Thor, holding Mjolnir, flew over the massive crater and landed right at its center—because he had already seen Clark standing there.
"Heh." After throwing that punch, Clark let out a breath of relief. Even in broad daylight, it was difficult to gather that kind of power again.
"Are you dead?"
Clark glanced at the motionless Destroyer lying nearby. He walked over and gave it a kick to confirm it was no longer functional. Then, sensing something approaching from the right side of the sky, he turned his head.
Sure enough, when he looked over, he saw a man in armor flying toward him with a hammer in hand.
"Clark, did you really take it down?" Thor landed and could hardly believe what he saw. The Destroyer—Asgard's most powerful weapon—had been destroyed?
"Maybe it's because of who was controlling it. This version didn't feel that strong. Also… you picked up the hammer?!"
Clark vaguely remembered the scene in the movie where Thor lifted Mjolnir—it happened after he was killed by the Destroyer under Loki's control, and Odin, unable to bear it any longer, returned Thor's powers. Then, powered-up Thor easily defeated the Destroyer. Clark figured maybe Odin had secretly nerfed the Destroyer.
Otherwise, why did it feel like Thor defeated it so easily in the movie, while Clark had to work his butt off?
"Wait… weren't you supposed to be nearly killed by a Frost Giant just now?" Clark asked, thinking back to the plot where Thor was on the brink of death before earning Odin's forgiveness.
But Thor just looked confused. "No? Weren't you supposed to be handling the Frost Giants? Why are you asking that?"
"No? Then how did you get your hammer back?" Clark was baffled. If Thor wasn't on the verge of death, how had Odin—still unconscious—lifted the enchantment?
Thor didn't answer. For some reason, he didn't want to talk about it.
"Clark, I think we should head to the Bifrost. I have… things I need to discuss with my brother." Perhaps feeling awkward, Thor tried to steer the conversation away.
Clark didn't press. "I think you should talk to your brother. Need backup? I have a feeling Asgard's not in great shape right now. Your friend said your brother might be working with the Frost Giants."
Seeing that Thor was about to return to Asgard, Clark didn't want to let him go alone. If Loki destroyed the Bifrost like in the original story, Asgard and Earth would be cut off. No more interrealm travel.
And Clark really didn't want that to happen—he was hoping Thor would take him to Nidavellir so he could experience the power of the stars firsthand.
"Then thank you," Thor replied, clearly pleased that Clark would come with him. He had no doubts about Clark's strength—and frankly, he didn't know what condition Asgard was in.
If Loki had managed to send down both Frost Giants and the Destroyer, then his alliance with Laufey must run deep. Having Clark as backup would be invaluable.
So Thor led Clark to the marks left behind by the Destroyer and Sif at the Bifrost site. Then he looked to the sky and shouted:
"Heimdall! Open the Bifrost!"
A few moments passed. Other than the wind blowing across the ground, there was no response.
"Ahem… maybe he didn't hear me. Let me try again—Heimdall?"
Thor looked slightly embarrassed.
Clark, watching Thor shout at the sky, couldn't help but feel it was a bit naive. If anyone else were in this situation, the first assumption would be that Heimdall had either betrayed Asgard or was dead. Otherwise, how could he have allowed the Destroyer to attack Thor?
Still, there was no other option. Calling Heimdall was the only way to return to Asgard.
In Asgard, frozen in a block of ice, Heimdall wasn't completely unconscious. Hearing Thor's voice, he began to stir. He channeled his divine energy, focusing all his strength to break free from the icy prison.
As his power surged, fine cracks started to appear in the thick ice surrounding him. The cracks were so tiny that the Frost Giants stationed near the Bifrost didn't even notice.
"Thor, what's wrong?" came Jane's voice from behind.
Thor turned to see Jane driving toward them, with Sif and Fandral in the back.
"Heimdall isn't answering," he told her, frowning. He was starting to fear the worst—something had happened to Heimdall.
Why was he so sure? Because he trusted Heimdall. Heimdall would never betray Asgard. If there was no response, it could only mean one thing: Heimdall was in trouble.
"This is bad. Without Heimdall, we can't return to Asgard," said Hogun, usually the calmest among them, now just as helpless.
Thor grew increasingly worried. If something had happened to Heimdall, then something must have happened in Asgard. And if Sif was right—if Odin was still asleep—then...
"Heimdall! Can you hear us? We need you! Heimdall, please answer!"
Thor shouted again and again toward the heavens, hoping Heimdall would find a way to reach them.
Crack… crack…
Back in Asgard, the sound of Thor's voice fueled Heimdall's efforts. The divine power within him surged violently, shattering more and more of the ice around him.
The sounds of splintering ice—sharp, cracking, and building—finally caught the attention of the two Frost Giants stationed near the Bifrost.
"What was that?"
"What?!"
Before they could react, Heimdall broke free from his icy prison. Without hesitation, he drew his great sword and struck one of the Frost Giants down with a single blow.
No matter how much the ice had weakened him, Heimdall—guardian of Asgard and god of justice—was no match for Laufey's underlings.
Sword up, sword down. With a few clean strikes, he slaughtered both guards despite his lingering weakness.
He didn't pause to rest. Holding the Rainbow Sword, Heimdall staggered toward the Bifrost's control station. When he reached it, he raised the blade—and stabbed it deep into the mechanism.
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