Thor fell unconscious.
His consciousness seemed to return to his childhood.
Back then, he had revered legends of great power and loved listening to his father recount one battle after another.
He was a warrior, but his father wanted him to be a king.
A warrior should fight for his country.
A king should defend his country and protect his people.
John's words flashed through Thor's mind.
As Wong, he should never let his people down.
Now his people were in danger. He could feel it.
Jane was calling him.
His face felt a little wet. Were those Jane's tears?
He liked that girl, even though she had run him over twice.
A woman's tears were a man's shame.
Thor wanted to wake up. He had to keep protecting them.
Protect the person he liked. Protect his friends.
Move. Move!
Thor roared inwardly, tiny arcs of electricity dancing around his fingertips.
Fifty miles away, at the Meteorite Crater, Mjolnir sensed its master's call.
"Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor."
Odin's enchantment appeared on Mjolnir.
When Wong was willing to sacrifice himself for his people, he was worthy!
"Rennervate!"
John cast the Reviving Charm, watching color gradually return to Thor's face. He looked up at the Destroyer Armor, which was trading blows with the Astral Spirit Guardian.
He raised his right hand, which was covered in a layer of silver.
The Limited Gauntlet.
He extended his index finger and gently placed it over Thor's heart.
A bolt of lightning slipped from his fingertip into Thor's heart, stimulating his body.
Thor's eyes flew open. He reflexively sat bolt upright, gasping for breath.
John sighed in relief. "Finally awake."
He had nearly let things get out of hand.
Confusion clouded Thor's eyes as he looked at John's face. "Didn't you say you would help me?"
"Ahem, an accident." John awkwardly turned his head away.
Who knew why Mjolnir still hadn't come to give him his power-up?
"What is that?"
Thor struggled to his feet, looking at the Astral Spirit Guardian battling the Destroyer Armor.
"That's this place's guardian," John said. "You saw him just now."
At those words, the Golden Little Man appeared in Thor's mind.
You're telling me that doughy little fellow is the monster in front of us?
Even as an Asgardian, Thor couldn't help feeling bewildered.
"Forget that. Hurry up and think about your dad." John hauled Thor up and placed both hands on his shoulders, speaking earnestly. "You should understand the responsibilities Wong must shoulder."
"When you're willing to sacrifice yourself for your people, you're the worthiest Wong of all."
Think about my dad?
Thor looked baffled. He glanced at his hands. "Am I a worthy Wong?"
His past actions surfaced in his mind.
"Thor, we're leaving!" Sif ran over and grabbed his arm.
The Warriors Three also knew Thor had no plan whatsoever, and they wanted to take him away too.
"No. This is something I must face!" Thor refused to leave.
John rubbed his chin and said hesitantly, "Why don't you go try lifting the hammer first?"
"Huh?" Thor froze for a moment.
Seeing that Thor showed no sign of regaining his divine power, John suggested, "Go to Mjolnir and lift it. Only then will you be able to deal with this thing."
"As a mortal, you're about as useful as Selvig right now."
Selvig: "..." I feel like I've been insulted. Not sure, though. Let's hear him out.
After some thought, Thor asked hesitantly, "What about you?"
"I'll hold it off." John waved a hand. "That was our deal, wasn't it?"
"All right."
Watching the Astral Spirit Guardian get sent flying by the Destroyer, Thor understood that only by lifting the hammer could he defeat it.
"The cars are all wrecked now. Are we running there?" Daisy pointed at the cars caught in the two monsters' battle.
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the town was destroyed.
John raised his hand, and a yellow taxi sped toward them from the far end of Old Bridge Town.
Everyone: "..." There are taxis here?
Thor opened the door and got in, then said earnestly to John, "You're actually a pretty good person. Thank you."
"Just hurry back."
The taxi sped away with a burst of acceleration.
The Warriors Three and Sif drew their weapons. "We'll buy Thor some time."
"You'd better protect Ms. Foster and the others."
The wand spun between John's fingers as he casually glanced at the Destroyer.
Having more people wouldn't make this thing any easier to deal with.
Lowering his wand, John stood in front of them.
He lifted his gaze, his eyes turning into vertical pupils.
Against something made in Asgard, he would have to get a little serious too.
He vanished, reappearing behind the Destroyer.
Red light gathered in his wand, then struck like crimson lightning.
"Expelliarmus!"
The Disarming Charm struck the Destroyer like roaring thunder.
Its massive body lurched forward, but the Destroyer planted its right foot and steadied itself.
Two furrows were plowed into the ground.
John's pupils contracted slightly. "The Disarming Charm doesn't work?"
The principle behind the Disarming Charm was to remove a weapon.
But that weapon had to be carried by the enemy.
The Destroyer, however, wasn't carrying a weapon. It was the weapon.
So there was no weapon to remove.
Uru metal had powerful magical properties.
After John attacked, the Destroyer locked onto him again.
Its faceplate opened and aimed at John.
God's Guards leaped up and drove a charged punch into the Destroyer Armor's face, knocking its head aside.
The Destroyer seized God's Guards and hurled him away.
Flying through the air, God's Guards opened his mouth.
White light gathered in his mouth, then blasted downward in a powerful attack.
The Destroyer turned its head, its faceplate firing an attack of its own.
The two attacks collided in midair, creating a tremendous shock wave that destroyed the surrounding houses.
The Asgardians shielded Jane and the other two as they retreated.
That single clash demolished the houses, leaving an open expanse.
But the Astral Spirit Guardian hadn't come out unscathed either.
With a wail, he fell from the sky, turning back into the Golden Little Man.
Just before he hit the ground, John extended a hand.
Object-Grasping Magic.
The Star Spirit was caught. Floating in midair, he instantly lost all fear and curiously began making swimming motions.
Seeing this, John tossed him toward Sif.
The Golden Little Man cried out as he crashed into Sif's arms.
The soft sensation made him babble excitedly, and he gave a curious pat.
Sif's expression darkened. She picked the Star Spirit up and tossed him into Volstagg's hands.
Now that the Astral Spirit Guardian had been defeated, only John remained.
Half of Old Bridge Town had been destroyed. John's expression grew grave. "A god's creation?"
The Destroyer had an impressive origin. It was a powerful weapon forged by Asgard's finest craftsmen.
It guarded Asgard's vault and defended against invading enemies.
Had Loki not seized power, this thing would never have been sent out.
John rubbed his fingers over the Elder Wand. This was a battle between the Wizard King and a god.
The Destroyer's faceplate opened again. John spun and vanished with a loud crack.
Apparition!
He moved repeatedly in rapid succession, vanishing each time the Destroyer attacked.
Reappearing, John swung his wand.
Red light sent the Destroyer flying some distance.
John didn't stop. Landing in the street, he swept his wand again and again.
"Oppugno!"
Wherever his wand passed, rubble rose into the air. Mixed with fragments of buildings, it all hurtled toward the Destroyer Armor with explosive cracks.
It struck the uru body with teeth-grating crashes.
Next, his wand swept across the ground, whipping up a whirlwind that engulfed the Destroyer.
With the rubble added in, it became a meat grinder, sending countless sparks flying from the Destroyer's body.
"Impedimenta!"
As the Destroyer spun, a sudden impact sent its body flying in an arc out of Old Bridge Town.
John didn't let it escape. He used Apparition to pursue it.
Those left behind could only gape in astonishment.
Volstagg's mouth hung open. "This Wizard is so powerful."
The Destroyer, which had knocked him around like a ball, was now being knocked around like a ball itself.
Hogun's expression grew solemn. Midgard actually had someone this powerful.
John pursued it beyond the town.
John broke into a run, and the Destroyer opened its faceplate the moment it landed.
The destructive attack gouged a trench through the ground as it swept toward John.
John vanished and reappeared, skillfully using Apparition to evade the attack.
Appearing in front of the Destroyer, he raised both hands, swinging his wand with his left and thrusting out his silver-covered right palm.
"Confringo!"
"Protego!"
He cast both spells at once, one following the other.
A massive explosion sent the Destroyer flying again, while John protected himself with the Shield Charm.
A beam of red light shot out of the explosion and struck John, sending him flying a hundred meters before he hit the ground.
The deflected laser also carved a scar across the earth.
Once he stopped sliding, John watched the Destroyer rise without a scratch. "Uru metal really lives up to its reputation. It withstood an attack that powerful without any damage."
John couldn't help praising it. He wanted to obtain uru metal more and more.
Even after his relentless bombardment, it had remained intact.
Still, John only found it troublesome. To say he truly had no way to deal with it would be underestimating the Wizard King.
His gaze swept into the distance, where dark clouds were gathering.
It looked like Thor had begun making contact with Mjolnir.
He had done enough testing. It was time to act.
A glimmer of silver light danced on his wand like a leaping little fish.
The Destroyer approached John again.
John's eyes fixed on the Destroyer. The instant its faceplate opened, he raised his wand.
"Diffindo!"
The silver light flashed across the Destroyer's arm like a sharp blade.
The faceplate closed, and the Destroyer's body began to tremble.
A piece of armor popped off the Destroyer a moment later.
Then another piece sprang off its arm.
John stared ahead. "I thought this move wouldn't work on you either."
The faceplate opened again, light bursting from within and rapidly swelling before John.
The attack missed.
John appeared in the sky, pointing the Wand in his hand downward.
The basketball-sized light shattered, turning into a pillar of light that plunged down.
The blast struck inside the faceplate, triggering a violent explosion that spread into a hemisphere, engulfing the surrounding area.
It grew larger and larger, finally forming a circle when viewed from above.
Then it abruptly contracted, concentrating all the explosion's annihilating force on the Destroyer.
The Destroyer stood at the center as wings extended from John's back, swaying gently as he descended.
He watched the Destroyer quietly. The enormous explosion unleashed in that instant seemed to have briefly severed the control over it.
With a beckoning gesture, he summoned the two pieces of Uru metal torn from the Destroyer into his hand.
"It really is tough," John remarked.
He glanced to the side, where thunderclouds were gathering in the sky.
Fire lit up the Destroyer Armor again, and its faceplate opened, aiming at John.
Clang!
A large hammer came hurtling toward them.
"Loki!!!"
Mjolnir struck the Destroyer square in the body, sending it flying back into Old Bridge Town.
John silently watched Thor, now clad in his armor once more, then shrugged and said, "He must really love his little brother."
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