Peter arrived at that moment and immediately fired webs, binding Gwen and Skye before they could enter the Quinjet any further—Wanda, still unconscious, was caught up as well.
"Don't do anything stupid," Peter said urgently. "Lucas isn't necessarily gone. Charging in like this is just suicide. If Lucas comes back and finds you missing, how am I supposed to explain that to him?"
He hurried forward to persuade them, then suddenly noticed something strange.
Onion.
That bird was casually pecking at a Chitauri corpse nearby, completely unconcerned about its master's fate.
That realization made Peter's eyes widen.
"Gwen, Skye—look at Onion!" Peter pointed excitedly. "If something had really happened to Lucas, wouldn't it be the first one to panic? But look at it—it's still playing with a corpse. That means it isn't worried at all. And if Onion isn't worried, then Lucas must be fine!"
Gwen and Skye both turned to look where Peter was pointing.
Sure enough, Onion was still fiddling with the Chitauri body, showing not the slightest hint of anxiety.
"Natasha, close the rift," Steve said as he got back to his feet.
Natasha acted immediately, driving the Mind Scepter straight into the Tesseract.
Boom!
A shockwave blasted her backward. Her body was flung straight off the top of Stark Tower. At the same time, the Tesseract's energy supply ceased—its beam vanished, and the spatial rift began to slowly close.
"Natasha's in danger!" Barton shouted from his vantage point.
Tony shot over at once, catching Natasha as she fell.
"No need to thank me," Tony said from inside his helmet.
Natasha rolled her eyes and ignored him.
---
In space, the destruction of the Chitauri mothership marked the true end of the Battle of New York. As Ramuh gazed at the blossoming explosion, his massive form gradually faded away.
With Ramuh gone, Lucas was left completely exposed to the vacuum of space. Suffocation, extreme cold, and the effects of zero pressure hit him all at once.
As if sensing Lucas's condition, the cloak behind him unfurled instantly and wrapped tightly around his body.
At that moment, a ring of fire appeared. A hand reached out and pulled Lucas through it.
In an instant, Lucas was transported from outer space back to Earth.
The one who brought him back was the Ancient One.
The cloak loosened again, but Lucas had already lost consciousness. Even a few seconds of exposure to space was more than a human body could endure.
The Ancient One looked at the unconscious Lucas and gently tapped a finger against his forehead. As energy flowed into him, Lucas regained consciousness.
"Master Ancient One… what happened to me…?"
Recognizing her face, Lucas slowly sat up and looked around, realizing he was inside the New York Sanctum.
"You lost consciousness in space," the Ancient One said with a smile. "I brought you back. You're fine now."
She produced a cup of hot tea from nowhere and handed it to him.
"Drink."
Lucas took the cup and downed it in one gulp, not caring how hot it was.
A breath of icy cold air escaped his lips, and the bone-chilling chill vanished completely.
"Thank you, Master Ancient One," Lucas said sincerely as he stood up.
The cloak behind him even bowed respectfully toward her.
"It is I who should thank you," she replied, shaking her head. "You saved Earth from Loki and the Chitauri."
Lucas had not disappointed her. He had made the right choice, and at last, she could set her heart at ease and continue with her plans.
---
Leaving the New York Sanctum, Lucas immediately flew toward Stark Tower.
"Yo—! Did you miss me, everyone?"
In the blink of an eye, Lucas appeared near Stark Tower, hovering in midair as he looked down at the crowd.
"Lucas! I knew you wouldn't die that easily," Tony said at once. "They say disasters live forever—looks like they were talking about you."
Tony's sarcasm activated instantly, though only JARVIS could detect the joy in his eyes.
Everyone rushed toward Lucas. Gwen and Skye ran straight into his arms.
"Sorry for making you worry," Lucas said gently, rubbing their heads.
Gwen and Skye couldn't stop crying. Just moments ago, they had truly believed Lucas was gone.
"This isn't the time for tears," Lucas said, lifting his gaze toward the top of Stark Tower. "There's still someone left to deal with."
Up there lay the true culprit.
Loki, who had been knocked unconscious by Hulk's stomp, slowly opened his eyes—only to find several people standing over him, all staring coldly. Barton had already drawn his bow, the gleaming arrowhead aimed straight at Loki's eyes.
Loki's heart sank.
He couldn't even beat Thor alone—let alone face several people on Thor's level at once.
"Um… is it still possible for me to surrender?" Loki asked, forcing an awkward smile.
At this point, all he wanted was to go back to Asgard. Earth was simply too dangerous.
"Atreus," Lucas said with a playful smile, "I actually preferred your arrogant attitude. How about you bring that back?"
Loki rolled his eyes.
Being called Atreus was bad enough—did he really have to rub salt into the wound? Truly killing both body and spirit. Was this guy even human?
---
Aboard the Helicarrier, Loki was shackled thoroughly—hands cuffed, mouth sealed. Thor grabbed him by the collar, carrying the Tesseract as he joined the others on the deck.
"I'll be leaving now," Thor said, looking at them. "It was an honor to fight alongside you."
For the first time, Thor truly understood Odin's words. Midgard possessed a unique allure—especially its people.
They bid Thor farewell one by one, watching as he activated the Tesseract and disappeared together with Loki.
Only then did everyone return to the conference room.
"So, what are your plans now?" Tony asked, turning to Bruce.
"I think I'll go back to Brazil," Bruce replied. "Life there wasn't so bad."
He still didn't want to work at Stark Industries. After all, the Hulk was a ticking time bomb.
Tony didn't push the matter. Bruce's choice of a quiet life deserved respect.
Everyone chatted and laughed—except Lucas, whose gaze settled on Nick Fury.
"Baldy," Lucas said calmly, "don't you owe us an explanation?"
Fury had known this wouldn't just blow over. Inwardly, he cursed those shameless politicians. Why provoke these people? Did they really think they had long lives?
Fury pulled out a remote and pressed a button. The large screen lit up, playing the conversation between him and the members of the World Security Council.
The entire sequence of events was laid bare. Fury had strongly opposed the decision—but it had been useless. The nuke was still launched.
"I won't explain this," Fury said flatly. "And I was never here."
With that, he turned and left the conference room. As he exited, a relaxed smile appeared on his face.
No matter what, Earth had survived.
And his Avengers Initiative had not been in vain.
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