Thor was still hesitating when John pushed him forward.
"Believe in yourself, Thor." Like a Muggle fortune-teller, John spoke with an air of inscrutable wisdom. "Don't forget, you're Wong."
"And Wong never lets his people down."
Thor froze for a moment, then nodded firmly.
He still had no idea what bargain John had meant.
But he understood that he needed to protect his friends.
Sif and the Warriors Three were still fighting, but the gap between them and their opponent was too great.
Every movement the Destroyer made left them struggling to fend it off.
Sif crashed into a car. She was fine; the car was totaled.
She struggled to get up.
Thor ran over and stopped her from charging again. "Enough. You've done all you can, Sif."
"No, it's not enough." Sif gripped her weapon, resolute in the face of death. "I'll die a warrior's death. This battle will be remembered for generations."
For Asgardians, death was not the end.
They fell gloriously as warriors and went to Valhalla, their legends becoming epics passed down through the ages.
Sif would fight until she died. That was a warrior's honor.
Thor stopped her, refusing to allow a pointless sacrifice. "Stay alive and tell today's story yourself."
He had been through too much these past few days. He didn't want to see his companions die for him.
Looking into Thor's deep eyes, Sif hesitated again and again, suppressing a trace of affection in her gaze.
She could sacrifice herself for her Wong.
But Thor would rather his friends lived.
In the end, she listened to Thor and left.
The Destroyer continued its assault, its energy beam destroying everything.
Thor was nearly hit, but his combat instincts remained intact. He leaped into a roll, picked up a shield the Warriors Three had dropped to block the flying rubble, and started running.
Seeing this, Sif still chose to trust Thor.
Just as Thor had once believed without wavering that she would become an Asgardian warrior.
"Thor!"
The Warriors Three were preparing to attack again. Volstagg was already injured.
Even Asgardian warriors could not withstand the Destroyer.
If they kept going, they would only die here.
Fandral and Hogun helped Volstagg up, watching Thor narrowly dodge the Destroyer's attacks.
Thor reached the three of them and gave his final instructions. "You must return to Asgard. You have to stop Loki."
Though he didn't know what his mischievous younger brother intended to do, Thor understood that it couldn't be anything good.
"What about you?" Fandral asked.
They had come to bring Thor back. The Warriors Three had no shortage of courage to die for him.
"Don't worry, my friends. I have a plan." Thor smiled to reassure them. "That Wizard will help me."
"But he can't be trusted!" Hogun grabbed Thor's hand and said solemnly, "Leave with us, Thor."
"No. I have a way to deal with it. Trust me."
Thor's unquestionable tone made Hogun release his hand without realizing it.
"Volstagg needs treatment. Hurry!"
Thor was ready to protect his people. Faced with his firm resolve, the Warriors Three could only agree.
Sif joined the Warriors Three, and they escorted Jane and her two companions away.
Thor watched his friends leave. Whether they were his friends from Asgard or from Earth, they had all been placed in danger because of him.
His smile faded, and he looked toward the Destroyer with a complicated but determined gaze.
John stood beside him. Thor asked, "What should I do?"
"Follow your heart, Thor." Acting as a mentor, John said calmly, "Your friends are safe now, aren't they?"
Thor looked at John, his expression conflicted. "I really don't know what you're after."
"What is that bargain?"
"You'll find out once you've defeated this thing," John said. "Right now, you should put all other thoughts aside."
He placed his hand on Thor's back and gave it a light pat.
"Go. This is your father's test, and it's also a family bond you must face."
At those words, Thor smiled at John. "You're a good man, John."
"Perhaps. I'm not like you." John shook his head with a chuckle. "Walk like Wong should, Thor."
Thor nodded and stepped forward.
Perhaps John's words had worked, or perhaps it was his determination to protect his friends.
His steps were firm and strong as he walked toward the Destroyer.
Star Spirit also looked at Thor differently.
As though sensing Thor's resolve, the Destroyer stopped its destruction.
They walked toward each other, like two brothers meeting.
Thor looked at the towering, spiked armor and seemed to see his former self.
At his coronation, Jotunheim had invaded. Without bothering to understand the circumstances, he had defied his father's orders and insisted on going to destroy that place.
It had been reckless and irresponsible.
After experiencing life as a mortal these past few days, he began to understand why his father had opposed his war against Jotunheim.
"Brother, whatever I've done to wrong you..." He slowly approached the Destroyer without apprehension or fear. "Whatever I've done to cause all this..."
"I'm truly sorry. But these people are innocent." He bowed his head. The proud Asgard Prince humbled himself before his younger brother for the sake of ordinary people. "Killing them all will do you no good."
He stopped before the Destroyer and spoke calmly, with the resolve Wong should possess. "So kill me, and end this."
He would trade his own life for these people's safety.
Even without great power, I will still use my body to protect my people.
That was a Wong's resolve.
John stood in the distance, watching the Destroyer's faceplate open.
The blazing flames radiated heat, as though about to consume the man before it.
"If Thor takes a hit like that now, he'll probably die, right?" John sank into thought.
Thor's appearance in the Avengers meant he wouldn't die here today.
Though he couldn't remember some of the plot, John figured Thor could turn the tables.
Yeah, that's it.
The Destroyer might look terrifying, but Thor has that think-of-Dad passive at twenty percent health. He'll definitely be fine.
Sure enough.
After seeing Thor's calm acceptance of death, the Destroyer closed its faceplate and turned to leave.
A smile appeared on John's lips. See? He's fine.
Thor was thinking the same thing.
He thought his younger brother still cared about their bond.
Thor: My brother really does still love me.
The next second, the Destroyer swung a backhanded slap that sent Thor's vision black.
His body flew through the air like a cannonball, hit the ground, and tumbled.
John: Σ(⊙▽⊙"a
What's going on?
"Thor!"
Jane screamed and rushed toward Thor.
John took a deep breath and rubbed his Ring, his gaze grave. "Yeah. He can turn this around."
He hadn't forgotten Thor's passive think-of-Dad skill. Based on its description, John figured this fight was in the bag.
As he thought this, Star Spirit climbed down from his shoulder, went over to Thor, crouched beside him, and poked his face with a finger.
Jane reached Thor's side.
Thor clung to his last breath. "It's all over."
"No, it isn't."
"I mean... you're safe."
Those words completely transformed the brilliant astrophysicist into a woman in love.
She held back her tears. "We're all safe."
"It's over." After saying that, Thor slowly closed his eyes.
Jane was devastated.
Everyone was grief-stricken.
"You said you'd help him," Fandral demanded of John.
The Warriors Three glared at John.
John looked at Thor and wondered why he hadn't woken up yet.
Has his cheat still not come through?
As he was thinking, he looked up.
The Destroyer, which should have been leaving, had turned around to face John.
John froze, then took two steps to the side. The Destroyer turned with him.
A bad feeling crept into his heart.
"It's not going to attack me, is it?"
He couldn't remember having any quarrel with Asgard.
The Destroyer's faceplate opened, flames churning inside.
Without the slightest hesitation, John drew his Wand and swung it.
"Protego!"
The blast struck the spectral armor that appeared, engulfing John in flames.
The sudden turn of events made everyone's expressions change.
The Asgardian warriors readied themselves for battle.
The Destroyer Armor walked toward John, step by step, and the flames faded.
There was no one where John had been standing.
Then a damaged car nearby struggled upright, transformed into an old dog with a lame leg, and sank its teeth into the Destroyer Armor.
Wires and glass rose into the air and flew toward the Destroyer Armor.
On a rooftop, John's expression was grim.
"I think I've taken this too far."
He looked at Thor, who still hadn't stirred, and began to worry that he really was dead.
Seriously? The Avengers haven't even started yet, and one of the Avengers is already dead?
How are we supposed to fight that Purple Potato head when he comes later?
The Destroyer spotted John, turned, and attacked him again.
"Ferula!"
John swung his Wand and cast the bandaging spell. Wires wrapped around the Destroyer Armor, their other ends connected inside a house.
As the Destroyer prepared to fire its energy beam, John spun around and vanished from the roof with a loud crack.
The spot where he had been standing was instantly destroyed.
With the Destroyer Armor temporarily restrained, John appeared beside Thor. Ignoring Jane's look of utter disbelief, he hauled Thor up and shook him hard.
"Wake up, Thor!"
"Have you forgotten you're Wong? Wong can't fall before his people!"
"Get up!"
If Thor really was done for, John had no idea how he would explain it to The Ancient One.
"Stop! He's dying!" Jane screamed.
John slapped Thor across the face. "No, he isn't dead!"
With immense power contained within it, the Destroyer slowly turned its body.
The faceplate that could fire energy beams opened again.
Flames churned within, and a searing blast shot toward them.
"Watch out!" the Asgardians shouted in warning.
John looked back. The blast was already less than a meter away.
Death was closing in.
"Divine Guardian Protection."
The ancient gray language rang out.
Jane opened her eyes. The attack capable of killing Asgardians hailed as gods had abruptly stopped.
A towering figure had blocked it.
John didn't look back. He stared at Thor's face and cast Aguamenti.
A basinful of water struck Thor's face, restoring some of his awareness.
"Roar!"
A savage roar shattered the stillness beneath the blazing light.
The adorable Golden Little Man had vanished at some point, replaced by a fearsome, imposing figure with deer antlers and a humanoid body.
No, it should not have been called a creature.
Its scales resembled armor, making it look like a living suit of armor.
Astral Spirit Guardian, Divine Guard State.
Its towering frame rivaled the Destroyer's.
With a single step, it sent dust blasting outward, crossing the distance to appear before the Destroyer.
A barrage of bone-jarring punches followed.
The Destroyer Armor snapped the power lines as it was smashed backward.
That terrifying strength could even hurl a tank.
Its ferocious power made the Asgardians' hearts tremble.
Meanwhile, John saw Thor's eyelids twitch.
Before you continue