Thor, Thor Odinson

On the town streets, the Destroyer began to move.

It did not walk quickly, but every step was heavy as a mountain. Its metal feet smashed into the ground, leaving deep dents as gravel sprang from the cracked asphalt. Its objective was clear: kill Thor.

The Warriors Three and Sif stood in its path.

Brave Volstagg was the first to charge.

Reckless Volstagg was the first to come flying back. The Destroyer slapped him across the face as though batting a baseball.

Fandral lunged from the side, his sword tip accurately piercing the gap in the Destroyer's neck joint. The blade sank a finger's breadth deep, and the Destroyer's head suddenly tilted as if something had tripped it.

"Its weakness is in the joints!" Fandral shouted. "Hit the gaps! Don't hit the armor!"

Hogan attacked from behind. His mace smashed into the Destroyer's lower back, and amid a dull impact, the Destroyer staggered a step forward. The metal armor on its lower back caved in, cracks spreading outward from the point of impact.

Sif leaped up, her longsword cleaving toward the Destroyer's head. Orange light flared in the gap of the Destroyer's mask—but it did not fire at Sif. It fired at the ground. The beam struck the asphalt, blasting out a charred crater and scattering gravel.

Sif's sword struck the Destroyer's mask. The metallic collision was ear-piercing, leaving a deep slash across the mask.

The four warriors' combined assault had begun to show results.

But the Destroyer began to fight back.

Its reactions were incredibly fast. The gap in its mask constantly scanned the area, allowing it to adjust its posture in time for every attack. Orange-red beams fired one after another, carving the street into strips of scorched earth.

A beam grazed Volstagg's shoulder, scorching a patch of his armor. He grunted, but did not fall.

Fandral was struck by the Destroyer's arm and sent flying into an abandoned pickup truck. The roof caved in, and he rolled off the vehicle with blood at the corner of his mouth.

Hogan was hit in the chest by a beam, which blew a large hole through his armor. He dropped to one knee, his mace braced against the ground, gritting his teeth without making a sound.

A beam grazed Sif's shoulder, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. She staggered back several steps, using her longsword to support herself as she gasped for breath.

The four warriors were not dead, but the damage they had inflicted on the Destroyer was far from enough. Slashes, dents, and cracks—the Destroyer's Uru Metal armor was slowly repairing itself. Along the edges of the wounds they had carved, the metal seemed to flow, healing bit by bit.

"It's regenerating!" Volstagg roared. "Is this thing impossible to kill?"

Fandral climbed up from the ground and wiped the blood from his mouth. "As long as Loki is controlling it, it won't stop! We need to take out its controller—but Loki is in Asgard!"

Hogan rose to his feet, his mace stained with his own blood. His voice was low. "Then we smash it to pieces."

Sif watched the Destroyer steadily advance toward the direction Thor had retreated, and gritted her teeth.

"Stop it."

In the distance, atop the clock tower.

Chen Xiao stood at the edge of the roof in a mage's robe, his cloak snapping in the night wind. He took a sip of cola and watched the distant battle.

Observation Haki spread out, allowing him to sense everything on the battlefield. The four warriors' energy was fading, the Destroyer's energy had barely changed, and Thor and the doctor were desperately evacuating the crowd.

"It doesn't eat magic, only physical attacks." Chen Xiao muttered to himself, repeating what the four warriors had just said. "Something Odin made... specifically to deal with mages?"

He tilted his head and watched the Destroyer advance down the street step by step. Its Uru Metal armor gleamed coldly beneath the moonlight, while the golden patterns around its joints flickered faintly with every movement. The wounds carved by the four warriors were slowly healing, the metal growing back on its own as though it were alive.

"Come to think of it," Chen Xiao narrowed his eyes, "this thing kind of resembles Sentry."

He thought about it, but could not figure out why.

"Whatever." He took another sip of cola. "Either way, I'm taking this thing."

In the distance, Volstagg was sent flying by the Destroyer once more, crashing through a wall. Rubble collapsed over him, burying him beneath it. Fandral was down on one knee, his sword planted in the ground as he panted heavily. Hogan and Sif were still fighting, but their movements had slowed considerably.

The Destroyer broke through their line.

Chen Xiao set down his cola bottle and rose from the rooftop. His gaze locked onto the Destroyer, a faint smile on his lips.

"About time."

He did not move. He was waiting.

On the town's main street, Thor knelt on one knee and helped Sif up from the rubble.

Sif's shoulder was bleeding, and a large section of her armor had been scorched black, but she clenched her teeth without making a sound. Volstagg crawled out of the ruins, covered in blood, with only one axe left. Fandral forced himself upright with his sword, his legs trembling. Hogan stood silently at the very front, his mace covered in his own blood.

The Destroyer stood at the other end of the street. Orange light pulsed in the gap of its mask, as though searching. It was in no hurry. At this moment, Loki was controlling it merely to watch the show.

Thor looked at the four warriors, then toward the ruins where Jane was hiding. His lips pressed into a thin line before he made his decision.

"Sif," he said.

Sif looked up at him.

"Take them back." Thor's voice was not loud, but every word was clear. "Go back to Asgard. Stop Loki."

Sif's pupils shrank. "Thor, what are you saying—"

"Father is still in Odin's Sleep. Loki has usurped the throne. There's no point in all of you dying here with me." Thor stood and turned toward the Destroyer. "Go back. Tell Heimdall, tell anyone still loyal to Asgard—Loki is unworthy of that seat."

Volstagg roared, "We won't leave you behind!"

"Trust me, my friend." Thor did not look back. "I have a way."

"Go." Sif forced the word through clenched teeth.

Volstagg still wanted to say something, but Fandral grabbed his arm. Hogan silently turned away. The four warriors supported one another as they headed out of town.

Jane rushed out from behind the ruins, trying to run to Thor's side. Selvig grabbed her from behind and dragged her back. "No—Jane, you can't go over there—"

Jane struggled, tears streaming down her face. She looked at Thor's back and called his name. Thor did not turn around.

He walked into the middle of the street.

The Destroyer stood at the other end of the street.

Thor continued forward. One step, two steps, three steps.

He stopped before the Destroyer. Looking up at the metal giant twice his height, he saw the sword marks and dents in its mask slowly healing.

"Loki." Thor spoke quietly, but his voice carried clearly through the silent street. "I know you can hear me."

The Destroyer's mask opened and began to charge.

"You don't have to do this," Thor said. "I don't know what wrong I did to you."

The Destroyer gave no response. The orange light grew brighter and brighter.

"I don't know what I did to make you become this way. I'm truly sorry," Thor continued. "But these people are innocent. Killing them won't do you any good."

The orange light was nearly overflowing.

"Kill me." Thor spread his arms and closed his eyes. "Then let it end here."

The orange glow flickered once, then began to dim before going out.

The Destroyer's mask closed again. It turned and walked away, as though it had given up on killing Thor.

Thor watched the Destroyer's retreating back, and the corners of his lips slowly lifted.

Then it turned back and swung.

Thor's smile froze on his face. He did not dodge. He took the Destroyer's backhand across the face head-on, and with the sound of bones breaking, he was swatted away like a fly. He flew over a dozen meters, bounced across the ground, and lay still.

Jane's scream came from behind the ruins. "Thor—!"

Mortal Thor had exited the stage.

Chen Xiao narrowed his eyes. Something was flying in from the distant sky.

Mjolnir.

It came too fast. A silver-gray point of light appeared at the edge of the night sky, tearing through the clouds with a piercing shriek. The air before it compressed and exploded, forming a visible sonic boom ring. The silver-gray light grew brighter and faster, like a fired cannonball, like a meteor flying against its path.

It hurtled straight toward Thor. Just before reaching him, it hovered for an instant. The handle pointed downward, the hammerhead upward.

Then it fell.

The handle landed steadily in Thor's open palm.

At that instant, the entire world fell silent.

A massive bolt of lightning struck Thor from the sky, and his body suddenly tensed. His fingers clenched around the handle, his knuckles turning white. The depression in his chest began to recover, and his broken ribs rejoined beneath his skin with a series of faint cracks. Bruising spread beneath his skin, then vanished. The blue-purple marks faded as if erased by a rubber. His eyes snapped open, blue-white lightning burning within his pupils.

His armor spread from the hammer's handle.

Metal flowed from his fingers to his wrist like liquid silver, covering the back of his hand and wrapping around his forearm. The patterns on his bracers emerged one after another, followed by shoulder armor, chest armor, and leg armor. Silver armor grew over his body like a tree living out an entire lifetime in seconds. A dark-red cape unfurled from beneath his shoulder armor, snapping loudly in the night wind.

Thor, Thor Odinson, had arrived!

In the distance, atop the clock tower.

Chen Xiao crushed the cola bottle in his hand and casually tossed it aside. "Next, it's my turn."