Come on, let's trade shots down the middle.
As S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top archer, Barton had an exceptional gift for archery, and his skills had been honed through countless real battles.
He hadn't expected this young-looking girl to have a talent for archery that rivaled a seasoned agent's. Even at this distance, her aim could only be described as precise.
As he dodged, the darkness and the rain that had begun to fall caused Barton to slip up, and one of the girl's arrows grazed his sleeve.
The sharp arrow skimmed the skin of his arm, and a bone-chilling electric current numbed half his body.
She's incredible!
Barton marveled inwardly, his gaze filling with excitement as he looked at the girl opposite him.
His hands trembled a little as he fired. He knew he was excited-excited to meet an evenly matched opponent, excited to discover someone with such promise in archery. Perhaps that was what made his blood boil.
Neither spoke, but their eyes conveyed a mutual understanding.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Three more arrows sliced through the air.
The girl flipped in midair and leaped down from the slope.
Barton moved fast, darting aside to dodge all three arrows before charging toward the girl again. At the same time, he shouted, "Coulson, leave this girl to me!"
Barton had seen plenty of fierce firefights, but he had never met anyone like this girl, who could wound him with a single arrow. He was eager for their next exchange.
Crack, crack, crack...
As Barton charged forward, the girl's arrows were already flying toward him. Without hesitation, he gripped his bow in both hands, drew, nocked an arrow, and released...
The arrow left the string, and a confident smile appeared on Barton's face.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Fischl sprinted forward, stepping on parked vehicles and crates to propel herself up onto the glass walkway, then fired several more arrows.
More arrows tore through the air, but Barton dodged them with his agility and his skill at exchanging fire.
"She's after the hammer too!"
"Fischl" didn't want to clash with S.H.I.E.L.D. She knew it was a legitimate government organization, and it had probably seized Mjolnir for research or something similar.
During her standoff with Barton, she had only been firing near misses, never using any lethal moves.
But his attacks still put considerable pressure on her. It seemed she would have to wrap this up quickly and get Thor out of here.
"Show yourself, Oz!"
A night raven formed of shadow and lightning descended into the mortal world, continuously firing lightning bolts at the swarming agents.
"As you wish, my lady!"
Oz circled the area at incredible speed, knocking down a whole crowd.
Barton aimed his arrowhead at the night raven rampaging through the area, his gaze locked on Oz.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
The sound of arrows slicing through the air rang out across the grounds. Sensing danger behind him, Oz hurriedly banked and spun aside. Two arrows struck where he had just flown, piercing the soil and embedding themselves in the rock wall.
Jet-black raven feathers drifted gently to the ground.
"Phew, that was close."
Under Oz's cover, Fischl had already reached Thor's side.
"Ahahaha! My dearest friend, cry out this Prinzessin's hallowed name!"
Thor's dazed eyes focused, and he rose from the ground as though waking from a dream.
"Fischl, what are you doing here?"
Fischl shook her head, closed her eyes, and murmured, "Day and night, time and space-all are illusions. The bonds of fate have drawn you into my eternal night."
"Our presence here is not of my choosing. Fate whispered our names."
Oz said, "Miss Sif asked us to come."
"My friend, these fools seek to bind this Prinzessin's steps with time. The illusion of victory has driven them mad."
Oz beat his wings and swooped down to knock an agent unconscious, then explained a little breathlessly:
"Mr. Thor, let's hurry and leave. My lady and I won't be able to hold out much longer."
That was no joke. Having discovered that overwhelming them with numbers wasn't working, Coulson had already begun considering other options.
Rumble!
The roar of rotor blades sounded overhead as agents aboard a helicopter aimed their mounted machine guns.
Coulson raised a megaphone to his mouth:
"Attention, everyone below. Stop your futile resistance immediately, or we will take decisive action."
What the hell? I'm reporting them. They're cheating!
The helicopter's searchlight shone so brightly that Fischl couldn't keep her eyes open, but she forced them open anyway and urged Thor, who was still standing there in a daze:
"Hurry up and grab the hammer! We're getting out of here!"
"But I..."
Thor wanted to leave too, but Mjolnir had abandoned him. He held its handle without even the courage to tighten his grip.
This was his last chance. Thor gathered himself and took a deep breath.
He sank his breath into his core and focused his entire being.
Up! Come on! Lift! Heave-ho!
He hugged it with both hands, tried to shoulder it, and kicked it. In his desperation, Thor even resorted to his front teeth.
Fischl held her bow as she backed away, while Coulson warned from above that the consequences would be severe if they didn't surrender immediately!
"Are you done yet?"
She turned to look and was so furious she wanted to hit him. "What art thou doing?!"
Thor awkwardly loosened his teeth.
"I'm counting to three. Put down your weapons and surrender now."
Coulson delivered his final ultimatum. "One... two..."
Before he could say three, an enormous pillar of lightning suddenly rose beneath the helicopter.
Rumble!
Even the earth shook.
The sight stunned Fischl and terrified everyone present.
Who would dare take a lightning pillar that huge head-on?!
"No!" Coulson shouted. "Get out of the way!"
The sound of lightning striking steel was especially piercing in the quiet night sky. The pilot hurriedly hauled on the controls, narrowly avoiding the bolt.
Countless arcs of lightning gathered above the base, their powerful magnetic field turning every electronic device into scrap metal.
Lightning crackled relentlessly through the air, radiating terrifying heat.
"This... this is insane!"
Fischl's hand trembled slightly around the hammer. She had only pushed Thor aside and tried to help lift his weapon because he was taking too long. She had never expected the hammer to have such a terrible temper.
Thor's mouth was wide enough to swallow a universe. He stared blankly at Fischl, then at the hammer.
Tears filled his eyes, for his love for the hammer ran deep.
"You... you..." Thor choked, unable to get the words out.
The hammer in the girl's hand crackled and spat lightning in every direction, and a lock of Fischl's flowing hair fell victim to the sparks.
"Ah! This Prinzessin's bangs!"
A spark flashed over Fischl's head, instantly turning her bangs into a brand-new woolly perm.
The thunder's roar grew louder and louder, and the entire base became a sea of light and electricity.
Fischl, who had no idea how to control it, panicked:
"Aaaah!"
She fumbled helplessly with the hammer. Spotting Thor standing dumbly beside her, she immediately threw it toward him as though she had found her savior.
"Thor! Catch!"
And so, Mjolnir hurtled straight at its former wielder, trailing a torrent of lightning.
Before he could react, Thor instinctively reached out.
First, he smiled. Then...
The hammer sent his entire body flying-literally.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The buildings in the base were instantly smashed, destroyed, torn apart, and brought crashing down...
Vehicles overturned one after another, and rows of explosives burst in all directions, leaving the surrounding area in ruins.
Mjolnir sped onward with Thor, smashing through walls, blasting cars aside, passing through wind and rain, through grass and earth.
At last.
Bang!
With a tremendous crash, the hillside collapsed and rubble rained down.
A rock struck Thor's forehead, and he fell to the ground, dizzy and disoriented.
"Thor!"
Jane cried out as she ran over and shook his body.
"Thor! Wake up!"
Thor sported a wild, bristling afro, and his skin was so blackened that he looked as though he had just returned from digging pits in South Africa. His right hand was still raised in midair. Hearing the woman's cries, he shakily extended his left index finger toward Jane.
"Burp..." Thor exhaled a puff of black smoke. With difficulty, he raised his head, narrowed his eyes, and waved his finger.
"One, two, three, four."
"Jane... which one of these is you?"
"..."