Battle of New York (V)

Every attack from the Giant Extremis Virus Soldier hammered into the ground like a sledgehammer, and New York's streets groaned beneath its feet. Li Stark's and Tony Stark's armor shook violently under its assault. Li Stark's back slammed hard against the inner wall of his suit, and a metallic taste rose in his throat. The energy shield flickered ever more frantically under the continuous blows, while the piercing alarm blared as if announcing the countdown to doomsday. "This won't work! Its defenses are too strong!" he shouted over the comms, his voice hoarse with urgency. His hands clenched the controls so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Tony Stark rolled aside to evade the giant soldier's sweeping strike, firing his repulsors relentlessly at its leg joints. "Find a way to hit its joints! The defenses there are relatively weaker!" Even so, every attack left only shallow dents in the giant soldier's skin. Blue flames swiftly healed the wounds, dancing as though they were mocking their futile efforts.

Just as the situation descended into despair, Wanda suddenly shouted, "I can sense the location of the virus core inside it! But it's protected by layers of muscle and bone. We need to find a way to open a breach!" Scarlet light glowed in her eyes like two burning flames, mysterious and powerful, yet tinged with faint unease. Fine beads of sweat covered her forehead and slid down her cheeks, leaving glistening trails across her pale skin. Magic surged wildly around her, scarlet energy gathering and swirling like agile silk ribbons and raging tides, forming vortex after vortex of energy. Each vortex emitted a faint hum, as though its magical power was poised to erupt. Her hands trembled slightly as she extended them forward, struggling to lock onto the pulsing core within the giant soldier. Every nerve in her body was taut, as if she were locked in a fierce contest with an invisible force. She could clearly feel her heart pounding in her chest like a drum.

Thor descended from the sky, swinging Mjolnir as thunder crashed down with world-destroying force upon the giant soldier. "Hah!" he roared. The powerful impact drove the giant soldier to one knee, instantly gouging a massive depression into the ground as shattered stones flew in every direction like a blooming flower of death. Wanda seized the fleeting opportunity. Her hands danced swiftly as she chanted under her breath, her hair lifting in the flow of magic. Scarlet Magic spread toward the giant soldier like a vast spiderweb, wrapping precisely around its arms and legs. The instant the magic touched its skin, dazzling sparks erupted. Blue flames collided and shrieked against scarlet energy, filling the air with a nauseating smell of scorching flesh mixed with the peculiar scent of magic.

Taking advantage of the opening, Hawkeye's arrows streaked toward its joints like meteors. Claire and Jill rode their motorcycles around to its flank, binding the giant soldier's arms with specially made alloy chain locks in an attempt to limit its movements. Metal scraped against skin with a piercing screech, while the alloy chains gradually reddened and warped under the intense heat. Li Stark seized the moment, driving his armor's thrusters to maximum power and shooting toward the giant soldier's chest like a silver bolt of lightning. He focused all his energy, and his repulsor fired a thick beam of energy. "Open up!" The beam burned a deep crater into the giant soldier's chest, but the virus core remained wrapped in a tough membrane-like tissue. The layer flickered with an eerie light, as if guarding an evil secret.

"Leave it to me!" Ashley's voice came through the communicator. She controlled a modified drone carrying specially made corrosive bombs and dropped them precisely into the crater. Knowing this was the critical moment, Wanda gritted her teeth and clenched both hands. The Scarlet Magic wrapped around the giant soldier suddenly erupted with greater force, like an invisible giant hand that firmly suppressed its struggles. Her magic flared brilliantly, forming an energy barrier around the crater to prevent the giant soldier from disrupting the corrosive bomb's dissolution process. Ripples spread across the barrier's surface. Every struggle from the giant soldier made it tremble violently, and Wanda's face grew even paler as her body began to sway uncontrollably.

Sensing the threat, the giant soldier let out a deafening roar. Wherever the sound waves reached, glass shattered, and cracks began spreading across nearby buildings. It struggled frantically, swinging one arm and sending Claire and Jill flying along with their motorcycles. Wanda ignored her exhaustion from overexertion. She immediately turned, rapidly crossed and flipped her hands, and condensed magic into a shield. The shield glowed with gentle scarlet light, like an impregnable wall, and steadily caught them. "Everyone, hold on! The core will be exposed soon!" Wanda shouted, her voice hoarse and laden with barely concealed exhaustion. Magic flickered violently around her. Her body was already swaying slightly, clearly nearing its limit, and her legs seemed ready to collapse beneath her at any moment.

Captain America Steve Rogers swung his shield, continually blocking the giant soldier's wild attacks to buy time for the others. Sparks burst brilliantly whenever the shield collided with the giant soldier's claws. Each impact sent agonizing pain through his arm. The metal shield was already covered in scratches of varying depths, and its edges had begun to curl and deform. His arm had gone numb, but his gaze remained resolute as he watched the battlefield. Only one thought filled his mind: hold on until the end.

At last, through everyone's efforts, the virus core in the giant soldier's chest was fully exposed. Thor raised Mjolnir high once more, gathering thunder around himself into a massive sphere of energy. "Die!" The energy sphere crashed toward the virus core like a meteor. Wanda also poured in the last of her strength, channeling all her magical energy into it to enhance the attack's power. Her hands trembled uncontrollably, and a trace of blood spilled from her mouth as Scarlet Magic surged forth like floodwaters bursting through a dam. A heaven-shaking explosion rang out. The giant soldier's body was blown into fragments, blue flames scattering through the air. Wanda collapsed to the ground from overexertion, her face white as paper, her eyes closed as she lost consciousness.

After dealing with the giant soldier, the group had no time to catch their breath before facing the ordinary Extremis Virus Soldiers rushing toward them in swarms. But with their earlier experience, they worked together with greater coordination. Wanda slowly rose to her feet, her body still trembling and her legs heavy as lead, but her eyes remained resolute. She took a deep breath and held out both hands. Scarlet Magic surged forth like a tide, weaving a massive energy net through the air and descending upon the enemy. The Extremis Virus Soldiers caught beneath the magical net slowed down, as though they had fallen into a thick swamp. Every movement became incomparably difficult. Thor seized the chance to unleash lightning attacks. Thunder darted through the energy net like silver serpents, working in tandem with Wanda's magic to strike the enemies twice over. The intertwined glow of lightning and magic illuminated the entire battlefield, while the thunderous blasts were deafening. Each attack felled several Extremis Virus Soldiers, turning them into dissipating blue flames.

From afar, Hawkeye calmly searched for the virus cores. Whenever Wanda's magic restrained an enemy, he fired an arrow with perfect precision. The whistle of arrows slicing through the air and the enemies' screams rose and fell without pause. His bowstring never relaxed for even a moment, and his eyes remained fixed on his targets, refusing to let a single opportunity slip by. Li Stark and Tony Stark provided aerial fire support, their repulsors continuously blasting blazing energy that complemented Wanda's magical glow and lit up the battlefield. Energy beams fell like rain, blasting deep craters into the ground and shredding any Extremis Virus Soldiers that tried to approach. Captain America Steve Rogers led Claire and the others across the ground to eliminate the stragglers and protect the civilians. They moved through the ruins as the clashes of shields and weapons mingled with battle cries, every strike carrying the conviction to protect.

In the midst of the fierce battle, Natasha arrived at the temporary command center carrying a mysterious purple crystal. Runes flickered faintly across the crystal's surface beneath the lights, releasing strange ripples as though it were alive and pulsing. Ashley immediately began analyzing it, and her expression gradually turned grim. "This crystal is the key item for activating the magic array at Stark Tower. Hydra wants to use it to open a larger spacetime rift and summon even more powerful alien creatures! If they succeed, the consequences will be unimaginable!" Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she stared intently at the screen, where the data continued to jump and reveal the terrifying power contained within the crystal.

Li Stark's expression hardened. "We can't let them succeed! We need to send some people to Stark Tower and stop Loki and Amora! Time is running out. Every second matters!"

"I'll go!" Thor volunteered. "Loki is my brother. I must personally end his crimes! I can't let him continue causing harm!" Wanda stepped forward as well. "My magic might be able to help. I'll go with you. I know a little about the magical power within Stark Tower. Maybe it'll come in handy." Captain America Steve Rogers nodded. "I'm going too. The ground battle is in your hands! Hold this place no matter what, and wait for word from us!"

On the way to Stark Tower, Thor, Wanda, and Captain America Steve Rogers were intercepted by Hydra's elite forces. These soldiers wielded advanced weapons and fierce firepower. Bullets swept toward them like rain, striking the ground and walls in showers of sparks. Wanda took a deep breath and rapidly formed hand seals, sweat once again sliding down her forehead. Scarlet Magic transformed into countless tiny energy arrows and shot toward the enemy's weapons systems. The energy arrows struck their targets with precision, instantly disrupting the weapons' electronic systems and throwing the enemy's attacks into chaos. The weapons emitted piercing electrical noises. Some stopped functioning outright, while others began firing wildly out of control. Thor took the opportunity to bombard the enemy lines with lightning. Thunder crashed down, blasting groups of enemies into the air as the smell of charred meat and pungent gunpowder filled the air. Captain America Steve Rogers swung his shield, leading the others forward while counterattacking. The shield spun nimbly in his hand, blocking every incoming bullet. He shouted encouragement to raise their morale, his voice echoing through the ruins.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Li Stark and Tony Stark continued leading the others against the Extremis Virus Soldiers. As time passed, they gradually gained the upper hand, and the number of Extremis Virus Soldiers steadily dwindled. But Doctor Killian hid in the shadows with a sinister smile on his face. He still had one final killing move left unused, and a new crisis was quietly drawing near. He stared at the controller in his hand, his eyes filled with madness and anticipation as he prepared to deliver a fatal blow to the Avengers at the crucial moment.