On the highway battlefield.
Despite Thor being formidable and imposing, when compared to the mechanical gatekeeper, the difference in their physique was like that of a child and an adult.
The combat prowess of The Destroyer, in Asgard, was neither strong nor weak but moderate. It was truly worthy of being the guardian of the treasure vault.
Moreover, Thor, now with combat abilities only slightly better than those of an ordinary person, couldn't realistically defeat The Destroyer on his own, a foe that even divine warriors struggled against.
In the face of this situation, Thor regained his confidence and fighting spirit. His rugged face tightened and his fists clenched as he walked towards The Destroyer, who had his back turned, he walked towards him step by step as if marching to his death.
"Thor, don't go!"
Inside the protective shield, Jane was on the verge of tears and looked at Kyle beside her. Her voice carried a pleading tone as she said, "Mr. Kyle, please go help him! If this continues, he will die!"
"Die?" Kyle laughed as if hearing a joke. He said with a faint smile, "Do you know how tenacious the vitality of the 'Norse Gods' is? After falling from ten thousand meters in the sky, the injuries incurred by them can't even be considered a severe injury; they can even survive in outer space which is devoid of life."
"You mean..." Jane widened her eyes.
"You should trust him."
Kyle's gaze didn't leave the battlefield as he spoke and the fragmented golden eyes reflected Thor's back, and he continued as if seeing through something, "Moreover, exiling Thor to Earth was intentional on the part of that old man Odin. This situation, that old man couldn't possibly not have foreseen it."
Kyle still had a certain fear of Odin. At least with his current strength and foundation, he couldn't be compared to the one who ruled the Nine Realms and had been alive for millions of years.
However, one thing was certain.
Odin harbored no ill will toward Earth; he even seemed to have a fondness for it, akin to cherishing a corner of his own yard.
Under the nervous gaze of everyone, Thor continued to approach The Destroyer from behind. When he was within five meters, he couldn't resist the urge to sprint and accelerate. His sandbag-sized fist swung, aiming for the back of The Destroyer's head.
The Destroyer's neck turned slightly, and it raised its arm seemingly aware of Thor's strike and it casually swatted away as if driving away an annoying insect, even without looking behind.
The fiercely charging Thor was swatted away like a fly before his fist could even land. He fell to the ground about ten meters away, covered in bruises and dirty bloodstains, instantly losing both combat capability and consciousness.
Although somewhat dramatic, this was the cruel reality—
The fragile vulnerability of the mortal body!
"Thor!" Jane exclaimed as she rushed out of the protective shield this time, and Kyle did not stop her. Instead, he voluntarily lifted the force field traction.
Jane ran to Thor's side quickly, kneeling down on both knees. She cradled Thor's face in her hands, letting his back rest against her knees. Anxiously, she called out to him.
Kyle remained silent, lowering his head to ask Vis, "How's the analysis going?"
"An ordinary person would already be dead in withstanding that blow. Thor's current physical condition, without any signs of life..." Vis was in the middle of giving feedback when it abruptly paused, expressing surprise in a human-like manner. "Wait a moment. Life signs have recovered, and they're very strong. His heartbeat is rising, and there's a mysterious force latent in the body cells, reviving him!"
As Vis spoke, even Kyle could clearly feel it. Thor's life force, within Jane's embrace, shifted from a trough to a peak, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, breaking free from death and shackles to embrace new life.
The mysterious force Vis mentioned was the innate power source within the bodies of the Asgardians— Divine Power!
"Thor, you've returned," Kyle said with a casual smile. He had long anticipated it.
Odin couldn't strip Thor of his divine power. Thor's restricted divine power only needed a specific condition to trigger, and being on the brink of death clearly met the criteria for such an ordeal.
At the same time.
Some miles away from the Puente Antiguo, the massive crater left by the meteor impact served as the temporary research headquarters for SHIELD.
On the second floor of the research department, Hawkeye, carrying his distinctive bow, remained vigilant. He occasionally glanced down at the crater, observing the researchers conducting tests and analyses around the hammer.
Suddenly, an unexpected event occurred.
The silver one-handed hammer, which not even heavy-duty cranes with steel cables could budge, began to resonate with a sudden hum. The ground beneath it, fittingly in sync with the wild earth, trembled slightly.
Then, to everyone's disbelief, the hammer lifted off the ground, soaring directly towards the ceiling of the research department, accompanied by a powerful gust, flying at supersonic speed towards the town.
"What on earth is happening?" Hawkeye stared at the sky, watching this scene unfold. The departure of the extraterrestrial hammer signaled the failure of his mission.
In just three seconds, Thor's hammer was already hovering over the town, accurately descending towards Thor lying on the highway below.
Before Jane could react, Thor woke up, opened his eyes, and reached out with his right hand, perfectly grabbing the handle of his returning hammer.
Between Thor and his hammer, there seemed to be a resonance and a sense of connection. The moment they touched, a remarkable and astonishing divine effect manifested.
A white light enveloped Thor's hand, starting from the wrist. Silver metal plates pieced together bit by bit, rapidly forming a complete set of Thor's battle armor.
Jane blinked, and Thor stood before her, fully recovered. He held the hammer in his right hand, his golden hair flowing, and a majestic red cape draped over the back of the armor. Electric arcs intertwined around him, radiating a powerful aura.
"Thor, Your Highness!"
Not far away, Sif and the three warriors from Asgard, despite their disheveled appearance, stood up, looking at Thor bathed in divine power and lightning with respect and joy.
In contrast, Kyle sighed lightly.
It couldn't be denied that clothes do make the man.
Originally, Thor had the appearance of a down-and-out vagrant. However, once he donned the battle armor and wielded the hammer, he was indistinguishable from the imposing Thor of old.
And there was one more thing – Kyle could no longer 'bully' Thor at opportune times. After all, Thor, with recovered divine power and his own Divine Weapon, made it challenging to predict the outcome of a fight.
Kyle quite liked Thor's previous weak and teenage angst-ridden appearance.
As if remembering something, Kyle waved to the recovered Thor and reminded him, "Thor, please be gentle. I have a need for the forging materials on that big guy's body."
"Thank you for your care. I'll do my best," Thor replied solemnly. He then turned to Jane, nodded, and swiftly swung the Thor hammer in his hand.
As the rotation speed of Thor's hammer exceeded a certain limit, a strong wind arose, creating a vortex centered around Thor. The exaggerated airflow generated a vortex with a radius of ten meters, accompanied by a gray tornado.
The sky above Thor's head became densely covered with dark clouds, and various anomalies such as thunder and lightning followed in quick succession.
'Rumble!'
A purple lightning struck down from the sky, hitting the rotating Thor's hammer. The electric light amplified significantly.
"You have hurt my friends and made me very angry."
Thor snorted coldly in the air, and the tornado, as if having its own suction, pulled The Destroyer in the town off the ground.
"Die!" Thor erupted with a roar as he rapidly descended. He swung the hammer with his right hand as he descended.
Thor's hammer fell like a meteor, tracing a highlight arc and, with a sizzling electric light, slammed into the chest of The Destroyer.
'Boom!'
Under Thor's most powerful blow, the entire metallic body of The Destroyer immediately shattered into countless uneven fragments, flying in all directions.
(End of this chapter)
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