Thor was about to leave but remained blocked by the mutants. Although they weren't particularly strong or battle-hardened warriors, their sheer numbers managed to hold off the Destroyer.
Up until now, Thor had always been the brother he admired most. However, this time, he had resolved to ensure Thor would remain on Earth forever. Still, he couldn't bring himself to confront Thor directly.
"Hm?" Through the Destroyer's eyes, Loki saw an aircraft approaching in the distance, clearly heading towards them.
Previously, Loki had always looked down on Midgard, viewing it as the weakest of the Nine Realms.
Standing aboard the aircraft, Magneto observed the battle below. Without hesitation, he raised his hands towards the massive armored figure, but to his surprise, the armor didn't budge.
Seeing Erik's confusion, Garus explained, "That's the Destroyer, a divine artifact of Asgard's Vanir gods. Originally crafted to guard their treasure vault, the armor is inscribed with magical runes. Your powers can't affect it."
Although the Destroyer was entirely metallic, it was a magical creation, protected by a mysterious enchantment.
Having spent considerable time with Garus, Pietro always found him enigmatic, as though he knew everything—Asgard, the Vanir gods, and other things he had never even heard of.
Garus instructed the Skrulls to land their aircraft away from the battlefield. The ship lacked defensive capabilities, and he wasn't keen on having it shot down.
At the outskirts of the town, Agent Coulson noticed Garus' arrival. He directed his agents to stay alert before approaching Garus himself.
"Mr. Garus," Coulson extended his hand, only to awkwardly realize the other man ignored him.
"Let me deal with that thing first," Garus said, moving past him.
Spotting a student lying on the ground, about to be crushed under the Destroyer's massive foot, Garus extended his hand. A Death Grip spanned over a hundred meters, pulling the student away from danger just in time.
The rescued student, still shaken, looked at his savior and exclaimed joyfully, "Principal!"
Garus patted his shoulder. "Go find somewhere safe to stay."
The Destroyer continued its advance, unleashing energy blasts while moving toward the group. One student, using their ability, caused the ground beneath the Destroyer's feet to twist and rise like tentacles, tightly binding its legs.
Garus summoned his Deathcharger, mounting it swiftly before charging at the Destroyer. He wanted to test the divine artifact's power—perhaps even claim it as his own.
With the momentum of his charge, Garus drove Frostmourne into the Destroyer's chest cavity.
Death Strike!
A surge of necrotic energy erupted, temporarily paralyzing the Destroyer. The light in its helmet's eyes dimmed and faded.
Just then, a rush of wind caught Garus' attention. Looking up, he saw a stout man descending from the sky.
"Clang!" The man's axe struck the Destroyer, leaving a noticeable dent.
The Warriors Three and Lady Sif had arrived with Thor, who had finally decided not to run. He was ready to confront his brother and ask why he had done this.
"Thor, wait for me!" Jane Foster called out, running from the car to catch up.
"This is madness!" Dr. Selvig muttered in exasperation.
Garus turned to Volstagg. "Hey, nice finishing blow. You've done this before, haven't you?"
"Mortal, what nonsense are you speaking?" Volstagg didn't understand Garus' comment. He watched as the Destroyer, previously immobilized, stood back up, its dents vanishing in an instant.
Loki's voice echoed from within the armor. "Do you wish to betray Asgard?"
"Loki, listen to me," Thor said, stepping forward. The bearded, muscular man wore a simple plaid shirt, and Garus sensed no power from him.
This must be Thor.
The Destroyer's energy attack abruptly stopped. It stood still.
"Loki, I have no intention of claiming the throne. I promise you, I won't return to Asgard," Thor said earnestly, unwilling to fight his brother.
"This feels like a soap opera," Garus thought, shaking his head as he walked away. Their family drama was none of his concern.
Meanwhile, Pietro used his super-speed to gather the scattered students, bringing them together in one place.
"Mr. Maximoff, Principal!"
The students were disheveled and covered in dirt. Seeing each other's sorry states, they couldn't help but laugh.
This battle taught them that real combat was nothing like their training sessions. Once the fight started, it didn't end so easily.
Seeing Pietro, Wanda angrily grabbed his ear. "You're good at running off, huh? You disappeared for over a month, leaving me to manage the academy and all its students by myself!"
Recalling the stress of the past weeks, Wanda's anger flared, and she twisted Pietro's ear harder. He grimaced but didn't dare cry out.
Garus knew her scolding was directed at him as well. Their abrupt disappearance had clearly left her furious.
"Pietro, who is she?" Erik asked, his expression softening as he looked at Wanda. She reminded him of his first daughter, Anya, who had been killed by mobs long ago.
"Uh," Pietro scratched his head, recounting their adventures in another universe to Wanda.
Wanda glanced at Erik, who seemed strangely emotional, but said nothing further. Unlike Pietro, she had no memories of another world and felt no connection to this version of Magneto.
"You should all leave," Garus said, pointing to the Skrull ship parked nearby.
"Wanda, sis…" Pietro tilted his head. "Let go. We'll talk when we get back."
On the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, Fury observed everything happening below.
He dialed Coulson's phone. "Coulson, invite Dr. Selvig to join our Tesseract weapon development program."
"Understood, Director."
Fury then asked, "That robot, which company made it?"
Coulson hesitated before answering, "It's a weapon from Asgard."
Realizing his explanation might confuse Fury, he elaborated, "It's… alien."
"Got it," Fury said, ending the call.
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