"Stop Thor. Intercept him at all costs."
Odin issued the order to the captain.
At once, all of Asgard sprang into action. Soldiers spread out across the realm, searching for Thor's whereabouts. One squad soon encountered Thor and his group in a corridor they had just passed through.
"Take her and go. Leave this to me."
Seeing the soldiers charging in, Sif immediately stepped in front of Thor.
Thor nodded without hesitation and led the others away, while Sif drew the sword and shield from her back and charged straight at the squad.
Before long, Thor's group arrived at the Razor ship that had previously crashed nose-first into the palace terrace. The other two warriors were already waiting there.
"We'll do our best to buy you some time," one of them said.
Thor nodded. No extra words were needed—between them, gratitude went without saying.
The group rushed past the two warriors and boarded the Razor ship.
Inside, the ship was pitch-black, bearing the unmistakable aesthetic of the Dark Elves—though it might simply have been because the ship hadn't powered up yet.
At the control console, Thor stared blankly for a moment, then began pressing buttons at random, smashing anything that looked remotely important.
"Didn't you say you knew how to fly this thing?" Loki asked. "Why are you just mashing buttons now?"
Meanwhile, Karl quietly helped Jane find something to hold onto. Given Thor's temperament, the ship was bound to fly like a battering ram.
Outside, another squad of soldiers was already rushing toward them. The two warriors positioned themselves in front of the ship and charged head-on into the incoming troops.
"I don't care what you're pressing," Loki urged, craning his neck behind Thor, "but you'd better hurry. We've been spotted."
"Shut up, Loki," Thor snapped, pressing the controls even more violently. "You're distracting me!"
"You must have missed a button. Try again," Loki said anxiously, joining in and poking at the console himself, mirroring Thor's chaotic movements perfectly.
"You're supposed to press gently—you're being way too rough!" Loki shouted, his voice rising despite his hands doing the exact opposite.
"I am pressing gently! This thing just isn't—re—spon—ding!"
Thor slammed his palm down hard on the console.
Suddenly, the area lit up. Holographic displays flared to life around the control panel.
"Of course," Karl muttered. "Any piece of technology can apparently be fixed by giving it a good smack."
Strangely enough, the method really did seem universal—effective on everything from radios to spaceships.
Outside, the two warriors had already been pinned down by the soldiers. Neither side used lethal force; after all, they were comrades. Both sides instinctively chose to subdue rather than kill.
Boom—!
The Razor ship's engines suddenly roared to life. A powerful blast of thrust erupted, sending a shockwave outward that flung both the warriors and the soldiers off their feet.
Karl's prediction proved correct. Thor's piloting style was as crude and violent as expected. The Razor ship smashed through several massive stone pillars inside the palace, then burst through the windows atop the platform, finally breaking free of the royal palace.
Inside the ship, Jane suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed to the floor. Karl reacted instantly, catching her and gently lowering her down.
"What happened? Is she dead?" Loki asked casually, glancing back.
Boom—!
The ship shook violently. Behind them, more than a dozen Asgardian ships were in hot pursuit, launching relentless attacks on the Razor ship.
Thor swerved clumsily to dodge the fire, the ship lurching erratically as it tore through the skyline, smashing into countless towers and stone columns along the way.
Following the plan, the Razor ship headed straight for the Rainbow Bridge. Thor deliberately avoided the densest clusters of buildings—damaging Asgard was one thing, but wrecking the ship beyond repair was another.
"They're right behind us!" Loki shouted as the ship was hit again, the impact even more violent this time.
"Thank you for the commentary!" Thor yelled back. "If you could shut your mouth, I'd fly a lot better!"
He accelerated again.
The ship suddenly shuddered as it passed a massive structure. Losing control for a split second, the Razor ship sliced cleanly through the head of a gigantic statue.
"Well done!" Loki sneered. "Congratulations—you just chopped off Grandpa's head!"
Thor glanced back. Sure enough, the statue's head was already plunging into the sea below.
Passing through a waterfall, the ship entered the Rainbow Bridge's airspace. The bridge itself was now clearly visible.
Still dodging incoming fire, the Razor ship began spewing black smoke. It was barely holding together.
"If you don't do something soon, we're all going to die!" Loki shouted, watching the pursuing ships close in.
Karl stood up. He had no intention of letting the ship get blown apart.
"Leave it to me."
He moved to the hatch.
"Go easy on them," Thor called back. "They're just following orders."
Karl nodded, opened the hatch, and with a sweep of his cloak, leapt into the air.
Hovering behind the Razor ship, with more than a dozen enemy ships rapidly closing in, Karl's eyes flashed with an orange-red glow.
With a casual wave of his hand, more than a dozen fireballs—each the size of a basketball—materialized behind him. At his command, they shot forward.
Trailing blazing tails like meteors, the fireballs streaked through the sky and struck every Asgardian ship with pinpoint accuracy.
The explosions were perfectly controlled—just strong enough to destroy the propulsion systems. One by one, the ships lost power and fell from the sky like dumplings, crashing into the sea below.
Turning around, Karl suddenly spotted Tony, leisurely piloting a ship across the ocean's surface. Asgardian ships were ships in the literal sense—fully capable of operating both in the air and on water.
Karl landed directly on Tony's vessel. Tony was gripping the control lever, steering casually.
"Karl! I never expected Asgardian ships to not only look like boats but handle exactly like them too," Tony said enthusiastically. "Look at this control stick—doesn't it look just like an oar?"
Tony had been surprised by how simple the controls were. He had even had JARVIS record an Asgardian pilot's operation earlier, only to realize there was barely anything to learn.
Back on the Razor ship, Thor and Loki were arguing again. The ship was on the verge of total failure.
"So this was your brilliant escape plan?" Loki shouted over the blaring red warning lights. "You steal the biggest, most eye-catching ship in all of Asgard, crash it into everything in sight, and try to escape? Incredible. Truly. I almost miss the old you—the one who only knew how to charge headfirst."
Thor glanced at Loki, then at the open hatch.
Without a word, he kicked Loki straight out of the ship.
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