In space, dozens of kilometers away from Earth, a massive black spacecraft, resembling a gigantic cross, appeared after a sudden distortion of space. The ship's ominous form towered several thousand meters high.
Inside the ship, a man with unnaturally pale skin silently gazed at the distant blue planet.
"How many years has it been? This planet is still so weak. What a useless piece of trash!" The man sneered.
"My Lord Malekith, Earth is the center of this universe convergence. If we want to bring darkness to the Nine Realms again, we must start from here!" A subordinate approached the man respectfully.
The pale-faced man was none other than Malekith, the leader of the Dark Elves.
Malekith nodded and said, "Notify everyone. Prepare for the descent. Let darkness begin with this useless planet!"
"Understood!" The subordinate nodded and immediately issued the command for their descent.
A moment later, a thunderous roar echoed from the black cross-shaped battleship, which plummeted to Earth like a massive steel beast. Within seconds, it pierced through the atmosphere.
Flames erupted as the ship's surface rubbed against the air, making it appear as a giant meteor descending towards Earth.
In New York City, atop the Stark Industries building, an alarm suddenly blared.
"Unidentified flying object detected, unidentified flying object detected. Target located at an altitude of 15,907 meters, moving at a speed of 700 meters per second!"
Upon hearing the alarm, Tony Stark, who had been busy in his workshop, looked up, revealing his dark circles and tired face.
Since the Battle of New York, Tony had suffered from severe insomnia. He lived in constant fear, feeling extremely insecure.
The reason was simple: the Zetauri had left a lasting shadow on him. As a man with a strong sense of social responsibility, Tony couldn't bear the thought of his home being destroyed by aliens again.
He needed to protect his home, but how?
This was the question that had occupied his mind for some time.
Eventually, he came to his answer: he would keep iterating and upgrading his suits of armor.
He needed them to be versatile, able to handle any situation.
Now, he had created dozens of new suits.
And these suits had brought him some comfort and peace.
However, just when his heart had found a rare moment of calm, the sudden alarm shattered it.
"JARVIS, activate the Sky Eye system, check the situation and see what's happening!" Tony said with a grim expression.
"Right away, sir!" A mechanical voice responded.
Moments later, a holographic projection appeared in front of Tony, showing the massive black cross-shaped spaceship speeding toward New York City.
"Another alien invasion? JARVIS, activate the Mark 40 Hunter Armor!" Tony dropped his work and quickly donned a silver-blue suit.
This suit was designed for air combat, capable of breaking the sound barrier easily. It was made specifically for aerial battles.
As Tony prepared for battle, aboard S.H.I.E.L.D.'s flying aircraft carrier, Nick Fury stared grimly at the cross-shaped ship not far from them.
"Sir, our radio signals are not receiving any response, and the enemy's intentions are unclear!" Natasha's voice sounded tense.
Nick Fury nodded, his expression darkened. "Prepare for combat, a new crisis is upon us. Coulson, you handle logistics, evacuate the nearby civilians immediately!"
"What about the Holy Light Church?" Nick Fury turned to Agent Hill.
"I've already contacted Priest Vog. He says everything is under control, no need to worry. We just need to do our job!" Hill replied.
Nick Fury nodded silently, not saying anything further.
After the previous two major incidents, the Holy Light Church had earned their trust.
Now, whenever something major happened, Nick Fury would inform them in advance.
It was an unspoken agreement.
Though this might have bruised S.H.I.E.L.D.'s pride, when it came to Earth's safety, pride didn't matter.
This world was realistic, whoever had the stronger fist held the power.
After all, the Holy Light Church had the backing of the Lord of Life!
The massive black battleship descended into New York City, catching the citizens completely unprepared.
Panic-stricken screams echoed through the streets.
However, after the previous alien invasions, most of the public quickly regained their composure, now surprisingly calm.
Some even looked at the cross-shaped ship in the sky with disdain.
"Damn, is it another alien invasion?"
"Doesn't this ever end? Do they think our planet is an easy target?"
"Our home is protected by the Lord of Life! They're asking for death!"
"Exactly, the Holy Light Church is here. They should just go back where they came from!"
"This time will be no different. With the light of our Lord shining upon us, these invaders will have no good end!"
"Anyway, this is a perfect opportunity to witness the Holy Light Church in action!"
The crowd quickly evacuated, but they couldn't stop commenting on the situation, mocking the invaders.
Unlike the panic of the previous times, this time they acted in an orderly manner. After all, they had seen it all before.
What was a single spaceship compared to the hellish dimensions they had faced earlier?
Clearly, this didn't seem that terrifying.
The Dark Elves had one goal in mind: to retrieve the Aether, one of the Infinity Stones, the Reality Stone.
Their ship landed near the Roland Family estate. Effie, who was inside the estate, looked up and saw the unusual ship.
At that moment, the ship opened its massive doors, like petals of a blooming flower. Small dagger-like ships surged out in droves, heading straight for the estate.
Effie, who had been silent up to this point, slowly stood up with a sneer.
"It's been a while since I've had a good workout. Time to stretch my muscles!"
With that, she stepped forward and disappeared from the room. When she reappeared, she was already hovering above the estate.
The black ships flew down in formation, like ominous storm clouds. Meanwhile, energy beams with destructive power shot toward the estate.
But just then, the Dark Elves noticed a human woman had appeared in the sky above the estate.
"Space freeze!"
Effie smiled faintly, raising her hand and snapping her fingers.
The space-controlling magic granted to her by Philis was immediately activated. In an instant, the space within a hundred miles of her became frozen.
Everything came to a halt, clouds, butterflies, fish, and even the black ships and energy blasts heading for the estate.
At that moment, only Effie could move.
She smiled with satisfaction as she looked at the frozen ships and raised her hand again. A magic portal appeared in front of her.
Effie walked through it leisurely and, in the blink of an eye, found herself before Malekith.
With a thought, her space magic was released, and the frozen Malekith returned to normal.
But he seemed confused, still giving orders to his subordinates.
It wasn't until he realized that everyone around him was frozen that he understood something was terribly wrong.
That's when he saw the human woman who had appeared on their ship.
"Who... are you?" Malekith asked grimly.
Everything that was happening was beyond his imagination. After living for countless years, he had never encountered anything like this before.
Space freeze?! How had such a powerful being appeared on this weak planet?
"I'm someone you don't need to know about. The moment you attacked the Roland estate, you signed your death sentence. The dead have no right to know my name. You just need to know that I am a saint of the Lord of Life!" Effie replied coldly.
Upon hearing this, Malekith's face twisted with fury.
He was the leader of the Dark Elves, a ruler of the Nine Realms. His position was unshakable. No one had ever dared speak to him like this before. Effie was the first. His pride couldn't accept this.
"Preposterous! Do you know who you're speaking to? I am..."
Before he could finish, Effie's gaze sent him flying.
Indeed, Effie didn't even raise a hand, her eyes alone unleashed an unimaginable force that struck Malekith across the face.
He was sent crashing through the air, utterly humiliated.
"You...!"
Shocked by the ease with which he was thrown aside, Malekith couldn't comprehend what had just happened. He was sure she hadn't touched him, yet he was sent flying.
Such power was beyond anything he could resist.
He was terrified.
"No matter who you were before, now you are nothing but a forgotten relic of the past. The Dark Elves may live in their former glory, but you should never aim your weapons at the Lord's domain. That is the greatest blasphemy!" Effie's voice was calm, but her words carried the weight of death.
With that, she disappeared from the sky above the estate, reappearing in front of the massive black ship. With a gentle push of her hand, an overwhelming force erupted, sending the fleet into space.
The energy cannon that had been heading for the estate turned around in midair, now targeting the Dark Elf mothership.
All of this unfolded under Malekith's horrified gaze.
Desperation filled his heart as he realized he was facing certain destruction.
"No!!! We, the Dark Elves, are rulers of the Nine Realms. Darkness has not yet returned. How can we be defeated?!" Malekith howled in agony.
Just then, a new darkness appeared in the sky above Earth. A powerful dark energy rushed toward Malekith's body.
Simultaneously, a sinister laugh echoed through the heavens.
"Ka-ka-ka... Dark Elves, I feel your devotion. Darkness cannot come without my involvement. I've seen your faith. So, I bestow upon you the purest dark power. Let this cursed planet be consumed!"
An overwhelming, tyrannical evil laugh reverberated throughout the universe as a terrible dark force descended.
This dark power engulfed the energy cannon that had been aimed at the Dark Elves' mothership, making it disappear without a trace.
"Dormammu?!" Effie's face turned grave.
She had never expected Dormammu to appear at this moment!
She had thought Dormammu had made an agreement with the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange, not to interfere with Earth anymore. Yet, here he was, violating that pact.
Effie was taken aback. Dormammu was a being of intermediate god-tier power. Only Philis, her master, or the Sorcerer Supreme with the Time Stone could challenge him!
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