Those time travelers that year

"What's going on? What happened? Did someone press the pause button?!" Unfortunately, the detection instruments on the Iron Man armor didn't seem to be working, so a curious Tony activated the thrusters and tried to fly over. Although he didn't know why, Loki, the culprit of the war, was now frozen in mid-air and unable to move, so he had to hurry up and knock him to the ground.

"Wait! Tony, don't come in!" Just as Tony was about to make contact with the gray area while maneuvering his Iron Man suit, Ciel's voice reached his ears. Within the gray area in front of Tony, Ciel remained motionless, blocking Tony's entry.

"Cial, what happened here?" Tony asked curiously upon seeing the situation.

“I stopped time here…” Charles gave Tony a reply that almost made him fall over with a nonchalant air.

"What?!" Tony exclaimed in shock.

“I’ve frozen time in this area. Anyone or anything other than me, the user of this magic, will be forcibly frozen as well,” Charles said calmly. “Although it won’t last long, it’s enough for me to handle these matters.”

"Holy crap, Einstein's coffin is about to explode!"

"Alright! Move aside, the time stop is about to end." Charles waved to Tony, urging him to leave. Tony looked around and, seeing that there was nothing he could do anyway, activated his thrusters and turned back to find Chiritta, the cannon fodder, to unleash his barrage of bullets.

After Tony left, Ciel turned his gaze to the clash of city-destroying attacks. The process was a bit bizarre; even he hadn't expected Thor to unleash his full power. Truly, he was a superhero with the protagonist's aura. Similarly, Loki's [Ice Crystal Blast] was something even Ciel might not be able to use easily. Yet, just by giving it to Loki, he was immediately able to unleash it with the power of the Mind Stone and the Box of Ice, and its power even seemed to surpass the original version. Hmm, the villain's aura is indeed powerful.

"Luckily, this is the Marvel universe where the rules are broken, so time can stop just like that..." Charles muttered to himself. After all, while he could use time-stop, in other worlds, time abilities had strong limitations and weren't true time stops. However, in the Marvel universe, where the rules were broken, time truly stopped, although it couldn't last long. "But that's enough!"

“? ???, (Dark Universe, Void Approaching)”

"??? ?, ? (The End, the Midnight Mystery)"

"?? ?? ?? (Destruction of stars, abyss of original sin)"

“?? ??? ??, ? ?? ?? (All things, the end, a gravitational black hole)”

【Black hole】

223. The Battle of New York (Part 9)

A black hole, according to modern general relativity, is a celestial body in the universe with infinite density and infinitesimal volume; all physical laws break down when encountering a black hole. However, this cosmic spectacle cannot be directly observed by humans; it can only be calculated by observing the paths of starlight.

In any parallel universe, on Earth in the 21st century, humanity is fascinated by the secrets of black holes, even conducting experiments to create artificial ones. Of course, we all know that if a black hole were to actually appear on Earth, the planet would be doomed. It's remarkable how consistently these scientists use their methods to prove their research! Einstein's mass-energy equivalence formula indirectly led to the existence of nuclear bombs on Earth, and the sheer number of nuclear weapons available could have given the planet a radioactive bath. And now, scientists are working on creating artificial black holes. Does this mean that proving science is simply about how to quickly destroy the Earth?

Oh, right, this is already outrageous in the Marvel universe. At least Ciel knows that Doctor Octopus created an artificial sun, artificially creating a star right next to a city with millions of inhabitants. Thinking about it this way, it's not surprising that he created an artificial black hole that would wipe out Earth.

Of course, before Marvel's scientists, who specialize in developing advanced technologies, could even create an artificial black hole, Shire directly put on a show for everyone on this war-torn New York battlefield.

The time-stopping effect in the gray area quickly faded. Even within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where Sharl could achieve a near-true time stop using the power of the [Time-Space Barrier], it couldn't last long. However, this was to be expected, since Sharl wouldn't be able to achieve a near-true time stop in any other world. Having experienced a near-real time stop meant he wouldn't be completely ignorant about future explorations of time magic. At least when Sharl teleported to Azeroth, he wouldn't be unknowingly killed by a bronze dragon with GM privileges.

Just after the time-stopped area dissipated, the meteor and lightning continued their collision. Having just escaped the time freeze, both Loki and Thor wore expressions of confusion for several seconds. During this period of bewilderment, a black dot appeared in the area where the meteor and lightning had collided. This black dot rapidly expanded, and from a distance, its location transformed into a chaotic, distorted mess. The next moment, that scene collapsed, becoming what appeared to be a concave mass of matter.

A black dot appeared there, its powerful gravitational pull drawing in the surrounding cold meteorites and lightning, creating a massive gravitational force. The falling meteorites and raging lightning couldn't resist the pull and were dragged towards the black dot. Not only that, but even Loki and Thor, who were suspended in the air, were pulled in that direction.

However, both of them quickly stabilized their bodies and began to expend their energy to resist the pulling force of the black dot. A few seconds later, the powerful gravitational pull and the black dot disappeared, along with the falling meteor summoned by Loki and the lightning released by Thor.

"Even this can't shake the Tesseract?" Charles muttered. Although he had some suspicions beforehand, the black hole's distortion of space couldn't shake the Tesseract's power; the portal remained open without any sign of collapse. "No wonder it's one of the Marvel Universe's top-tier cheat codes, the Infinity Stone!"

Although the black hole annihilated the force that would have leveled the city below during the collision, it also damaged the dimensional blockade and spatial barrier of the Vishanti.

In Shire's perception, the seal on Earth's coordinates and spatial dimensions, originally manipulated by the Ancient One, had been breached, creating a gap that allowed extradimensional beings seeking to cause trouble on Earth to swarm through the opening Shire had created. However, they quickly met their demise. When Shire created the black hole, the Ancient One manipulated space to redirect the singularity outwards, tearing a hole in the barrier but also sending Loki's magic and Thor's lightning flying.

"It's over!" Because of Ciel's sudden intervention, the entire battlefield in New York City fell into a deathly silence. Unfortunately, Ciel had no intention of continuing his show-off act. A flash of black smoke disappeared, and Ciel instantly teleported to Loki's side, who was still in a daze. He snatched the Mind Scepter from Loki's hand and then grabbed Loki's shoulder with his right hand.

Is it over now?

'That's enough. I don't think either Thor or the people of Midgar want me to stay on Earth.'

'Then what about the coordinates?'

'I still have a clone left on Earth...'

Well then, bye-bye!

boom!!!!!

A circuit board-like glow appeared on the back of his hand. With the power of enhancement magic, Ciel grabbed Loki and slammed him down, crashing his head into the roof of Stark Tower. Then, Apparition activated again, and in a flash, he appeared on the roof of Stark Tower, right in front of the device that had activated the Tesseract.

There, the unfortunate doctor was struggling to get up from the concrete slab, clutching his head. It seemed Loki had just casually released him from mind control. But Ciel didn't bother with him; he wasn't Thor, why should he take care of his father-in-law?

Holding the Mind Staff he had just acquired from Loki, Ciel took a few steps forward and thrust it towards the Tesseract. A pure energy shield appeared beside the instrument; however, this energy shield, derived from the Tesseract's energy and capable of ignoring almost all attacks, was pierced directly by the Mind Staff.

Some Chiretas noticed Shar's actions and swooped down in their aircraft to try and stop him from shutting down.

Then he was knocked down by a series of Shadow Bolts.

With no obstacles remaining, Charles forcefully pierced the energy barrier surrounding the Cosmic Cube with the Mind Staff. A flash of blue light appeared, and the pillar of light emanating from the Cosmic Cube vanished. Simultaneously, the spatial gate in the sky, deprived of the Cosmic Cube's energy, gradually closed until it finally disappeared into the sky.

As the portal closed, all the Chiritars and their war machines that were still engaged in battle shuddered and then collapsed.

The Battle of New York has now come to an end.

224. The Battle of New York (Final)

After more than an hour of alien invasion warfare, the dimensional portal in the sky closed, and the Chitauri cannon fodder, suddenly without their Wi-Fi, were utterly devastated. These alien monsters, who had been addicted to the internet for years, lost their purpose in life and collapsed after being cut off from the internet. This sudden turn of events left all the survivors, who were still putting up their resistance, completely bewildered.

Whether it was Black Widow and Hawkeye, who were fighting fiercely on the front lines and then being chased away by the alien monsters, or other police officers playing Counter-Strike: Go with the alien monsters in other parts of New York, playing Battlefield with the military, or playing bullet hell games with Iron Man... well, whatever they were playing, even Rainbow Six Siege in buildings, as long as it was an alien monster, they all went down... and then everyone who was planning to fight to the death just stared blankly at all of this. In an instant, all the gunshots, explosions, and howls in New York City disappeared completely.

"What's wrong with them?" Spider-Man, whose bodysuit was tattered but whose red hood was still intact, cautiously approached a fallen Chiritar soldier with a curious expression and reached out to rub the soldier's mask.

"The internet's down!" Another pervert in a red bodysuit said with a look that... well, we can't see his face, but he said in a tone so slutty that it makes you want to punch him, "I've been addicted to the virtual VR world for years, and then one day the internet went down, the power went out, and I lost my life or my life goal. Then I tragically collapsed on the ground, craving a big-breasted, curvy anime girl to comfort me by showing off her panties."

"Uh..." The little spider looked at this crazy freak with a blank expression and asked curiously, "How did you know?"

"...Sigh! It's a long story!" The bodysuit-clad pervert crossed his arms, looked out at the sky, and said in a somber and weary tone, "It was several years ago, when I was in that place called what? Shi Zhenxiang, no, Smaug, no, Stryker, oh right, Stryker, that unlucky guy whose wife died and whose son was mentally ill, went to cause trouble for the cross-police led by that bald guy and Little Wolf. I flew to Taiwan, then tried to smuggle myself to Hong Kong. After that, I don't know how I ended up in a restaurant freezer in Guangdong. Then I tried to escape, and was chased by a group of people who called themselves the Dragon Group of the National Security Bureau. I ran for my life, and accidentally ended up at the Mental Health Center in Linyi City, Shandong Province, where I met a superhuman who called himself Yang Yongxin, the Magnetic Storm Infantryman."

"You have amazing lung capacity!" the little spider said admiringly.

"Of course, if your lung capacity isn't good, how can your back function properly, and how can you go to a bar, grab a blonde bombshell, and have a chat about life philosophy!" Patting Spider-Man's shoulder, the pervert continued, "Look at that author who keeps deliberately writing my name as 'pervert,' he's been single for so many years. I think his life is a tragedy; he can only live in a cult that burns firewood..."

Boom!

At this moment, the building, which had recently been subjected to the Chiretta laser gun attack, began to groan under the strain. The ceiling above the pervert in the red bodysuit shattered and collapsed, burying the pervert directly beneath it in a pile of rubble.

The sudden collapse startled the little spider. It quickly jumped back a step, looked around, and after confirming that the surrounding buildings would not collapse, it cautiously approached the red-clothed pervert buried in a pile of rubble.

"Are you alright?" the little spider asked cautiously. "This building doesn't seem to be very sturdy; it's about to collapse. I think we should leave here first and check if there are any more enemies."

"Oh, don't worry, boy!" With a thud, the pervert in the red bodysuit lay down on the floor, then stretched out his hand from the rubble and gave Spider-Man a thumbs up, then muttered, "So what if I got buried! Last time, I knew a guy known in the underworld as Brother A who got hit by a nuclear bomb and was still alive and kicking. Oh right, the time before last, at that show I met a poor guy with white hair wearing a flashy red trench coat and slicked-back hair, who was playing with a big sword and two guns. I noticed that anyone wearing red clothes is immortal. Wait, Brother A doesn't seem to wear red clothes, but the little cutie sticking out of his body is red, okay, it's all the same."

"Do you need me to pull you out?"

"I don't need to stay like this and have the insurance company people go after that single guy who's typing away at his computer and participating in the barbecue cult to file a claim..."

boom!!!!

Before this thing could finish smashing, a huge figure fell from the broken ceiling. It was the Hulk, who landed in front of Spider-Man, smashed the wall in front of him without looking back, and jumped out.

"I'll call an ambulance for you right now!" Spider-Man said to the pervert in the red bodysuit who had been trampled into a mosaic.

"Thanks……"

——————————Divider Line——————————

The Battle of New York is over, but a host of problems remain a major headache. First, during the hour-long battle, every district in New York City suffered varying degrees of damage, and a large number of New York City residents were caught in the crossfire. According to preliminary statistics, at least 30,000 New York City residents suffered injuries or even deaths, and this number is gradually rising over time.

Meanwhile, hospitals and clinics in New York City were overflowing with wounded patients, and there was a shortage of doctors and nurses. Similarly, due to the war, the demand for various medicines and daily necessities was also tight.

In Manhattan, the area hardest hit by the damage, numerous buildings collapsed, burying countless New York City residents under the rubble. Due to traffic congestion, the vast majority of those trapped could not receive timely assistance. However, thanks to the help of superheroes who continued to wear hoods and masks even after the battle, and with the cooperation of superpowered organizations such as the X-Men, some citizens were rescued in an emergency.

What followed was a full week of post-war relief and search and rescue operations. However, it was also during this time that numerous media outlets began openly criticizing the government's inaction and condemning those with superpowers and superheroes who played crucial roles in the war as a threat.

Some people even publicly stated that aliens did not come to invade Earth but to communicate. However, the government tacitly allowed the military, police, and social groups to violently expel them, and expressed their intention to organize a peace organization that wanted flowers and recognition but not war to visit the captured alien friendly groups in the United States... The guy who made this statement was from France, and this viewpoint has attracted quite a few supporters in Europe.

Then the rabbit said that guy was mentally challenged, the bear was gloating while sending people to the eagle to plunder some of the loot and resell it to the rabbit, the white elephant announced that it would strengthen its military and guarantee that it could repel the alien invasion, the Korean experts announced that the aliens had Korean blood... and the eagle was completely dumbfounded.

225. Post-war Negotiations (Part 1)

No matter what's going on outside, for those who just participated in saving the world and stopping an alien invasion, what they need now is rest and, incidentally, settling scores with some bastards. The reason is simple: in the short period before the Shire closed the portal and all the Chitauri were wiped out, the members of the World Security Council bypassed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s command and sent a plane carrying a nuclear warhead to New York and launched it towards the Manhattan area.

Although it was ultimately turned into a rock and smashed to pieces by someone who had just acquired a powerful piece of equipment, from afar, this act of being stabbed in the back by a useless ally, despite having won the war, truly enraged a certain playboy. Thus, under Tony Stark's leadership, several major corporations headquartered in New York City joined forces to create a major uproar.

Then, the UN Security Council, which had initially intended to scapegoat a certain dark-skinned Wu Ke, was surprised to discover that Wu Ke had decisively made public the fact that the Security Council had bypassed him to direct a nuclear launch. This meant that the US military and government, as well as the other five permanent members of the UN Security Council, could view it at any time. In response, Russia said, "Serves you right." The US said, "This is none of my business." France was already troubled by its own sanctimonious demands for the French government to pressure the US to release aliens. China asked, "Do you need a construction team to help rebuild and some disaster relief supplies?" The US military, furious, came knocking on the door.

So the UN Security Council condemned Blackie Wu's actions, but quickly shifted the blame by sending out a few guys who usually argued with Blackie Wu as scapegoats to hastily quell the incident.

Then the bigger problem lay ahead: the fate of Loki, the war criminal. He orchestrated and led this alien invasion war, causing immense casualties and economic losses. If they could, the members of the UN Security Council would certainly have chosen to execute Loki, the mastermind. However, his identity was far too sensitive. Although he left Asgard, Odin made no statement regarding Loki, neither issuing a warrant for his arrest nor revoking his status or inheritance rights.

Adding to this, his earth-shattering duel with Thor during the war, which nearly leveled an entire city, terrified those in power behind the scenes. He's essentially another Hulk, only more rational and intelligent, and his destructive power is far greater when he gets into trouble.

Thus, disagreements arose regarding the handling of Loki. Similarly, those in power were uneasy about the alien wizard who ultimately ended the entire war, displaying even more terrifying abilities. Whether it was the time-stopping ability that supposedly halted a small area, the black hole that later annihilated Loki and Thor's attacks, or the ability to turn a missile carrying a nuclear warhead into a rock from a great distance, these unexpected powers made those in power even more restless.

Most importantly, as the victor who ended the war, both the scepter Loki brought and the Tesseract used to open the portal now belong to him.

Driven by some ulterior motives, the guys in the World Security Council directly ordered Blackie Wu to communicate with the wizard named Charles Gretel, and to make sure to retrieve the Cosmic Cube and, incidentally, the scepter as well.

This infuriated Wu Ke, the dark-skinned guy who had recently tricked the World Security Council. Clearly, some members of the Security Council were very unhappy that he wouldn't obediently become a scapegoat. However, where there's a will, there's a way. Wu Ke simply brought the Avengers along to participate in the negotiations, completely disregarding the fact that they were leisurely dining at a barbecue restaurant.

……

With an upright expression, wearing a blue tight-fitting striped shirt, and holding a shield in his left hand that can be described as a Marvel bug-level artifact, Captain America stands seriously behind the dark-skinned Wu Ke, serving as the background and atmosphere, all that's missing is some background music.

Looking disheveled and wearing a plaid shirt, Bruce Banner fidgeted nervously, glancing at the Mind Scepter that Shire had placed to the side, a worried expression on his face. He seemed still resentful about being tricked by Loki earlier, and looked ready to leave immediately.

Holding a hamburger in his left hand and a can of cola in his right, with a large bag of takeout in front of him, the playboy named Tony Stark looked at the bald man with an idiot's gaze, then slurped down his hamburger.

Black Widow, dressed in black that revealed her beautiful curves, and Hawkeye, carrying a quiver, stood next to Captain America, trying their best to act as if they were just passersby and that this had nothing to do with them, avoiding Ciel's gaze.

Thor, dressed casually, sat expressionlessly to the Shire's left, with Mjolnir at his feet.

Then came Nick Fury, a dark-skinned slob with a trench coat the same color as Ciel's, a one-eyed man wearing a black eyepatch—the epitome of the word "dark." Although Ciel couldn't read minds, he was certain this dark-skinned slob was unleashing a torrent of curses, one directed at the World Security Council that sent him, and the other at the Avengers who had declared themselves indifferent.

“Hello, this is our first meeting. I am the commander of S.H.I.E.L.D…” Nick Fury shook hands with Shire with a stiff expression, then said, “About this…”

“I understand!” Charles interrupted him, saying in a sympathetic tone, “It’s tough for you to clean up the messes of a bunch of incompetent teammates…”

"Pfft!" Tony spat out a mouthful of saliva, then quickly turned around.

“…Alright, Mr. Gretel,” Nick Fury said with a sigh, “Let’s get straight to the point! What are you planning to do with the Tesseract and Loki’s scepter?”

“Those are my spoils of war, what I do with them is my business.” Shire turned to Thor and asked, “Asgard doesn’t have a custom of taking spoils from others, does it?”

"Uh!!" Thor was speechless with embarrassment at Ciel's question, and could only feign ignorance, saying, "Of course not, it's just..."

"You want the Tesseract back?" Ciel asked Nick Fury. "And then you want me to give this scepter away unconditionally... Are the guys behind you out of their minds or just plain stupid?"

“Hahaha…” At Charles’s words, Tony on the other side couldn’t help but laugh, completely ignoring Nick Fury’s increasingly dark expression.

“Those two are dangerous… okay, that’s how it is. So what price does S.H.I.E.L.D. need to pay in exchange for these two things?” Nick Fury asked awkwardly.

“To be honest, those two things are much safer in my hands than they are here with you.” Charles shook his head and said, “At least in my hands, a bunch of space bandits won’t suddenly appear and play an alien invasion game with you… Forget about the Mind Scepter, I’m not giving it to you. If the guy behind you wants it, you can let him come and get it himself, so you don’t end up pleasing neither side after all your hard work.”