The Destroyer, sprawled on the ground, spun its armor relentlessly, twisting its back to face forward. It rose once more and lumbered toward Sebastian and Thor. Thor yanked his face from the dirt, shook off the soil clinging to his blond hair, coughed lightly, and joined Sebastian's side as if unfazed.
"Well, let's work together to kill him!"
"The Destroyer isn't a living creature. It follows orders blindly. We'll lure it to fire its energy beam, and I'll create an opening for us to strike together and defeat it!"
"Hmm…" Thor nodded, winking with feigned confidence. "Yes, that's what I meant to say. I was going to tell you, but you spoke too quickly. Let's do it!"
Sebastian glanced at Thor, smiled, and shook his head, letting the bluff slide. He braced for the attack. Thor raised Mjolnir high, summoning a thunderbolt that crashed into the Destroyer, hurling it back several paces before it halted.
The Destroyer withstood the lightning's fury, now farther from Sebastian and Thor. It promptly opened its visor and unleashed a searing energy beam straight at Thor.
Tasked with killing Thor above all, the Destroyer fired without hesitation.
"Thor, don't move!"
Though hesitant, Thor froze at Sebastian's command, resisting the urge to dodge.
As the energy beam neared, a portal flickered open before Thor, with another appearing beside the Destroyer. The beam passed through the first portal, emerged from the second, and slammed into the Destroyer's chest, sending it crashing backward. The full-force blast tore a gaping hole in its chest, exposing a swirling, flame-like vortex of energy spinning furiously within, like an engine!
Such a wound would kill any living being, but for the Destroyer, it was inconsequential.
Ignoring the damage, the Destroyer charged Sebastian and Thor again—exactly the opportunity Sebastian sought! The Frost Ring on his left hand blazed with dazzling blue light. Under its full power, the gem, infused with a sliver of ice authority, darkened from blue to black. Sebastian felt his magic draining into the ring but pressed on, urging it to unleash a radiant ice-blue beam!
The beam carried a bone-chilling cold, freezing the Destroyer solid in an instant.
Sebastian shouted to Thor, "Aim for the chest wound and hit it with everything you've got!"
Thor was ready. At Sebastian's words, he hoisted Mjolnir, channeling thunder into the hammer. A brilliant blue lightning bolt shot forth, targeting the Destroyer's chest as it began to crack free of the ice!
Not to be outdone, Sebastian, though weakened by the Frost Ring's drain, was far from spent. He flicked his wand toward the Destroyer's damaged chest.
Confringo!
Azure and dark-red beams erupted from Thor's hammer and Sebastian's wand, converging on the Destroyer's chest, plunging into the vortex of fiery energy within!
Buzz buzz buzz…
A sharp hum echoed from the Destroyer's core as the black-red and azure lights merged with its energy, sparking a chaotic storm that detonated with a deafening roar!
Boom!
An energy shockwave radiated outward, wreaking havoc on the already battered town.
Before the explosion, Sebastian cast Apparition, reappearing behind Thor, using him as a shield to weather the blast unscathed.
Thor, meanwhile, emerged with his golden hair wildly disheveled but otherwise unharmed.
After vanquishing the Destroyer, Sebastian and Thor rejoined their allies. As Thor and Jane embraced, exchanging kisses and sweet words, Sebastian caught Sif's exasperated expression and steered clear. Instead, he pondered how to persuade Thor to take him to Asgard.
At that moment, SHIELD teams closed in. Thor stepped forward to negotiate, while Sebastian swiftly froze and stored the Frost Giant corpses and the Destroyer's remains in his enchanted bag. He had no intention of surrendering them to SHIELD—or Hydra, for that matter. These were far too valuable for his own purposes.
Coulson, mid-conversation with Thor, noticed Sebastian's actions. Though visibly distressed, he was powerless to intervene, watching helplessly as Sebastian claimed everything. His heart sank, dreading Nick Fury's inevitable fury at returning empty-handed.
After a brief exchange with Coulson, ensuring Jane's belongings were returned, Thor turned to Sebastian and said, "Mage, I'd like to invite you to Asgard with me. You're exceptionally powerful and can help me confront the Frost Giants and Loki, who may threaten Asgard. I won't ask for your aid without reward. My father, Odin, God King, will not skimp on compensation!"
"I don't want anything else. I want to learn Asgard's magic. Is that okay?"
Thor blinked, then nodded eagerly. "As Asgard's Crown Prince, I grant your request. But learning our magic is a small price for the help you'll provide. It's hardly enough. Think of what else you'd like in return."
After that, Thor said no more, but raised his head and shouted: "Heimdall! Send us back!"
Dark clouds churned above, forming a vortex. A radiant, multicolored beam descended, enveloping Sebastian, Thor, and the others. In a flash, they vanished, streaking across the cosmos to arrive at Asgard's Rainbow Bridge faster than light!
Sebastian followed Thor and the others off the Rainbow Bridge, his gaze falling on Heimdall, sprawled across the control dais, his body marred with wounds. The group hurried forward to check on him. Confirming Heimdall's steady breathing, they exhaled in relief.
"Thor, there are two Frost Giant corpses over there. Loki truly conspired with them to breach Asgard," Fandral said.
Thor nodded, still examining Heimdall's condition. Though alive, Heimdall had endured a direct blast from the Destroyer at close range, leaving him gravely injured. Immediate treatment was vital, but finding a healer in Asgard's chaos seemed impossible.
Sebastian met Thor's eyes briefly, then drew his wand and aimed it at Heimdall, murmuring Episkey under his breath. At once, Heimdall's external wounds began to mend, scabbing over and staunching the blood. Minor cuts faded under the soft white glow radiating from the wand's tip, vanishing completely.
While sustaining the spell, Sebastian said to Thor, "Leave this to me. Keep one of your team here to assist. The rest of you should confront Loki and the Frost Giants."
"I'll stay!" Sif declared.
Sif and Heimdall shared a bond akin to siblings, forged through years of companionship. Their differing appearances belied a connection so deep that none would question their kinship. Sif's decision to remain stemmed from both concern for Heimdall and caution toward Sebastian, a near-stranger she couldn't fully trust.
Sebastian understood her wariness, which was precisely why he'd suggested someone stay. If Heimdall perished under his care without a witness, it could spell disaster, leaving him unable to explain himself.
Moreover, his actions were calculated to earn Asgard's trust. To gain what he sought, he first had to offer aid—perhaps even indebting them to him. Half-measures wouldn't do; he was all in.
After thanking Sebastian, Thor swung Mjolnir and soared toward Asgard's heart, the Three Warriors of Asgard trailing close behind, charging into the fray.
Once Thor and the others departed, the black-smoke robe cloaking Sebastian dissolved, revealing his true form. Sif's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't expected someone so youthful—tall, but with a face barely older than Asgard's near-adult youths.
"You…" she began.
"Young, right? I've heard that on Earth, too," Sebastian said with a grin.
Smiling, Sif said, "Yes, you really do look too small."
"If you mean age, I admit it... By the way, this thing is for you. Help me give it to Heimdall to drink later. It will help Heimdall recover from his injuries."
Sif nodded, hesitated, then asked, "Why reveal yourself now?"
"Honesty builds trust. Hiding my face might make you suspect I'm up to something, which is unnecessary."
Sif's smile turned sheepish, and she fell silent, her initial guardedness softening.
Soon, Heimdall's breathing grew steady and robust. Sebastian rose and faced Sif. "I've done all I can. Administer a potion to Heimdall within ten minutes—does Asgard measure time that way?"
"I understand ten minutes," Sif replied.
"Good. I'll leave Heimdall to you. I'm off to aid Thor."
Without further ado, Sebastian transformed into a plume of black smoke and streaked from the Rainbow Bridge, eager to join Thor's fight and bolster his standing with Asgard.
The dark smoke coiled across Asgard's sky like a serpent. Mid-flight, Sebastian spotted the Three Warriors and Asgardian soldiers clashing with Frost Giant invaders below.
Without pause, he plummeted. The smoke swirled and parted as he landed, striding forward with his wand raised. Sectumsempra flashed silently, and Frost Giant heads toppled one by one. Sebastian moved with effortless grace, as if strolling through a garden, leaving a trail of severed bodies and heavy casualties in his wake.
Asgard had its sorcerers, but few wielded magic as lethal as Sebastian's. His spells, rooted in dark magic, were alien to Asgard, where such arts were rarely studied.
Asgard's magic leaned toward mystical technology, with little focus on combat spells. In recent centuries, only Frigga and Loki stood out as formidable mages. Millennia of dominance and peace had dulled the Asgardians' ambition, leaving few willing to invest in mastering magic for scant reward.
A crimson bolt of Confringo erupted, reducing a Frost Giant to ash. Sebastian reached Fandral's side and asked, "Where's Thor? How many Frost Giants remain?"
"Not many invaded this time. We can handle the rest. Thor's at the God King's slumber chamber—the tallest tower. Loki's there too!"
"Got it. I'll leave this to you and head to Thor!"
Sebastian dissolved into black smoke once more, soaring toward the towering spire.
But at that moment, a golden energy beam lanced from the tower, blasting Thor backward. He crashed into a building behind, shattering its domed roof into rubble.
Loki, clutching Gungnir, the Spear of Eternity, stood before the gaping hole in the palace wall. Gazing at the collapsed structure, he raised Gungnir high. Dark clouds swallowed Asgard's sky, thunder rumbled, and a blizzard howled. A golden thunderbolt plummeted from the storm, striking Thor amid the ruins!