Whoosh-!
Thor appeared beside Groot in an instant, scooped the little guy up in one hand, and offered a few words of heartfelt encouragement.
"Groot, you're amazing! You really are my little lucky charm! With this thing, I'll be able to do a better job of rescuing your teammates!"
"I am Groot-!"
Standing on Thor's palm with his hands on his hips, Groot accepted the praise without the slightest hesitation, looking immensely proud of himself.
Meanwhile, everyone except Thor and Groot had gathered around a hammer on the ground.
The hammer lay still on the yellow earth, blending into its surroundings, but its simple, timeworn appearance and distinctive metallic sheen still drew everyone's attention.
Kid Loki squeezed in. With just one look, he grew excited and reached out to grab the handle, trying to pick it up.
He strained with all his might, the veins bulging on his hands, but the hammer didn't budge an inch.
Refusing to give up, Kid Loki planted both feet on the ground and gripped the handle with both hands, starting a one-sided tug-of-war.
Gambit Remy was fired up by the unusual sight. "Kid, you can't lift it. Let me try!"
"No way! I just need a little time!"
Kid Loki refused to back down. This was a prize that could boost his fighting strength. If that Thor came over, he wouldn't get a chance!
"What is this, Your Excellency Loki, esteemed God of Mischief?"
Elektra chose her words carefully and looked at Classic Loki beside her.
"This is Thor's personal weapon, Mjolnir. Anyone who lifts it can obtain the power of Thor."
Classic Loki gazed at Mjolnir on the ground, lost in memory.
Gambit Remy grew even more excited at that. Everyone present had seen Thor's strength for themselves. If he could lift this hammer, wouldn't he have it made?
Then punching Magneto and kicking Apocalypse would no longer be a dream!
"You can all try, but don't get your hopes up. Even if you lift it, the power you gain won't reach the level of our Thor's."
"How much power you gain depends on how powerful this Mjolnir's previous wielder was."
Seeing that several of them were eager to try, Classic Loki gave them a warning. Whether they listened was none of his concern.
Besides, as he saw it, none of them, himself included, should be able to lift the hammer.
Of all inheritances, those that tested a person's character were always the hardest, without exception.
After struggling for a full five minutes, Kid Loki finally gave up. Damn Mjolnir, it actually deemed him unworthy! He was Loki Odinson, the mighty God of Mischief, and he didn't care for some lousy hammer anyway!
Gambit Remy, Blade Erik, Betsy, Emma Frost, and even the three surviving Hydra members nearby tried, but not one of them could budge the hammer.
"Laura, aren't you going to try?"
Remy glanced at Laura, who was standing quietly nearby.
"Not interested."
"Come on, give it a try. Everyone else tried, and none of us could lift it. Just try it once. All you have to do is pick it up and see."
In the end, worn down by Gambit Remy's persistent pleading, Laura walked over to Mjolnir.
She bent down and casually picked it up, lifting Mjolnir with ease. At that moment, a bolt of lightning descended from the sky and struck Laura.
Boom!
When the dust cleared, Laura looked completely different. She wore the same kind of armor as Thor, along with a red cape and a silver helmet, and held Mjolnir in her hand.
She looked every bit like Mighty Thor!
"Holy shit! Laura, you actually lifted it!"
Remy clutched his head with both hands, staring at Laura in disbelief.
So lifting Mjolnir really could turn someone into Thor!
But why wasn't it him?!!
Everyone present reacted much the same way. Classic Loki's brow twitched almost imperceptibly. It seemed even he could misjudge someone.
Emma Frost watched the scene without speaking, merely raising an eyebrow.
Betsy, meanwhile, stepped forward curiously and poked Mjolnir and the armor on Laura.
"This is pretty much like Thor's outfit, but it seems a little more complete. Our Thor doesn't have a cape or a helmet."
"Laura, how does it feel? Did you get a lot stronger?"
Elektra came closer and asked.
Laura took a moment to feel the immense divine power within her before answering. "I don't know exactly how much, but it's at least ten times stronger than me, if not more."
Thor was playing with the Sling Ring in his hand when he heard thunder behind him. He turned to see everyone gathered around Laura, talking about something.
Laura's outfit was much the same as his, only a little more complete. It was the standard Thor look.
So Wolverine's clone daughter could lift Mjolnir too?
He really wasn't sure about that. He hadn't read all the Marvel Comics, after all. But it looked like they now had another top-tier fighter on their side.
In any case, there was no downside, only benefits.
Seeing Thor approach, Laura held Mjolnir out to him.
"Your weapon."
"Laura, to be precise, this isn't my weapon. Mine was destroyed long ago, without so much as a scrap left. Besides, this hammer is just so-so. It's not what I want."
Thor didn't even reach for it. At his current stage, an ordinary Mjolnir was of no use to him at all. Only a king-level weapon like Stormbreaker could truly unleash and contain his full power.
Besides, it wasn't his hammer. Whoever lifted it got to keep it.
"But you're Thor. Doesn't Thor always carry a hammer?"
Laura looked at Thor in confusion. As far as she knew, didn't Thor always go together with a hammer?
"It's not my hammer, so why give it to me? With my current strength, this thing is no help to me at all. Besides, you lifted it, so of course it's yours!"
Only after hearing Thor say he really had no use for the weapon did Laura stop insisting. She put it away, then kept staring at him.
Thor found her stare rather perplexing. Unable to figure out what Laura wanted, he had no choice but to ask.
"Laura, why do you keep staring at me?"
"You said you'd take me to find Logan."
Oh... so that was it. He'd wondered what was going on.
"Don't worry about that. Just stay in Knowhere, and after a while he'll show up with a pervert in a red bodysuit carrying two swords on his back. Together, they'll play the tomato-and-scrambled-eggs duo. The Wolverine wearing a mask that looks like two Batmen kissing is the Logan you're looking for."
"Okay." Laura nodded and asked no further questions, simply committing the information to memory.
A full ten-odd minutes after the battle ended, Alioth finally arrived. The sky darkened once more, and a twisted, gaping mouth emerged from the dark purple clouds.
Roar-!