The rain grew heavier and heavier, and the ground turned extremely muddy.
Covered head to toe in mud, Thor took down the big guard and casually shook his rain-soaked blond hair.
In Thor's eyes, a man's romance had to be battle and victory.
He strode forward two steps and tore open the tarp. The familiar Mjolnir appeared right before his eyes.
Wearing a victor's smile, Thor walked toward the hammer.
"No chance."
Hawkeye adjusted his angle again, locking his gaze on Thor, who was completely exposed beneath the bow and arrow, and reminded Coulson that now was the best moment to act.
"Wait. I want to see…"
From a hidden corner, Coulson watched Thor standing beside the hammer.
He was very curious what kind of reason could make this man risk becoming an enemy of S.H.I.E.L.D. just to charge in here.
This guy's skills were good. So many guards hadn't been able to stop him.
And the way he looked at the hammer was completely different from anyone else here.
Maybe something would happen.
Meanwhile, Thor was only staring at the hammer with a foolish grin, imagining himself lifting it again, charging back to Asgard, and having a proper talk with his father, or maybe admitting his mistake, then reclaiming his supreme glory.
Suddenly, a voice sounded from the side, "Hey, Prince. Want to make a bet?"
At this moment, Corin was on the other side of the site. An umbrella floated above his head, keeping him completely dry.
He sat calmly in a fishing chair, watching the rather bedraggled Thor with great interest.
This careless guy had rushed straight for the hammer and hadn't even noticed him. Corin couldn't help but speak up to tease the God of Thunder.
"Hm?"
Thor's thoughts returned from Asgard. Hearing someone speak, he followed the sound and looked over.
He saw a man with a distinctly Midgard face sitting there at ease, smiling at him.
An umbrella floated above the man's head, blocking all the rain, forming a sharp contrast with his own drenched state.
'Is this Midgard magic?'
'Once I get my hammer back, I can do that too. Hmph!'
'Wait, how does he know I'm a prince? Could it be that this man also has prophetic powers?'
"What's the bet?"
Thinking this, Thor's interest was piqued.
"I bet you can't lift this hammer."
Corin raised his hand and pointed at the hammer on the ground, stating his view.
"Hahahaha!"
It was as if Thor had heard the funniest joke in the world. He burst into hearty laughter, the sound making the white tents vibrate.
"I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed."
'A joke. Who do you think I am?'
'I am Thor, son of Odin!'
'This hammer is mine to begin with. If even I can't lift it, then who can?'
'Seems you know some things, but not that much.'
'Mjolnir isn't something you ordinary people can just swing around. Only I can. I am its master.'
Thor bent down and reached for the hammer's handle, but his motion suddenly stopped in midair.
"You haven't said what the stakes are yet."
Straightening up, Thor shook his hair, ran a hand through it to brush away the rain, and lifted his eyes to look at Corin.
He didn't want to miss this free win. And if he could get something extra out of it, that would be even more interesting.
Seeing Thor looking like a child eager to prove himself, Corin's expression was very sincere.
"How about this. If you can't lift the hammer, I win."
"The stake is that you take me on a trip to your homeland."
"No!"
Hearing Corin's proposal, Thor instantly grew wary and refused outright.
'Are you kidding? Is Asgard some place any random nobody can go?'
'Who do you think you are?'
'Besides, what makes you think I would lose?'
"That stake won't work. Pick another one!"
As a prince of Asgard and son of Odin, Thor would never casually bring someone of unknown background back with him.
He would not allow even the slightest external risk to threaten Asgard.
Seeing the God of Thunder firmly reject him, Corin felt he might have been a bit hasty.
Unable to think of anything else for the moment, he shrugged indifferently.
"If that stake doesn't work, I can't think of another one right now. Whatever…"
Thor, who had been closely observing Corin, originally thought there was some ulterior motive behind the request to go to Asgard.
Now, seeing him act like it didn't matter either way, Thor's guard dropped quite a bit.
"How about this. If you win, I'll give you one of my treasured items."
"But if you lose?"
Corin hadn't expected the God of Thunder to be so serious about the contract that he'd change the stake to a treasure.
Thinking that he couldn't go to Asgard for now, getting a treasure spoken of by Thor didn't sound bad at all.
'Worthy of a noble. No haggling whatsoever.'
He nodded.
"If you win, I'll help you smooth over the trouble of breaking in here."
Before he could finish speaking, Agent Coulson was about to step in and stop him. Corin's behavior was clearly overstepping his authority.
But when he saw Corin looking at him with absolute confidence, Coulson moved his lips and said nothing.
After all, one illegal intruder wasn't a big deal. And if it meant further gaining Mr. Silver Duke's friendship, what did it matter to give him this bit of leeway?
Director Fury probably wouldn't mind either.
Thor pondered Corin's words and suddenly thought of something.
"And Jane and the others' things. Those need to be returned to them."
Corin thought back to the name Jane. She seemed to be the woman who had knocked Thor flying when he first landed.
Looks like Thor got along pretty well with that trio of scientists, still thinking about helping them get their stuff back.
"Fine."
Corin readily agreed to Thor's request.
Thor was very pleased with Corin's straightforwardness and gave him a slight salute.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Several bolts of lightning streaked across the sky once more. Thor turned his attention back to Mjolnir.
Reclaiming his bonded weapon already had him fired up. This bet with Corin would also take care of the follow-up trouble, and he could even get Jane and the others' belongings back.
"I'm a genius!"
Thor grinned broadly, wrapped his right hand around the hammer's handle, and applied a bit of force. The scene he imagined of lifting the hammer high into the air did not appear.
"Huh?"
His smile froze. Thor exerted himself again in confusion. Still nothing.
Thor's expression gradually grew serious. He gripped the handle with both hands, using all his strength, even letting out a roar. Mjolnir, as if it no longer recognized him, did not move an inch.
Seeing this, the corner of Corin's mouth lifted slightly, while Agent Coulson felt a bit disappointed.
He made such a huge commotion and finally got close to the hammer, only to still be unable to lift it. Not even as good as Mr. Silver Duke.
After Thor's final attempt to lift the hammer ended in failure, he finally realized that things might not be as simple as he had thought.
Recalling how he had been knocked out by a cheap little weapon the moment he arrived, Thor felt that life couldn't get any darker than this.
The hammer of the God of Thunder doesn't even acknowledge the God of Thunder anymore. Does that make any sense?
Even a taser can easily take down the God of Thunder. Does that make any sense?
Disappointment, confusion, and helplessness mixed with a heavy sense of frustration crashed into Thor's heart.
He raised his head blankly and looked into the depths of the universe, as if there were a pair of eyes watching him at all times.
"Why!"
Thor's shouted question, set against the lightning and torrential rain, sounded unbearably desolate.
Being defeated by a powerful enemy was not terrifying. But being rejected at this moment by an old companion who had fought by his side for years filled Thor with deep grievance.
Thor knelt before the hammer, sinking into profound self-doubt.
"All right, show's over. Ground team, move in."
Agent Coulson, his interest gone, picked up his radio and called everyone in.
At this moment, Thor looked like he had lost his soul, allowing the S.H.I.E.L.D. guards to cuff his hands behind his back.
His gaze never left the hammer. On the broad face of the hammerhead, mysterious runes flashed briefly and vanished.
None of this escaped Heimdall's all-seeing eyes.
A single sigh crossed the sea of stars.
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