413: A time traveler who wandered in

"ROAR—!!!!"

Accompanied by a hair-raising roar.

On the other side of the wormhole, the alien army, already assembled and craving blood and slaughter, was revealed.

The Chitauri.

Countless alien soldiers on flying vehicles surged out of the wormhole like a swarm of bees leaving their hive!

And behind them.

Several massive biological battleships—Leviathan Beasts—whose bodies were as large as mountains, covered in heavy bio-armor, and swam through the air like fish, let out deafening roars as they slowly squeezed through the portal!

Shadows covered New York.

War.

Had begun... "Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The sound of explosions instantly echoed throughout Manhattan.

The Chitauri's energy weapons mercilessly strafed the streets below. Cars were blown up, buildings were pierced, and crowds screamed and fled in terror.

This was the cruelty of interstellar war.

No declaration of war, no warning.

Just a devastating strike.

"Avengers! Assemble!"

Captain America, Steve Rogers, stood in the middle of the street, raising his shield to block an energy blast, and shouted into the comms channel.

Although this was their first time facing an alien invasion of this magnitude, and although this team had only just been formed and was still full of internal conflicts.

Yet, at this moment.

They had no retreat.

Thor, the God of Thunder, swung his hammer, summoning lightning to strike the enemies pouring out of the portal.

The Hulk leaped between buildings like a savage beast, tearing apart Leviathans.

Black Widow and Hawkeye provided precise cover and counterattacks on the ground.

And Iron Man, like a red flash of lightning, streaked through the air, drawing most of the enemy fire.

This should have been a hard-fought battle of equal strength.

However.

In another corner of the battlefield.

That ancient building located on Bleecker Street—the New York Sanctum.

Which was the New York branch of Kamar-Taj.

The scene here was completely different from the carnage outside.

On the rooftop.

The Sorcerer Supreme, Ancient One, stood there quietly.

She was still wearing her yellow robes, hands clasped behind her back, her expression so serene it was as if she were strolling in her own backyard rather than standing on a battlefield.

In the sky, several sightless Chitauri flyers spotted the location, screaming as they dove down, their energy guns aimed at the seemingly defenseless bald woman.

"An invasion of this magnitude..."

Ancient One shook her head slightly, not even bothering to lift her eyelids.

She simply extended her right hand and lightly traced the void.

"Zzzzz—"

Two brilliant Rings of Raggadorr instantly formed in her palm, then transformed into two sharp magical fan blades.

Her steps were light, and her figure was swift as the wind.

Swish! Swish!

Golden light flashed.

Those diving Chitauri soldiers, along with their flying vehicles, were cleanly sliced in half in mid-air!

It wasn't just these few.

Ancient One waved both hands, and the two magical fan blades, under her control, turned into an impenetrable golden storm.

Any alien creature that attempted to approach within a hundred meters of the Sanctum, including incoming energy blasts, was mercilessly shredded and deflected by this storm!

This was the power of the Sorcerer Supreme.

If one didn't consider the threats on a multiversal level, these Chitauri cannon fodder, who relied only on numbers, wouldn't be enough for her to kill, no matter how many came.

"If that person were here..."

Ancient One looked at the giant wormhole in the sky and thought of the man who had recently taken the time stone—Lin Ye.

"He could probably just move a finger and erase this wormhole along with the fleet on the other side."

She sighed.

Although Lin Ye had promised to grant this Earth "tolerance" and "goodwill."

But he hadn't promised to be a babysitter.

Crises of this level still required the Avengers to face them and grow.

This was also part of destiny.

Just as Ancient One finished clearing a wave of cannon fodder and prepared to rest for a moment.

"Boom!"

A dull, massive sound suddenly came from the rooftop entrance behind her.

As if something heavy had landed.

Ancient One turned around, raising an eyebrow slightly.

She saw a large, green-skinned figure land somewhat clumsily on the rooftop.

The Hulk.

But... it didn't quite look like him.

Although this Hulk was still enormous, he lacked that savage rage and fury. Instead, his eyes were clear, rational, and even held a hint of... embarrassment?

Moreover, he wasn't wearing his iconic purple shorts, but a specialized tight battle suit.

This was... Bruce Banner.

He now took massive strides, intending to head toward the stairwell door leading into the Sanctum.

Just as his hand was about to touch the doorknob.

Ancient One suddenly spoke.

Her voice was soft, yet held a hint of warning:

"If I were you, I wouldn't go that way."

Banner stopped and looked back in confusion.

Ancient One pointed at the door, then pointed at the Hulk's enormous feet:

"We just waxed the floors."

"Uh... hi?"

Banner seemed stunned when he saw Ancient One.

He scratched his head, trying his best to look friendly:

"Um... I'm looking for Doctor Strange."

Ancient One looked at this guest from the future.

As the former guardian of the time stone, she was extremely sensitive to disturbances in the timeline. The moment she saw this Hulk, she understood what had happened.

Time Heist.

This was a group of desperate people trying to undo the future.

"Strange?"

Ancient One put away the magical fan in her hand and said calmly:

"Then you are too early."

"About... five years too early."

"Stephen Strange is currently performing surgery at a hospital a few kilometers away. Right now, he is just an arrogant surgeon who hasn't encountered magic yet."

"What?"

Banner clearly hadn't expected this outcome, and he anxiously stepped forward:

"It doesn't matter where he is! What matters is... I'm looking for the thing he guards!"

"I need that... that..."

He pointed toward Ancient One's chest, indicating the location of the pendant.

"The time stone."

Ancient One looked down and replied:

"I'm afraid I cannot help you."

"Listen, madam."

Banner's tone grew impatient. Although he possessed intellect after the merger, he still disliked drawn-out conversations:

"We don't have time, and I'm not here to negotiate."

Saying this, he reached out toward Ancient One, intending to forcefully take the stone.

"I am sorry."

Ancient One looked at the enormous green hand reaching out and sighed softly.

"But I cannot allow you to do that."

"Bang!"

There was no fancy movement.

Ancient One simply raised her palm lightly and pressed it against the Hulk's chest.

The next second.

A miraculous scene occurred.

The Hulk's massive green body suddenly tilted backward, crashing heavily onto the floor with a loud thud.

And at the same time.

A phantom, translucent figure was instantly "shocked" out of the Hulk's body by that single palm strike!

That was Bruce Banner's soul.

Banner looked at his physical body lying on the ground with a terrified expression, then looked at his own translucent hands, and nervously adjusted his glasses:

"W-What is happening?!"

"How about we start from the beginning?"

Ancient One withdrew her hand, her tone calm.