"It's the Destroyer!"
The Destroyer was a special guardian that obeyed only the King of Asgard. It had no capacity for thought, a magical creation without emotions that simply followed orders.
The Destroyer was the strongest of Asgard's guardians. Its former duty had been to protect the weapons Odin had collected on his campaigns.
Within its body lay immense, terrifying power.
Its appearance could only herald death and destruction. There could be no other reason for it to come.
Only when Thor actually saw the Destroyer did he truly believe Fischl's words.
"Loki..."
He refused to believe that all of this was Loki's scheme, but reality slapped him hard across the face.
"Jane, get out of here."
"What about you?"
"I'm staying. The Destroyer is after me. I have to stop it."
"Are you crazy? You can't possibly stop it."
Jane kept trying to persuade Thor to leave, but he stubbornly stood his ground. Daisy dragged Jane away. She couldn't let her friend do something foolish. In a situation like this, staying would only make them a burden. They were better off leaving as quickly as possible.
At a time like this, Thor's composure was astonishing. After losing his divine power, he had learned to think.
"Fischl."
"Heh, why say more? Were this Prinzessin so easily shaken, the world would never have known the splendor of the Immernachtreich."
With her bow in hand, Fischl watched the Destroyer stride into town:
"Await thy judgment! The Thundering Retribution that proclaims fate shall purge this Demon God of Destruction, this harbinger of calamity!"
The instant she finished speaking, she loosed an arrow at the Destroyer.
The Destroyer did not falter. Fischl's arrow pierced its chest, yet it showed no reaction.
Its steel shell was hollow inside. The Destroyer looked down at its chest, and dazzling red flames flared within its body. They engulfed the arrow lodged inside it, leaving not even a trace in the blink of an eye.
An attack like that was nothing more than a tickle to the Destroyer.
As though enraged, the Destroyer turned toward Fischl and opened the steel plates covering its face.
Its faceplate slid away, revealing its true appearance.
Good grief, there was less in there than on Thor's bare backside.
The Destroyer had no flesh-and-blood body. Its entire form was merely a hollow steel shell containing energy. Lift off the top of its head, and you'd have a faceless man.
Throw on a coat, put on a wig, and hang a Vision on it.
Without a closer look, you might mistake it for a knockoff Capitano from the Fatui.
A terrifying aura erupted, like a roar rising from an underground abyss, making scalps prickle and hearts turn cold.
The Destroyer raised its head, and the red flames across its steel plates rapidly gathered in the hollow of its face.
Boom!
A thick, searing blast shot from its face, reducing the house where Fischl had just been standing to ashes.
"Is that all? Oz!"
Having moved away a moment earlier, Fischl fired another arrow at the Destroyer and shouted.
"Midnight Phantasmagoria!"
The night raven answered, "Midnight Phantasmagoria!"
Oz spread his wings, woven from pure night, to protect his mistress. Fischl merged with the night raven and charged at the Destroyer in Oz's form.
Wherever Oz flew, lightning descended from the air, dealing Electro damage to the Destroyer.
The lingering flames mingled with the falling lightning, and explosions crackled across the Destroyer's body.
But the Destroyer's defenses were absurdly strong. Even when the attacks struck, the Overloaded reactions inflicted only superficial damage.
Attacks of this caliber were utterly insignificant to the Destroyer.
Its devastating beam pierced the ground, plowing a bottomless trench through it.
Oz flew above the Destroyer's head, raised his Nightbird's Claw, and slashed down.
He fired a magic lightning bolt at the Destroyer.
Unexpectedly, these Electro attacks became nourishment for the Destroyer.
The Destroyer opened its mouth and sucked in the glowing ball of lightning.
The energy of the dark purple orb crackled as the Destroyer absorbed it all.
Fischl cried, "Damn it!"
"A troublesome foe. Oz, fly higher!"
The night raven beat his wings and soared upward, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
The scene was a wreck, with Thor left standing alone on the ground.
The Destroyer's attention returned to its target, and it advanced toward Thor one step at a time.
Its steps were slow and unhurried, its blasts destroying everything along Thor's escape route.
Thor ran desperately. With his divine power gone, he could rely only on his physical strength.
He gritted his teeth. He would never give up now!
Each of the Destroyer's beams missed him by the narrowest margin, grazing past the edges of his body. But this could not last much longer. Thor's stamina was draining rapidly.
What about Fischl? Had she fled the battle?
She had not.
Oz climbed as high as he could. High above the sky, where even the air grew thin, he spread his wings, and Fischl's figure appeared.
"Prepare thyself, scum!"
Bow in hand, the girl spun a full 360 degrees at that great height. Her whole body became a purple orb of light, hurtling down toward the Destroyer with an overwhelming pressure.
"Mommy, look! A shooting star!"
The townspeople who had failed to escape cowered inside a house. Too young to understand fear, a little girl happily pointed out her discovery to her mother.
A shrill whistle descended from the sky.
Boom!
The purple orb slammed into the Destroyer.
Rumble!
The purple orb sent the Destroyer flying. It smashed through several buildings, throwing dust into the air, then gouged an enormous fissure through the ground as it tumbled.
Fischl landed on the ground. She wiped the blood spilling from the corner of her mouth and looked at the fallen Destroyer.
Cracks covered its body, even across its outer surface.
The blazing hollow in the Destroyer's face flickered, then went dark.
Panting, Thor rushed anxiously toward Fischl, his eyes fixed on the blood still seeping from the corner of her mouth.
His brows knitted together:
"How are you feeling, Fischl? Are you all right?"
"It's nothing. I only lost half my health."
Fischl spoke with a bright smile.
Though she was smiling, Thor still caught the pain behind it.
"Fischl..."
"It is nothing. This Prinzessin enjoys the protection of the Abyssal Secret Pearl Art. What can a mere Destroyer do to me?"
Fischl patted Thor's shoulder to reassure him, but her lips were still trembling.
"Don't say any more. Let's first..."
Thor wanted to help Fischl leave, but the clacking scrape of steel made them whirl around.
The Destroyer's steel fragments, scattered across the ground, returned to their places at tremendous speed. Its body was reassembling.
"What?!"
The Destroyer once again became a flawless steel statue.
There was no damage anywhere on its body, not even a single scratch.
Fischl raised her bow, drew back a feathered arrow, and aimed at the statue's forehead, her eyes filled with resolve.
But Thor refused to keep hiding behind his friends' protection.
Thor Odinson had never been a coward who knew only how to run. This disaster had begun because of him, so he should bear the responsibility of ending it.
He was a warrior of Asgard. It was time to make his own choice.
Thor clenched his fists, veins bulging.
"Thank you, Fischl. And you, Oz."
Ignoring the girl's attempts to stop him, Thor walked toward the Destroyer one step at a time.
He begged Loki to spare the mortals, offering his own life in exchange for the innocent people's chance to survive.
The Destroyer quietly listened to Thor's heartfelt confession and was deeply moved.
Then, with lightning-fast, blink-and-you'll-miss-it, ding-dong-bell speed, it extended its thick steel arm and gave Thor's face a loving pat.
Thwonnng~
It had to be said that this was a terrible decision. Loki could never have imagined that one little slap...
Would actually knock the God of Thunder "awake."