Drinking Thor Under the Table to Take His Hammer

Seeing this, Apocalypse threw a roll of large-denomination U.S. dollars at the owner, then smashed his glass onto the floor. "What are you standing around for? Bring out the strongest liquor. I'm covering all the drinks here today. We're not leaving until we're drunk!"

The owner unrolled the cash and immediately beamed, hurriedly signaling for the burly men to sit back down.

That thick roll of hundred-dollar bills was more than he usually made in a month. As long as the money was there, what did one broken glass matter? It was not worth much anyway.

Thor burst into laughter. "I never expected to meet a brother who suited my temperament when I came to Earth. You're not bad. I'll be your friend."

"Hey... hold it right there. I don't make friends with people who can't hold their liquor. Beat me first, then we'll talk." Apocalypse said.

Thor had not expected anyone on Earth to dare challenge his authority, and his fighting spirit immediately rose.

The two drank cup after cup. The huge beer mugs that burly men usually used for draft beer seemed more refreshing to them than drinking boiled water. Once they finished, they threw them down, and shattered glasses soon covered the floor with a constant clatter.

The other drinkers all turned to look.

"What impressive drinkers! Brothers, we can't let two outsiders outdrink us!" a Western burly man shouted.

"Drink!!!"

A group of local burly men began gulping down liquor as well. Since someone was paying for the whole place, they simply followed suit, smashing their glasses onto the floor after emptying them.

The atmosphere in the bar instantly reached its peak, overflowing with masculine energy.

Jane and the busty Daisy watched in stunned silence, exchanging looks. What kind of creatures were men? How had smashing a few glasses led everyone astray?

Daisy nudged Jane. "Professor, compared to that Eastern guy, Thor actually seems pretty normal. What a shame, though. A guy that handsome seems to have something wrong with his brain."

Jane said helplessly, "All men are the same once they've been drinking."

Although Thor's physique far surpassed that of ordinary Earthlings, he had been stripped of his divine power. How could he possibly outdrink Apocalypse's monstrous constitution? After more than a dozen huge mugs, his face had already begun to redden.

Fortunately, he was a good drunk. Rather than causing trouble, he simply kept calling Apocalypse "friend."

Thor had been born into a distinguished family and had fought countless battles throughout his life. Everything had always gone smoothly for him.

This time, falling out with his father was already the greatest setback of his life. It was only natural that he felt heartbroken for a while.

But Apocalypse knew that Thor's hardest days had yet to come.

Compared to the trials awaiting him in the future, this small setback was like child's play, not worth mentioning.

Thor finally drank himself unconscious, mumbling things like "Father, Mother, Loki."

As for Eric, he had long since slumped over in his chair and started snoring.

Apocalypse dragged one in each hand and said to the stunned Jane and the busty Daisy, "Where are you staying? I'll take them back to sleep."

Jane said, "I'm staying in the RV. There's nowhere to put two grown men. Take them to a hotel."

"That won't do." Apocalypse shook his head. "You were the one who hit this guy. His brain still seems a little off, and he refuses to stay in the hospital. If you don't take care of him, who will?"

Kind-hearted Jane was helpless. That did sound rather reasonable, so she could only reluctantly agree.

She never could have imagined that Apocalypse was deliberately bringing them together in order to steer the original plot back on course.

In the original plot, Thor and Jane opened their hearts to each other in the RV and eventually became lovers, which led to a series of later events, including major turning points such as the appearance of Aether—the Reality Stone.

Apocalypse tossed Thor into Jane's RV.

Eric naturally had to be taken back to the hotel. Otherwise, with two smelly men sleeping in one bed, how was the plot supposed to progress?

After settling Eric down, Daisy sidled up to Apocalypse and stroked his arm. "Handsome, do you want to rest too? My room is upstairs."

Apocalypse's looks and physique met the standard for a handsome man in both the East and the West.

More importantly, the aura of strength around him and his invincible confidence were especially deadly to women.

Western girls really were open. Apocalypse looked at the busty Daisy beside him. It would have been a lie to say he had no improper thoughts as a man.

But he already had Black Widow, and Black Widow had not yet fully given her heart to him. He did not want to cause any more trouble.

"I'm a married man," Apocalypse said.

Daisy became even more tempted, whispering seductively, "I don't see a ring on your finger. Where I'm from, no ring means you're not married. You can break the rules for now~~~~~"

Apocalypse did not understand Western customs. Here, a large number of men were afraid of taking responsibility and afraid of marriage.

Sleeping together was fine. Living together was fine. Even having children was fine. But getting legally married?

NO!

Therefore, married men were instead especially attractive. Women usually felt that such men were more responsible and more charming.

As a result, many men deliberately wore rings in bars, pretending to be married as they hunted for women.

Apocalypse still had things to do and did not want any unnecessary complications. Leaving Daisy looking resentful, he turned and walked away.

When Apocalypse appeared again, he was already in the desert dozens of kilometers outside the town.

This was precisely where Thor's Hammer had fallen!

At first, the locals thought it was some kind of meteorite. Some people who specialized in collecting meteorites came to search the area, only to discover the hammer's strange nature.

It did not look large, yet it weighed thousands of pounds. No one could lift it.

Word spread from one person to ten, then from ten to a hundred, and soon the entire town knew about it.

Countless curious burly men gathered here to celebrate, trying one after another to see whether they could lift Thor's Hammer.

Some people spotted a business opportunity and simply set up a crude barbecue stand. For a while, business was surprisingly good.

Some even chained Thor's Hammer to pickup trucks and tried to drag it away.

The pickup roared as its engine reached maximum power. Its tires spun against the ground, kicking up clouds of dust, but the hammer did not move in the slightest.

Then, with a loud bang, the truck bed detached. The pickup had failed!

Someone tried digging away the dirt beneath Thor's Hammer, only to find that it could not be dug up at all. It seemed that the patch of earth supporting the hammer had fused with it.

It was extremely bizarre!

Thor's Hammer had been forged by the Cosmic Dwarves using a dying star, and its own weight was already terrifying.

Even more wondrously, it could judge whether the person holding it was worthy of lifting it.

To someone worthy, it was as light as nothing; to someone unworthy, it weighed as much as a star!

In the original plot, Captain America was the only Earthling who lifted it.

Another person who might have been able to lift it was Vision, but that was only a possibility. Until Vision died, he was never actually shown lifting it.

However, Vision's core was the Mind Stone, so it was not strange that he could lift Thor's Hammer.

When they saw Apocalypse slowly approaching, the group of Western burly men could not help laughing at him.

"Hey, Eastern guy, your thigh isn't even as thick as my arm. Don't bother. It won't be good if you strain something later."

"Come on, come on, I'm opening bets. Ten-to-one odds that the Eastern guy can lift it."

"Damn it, that's a scam. A truck couldn't even drag it just now. Do you really think a human can lift it?"

"One-to-one-hundred! Anyone buying..."

Unhurried, Apocalypse walked up to Thor's Hammer and carefully examined the divine artifact.

The hammer was ancient and imposing, covered in strange patterns. If its wielder gained Thor's Hammer's recognition, those patterns could release the power of lightning and enhance the wielder's attacks.

It could even carry someone through the air. It truly was an essential divine artifact for home, travel, showing off, and putting on a performance.

Apocalypse gently gripped the handle, gradually increasing his strength.

One Hulk's worth of strength!

No movement!

Apocalypse had expected this. In the original plot of The Avengers 1, Hulk had tried to lift Thor's Hammer after it fell onto the Helicarrier's deck. Unfortunately, he had crushed the alloy deck beneath his feet, yet Thor's Hammer had not moved at all.

Two Hulks' worth of strength!

The muscles across Apocalypse's body bulged as terrifying power forcibly tore apart his close-fitting clothes.

On the surface, neither the hammer nor Apocalypse moved, but the terrifying force had already passed into the ground. The earth around them shook continuously as if an earthquake had struck.

The burly men nearby were so frightened that they all turned to stare.

"Did that Eastern guy cause all this? That's terrifying."

"How is that possible, Old Nor? I think it might be an earthquake."

"Could it really be such a coincidence?"

"Even if it is an earthquake, there's nothing to fear. We're on flat ground."

Apocalypse ignored the noise and began to erupt with power.

Three Hulks' worth of strength!

Incomparably powerful force exploded forth in an instant. The surrounding ground immediately cracked, the fractures spreading for a hundred meters. Wherever they passed, rocks shattered one after another, and flying rubble sent the nearby burly men scrambling out of the way.

But Thor's Hammer still did not move in the slightest!

The ground around the hammer had sunk half a meter, yet the soil directly touching Thor's Hammer seemed to have been blessed by some mysterious power and remained completely unaffected.

Apocalypse tried striking the soil beneath the hammer and found it no different from striking the hammer itself.

Faintly, Apocalypse even seemed to sense mockery coming from Thor's Hammer.

Was that an illusion? Apocalypse wondered.

So he struck the soil beneath the hammer again, and that faint, almost imperceptible mockery appeared once more.

Sure enough, Apocalypse understood what was happening.

The divine artifact had a spirit!

In his previous life, countless enthusiasts had discussed Thor's Hammer's strange properties.

For example, if an unworthy person placed Thor's Hammer in an elevator and then lifted the elevator, would they be able to lift it?

Or if it were placed on a car or an airplane, could someone tow the car or airplane away?

Now it seemed that there was no paradox at all. As long as Thor's Hammer did not want to be moved, no method could move it, unless—one's strength completely overwhelmed Thor's Hammer!

In the yet-to-happen plot of Thor 3, Thor's Hammer had been crushed one-handed by Thor's sister, the Goddess of Death—Hela.

Thinking of this made Apocalypse feel even more horrified!

With three Hulks' worth of strength, he could not even lift it, yet Hela could crush Thor's Hammer with her bare hand?!

Just how terrifying was her strength?!

And how powerful was Odin, the Allfather who had sealed Hela away?

Then there was the bull-headed monster Surtur, who would bring about Ragnarok, destroy Asgard, and finally eliminate Hela. Just thinking about that towering body made him feel powerless.

The more he considered these details, the more terrifying they became. Increasing his strength could not wait.

Still, Apocalypse wanted to make one final attempt.