Thor's hammer came hurtling straight at Iron Man with tremendous force.
Yet, facing Mjölnir head-on, Iron Man showed no fear. He raised his armored fist and charged forward.
It was a pure contest of raw strength — no tricks, no fancy maneuvers. Iron Man's fist collided fiercely with Thor's hammer, unleashing a shockwave that forced Iron Man to stagger back several steps.
Inside the helmet, Tony was secretly stunned by the sheer power of his opponent. The vibranium alloy plating that reinforced his palm was supposed to triple his striking force.
Even so, Iron Man was driven back — but Thor didn't come out unscathed either. The brutal recoil made Thor stumble backward a few paces as well. He narrowed his eyes at the armored figure standing firm before him.
How could a mere man in a metal suit hold his ground against the power of a god?
"Oh? Impressive!" Alex thought to himself as he watched the clash unfold. "With that vibranium enhancement, Tony's armor can actually stand toe-to-toe with Thor?"
The vibranium alloy truly was extraordinary. If Tony hadn't figured out a way to reshape it, it might never have become part of the Iron Man suit — and Tony wouldn't be this powerful right now.
Bang! Bang! Bang!Blow after blow, Iron Man marvelled at the thunder god's strength. To wield such raw power without any tech or tools — it defied everything a mortal body should be capable of.
Yet at the same time, Thor was just as astonished. A mortal, wielding a suit of metal, could match his divine might strike for strike. Both warriors were impressed — and equally unwilling to admit defeat. Their fight grew fiercer by the second, each exchange sending sparks and thunder crackling across the battlefield.
Iron Man and Thor clashed back and forth, their duel thundering through the sky — raw power against unyielding will.
And what of Alex and Loki? They stood at a safe distance, watching the titans collide. Neither showed the slightest intention of stepping in — they might as well have been snacking on popcorn.
Loki had no reason to lift a finger to help Thor, and Alex? Between Iron Man's rockets and Thor's lightning, Alex had no business throwing himself into the middle of that storm.
Besides, for Loki and Alex, any grudge between them felt pointless in that moment. Some fights deserved to finish on their own.
Boom!A volley of high-powered micro-bombs exploded in quick succession. The roaring flames nearly engulfed Thor completely, and the shockwave sent him hurtling backwards through the swirling smoke and debris.
Thor rose to his feet, battered but very much alive. He reached up to touch his head — his hair, once golden, was now singed black at the tips. His eyes darkened with fury as he ran his fingers through the charred strands.
Seeing his hair in such a sorry state only made Thor's rage boil over. He glared at Iron Man, eyes blazing with thunder, and this time there was no holding back.
With a single commanding gesture, Mjölnir flew back into his grasp. Thor lifted the hammer high above his head. The skies above crackled as if on cue, thunder rolling like a drumbeat of war.
Crack!A blinding bolt of blue lightning split the sky, surging down in a jagged streak. Thor swung his hammer with primal force, channeling the lightning directly into Iron Man's armored chest.
Inside the suit, the sudden flash of searing light forced Tony to squint, his HUD flaring with energy readings.
Just like before, Jarvis's calm voice echoed in his ear:"Sir, the suit's power reserves have been charged to 400% capacity."
Tony blinked. "Wait, what?" He'd braced himself for a damage report, not a power surge. Thor's thunder had turned his armor into an overcharged battery.
But too much energy could fry even the strongest suit. Without hesitation, Tony redirected the excess power, locking onto Thor's position — then unleashed it all in one massive discharge.
The two forces clashed mid-air — Iron Man's redirected surge against Thor's divine lightning — colliding in a blinding explosion that tore through the battlefield. The resulting shockwave thundered outward, flattening everything in its path.
Armament Haki!Alex, watching from the sidelines, knew better than to take the blast head-on. He instantly coated his body in Armament Haki, black energy pulsing just beneath his skin.
Unlike Tony's armor or Thor's godly resilience, Alex had only his will and his strange power to protect him. He braced himself as the roaring shockwave slammed into him, rattling his bones.
In that instant, Alex couldn't help but marvel at the raw destruction unleashed by these two titans — a mortal genius and a thunder god, colliding with the force of a storm unleashed.
Thor and Iron Man were both clearly furious now, and it looked like things were about to spiral into an endless fight. At that moment, Captain America dropped down from above, landing with his shield in hand.
With Captain America — fair and firm as ever — stepping in, Thor's anger eased just a little.
"Now, we need to take Loki to S.H.I.E.L.D. for punishment," Captain America said, his voice calm but leaving no room for argument. Everything that needed to be said had already been said.
"No!"
Thor's face turned serious. "No matter what, Loki is still my brother. I must take him back to Asgard to face justice there."
"But he killed a lot of people here, working against S.H.I.E.L.D.," Captain America replied, just as serious, not giving an inch.
No matter where Loki came from, if he killed people on Earth, S.H.I.E.L.D. had the right to handle it. At the very least, Loki couldn't just leave without permission.
Thor opened his mouth to argue again — then paused, looking a little awkward. "Well… he's not really my biological brother, anyway…"
Alex, Iron Man, and Captain America: "..."
In the end, it made sense — Loki had caused deaths on Earth, so he needed to answer for that here. Plus, with the Cosmic Cube gone, Thor had no easy way to take Loki back to Asgard immediately anyway.
After thinking about it, Thor finally nodded. "Alright. I'll come with you to S.H.I.E.L.D. myself."
With that settled, Captain America turned to Alex. "Alex, your case has been looked into. It's clear it was all Loki's doing. Come back with us."
Loki himself had admitted framing Alex, and helping to catch Loki was enough of an achievement on its own.
Alex hesitated, then shook his head. "No, it's better if I don't go back yet. I'll wait until Fury has the full evidence and clears my name properly…"
Compared to returning now, Alex felt he still had other things he needed to handle.
Seeing Tony about to say something, Alex spoke first with a slight smile. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
Then he lowered his voice and added, "And Tony — I'll need you to set up clearance for me, so I can come and go freely at Stark Tower."