Chương 143: Chapter 143: The Shadowkhan Arrive 

Minutes bled away with agonizing slowness. The dimensional rift, initially relatively small, expanded exponentially with every passing moment. Each time the perimeter of the gate violently shuddered and grew, the rate at which the corrupted monsters poured out nearly doubled. 

The pressure on the small defensive line was rapidly becoming unbearable. 

Even the massive, five-meter-tall demonic behemoths—which previously had to violently squeeze their way through the smaller portal—were now charging through multiple at a time with effortless ease. 

"Why exactly hasn't Galacta arrived yet?!" Tony yelled over the comms, his voice tinged with genuine panic. 

The repulsor nodes on his suit's palms were currently glowing a terrifying, volatile shade of cherry-red from continuous, absolute maximum-output firing. Below him, the highly disciplined S.P.E.A.R. operatives had practically exhausted their entire localized ammunition supply; their devastating, synchronized volleys had dwindled to sporadic, individual shots. 

Currently, the absolute entirety of the defensive line was being held through sheer, unadulterated brute force by the Decepticons and Captain Yang. 

However, even with their terrifying physical power, if the Dimensional Gate expanded a few more times, the sheer, mathematically impossible volume of monsters would completely overrun them. 

Just as that horrific thought crossed Tony's mind, the Dimensional Gate violently shuddered again, massively expanding! 

An absolute tsunami of corrupted berserkers violently surged forward, effortlessly shattering the defensive formation! The Decepticons were instantly overwhelmed. Hundreds of berserkers violently tackled them, aggressively tearing at their metallic armor plating and attempting to violently rip out their internal components! 

Several massive demonic behemoths aggressively converged on the downed Barricade, brutally pinning the smaller Cybertronian to the ground and violently tearing one of his arms completely off! 

Megatron roared furiously, desperately attempting to fight his way through the swarm to rescue his lieutenant. However, the sheer density of the horde made movement practically impossible. Every time he blasted a monster to pieces, five more violently threw themselves at him, acting as literal, suicidal speed-bumps to halt his advance. 

Nearby, Captain Yang was entirely surrounded. His third 'Eye of Heaven' flared with blinding, absolute golden light as his polearm became a blur of lethal motion, desperately violently knocking monsters away to maintain a tiny perimeter. 

Realizing the situation was completely unrecoverable utilizing standard tactics, Captain Yang took a deep, steadying breath. 

He let out a terrifying, earth-shattering roar! 

Massive, cascading waves of brilliant, absolute golden energy violently erupted from his third eye, completely enveloping his entire body! The divine energy actively fed his physical form, causing him to rapidly, aggressively expand! Within seconds, Captain Yang had transformed into a colossal, fifteen-meter-tall golden Warrior God! 

His legendary polearm flew gracefully into the golden avatar's hand, stabilizing the massive energy construct. 

Without hesitation, Captain Yang violently slammed his massive fist directly into the cratered street! 

BOOM! 

A devastating, localized shockwave of pure, golden divine energy violently rippled outward! The absolute kinetic force of the shockwave aggressively blasted every single monster within a fifty-meter radius violently into the air! The sheer, devastating power instantly pulverized the minor berserkers mid-flight! 

Taking two massive, ground-shaking strides, the colossal Captain Yang arrived beside the pinned Barricade. The five-meter-tall demonic behemoths, previously terrifying giants, now looked like pathetic, insignificant dwarves compared to the Golden God. 

Captain Yang casually, effortlessly kicked the behemoths, instantly violently shattering them into bloody mist! 

He reached down, gently picked up the severely damaged Barricade with one hand, and aggressively lobbed him backward over the crumbling frontline. Blackout smoothly transformed into his massive helicopter mode mid-air and expertly caught the falling police cruiser. 

Having successfully rescued the lieutenant, Captain Yang turned back to face the endless, surging tide of darkness. 

"Well... that is absolutely incredible," Tony muttered, hovering high above the street. He had been preparing to desperately fire his final, absolute last-resort micro-missiles to save Barricade, only to watch Captain Yang casually manifest a massive, divine avatar and completely stabilize the collapsing frontline single-handedly. 

However, before Tony could fully process the divine intervention, a massive swarm of highly mutated, terrifyingly agile flying demons violently erupted from the Dimensional Gate! 

The flying monsters completely ignored the massive, glowing target of Captain Yang below them. They rapidly gained altitude, circled briefly like vultures, and aggressively locked their terrifying gaze onto a single, specific target: the Hong Kong Sanctum! 

"Damn it! We absolutely cannot let them reach the Sanctum!" Tony roared over the comms. 

Tony immediately aggressively pursued the flying swarm! Down below, the S.P.E.A.R. operatives, realizing the critical threat, desperately emptied their absolute final, remaining energy magazines, violently blasting several dozen flying monsters out of the sky before their weapons clicked empty. 

Several flying demons miraculously survived the ground-to-air barrage. With the operatives completely out of ammunition, it was entirely up to Tony and S.U.N.D.A.Y. to intercept them! 

Tony aggressively deployed his absolute final cluster of micro-missiles, violently blowing several demons into ash. However, the Dimensional Gate continued to spew an endless, continuous stream of aerial reinforcements! 

Seeing the situation deteriorating, Megatron aggressively launched himself into the air! Transforming smoothly into his sleek, highly advanced Cybertronian fighter-jet mode, he aggressively circled the swarm. He continuously conjured highly complex magical arrays along his wings, seamlessly integrating his magical output with his internal weapon systems! 

Megatron unleashed a devastating, continuous barrage of magically augmented plasma fire! Every single shot violently tore through the enemy ranks, downing massive swarms of flyers. 

However, the sheer volume was simply overwhelming. A few smaller, highly agile flyers managed to successfully slip through Megatron's bombardment. Emitting terrifying, high-pitched shrieks, they rapidly closed the distance toward the Sanctum. 

BRRRRRRRRRRT! 

A devastating, continuous storm of heavy-caliber depleted uranium violently shredded the surviving flyers mid-air! 

Having successfully caught Barricade, Blackout didn't bother transforming back to his humanoid mode. He aggressively maintained his attack-helicopter configuration, utilizing his massive, chin-mounted rotary cannons and heavy-duty air-to-air missile pods to unleash a continuous, devastating barrage of covering fire! 

Tony and S.U.N.D.A.Y. rapidly ascended higher into the sky, actively joining the chaotic aerial dogfight. 

Unlike the supernaturally durable, heavily armored behemoths on the ground, the flying demons possessed significantly weaker, more fragile physiological structures. A single, well-placed repulsor blast from Tony was easily sufficient to blow a fatal hole clean through their torsos. 

After aggressively eliminating a large cluster of stragglers, Tony briefly paused to catch his breath. 

He glanced down toward the street, only to see Captain Yang's massive, glowing golden avatar rapidly shrinking! 

"What's wrong?!" Tony yelled, quickly descending to hover near the Captain. 

"My spiritual cultivation is currently insufficient to actively maintain this specific, highly advanced divine manifestation for prolonged periods," Captain Yang grimaced, forcefully throwing a devastating punch that generated a localized sonic boom, violently shattering a cluster of advancing demons. 

"Understood!" Tony gritted his teeth. "Megatron! You need to aggressively maintain the ground line! Blackout and I will attempt to secure absolute aerial superiority!" 

The ground-based monsters were simply too physically durable; Tony's repulsors were practically useless against them. He was significantly more effective aggressively managing the fragile, flying targets. 

"Stephen! Immediately draw a portal directly into Stark Tower! Command J.A.R.V.I.S. to aggressively deploy every single available Iron Legion drone to this location immediately!" Tony ordered urgently. 

Stephen rapidly drew the portal and vanished. 

Tony and S.U.N.D.A.Y. seamlessly moved to aggressively plug the massive tactical gap Megatron had left in the aerial defense, continuously, desperately firing their repulsors. Blackout provided critical, heavy suppression fire, utilizing his massive ammunition reserves to temporarily halt the advancing ground swarm. 

A few moments later, Stephen's portal re-opened. 

Dozens of sleek, highly advanced Iron Legion drones aggressively flew through the portal, instantly engaging the enemy! 

"Your response time is highly commendable!" Tony praised, genuinely relieved to see the massive influx of automated firepower. The sudden arrival of dozens of heavily armed drones significantly alleviated the immediate pressure. 

Stephen nervously poked his head out of the portal, currently hovering several meters in the air. 

"The absolute microsecond I stepped into the Tower, J.A.R.V.I.S. instantly identified me via localized biometric scanning. After I rapidly briefed him on the critical tactical situation, he immediately bypassed all standard deployment protocols and launched the entire available reserve fleet," Stephen explained. 

"J.A.R.V.I.S. is the absolute best," Tony smiled proudly. 

Stephen looked down at the absolute chaos unfolding below. He hesitantly, slightly awkwardly began executing somatic gestures, conjuring numerous small, glowing fireballs and gently tossing them down into the horde. While his targeting was atrocious, the sheer, terrifying density of the demonic swarm meant it was practically impossible to miss. 

Down on the street, Megatron landed heavily. He instantly conjured a massive, multi-layered 'Shield of the Seraphim' directly in front of the advancing horde, temporarily creating an impenetrable magical barricade. 

He watched furiously as hundreds of monsters aggressively threw themselves against the magical shield, desperately biting and clawing at the barrier. He genuinely wanted to unleash a devastating, high-tier chain-lightning spell to completely vaporize the cluster. However, actively maintaining a shield of this massive scale was currently pushing his magical processors to their absolute thermal limit; he simply didn't possess the spare computational capacity to simultaneously execute complex offensive magic. 

Highly irritated by his magical limitations, Megatron simply seamlessly transformed his right arm into a massive, heavy-duty plasma cannon. 

BOOM! 

A devastating, point-blank plasma blast violently obliterated the dense cluster of monsters pressing against his shield, showering the demons behind them in highly corrosive, burning gore. 

Having shrunk back down to his normal, human size, Captain Yang leaned heavily on his polearm, catching his breath. 

He frowned deeply, analyzing his weapon. His spiritual cultivation was simply too weak. If the legendary, ancient War God who had originally wielded this weapon were here, he could have effortlessly, casually slaughtered this entire demonic army and permanently sealed the dimensional breach in seconds. Yang, however, could only sustain his divine form for a few frantic minutes. 

Shaking off his frustration, Yang stood up, his eyes burning with absolute determination. He aggressively mentally commanded his polearm, sending it spinning lethally through the air, violently slicing through the demonic ranks. 

Watching their commander refuse to surrender, the exhausted S.P.E.A.R. operatives drew their secondary, close-quarters combat blades and aggressively joined the desperate melee, fiercely fighting back the surging monsters. 

They only needed to hold the line for a few more minutes! S.P.E.A.R. headquarters was currently rapidly mobilizing heavily armored military divisions. Once the heavy artillery arrived, they could construct a localized, impenetrable kill-box directly around the portal! 

However, just as their desperate resistance seemed to slightly stabilize the front line... the Dimensional Gate violently shuddered again! 

To their absolute horror, the gate aggressively expanded, devouring the surrounding apartment buildings and completely covering the entire width of the street! 

Instantly, the volume of demons pouring out doubled again! Even the highly disciplined operatives were violently pushed back. 

Seeing the situation rapidly deteriorating, Megatron aggressively conjured two massive, rapidly spinning Eldritch buzzsaws! He violently hurled them into the horde, effortlessly slicing hundreds of demons in half! He aggressively rallied his Decepticons, executing a massive, coordinated plasma bombardment to temporarily stall the advance. 

But their relief was fleeting. The Dimensional Gate violently shuddered again, expanding even further! 

"Can that thing theoretically expand infinitely?!" Tony demanded, true panic finally setting in as he aggressively fired his repulsors. 

If the gate possessed infinite expansion capability, regardless of how valiantly they fought, they would eventually be completely swallowed! 

Stephen observed the gate intently. "That specific magical array is inherently linked directly to the Dark Dimension itself. It is highly probable that it is actively, continuously siphoning limitless energy directly from the dimension to fuel its exponential growth!" 

"So how exactly do we shut it down?!" 

"The absolute only viable tactical solution is to aggressively penetrate the portal, enter the Dark Dimension, locate the spell's primary anchor point, and violently sever its connection to the energy source! Once deprived of energy, the gate will instantly collapse!" 

"But if the gate collapses while we are inside... we will be permanently, eternally trapped in the Dark Dimension!" Tony instantly identified the catastrophic flaw in Stephen's plan. 

"Exactly..." Stephen fell silent, staring grimly at the expanding portal. 

Tony looked at Stephen's defeated expression and sighed heavily. 

"Alright, setting aside the horrifying prospect of eternal exile... even if we successfully breach the dimension, how exactly do we sever the spell from its infinite energy source?" 

Sever energy? Actively siphon power? 

Tony's brilliant mind instantly clicked! He stared down at the highly complex, magical absorption array and the localized Dark Energy Crystal integrated into his gauntlet. He suddenly remembered a specific, highly relevant individual. 

"S.A.T.U.R.D.A.Y.!" Tony yelled. "Immediately dispatch a maximum-priority email to Galacta! Tell her I require her immediate—" 

Suddenly, an absolutely massive, terrifyingly dense swarm of flying demons violently poured out of the expanded portal! They rapidly ascended, completely overwhelming the Iron Legion drones and aggressively engaging Tony! 

The sheer volume of flying demons completely blacked out the sun, casting a terrifying, localized shadow over the entire battlefield! 

Tony stared in absolute, mind-boggling horror as the literal sky above him was entirely consumed by screeching, highly aggressive demonic entities! 

For the first time since the Chitauri invasion, Tony genuinely doubted if his technology was sufficient to survive. 

"Boss?" S.U.N.D.A.Y. aggressively positioned itself directly in front of the frozen Tony, the crackling plasma blade extending from its wrist. 

Tony violently snapped back to reality. "Alright. Prepare to engage! Regardless of the overwhelming odds, we absolutely must hold this line!" 

Thinking of Pepper, currently working safely in Stark Tower, and fully understanding the apocalyptic consequences of the Hong Kong Sanctum falling, Tony's resolve hardened into absolute steel. 

"Understood, Boss!" S.U.N.D.A.Y. acknowledged, fully deploying its entire remaining arsenal. 

Tony aggressively raised both of his hands, fully charging his primary repulsors to absolute maximum capacity, preparing to unleash a devastating, suicidal barrage into the descending swarm. 

Pew! Pew! Pew! 

Dozens of highly concentrated, devastatingly powerful dark energy blasts violently tore through the sky, instantly obliterating a massive section of the descending swarm! 

? 

Tony stopped, highly confused. He looked behind him. 

Thousands of pitch-black, highly agile Nightbat Ninjas violently erupted directly from the roof of the Hong Kong Sanctum! They aggressively soared into the sky, ruthlessly engaging the massive demonic swarm! 

While the Nightbats were significantly outnumbered, their baseline combat effectiveness was terrifying! They aggressively tore through the enemy ranks, effortlessly slaughtering the fragile flying demons! The terrifying, suffocating shadow cast by the demons was rapidly, violently shattered as the Nightbats aggressively cleared the skies! 

"Phew. That guy genuinely loves making a dramatic, last-second entrance," Tony exhaled a massive sigh of profound relief. He lowered his repulsors, watching the Nightbat legion aggressively establish absolute aerial superiority. 

"It definitely appears that a massive, highly disciplined magical army is significantly more effective in large-scale dimensional warfare," Tony noted wryly. 

Down on the ground, the exhausted S.P.E.A.R. operatives and Decepticons were suddenly granted a miraculous reprieve. 

Thousands of Standard Shadow Ninjas violently erupted directly from the shadows cast by the surrounding buildings! They seamlessly, silently infiltrated the demonic ranks. Highly lethal, pitch-black katanas smoothly emerged from the darkness, effortlessly, silently executing the heavily armored berserkers. 

The charging demonic horde found themselves completely stalled, their momentum violently shattered as they were systematically, silently slaughtered by invisible assassins. 

Highly aggressive Spike Ninjas violently charged the front lines, their terrifyingly sharp, armor-piercing claws effortlessly shredding any enemy unfortunate enough to cross their path. 

A massive, five-meter-tall demonic behemoth aggressively charged out of the Dimensional Gate, preparing to roar and announce its terrifying arrival. However, before it could even open its mouth, several massive, pitch-black hands violently grabbed its skull! Several towering Troll Ninjas violently dragged the behemoth out of the portal and aggressively, brutally tore it completely apart! 

"Now THAT is exactly how you conduct a war!" Barricade cheered enthusiastically from the rear lines, having partially recovered from his injuries. He deployed his heavy plasma cannon and aggressively provided covering fire. 

At the absolute, most intense center of the battlefield, directly in front of Megatron, a highly specialized, absolutely terrifying strike force materialized! 

The Crab Ninjas, Scythe Ninjas, and Squid Ninjas had arrived! 

The massive, heavily armored Crab Ninjas aggressively charged forward like biological tanks, violently smashing the enemy formations apart with sheer, overwhelming physical mass! The Scythe Ninjas followed seamlessly in their wake, brutally utilizing their terrifying reach to effortlessly harvest the scattered demons. The highly agile, incredibly lethal Squid Ninjas specifically targeted the massive demonic behemoths, utilizing their erratic movements to rapidly close the distance and execute them. 

The elite strike force violently, effortlessly tore a massive, gaping hole directly through the center of the enemy formation! They aggressively led the entire Shadowkhan legion, violently pushing the demonic horde steadily backward toward the portal! 

And finally, quietly manifesting completely unnoticed amidst the absolute chaos... 

A tiny, baseball-sized Shadow-Eater offered a highly terrifying, sadistic smile as it looked at the massive, seemingly endless buffet of enemies. 

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