Jets and drones fell from the sky, burning stars crashing into the ground. Helicopters spun out of control before exploding into flames. The burning husks of tanks littered the field as the remaining infantry tried to fall back and regroup. The ocean itself seemed to burn as countless ships sank beneath the waves.

Despite the best efforts of its heroes, Earth’s armies had fallen.

To their credit, the soldiers continued the fight. Men and women loaded shells into artillery pieces even as walkers bore down on them, continuing to fire until their weapons exploded. The crew of a burning tank refused to abandon their vehicle, laying down covering fire to the end so the infantry behind them could fall back. Jets continued to streak across the sky, burning planes crashing themselves into alien gunships. Sailors in the water jumped onto lifeboats and climbed onto the neighboring ships, rushing to help man the guns that remained. Infantry held down the triggers of their guns until they ran out of bullets, then picked the weapons off fallen comrades and enemies alike to continue firing.

But the lines had been shattered and organization had broken down. Communication had devolved into endless requests for help. No coordination or tactics remained, no orders could be given or followed. Earth’s soldiers would fight and hold to their dying breaths. But die they would, should nothing change.

Earth’s militaries rushed to get more soldiers into the fight, to organize counterattacks and establish new lines.

But they wouldn’t make it in time. And even if they could, what more could they do than their fellows already on the field?

It now fell to the heroes to win this fight.

Londyn grimaced.

“Change targets, support the heroes on the ground.”

“Yes, Director!”

“Wilson, take whatever security forces and tech we have and get down there!”

“On it.”

The ILS’s super Mass Suppressor swung to the ground, sending out a wide surge instead of a focused beam. All across the field, alien soldiers and monsters found their bodies and weapons heavier and harder to move. The heroes and soldiers gained another chance to regroup.

Turning the Mass Suppressor to the ground meant it was no longer destroying new assault ships as they approached. Which meant the next wave of enemies would be that much larger. They were guaranteed to be overwhelmed later.

But there was no choice.

Holding the line later was irrelevant if they couldn’t hold the line now. The next hour’s problems would have to be dealt with by the next hour.

Another wave of grav-jets took off, carrying what fighting force the ILS had left. Anything to try and reinforce the line of heroes.

And then it got worse.

“Director, we have incoming! New signatures appearing on approach!”

“Please tell me they’re ours.”

“Negative! Coalition Command is not reporting any assets in that direction either.”

Londyn grit her teeth.

“Just what we needed. Dr. Fraser, can you squeeze anything more out of the Suppressor?”

Dr. Fraser’s voice came in over the intercom.

“Negative Director, we’re pushing her as hard as we can already! Any harder than this and she’s going to blow, and take the whole HQ with her!”

Londyn clenched her fists.

That meant the heroes would have to handle it.

And under current conditions…

That meant casualties.

“Get me a visual as soon as you can.”

Londyn switched the comm.

“Captain, can you read me?”

“A little busy now but yes.”

“You have incoming! We can’t stop them.”

“...great. How long do we have?”

“ETA is fifteen at this rate!”

“...wonderful…”

Chronolock rushed forward, ducking under a bolt of plasma moving in slow motion. She fired her gun as she slid on the ground, rolling forward and trying to stand upright.

But her foot caught in a ditch.

She tumbled forward and then planted face first into the ground.

And worst of all, her concentration broke, time accelerating to normal around her.

Along with the alien soldiers she was surrounded by.

One of them walked up to her, lifting a plasma rifle. The barrel began to glow…

Suddenly a purple barrier formed around her, blocking the bolt of plasma. A purple bolt fell into the center of the alien soldiers and burst into a singularity, pulling them all in and then vanishing.

Two metal feet landed in front of Chronolock’s face.

She slowly looked up…

And saw a familiar cyborg girl extending her hand.

“Smug Query: Does noob Chronolock require assistance?”

Chronolock smiled as she reached up, grabbing Elise’s hand.

“I never thought I’d be glad to see you.”

“Resigned Statement: As usual, this unit must do all the work for Aurora Legion. At least this time, this unit has friends.”

Elise motioned over to the side, where a slash of light cut through the air. Two shinobi and a red-haired girl stepped out.

Nemesis had arrived.

Suddenly Nana looked to the side and vanished.

Dark Rose fell as a giant lizard with two arms on its back leapt forward, its upper claws knocking into him. He shielded his face with his grav-cannon as the creature bit at his head.

Suddenly a gunshot rang out and the creature’s head exploded.

A kunoichi appeared before him, holding a huge rifle.

“Don’t worry, Antonio-senpai! I won’t let any of this trash lay their hands on you anymore!”

“Huh, have we met?”

Nana jumped and squealed when she realized what she had said. She shook her head with all her might.

“N-N-No! Never! We’ve definitely never met before!”

And while she did, she fired a shot from her new chakra rifle. The dart she fired had a line of chakra attached to it. It pierced through an incoming lizard, then shot to the side to pierce another, and another, and another, zigzagging through the whole pack.

Kiyosuke and Saydaa glanced at each other. Kiyosuke smirked at her.

“Ready to be useful?”

A vein twitched on her forehead but she simply began to forming a magic circle with her hands. A mirror made of red fire appeared in the air…revealing an alien squad approaching from a behind a hill in the distance. Kiyosuke focused in on the mirror and swung his blade.

A flash of light and Kiyosuke vanished. He appeared in the mirror, jumping between and cutting down the aliens before reappearing back at the team’s side.

While Kiyosuke was off attacking, a group of alien craft turned the newcomers, moving in for a strafing run.

Saydaa held out her hands, eyes glowing.

The ends of the fighters’ plasma cannons twisted into knots.

Explosions filled the sky as the fighters attempted to fire…and their plasma bolts detonated within their cannons.

The rest of Aurora Legion rushed over, their eyes opening wide as they saw who stood with Chronolock.

“You…you’re…”

Saydaa flashed them a grin.

“Hey Aurora Losers! What sorta lame super needs to be saved?”

Pink Star just tilted her head.

“Um, you did?”

“S-Shut up! And that was mostly killer robot girl!”

Kiyosuke smirked as Saydaa stumbled over her words.

“You got saved multiple times in fact.”

“S-Shut up you jerk! Who’s side are you on?!”

Voidspeaker took his chance to interject.

“And we totally helped you know! Elise, tell them!”

“Bargain Offer: This unit will admit to Aurora Legion assistance if Voidspeaker will make eye contact and repeat assertion.”

“T-That’s…”

Chronolock just held her head and heaved a massive sigh.

“Can we PLEASE focus on the alien invasion?!”

“Right…”

“I-I wasn’t distracted, you were distracted!”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Counter Observation: Aurora Legion could use a break before rejoining fight.”

Chronolock’s eye twitched.

“No crap, but in case you haven’t noticed, we can’t exactly clock out at the moment.”

“Counter Observation: Chronolock clearly hasn’t noticed yet has she?”

She grit her teeth.

“Noticed….what?”

“Smug Answer: Nemesis is not the only group arriving here.”

“We have a visual on incoming!”

Londyn grimaced.

“On screen, now.”

And then froze.

“What on Earth…”

Captain Hot Devil and the heroes on the ground gathered up. Another wave of the insect swarm approached. And that unidentified bogey was about to hit. The Captain grimaced.

This was not going to be fun.

When suddenly, the swarm stopped, all the insects turning around simultaneously. Captain Hot Devil blinked.

And then he saw it.

A swarm of giant spiders with glowing purple eyes came into view.

Attacking the insects.

And leading them…

“AHAHAHAHAHA! DIE DIE DIE ALL YOU STUPID BUGS! TASTE ALL THE STRESS I’VE BUILT UP LATELY!”

Arachnalich leapt into the swarm. She swung her claws, ripping into the creatures with her bare hands before draining their lifeforce with her spells. She raised one of her hands to the side, a nozzle appearing and unleashed a jet of green flame. Her poison mixed with the incendiary mixture to create a burning poison, the insects twitching from both flames and toxins.

And behind her…was an entire horde of monsters, tearing through the aliens with fist and fang and claw. Leading the horde was a giant three-headed dog, its triple fangs rippling the insectoids apart.

So it was that Arachnalich tore her way through the swarm, stepping towards the Captain while drenched in green blood.

“Oh my, you bunch look like you’ve seen better days. Guess they don’t make heroes like they used to, do they?”

“...And you are?”

She made a huge grin.

“Arachnalich, and I’m the master of the Association of Villains and Superbeings. I trust that’s not a problem today?”

Captain Hot Devil just shrugged.

“If you’re not with them, you’re practically family as far as I’m concerned.”

“Don’t mind if I do then.”

She turned to the field of insectoid corpses and waved her hand. A huge purple magic circle appeared in the air.

The dead insects’ eyes began to glow with purple flames as their corpses rose back to their feet.

Captain Hot Devil took a deep breath and grunted as he watched an undead horde charge into the next wave of approaching aliens.

It was strange being on this side of the horde.

But he’d take it.

And so Earth’s monsters held the line while the heroes recovered.

And that wasn’t all.

Something bright and shining shot through the air, barreling straight through an alien fighter.

Lady Diamond Hornet emerged from the other side.

“This sucks. Overtime sucks. You stupid aliens totally suck.”

A giant beam surrounded by lightning tore through the air, slamming into an incoming walker. The walker’s shields flashed…then shattered and the walker itself began to explode.

Ivan grinned as he manned a giant cannon from the back of a truck.

“Is very convenient we find more abandoned American death rays! Looks like tesla technology improved a bit, da?”

And then his eyes narrowed as the death ray charged up once again.

“This one is for my babushka.”

And a second army of supers arrived as well.

“Come, my brothers and sisters! The Super Liberation Front will not surrender the Earth to a new oppressor!”

Beams of light, elemental blasts, and superpowered fists struck against shield, chitin, and armor as the Super Liberation Front reinforced the line.

And on the other side of the field…

A horde of undead animals of every sort overran a company of alien soldiers. Carl directed his Necrointerns as they continuously formed as many undead as they could, the shambling hordes preventing alien reinforcements from joining the fight through sheer weight of bodies.

All around the heroes glanced at once another, shrugging and smiling as they joined the fight once more.

Meanwhile in the ILS HQ Londyn was rubbing her temples with her eyes closed.

“Association…of Villains…and Superbeings…seriously? I mean…I knew something like this had to have happened but…”

She just heaved a massive sigh.

“Under the circumstances let’s just call it a good thing. Designate newcomers as friendly. Redirect Mass Suppressor back onto incoming transports. Let’s go people, looks like we got some unexpected help.”

“Yes, Director!”

“...though I definitely should have expected this.”