Thor frowned, completely ignoring her, and raised his hand to push her shoulder.
His intuition was indeed sounding the alarm: this girl was no ordinary person. But the inertia of his years as Thor was too strong, and he subconsciously forgot that he was no longer the god who could split mountains and shatter the heavens.
The moment he reached out, his vision blurred, and his chest sank as if he had been struck head-on by a battering ram.
He leaped into the air and slammed hard into the makeshift tin wall behind him. Boom!
A deep, human-shaped crater was clearly imprinted on the wall, and the sheet metal was twisted and deformed.
Cough cough...
Thor clutched his aching chest, struggling to sit up, his face filled with astonishment.
He was actually knocked down by a young girl in one blow?
Whoosh!
The wind whistled past my ears again, subtle yet sharp, and the skin on the side of my neck instantly tightened and stung.
My hair stood on end, and I instinctively screamed that danger was approaching!
"Stop."
Before Chen Xiao could finish speaking, the long knife pressed against Thor's Adam's apple suddenly froze.
Thor crouched on the ground, his pupils constricted, staring intently at the ghostly girl who had appeared before him, especially her eyes that gleamed with a dark red light.
The killing intent was so intense it was almost tangible, sending a chill down his spine.
How many lives must one personally slay to forge such terrifying murderous aura?
At Chen Xiao's command, the bloodlust in Yidileisi's eyes slowly faded, her long sword was sheathed with a crisp "clang," and she turned and left.
Chen Xiao withdrew his piercing X-ray gaze, turned to Thor, and smiled gently, "Sorry, my friend had a bit of a temper. Did he hurt you?"
call...
Thor let out a long breath and forced a smile, "It's alright."
This is the dignity of a god. At this moment, his divine power is only sealed; otherwise... well, even if his divine power were still intact, he probably wouldn't have been able to dodge that attack just now.
The girl was incredibly fast, so fast that even her afterimages couldn't be caught, rendering my eyes completely useless.
If we meet again, I must strike first with overwhelming force, suppressing her from a distance; if she gets close, it will be extremely dangerous.
As he pondered his next move, he slowly stepped forward.
Seeing the black-haired boy standing quietly beside the hammer, Thor raised an eyebrow. "You want to touch this hammer too?"
He didn't mention the word "mine".
Chen Xiao smiled faintly, but then uttered a sentence that made Thor's pupils shrink. "I'm curious about the hammer's material, but I have absolutely no interest in its power."
"Besides, even if I were to consider it, Mr. Thor would probably not allow me to take your hammer away, would he?"
"You recognize me?!" Thor blurted out.
Seeing his surprised and doubtful expression, Chen Xiao's smile deepened, "Of course. Asgard. Who hasn't heard of Thor, the Son of Odin?"
"What?! Thor?!" Phil exclaimed in a low voice from the distant observation post.
Even Yidileisi, standing next to Chen Xiao, was stunned. The blond man she had just casually tossed down was actually a legendary deity?
God... is he really so vulnerable?
For the first time, a flicker of doubt arose in her heart.
Chen Xiao's composure made Thor drop his arrogance, and his expression turned solemn. "Who exactly are you?"
" Vitas Chen currently resides in Pochut City several hundred kilometers away. Mr. Thor, if you would be so kind as to grace us with your presence, you are welcome to visit my humble abode."
Compared to those thoughtful and convoluted Avengers heroes, this impulsive and hot-tempered, yet kind-hearted "Hammer God" is much more reassuring.
After all, straightforward people are easier to get along with.
" Vitas! I'll remember that name."
Thor silently recited the words, gave Chen Xiao a deep look, and then walked towards Mjolnir, preparing to grasp the hammer first.
Chen Xiao did not stop him, but simply watched with a smile.
Yidileisi held her breath, and Phil, in the distance, clenched his fists.
Thor confidently reached out, firmly grasped the hammer handle, and pulled with all his might...
Huh?
Why isn't it moving at all?
He stared at the hammer, his heart sinking, but he tried his best to remain calm.
The mighty Thor, who was just hailed as the most for his identity, would become a laughingstock if he couldn't even lift his own weapon.
He took a deep breath, his muscles bulged, and he channeled all his strength into his arms.
But the hammer remained as steady as a rock.
In an instant, Thor's expression changed slightly as a long-buried memory suddenly pierced his mind:
"I hereby strip you of your divine power."
"In the name of my father, by the oath of all the gods and ancestors, I, Odin, the All-Father, banish you from Asgard..."
He remembered that he had been exiled, his divine status stripped, and he was no longer the Thor who commanded Valhalla and traversed the Nine Realms.
Thor slowly released his grip, standing rooted to the spot, his eyes vacant.
The atmosphere froze for a moment. Yidileisi tilted her head and asked, "Darling, isn't he Thor? How come he can't even lift his hammer?"
"Mr. Thor... has probably encountered some unforeseen circumstances."
Chen Xiao knew perfectly well what was going on, but had no intention of pointing it out.
"Let's go back to town and find a hotel to rest."
Old Bridge is too small; it's hard to find decent accommodation.
He turned to leave, Yidileisi immediately followed. Before leaving, she glanced at the hammer and asked in a low voice, "Darling, won't you give it a try?"
Upon learning that this was indeed the mythical artifact capable of summoning thunder and choosing its master, her fingertips felt a slight itch.
Chen Xiao chuckled, " Yidileisi, remember this: other people's weapons are just scrap metal in your hands; let alone a treasure like this that has recognized its master."
Even if you hold it in your hand, it's just a decoration at best.
"Oh." Yidileisi lifted her eyelashes slightly, her gaze shifting, and she immediately lost interest in Mjolnir.
"A mere decoration?" Thor frowned slightly, his tone calm. " Vitas is right. If it's not a weapon that truly belongs to you, holding it in your hand is nothing more than an empty shell."
"Besides, even if you tried, you couldn't lift it at all. This divine weapon only recognizes one kind of person: someone with a pure heart, clear character, and unwavering commitment to justice."
These words stung Yidileisi's heart; they were clearly implying that she and Chen Xiao were neither pure nor upright... Uh?
She suddenly paused, her tongue hesitating slightly, unable to respond for a moment. Upon reflection, she realized the other person was indeed correct.
Neither she nor Chen Xiao were ever exactly kind people. What good person could calmly slaughter thousands of armored soldiers?
Chen Xiao paused, turned around, and smiled faintly, "Mr. Thor, there's no need for reverse psychology. I've already said it, I don't care for your hammer."
"However, I would like to ask a question: what kind of person truly deserves the title of 'justice'? And how should 'kindness' be defined?"
"Is it you? The one who has fought for the Asgard for thousands of years, whose blood has long soaked the lives of countless beings?"
Thor's pupils contracted, and anger quietly rose within him. "Indeed! I conquer all realms only to protect the peace of one region, to stop the spread of darkness, and to quell the chaos."
Chen Xiao remained unmoved. "Is that so? Then why can't you even lift it yourself now?"
"I..." Thor's apple bobbed, his mouth opened and closed, but he froze in place, his expression one of surprise and uncertainty.
Chen Xiao's lips curled slightly, but his smile was cold, "Because the 'justice' you believe in is not true justice."
He has always scoffed at the Western moral standards.
Even Odin, who personally imbued Mjolnir with divine power, dared not claim that he was flawless and absolutely benevolent.
So-called "justice," in the final analysis, is nothing more than a projection of one's own stance.
If you're on my side, even if your methods are ruthless, as long as they're legal, they're perfectly justified.
If you stand on the opposite side, even if your initial intentions are good, you will still find it difficult to escape being stigmatized.
For example, Captain America, when faced with the Winter Soldier personally shot and killed Iron Man's parents, did he truly uphold the justice he claimed to uphold?
No. He even intervened to stop Tony, who was consumed by revenge, ultimately triggering internal strife within the Avengers.
In his eyes, the Winter Soldier was a manipulated puppet, killing not out of his own volition;
But Tony only saw one fact: the man pulled the trigger and took his parents' lives.
Consider Odin, the Blesser. He reigned as the king of the gods for thousands of years, and countless lives were lost by his sword or by his orders.
It wasn't until his later years that he realized: safeguarding peace is the ultimate mission.
But what about those long-vanished souls, those cities shattered by war, those peoples trampled underfoot... do they deserve to be categorized as "evil"?
Ultimately, history is written by the victors, and judgments are made by the strong.
This question struck Thor like a hammer blow, leaving him completely stunned.
Because Chen Xiao revealed the hardest truth: if he were truly pure, flawless, and upright, even if he lost all his divine power, he should still be able to firmly grasp the hammer handle, but he just couldn't.
"Then let me see what this 'justice' Odin speaks of really looks like."
Before he finished speaking, Chen Xiao had already turned back, his steps steady, and stopped in front of Mjolnir.
Three pairs of eyes stared at him intently, their expressions a mixture of surprise, astonishment, and disbelief.
He slowly extended his hand, his five fingers firmly gripping the hammer handle.
With a slight twist of the wrist, a powerful force surged forth from the depths of the meridians, transforming into a vast golden light that churned and gathered in the palm.
Chen Xiao never considered himself a completely evil person, but he would never dare to call himself a good person either.
Therefore, he never intended to rely on any "mental qualities" to open the door to the Mjolnir.
The power poured out with a roar.
With a low growl, the muscles in his forearm suddenly bulged and swelled, unleashing a tremendous force that seemed to overwhelm everything!
boom!
Centered on him, the ground within a radius of tens of meters shook violently, spiderweb-like cracks instantly burst open, and rubble flew up in a terrifying display.
The divine weapon, which even Thor couldn't shake, trembled and let out a muffled thud before slowly lifting off the ground.
Then, Chen Xiao steadily lifted it up.
boom!
The hammer handle suddenly erupted with Berserk recoil force, and blue-purple lightning coiled around it like a living thing, crackling and leaping wildly between his arms before enveloping his entire body. Sparks flew everywhere, yet not even the hem of his clothes was burned.
His hair was whipped by a whirlwind, and lightning flashed across his face. The oppressive aura emanating from him was overwhelming, making it difficult for those around him to breathe.
As the internal shock intensified, the sky underwent a sudden change, with dark clouds churning and the wind howling like a roar.
Amidst the lightning, Chen Xiao smiled calmly, "See that, Yidileisi? I told you long ago, it's useless to forcibly take a weapon that isn't yours."
As soon as he finished speaking, he loosened his grip.
Boom!
Mjolnir slammed back onto the stone base, causing the ground to vibrate and tremble.
The lightning suddenly dissipated, the gale gradually subsided, the dark clouds dispersed, and the world returned to silence.
Thor stood rooted to the spot, his face pale and his fingertips trembling slightly.