"This Thor really picked the worst possible time to show up."
Feeling an energy from the distant explosion that held a powerful attraction for him slowly fading away, Peter turned his cold gaze back to Thor, whom he had thrown to the ground.
"My hammer!"
Thor, who had smashed a huge crater into the ground, endured the pain throughout his body as he slowly climbed out. Looking at the figure in the sky, his eyes were filled with disbelief.
"Mjolnir, come back!"
The next moment, accompanied by the background music, Thor raised his right hand and curled it as if gripping something, calling for his hammer in his heart.
Buzz!
Sensing Thor's call, Mjolnir in Peter's hand began to shake violently, letting out a low hum.
"No, that's absolutely impossible!"
Peter being able to lift Mjolnir had already left Thor utterly shocked.
But now, even after he called for it, Mjolnir could not break free from Peter's hand. This was even more unbelievable to Thor.
"Hmph!"
Feeling Mjolnir's resistance growing stronger in his hand, Peter snorted coldly and flew straight toward Thor on the ground.
"My Mjolnir, give it back!"
Looking up at Peter, Thor shouted without hesitation.
"Give it back? If you admit defeat now, I might consider it."
Looking down at Thor from above, Peter spoke in a cold voice, hoping he would make the right choice.
"No, absolutely not! Asgard's warriors will never admit defeat to weak humans."
Yet how could proud Thor surrender so easily, especially to a human?
"Then that's a shame!"
Peter had already given Thor one chance. Since Thor had not cherished it, Peter, already furious, did not hesitate any longer.
Gripping Mjolnir in one hand, he slowly exerted his Super Strength, so great that even he did not know its limits.
Buzz...
As though it sensed a grave threat, Mjolnir trembled continuously and let out a piercing wail.
"No, what are you doing?"
As if he could sense Mjolnir crying out, Thor stared at Peter in shock while calling for his hammer even more forcefully in his heart.
Yet aside from trembling more intensely in Peter's hand, Mjolnir showed no sign whatsoever of returning to its master.
"No, you can't do this!"
"Without Mjolnir, I'll lose my qualification 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..."
Beside them, Nick Fury stepped forward, intending to stop Peter.
But in the next moment, Peter turned toward him, his eyes carrying a distinctly unfriendly look. In the end, Nick Fury did not continue.
Ahhh—ah!
As the background music around them rose to another climax.
Mjolnir in Peter's hand finally reached its limit. A crack slowly spread from Peter's fingertips across the entire hammer.
"This is bad! Everyone, get down!"
Seeing a dazzling silver light radiating from the cracks in the hammer, Nick Fury's expression changed instantly.
"No!"
Thor could not simply watch this happen before his eyes. His weakened body used every last bit of strength to leap upward, trying to snatch Mjolnir back from Peter in the air.
"Hmph!"
Seeing Thor's movement, Peter no longer hesitated and suddenly increased the force in his hand.
Boom!
In an instant, the already cracked Mjolnir exploded.
The immense energy within it was released all at once, erupting into an incomparably terrifying energy shockwave.
The powerful blast instantly sent Thor, who had been lunging toward Peter through the air, flying away.
The shockwave spread in every direction.
The sky, once covered by thick dark clouds, was instantly blown clear by the powerful energy shockwave.
Sunlight once again spilled across the earth, shining upon the silver metal fragments scattered over the ground.
Asgard, atop a massive, magnificent golden palace.
Countless Asgardians had gathered there, waiting for the ceremony to officially begin.
Today was the day the All-Father Odin would determine the heir to Asgard's throne.
Thor, Odin's Son, was about to become Asgard's new heir to the throne.
From then on, Thor would lead and protect all of Asgard, guiding Asgard toward an even more prosperous future.
Yet as the time for the ceremony gradually drew near, Thor was still nowhere to be seen.
This caused the waiting Asgardians to begin murmuring among themselves.
Clang!
Odin, clad in golden armor, slowly tapped Gungnir, the Eternal Spear in his hand, lightly against the ground.
A dull sound instantly spread through the entire hall, even throughout all of Asgard, completely suppressing the surrounding discussions.
The hall fell silent.
"Queen Frigga, why hasn't Thor arrived yet?"
Odin's deep voice slowly rang out. Though his words were simple, they carried boundless majesty.
"Perhaps he was so excited that he forgot the time."
Frigga's expression was also somewhat unsightly, but she still forced a smile and found an excuse for Thor.
Then she turned to the figure beside her wearing a helmet resembling two antlers and said slowly, "Loki, go call your brother."
"That guy didn't really go to Midgard, did he?"
Loki's expression was equally unpleasant. He suddenly remembered that over ten days ago, Thor had said he wanted to go to Midgard to challenge a human.
"Yes, Mother!"
Though he also did not want Thor to inherit the throne so smoothly, he could only leave now and search for Thor.
Yet before he could even walk out of the palace.
Odin, who had been sitting steadily upon the throne, suddenly rose to his feet.
"Who was it?"
The hand gripping Gungnir bulged with veins. Odin, who had seemed like an old man in his twilight years, fully revealed the overwhelming presence of the Lord of the Nine Realms at that moment.
He slowly raised his head, his sole remaining eye seeming capable of seeing through the Nine Realms.
"What... happened?"
Every Asgardian present was stunned by the powerful aura Odin released at that moment.
But in the next instant, that aura vanished completely.
And along with it, Odin disappeared from the throne.
"Loki, where exactly did your brother go?"
Looking at the vanished Odin, Frigga realized something serious had happened as well 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 and sat weakly on the ground.
At that moment, he had lost the thing most important to him.
Yet Peter in the sky did not look at the dejected Thor below. Instead, he slowly raised his head and gazed into the void, as though waiting for something.
In an instant, a brilliant pillar of light descended from the heavens.
Just like when the Thunder God had descended upon Earth before, it struck directly into the ground.
As the beam of light slowly faded, a one-eyed old man clad in golden armor and holding a golden spear suddenly appeared before everyone.
The old man first looked toward Thor, who sat listlessly on the ground, utterly despondent.
Then his gaze shifted slowly toward the shattered fragments of Mjolnir scattered across the ground.
Finally, he raised his eyes and stared at Peter floating in the air.
"Was it you who destroyed Mjolnir?"
Before you continue