When Thor returned, Asura naturally stopped attacking the four who had fallen. Instead, he simply stood still, watching as Thor ran toward them.
"Are you all right?" Thor asked as he helped each of them up and let them lean against a wall nearby.
"We're fine…"
"It just hurts… we can't move much…"
"He held back his strength."
"Thor, no matter what his purpose is, you have to run! Asgard still needs you…"
Ignoring their pleas, Thor stepped forward toward Asura.
Meanwhile, Jane Foster and her companions, who had refused to flee, also came running to stand beside Thor.
"You said you're a Saint. Aren't Saints supposed to be good people? You protect the Earth, don't you? So why are you doing this?" Jane demanded.
"You know him?" Thor looked at Jane.
"No, but I've heard of them. They're supposed to be heroes — people who save others."
Thor wanted to ask more, but Asura impatiently cut them off, uninterested in their conversation, and gave Thor a cold ultimatum.
"Thor, you're unworthy of the name God of Thunder. Choose — your life, or theirs."
"What?" Thor froze.
"You die, or they die. One minute. Otherwise, everyone dies."
The choice hit Thor harder than any blow. His mind nearly went blank.
If it were any other time, he would have chosen to sacrifice himself without hesitation to save his friends — that was the first lesson he had learned about being a true king.
But now, with Loki threatening Asgard, he had no choice but to return.
"Please, give me some time. Right now, I—" Thor began, trying to reason with Asura — to leave first, to stop Loki, and then come back to fulfill his word.
But Asura wasn't interested in excuses. "Thirty seconds," he said coldly.
"Wait! I know I'm an outsider here, but I haven't hurt anyone—well, maybe at first I got a little excited—but I'm not—"
"Fifteen seconds."
"Just listen to me! Please, let me finish talking!"
"Three… two… one. Time's up."
"I—I choose them!" Thor shouted desperately just as the final second passed.
He had no other choice. Even if he was no longer a god, Asgard still had Odin, even if the All-Father slept, and Queen Frigga was there too.
He was powerless now — but if his death could save others, then he would gladly bear it.
But Asura only gave a cold, merciless answer that froze his heart.
"Too late. You'll all stay here."
His right hand rose, fingers together like a blade, eyes turning toward Sif and the Warriors Three.
"No!"
As Asura's arm began to swing, Thor lunged forward in a final desperate attempt to stop him.
And then — time seemed to slow. Everything around him crawled to a halt.
In that moment of anguish and defiance, something deep inside Thor shattered.
Tiny arcs of lightning danced along his fingers. His eyes glowed with stormlight.
Far away, within the S.H.I.E.L.D. base, Mjolnir — the hammer of the storm — began to tremble. It sensed its true master's awakening.
The magnetic field around it distorted violently, destroying all the electronic systems in the base. Agents fled in panic — and the next instant, a blinding bolt of lightning split the heavens.
Mjolnir rocketed into the sky and flew straight toward Thor.
Thor, in his slowed perception of the world, reached out — and his hand closed around the hammer's handle.
In that instant, lightning exploded around him. His armor materialized, piece by piece, shining in divine brilliance.
Asura's eyes widened, instantly pulling his arms into a cross to block the coming impact.
Mjolnir struck his guard with a thunderous crash, sending him flying backward and dragging a long trench across the ground before he stopped.
Seeing this, Sif and the Warriors Three cheered through their pain, rejoicing at the return of the God of Thunder.
Jane and her friends stared, speechless. They finally believed — everything Thor had said was true. He was the God of Thunder.
Asura, smiling despite the impact, rose to his feet. Now this was interesting — his opponent had finally recovered his power.
He was about to charge forward again when a hand landed firmly on his shoulder.
"Leave the rest to me," said Melin.
"Yes, my lord." Though regretful, Asura obediently stepped back. Melin's orders always overrode his desire for battle.
"And who are you?" Thor asked, looking at the newcomer.
Yet now that he had regained his power, confidence radiated from him, and he didn't seem overly concerned.
"Forget it," he said dismissively. "Whoever you are, your man hurt my friends. Hand him over, and I'll bring him back to Asgard for judgment. Otherwise, you'll face the wrath of the God of Thunder."
Sparks of lightning danced across the ground, scorching the earth — but Melin only smiled faintly and shook his head.
"It seems you're still not fully back, Thor."
"Are you mocking me, mortal? I am Thor, Son of Odin—"
"Looks like the shock wasn't enough," Melin interrupted, sighing. "Fine. Maybe this will help you remember."
With a thought, his divine armor appeared in a flash of rainbow light.
"You… who are you? Why… why does this feel so familiar? No! I don't know you… mortal!" Thor shouted, though uncertainty trembled in his voice.
The moment Melin's divine cloth appeared, the strange sense of recognition within Thor grew stronger. Under the influence of Melin's cosmos, the tiny crack in Thor's sealed memory widened further — though still not enough for him to see what lay beyond.
"Still not enough? Then let's add some more." Melin smiled faintly, drawing back his fist. "Try not to die."
In the blink of an eye, he vanished — and then reappeared right in front of Thor.
Before Thor could react, Melin's blazing fist struck him in the abdomen, thunder and flame spiraling together.
"Spiral Thunder Flame Fist!"
A roaring vortex of lightning and fire blasted Thor away like a comet, hurling him through buildings that shattered in his wake.
"Thor! No!"
Sif, the Warriors Three, and Jane all cried out in despair, watching helplessly as he vanished into the distance.
Sif and her comrades were too injured to move, and Jane was held back by Selvig — otherwise, she would have rushed to attack Melin herself.
Then — another flash.
From the direction where Thor had disappeared, a massive white bolt of lightning crashed down from the heavens.
The blinding light forced everyone to shield their eyes, and when they looked again, a familiar figure stood before Melin — hammer raised, ready to strike.
Melin, as if expecting this, summoned his sword in an instant and crossed it above his head to block.
"CLANG—!"
The sound was deafening. Even the bystanders couldn't bear it — clutching their ears in agony as the shockwave flattened the area around them.
When the dust cleared, they saw Thor — but transformed.
The silver armor was gone, replaced by radiant gold.
Gems glittered at his chest, arms, and legs, and his red cape billowed like a banner of war.
He radiated majesty — and freedom.
"Is… is that Thor?" Those who knew him could barely recognize him now.
Melin smiled, pushing Mjolnir aside, and dismissed his weapon and divine cloth.
"Welcome back, God of Thunder."
"Yes," Thor replied with a grin. "I've finally returned. Thank you, Melin."
Indeed, Melin's final strike had fully awakened Thor's divine spirit.
The man who had stood before them before was only Thor Odinson of Asgard — but now, the true God of Thunder had returned.
"I made a promise to Odin," Melin said. "I always keep my word."
"Hahaha! Even after all these years, you haven't changed, Melin. Though that punch of yours was way too strong! Couldn't you have gone a bit easier?" Thor complained, rubbing his stomach through the armor.
"I did go easy on you," Melin said with a mischievous grin. "You remember, that move was one we developed together — you know how strong it is."
Sif, the Warriors Three, and Jane all stood dumbfounded.
A moment ago they had been fighting to the death — now they were chatting like old friends. What was happening?!
Thor didn't notice their confusion. He looked toward Asura instead.
"The new generation of Gold Saints, huh? Capricorn. Your Holy Sword is impressive, but not quite on par with Gai Jeff's. Still, your potential's even greater."
Asura said nothing, merely nodding. He knew he still had far to go — but the battle spirit burning in his eyes was unmistakable.
"Haha, no wonder you're Melin's disciple. You want to test yourself against me, don't you?" Thor laughed.
"Yes," Asura answered simply. He could feel the gap between them — but he wanted to know just how far it was between a man and a god.
"Well then—"
"Thor," Melin interrupted with a sigh, rubbing his temples. "Did you forget something?"
"Huh? Forget what?" Thor blinked.
Melin rolled his eyes and pointed — first at the injured Sif and her comrades, then up toward the sky.
Thor followed his gesture, looking at them, then the heavens — and suddenly froze.
"Oh, right! I still need to stop Loki!" he exclaimed.