Lucien was picked up by Natasha after sending Anna safely back to the apartment. Their building and the surrounding area weren't being attacked, which was one small relief in what was rapidly becoming a massive crisis.

Earth was currently being invaded.

As the Quinjet rose into the sky, Natasha filled him in on the situation. "Three major locations are under attack right now. The Xavier Mansion, Atlantis, and Wakanda."

"All at once?" Lucien asked, buckling himself into a seat.

"Coordinated assault. Xavier's Mansion is taking care of itself for now, but they're getting overwhelmed. The Sentinel units there have been destroyed, both the automated ones and the human-operated hybrids."

Natasha pulled up a tactical display showing the various battlefields. "Atlantis and Wakanda can handle themselves—no backup requests have come from either location. But Xavier's place is different. They've got kids there, non-combatants who can't defend themselves."

"What about SHIELD?"

"The Helicarrier is under attack too, but it's just a small unit. We're handling it." Natasha's expression grew grim. "The one leading this invasion is Thanos."

The Mad Titan himself.

"How strong is this guy exactly?"

"Pretty strong. The Avengers have clashed with him multiple times over the years. He's gotten his hands on Infinity Stones before, and even without them, he's physically powerful enough to take down the heavy hitters of the Avengers single-handedly."

"And with the Avengers off-world right now..."

"It's the perfect moment for him to strike. He chose his timing well."

Lucien leaned back in his seat, processing this information.

With his new shadow army and the strength he currently possessed, he did not feel any pressure.

"What's his objective this time?" Lucien asked.

"We don't know for certain, but our analysts think he's after the Infinity Stones again. The thing is, Thanos himself isn't attacking yet. He's sent his Black Order instead."

"Black Order?"

"His elite followers. Four of them, each one incredibly dangerous. They're coordinating the assaults on all three locations."

Natasha switched the display to show footage from the Xavier Mansion. "Right now, two Black Order members are attacking the school. They've brought an army of creatures called Outriders—basically Thanos's shock troops."

The footage showed chaos. Dark, four-armed creatures swarmed across the mansion grounds while two figures led the assault. One was tall and thin, wielding a long spear-like weapon. The other was a willowy-framed woman with grayish-blue skin.

"The X-Men are holding them off, but barely."

Lucien studied the display. "Who's still fighting?"

"Logan, Scott, Kurt, Beast, Colossal, and a few others. We've also got some heroes who were in the area—Spider-Man, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. But they're outnumbered."

The Quinjet shuddered as they hit turbulence, or maybe it was just the pilot pushing the engines harder.

"How long until we arrive?" Lucien asked.

"Five minutes. Maybe less."

Lucien began mentally preparing for battle. His shadow army was ready, though he'd have to be careful about revealing too much of his capabilities in front of so many heroes and SHIELD operatives.

"What's the plan when we get there?"

"Simple. Help the X-Men hold the line until reinforcements arrive. SHIELD is mobilizing everything we have, but it'll take time."

"What kind of reinforcements?"

"Whatever we can scrape together. Most of our forces are dealing with the Helicarrier situation. Honestly, you might be our strongest available asset right now."

That was both flattering and terrifying. If SHIELD was counting on just him to make the difference against Thanos's forces, the situation was worse than he'd thought.

"There!" the pilot called out. "Xavier's Mansion, twelve o'clock!"

Lucien looked out the window and felt his stomach drop. The mansion grounds were overrun with dark creatures—hundreds of them, maybe even a thousand. They moved like insects, swarming over everything.

Flashes of light and energy marked where the defenders were making their stand, but they were clearly being pushed back toward the main building.

"We can't land!" the pilot shouted over the comm. "Those things will tear us apart the moment we touch down!"

"Don't worry," Lucien said, unbuckling his harness and moving toward the rear exit. "I'll take care of it."

Natasha held out a parachute. "Here, you'll need this."

Lucien looked at the parachute, then at the chaos below. "I don't need that."

Before anyone could stop him, he opened the rear hatch and jumped.

The wind hit him as he fell toward the battlefield. From this height, he could see the full scope of the attack. The Outriders covered the mansion grounds like a dark carpet, their four arms and elongated bodies making them look like nightmare spiders.

In the center of the chaos, he could see the X-Men making their desperate stand. Flashes of optic blasts, streaks of lightning, and bursts of telekinetic force marked their positions. But they were being pushed back, overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

Lucien angled his descent toward the thickest concentration of enemies, right where the fighting was most intense. He could see Logan engaged in close combat with one of the Black Order members—a tall, thin figure with pale skin and a wicked-looking spear.

As he got closer, he could make out more details. The Black Order member was clearly skilled. Logan was giving as good as he got, but he looked like he was struggling.

Then Lucien saw why. The spear had punched completely through Logan's torso, emerging from his back in a spray of blood. Logan was down on one knee, growling in pain and fury, but unable to break free.

That's when Lucien hit the ground.

He landed hard, driving his knee into the earth with enough force to create a small crater. Dust and debris exploded outward from the impact, temporarily obscuring the battlefield.

As the dust settled, every eye turned toward him. Outriders stopped their advance, the Black Order member looked up from Logan, and even the X-Men paused in their fighting to see who had just dropped out of the sky.

The Black Order member was exactly as tall and thin as he'd appeared from above, with grayish skin and sharp, angular features.

His weapon was indeed a spear, but it looked like it was made from some kind of alien metal that seemed to absorb light. Logan was impaled on the end of it, blood pooling beneath him on the mansion's front steps.

"One more, huh?" the alien said, his voice carrying an accent Lucien couldn't place. "Well, it matters not. You all shall die here, and Thanos will have the Infinity Stones one way or another."

So that confirmed it. Thanos was definitely after the Infinity Stones, and he was willing to tear through anyone who stood in his way to get them.

Lucien didn't bother to respond. Words were for negotiations, and this wasn't a negotiation nor was he in any mood for trash talk.

He drew his daggers and launched himself forward, moving faster than the Outriders could track.

Several of the four-armed creatures tried to intercept him, but he cut through them without slowing down.

Black ichor sprayed as his blades found their marks. The Outriders were not as tough as he thought. Arms were severed, torsos were pierced, and heads were separated from shoulders in a blur of motion.

The Black Order member—still holding Logan on the end of his spear—watched Lucien's approach. At the last second, he yanked his weapon free from Logan's body and brought it up to block Lucien's attack.

The clash of metal on metal rang out across the battlefield like a bell.

....

POWER STONE GOAL: 700 ( 1 Extra Chapter)

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