Arbitrators! Move Out!

4:15 a.m., S.H.I.E.L.D. Trident Building

The night had not yet faded, but Trident Building was brightly lit, like a city that never slept. The shockwaves from the Pegasus Research Institute explosion were still reverberating. All of S.H.I.E.L.D. had entered emergency status, and every agent had been recalled to headquarters pending investigation.

Yet no one had expected that the real storm would not come from outside.

—It would come from within.

4:20 a.m., S.H.I.E.L.D. Central Corridor

Gunfire suddenly erupted, shattering the silence of the corridor.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent had barely raised the alarm before a burst of bullets cut him down. Blood splattered across the pristine white wall, a horrifying sight.

Coulson pressed himself against the wall, swiftly chambering his pistol. Beside him, Melinda May's eyes were cold as she said quietly, "It's not an outside enemy... it's our own people."

"Hydra." Coulson gritted his teeth, disbelief flashing through his eyes.

Only minutes earlier, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s entire communications system had suddenly gone down. Then, without warning, colleagues who had fought side by side with them turned their guns on unsuspecting S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and began slaughtering them.

—This was Hydra's rebellion.

4:25 a.m., Central Command Room

"All units, attention. Execute the Shieldbreaker Protocol immediately!" Pierce's voice rang through the building over encrypted channels.

The next second, every Hydra-infiltrated agent moved at once.

The surveillance rooms were seized, the armories taken over, and the escape routes sealed off.

—S.H.I.E.L.D. was being devoured by its own shadow.

4:30 a.m., East Wing Safe House

Coulson led the remaining dozen or so loyal agents through the blockade with great difficulty, trying to evacuate the building.

"We need to find more help!" Coulson growled as he directed the team forward.

But when they rounded the corner, everyone suddenly stopped.

—Rumlow's special operations squad had already sealed every exit.

The fully armed assault team stood in formation, their cold gun barrels aimed at them.

"Surrender, Coulson." Rumlow stepped out from the group, a mocking smile on his lips. "You have nowhere left to run."

Coulson tightened his grip on his pistol, his gaze unwavering. "You think this means you've won?"

Rumlow shrugged. "No. We won a long time ago."

He waved a hand, and the special operations team behind him raised their weapons in unison.

"Fire."

—Gunfire thundered as muzzle flashes tore through the darkness.

4:35 a.m., S.H.I.E.L.D. Trident Building Archives

Steve's fingers hovered over the keyboard, blue screenlight reflecting off his tense face. Natasha stood behind him, watching the corridor with vigilance.

"These files..." Steve said in a low voice. "They have to be exposed."

Natasha was about to reply when a burst of dense gunfire suddenly sounded in the distance. Both of them looked up sharply.

"That's not a drill." Natasha quickly drew her pistol and efficiently checked the magazine.

Steve immediately shut down the terminal and grabbed his shield. "Sounds like a firefight. It's coming from the east wing."

Another explosion shook the room, and the archive lights flickered several times. An ear-piercing alarm sounded as red warning lights began to spin.

"Looks like Hydra inside S.H.I.E.L.D. has made its move." Steve's eyes were filled with resolve. "We need to get out there."

Natasha nodded. "I'll go to the cafeteria and find Hill. She's still unconscious there because of us. You go support the other agents."

They exchanged a glance and reached an understanding without another word. Steve pulled open the archives door, finding the corridor already filled with a faint smell of gunpowder.

4:40 a.m., S.H.I.E.L.D. West Wing Corridor

Steve moved swiftly along the wall, his shield ready to block at any moment. When he turned the corner, the sight before him made his heart tighten—three S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were pinned behind cover by six fully armed assault troopers.

"Hydra!" one of the agents shouted. "They suddenly just—"

Before he could finish, one of the troopers raised his weapon. Steve hurled his shield without hesitation. The disc cut a perfect arc through the air, knocking down three enemies with pinpoint precision.

"Get down!" Steve shouted as he charged into the battlefield. The remaining agents immediately reacted and joined Captain America in the counterattack. In less than ten seconds, all six Hydra agents were down.

"Captain!" a young agent cried excitedly. "The whole building's in chaos! We don't know who we can trust!"

Steve picked up his shield. "Stay alert. Subdue anyone who does anything suspicious immediately."

Meanwhile, in the staff cafeteria

Natasha silently pushed open the cafeteria doors. Four security officers and Hill lay unconscious across the dining tables. After quickly checking the surroundings and confirming it was safe, she took a small injector from her tactical pouch.

Hill woke soon after the injection. She jerked her head up, her gaze instantly turning wary. "Romanoff? You—"

"Shh." Natasha raised a finger to her lips. "Hydra has launched an attack."

Hill immediately noticed the unconscious security officers around them. "Why didn't you wake them up?"

Natasha's green eyes gleamed with caution. "Because I'm not sure whether they're Hydra."

Hill frowned and quickly checked her communications device. "Damn it, the signal's jammed." She tried several emergency communication protocols, but every one showed a transmission failure.

"Pierce is their leader." Natasha handed Hill a pistol. "At least forty percent of the agents have already turned."

Hill took the weapon and expertly chambered a round. "Where's Fury?"

"He went off the grid fifteen minutes ago." Concern edged Natasha's voice. "We need to find the Captain immediately, and then—"

The cafeteria doors were suddenly kicked open, and three fully armed agents rushed inside. Natasha and Hill raised their guns simultaneously, but hesitated for an instant when they saw the S.H.I.E.L.D. insignia on the newcomers' uniforms.

"Commander Hill!" the lead agent shouted. "We've been ordered to escort you to the safe house!"

Hill was about to answer when Natasha suddenly noticed that the safeties on all their weapons were off, their fingers trembling slightly on the triggers. Her pupils contracted sharply—

"Get down!" Natasha lunged at Hill, knocking her to the floor as she fired.

A bullet grazed Hill's hair and struck the lead agent squarely between the eyes. The other two "agents" immediately opened fire, and the cafeteria instantly became a battlefield.

Hill rolled behind cover, her heart pounding. "Damn it, how did you—"

"They were nervous." Natasha calmly changed magazines. "Their fingers were shaking on the triggers."

The two women stood back-to-back in a defensive formation. The cafeteria was filled only with the sharp crashes of bullets shattering tableware and the enemy's heavy footsteps.

4:45 a.m., S.H.I.E.L.D. Eastern Security Zone

Steve's shield sliced through the smoke and struck a Hydra agent in the head with perfect precision. Amid the dull clang of metal, the enemy fell.

"Captain!" Coulson's voice came from behind cover, carrying obvious surprise.

Steve performed a tactical roll to Coulson's side, his Vibranium shield held steadily before him. "Casualties?"

"Three lightly wounded, one seriously wounded." May gave a quick report, her MP5 submachine gun still trained on the far end of the corridor. "We're surrounded."

Another storm of bullets came roaring in, sparks flying from their cover. Rumlow's voice echoed through a loudspeaker. "Surrender, Captain America! The entire building is under our control!"

Steve ignored the taunt and quickly surveyed the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents around him. Including Coulson's team, they had only twenty-three people left. At the far end of the corridor, at least thirty fully armed Hydra agents were gathering.

"What about communications?" Steve asked in a lowered voice.

Coulson shook his head, his expression grim. "Every channel is jammed. We're completely cut off from the outside."

May suddenly pointed outside. "Look over there!"

Through the bulletproof glass, they could see a massive Hydra force gathering in the plaza around the building. Armored vehicles, heavy weapons, and at least two hundred armed personnel had surrounded the building so tightly that not even water could get through.

"Damn..." a young agent cursed under his breath. "They've got us surrounded."

Steve took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over each exhausted face. "We need reinforcements."

"The Arbitrators?" Coulson's eyes lit up, only to dim again moments later. "But we can't contact them at all."

Steve frowned at the news that every communications channel had been blocked. He looked around at the utterly exhausted agents who were still holding their ground, and his eyes gradually hardened.

"Listen, everyone," he raised his voice, gripping the Vibranium shield tightly. "There's no way the Arbitrators haven't noticed what's happening here. They must already be on their way."

Coulson wiped the sweat from his forehead. "But communications are completely down. How would they know—"

"Trust them," Steve interrupted, his voice calm and powerful. "The same way I trust every one of you. Just hold on a little longer—"

Before he could finish, a blinding blue beam suddenly shot in through the window, illuminating the entire security zone. Everyone instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes, staring at the source in confusion.

"What's going on?" May raised her weapon warily.

The entire building suddenly began to shake violently, dust raining down from the ceiling. The lights in the security zone flickered on and off as alarms erupted one after another.

"An earthquake?" an agent cried.

Steve steadied himself and looked outside. He could not see the source of the light, but he saw every Hydra soldier outside looking up at the sky.

And above Trident Building's rooftop, that blue light shot straight into the heavens, dyeing the night sky an eerie blue.

Arbitrator Tower

Inside the control center, a holographic projection clearly displayed the live situation at Trident Building. Tony had already suited up in his armor. Leaning against the console, he lightly tapped his gauntlet with his fingers, his eyes never leaving the projection.

"The data shows that Hydra's rebellion is quite substantial." Chen Tian calmly analyzed the information, his fingertips gliding across the holographic interface. "Approximately three hundred enemies, perhaps more."

2B's mechanical pupils flickered with a cold light. "Master, civilian evacuation is eighty-seven percent complete. Some civilians are still refusing to leave."

Madara Uchiha leaned in the shadows, his Sharingan faintly visible in the darkness. "What a boring wait."

Barton impatiently adjusted his quiver, his fingers constantly tapping against the bowstring. "How much longer are we going to wait? Every minute, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s casualties increase!"

Banner patted Barton on the shoulder, his tone calm. "Calm down, Clint. Chen Tian has his own arrangements."

Tony chuckled. "The old popsicle and the others can hold out. We need to stick to the plan."

"The plan? What plan?" Hawkeye paced back and forth irritably. "We could obviously go in right now and—"

At that moment, the holographic projection suddenly flickered violently. A blinding blue beam erupted from Trident Building's rooftop and shot into the sky.

Tony sprang to his feet, his helmet sealing shut instantly as the armor's scanners locked onto the blue light. "Chen Tian, is that—"

Chen Tian's gaze sharpened as he stared at the beam, then slowly nodded. "Tony, activate the Angel Wings rescue protocol. Deploy all rescue robots and medical pods to the combat zone. Civilian safety must be guaranteed." Tony immediately raised his hand, and the AI in his armor swiftly responded. "JARVIS, execute Protocol Alpha. Deploy all rescue units at full speed."

2B's long blade hummed as it slid from its sheath, her mechanical pupils locking onto the target. "Combat systems ready."

Madara Uchiha straightened up, his Sharingan slowly spinning. "Now this is getting interesting."

Dr. Banner removed his glasses and took a deep breath. "Hopefully, Hulk won't need to make an appearance this time."

Barton finally stopped pacing, his brows tightly furrowed. "Wait. You knew that light was coming?"

Chen Tian did not answer immediately. His gaze remained fixed on the blue light. After a moment, he said, "Barton, we're going to war with aliens."

"Aliens? What the hell? Aliens are real?" Barton's voice suddenly rose.

Chen Tian took a deep breath. "Yes. The Chitauri."

The next second, Chen Tian spun around. "Move! Tony, handle aerial support. 2B and Madara will clear the ground. Dr. Banner will serve as medical backup."

"What about me?" Barton asked urgently.

Chen Tian looked at him. "Go rendezvous with Steve and Natasha, along with the remaining S.H.I.E.L.D. agents." He gave the blue beam one last look. "Get ready. We're going to war!"

Trident Building Rooftop

Loki stood on the rooftop, his golden helmet gleaming in the blue light. The Mind Scepter in his hand radiated golden energy, echoing the blue beam shooting skyward from the roof.

Pierce stood behind him and looked up at the sky. The blue light had expanded into a massive vortex, space seeming to tear apart as strange energy flickered within the pitch-black rift.

"My lord, your army is about to arrive," Pierce said respectfully to Loki.

Loki spread his arms, the scepter's glow illuminating his handsome yet mad face. His laughter echoed in the wind, carrying boundless arrogance. "Look, Pierce. This is the power you humans have always dreamed of!"

The vortex in the sky abruptly widened, and something colossal slowly emerged from the black rift—

It was a hideous head covered in metallic scales. The Leviathan's roar came from the portal, making the entire building tremble.

"Ants of Midgard!" Loki shouted, his voice piercing the clouds. "From this day onward, you will submit to—"

Boom!

A blinding bolt of lightning suddenly crashed down, striking Loki squarely in the chest!

"Argh—!" Caught completely off guard, Loki was hurled away by the violent power of thunder. He slammed heavily into the edge of the rooftop, his scepter flying from his hand and rolling several meters across the ground.

He pushed himself up in disarray, his golden helmet crooked as fury and shock flashed through his eyes.

"Loki!!"

A furious roar came from the sky. Thor flew in at high speed with Mjolnir in hand, wrapped in the power of lightning. His red cape snapped violently in the wind, rage burning in his eyes as his voice boomed like thunder. "You dare—!" Loki wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and sneered. "Oh? My dear brother, your timing is perfect."

Thor landed heavily, Mjolnir smashing into the ground and sending a ring of air rolling outward. He glared at Loki. "Close the portal. Now!"

Loki slowly rose to his feet, and the scepter flew back into his hand on its own. Tilting his head, he showed a mocking smile. "Why? Don't you think Midgard needs a true ruler?"

Thor gripped Mjolnir tightly, lightning flashing in his eyes. "You're insane!"

"Insane?" Loki laughed. "No. I simply see farther than all of you!"

Before his words had faded, the Leviathan in the portal had completely emerged. Its enormous body blotted out the sky, its deafening roar seeming to herald the arrival of the end.

Thor looked up at the terrifying beast, his expression changing drastically. "Loki, do you have any idea what you're doing?!"

Loki's smile grew even more deranged. "Of course I do—I'm bringing order to this world!"

Thor wasted no more words. He swung Mjolnir fiercely, unleashing a burst of lightning that shot straight toward Loki!

Loki swiftly raised his scepter, a golden energy barrier appearing before him. The instant the two powers collided, the entire rooftop shook!

"You can't stop me, Thor!" Loki growled through gritted teeth.

Battle spirit burned in Thor's eyes. "Then let's find out!"

Inside the building

Steve, Coulson, and the others stood frozen before the window, staring up at the suffocating sight in the sky. Several Leviathans writhed out of the portal, their enormous metal bodies blocking out the heavens. Each one resembled a mythical sea monster, making them tremble.

Even more terrifying, countless Chitauri soldiers leaped down from the beasts, swarming toward the ground like locusts.

"My God..." The gun in one agent's hand slowly lowered on its own, his voice trembling. "What... what are we supposed to do?"

Coulson instinctively reached for the pistol at his waist, only to realize that his hand was trembling too.

May pressed her lips tightly together, uncertainty appearing in her eyes for the first time.

Even Steve gripped his shield tighter, momentarily unsure how to raise everyone's spirits.

Then, at that moment of despair—

"Miss me, Captain?"

Tony's signature teasing voice suddenly exploded across the night sky. The next second, a blue-and-white meteor streaked through the heavens. The formerly gold-and-red Mark-Eclipse armor had changed into blue, white, and black, six mechanical wings blasting brilliant photon flames and leaving dazzling trails through the night.

Tony, in Light Angel Mode, charged toward the nearest Leviathan with unstoppable force, holding an azure laser sword in each hand. At the instant of contact, the blades danced like flying rainbows.

The beast let out an earth-shaking roar as its metal shell was sliced open cleanly, exposing its internal tissues to the air.

Tony did not stop. His six mechanical wings fully spread as he became a blue-and-white bolt of lightning weaving around the beast, every strike hitting a vital point with perfect precision.

On the ground, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents all gaped in unison.

"He... he did it all by himself..." Coulson shook his head in disbelief.

Steve finally found his voice, a smile curling at his lips. "Looks like our rescue has arrived." He raised his shield high, his voice ringing out. "Everyone, prepare for battle! The Arbitrators' reinforcements are here!"

As if to confirm Steve's words, a purple beam shot from afar toward a Leviathan.

The purple beam instantly vaporized the entire Leviathan. The residual energy in the air made the atmosphere ripple slightly.

At that moment, everyone discovered that their communications systems had been restored. Then a clear burst of static suddenly came from Steve's communicator, followed by Chen Tian's steady voice in his ear:

"Steve, it's time."

Immediately afterward, the entire communications channel erupted with the synchronized roar of engines. Chen Tian's voice thundered across the battlefield over an all-channel broadcast:

"Arbitrators! Move out!"