Puente Antiguo.
Under the gloomy and overcast sky, the Silver Giant, descending from the heavens and breaking through the SHIELD agents' defenses, seemed to have a specific target as it advanced straight into the heart of the town.
The laser beams swept through, and pedestrians, vehicles, and even buildings were unable to impede its progress in the slightest.
In a matter of moments, this Western-style town lay in ruins. Fires raged everywhere, and panicked residents fled, presenting a scene of apocalyptic disaster.
The Silver Giant pursued its target, walking onto the road. At the end of the road stood Kyle and his group. Seeing Thor among them, its pace accelerated.
"It's coming for us, or rather, I should say, it's coming for you, Your Highness. It must be Loki."
Volstagg spoke with an extremely solemn expression, his eyes filled with horror. Gripping a giant axe tightly, he watched the Silver Giant approaching them vigilantly.
"What is that? Do you have robots in Asgard?" Kyle asked in surprise, maintaining his calm and indifferent expression. Among the people, he seemed like a tourist on vacation.
Volstagg shook his head, saying, "No. It's the hidden gatekeeper guarding Odin's treasure vault. It's the final line of defense for the vault, executing missions according to the core program's instructions, usually activated when external enemies breach the vault. Its combat strength far exceeds that of an ordinary warrior."
"I know that thing; it's indeed challenging to deal with."
Thor's expression was grim. If he still possessed his power and wielded Mjolnir, he would naturally not bother with a mere mechanical gatekeeper. But now, he was just a mortal body, with combat abilities weaker than even Sif and the Warrior Three.
Like Jane and the others, he was a weakling in need of protection.
Thor seemed to remember something and looked at Kyle standing beside him, saying, "Could you take care of that, please?"
"Hahaha, I almost forgot. We have Lord Guardian with us." Hogun chuckled slightly and laughed without any worry.
"Indeed, we have the Symbol of Peace on our side." Erik also smiled.
Kyle remained expressionless, looking at the approaching gatekeeper, and said something that wiped the smiles off everyone's faces, "I won't be doing anything this time."
"What are you talking about, Kyle? Right now, only you can deal with that thing!" Thor stared at Kyle in confusion.
"What about Loki? What about the invasion of Asgard? Are they all my responsibility to handle alone? Don't forget, you are the future king of Asgard!" Kyle's counter-question left Thor momentarily silent.
Kyle lightly patted Thor's shoulder and continued, "This wasn't my intention. It was Odin's decision. From the beginning of the turmoil in Asgard, he instructed me not to get involved in this matter, only to provide you with some appropriate assistance when you arrive on Earth. As for the gatekeeper and your brother Loki, these are matters you need to solve on your own."
In essence, this was a large-scale family conflict and internal strife within Asgard.
Odin, Thor, and Loki— the grand triangular drama of the three gods.
"Of course. It would be wise for Loki to stay hidden in Asgard. If he dares to cause trouble on Earth, I don't mind personally beating him up within an inch of his life." After Kyle finished speaking, he moved to the side, taking a stance of observing the situation.
"I understand. We'll deal with the gatekeeper. But still, I have to ask you to protect Jane and the others." Thor said in a deep voice, pushing Jane aside and standing firmly in the middle of the road with the Warrior Three.
"No problem." Kyle nodded slightly, lowering his hands to create a force field that enveloped Jane, Darcy, and Erik for protection.
By now, the gatekeeper had approached within ten meters of the attack range. The energy slot on its face emitted a scorching light. Thor and the three warriors dodged to the sides, avoiding the laser beam that hit the ground, leaving behind a terrifying burn mark.
"Your Highness, step back, and we'll handle this!" Hogun shouted loudly. Without waiting for Thor's response, he led the other warriors, wielding cold weapons, to swiftly charge forward.
"You guys." Thor climbed up from the ground in frustration. Even a simple roll had scraped his arm on the sandy surface, and red blood flowed down his robust arm.
Now, he had become the one lagging behind!
The energy slot on the gatekeeper's face lit up again. In less than half a second of brief charging, it shot a red beam toward the charging warriors.
"I got this!" Sif roared while holding a shield with both hands and forcefully colliding with the intense laser beam at the forefront.
'Bang!'
In the explosion, the shield flew out of her hands. Sif who is now suspended in the air, flew backward, crashing into a three-story flat about ten meters away at an unrelenting speed and with no reduction in momentum.
"Don't stop, keep going!" Hogun said coldly. Taking advantage of the time delayed by the shield's impact, he and the remaining two warriors successfully broke through to the front of the gatekeeper.
This time, the gatekeeper did not shoot a beam. Its metal arm swung and effortlessly sent one warrior flying like a fly.
"Go down!" Volstagg leaped two meters off the ground, wielding an axe. A powerful gust of wind accompanied the swing, and the axe blade emitted a white light enhanced by divine power. It fiercely chopped at the back of the gatekeeper's neck.
With a crisp sound, the gatekeeper's neck broke three-quarters of the way, missing decapitation by a hair's breadth. Simultaneously, the axe, which served as a divine armament, also rolled its blade.
Observing from the side, Kyle's mind moved slightly, pondering, "Could it be that the gatekeeper's body is made of Asgard's Uru metal?"
Uru! A metal that was exclusive to Asgard, the primary material for forging Divine Weapons, with a very high affinity for energy sources like divine power!
Uru was one of the materials Kyle needed for forging his Divine Weapon.
"It seems like I got lucky. Instead of searching, the materials have come to me. Next time, when beating Loki, I should be a bit more gentle."
Without dwelling on it, the tide of battle once again reversed.
Just as Volstagg relaxed, the gatekeeper's metallic neck autonomously healed the wound, and its head turned 180 degrees. The energy slot aimed at Volstagg, and a scorching light reddened his face, filled with horror.
Unable to evade in time, Volstagg, armored on the upper body, took a hit from the laser beam. He fell to the ground, his body charred and smoking.
"Damn it!" The last warrior, Fandral, roared in frustration. His sword pierced through the gatekeeper's chest, the sharp tip gleaming as it protruded from the back.
The gatekeeper appeared unharmed, raising its arm and casually slapping Fandral like a fly.
With this, all four warriors were defeated.
Only Thor remained, standing alone against the gatekeeper.
"Thor, don't go! Let's escape!" Jane suppressed her choked voice and shouted.
"No, Kyle is right. This is something I have to do, something only I can do."
"Because I am Thor!" Thor clenched his fists, rushing desperately towards the gatekeeper.
Kyle wanted to add a sentence for him.
"For the glory of the Northern God!"
(End of this chapter)
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