After plunging into the raging sea, Herman dove straight down. Soon his vision cleared, and his divine consciousness snapped back to Earth.
The pillar of light linking heaven and earth slowly faded, until only a brief streak of radiance lingered in the sky before vanishing.
"Asgard's gods grow stronger the older they get. At the brink of death, they're at their most powerful… no wonder Thanos doesn't dare set foot here right now."
Herman watched the glow disappear, then lowered his gaze to the ring of Gungnir in his hand—the gift from Odin.
That world within the spiritual domain might very well be Asgard's true divine realm. It felt strikingly similar to his own dimensional space, where matter could flow without obstruction. Perhaps his dimensional space was nothing more than a prototype of a divine realm granted by the [All-Seeing Eye].
"What just happened?"
After the anomaly over the crater vanished, Coulson, Hawkeye, and the other agents cautiously moved closer. Both senior agents looked tense, bracing as though they were about to hear the worst possible news.
"Just had a little chat with Thor's old man."
Herman slipped the ring onto his finger beside the one from his battle suit. He stared at the two rings now adorning his hand, wondering if one day he might end up collecting all ten.
So… the Mandarin is me?
"Odin!?"
Coulson and Hawkeye froze. Thor's father—the King of the Gods himself? So that commotion really had been their negotiation.
"How did it go?"
Coulson asked quickly, his voice full of urgency. He wanted to hear a good outcome—like maybe Mjolnir's arrival on Earth had been nothing but a misunderstanding.
"Personally, I'd say… not bad."
Herman spread his palm. A swirl of white light flared and condensed into an ancient spear, radiating a grim, battle-worn aura.
"This is—!?"
Coulson and Hawkeye both stared in shock.
They'd spent countless nights poring over Norse mythology.
They knew exactly what a spear like this meant.
"The Eternal Spear—Gungnir."
Herman tested its weight. It was heavy, and as he swung it lightly through the air, faint streams of light shimmered along its shaft.
"...!!"
Coulson's heart jolted at the name.
It really was the Eternal Spear of legend!
"You killed Odin!?"
Both he and Hawkeye gaped, eyes wide with disbelief. Their gazes darted between Herman and the weapon, unsettled and suspicious.
Clearly, they had misunderstood what Herman meant by "chatting" with Odin. In their minds, it had already become an epic battle between the two.
And honestly, who could blame them?
This was the weapon Odin had used to conquer the Nine Realms.
Who would believe Odin had simply gifted it away?
Even Herman himself had been stunned when Odin handed it to him. To Coulson and Hawkeye, seeing Gungnir in his hands could only mean one thing: spoils of war.
"What are you thinking? Do I look like some bloodthirsty lunatic who only knows how to kill? This was a gift from Odin, nothing more."
Herman suspected S.H.I.E.L.D. had some massive misunderstanding about him.
"..."
Coulson and Hawkeye exchanged silence.
True, Herman hadn't actually killed anyone lately. But every time he smiled, it still sent a chill crawling down their spines. Even Director Nick Fury had admitted he couldn't tell if it was just The Boys rotting their brains, or something more.
Either way, among S.H.I.E.L.D.'s senior agents, a nickname had begun spreading—"Ancestor-level Being." They all agreed Herman didn't look like someone you could mess with, nor did he look like any kind of saint.
"I came to an agreement with Odin."
Herman raised the spear slightly.
"You mean you stepped on Odin's face and forced him to sign a treaty?" Coulson still looked doubtful, convinced Odin had either been defeated or killed. Otherwise, how else could someone hand over such a legendary weapon?
"Or maybe you stepped on the Queen of the Gods' face?" Hawkeye added, his imagination running wild. "Myths say she was Odin's true love. For her sake, he'd definitely give in to you."
His theory was even more absurd than Coulson's. No wonder these two were always paired on missions—they really were birds of a feather.
"If you've got so much free time, then start sealing off this entire area. You're also going to help me put on a little show."
Herman didn't put away Gungnir. After speaking to Coulson and the others, he walked back toward Mjolnir.
The hammer now lay silent once more.
"Is this because of your agreement with Odin?"
Coulson seemed to have pieced it together.
"Exactly. Tell your boss not to worry—this is just the prince's little 'coming-of-age story.' Asgard has no intention of invading Earth.
Odin simply wants Thor to learn what responsibility means while he's here." Herman could now share that much with S.H.I.E.L.D.
After all, he had spoken with Odin himself. He could easily claim all this information came directly from their exchange.
Don't believe me?
Go ask Odin.
"Letting a reckless heir learn to grow up—so long as nothing goes wrong, that might not be bad for us."
Coulson nodded thoughtfully.
He and Hawkeye both felt a weight lift off their chests. As long as it didn't mean war with gods or aliens, this was the best possible outcome.
"You seriously didn't fight Odin?"
Hawkeye still looked doubtful. He was convinced Herman must have shown Odin some of his power during their supposed "friendly chat."
Otherwise…
Even if this was all meant as training, would the King of the Gods really waste time explaining things? Let alone hand over his own weapon to a human?
It was like America taking oil from the Middle East—they never asked for permission. Respect only came with power.
If Herman hadn't proven himself in combat, how else could he have earned Odin's respect?
How could he have gotten his hands on a divine weapon?
Hawkeye's thoughts ran wild.
Coulson's did too.
Both men were still suspicious, but Coulson chose not to push further. They simply didn't believe Odin could be that agreeable.
After all, wasn't Odin also called the God of War?
"I could always fight you instead. How about it? You draw first." Herman turned toward Hawkeye at the edge of the pit.
"That's… actually not a bad idea."
Coulson quietly backed up twenty paces.
"..."
Hawkeye gave a quick, sheepish grin. "I just carry the bow for show. Honestly, I don't even know how to use it. It's more of an accessory."
He was clearly backing down.
"You two keep talking. I'll lock down the area." Coulson—ever the type to play it cool—left Hawkeye behind and climbed out of the pit with the other agents.
"Wait up! I can help lock down the area too! My eyesight's great—I'll set the perimeter tape straighter than anyone!" Hawkeye, of course, didn't dare stay behind with Herman.
He wasn't entirely sure if Herman was joking or not.
"Little hammer… now it's just the two of us."
With the agents busy setting up, Herman shifted his focus back to Mjolnir.
He planted Gungnir into the ground, stepped toward the silent hammer, and spoke to it in a light, almost casual tone.
"See that? Odin's weapon. Practically the big brother of big brothers. You'd better think carefully about whether you want me to pick you up."
Mjolnir didn't so much as flicker a rune.
Obviously playing dead.
Gungnir, on the other hand, gave two faint flashes of white light, as if backing Herman up.
"Hopefully you're a smart hammer."
Herman gripped Mjolnir's handle. This time, with a gentle tug, he lifted it off the ground.
There was no resistance at all—no divine incantation triggered, no glow from the runes on its surface.
Had it just hypnotized itself into believing it was an ordinary lump of iron? Asgard's artifacts weren't exactly lacking in intelligence.
In fact, during that little "Love and Thunder" episode, Mjolnir had often interacted with Thor and Jane.
"Now that's more like it. See? I really am a righteous, kind, responsible, upstanding citizen of New York."
Herman swung the hammer a couple of times, then casually tossed it back to the ground.
It was like a scumbag who went to every length to win over a girl, only to stop caring once she was his.
He'd lifted it once—that was enough.
Truth be told, Herman had no interest in a hammer that Hela had once crushed like glass.
"Zzzzz~"
Thrown to the ground, Mjolnir sparked faintly, like a sulking lover letting off steam.
With Gungnir standing nearby, it didn't dare act out as it had before.
"Other than sealing off the site, anything else you need us to do?" Coulson returned with his team, lugging professional equipment.
They'd intended to lock down the area from the start, but the locals were too stubborn, so they'd given up. In truth, their truck had already been packed with the necessary tools.
"Where's the fighting lately?"
Odin had given Herman quite the favor. He hated owing anyone, so he figured he might as well pay some attention to Thor's side of things.
"Russia and Belarus. Tensions have flared into heavy clashes." Coulson, as always, was on top of international affairs.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had originally handled mostly global disputes. It was only in recent years they'd drifted so far into stranger territory.
"I think I saw a report about this a few days ago. Ukraine sent some skilled agents disguised as refugees into the conflict zone."
"Have them give our 'Asgardian Crown Prince' a proper lesson." Herman already had a plan in mind and gave Coulson the order directly.
Neither Coulson nor Hawkeye found this command strange. Coulson nodded, stepped aside to make a call, and began arranging things. He had a good sense of what Herman was trying to do and also reported it to Nick Fury.
"Do as he says. We could use a friendly, war-weary god-king." Nick Fury agreed.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s foreign agents immediately began operating with efficiency. Back in New Mexico, Hawkeye was supervising as agents secured the site.
More than a dozen agents set up a perimeter around the crater where Mjolnir had landed, stringing up caution tape and posting [No Trespassing] signs.
As for the hammer itself, agents carefully built a tent around it, enclosing it completely.
"So now we just wait for the Crown Prince to come knocking?" Coulson glanced at Herman, who was sitting at a table abandoned by the townsfolk, casually scrolling on his phone.
Curious about Herman's plan, he walked over, picked up a sausage left behind, and popped it into his mouth.
The way he did it was smooth, natural—clearly, this wasn't the first time he'd lived off the people's leftovers.
"Of course. That hammer's his treasure. He'll come for it sooner or later." Herman was chatting in the company's group chat with his employees.
Everyone was wondering where he had disappeared to.
"Got it."
Coulson left him to his "Love and Harmony Club" chat and turned back toward the tent covering Mjolnir.
S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't come all this way to sit idle. Their scientists were already analyzing the hammer.
The process, however, wasn't going smoothly.
While the hammer behaved itself around Herman, in front of these S.H.I.E.L.D. grunts it occasionally crackled with arcs of electricity.
"Ah!"
"Damn it!"
Mjolnir wasn't killing anyone, but its sudden bursts of electricity left the agents yelping and twitching.
The equipment in the tent wasn't spared either.
From time to time, Mjolnir would unleash a pulse of electromagnetic energy, frying expensive devices across the makeshift lab.
"It's warning us."
One of the scientists sighed in frustration. As a materials expert, Mjolnir was nothing short of a miracle to him. "A hammer with a mind of its own… That civilization is far ahead of ours."
Coulson gave no comment.
"The Director says just do your best."
He didn't pressure the scientists further. Their last research attempt—with the so-called "Devil's Scroll"—had already cost S.H.I.E.L.D. plenty of lives.
While the agents busied themselves with what seemed like wasted effort, Herman was outside chatting and occasionally checking the latest shows.
"Rick and Morty should've been made into a movie."
After his review, he looked up.
The sky had grown fully dark. Night had fallen before he realized, stars twinkling as a few clouds slowly gathered.
"Why isn't he here yet?"
Herman frowned slightly.
By rights, after the commotion he had caused here, the expelled townsfolk should've spread the word the moment they returned.
And Thor—just hearing anything about his hammer—would've rushed over immediately, even if he had to drop everything mid-bathroom break.
But now… Herman squinted toward the town. His enhanced vision was sharp enough to see everything there from this distance.
As for obstacles in between… ever since he'd gained his powers, his eyes had retained the ability to see through them.
"No one!?"
Herman's frown deepened.
He tucked his phone into his dimensional space, then used telekinesis to rocket skyward, hovering above the town and scanning it carefully from the night sky.
The trio was still in town, immersed in research. Including Jane—the woman destined to become the next Mighty Thor. They were animatedly discussing the rumors about Homelander's massacre.
Herman had plenty of thoughts about Darcy's exaggerated storytelling, but now wasn't the time to call her out.
"Even if the Bifröst had a traffic jam, they should've come down by now…"
He still found no sign of Thor, which made his brow crease tighter.
Then suddenly—
He thought of something.
"This one's not on me."
Herman spread his hand, summoning Gungnir.
He whispered to the Eternal Spear, then hurled it into the night sky.
The shining white weapon tore through the darkness, blazing brilliantly as it shot into the distance at terrifying speed.
A sonic boom cracked the air as Herman's figure followed close behind.