Thor looked at his companions.
The burly warrior spoke up,"Thor will fight with us!"
Thor stepped forward and gave a few of them a pat on the shoulder."My friends, I'm just a mortal now. If I go with you, I might get you all killed."
"You stay, I stay too."
Jane Foster held onto his arm, her eyes filled with unwavering determination.
"Jane, listen... you're not Rose, and I'm not Jack. This isn't the Titanic. We need time."
Without another word, Erik and the others split up, knocking on doors and moving through shops and homes, urging everyone to evacuate the small town.
"Leave now! Everyone, out the back!"
"Yo, who the hell are you? I just ordered my coffee. If you're leaving, you better pay for it!"
A Black man complained irritably.
"Ignore him. What an idiot. If I didn't have such a good temper, I would've knocked him flat by now."
He shook his head and showed off to his girlfriend sitting beside him.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Thor stormed in, grabbed the guy by the head, and slammed it onto the table three times.
"Nobody move. This is a robbery!"
The café went silent for a beat then chaos. Three or four tables of customers bolted the moment they heard the word "robbery."
"See? With people like that, the only way to handle them is direct and brutal," Thor said.
"Alright, fair enough," Erik shrugged.
Meanwhile, the Destroyer had cleared every obstacle in its path, striding swiftly toward the small border town.
It crossed nearly ten meters in a single step. Though the town was over ten kilometers away, it arrived in under five minutes.
"Hey! Big turd, it's Hill. That Destroyer you mentioned just showed up, we need backup! What? You roughed up some white couple at Rockefeller because they were being racist? Ugh, fine. Just get here first. I'll have Barton handle it later."
Before she could finish, Andrew had already hung up.
"Asshole! You better get here fast!"
The Destroyer entered the town, spraying fire like it was nothing. The century-old buildings were reduced to ash in moments.
The four Asgardian warriors approached cautiously. Lady Sif led the group, circling around in an attempt to ambush the machine.
"For Asgard!"
The burly warrior charged and leapt high, raising his axe with both hands and bringing it down on the Destroyer.
Boom.
The Destroyer swung a massive arm and knocked him through the air with terrifying force. He crashed into a parked car, setting off its alarm.
Dazed from the impact, the warrior lay motionless. The Destroyer stepped forward, and energy began to gather at its head ready to finish him off.
"Take my spear!"
Lady Sif, hidden until now, leapt from a nearby three-story building, driving her spear straight through the Destroyer's back, pinning it to the ground.
The molten jets sputtered out, replaced by a puff of black smoke.
Having narrowly escaped death, the burly warrior exhaled deeply.
But before anyone could celebrate, the Destroyer's body twisted grotesquely its polarity had reversed!
A surge of flame shot upward. Lady Sif rolled aside just in time, narrowly avoiding being vaporized.
The sword-wielding warrior and the bun-haired one grabbed their dazed comrade and ran. They knew they stood no chance now. Charging back in would be suicide.
As they fled, the Destroyer fired a blazing energy beam, blasting them into the air.
Had they been ordinary humans, their bones would have shattered. But thanks to their tough Asgardian bodies, they escaped with only minor injuries.
Thor rushed in and helped the dust-covered Lady Sif up."You've done enough, Sif. Get out of here!"
Lady Sif locked eyes with him, firm and resolute."No. I want to die like a warrior. Let this be a tale passed down for generations."
Thor cupped her face with both hands. Her skin was rough, he didn't care."You have to live. So you can tell that story to the children yourself."
Boom.
Another blast of fire forced them apart.
Thor rolled away, just narrowly avoiding it.
He shouted to the Asgardian warriors,"You must return to Asgard and stop Loki!"
The sword-wielding warrior, still panting, asked,"What about you?"
"Don't worry, my friends. I have a different plan."
Thor stopped hiding. With steady, deliberate steps, he walked toward the Destroyer, fully prepared to die.
"Brother, I don't know if it was me who pushed you this far. But I'm sorry. These people are innocent. Killing them won't bring you honor. If someone must die, let it be me. Just end this... now."
"Come on! Fire at me!"
He shouted, tearing open the front of his shirt.
Loki, observing through the Destroyer, heard every word. The emitter powering up the weapon dimmed.
Thor's heart, long gripped by fear, eased just a little. He let out a small smile, his brother hadn't completely lost his way.
The Destroyer turned, as if ready to leave.
Suddenly, its right arm lashed out, punching Thor square in the face.
The force of the blow like getting hit by a wrecking ball—flung Thor across the ground. He rolled more than twenty or thirty meters, unconscious the moment he hit the ground.
Jane Foster and the others, who had just begun to relax, gasped in horror.
"NO!"
Jane tore free from Erik's grip and sprinted toward Thor, her heart aching as if gravity no longer bound her.
Thor lay still, face swollen beyond recognition, blood trickling from his lips. Yet when he saw Jane's tear-filled eyes, he smiled.
"It's over."
"No... it's not."
Jane held him tightly, her small hands trembling as they caressed his cheek.
"You're safe now."
"We're safe," Jane sobbed, her voice breaking.
Thor's breathing weakened. He let out a final breath, closed his eyes, straightened his legs, and moved no more.
The Destroyer turned and began walking away, returning to report to its king Loki.
Whoosh...
A jet roared overhead, drawing everyone's gaze skyward.
"What's that...?"
Darcy blinked, trying to make sense of it. But as the figure emerged, its red and gold armor gleaming in the sunlight it became unmistakable.
"It's Iron Man!"
Darcy shouted in disbelief. Even Jane, overcome with grief, couldn't help but glance upward.
"Iron Man? What sort of creature is that?"
The Asgardian warriors were baffled, but judging by the reactions of the locals, whoever this was clearly mattered.
Clang.
The gleaming Hellfire Armor landed with a thud on the scorched pavement. The Destroyer, now at the edge of the town, slowly turned around.
It looked down at the tiny figure barely tall enough to reach its knee with a flicker of curiosity.
(End of Chapter)
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