Give up?
Such words were foreign to Thor, Son of Odin. The concept had no place in the lexicon of an Asgardian prince raised on tales of glory and valor.
Ceasing his assault with Mjolnir, Thor turned to face Lockhart, his expression thunderous with barely contained rage.
"Lockhart," he intoned, voice heavy with warning, "I'll offer you one final chance." Lightning crackled around his knuckles as they tightened on Mjolnir's handle. "Leave now, and we remain friends."
His piercing blue eyes narrowed. "But if you continue to obstruct me..."
Thor left the threat unfinished, allowing its weight to hang in the air between them. Some threats were more powerful when left to the imagination.
Lockhart offered no verbal response. He merely raised his wand, its polished surface gleaming in the strange light of the cosmic beam. His eyes, cold and focused, locked with Thor's across the distance that separated them.
Click. Click. Click.
Thor's patience evaporated like morning dew under a scorching sun. He rolled his neck, producing a series of sharp cracks that echoed across the Thames. Gripping Mjolnir with renewed purpose, he summoned his birthright.
Deep navy-blue lightning erupted from the legendary hammer, arcing around Thor's muscular form in a display of raw, divine power. Unlike the bright white-blue of normal lightning, the God of Thunder's true power manifested in darker hues, ancient and primal.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Even the sorcerers on the ground below could hear the distinctive sizzle of electricity as it danced across Thor's armor and flesh. The air around him became charged, molecules ionizing and creating a visible aura of power that thrummed with barely contained energy.
Observing this escalation, Tony Stark and Ghost Rider hovered nearby, uncertain of their next move. Though their previous attacks had proven utterly ineffective against Lockhart—failing even to slow his advance—they remained airborne, poised to intervene if necessary.
Among the Avengers, only these three could engage effectively at this altitude. The Hulk, for all his strength, lacked the ability to soar into the sky unaided, and without a surface to leverage his power against, his effectiveness would be severely compromised.
"Tony, Johnny," Thor called out, his voice resonating with thunder, "descend and confront those sorcerers below. Leave Lockhart to me!"
Tony and Johnny exchanged uncertain glances. Thor sensed their hesitation.
"Your presence here will only hinder my performance," Thor added, electricity crackling around his winged helmet. "Have no concern—I am more than capable of handling Lockhart alone."
Iron Man couldn't help but detect a note of condescension in Thor's words—a subtle jab at their ineffectiveness against the wizard. It stung his pride, but Tony couldn't deny the truth of it. He had mobilized nearly every autonomous suit in his arsenal, and they might as well have been firing at shadows.
Reluctantly, Tony had to acknowledge that his current technological capabilities simply couldn't penetrate whatever dimensional manipulation Lockhart was employing. Swallowing his wounded pride, he nodded to Ghost Rider and began descending toward the embankment.
This conflict concerned Earth's very safety—a priority that transcended Tony's ego. Whatever his personal feelings, he wouldn't jeopardize the mission by insisting on fighting a battle he couldn't win.
As they descended, a thunderous roar erupted from the riverbank.
ROAR!
The Hulk arrived in a single enormous leap, landing with such force that the pavement cracked beneath his feet. The green behemoth found himself immediately surrounded by yellow-robed sorcerers from Kamar-Taj, their hands raised defensively, sling rings glinting.
Tony and Johnny touched down moments later, taking positions near the Hulk. The powerful downdraft from their landing stirred the already tense air.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
With the howl of repulsors decelerating, dozens of Iron Legion units descended in formation around them. Their weapons systems hummed to life—palm repulsors glowing with charged energy, shoulder-mounted miniature missile launchers sliding open, targeting systems locking on the assembled sorcerers.
The stage was set for a confrontation between technological might and arcane power.
"Honored Masters of Kamar-Taj," Tony addressed the sorcerers, his amplified voice projecting clearly across the space between them, "we've been allies before in defending Earth. We share the same goal now, merely differing in approach."
He gestured toward the standoff above them. "Any casualties today would be a pointless tragedy. I suggest we allow Thor and Lockhart to settle this matter between them."
In truth, Tony hoped to keep the sorcerers at bay, avoiding a full-scale battle that would inevitably result in losses on both sides. However, the tension permeating the air suggested that conflict might be inevitable regardless of his diplomatic efforts.
After Tony's statement, all eyes turned skyward to where Thor and Lockhart faced off, suspended in the air amidst the ethereal light of the cosmic beam. The momentary pause created a fragile atmosphere of potential de-escalation.
Then everything shattered.
ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!
Without warning, the Hulk's eyes flashed with an unnatural crimson light. As if suddenly enraged beyond reason or struck by some invisible force, he unleashed a series of furious howls and charged forward, massive arms swinging wildly.
Simultaneously, as though anticipating this exact moment, several sorcerers launched defensive spells that streaked toward the charging Hulk.
In the same instant, one of Tony's autonomous suits discharged its repulsor, firing a brilliant beam directly at the sorcerers.
"Shields up! Defend!" shouted Ian, Lockhart's former student, raising his wand with practiced precision.
The surrounding wizards, trained in the magical traditions of both Kamar-Taj and a more secretive magical world, responded instantly. With synchronized movements of their wands, they conjured a massive golden barrier that materialized before them like a shimmering wall.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The weapons fire from Iron Man's suits collided with the magical shield, creating a cacophony of explosions. The air filled with the screeching sounds of energy beams and the duller thuds of physical projectiles striking the mystical barrier.
The Masters of Kamar-Taj had reached their breaking point. The hypocrisy was too blatant—Tony spoke of peace while his forces opened fire? Such treachery would not stand.
With practiced movements, they activated their sling rings, summoning an arsenal of mystical weapons—metal spikes materialized from thin air, fireballs condensed from ambient heat, and blades of pure wind formed from the atmosphere itself. With coordinated gestures, they launched this magical barrage toward the Hulk, Iron Man, and their allies.
Tony observed the escalation with resignation. Though he suspected foul play—someone or something had clearly manipulated events to ensure conflict—they were past the point of diplomatic solutions. If the Avengers didn't defend themselves now, they would be overwhelmed.
"Anti-Magic Field, activate!" he commanded.
Without hesitation, several specialized units in the Iron Legion deployed the experimental technology Tony had developed based on his observations of magical energy. A subtle ripple spread through the air as the anti-magic field established itself, covering the area directly in front of the Avengers.
It had proven ineffective against Lockhart's advanced dimensional magic, but against standard sorcery? The field immediately produced results.
The Kamar-Taj masters felt their connection to mystic energies become erratic and unstable. The normally responsive magical forces grew sluggish and uncooperative, requiring several times the usual effort to manipulate. Their expressions soured as they realized the technological counter to their abilities.
Ian, Lockhart's protégé, sighed deeply at this development. He had long suspected that the Muggles—as wizards from his tradition called non-magical humans—had never truly accepted magic's place in the world. His teacher had once mentioned Stark's development of anti-magical countermeasures, and now he witnessed the proof firsthand.
Tony's earlier show of concern suddenly seemed like the most transparent deception.
"Masters, please remain calm—" Tony began, attempting one last effort at de-escalation.
He never finished the sentence.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Several Iron Legion units surrounded by the anti-magic field suddenly sparked and convulsed as if affected by an invisible force. Black smoke poured from their joints as their systems catastrophically failed. The carefully calibrated field wavered and developed gaps as its projectors failed.
"Current Disruption!" shouted a Master.
"Gravitational Entrapment!" called another.
"Banishment to the Void!" a third incanted.
The sorcerers, drawing upon battle experience accumulated over centuries, moved with perfect coordination. Their sling rings traced golden arcs through the air as they unleashed every effective spell in their arsenal against the surrounding Iron Legion units.
Having witnessed the anti-magic field's impact on their abilities, they prioritized eliminating the technology generating it. Each spell targeted the units most likely to be projecting the field, focusing overwhelming force on these critical targets.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The remaining Iron Legion units, constantly communicating with Stark Industries headquarters via satellite uplink, executed evasive maneuvers based on real-time analysis of the magical attacks. The AI controlling each unit calculated optimal escape trajectories, sacrificing several suits to preserve the majority of the force.
As magical explosions blossomed across the riverbank and technological counterattacks streaked through the air in response, it became clear that diplomacy had failed completely. With no remaining middle ground, full-scale war erupted between the technological might of the Avengers and the arcane forces of Kamar-Taj.
Above them, Thor and Lockhart prepared to engage in their own duel—a confrontation between godly power and multidimensional wizardry that would decide the fate of the Celestial embryo.