"Your strength is not bad; you could even be considered a true warrior in Asgard. But do you really think this gives you the power to challenge the gods?"
Facing Blake's provocation, Fandral, one of the Warriors Three, lightly waved his long sword a few times and stepped forward to speak.
In his view, Volstagg was simply careless earlier. His full-force axe strike was dodged—no surprise he got hit. Knocking someone back tens of meters with a few tons of explosive power? That's easy enough.
A few tons of force might seem impressive to mortals, but to Asgardian warriors, that's just basic moves.
"Seeing as you're a friend of Thor, apologize to Volstagg, and we won't pursue the crime of blasphemy!"
"Heh!" Blake chuckled.
He couldn't tell if the Asgardians were living in a bubble or if Odin had simply sheltered them too much! This innate sense of superiority was truly annoying.
With a cold laugh and a slight curl of his lip, Blake prepared to properly educate these so-called Asgardian gods.
Unfortunately, Loki, eager to stop Thor from returning to Asgard, didn't give him the chance.
The sky darkened again as storm clouds swirled into a vortex, and soon a rainbow-colored beam descended.
As it struck the ground, it left a circular mark filled with unknown symbols. Then, a towering, black metal figure appeared at the center.
"That's the Destroyer, the guardian of the treasure vault! Who let it out?"
The arrival of the Destroyer caused the Asgardians' faces to change drastically.
"There's a small town behind us, with at least thousands of people. Stop it!"
Thor glanced at the town behind him, knowing Jane was still there.
At this point, they no longer cared about their conflict with Blake.
Upon hearing Thor, the group grabbed their weapons and charged toward the Destroyer.
Their teamwork became evident once the battle began.
Volstagg, who had been knocked away by Blake earlier, came running back and took the lead.
The Destroyer's body flickered with light, and its flat, metallic face opened to reveal horizontal metal strips. A concentrated blast of fire shot out toward the charging group.
The four quickly dodged to either side, and Volstagg rolled forward, swinging his axe at the Destroyer's ankle.
Fandral and Hogun worked together—one with a sword, the other with a small hammer-like weapon—to block the Destroyer's arm from smashing down on Volstagg.
With its arm blocked, the Destroyer's body flashed again, and the metal strips on its face began to open as flames gathered once more.
"Sif!!!" Volstagg shouted.
Sif, who had already quietly circled behind the Destroyer, leaped over three meters into the air. Her short staff transformed into a double-headed spear, and she swiftly thrust it through the widened metal gap in the Destroyer's armor.
The spear pinned the Destroyer to the ground.
The flames inside its body slowly died out.
Fandral twirled his sword elegantly and gave Blake a taunting glance.
Blake rolled his eyes and pointed toward the Destroyer.
Fandral quickly turned around and saw the metal strips on the Destroyer's body beginning to rotate once again.
As the mechanisms moved, its entire body twisted and reversed, changing from a bent-over position to one of arching backward.
The flames inside the Destroyer burst forth with renewed intensity.
"Sif!"
This time, Thor's shout caused Sif to quickly jump off the Destroyer.
The Destroyer, now upright again, erupted with flames, its body straightening as it stood. As it rose, the spear that had pinned it to the ground slowly slid out of its body.
With a swift turn, a beam of fire shot from its face. Unlike before, this time the beam didn't stop after a single blast—it remained continuous, tracking the four Asgardians as it pursued them, turning its head and body to follow.
Fortunately, the massive Destroyer wasn't very agile. Otherwise, that blast alone would have been enough to take down the four proud gods.
The four couldn't keep dodging forever. Taking advantage of the flames chasing the others, Volstagg, the strongest of them, leaped high and swung his axe toward the Destroyer's chest.
But the Destroyer's combat awareness had improved since the earlier fight.
Before Volstagg could complete his swing, the Destroyer's massive arm swept across like a pillar, striking him mid-air. Volstagg's immense strength was nothing compared to the Destroyer, and he was sent flying tens of meters away once again.
The Destroyer was made of Uru metal combined with other precious metals collected by Odin. Its toughness far exceeded Blake's current physical capabilities. With just one blow, Volstagg hit the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
He was gravely injured in a single strike.
The remaining three fared no better. While they dodged the fire blasts, they couldn't avoid the following attacks from the Destroyer's arms and legs. One by one, they were struck and sent flying, each suffering injuries of varying degrees.
The Destroyer wasn't done. It targeted the nearest warrior—Sif—and began striding toward her with heavy steps.
Sif had been kicked away earlier by the Destroyer. Though she blocked the blow with her shield, her physical strength wasn't as formidable as the others. The impact greatly diminished her ability to move, leaving her unable to escape.
The others were in a similar state. Even if they could get up, there was no way they could rush to her rescue in time.
"Blake!"
Thor shouted, pleading as he looked toward Blake.
Blake sighed, stomping hard on the ground as he launched himself toward the Destroyer.
To be honest, Sif had already given up hope at this point. The Destroyer had raised its fist high in the air.
As Sif watched the fist coming closer, she shut her eyes in despair.
"Bang!" A dull sound echoed.
Sif felt a shadow pass in front of her and opened her eyes in confusion.
"It's you!!!" Sif exclaimed in surprise.
The scene before her was almost unbelievable. The Earthling, Blake, was now standing with his back to her, his arms crossed above his head, holding back the Destroyer's punch with steady hands.
It wasn't just Sif—around them, the Warriors Three, who had been scattered across the ground, also widened their eyes in shock.
How was this possible? This Earthling, a mere mortal, had stopped the Destroyer's fist with his bare hands?
"What are you staring at? Hey! I'm talking to you! Can you get up? Hurry and get out of here!"
Blake felt the increasing pressure on his arms from the Destroyer's immense strength. Without any concern for pleasantries, he shouted at Sif.
"Oh! Oh!"
Sif nodded, finally coming to her senses. She struggled to get up and quickly moved out of the combat zone between Blake and the Destroyer.
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