The crowd stared in disbelief at Thor Odinson. None had expected that after being knocked out of the arena by Tony Stark earlier, he still had such power left to unleash. The thunderbolt that had obliterated the stage was dazzling, a display so fierce even Tina gasped aloud.
"If I were hit by lightning like that… I wouldn't withstand it," she admitted.
Gilgamesh shook his head.
"Wenwu was arrogant. He shouldn't have stood there and taken every strike. All he needed was to disrupt Thor's summoning."
The others nodded in agreement, eyes turning toward the ring. They waited for the referee to begin the ten-second count.
But Smith Dole didn't move. He hadn't stepped in to declare the match over, because he could still sense Wenwu's energy. It was weakened, but far from extinguished.
And then it happened—scattered rings flew back together, snapping onto Wenwu's arms as he rose tall once more.
"You're the first in centuries to break through the Ten Rings' defense and wound me," Wenwu said evenly. "For that… I acknowledge you, boy."
Thor, chest heaving from the drain of his assault, felt his blood boil at being called "boy."
Before he could answer, a ring whistled through the air toward him.
Mjolnir met it with a crash, batting it back. Wenwu sent it flying again. Back and forth the ring shot between them like blue lightning. With each clash, Wenwu closed the distance.
He recalled the ring, leapt forward, and dodged Thor's hammer swing with a grin. A kick sent the god skidding across the ground.
Thor rose, hurling Mjolnir. The hammer spun slowly, lacking the velocity of his usual throws. Wenwu reached out to catch the handle—only to feel himself dragged off his feet, carried by the hammer's pull.
His eyes widened. He hadn't stopped it at all.
Realizing he was about to be yanked out of bounds, Wenwu released Mjolnir, punching the ground to launch himself back into the ring. Thor sighed in disappointment; his plan to use the hammer to drag his opponent out had failed. He recalled Mjolnir to his hand.
The two faced each other once more, standing within the ruined boundaries of the stage. Wenwu eyed the weapon intently. Clearly, this was no ordinary relic. Nothing else could resist his strength like that.
Even the spectators murmured. If Wenwu couldn't hold it, who else possibly could? Mordo, in particular, knew well—Thor with Mjolnir was not the same as Thor without it.
Wenwu rushed again. Ten Rings flared on his right arm as he smashed against Mjolnir's head.
Boom!
The impact numbed Thor's arm, forcing him back.
Wenwu pressed forward. He merged the rings onto one arm, all ten glowing as one. With a roar, he hammered them into Mjolnir.
Boom!
For the first time, Thor's hammer flew from his grasp. Gasps rippled through the crowd. No one had ever disarmed the god before.
Wenwu seized the moment, slamming a fist into Thor's skull.
Bang!
Blood sprayed as Thor collapsed, limp and groaning. Wenwu hoisted him up.
"So even gods bleed red."
He drew back, rings circling his arm, then fired them point-blank into Thor's abdomen.
The blow hurled him at supersonic speed, Mach rings bursting in his wake. Thor's body rocketed out of the ring, unconscious before he even hit the sea.
"Father!" Shang-Chi and Xialing screamed from the crowd.
Smith Dole appeared instantly on the stage.
"The winner of this match—Xu Wenwu!"
Applause thundered. Wenwu had defeated the God of Thunder. His children beamed with pride—he was closer than ever to reviving their mother.
But beneath the waves, Thor drifted in darkness. Memories flooded his mind—his brother Loki falling into the abyss of space, slipping from his grasp forever.
"Loki!" Thor's scream tore through the ocean.
Lightning answered. A colossal bolt speared down from the heavens, striking the sea. Thor's body glowed with electric fury, his eyes blazing cyan light. His consciousness remained half-lost, but sheer will—his obsession with his brother—drove him upward.
With a roar, he blasted from the water, wrapped in lightning, ascending back to the arena.
Smith Dole's eyes widened.
"What's happening? His lightning awakening… here?"
Thor hurled a bolt barehanded, lightning erupting from his palm toward Wenwu.
Smith Dole knew it was no longer a contest match—it was his duty as referee. His aura exploded. He stepped in, grasping for Thor's arm, ready to stop the berserk god.
(End of Chapter)
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