The Battle of New Mexico

New York's sky suddenly changed color.

One moment it had been clear and cloudless; the next, heavy storm clouds rolled in like towering waves, blotting out the entire Manhattan skyline. Gale-force winds howled as pedestrians in the streets looked up in terror, watching lightning slither through the clouds like silver serpents while thunder roared like the bellowing of ancient beasts.

Inside the Sanctum, Mage Lin's hands were still forming seals. Golden rune chains coiled around the Destroyer's armor, but its energy core continued spinning wildly, its orange-red glow growing brighter and brighter.

"It's about to break free!" Lin gritted her teeth and shouted at Mordo, who had staggered over. Fine beads of sweat covered her forehead.

The Destroyer shuddered violently, and the rune chains shattered inch by inch. Its faceplate turned toward Lin, its energy cannon ready to fire—

"Boom—!!!"

A thick bolt of lightning descended like divine punishment, punching straight through the Sanctum's roof and striking the Destroyer squarely in the chest!

The Destroyer was hurled away by the tremendous force, smashing through the Sanctum wall and tumbling into the buildings across the street. Rubble flew everywhere, smoke and dust billowed up, and every window along the street shattered.

Lin staggered back and looked up in shock through the broken roof.

At the center of the storm clouds, a warhammer wrapped in thunderclouds and lightning was plummeting down with unstoppable force—

A large hand steadily caught Mjolnir as it fell from the sky. Thor and Tony emerged from the Mirror Dimension.

The instant the hammer landed in Thor's palm, thunder erupted!

Golden lightning coiled around his body like frenzied serpents, and Asgardian armor reshaped itself amid the electric light—silver bracers, a crimson cape, heavy chest armor, every inch of metal gleaming with the glory of the divine realm. His blond hair whipped wildly in the thunderstorm, and the lightning in his eyes seemed ready to pierce the dark clouds.

Lin and Mordo were forced half a step back by that divine power. Thor slowly raised his head, a wild, arrogant smile curling across his lips.

"Thank you, mages of Midgard. For holding back my father's armor for me."

Behind him, Tony's armor was severely damaged, with half his faceplate shattered, yet he still let out a sharp whistle. "Wow, that entrance was pretty stylish, Bodhi. Could you give me a heads-up next time? My armor can't take a thunderstorm baptism at this range."

Thor turned and flashed Tony a grin. "Bodhi? Neighbor, you still don't know my name?"

Then he threw back his head and laughed. Mjolnir began spinning rapidly in his hand, and the air within the Sanctum immediately turned into a violent whirlwind.

Ancient books fluttered wildly on the shelves, the mages' robes snapped in the wind, and even Tony's armor was blown several steps backward by that divine force.

"Listen well, my friend!" Thor's voice boomed through the wind and thunder, every word carrying the rumble of lightning. "I am Thor Odinson! God of Thunder of Asgard! Son of Odin! Protector of the Nine Realms!" Mjolnir spun faster and faster, bursting with dazzling lightning. "And this tin can standing before you—"

"—is my father's toy!"

Before his words had even faded, Thor hurled Mjolnir, shooting out of the building with it like an arrow loosed from a bow and smashing straight toward the Destroyer, which had only just climbed back to its feet.

The Destroyer's armor had barely completed its self-repair, and the energy core beneath its faceplate had not yet finished charging when that heavy blow blasted it back into the ground.

"Boom—!!!"

The shockwave sent rubble flying throughout a hundred-meter radius, and cracks spread across the street like a spiderweb.

Thor pressed one knee against the Destroyer's chest, Mjolnir against its faceplate. Lightning coiling around the hammer poured madly through the gaps in its armor.

"Look at me, old friend." Thor's voice suddenly lowered. "I know Odin's will still remains within you. Tell me, what did my father send you here for?"

The Destroyer's energy core suddenly flashed violently. The orange glow beneath its faceplate turned an eerie green, and a familiar voice emerged from within it.

"Because Father has finally seen your true nature, brother."

Thor's pupils contracted sharply. "Loki?!"

The Destroyer's hand suddenly shot up, grabbing Thor by the throat and hurling him high into the air. Amid the cries of alarm around them, the Destroyer's chest armor fully opened, and an energy cannon three times more powerful than before instantly finished charging—

"Thor!" Lin and Mordo formed seals at the same time, and a golden spell array lit up beneath the Destroyer's feet. But the energy cannon had already fired, and a blinding beam shot into the sky!

At the critical moment, a gold-and-red figure slammed in from the side. Tony pushed every thruster to maximum power, using the last of his armor's energy to snatch Thor away.

"Hold on!" Tony gritted his teeth as more cracks spread across his faceplate. "JARVIS! Route all reactor power to the thrusters!"

"Energy remaining: 7%, Sir." The AI reported calmly. "Estimated duration: three seconds."

Thor extended his hand, and Mjolnir instantly returned to it. He looked at Tony, who had pulled him out of the Destroyer's firing line, surprise flashing through his eyes.

"Neighbor, you—"

"Save the touching speech, Thunder God." Tony's voice trembled from energy overload. "Either finish it quickly, or we're both turning into barbecue!"

Laughing, Thor grabbed Tony by the shoulder and flung him toward safety. "Then watch closely!"

Before he had finished speaking, his entire body turned into a bolt of lightning and dove downward. Mjolnir accelerated continuously as it fell, eventually trailing a comet-like blaze. The Destroyer had only just raised its head when Thor's hammer, descending from the heavens, struck it squarely on the crown!

"Bang—!!!"

The entire street instantly collapsed, and the shockwave shattered all the glass in the surrounding hundred meters of buildings. When the dust settled, the Destroyer had become a heap of smoking scrap metal, its energy core reduced to powder.

Thor stood amid the ruins and shook his slightly numb arm. "Finally quiet."

Tony lay flat on his back atop the rubble. After his armor gave off a few final crackling bursts of electricity, it shut down completely. He gazed up at New York's unusually clear sky, but his trademark roguish grin still appeared. "JARVIS, make a note—my Mark-3 Eclipse Edition needs a lightning-charging port."

"Recorded, Sir." JARVIS's electronic voice carried an unusual electric hiss. "However, allow me to remind you that your vital signs indicate three fractured ribs, a dislocated left shoulder, and—"

"Stop, stop, stop." Tony struggled to raise the one hand that could still move. "First, help me contact that bastard who ran off to enjoy himself in New Mexico!"

Tony's helmet communicator suddenly erupted with sharp static, followed by Chen Tian's heavy breathing and the roar of ice breaking apart. "Tony?" Chen Tian's voice was mixed with explosions. "Did you handle things over there?"

"Wow, sounds like someone's having a great time?" Tony lay in the rubble. Though his ribs hurt like hell, hearing Chen Tian panting made him unable to resist teasing him. "Let me guess, were you and Miss 2B exploring 'human reproductive behavior'?"

A cry of "Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu! Fire Release: Dragon Flame Jutsu!" came from the communicator, followed by Chen Tian's furious curse. "Damn it! Madara! I'm still here! Your fire nearly hit me!" In the background, 2B's calm tactical report could faintly be heard. "Master, I recommend withdrawing from the battlefield first and leaving this to Madara Uchiha."

"I know, I know! 2B, go help Nat!" Chen Tian shouted at 2B, then yelled into the communicator at Tony, "Bastard! If you saved Broadway's leading man, send him to New Mexico! Tell him there are Frost Giants here!"

Tony's smile suddenly froze. "Wait, Frost Giants?"

"Those Jotunheim bastards!" Chen Tian's voice broke up as he moved rapidly. "Those damn 'White Walkers' were sent down through the Bifrost!" A sharp crash of collapsing ice interrupted him. "Damn it! 2B, cover me!"

Tony abruptly pushed himself up from the rubble. The searing pain in his ribs made him gasp, and cold sweat instantly soaked through the lining of his damaged suit.

"Thor!" he shouted through gritted teeth. "There's one hell of a party in New Mexico!"

Thor had been examining the Destroyer's wreckage. He spun around sharply at those words. "What?"

"Chen Tian says—" Tony bared his teeth in pain but forced himself to stand. "Frost Giants from Jotunheim have descended through the Bifrost!"

Thor's pupils suddenly shrank, lightning bursting uncontrollably from his hammer. "Impossible! Heimdall would never—"

Ignoring the agony, Tony grabbed Thor's cape. "Who cares whether Heimdall would agree? Those big blue idiots are chasing my friend around right now!" He turned toward the communicator and roared, "Chen Tian! Hold on! We're on our—"

The communicator suddenly burst into harsh static, followed by Madara Uchiha's arrogant laughter. "Mere Frost Giants dare act so brazenly before me?" Then came a deafening explosion.

Thor's expression became exceptionally grave. He swung Mjolnir sharply. "We must go to New Mexico at once! Jane is still there!"

"Sir, the backup armor has arrived." JARVIS's voice came from above. A brand-new gold-and-red suit of armor cut through the clouds, disassembling and reassembling in front of Tony.

Tony staggered into the armor. The neural connection of the new suit made him gasp in pain. "Damn it... JARVIS, give me some painkillers."

"Injected, Sir. However, I recommend seeking medical attention immediately."

"We'll talk after this is over." Tony moved his body, blue flames bursting from the thrusters. "Thor, lead the way!"

Thor raised Mjolnir high, and storm clouds gathered once again. "Hold tight, Iron Man!"

Just as the two were about to take off, Mordo suddenly stepped forward. "Wait!" He quickly formed seals, and a golden portal opened before them. "This will be faster."

On the other side of the portal, the New Mexico desert had become an icy hell. Dozens of Frost Giants over three meters tall were rampaging across the land, wielding frozen weapons and freezing everything in their path. And at the center of the battlefield—

"Holy shit..." Tony's faceplate magnified the image. Madara Uchiha stood atop the corpse of a Frost Beast, Susanoo's massive blue sword sweeping out and cutting three Frost Giants in half at the waist.

Chen Tian flicked his wrist, and First Kitetsu carved a chilling arc through the freezing wind. Blue blood sprayed from a Frost Giant's thick leg, and its massive body crashed to its knees before Natasha.

"Thanks, buddy." Natasha rolled to her feet and fired both pistols in rapid succession, her bullets striking another giant precisely in the eyes.

Chen Tian did not answer. His gaze was sharp as a blade as his thumb gently pushed against the guard—

"Lion Song!"

In an instant, blade light exploded like thunder!

Before the Frost Giant could scream, its head had already flown high into the air. Its blue blood froze into ice crystals before it could fall. Chen Tian sheathed his sword, the blade scraping against the scabbard with a crisp ring.

"Tony should be here any moment," he said without looking back, his gaze sweeping over the battlefield.

Natasha fired at the Frost Giants from afar. "What use is he—"

Before she could finish, lightning suddenly split the sky!

"Boom—!!!"

Thor descended from the sky wrapped in thunder, Mjolnir punching directly through a Frost Giant's chest! Tony followed close behind, both repulsors firing as a barrage of energy blasts reduced an ice wall to fragments.

Chen Tian glanced at Natasha, whose words had just been proven wrong. Natasha shrugged. "Who knew he'd bring someone who could throw lightning around?"

"The party's started, kids!" Tony made a sharp turn in midair, and a compartment of micro-missiles popped out from his armor's shoulders. "JARVIS, target those big guys' knees!"

"Sir, I recommend prioritizing attacks on their—"

"I know, I know, their energy cores, right?" Tony dove, his repulsor blast striking the blue glow in a giant's chest with precision. "But shooting knees is more fun!"

Thor swung his hammer, lightning sweeping across the battlefield. "How did these Jotunheim bastards reach Midgard?"

Chen Tian slashed apart an incoming ice spear. "Ask your precious little brother! They came down through the Bifrost!"

After firing all his missiles, Tony landed beside Chen Tian and looked at the burn marks and frost covering Chen Tian's suit.

Tony's faceplate popped open with a click, revealing his punchable grin. "Wow, look who it is—how did our suit-wearing thug turn into an ice sculpture?" He flicked the ice chips off Chen Tian's shoulder. "That custom Armani suit is done for. Want me to contact an Italian tailor for you?"

Chen Tian rolled his eyes, and First Kitetsu's scabbard smacked Tony's reaching hand with a sharp slap. "Mind yourself, genius." He pointed at the bruise on Tony's face. "That's quite a look. Where'd you get your makeup done?" "It's called battle-damaged style, country bumpkin." Tony crossed his arms, grimacing from the pain.

Chen Tian laughed gleefully. "Looks like the painkillers you had JARVIS prepare in advance didn't work?"

Chen Tian curled his fingers and tapped Tony's chest. "JARVIS, unlock the chest armor module."

"Authorization confirmed. Unlocking now." JARVIS's electronic voice sounded.

A mechanical unlocking click came from beneath Tony's faceplate. "Hey, hey! Who gave you that damn authorization?!"

Chen Tian ignored his protest and lifted Tony's undersuit. "No one did. You gave me the authorization yourself."

The arc reactor exposed to the air flickered with unstable blue light, while the surrounding skin was covered in shocking purple bruises. Chen Tian's pupils narrowed slightly. "Three fractured ribs? JARVIS, why haven't his vital signs sounded an alarm?"

"Sir disabled the pain alert system," JARVIS reported calmly. "Based on the scan results, he should currently be on the verge of shock."

Tony raised his chin smugly despite his pale complexion. "Stark Industries' newest adrenaline nano—"

Before he could finish, Chen Tian suddenly grabbed his chin and flicked a crimson pill directly into his throat. Caught off guard, Tony swallowed it and immediately began coughing violently. "Cough, cough... damn it! What did you feed me? Don't tell me it was one of those little blue pills?"

"Yunnan Baiyao emergency pill, a formula from 1902." Chen Tian gave Tony the middle finger, then turned and shouted, "Nat! Please take this arrogant maniac aside and bandage him up!"

The Black Widow, still firing in the distance, gave a thumbs-up without looking back. Her tactical belt had already automatically deployed a medical kit.

On the nearby battlefield, 2B's figure darted among the Frost Giants like a silver phantom.

Her katana, Virtuous Contract, drew elegant arcs through the air, every strike precisely severing the giants' joint tendons.

The Frost Giants roared as they swung their ice battle-axes, only to strike empty air at the moment they were about to hit her—2B had already leaped into the sky, her mechanical core operating at full power as her long legs traced a perfect spinning trajectory through the air.

"Graviton Strike, activate."

With her calm command, the instant her toes tapped the giant's head, an invisible shockwave erupted! The Frost Giant's hard skull exploded like a watermelon, its blue blood freezing into ice crystals before it could even spatter.

2B flipped away with the momentum, thrusting her katana into another giant's throat. The instant the blade entered, high-frequency vibrations shattered the entire head into powder.

"Master, three o'clock." She warned him without turning back, while tossing three electromagnetic grenades behind her.

The grenades attached precisely to the chests of three giants, and the exploding electromagnetic pulse instantly paralyzed their ice armor.

Chen Tian understood immediately, and a massive blade aura swept across the field. "Thanks, 2B!"

At the other end of the battlefield, Madara Uchiha's wild laughter drowned out the Frost Giants' roars. He stood inside Susanoo's forehead crystal, arms crossed, looking down at the ant-like enemies below.

"This is all you've got?" Madara's Rinnegan glowed with eerie purple light. "You're not even worthy of being my warm-up!"

The Complete Body Susanoo's massive sword suddenly ignited with black flames. One horizontal slash severed more than a dozen Frost Giants at the waist. The severed limbs touched by Amaterasu's flames writhed madly, but burned to ash within seconds. Madara formed a seal with one hand and drew in a deep breath—

"Katon: Gōka Mekkyaku! Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"

A vast sea of flames erupted from his mouth and collided with the freezing current created by the Frost Giants, evaporating into white mist that blanketed the sky. Susanoo's giant sword suddenly thrust from the fog, pinning the Frost Giant commander hiding within it to the ground.

"Boring." Madara looked coldly at the struggling giant. "Tell your leader that if he wants to die, he should come himself."

The commander suddenly revealed an eerie smile. The ice crystal in its chest exploded, revealing glowing green runes within—Loki's magical mark! A beam shot straight at Madara's face, only to be swallowed by a spatial vortex the moment it touched his Rinnegan.

"Cheap trick." Madara's Rinnegan rotated slightly. "My turn."

He suddenly brought his hands together, and a massive spatial rift split open above the battlefield. Huge meteor-like magatama came howling down!

"Modified Tengai Shinsei!"

The shrunken meteors struck the remaining Frost Giant forces with precision, the shockwave plowing the ice field within a kilometer into a crater. Before the explosion, 2B had already leaped to Chen Tian's side. Her nano-fiber skirt spread into a protective shield, blocking the flying debris for everyone.

Once the dust settled, Madara Uchiha strode over, Susanoo's armor gradually fading away. He glanced at Thor and Tony. "You came too late. The trash has already been cleared out."

Tony's widened eyes darted back and forth between Madara and Chen Tian. "Wait... this guy who breathes fire, summons meteors, and pilots a giant robot—" He exaggeratedly gestured at Susanoo's fading outline. "You summoned him too?"

Chen Tian slowly sheathed his sword and shrugged.

"Ha!" Tony suddenly pointed at Madara's armor. "I knew that sense of style looked familiar!" Then he turned to 2B. "Sweetheart, can you tell me how you turn your little skirt into blades? Aren't you worried you'll cut your Master while you're engaging in 'reproductive behavior' with him?"

2B's mechanical eyes flickered slightly, and the corner of her mouth twitched. "Stark, your bad jokes aren't funny."

Seeing 2B's twitching mouth, Tony seemed to have discovered something novel. "2B, you have a lot more expressions now! What's going on?"

2B turned to look at Chen Tian, who was staring at Thor, and said nothing.

Tony lowered his voice with a mischievous grin. "JARVIS, make a note—our suit-wearing thug seems to have given the mechanical girl some... special upgrades." He winked at Chen Tian. "Hey, my friend, don't tell me you've taken 'human-machine interaction' to a whole new level—"

Before he could finish, JARVIS suddenly forced his faceplate shut. "Sir, I recommend that you mind the occasion."

Only then did Tony realize that the atmosphere on the field had changed abruptly. Thor's eyes were bloodshot, Mjolnir wrapped in violent lightning as it pointed directly at the S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem on Natasha's chest. "It was you despicable people!!"

Natasha instantly assumed a combat stance, the loading of her twin pistols ringing out crisply. "Big guy, did the cold freeze your brain?"

Chen Tian's figure slipped between them like a ghost. First Kitetsu slid three inches from its sheath, its cold reflected light aimed precisely at Thor's pupils. "Calm down, Hammer God." His thumb rested against the guard, ready to unleash an iaijutsu strike at any time. "Is there some misunderstanding?"

Thor narrowed his eyes at the blade light, but the thunderstorm around his hammer only intensified. "Warrior of Midgard, you do not understand! Three days ago, in the bar of this town, a group wearing that emblem captured me—" His voice trembled with rage. "They trapped me in the Mirror Dimension with illusions. I spent ten years in that illusion!"

Tony suddenly opened his faceplate, his armored hand aimed at Natasha. "When I went to rescue Thor, he really had spent many years in the illusion. I entered it too. I know."

Thor raised his hammer as thunder boomed continuously overhead. "Despicable people! Tell me! What have you done to Jane Foster?"

Chen Tian frowned and turned to Natasha. Natasha shrugged, indicating that she knew nothing about it either.

Chen Tian slowly slid Kitetsu back into its sheath, though his thumb remained against the guard, ready to draw again at any moment. He looked directly into Thor's bloodshot eyes. "Thor, calm down. Jane Foster is fine."

His voice was steady and powerful, like a bucket of cold water thrown over the Thunder God's furious emotions. "Before you arrived, I had Coulson evacuate everyone here."

Mjolnir trembled slightly in Thor's raised hand, and the roar of its lightning weakened somewhat. "You say Jane is safe?"

"She's safe. S.H.I.E.L.D. took her away with another 'you' twelve hours ago. I can guarantee that S.H.I.E.L.D. treated her kindly." Chen Tian's lips pulled into a helpless curve. "So, Thor, the ones who captured you were not S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Perhaps it has something to do with your mischievous little brother."