Lock clenched his fists with both hands and punched the ground.
"Boom————"
The earth cracked open!
The fissure seemed alive, racing straight toward Sif and the others.
The three of them staggered on their feet and quickly leapt into the air.
Now!
There was a sharp sonic crack where Lock stood, and a massive pit blasted open on the ground.
Hogan and Volstagg saw only a flash of afterimage before their weapons flew out of their hands, and they themselves crashed heavily in front of Thor.
When the dust settled, Lock and Sif slowly appeared.
Sif's sword was pressed against Lock's heart, but it could not advance an inch further. The hand holding the blade was trapped in Lock's grip.
Lock's other hand clamped tightly around Sif's neck, lifting her off the ground.
Her face flushed crimson.
This time, Lock had learned. Since he couldn't hold onto a weapon blessed with divine power, he simply grabbed her neck. There was no way that could be slippery, right?
Hmm… it really was slippery.
Almost unconsciously, Lock's fingers brushed along Sif's jawline. How could a woman who spent all her days fighting battles outside still have skin this smooth?
Her face turned an even deeper red.
"Rogue… bastard… you… put me down, now!"
"Ahem… uh, that was… an accident…"
Lock let go, and Sif quickly pulled away. Like an ordinary woman, she kicked him once before hurrying back to Thor's side.
"Lock, no wonder you said I might not be your opponent even if I regained Mjolnir. You really are insanely strong. How can someone from Earth have such power?"
Thor approached with the four warriors.
Sif, Fandral, Hogan, and Volstagg lowered their heads slightly, hammered their chests with their right hands, and saluted.
This was the Asgardian warrior's gesture, reserved only for those they deemed worthy of respect.
Lock glanced at Sif. The blush still hadn't faded from her cheeks—though whether it was from being pinned by him or from anger, he couldn't tell.
But when she noticed him looking, her glare shot daggers, especially when she realized his eyes dipped toward her chest as she saluted. Her expression said clearly: Rogue!
Lock smiled helplessly. He hadn't meant to tease her—during battle, things changed too fast for him to have such thoughts.
As for that last brush of his finger… well, that was just a man's damn instinct.
Thor stepped forward, threw his arms around Lock in a crushing bear hug, and laughed:
"Father invites you to Asgard as a guest. It seems he has sharper vision than me. Once I reclaim Mjolnir, come with me—we'll celebrate in Asgard. But I warn you, my father may not receive you personally."
The four warriors were shocked.
The man before them was actually invited as a guest by the All-Father himself? Who was this Lock, really?
No wonder he was so powerful. Losing to him hardly seemed unfair now.
Any lingering dissatisfaction they felt vanished completely.
"Thor, don't worry. You'll get the hammer back soon."
Thor sighed. "I hope so… but I still have no clue."
Just as he spoke, a powerful wave of energy surged from afar.
Everyone present was an elite—naturally, they all felt it instantly.
Dark clouds gathered in the distance. The sky cracked open. A black tornado spiraled down from the heavens, dragging sand and stone into the air.
"Bifrost!"
Thor's eyes narrowed. "Sif, besides you, who else came?"
The four warriors shook their heads. "No one. We told no one."
But the answer revealed itself quickly.
The rainbow light faded, and within the teleportation rune, a towering humanoid machine appeared.
The Destroyer!
It looked like a figure forged from stacked metal rings, its body glowing with a cold, black metallic luster. Where eyes should have been were only two empty hollows.
If it stood still, one might mistake it for an exquisite work of art.
But now, its faceplate split open, spewing white-hot fire.
It killed everything in its path. It destroyed every structure it passed.
Houses blew apart. Cars were flung through the air. Flames erupted skyward.
In the original timeline, when Coulson first saw the Destroyer arrive, he had no idea what it was. Holding a battered loudspeaker, he foolishly shouted:
"You are using an unauthorized weapon. Identify yourself immediately…"
The Destroyer ignored him completely, answering only with a blast of its destructive flames.
Countless cars exploded. Buildings collapsed. Agents died in droves.
Coulson only survived because he hid quickly.
But with Lock's warning, things were different. The moment he saw the humanoid machine appear, Coulson had already ordered his men to retreat far away. Many lives were spared.
Lock knew exactly what had happened. Loki, far away in Asgard, had finally made his move.
He had frozen Heimdall with the power of the Frost Giants, seized control of the Bifrost, and sent the Destroyer to Earth.
And true to Loki's nature, there was no such thing as avoiding collateral damage.
Panic swept the town. Screams filled the air as people fled in every direction.
"Damn, Jane and the others are still in town! Everyone, back!" Thor shouted urgently.
Sif asked, "Who is Jane?"
Lock said flatly: "His girlfriend."
Hearing this, Sif's heart sank.
She had always carried a quiet affection for Thor, much like Pepper Potts for Tony Stark. For years, she had hoped for him to return her feelings.
Even Odin himself, before Thor's coronation, had urged him: "Human life is fleeting, unworthy of your concern. Cherish the ones before you."
And Odin had looked meaningfully at Sif when he said it.
But Thor never responded, leaving Sif with nothing but disappointment.
In later events, she would vanish from Asgard entirely, her fate unknown.
Unrequited love was the cruelest wound of all.
Now wasn't the time to dwell on it. Pushing aside her feelings, Sif rushed with the others to confront the Destroyer.
When they reached the town, Thor quickly issued orders:
"I am mortal now. I cannot fight. You five, hold the Destroyer. I will help the mortals evacuate."
Then he turned to Lock. "Lock, I am sorry. Asgard has brought disaster to Earth."
Lock shook his head. "This isn't your fault. I know the one behind this is Loki. And I'll settle with him myself."
The five warriors split. Thor ran to find Jane, while Lock, Sif, and the others faced the Destroyer.
Sif barked, "Draw its fire head-on!"
Fandral, Hogan, and Volstagg stepped forward and roared: "For Asgard!"
Their voices were loud—but their bodies were fragile. The Destroyer's blast of fire sent them flying back instantly.
But it was enough.
Sif leapt high, using the side of a building for support, and drove her spear into the Destroyer's neck from behind.
Its flaming body dimmed, and she stood atop its back, smiling in triumph.
But Lock's eyes narrowed. Something was wrong.
The Destroyer's segmented rings began to rotate. In an instant, its back became its front. Fire surged in its chest, ready to erupt.
"Boom!"
The blast came.
But at that very instant, Lock vanished. He reappeared with both hands gripping the Destroyer's massive head, twisting it violently. The fiery beam shot past Sif instead of incinerating her.
Sif broke into a cold sweat, muttered a quick "Thank you," and leapt off the machine's back.
The Destroyer rotated again. The head Lock had pinned became feet, and the original feet rotated upward into a new head.
The towering machine glared down at him.
"Boom——————"
Lock curled into a ball, sprang high into the air, and slammed into the Destroyer's chest.
The impact sent the metal giant crashing to the ground.
Lock straightened, a wicked smile curling his lips.
"After all these days… I can finally go all out."
He roared, his voice like an ancient beast awakened, a tiny man challenging a towering god-machine.
"ROAR————!"
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A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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