The Avengers' Quinjet landed inside the shield, and the heroes leaped from the cabin onto Wakandan soil.
On the ground, Wakanda's forces had already formed ranks—not an ordinary army.
They were the Dora Milaje, the Border Tribe, and every Wakandan who could fight with Vibranium weapons.
T'Challa stood at the very front, his Black Panther Suit gleaming with a dark golden sheen beneath the sunlight.
His clawed Vibranium hands rested at his sides as he watched the enemy ships descending from the sky.
"They're here," T'Challa said.
Steve stepped up beside him, shield in hand.
"We're ready."
The first wave of attacks came in the form of Outriders falling from the sky.
Not spacecraft. Not energy weapons. Living creatures.
Thousands upon thousands of four-legged monsters, with no eyes on their heads—only mouths full of sharp fangs.
They were dropped from the bellies of the enemy ships, falling like rain toward the ground. They struck Wakanda's energy shield and were reduced to ash.
Then more landed on the shield, piling up layer upon layer and draining its energy with their bodies.
"They're wearing down the shield!" Shuri's voice came sharply and urgently through the comms.
"The energy is being consumed faster than it can regenerate. The shield will collapse within an hour!"
"Then don't let them hit the shield. Open a gap for me!" Tony said.
He flew out of the Quinjet, the Mark LII Armor's thrusters trailing blue flames.
He flew through the opening in the shield and fired the chest-mounted pulse cannon just before the Outriders could crash into it.
A thick blue beam of energy swept across the sky, incinerating hundreds of Outriders, but even more poured out from the enemy ships.
They descended through the gap and into Wakanda.
Carol dived down from even higher in the