The Chitauri forces were vast.
On Earth, the standing army of a powerful nation might number in the hundreds of thousands. But the Chitauri, a race capable of interstellar conquest and responsible for the destruction of entire civilizations like Gamora's, boasted numbers in the hundreds of thousands—sometimes even millions.
A terrifying figure.
If an army like that descended upon Earth in full force, occupying the planet would be child's play. Their technology far outstripped anything humanity could offer, making the annihilation of Earth's civilizations a simple task.
Thankfully, the Chitauri that appeared this time were just a small unit—not their main force. Still, even this detachment was enough to strain Earth's defenders, even overwhelming the Avengers themselves.
But at this moment…
In front of the massive mecha that Robert had conjured using the Green Lantern Ring, the Chitauri swarming through the sky dropped like dumplings into boiling water. The ground was littered with their corpses—severed limbs, broken bodies, and pools of alien blood forming a gruesome carpet.
Compared to the scenes shown in the movie, this was even more intense—utter carnage.
Anyone unfamiliar with the real story would probably believe that Robert and the Avengers were the real butchers here. The acrid smell of gunpowder mixed with the stench of burned flesh and the sickly odor of Chitauri bodies. The battlefield reeked like a vision of Hell itself.
However, such a sight was nothing new to Wolverine. Having fought in both World War I and World War II, he was numb to such horrors. Calmly, he took a long drag from his cigar, smoke curling from his lips despite the chaos around him.
Da-da-da-da!
Gunfire roared as their weapons sprayed death, and finally, the Chitauri in the sky thinned out. It seemed they weren't mindless; even they recognized the futility of sending more troops to die.
"Shit, those damn bastards," Wolverine muttered. "Finally, they're all dead."
He turned to Robert, his eyes gleaming as they fell on the massive green mecha. "Robert, not bad. That thing… I like it. A lot."
Wolverine wasn't someone who loved killing for its own sake, but like any man, he appreciated a powerful weapon when he saw one.
Robert smiled. "I'm glad you like it. If you're interested, maybe you can ask Beast to build you one. Though, it probably won't match this one's power."
With a flick of his hand, the green glow shimmered and faded. The giant mecha dissolved into nothingness, leaving only traces of sparkling light in the air.
Alanna, standing nearby, couldn't hide her shock. Her eyes went wide as she asked, "What exactly is that? Is that another one of your abilities?"
Seeing her curiosity, Robert gave a dry cough and answered with a straight face, "You could say that, yeah."
He wasn't about to go into too much detail. After all, Alanna—better known as the Phoenix—was one of the few people on Earth Robert couldn't afford to offend. This woman, with her split personality and destructive powers, had once slaughtered her own lover in a fit of madness.
Better to stay on her good side.
"Just how many powers do you have?" One of the other X-Men muttered, their gaze toward Robert growing increasingly complicated.
They had already thought Robert's previous abilities were impressive enough. But now he was showing the power to create giant constructs out of thin air—ones that retained real combat power? Among mutants, even those with energy projection abilities rarely displayed such versatility.
Robert, oblivious to their thoughts, simply smiled. "Not that many. Just a little bit here and there."
Wolverine let out a snort and rolled his eyes. If Robert hadn't still been a kid, he would've flipped him the middle finger right then and there.
"A little bit? If that's a little bit, what does that make the rest of us?"
Before the conversation could go further, Robert's eyes flickered toward the distance. He raised a hand, signaling everyone to stop talking. "Hold that thought. Looks like we've got company."
The others followed his gaze. Two figures were descending from the sky, their silhouettes growing larger by the second.
With a crash, the ground cracked open as Tony Stark and Thor landed with dramatic flair. Dust billowed around them as they straightened up.
Tony, ever the showman, glanced at the X-Men and smirked. "So, you're the mutants Fury mentioned? Gotta say, the look is… unique. You guys from a circus or something?"
His eyes landed on Scott, his gaze lingering on the man's visor. "Hey, are you supposed to be Robocop's cousin?"
The sarcasm dripped from every word.
It wasn't that Tony meant harm—it was just who he was. Whether dealing with friends or strangers, the billionaire playboy never missed a chance to throw out a jab or a nickname. Captain America was "the popsicle," Thor was "Point Break," and even Nick Fury got tagged as "one-eyed pirate."
In the movies, this came off as charming. But face-to-face, Tony's sharp tongue could rub even the most patient person the wrong way.
Now, here they were—just finished with a brutal fight—and Tony Stark waltzes in, throwing insults.
The X-Men, already irritated from the battle and suffering losses, glared at him. They weren't familiar with the Avengers and certainly weren't in the mood for jokes.
Fortunately, Scott—despite being called Robocop—kept his composure. He was a leader, after all.
"Mr. Stark," Scott replied, his voice calm but with an unmistakable edge, "seeing is believing. We've heard a lot about your… reputation."
The unspoken barb hung in the air, but Scott quickly steered the conversation back to business. They couldn't afford to squabble now.
"Anyway, I assume you didn't come here just to argue. Why don't we exchange intel and deal with the real problem first? The Chitauri have stopped sending reinforcements. That's suspicious."
Scott glanced at the sky, where only a few Chitauri stragglers still hovered.
Tony, catching the shift in atmosphere, sobered up. His smirk faded as he stepped closer. "You're right. This feels off. There's no way they'd retreat without a plan. They must be gearing up for something bigger."
Thor grunted his agreement. "A second wave. Perhaps with weapons meant to end this battle in one blow."
Tony nodded grimly. "Mass destruction. That's what I'm betting on. We need to act before they unleash whatever they're cooking up."
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