Chapter 37: Fang Mo vs The Destroyer (1)
"Actually, it happened over an hour ago," Coulson said, rubbing his temples as he looked at the still sleepy Mark.
"The researchers detected a huge energy spike, similar to when Loki left. Then, my agents spotted four people in medieval clothing carrying weapons in town."
"Got it," Mark replied with a yawn, getting ready to freshen up at his own pace. "So, you brought Thor back?"
"Yeah," Coulson nodded. "Last night, Dr. Selvig faked some documents. Technically, he should be arrested for that. But after thinking it over, I decided to let Thor go."
"What's the plan now?"
Mark turned on the faucet, starting to wash his face and brush his teeth.
"We're going to wait and see," Coulson replied after a moment of thought. "I don't think the Asgardians, at least Thor, are a threat to Earth. Instead of staying in the dark, S.H.I.E.L.D. would rather try to establish a friendly relationship with Asgard."
"That's a smart move."
Having freshened up, Mark was much more awake. "But before we can have any peaceful talks, we need to finish the fight."
"Fight?" Coulson was confused. "Aren't those four people Thor's allies? Why would they fight?"
"You could ask your agents if they saw anything besides those four ancient warriors," Mark suggested. "Like a giant walking suit of armor."
"A giant walking suit of armor?" Coulson was taken aback. "What is that?"
"Look," Mark pointed out the window. "You should be able to see it soon."
Coulson followed Mark's gaze and saw the sky nearby darken suddenly. Swirling dark clouds quickly gathered, signaling trouble.
In the next instant, these clouds formed a tornado and crashed into the ground with a deafening boom.
"What the heck is that?" Coulson stared at the bizarre sight, but then his phone rang. Answering it, he heard his subordinate's panicked voice.
"Alright, they've spotted the walking armor."
Coulson ended the call and said to Mark, "Okay then."
Mark grinned, beckoning as the massive cleaving blade embedded in the ground flew into his hand. "I've been waiting for a worthy opponent. Finally, I've found one..."
Coulson tried to speak, but in the next second, Mark's figure dissolved into purple particles.
...
After a brief silence, Coulson picked up his phone again. "Notify the personnel in town to evacuate all the civilians immediately. There's a good chance things are going to get messy..."
...
At that very moment, the battle had already begun in town.
But judging by the current situation, the Destroyer armor had the upper hand.
This was to be expected. After all, the Destroyer was Odin's battle armor from his younger days. Made from Uru metal and enchanted with powerful magic, it was even used by Odin to guard Asgard's treasures. It was an incredibly powerful weapon.
Thor's closest allies, the famous warriors of Asgard—Volstagg, Hogun, Fandral, and Sif—were no match for the Destroyer.
Despite their bravery and skill, they were clearly outclassed. They didn't know what they were up against and were relying solely on their Asgardian strength and regular weapons. Could they really damage Uru metal with their normal attacks?
"For the glory of Asgard!" Volstagg roared as he charged forward, raising his battle axe high to strike the Destroyer's head.
But the Destroyer swatted him away like a fly, sending him crashing into a nearby car. The pain was excruciating, and he couldn't get back up.
As the faceplate of the Destroyer opened, preparing to fire a deadly laser beam, Sif launched a surprise attack from behind, pinning it to the ground with her sword.
Relieved, Volstagg watched as Sif stood triumphantly on the immobilized armor, proving herself as the bravest warrior of Asgard.
But their celebration was short-lived. The Destroyer suddenly reactivated. Its metal plates rotated, moving Sif from its back to its chest, right in front of the faceplate, which began to glow with intense heat.
Reacting quickly, Sif jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the laser beam, which grazed her arm and shot into the sky.
Realizing they couldn't defeat the Destroyer, the group quickly retreated, trying to put some distance between them and figure out a new plan.
But the relentless Destroyer gave them no break, sweeping its laser across the ground, throwing Sif into the air. When the others tried to rescue her, the beam hit them too, sending all four flying.
Volstagg crashed into a shop on the street corner, struggling to get his bearings as he saw the Destroyer aiming at him.
Without mercy, the armor fired its laser, obliterating the storefront in an instant. The intense heat could be felt from a hundred meters away.
Unable to just stand there, Thor saw Sif hiding in a corner, still planning to ambush the Destroyer. He rushed over and grabbed her trembling shoulder.
"Sif, don't be reckless," Thor urged, knowing how powerful their opponent was and how little chance they had.
"No," Sif gritted her teeth, determined. "Even if it costs me my life, I will die as a warrior. This moment... It will be recorded in history!"
Thor, changed by his experiences, gave her an encouraging smile. "Sif, live on... and tell this story yourself, okay?"
Conflicting emotions flickered across Sif's face, but Thor pulled her along again. "Come on, let's get out of here!"
With a renewed will to live, Sif and Thor dashed backward, dodging the laser fired by the Destroyer. They quickly circled around and regrouped with the others in a nearby alley.
At that moment, it seemed Thor had finally made up his mind. After making sure everyone was safe, he turned and walked towards the Destroyer.
"Brother, I know you can hear me," Thor said earnestly as he approached the armor. "Whatever I've done in the past that you can't forgive, I sincerely apologize. But they are innocent."
Thor now knew the truth, thanks to his friends: their father wasn't dead, and Loki had orchestrated everything. But Thor still felt responsible for the unintentional harm his past actions had caused.
The Destroyer ignored Thor's words and immediately started charging up its energy weapon as he approached.
"Let me atone for everything, brother," Thor faced the fearsome armor, a relieved smile on his face. "Take my life and spare the others, okay?"
After Thor finished speaking, the Destroyer hesitated. In Asgard, Loki watched the scene unfold, flashes of past memories crossing his mind. He imagined Thor being incinerated by the laser, and a strange feeling of unease washed over him. He frowned, feeling uncomfortable for some reason.
The Destroyer suddenly stopped its attack, and the faceplate on its helmet began to close.
Seeing this, Thor also breathed a sigh of relief, thinking his younger brother still cared about him.
But in the next moment, Thor was proven wrong as the Destroyer suddenly struck him with incredible force—a blow that could kill any ordinary person, a full-powered strike from an Asgardian artifact. As a mere mortal, the impact caused immense damage, sending Thor flying backward. He crashed heavily onto the ground and lost consciousness.
The Destroyer didn't attack again; it simply turned and walked away.
But to the surprise of both the armor and its controller in Asgard, the Destroyer sud
denly encountered a figure standing in its path—Mark.