Chapter 10: Control and Instinct (Part I)
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At the highest point of what had once been the prestigious nation of Wakanda, now reduced to a wasteland overflowing with death, stood Naruto Uzumaki, silently watching as Hulk turned Thor into a zombie.
The process was not immediate, but slow, inevitable before the eyes of anyone watching. Thus, the God of Thunder fell, and with him, the last hope of that world vanished with cruel swiftness.
Throughout the entire battle, Naruto noticed several interesting details.
Besides the more obvious changes, there was also that strange weapon he carried.
And with that weapon came the same abilities Naruto had already witnessed with Mjolnir, only far more destructive, along with the way Thor's body became engulfed in lightning.
"Aetheria..."
[Yes, Naruto?]
"Do you know them?" he asked, referring to the people he had just seen, now transformed into zombies.
[Affirmative...]
A circle emerged on the HUD, beginning to rotate. Moments later, the focus shifted, quickly locking onto Hulk, who was advancing unopposed beyond Wakanda.
[The individual you are currently observing is Bruce Banner, known as Hulk: an outstanding scientist specializing in nuclear physics, biochemistry, and gamma radiation. It was his work with the latter that triggered an accident, exposing him to extreme levels of gamma radiation and giving birth to the creature you now see.]
Then, the same circle moved toward the figure towering before the castle, Thanos, who continued devouring what remained of T'Challa.
[The next individual is Thanos: a powerful galactic conqueror from Titan, possessing extraordinary strength and intellect. Driven by a twisted vision of balance, he embarked on a quest to collect the Infinity Stones. His ultimate goal was to gather them all to fulfill his purpose: annihilating half of all life in the universe.]
Naruto observed carefully from up close, thanks to the camera zooming in on the purple titan. On his left hand, he noticed the Infinity Gauntlet, complete with the full set of Infinity Stones.
Finally, the circle shifted toward Thor, after he had devoured the small raccoon.
[Finally, we have Thor Odinson, the God of Thunder: son of Odin and heir to Asgard, endowed with immense power tied to storms and lightning. Wielder of the legendary Mjolnir, now carrying an unknown new weapon. In the beginning, his true divine nature was not fully understood. According to his history, he was banished by his father, leading him to Earth. Thus occurred one of the first documented encounters between humanity and a divine civilization such as the Norse.]
Naruto focused even more on that Thor. His appearance and power were radically different from the one he had met not long ago, the one who had fallen at Clint Barton's hands because of him, though he did not understand that.
Naruto simply nodded, because while he had been learning to control Mjolnir, he had managed to learn more about Thor. But before he could continue his thoughts, something burst into his field of vision.
It was too fast.
The blond had no time to react.
A brutal impact slammed directly into him, violently hurling him toward the ground. Mid-flight, he barely managed to make out his attacker: a zombified man encased in armor resembling a Mark model, though different.
The reactor in his chest glowed with an intense red light, rectangular in shape. The armor, entirely black with gray accents, was bulkier than usual, with a turret mounted on its back.
A second later, both of them crashed into the ground with devastating force.
With a swift and precise movement, Naruto hurled the zombie into the air. Using the momentum, he activated the thrusters in his hands, stabilizing himself before descending, skidding slightly across the ground until he regained his balance.
The very same move Tony had used when he had launched him into the building earlier.
The impact kicked up a dense cloud of dust and debris, crushing several nearby zombies and marking the beginning of a new confrontation.
The commotion did not go unnoticed.
The young Uzumaki rose to his feet completely, adjusting his stance before fixing his gaze ahead. There, amid the dissipating dust, the man in the modified armor was beginning to stand.
Naruto did not have much time to think about who the zombie was when he sensed something approaching.
With an instinctive motion, he summoned the shield, positioning it beside him.
A second later, the tip of an axe stopped mere inches from his face.
Naruto lowered the shield slightly, looking up just in time to see Thor approaching, his hand outstretched toward him as the divine weapon obediently returned to its master.
At that same moment, he also noticed that dark Iron Man drawing closer.
The infected soldier opened fire without hesitation: guided missiles streaked through the air while the cannons in his palms roared, and heavy gunfire tore through the pavement in a shower of sparks and pulverized concrete. Without slowing down, he charged straight at Naruto, becoming a living armored projectile.
Naruto analyzed the situation in a fraction of a second.
He summoned Mjolnir.
At the same time, he saw Thor throw his axe once more. Naruto reacted instantly, hurling the hammer in response.
Both weapons collided in midair with tremendous force.
The impact unleashed an explosion of electrical sparks, accompanied by bolts of lightning that violently struck the ground, shaking everything around them.
That was enough for now.
Naruto shifted his focus toward Rhodes, with the HUD calculating every incoming attack with perfect precision. He threw the damaged shield, causing it to ricochet off the incoming missiles.
One after another, they exploded in a chain reaction until the shield struck the armored zombie square in the face.
He took advantage of the opening without hesitation.
He lunged forward.
"Aetheria," he called as he extended his right hand.
The nanobots responded instantly, reorganizing around his arm to form a razor-sharp blade that thrust toward Rhodes' neck. At the same time, Naruto sent the shield, once he caught it, back into his inventory.
Rhodes sensed the danger.
His helmet snapped shut, saving him from immediate death, though not from what came next.
Naruto had already devised a plan to fight both opponents.
At that moment, he heard Aetheria's voice, which began offering suggestions on how to battle the two enemies.
Naruto simply nodded as he listened to the suggestions. Then he merely extended his hand.
The hammer came flying back at incredible speed, closely followed by the axe. At the exact instant Mjolnir reached his hand, Naruto stored it away.
And waited.
With precise timing, he withdrew the blade from Rhodes' neck and moved with agility, narrowly dodging the incoming axe at the last possible moment.
Stormbreaker struck Rhodes head-on, sending him flying with brutal force.
Naruto wasted no time.
He quickly regained his footing while watching Rhodes being dragged away by the axe. But he could not allow himself to be distracted.
Looking up, he saw Thor charging toward him at incredible speed, ready to attack once more.
Naruto simply watched, paying close attention to every movement. He saw Thor extend his hand and, for a brief moment, thought he was calling his weapon, but something did not add up.
His arm was wrapped in lightning.
A blinding flash confirmed it.
The lightning bolt was unleashed immediately, a savage blast tearing through the air straight toward Naruto. His surprise lasted only an instant; he reacted purely on instinct, summoning Mjolnir before him.
The impact was direct.
The lightning struck the hammer, which began absorbing an enormous amount of energy. Even so, the force was so overwhelming that Naruto gritted his teeth as he was pushed backward, his feet dragging across the ground.
There was no time to breathe.
He had to move immediately to avoid the axe approaching from behind him, with Rhodes still impaled upon it.
Thor watched his weapon for a brief second. Then, another bolt of lightning coursed through its entire length.
The electricity surged through Rhodes' body, frying him completely in an instant, even causing the suit itself to shut down.
The zombie, still struggling to free himself, stiffened for a moment before falling lifeless.
A second later, he was cast aside like nothing more than garbage.
Naruto, with Mjolnir still crackling from the accumulated energy, watched the entire process without looking away.
Then, their eyes met.
Thor roared toward the sky and charged once again.
Naruto did the same.
Both advanced, closing the distance before propelling themselves into nearly simultaneous leaps: Naruto with the aid of his thrusters, Thor propelled by his own power.
A short leap. But one filled with murderous intent.
The air trembled.
The power of lightning began gathering within their weapons. Electricity crackled furiously, enveloping Mjolnir in Naruto's hands and Stormbreaker in Thor's, illuminating the battlefield with white and blue flashes that tore through both the air and the earth itself.
And then, they attacked. But this time, they did not aim for each other's weapons. They chose the wielder.
Naruto hurled Mjolnir directly at Thor.
Stormbreaker shot toward him at terrifying speed, spinning like a whirlwind of destruction.
Time itself seemed to distort.
For an instant, Naruto could not calculate the axe's rhythm. Not even the helmet's HUD could track it accurately.
Its rotation was too fast. Impossible to follow with normal eyesight. And yet, that speed gradually began to slow before his eyes.
The movements became clear, understandable. Every spin of the axe, every shift in its trajectory, every subtle change in its angle, everything was laid bare.
Naruto moved.
At the exact moment, he extended his left hand and wrapped his fingers around Stormbreaker's handle.
The impact was immediate.
The force stored within the weapon did not disappear when it was stopped; it transferred entirely into his body.
The blond was violently slammed onto his back, dragged across the ground for several meters as the earth beneath him was torn apart by the pressure.
But he did not yield.
He clenched his jaw, resisting the divine axe's relentless push across the dirt. He held firm, even as parts of the Mark armor covering his hands began to give way under the strain.
Even so, he was dragged several more meters, carving a path through the earth as though the ground itself sought to stop him. But he never let go of the weapon.
On the other side, Thor attempted to replicate the same move.
He saw Mjolnir approaching and reached out toward the strangely familiar weapon.
He tried to claim it. But he was no longer worthy. Mjolnir did not respond. It simply continued on its course, striking Thor square in the body.
The blow echoed like a dry clap of thunder. Thor's shoulder caved beneath the force, the bone giving way instantly. His arm shattered violently, twisting into an unnatural angle as a horrifying roar tore from his throat.
The impact did not end there.
The momentum carried him away.
Thor was hurled backward through the air like a ragdoll, crashing into the ground and bouncing across it, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.
The battlefield fell silent for a brief moment.
Naruto, still holding Stormbreaker, slowly raised his gaze toward the weapon in his hands.
[Name: Stormbreaker]
[Wielder: Thor Odinson (God of Thunder)]
[Universe: Marvel / Earth-214901]
[Type: Cosmic Weapon / Divine Energy Conduit]
[Rank: S]
[An axe forged within the heart of a dying star by the king of the dwarves, Eitri, designed to withstand and amplify the power of the God of Thunder. It is more than a weapon: it is a bridge between realms, a symbol of royalty, and a direct conduit to the primordial storm.]
[Abilities: (Absolute Control over Storms and Lightning), (Bifröst Gateway), (Massive Amplification of the God of Thunder's Power), (Cosmic Energy Manipulation and Projection)]
He examined the weapon in his hand: a battle axe on one side, a hammer on the other.
A faint smile appeared on his face just before the familiar notification appeared.
[Item Identified: «Divine Weapon - Stormbreaker»]
[Would you like to establish a bond with this item?]
[Yes] - [No]
Naruto did not hesitate.
He accepted.
Immediately, the axe unleashed a violent burst of lightning, shaking as though rejecting his control until, little by little, it settled.
Then he felt it.
A change.
Something inside him shifted, adjusted itself, but he could not identify exactly what had changed.
[Artifact Obtained!]
[You have obtained Stormbreaker, the supreme weapon forged for the King of Asgard and one of the most powerful weapons ever created. Upon recognizing its new wielder, part of the strength it symbolizes permanently merges with your body, elevating your abilities to a higher level.]
[Rewards: (Thor's Power Enhancement), (+250 SP)]
He looked at the new notification for a moment before turning his attention back to Thor.
The god's arm hung uselessly at his side. But his eyes burned. At that moment, the sky answered.
Dark clouds began swirling violently overhead, as though the storm itself recognized its true master—or had become enraged at being challenged.
Lightning descended. Not one or two bolts, but dozens struck Thor's body.
Those very bolts began feeding the God, further strengthening his power.
His roar transformed into something deeper, more savage. More divine.
Electricity wrapped around Thor's body like a living mantle, piercing torn flesh and clinging to broken bone.
His shattered arm began moving unnaturally, snapping back into place with a wet crack drowned out by the storm's deafening roar.
Within seconds, the arm, once fractured and nearly destroyed, was completely healed.
His muscles tightened once more, his shoulder returned to its proper place, and the energy continued flowing through him, strengthening him beyond his previous state. His veins glowed with white light, and his eyes blazed like twin storm cores.
Standing before him, Naruto watched with a faint smile he did not even realize he was wearing, before extending his free hand.
The hammer, far in the distance, answered instantly, streaking through the air before settling perfectly into his grasp.
Now he held both weapons before looking toward the infected Thor, who stared back at him with a faint smile.
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