Marvel: My Eyes Defies Fate.

"Thanos isn't that much of a fool," Kurogai murmured, frowning as he studied the glowing scepter before him.

The energy still flickered faintly where he'd pulled it from the generator, but something about it felt off—wrong, even. He knew Thanos too well to believe the Titan would hand over one of the Infinity Stones so easily.

Kurogai tightened his grip and yanked the scepter free from the spatial device. Immediately, the massive column of light that pierced the sky flickered and vanished. The roaring vortex above Stark Tower began to collapse, and the portal sealing the Chitauri army outside the Earth snapped shut. The alien invasion had been cut off at its source.

On the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier

"Council members, the portal's closing!" Nick Fury barked into the comms, his one good eye fixed on the rapidly stabilizing readings. "There's no need to launch nukes. I repeat—stand down!"

On the screen, the members of the World Security Council exchanged hurried glances. "Very well, Director Fury," one of them replied after a tense pause. "Deal with the remaining invaders. Capture a few alive if possible. We want answers."

"Understood," Fury said sharply, cutting the line. The moment the screen went dark, he allowed himself a breath of relief. The threat of nuclear annihilation was off the table—for now.

Still, even as he turned his attention back to the battlefield, Fury couldn't have known the truth: the one responsible for closing the portal wasn't one of his Avengers.

Back atop Stark Tower

Kurogai examined the scepter in his hand, tilting it slightly as the blue crystal pulsed weakly. His gaze sharpened, his irises glowing faintly with an otherworldly light. "Something's not right," he muttered.

He concentrated, his perception expanding, dissecting the artifact's energy signature. The structure of its power was… fractured. Imitation. A construct mimicking the original. He felt it immediately.

In one smooth motion, he gripped the scepter near the top and crushed the gemstone between his fingers. The crystal shattered with a sharp crack, scattering fragments across the floor in a flash of dull blue light.

"Just as I thought," he said with a cold smile. "That old fox."

The so-called Mind Stone disintegrated completely, leaving behind only residual traces of energy. "Thanos would never hand over the true scepter to Loki," Kurogai said quietly. "Not when others are hunting for the Infinity Stones. He doesn't trust anyone—least of all Loki."

The imitation had been well made—close enough to fool even advanced scanners. Thanos had likely transferred a fraction of the Mind Stone's power into this decoy before sending it to Loki, ensuring that the Asgardian could still use it as a weapon while keeping the real gem far from harm.

"A defective replica," Kurogai said with mild amusement. "Enough to influence minds, but nowhere near the strength of the original."

It was a clever precaution—one that perfectly matched Thanos's manipulative nature. Even without the full power of the stone, the fake scepter had served its purpose: the Chitauri invasion had begun, the Avengers were distracted, and Thanos had gathered valuable data about Earth's defenses.

Kurogai let the broken pieces fall from his hand. "Predictable. Still, I can't say I'm disappointed. The Mind Stone will find its way back to me eventually."

He smiled faintly, his mind already working several steps ahead. "I'll just take it from Thanos myself next time."

Outside, the sky above New York was still alive with chaos. Chitauri soldiers swarmed through the streets, and massive serpentine war-beasts soared between skyscrapers, their metallic hides gleaming under the smoke-choked sunlight.

Kurogai stepped toward the shattered edge of the tower and looked down. Below, Iron Man darted between buildings, firing repulsor blasts at the alien swarm. Thor's lightning arced across the sky, striking down invaders by the dozens. Captain America coordinated the ground teams, while the Hulk smashed through Chitauri leviathans with primal roars.

It was chaos—and it was beautiful.

Kurogai's lips curved slightly. "They can handle themselves. I'll focus on something… more interesting."

He glanced toward one of the Chitauri leviathans—a massive, whale-like war creature covered in dense armor plates. Its enormous form crashed through buildings, scattering debris and fire through the streets. The creature's sheer size dwarfed everything around it.

"Perfect test subject," he murmured.

Kurogai took a single step forward—and fell. He didn't panic, didn't even flinch. The wind howled around him as he descended from the top of Stark Tower, his coat billowing violently in the air.

Below him, the Chitauri leviathan roared, its segmented body twisting through the air as it plowed through another skyscraper.

Kurogai extended one hand toward it. His eyes shifted—the deep black irises rippling, fracturing into swirling spirals of distortion.

"Twist," he whispered.

The world itself seemed to bend. Space warped around his body as he landed effortlessly on the leviathan's massive head, his boots striking metal with a dull clang.

In an instant, the beast's armored hide began to ripple, cracks spider-webbing across its scales as reality around it distorted. The creature let out a deafening, agonized roar.

"Let's see how your biology handles this," Kurogai said softly.

The power surged outward, a wave of invisible force tearing through the leviathan's form. Its armor warped inward, its body twisting in on itself like molten steel folding under pressure. Within seconds, the monstrous creature imploded, its entire frame collapsing into a vortex of blood and crushed alloy.

The explosion of crimson mist painted the sky, scattering debris across the skyline. When the smoke cleared, Kurogai stood amid the wreckage, untouched, the faint distortion still swirling around his eyes.

Below, the Avengers who had been fighting on the streets stopped briefly, staring upward in disbelief.

"What the hell was that?" Tony's voice crackled through the comms, awe mixing with confusion.

"Did one of you do that?" Captain America asked, scanning the horizon.

"Not me," Thor replied grimly, lightning still sparking around his hammer. "Whatever it was… it struck down a leviathan in a single blow."

Hulk simply looked up, snorted, and smashed another Chitauri fighter into the ground.

Kurogai, meanwhile, paid no attention to the awe below. He was already turning his gaze to the next cluster of Chitauri ships in the distance, his mind analyzing their energy signatures. He was searching for something—something beyond these mere creatures.

"If any of these contain what I need, this trip won't have been a waste," he said under his breath.

His figure blurred, vanishing from sight in a ripple of distortion, reappearing atop another Leviathan several blocks away. His calm expression never faltered as he pressed his hand to the creature's armored skull.

"Let's see if you have something worth studying."

Moments later, the streets of New York were lit by another surge of impossible energy, as yet another leviathan tore itself apart under the crushing weight of Kurogai's power.

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