The battle had begun in earnest.
In the swirling chaos of yellow sand, two figures loomed — the towering form of the Destroyer, standing three to four meters tall, and in stark contrast, the much smaller silhouette of Bella.
Yet despite her smaller frame, the sheer aura she exuded seemed to dwarf even that monstrous construct.
Bella's eyes narrowed slightly.
She studied the Destroyer's armor — the place where her earlier punch had left a visible dent — only to see it restoring itself, the surface smoothing out as if untouched.
As expected.
Purely physical attacks would never be enough.
This was Asgard's ultimate war weapon, designed by Odin himself to battle cosmic beings like the Celestials.
Its endurance and resilience bordered on the divine.
Even so, Bella wasn't disheartened.
She simply adjusted her strategy.
Far away, across realms, on the golden throne of Asgard, Loki gripped the Eternal Spear tightly as he watched through the Destroyer's senses.
His emerald eyes narrowed sharply.
"This woman... what terrifying strength," he muttered.
"Even my foolish brother — no, even Thor at full power — might not match her sheer force."
Was she truly human?
Or something far more ancient — a remnant descendant of the old gods that Asgardians spoke of only in hushed legends?
Loki didn't normally underestimate women.
He knew that under the same bloodlines, male warriors tended to be stronger, even in Asgard.
But there were always exceptions — the Valkyries, for one.
Still, this?
This level of strength was monstrous.
"No ordinary Midgardian," Loki whispered.
"No mere mortal could be such a... freak."
Boom—!
His thoughts were jolted by another shockwave.
Through the Destroyer's perspective, Loki saw Bella clearly.
She stood calm amid the storm, golden energy coiling around her slender frame like a living aura of divine power.
Her inner red clothing fluttered in the wind, her blonde hair lifting slightly under the oppressive force.
Her eyes — those emerald green eyes — glowed faintly with golden light, and the look she gave the Destroyer...
It made Loki's blood run cold.
He knew that gaze.
It was the same gaze he had once used when regarding his prey.
Now, he was the one being hunted.
And Bella — this terrifying woman — had set her sights on his weapon.
Boom—!
Back on Earth, the battlefield trembled.
The Destroyer's metal helmet shifted, and beams of scorching light gathered.
The attack speed was terrifying, enough that a human wouldn't even have time to blink before being incinerated.
But to Bella, it was laughably slow.
The high-heeled boots of her black armor slammed onto the cracked asphalt.
Bang—!
In a sonic boom of pressure, Bella's figure vanished.
The air exploded where she once stood, sending shockwaves outward.
The Destroyer's beam lanced into empty sky, missing its target completely.
Before the Destroyer could adjust, it sensed something descending above.
Whistling through the air —
CRASH!
Bella's full-force stomp slammed directly onto the Destroyer's chest, driving it into the ground with the force of a meteorite.
The earth shuddered violently.
Buildings thousands of meters away groaned under the impact, some collapsing entirely.
A deep pit — over a hundred meters wide — opened where the Destroyer was slammed down.
Dust and debris erupted like volcanic ash into the sky.
At the bottom of the pit, Bella pressed her knees tightly against the Destroyer's chestplate.
Through her magic-enhanced senses, she could finally feel it:
There, within the armor — not the armor itself — was the true target.
The consciousness and runic spells that Loki controlled remotely.
The key to defeating the Destroyer wasn't brute force.
It was tearing apart the controlling magic.
Bella smiled faintly.
So that's how Thor defeated it, she realized.
Rather than physically destroy the near-indestructible shell, he shattered the command link.
Good.
She could do even better.
She placed her hand firmly against the Destroyer's metal helmet.
Golden ripples spread outward from her palm, flowing across the armor's surface like living waves of light.
The Destroyer sensed the danger immediately.
The metal plates shifted, and a searing, blinding energy pulsed outward, trying to burn her away.
Its entire body lit up like a miniature sun.
But Bella was faster.
A flash of gold ignited in her eyes.
Boom—!
A massive torrent of golden magic surged from Bella's palm, forcibly pouring into the Destroyer's armor.
The pit was filled with dazzling light, so bright that it seemed the very sun had fallen into the earth.
Rumble!
The explosion roared into the sky.
The dark clouds that had been gathering for hours were torn apart.
A shockwave of golden energy swept over the town.
Even miles away, people could see the golden pillar shooting into the heavens.
Thor, still helping the last few townsfolk evacuate, turned to witness the spectacle.
His blue eyes widened in awe.
Beside him, Jane, Daisy, and Selvig stared upward, speechless.
The sky was painted in brilliant hues of gold.
"Is she... is she one of your gods?" Thor asked Jane hesitantly.
Jane shook her head, still staring wide-eyed at the phenomenon.
"No... She's not a god. She's a superhero."
Daisy, recovering faster than the others, grinned proudly.
"That's the Goddess of Judgment!" she declared, practically vibrating with excitement.
She was a huge fan — the bike, the magic, the badass golden energy — it could only be her.
Bella had become a living legend to ordinary people.
Thor frowned slightly at the term.
"Goddess of Judgment? Is that... a kind of priestess? An executioner?"
He wasn't too familiar with Midgard's customs, but the name carried the same weight as Asgardian executioners — those chosen to deliver justice without mercy.
"Well... sort of," Daisy said, scratching her head.
"She punishes the bad guys. But she's not part of any government or church or anything. She's... her own force."
Thor and Sif exchanged glances.
Understanding flickered between them.
No wonder Bella was so strong.
Executioners — whether in Asgard or Midgard — were always the deadliest warriors.
Meanwhile, far across the realms in Asgard—
Loki watched the golden explosion tear apart the battlefield.
The immense energy traveling through the Destroyer's link caused his hands to tremble slightly.
"No..." Loki muttered.
He realized, too late, that he had underestimated her.
She wasn't just strong.
She wasn't just fast.
She was lethal — an unstoppable force of judgment.
For the first time in a long while, genuine fear crept into Loki's heart.
His control over the Destroyer was slipping — unraveling faster than he could repair.
If this continued, not only would he lose the Destroyer, but Bella might discover even more about Asgard's secrets than he wanted.
And if she did—
Even gods might not remain safe.
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