"Crack!"
Thor's right hand lifted, gripping the Hammer of Thunder. A lightning bolt as thick as a barrel roared down from the sky, striking his lifeless body.
"Uaaahhh!"
Thor was brought back from the dead.
In the distance, Aetheris approached slowly. Watching the scene, he muttered under his breath,
"Is this electroshock therapy? In other words… a high-voltage reboot?"
Bathed in lightning, Thor was reborn. The wounds on his body vanished as though they had never existed. Even his armor gleamed, fully restored.
Jane Foster could barely contain her joy.
"Oh my god!"
Her smile stretched nearly to her ears. Naturally, Aetheris's eyes were drawn to the beautiful woman but seeing the way she looked at Thor, full of admiration and love, he gave up any thoughts of competition. His gaze drifted to Darcy, who stood there blankly.
Forget it. Not really his type anyway.
Lady Sif?
Sorry, he just didn't see the appeal.
Now revived and back in full god-mode, Thor was eager to reclaim his dignity in front of his beloved. But after scanning the surroundings, he realized something was missing.
Where was the Destroyer, the machine that had just pummeled him like a ragdoll?
Confused, he turned to the Four Warriors of Asgard, eyes full of questions.
They merely looked in the direction of Aetheris.
Thor didn't understand and asked, "Where is it? Where's the Destroyer?"
Lady Sif stuck out her tongue and pointed.
"He killed it."
"???"
Thor stared in disbelief. Him?
That scrawny Earthling who barely reached his shoulders?
He waved it off. "You've got to be kidding. The Destroyer probably returned to Asgard after thinking I was dead, right?"
Everyone his fellow warriors, Jane, Darcy, even Professor Erik shook their heads and pointed at Aetheris in unison.
"He really did kill it. Mr. Tony Stark."
"No way. That's impossible!"
Thor didn't believe a word. He knew just how terrifying the Destroyer was. Others might not understand, but as the future king of Asgard, he was well aware.
The thing was nearly invincible immune to fire, immune to water. One of Odin's proudest creations. It was the ultimate single-combat war machine.
And this Earthling, who probably weighed less than Thor's armor, defeated that?
He glanced again at his friends. Their expressions were serious.
"Could it really have been him?" he asked.
"Mhm." They all nodded.
"Hey, Blondie, I don't like people pointing hammers at me," Aetheris called out as he strolled over to the group.
"Mr. Stark! Can I get your autograph? I'm a huge fan!" Darcy ran over, marker in hand though she'd forgotten a notebook.
Aetheris looked at her, unsure where she wanted him to sign. Her wink and proud posture gave him the answer.
"Just sign it right here on my shirt," she said with a cheeky smile.
Even with the glasses and freckles, she had… enthusiasm.
Erik and Jane both turned away, pretending they didn't know her.
Aetheris shrugged and went for it. He uncapped the marker and started signing on the soft material of her shirt. The plush surface made the pen stutter and skip, turning what should've been a stylish signature into a wobbly scrawl.
He added a final line beneath it:
"To the cutest girl, Darcy."
"Thank you, Mr. Stark!" she beamed.
"My pleasure. It's support from amazing people like you that keeps me going to fight evil and uphold justice," Aetheris said warmly.
He leaned in for a cheek-to-cheek greeting, then shook Erik's hand.
"I've heard a lot about you, Professor."
Erik blinked. As a humble university professor, he never imagined someone like this would know his name.
"You've heard of me?"
"Sure. A few of my employees got their graduate degrees from your university. They speak very highly of your work in astrophysics," Aetheris said smoothly.
"Really? We should find time to chat. I've heard Mr. Stark here is quite the physics expert himself!" Erik chuckled.
"Absolutely."
Meanwhile, Thor stood off to the side, hammer in hand. No one came over to cheer or hug him. No one even seemed surprised that he was alive again.
Wasn't he a god? Shouldn't their jaws be on the ground?
He didn't realize the problem, everyone had already been stunned. A 53-meter-tall Ultraman had just wiped out the so-called indestructible Destroyer like it was scrap metal. That image was burned into their memories.
Not to mention the finishing energy blast that obliterated the Destroyer completely. no remains, just scattered ash.
Compared to that, lightning resurrection and a floating hammer weren't that exciting.
Even the Four Warriors weren't moved. They'd seen centuries of battle, but never anything like that. Not even Odin, their king, could've handled it. Probably.
"Hey, what's with the long faces? Your best friend just came back to life. Aren't you happy?" Thor finally said, unable to bear being ignored.
He quietly slid into the group surrounding Aetheris, hoping to absorb a little of the spotlight.
"Hi, I'm Thor. God of Thunder and future king of Asgard. And you are?"
He extended his right hand. Earth had taught him humility, he no longer looked down on others.
As the saying goes, you don't hit a smiling man. Seeing Thor's genuine expression, Aetheris reached out and shook his hand.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Tony Stark."
Hmm?
As their hands met, Thor's grip subtly tightened.
Testing me?
Aetheris smiled. Wrong move.
The Hulk's blood stirred.
Thor had wanted to feel him out. Maybe the guy had used tricks to beat the Destroyer. But in that handshake, he felt a terrifying strength.
His expression shifted instantly.
(End of Chapter)
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