On the ground, all S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel had entered combat readiness. Every agent rushed to their assigned positions. More than a dozen helicopters circled relentlessly over Greenwich, each one armed with missiles beneath its fuselage, heavy machine guns mounted as standard equipment.
Within Greenwich University, everyone stood on high alert. The alarms from the detectors hammered at their nerves like repeated blows to the chest. Steve stood in the plaza, shield clenched tightly in his hand. Behind him were Natasha, Barton, and a group of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top operatives.
On the opposite side of the plaza, Peter stood at the very front, tense and focused. Behind him, Wanda slowly levitated into the air, scarlet energy enveloping her body. Skye stood quietly not far from Wanda, the space around her hands subtly warping. Gwen and Felicia remained at Peter's side.
All eyes scanned the surroundings.
Suddenly, the sky changed.
Massive circular discs appeared overhead, each one revealing a different scene within.
"Th-this… this is the Convergence Karl talked about?!" someone exclaimed.
Everyone looked up. The enormous discs filled the sky—not just above Greenwich, but across the entire world. Humanity everywhere bore witness to this surreal phenomenon.
Steve tightened his grip on the shield once more. The sight before him was awe-inspiring, yet deeply unsettling.
At the London Sanctum, the Ancient One stood atop the temple roof, gazing up at the same sky. For the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj, the Convergence was also a brutal test. The Nine Realms were never peaceful—aside from the Light Elves and the Vanir, the rest were warlike races to whom invasion was second nature.
During the last Convergence, if not for her master's overwhelming strength repelling all invaders, Earth would have long since fallen—humanity reduced to either slaves or livestock.
"This time… it's up to you, Karl," the Ancient One murmured.
She had no intention of intervening—at least not yet. She was the failsafe, the final line of defense. If Karl failed, only then would she step in.
Back in the plaza, tension hung thick in the air. Some agents were already sweating from sheer nerves.
Suddenly, a ripple of spatial distortion spread out from the center of the plaza.
Two figures appeared out of thin air.
Bang!
A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, too tense to think clearly, fired a shot. The bullet was blocked by a white wing. Its owner glared fiercely at the shooter, claws scraping against the ground instinctively.
"Easy, Onion. It's fine," Karl said calmly, patting the creature's massive head and soothing it.
Only then did everyone realize who it was. A collective sigh of relief followed as people rushed toward Karl.
"You're finally back!"
Gwen and the other two were the first to reach him, practically hanging off him as they clung to his body. In an instant, Karl had gained three accessories.
"This is the Convergence you were talking about, right?" Steve asked, gesturing toward the sky.
Karl nodded. "That's right. And I've already fought the Dark Elves' leader. They'll be here very soon."
He glanced toward the river bordering the outer plaza of Greenwich University. He remembered clearly—that was where the sword-shaped warship would land.
"Where's Tony?" Steve asked. "Why didn't he come back with you?"
"He and Thor are trapped in the Dark Elves' realm," Karl replied. "They're searching for a passage that connects back here. They'll return soon."
Karl also looked up at the sky. The Convergence had begun. The Dark Elves were coming.
Flap—flap—flap—
A flock of pigeons was startled into the air, gathering like a dark cloud above the plaza.
Then, without warning, the pigeons vanished—like they had plunged into an invisible tunnel, disappearing entirely.
"…What?"
Everyone stared at the empty sky in disbelief.
Flap—flap—
A moment later, their vision blurred—and the same pigeons burst up from beneath their feet.
"The passage is open…" Karl muttered.
Suddenly, the communicators crackled to life.
"Report! Anomaly detected on the river surface! Anomaly detected on the river surface!"
Natasha took the communicator and held it near Karl's ear as the agent's voice came through.
Everyone turned toward the river.
The calm surface suddenly split apart, waves surging as though a massive ship were cutting through it—yet nothing was visible. The river itself was being cleaved open.
"They're here! All units, engage! Free fire authorized!"
From the air, Coulson had a much clearer view. He could distinctly sense a colossal presence skimming over the river, heading straight for the plaza.
As it approached, a massive black warship slowly emerged from the churning water. Shaped like an enormous sword, it slammed into the plaza, causing the surrounding ground to collapse instantly.
The engine's roar was like the bellow of a primordial beast. The black blade-like hull carved through the earth as effortlessly as paper, finally grinding to a halt at the center of the plaza.
The towering ship pierced the skyline like a blade driven into the heart of Greenwich University. Red streams of energy flowed slowly down its surface.
The hatch opened.
Malekith—now empowered by the Aether—stepped out with his Dark Elf warriors. Opposite them stood the Avengers, ready for battle.
High above, all the pathways of the Nine Realms had fully opened. In this moment, the realms were completely connected—any world could be reached instantly through the Convergence.
"People of Earth," Malekith's voice echoed, calm yet overwhelming, "death approaches. Your world will kneel beneath the feet of the Dark Elves. Now—kneel, mortals. Kneel before your king!"
Though he did not raise his voice, his words reverberated throughout all of Greenwich.
Karl stepped forward, the Ultimate Weapon already in hand. Behind him stood the heroes who had once saved New York—the Avengers.
"Malekith," Karl said with a mocking smile, "aren't you afraid of biting off your own tongue talking so big? That ugly face of yours—have you forgotten how it got that way?"
The moment Karl brought it up, Malekith's fury boiled over. He had deliberately left the damage to half his face untreated, a constant reminder of his hatred.
"Your world has no right to exist anymore," Malekith roared. "From this day on, Midgard will cease to be!"
He struck first.
Countless black grains of sand surged up behind him, shooting forward like bullets toward Karl and the others.
"Everyone—move!" Karl shouted.
Dozens of wind blades burst forth, colliding with Malekith's attack and shredding the sandstorm instantly.
At the same time, the others charged into battle.
Steve led the way, hurling his shield and knocking down two Dark Elves in an instant.
Wanda rose higher into the air, scarlet energy pouring outward and forming massive crimson hands that slammed down upon the Dark Elves below. The moment the chaos magic made contact, it exploded violently. The corrosive power of chaos devoured their bodies, reducing them to dried husks in seconds.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For 20 advanced chapters, visit my Patreon:
Patreon - Twilight_scribe1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you enjoyed Marvel Manifestor, please give it a Power Stone and leave a review! Your support means everything.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~