by the cold brilliance of the White Queen.
On the top floor, Maria Hill stared out through the armored glass window at the burning skyline, her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned bone white. Her jaw trembled, lips pressed thin in rage.
"He's not fighting a war," she growled. "He's slaughtering everything. The Chitauri, our fighter jets, the Avengers—hell, even the ground troops. He's treating everything like a target. Eighty percent of the damage to this city… that's him."
Behind her, sitting cross-legged on a levitating data core, the White Queen gave a casual, almost amused smile. "And what exactly did you expect? Mercy?"
Maria turned sharply, eyes ablaze. "You said he'd destroy the Chitauri!"
"I did." The White Queen shrugged, brushing a silver lock from her eyes. "And he is destroying them. But I never said anything about protecting people. Or the city. William doesn't fight for anything. He fights against everything. Big difference."
Maria slammed her fist into the control console. Sparks burst. "You smug little—"
"You'll break your hand before you break through the shield," the White Queen said sweetly, not even glancing at her. "You're angry, I get it. But let's face it: if it weren't for William and Volcanicus, the Chitauri would be nesting inside the White House by now."
"That doesn't justify turning Manhattan into a damned graveyard!"
"I don't need to justify anything." The White Queen slowly floated down from the core, her boots clicking on the steel floor. "The world burns either way. You just got lucky you're watching from the inside of a shield."
"I want out," Maria snarled. "Now."
"I don't take orders from you. I barely listen to him. And unless William gives the word, no one gets in or out."
"Then I'll force my way out."
Natasha Romanoff leaned on the wall behind them, arms crossed. Her red hair was damp with sweat. "Don't try it, Hill. Trust me, I did. She may look like a porcelain doll, but the Queen here hits like a goddamn tank."
The White Queen smirked. "Stay put. Wait for William. He'll return when he's done playing with fire."
Maria bit her lip, eyes full of frustration. "If this keeps up, New York won't survive the night."
"Oh, sweetie…" The White Queen gave a dark little chuckle. "If only New York was the end of it. I'm more worried he'll bring the whole East Coast down. He's not even trying to close the wormhole. He's inviting more Chitauri. He wants the war to get bigger. He wants chaos."
Outside, the skies above the city screamed with fire and thunder. Alien motherships rumbled through the clouds like steel leviathans, pouring out endless streams of Chitauri soldiers and sky-riders.
Then came the roar.
A monstrous, gut-twisting bellow shook every building still standing. Volcanicus—towering, infernal, and utterly primal—charged across the ruins like a force of nature. His mechanical limbs crushed tanks and Chitauri crawlers like eggshells. His gaping maw belched out rivers of molten fire, incinerating squads in a heartbeat. Blood, both human and alien, painted the streets in steaming pools.
High above it all, Loki stood on the head of a dragon-shaped warship, arms spread wide like a self-proclaimed messiah. His helmet's golden horns gleamed, and his eyes were wild with fury and desperation.
"WILLIAM!" Loki's voice echoed across the broken city. "I won't let you take this from me! I am a god! You are nothing!"
Volcanicus snarled again, its eyes flaring crimson as it reared up like a volcano preparing to erupt.
"Hold," William's voice rang like a blade drawn from its sheath. He stood atop the shoulder of Volcanicus, one foot forward, wind tearing at his coat like a flag. "Let me talk to this clown."
The behemoth immediately froze, obedient as a war dog.
Loki pointed a trembling finger. "You think you've won? You think this is the end? You've seen nothing! I've only begun to unleash my army. This invasion was a mere appetizer. The real feast is yet to come!"
William tilted his head. "You okay up there? Just making sure you haven't started thinking with your ass again."
"YOU DARE MOCK ME?!"
"Absolutely. You're just a discount Shakespeare villain with daddy issues and eyeliner. Let's be honest—you're only here because Thor couldn't finish the job last time."
"I am no mortal like you! I am a god!"
William snorted and slowly raised one hand, a ball of black flame coalescing in his palm. "You're a god? Then act like one. So far, you've done nothing but scream and throw space cockroaches at me."
Loki snarled, veins bulging across his face as he gave the command. "KILL HIM!"
The dragon-shaped warship screamed forward like a torpedo from hell, weapons lighting up with explosive fury.
"Go to hell!" Loki howled, his voice shrill with rage and desperation. The dragon-shaped battleship beneath him lunged forward, tearing through the air like a predator unleashed, its metallic wings slicing clouds and casting monstrous shadows over the battlefield.
William smirked, his expression unreadable but unmistakably amused.
"All right then," he murmured, lifting the blade. "Gods bleed too, Loki," he said quietly, almost reverently. "And gods… fall."
He raised an arm toward his dragon-like companion. "Since you're in such a rush to die, allow Volcanicus to send you off personally."
"ROOOOOAAAR!" Volcanicus bellowed, the sound tearing across the ruined skyline like thunder wrapped in hate. His massive steel jaws opened wide, revealing an inner chamber glowing with red-hot energy. A missile the size of a small truck launched from his mouth—fifteen meters of unstoppable death, streaking through the sky like a flaming spear hurled by the gods themselves.
Loki's smug expression cracked into raw panic.
"MOVE! Evasive maneuvers—NOW!" he screamed, shoving frost-scorched Chitauri pilots aside as he tried to take control.
But it was too late.
The dragon-shaped battleship made a feeble attempt to bank left, but the missile was already there. Instead of evading, the ship attempted to bite the projectile—an act of desperation or sheer arrogance.
"Idiots!" Loki shrieked, his eyes wide as plates. He jumped, trying to teleport—but the blast caught him midair.
BOOOOOM!
The missile exploded in a blinding blossom of hellfire. The blast wave tore through the air, ripping the dragon-battleship into molten chunks. Shrapnel the size of cars rained down like apocalyptic hail. Flesh and metal blended in the inferno, and the screams of burning Chitauri echoed as their blood boiled, their limbs scattered like toys in a hurricane.
Loki vanished into the explosion, flung like a ragdoll into the smog-choked void.
William stood still, his long coat flapping in the blast wind. Flames danced in his eyes.
"Clearly an idiot," he said, shaking his head. "All that power—and still plays the villain like a child wearing daddy's crown."
Alice stepped beside him, blood-splattered and calm, her high-tech rifle humming softly.
"We also heard that name—'the lord'—mentioned by Tony Stark. Could that be the same entity that targeted you before?" she asked.
William's lips curled into a wicked grin. "Oh, no doubt about it. Only one person I know has that kind of arrogance… and sense of drama. Whoever's playing god behind the curtain is trying to turn this into a cosmic circus."
Ada tilted her head, smiling slyly. "Isn't that what you wanted?"
"Yes." William exhaled slowly. "Now this is interesting."
"You've already guessed who it is, haven't you?" Alice pressed, reloading her weapon.
William gave a nonchalant shrug. "I have a hunch. But even I need confirmation. With how absurd everything has gotten—villain points, alternate movie timelines, collapsing dimensions—I wouldn't be surprised if Cthulhu himself popped up doing stand-up comedy. At this point, even the impossible feels mundane, so I am indifferent."
Ada rolled her eyes. "Honestly, if Nuwa walked up to you doing a striptease, I bet you'd still act bored.
"I'd just smile and appreciate her choreography," William replied with a devilish grin.
Alice raised an eyebrow. "Who's Nuwa?"
"A divine figure in Jade Empire mythology," Ada answered flatly. "Creator of mankind. Very sacred."
Alice glanced at William, amused. "You're a real blasphemer, aren't you?"
"He'll get snatched by the gods one day, and I'll be the one laughing," Ada muttered.
William laughed. "Let them come. I'll give them a warm welcome—and a steel tomb."
"But seriously," Alice pointed forward. "Something's wrong. Look."
All eyes turned to the top of Stark Tower.
The Tesseract, locked in a brutal feedback loop within the arc reactor-styled chamber, began to spin wildly. Its blue glow intensified, flooding the tower with searing light. The energy beams thickened and widened, pulsing like a heartbeat on the edge of explosion.
The wormhole above, already gaping, expanded.
Ten times its original size.
The sky tore open like shredded skin. A spiraling void emerged, flickering with unnatural lightning and lined with stars that didn't belong to any known place in the universe. A vacuum pull shrieked across the city, and more than a dozen dragon-shaped battleships screamed through the widening hole.
Then another dozen. Then more.
Dozens of them—sleek and sharp, fanged like beasts and dripping black liquid—emerged from the wormhole, blotting out the sun. Their hulls were decorated with bones, trophies, and skinned faces of past enemies. Roars echoed across the city as their engines screamed like tortured souls.
A rain of fire fell from their cannons. Buildings were torn asunder. Human soldiers were incinerated. The sky itself seemed to bleed.
Volcanicus raised his head and let out a howl of pure rage, eager for the slaughter.
And William?
He licked blood off the edge of his blade, then smiled.
"Let the apocalypse begin."
*****
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