Invasion of Earth

Stark's armor had run out of energy, and he was plummeting toward the ground in free fall. Stark screamed in panic and hurriedly called for help.

"Oh my God, my armor's out of energy! Help me! At this speed, I'll be flattened into a pancake!"

Thor flew directly beneath him and caught him.

"Thank God. Thanks, lightning bro."

Thor set Stark down on the ground, and everyone asked him what exactly he had seen.

"I saw tens of thousands of superpowered beings. Countless Chitauri warships were attacking Chen Xu, but they couldn't even break his defensive shield."

The moment he said that, everyone was utterly shocked. Thor was the only one whose reaction was relatively mild. He had long learned from his father just how powerful Chen Xu was, so Stark's words did not surprise him too much.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield deep in the starry sky, Chen Xu directly unleashed the Phoenix Force and released a Phoenix Wave, instantly reducing the approaching Chitauri and their warships to ashes. Loki, who commanded them, was not fighting the Avengers as he had in the original storyline. Instead, he had hidden himself aboard a warship within the fleet, directing the battle from there.

Inside a Chitauri warship, Loki stared at Chen Xu while Ebony Maw and Black Dwarf stood beside him, commanding the battle. As Loki watched Chen Xu manifest a phantom phoenix behind him, his teeth clenched with fury. He had never expected Chen Xu to possess the Phoenix Force, much less the Evolved Phoenix Force, fused with Chaos Magic and even more terrifying than the original Phoenix Force.

"I refuse to believe this! Everyone, stop attacking Earth! All forces, attack Chen Xu! Kill him!"

In an instant, every Chitauri received the order to stop invading Earth and attack Chen Xu instead. All the warships and the rest of the forces charged toward Chen Xu.

Ebony Maw issued a warning from the side.

"Your Highness, you cannot do this. Giving that order is equivalent to exposing our location. We will be in danger."

"What is there to fear? I refuse to believe Chen Xu can fight through everyone's attacks and reach us by himself. Even if he has the Phoenix Force, it is incomplete."

Loki had been blinded by rage and had lost all reason. His mind was filled only with the thought of killing Chen Xu, and he had completely forgotten the mission to invade Earth.

"Your Highness, but Lord Thanos's orders—"

"If we do not kill Chen Xu, do you think we can invade Earth?"

Ebony Maw froze and said nothing more. That was right. Before Chen Xu was killed, invading Earth was nothing more than a joke. Success was impossible.

Chen Xu also noticed that all the Chitauri warships were closing in on him. He swept the area with mental power strong enough to pierce the multiverse, and before long, he spotted a warship that was not attacking him. That warship had nothing unusual about it; it was merely an ordinary Chitauri vessel. Chen Xu had to admit that Loki was far smarter than Thor. No wonder Chen Xu had been clearing out the larger warships with stronger defenses and firepower without being able to find Loki. Loki had been hiding nearby, observing everything.

"You're pretty good at hiding, Loki."

Chen Xu gathered all the Phoenix Force around himself, forming an incomparably sturdy defensive barrier. Then he pushed his speed to the limit and rammed straight toward Loki's warship. Every Chitauri warship in his path was torn through by Chen Xu.

Loki, Black Dwarf, and Ebony Maw watched Chen Xu streak toward them like a meteor. Ebony Maw cried out in alarm.

"I told you, Your Highness! Should we hide or retreat? That mage has already come for us. We've been exposed!"

"Retreat? Why should we retreat? I am a god. How could a god retreat?"

"But we—"

"If you want to leave, then leave now! Stop bothering me! Today, I will kill Chen Xu no matter what!"

Ebony Maw and Black Dwarf exchanged a look, then stepped directly through the spatial portal.

They immediately fled without the slightest hesitation. They knew perfectly well that they were no match for Chen Xu, who possessed the Phoenix Force. They wanted to complete the mission, but their lives mattered more. Even if the mission failed, Thanos would not blame them. They had every reason to say that it was all Loki's fault, so naturally, they would not linger there.

As Loki watched Chen Xu dive toward him, he was once again shocked by Chen Xu's strength. These Chitauri warships had been built from technologies he had plundered from other civilizations and modified with Asgardian technology. Their firepower and performance had improved by fifty percent, yet they were utterly useless against Chen Xu, like toys that could be smashed apart with a single slap. Watching Chen Xu cut through the stars toward him, Loki regretted not fleeing with Ebony Maw and Black Dwarf. But it was too late for regret. The Cosmic Cube was not in his hands, and he did not have the ability to open a spatial portal.

Like a god, Chen Xu radiated incomparably holy golden light and spoke.

"Loki, long time no see."

Loki stared at Chen Xu, who stood before him like a god and questioned him. He froze for a moment before boundless rage filled him.

"Mortal, I am the god!"

He thrust the Mind Scepter toward Chen Xu's chest, trying to take the opportunity to control him. But would that work?

Seeing the Mind Scepter strike Chen Xu, Loki's expression shifted from rage to wild delight, before freezing stiffly.

Loki discovered that Chen Xu had not reacted at all.

"Why does the Mind Scepter have no effect on you?"

Chen Xu's mental power was immensely powerful, powerful enough to pierce the multiverse. How could the Mind Scepter possibly control Chen Xu? That was simply wishful thinking.

Chen Xu did not waste any more words and walked straight toward Loki. Seeing this, Loki fired energy beams from his fist, but they had no effect whatsoever. Loki's anger from moments earlier vanished instantly, leaving behind only fear.

"Mortal, don't come any closer! What do you want? I am a prince of Asgard, Odin's son! If you dare harm me, you will face the revenge of all Asgard! Think carefully!"

The next second, Chen Xu threw a punch and sent Loki flying. Loki crashed into the iron wall of the Chitauri warship and fainted on the spot. Chen Xu grabbed Loki by the hand like a chick, held the Mind Scepter in his other hand, and flew away.