With Stormterror's help, the pressure on everyone eased dramatically. Most importantly, Dvalin had taken up the position closest to the portal. Whenever Chitauri troops poked their heads through, he threw back his head and roared, and the storm shredded them until nothing remained.
With their reinforcements cut off, the remaining Chitauri soldiers on the ground were gradually dwindling. Venti summoned an updraft and hovered in the air, surveying the situation below.
"Mm, everything's looking up."
With help from the military and the Avengers, the civilians were evacuated to safety, and the wounded received treatment. Some had thought they would never see another sunrise, and others had already prepared themselves to die. None had expected such a dramatic turnaround, with the scales of victory gradually tipping toward humanity.
Steve looked up at the spectacle in the sky, catching his breath after the intense exertion. "I thought aliens were as far as it went. Now there's a dragon turning my whole worldview upside down."
Natasha replaced her empty magazine, aimed at an enemy, and shot it in the head. After taking a breath, she said, "Times have changed. We've got to keep looking ahead."
Barton reached behind him, only to find his quiver empty. He looked around, pulled an arrow from a Chitauri corpse, and returned it to his quiver. Twisting an arrowhead into place, he glanced up. "Well, that's bedtime stories for the kids sorted."
Everyone else thought Barton was joking. He was actually telling the truth.
Thor summoned lightning and blasted the aliens across an entire block to pieces. Swinging his hammer, he gazed at the enormous dragon in the sky with stars in his eyes.
Who cared about riding unicorns or flying warhorses? A dragon was far more impressive than any of those mounts.
He climbed to the top