Mjolnir Shattered (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Chapter 44: Mjolnir—Shattered (Please Keep Reading)

"This Thor really picked a terrible time to show up."

Feeling the energy that had been so alluring to him slowly dissipating from the sudden explosion in the distance, Peter's cold gaze turned back to Thor, who lay sprawled on the ground where he had thrown him.

"My hammer!"

At that moment, Thor, who had carved a massive crater into the ground, forced himself to crawl out despite the pain wracking his entire body. He looked up at the figure in the sky, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Mjolnir, return to me!"

The next moment, with the surrounding background music swelling, Thor raised his right hand, making a grasping motion, and silently summoned his hammer in his mind.

Hum!

Sensing Thor's call, Mjolnir trembled violently in Peter's hand, emitting a low hum.

"No, this is absolutely impossible!"

The fact that Peter could lift Mjolnir had already shocked Thor beyond words.

But now, even as he summoned it, the hammer couldn't break free from Peter's grip—this was even more unbelievable to Thor.

"Hmph!"

Feeling Mjolnir's resistance growing stronger in his hand, Peter let out a cold snort, then flew straight down toward Thor on the ground.

"My Mjolnir, give it back to me!"

Looking up at Peter, Thor shouted without hesitation.

"Give it back? If you admit defeat right now, I might consider it."

Looking down at Thor from above, Peter said coldly, hoping he would make the right choice.

"No, absolutely not! We warriors of Asgard will never surrender to a puny human."

But the proud Thor would never give in so easily—especially not to a human.

"Then, what a pity."

Having already given Thor one chance that he didn't take, Peter, already furious, hesitated no longer.

Gripping Mjolnir with one hand, he slowly applied his Super Strength—power so immense he himself didn't know its limits.

Hum...

As if sensing a dire threat, Mjolnir trembled incessantly, letting out a sharp, mournful sound.

"No, what are you doing?"

Sensing Mjolnir's wailing, Thor stared at Peter in utter shock, summoning his hammer even harder in his mind.

Yet, aside from trembling a bit more violently in Peter's hand, Mjolnir showed no sign of returning to him.

"No, you can't do this!"

"Without Mjolnir, I'll lose my right to be the God of Thunder!"

At that moment, Thor finally realized what Peter was doing. For the first time, panic and regret appeared on his proud face.

"Mr. Superman..."

Nearby, Nick Fury stepped forward, wanting to stop Peter.

But the next moment, seeing Peter turn to him with a less-than-friendly look in his eyes, he ultimately didn't continue.

Ahhh—ah!

As the surrounding background music reached another climax, Mjolnir in Peter's hand finally gave way under the strain. A crack slowly spread from between Peter's fingers across the entire hammer.

"Not good, everyone get down!"

Seeing a blinding silver light burst from the cracks in the hammer, Nick Fury's face instantly changed.

"No!"

And Thor couldn't bear to watch this happen before his eyes. With all the strength left in his weakened body, he leaped up, trying to snatch Mjolnir back from Peter in the air.

"Hmph!"

Watching Thor's move, Peter hesitated no longer and suddenly increased the force in his hand.

Boom!

In an instant, the already cracked Mjolnir exploded with a thunderous blast.

The immense energy contained within was released all at once, unleashing a terrifying shockwave of power.

The violent energy blast instantly sent Thor, who had been lunging at Peter in the air, flying backward.

The shockwave spread in all directions.

The sky, once covered in thick, dark clouds, was instantly cleared by the powerful energy wave.

Sunlight poured down once more, shining upon a pile of silver metal fragments scattered across the ground.

Asgard, atop the magnificent, golden palace.

Countless Asgardians had gathered here, awaiting the start of the ceremony.

Today was the day the All-Father Odin would name Asgard's heir to the throne.

Thor, Odin's Son, was about to become Asgard's new successor.

From now on, Thor would lead and protect all of Asgard, guiding them toward an even more prosperous future.

Yet, as the ceremony's start time drew near, there was still no sign of Thor.

This stirred murmurs among the waiting Asgardians.

Clang!

Odin, clad in golden armor, slowly tapped the end of his eternal spear, Gungnir, against the ground.

A dull sound instantly spread through the great hall and even across all of Asgard, silencing the surrounding chatter.

The hall fell into utter stillness.

"Queen Frigga, why hasn't Thor arrived yet?"

Odin's deep voice rumbled slowly, his simple words carrying an overwhelming sense of authority.

"He might be so excited that he lost track of time."

Frigga's expression was also grim, but she forced a smile to make an excuse for Thor.

Then she turned to the figure beside her, wearing a helmet that resembled two antlers, and said slowly, "Loki, go fetch your brother."

"That idiot—he didn't actually go to Midgard, did he?"

Loki's face was equally sour. He suddenly remembered that, over ten days ago, Thor had mentioned wanting to go to Midgard to challenge a human.

"Yes, Mother."

Though he too didn't want Thor to inherit the throne so smoothly, he had no choice but to leave and search for him.

But before his figure could even exit the palace...

Odin, who had been sitting steadily on his throne, suddenly rose to his feet.

"Who is it?"

The veins on his hand gripping Gungnir bulged. Odin, who had seemed like a frail old man moments before, now fully unleashed the imposing aura befitting the Lord of the Nine Realms.

He slowly lifted his head, his single remaining eye seeming capable of piercing through the Nine Realms.

"What... happened?"

Every Asgardian present was awed by the sheer force of Odin's presence.

But the next moment, that aura vanished instantly.

And with it, Odin himself disappeared from his throne.

"Loki, where exactly has your brother gone?"

Seeing Odin vanish, Frigga realized something serious had happened and anxiously questioned Loki.

"He said he was going to Earth to challenge a new god..."

On Earth, as Mjolnir shattered, Thor instantly seemed to lose his soul, slumping to the ground in defeat.

In that moment, he had lost what mattered most to him.

But Peter in the sky didn't look at the dejected Thor on the ground. Instead, he slowly raised his head, gazing into the void as if waiting for something.

In an instant, a brilliant pillar of light descended from the heavens.

Just like when Thor had first arrived on Earth, it slammed directly into the ground.

As the pillar of light slowly faded, a one-eyed old man in golden armor, holding a golden spear, suddenly appeared before everyone.

The old man first looked at Thor, slumped and spiritless on the ground.

Then his gaze shifted, slowly sweeping over the scattered fragments of Mjolnir on the ground.

Finally, he raised his eyes, fixing his stare on Peter's floating figure in the air.

"Was it you who destroyed Mjolnir?"