Chapter 7: Destruction
Back in Asgard, Thor contemplated his future. He recognized three major opportunities to enhance his strength.
The first opportunity arose during the final battle, a time when his power would primarily be reflected in his physical strength. Despite being consistently disadvantaged, he could briefly match Thanos in combat. Thor speculated that becoming the King of Asgard might increase his strength over time, similar to how Hela's power grew.
Typically, unlocking this power would take more than twenty years. However, Thor anticipated that the war would conclude in Wakanda at most, so he sought to acquire this power earlier through system tasks.
The second opportunity involved crafting Stormbreaker. With Stormbreaker, he could counteract the amount of power of the Infinity Stones that Thanos could mobilize and defeat Thanos. In the original timeline, he used the invincible Stormbreaker to decapitate Thanos. While Thor could forge a new axe at any time, it was a king's weapon that can summon bifrost .
The third opportunity was awakening his Thunder Force. Although he was known as the God of Thunder, most of his power depended on Mjölnir. Without the hammer, Thor became nearly powerless, much like his earlier encounters with Yon-Rogg and others.
Despite Mjölnir's ability to return instantly at his call, Thor worried about what would happen if the hammer failed unexpectedly. Observing Carol's situation over the past two days, he noticed similarities between their powers. Both had hidden strengths that were difficult to control and relied on external objects—Thor's hammer and Carol's chip.
Thus, Thor had deliberately displayed his strength and allowed himself to be captured, hoping the Supreme Intelligence's pressure would serve as the trail of will and overcoming it would trigger his power's awakening, just as it had for Carol. His plan succeeded.
Feeling the surge of power within him, Thor felt capable of destroying everything with a mere gesture.
Minerva's eyes widened in shock. She immediately shouted, "Quick, shoot and kill him!"
A burst of purple lightning erupted from Thor's hand, spreading across the ground. Within moments, all the surrounding soldiers were turned to ash.
Minerva, desperately rolling away, narrowly avoided a lightning strike. As she aimed her sniper rifle again in disbelief, the weapon transformed into a flaming stick. His entire body went numb, rendering him immobile.
Thor carried Minerva towards the Skrulls. Many Kree soldiers attempted to intercept them but were incinerated by the surrounding lightning.
Elsewhere, Carol handed the Tesseract to Nick Fury and turned to confront the Star Troopers. She saw Thor approaching and asked, "Did you do this on purpose?"
Thor, observing his thunderous state, laughed. He also noticed Carol's situation and replied, "No, I almost had a misstep." He then joked, "How do you feel? Goldie ?"
"It feels amazing, Mr. Pikachu..." Carol rolled her eyes, glancing at Yon-Rogg and his entourage. "You can only choose one: the Tesseract or the hostage (Minerva)."
"I'm no longer amused by your humor," Yon-Rogg replied grimly. "It's an honor for her to sacrifice for the Kree Empire. Kill them all!" The Star Troopers charged forward.
The Star Troopers were no match for Carol and Thor. Realizing the Tesseract had been dropped, Yon-Rogg abandoned his team and flew solo to track down the Skrulls.
Carol pursued him alone, while Thor transported Minerva to another spaceship. He still couldn't fly.
On the spaceship, Thor teased Minerva, "Do you know I saved your life?"
Minerva, expressionless, harbored resentment—not only towards Thor but also Carol. She cursed her fate for being captured and transported to this desolate place.
Thor paid no attention to her reaction. He knew that not many in the Kree Star Troopers were genuine allies, and Minerva was kept mainly due to her appearance. He narrowed his eyes, focusing intently.
In the vacuum of space, no sound could be heard, but the bright light drew Minerva's attention. She looked back and saw a massive thunderbolt, over ten meters wide, striking the laboratory. The enormous force caused the laboratory to disintegrate immediately.
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