Chapter 200: Chapter 200: Gwen Recreates an Iconic Scene, and It's Even More Ruthless
Tony had no idea when Alan appeared behind him, let alone how he knew his energy was about to run out. At this moment, he was not only relieved that Emperor had arrived to save the day but also thankful they weren't enemies.
Otherwise, the one dead right now would definitely be him.
"This nuclear missile is too powerful," Tony said grimly.
"The only way to deal with it is to send it through the portal."
Although Tony trusted Emperor's abilities, this was a nuclear weapon—the epitome of destruction. Where it detonates, life ceases to exist, leaving only devastation in its wake.
In truth, Alan hadn't initially planned to stop Tony's heroic sacrifice. After all, Tony would ultimately fall back through the portal and be caught by the Hulk—just like in the movie.
But that was the movie.
Based on the Red Queen's calculations, with Tony's current remaining energy, he wouldn't even reach the portal. The nuke would detonate just outside it.
While this might somewhat mitigate the devastation, Stark Tower—the ground zero of the blast—would collapse instantly.
And Gwen, along with the injured Anna, was still there.
Alan wasn't about to let that happen.
Without bothering to explain further to Tony, Alan took a single step, appearing instantly in front of the nuclear missile. He extended a hand toward it.
Tony was dumbfounded.
"What is he doing?"
Could it be…?
A crazy idea flashed through Tony's mind—Emperor was planning to stop the nuke with his bare hands.
"Is he insane?"
"Jarvis, proceed with the original plan. We're taking the nuke into the portal!"
"Sir, Emperor is right," Jarvis replied.
"With your current energy levels, you won't make it. The nuke will detonate in midair."
Tony ignored him.
He knew he couldn't prevent the nuclear explosion, but if he could minimize the damage, it would be worth it.
"Forget it. Full speed ahead!"
In the end, Jarvis was just an AI. Unlike a human, it couldn't stop Tony's determination. Once Tony made up his mind, Jarvis had no choice but to comply.
Tony's suit extended its rear stabilizers, and flames burst from the thrusters, propelling him at maximum speed toward the nuke.
"I have to make it!"
Yet no matter how fast he flew, he could only watch helplessly as the missile collided with Alan.
"No!"
In Tony's view, the moment the missile touched Emperor's hand, a massive explosion of fire erupted.
Jarvis immediately halted the Mark VII suit. Tony instinctively raised his hands to shield his eyes from the blinding light.
But the expected shockwave never came.
Lowering his hands cautiously, Tony looked toward Emperor.
The flames from the explosion were… retracting, slowly compressing back into a singular point.
It was like a balloon filled with air, now deflating steadily.
"What… kind of technology is this?" Tony muttered, stunned.
"Is it… time reversal?"
His entire worldview was shattered. Was such a revolutionary technology even possible?
As a science enthusiast, Tony's mind raced to find a logical explanation. The scene before him resembled a video being played in reverse.
As the flames continued to shrink, Tony caught sight of Emperor once more.
The fireball from the nuclear explosion was now condensing in Alan's palm, shrinking until it was the size of a tennis ball.
Alan held it effortlessly.
Tony, having flown up beside him, was still in shock. "What now?"
He understood that all the destructive power of the nuclear missile now rested in Alan's hand.
"You're currently fighting a group of aliens called the Chitauri Army," Alan explained calmly.
"In the grand scheme of things, they're the weakest army in this universe."
"What?" Tony blinked, unsure if he had misheard.
This alien fleet, with its seemingly endless numbers, advanced laser weaponry, hovering chariots, and terrifying beasts…
Is actually the weakest army in the universe?
Then what does that make the Avengers?
Not even as good as the weakest?
Alan noticed Tony's confusion and smiled as he explained, "When I say they're weak, it's not because of their combat power."
"It's because they have a fatal weakness."
"Once that weakness is exploited, it's all over."
Alan glanced up at the portal in the sky. "They share a single brain."
In an instant, Tony understood.
He, too, looked toward the portal.
The realization hit him—destroy that brain, and all the Chitauri soldiers would collapse simultaneously.
After finishing his explanation, Alan stepped forward and reappeared on the rooftop of Stark Tower, just in time to witness an iconic scene.
Gwen, her expression filled with fury, was striding toward Loki.
Loki trembled as he struggled to stand. He couldn't believe it. His body—belonging to the Frost Giants, known for their resilience—was nearly incapacitated by a single punch from this mysterious armored figure.
Their kind could even survive in the vacuum of space, a testament to their durability.
Yet before Emperor, he was no different from a mere mortal.
As Loki finally stood upright and took a deep breath to steady himself…
Splat!
His feet suddenly felt stuck.
Looking down, he instantly recognized the sticky webbing. Following its trail, his gaze landed on Gwen, who was holding the other end with both hands.
A sense of dread washed over Loki.
Gwen's voice was cold and unforgiving. "Weren't you acting all high and mighty just now, breaking your promises?"
"Stop… I am a god—"
Loki didn't even get to finish his sentence.
Gwen yanked hard, and Loki's balance was immediately thrown off.
Like cracking a whip, she swung him violently and slammed him into the ground.
Then she lifted him again and slammed him down once more.
Again. And again.
After more than ten rounds of this relentless pummeling, Gwen finally released the webbing. The battle suit on her body shifted and flowed, forming a massive war hammer in her hands.
With a powerful leap, she brought the hammer crashing down.
Boom!
The ground caved in, leaving a massive crater.
Loki, lying in the pit, felt as if every bone in his body had shattered. He could only let out a weak, agonized groan.
Below, Black Widow watched with satisfaction and remarked, "Well done, little spider."
At the same time, she noticed Emperor's return and Tony spoke into her earpiece.
Tony's voice responded, telling her to just watch.
Black Widow trusted Tony's judgment and chose to wait.
Beside her, Dr. Selvig swallowed nervously, not daring to say a word.
Gwen turned and headed toward the injured Anna inside, muttering under her breath, "God? My ass."
Alan hadn't expected this at all.
The iconic scene, once a spectacle of Hulk's power, had now been perfectly recreated by Gwen.
And it was even more brutal.
Without watching further, Alan turned his gaze back to the portal.
The Chitauri soldiers were still pouring into Earth.
Raising his hand, the compressed nuclear missile shot forward.
A fiery red streak pierced the portal and slammed into the Chitauri mothership, their shared brain.
Boom!
A massive explosion erupted in space, engulfing the Chitauri brain in a storm of flames.
In midair, Chitauri soldiers dropped like flies, plummeting to the ground like dumplings into boiling water.
In a flash, Alan teleported beside the Tesseract. Without needing the Mind Scepter, he extended his hand and effortlessly broke through the Tesseract's energy shield, taking the cube into his grasp.
The portal above began to close as soon as the Tesseract was removed.
The shockwaves of the explosion ceased, sparing Earth from further devastation.
Black Widow collapsed to the ground, exhausted, and murmured to herself, "It's finally over."
Alan held the Tesseract in one hand and the Mind Scepter in the other.
"It's not over yet."
"The main culprit still hasn't been properly punished…"
Below, the heroes—who had been engaged in fierce combat—watched as the Chitauri soldiers around them lost the light in their eyes and collapsed one by one.
"We did it!"
Captain Rogers let out a sigh of relief and slumped onto the curb, gasping for breath.
Just then, Tony walked over and asked, "Need a lift?"
… (To be continued) …
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