Gorr came before Thor, his black robe billowing in the night wind, the tip of the Necrosword pointed at Thor's throat.
Black energy seeped from the blade like tiny snakes, twisting through the air with hissing sounds as it crawled toward Thor's corrupted wounds.
All he had to do was take one more step and thrust once more, and Thor's life would end beneath this evil sword that had devoured the power of thousands of gods.
Thor lay on the ground, Stormbreaker fallen at his side. Blue arcs of electricity flickered weakly across its blade, like a heart about to stop beating.
His blue eyes stared at Gorr's gray-white, expressionless face. A trace of golden blood stained the corner of his mouth.
His hand trembled, but he still tried to grasp Stormbreaker. Not to strike back, but so he could stand once more at the very end.
"You are more tenacious than the other gods," Gorr said, his voice utterly flat.
"The other gods could not even stand before me. You fell three times, then rose three times. Unfortunately, tenacity cannot replace strength."
He raised the Necrosword.
The blade suddenly lit up. Dark red fluid sped along its surface with a buzzing sound, like countless insects beating their wings at once.
Black energy exploded from the sword tip, forming a spiraling pillar of light.
At the end of that pillar were black spikes as thin as hairs, aimed at Thor's head, heart, and abdomen.
"Die!" Gorr said, about to kill Thor.
But the instant the sword fell, a green light shot out from the shadows of the Golden Palace.
It was not an energy beam, nor was it magic. It was a spear condensed from pure energy.
Dark green arcs of electricity flowed across its surface, while its tip carried