"This is Midgard… the place called Earth?"
Thor's boots pressed into the hot sand as he scanned the barren desert around him. His brow furrowed with uncertainty. The location did not match what he had expected. Odin had commanded him to seek out the Sorcerer Supreme, but Asgard had not been in direct contact with Midgard for centuries. Finding this realm's greatest magician would not be so simple.
Before Thor could gather his bearings, a ripple of golden light flared against the desert floor. A radiant aura split the air, and from within it stepped a tall figure, composed and deliberate.
Thor tightened his grip on Mjolnir. "Who are you?"
The man before him was striking. His features carried an Eastern sharpness, but what drew Thor's attention most were his mismatched, two-toned eyes that glowed with faint power. This was no ordinary mortal.
Kurogai regarded the god of thunder calmly. "Thor. As expected."
Thor straightened, his long blonde hair whipping in the desert breeze. "You know me. Then you also know I am no ordinary traveler. Speak, stranger—who are you really?"
"You need not concern yourself with who I am," Kurogai replied evenly. "What matters is why a prince of Asgard has descended to Earth. This realm is not yours to wander freely. Tell me your purpose."
Thor's jaw tightened, but he did not sense arrogance in Kurogai's words, only a guarded strength. "I am here on a task of importance. Tell me—do you know of the Sorcerer Supreme?"
The faint ripple of magic from Kurogai's earlier arrival had not escaped Thor's notice. Whoever this man was, he carried magic in his veins. And if he was connected to the Supreme One, then Thor's mission might be completed sooner than expected.
"The Sorcerer Supreme?" Kurogai's eyes flickered with intrigue. "Asgard seeks audience with Earth's protector of the mystic arts? Interesting indeed."
The name raised questions in Kurogai's mind. In this timeline, the Ancient One had passed, leaving Wanda Maximoff as Earth's current Sorcerer Supreme. Was Thor's arrival tied to her… or was Odin seeking the Ancient One's legacy? The uncertainty tightened his focus.
Thor misread his silence as confirmation. His grip on Mjolnir tightened, his voice pressing with urgency. "Mortal, if you know the Sorcerer Supreme's location, tell me. Do so, and I, Thor Odinson, will remember your aid with gratitude."
Kurogai's gaze sharpened. "And if I refuse?"
Thor's expression hardened. "Then do not test my patience. I would rather not fight, but I will not leave without the answer. The fate of realms hangs in the balance."
A faint smirk tugged at Kurogai's lips. "You can try to force me. But you'll find you don't have the power to succeed." His tone dropped, carrying a cold edge. "I've been meaning to test something new."
For a heartbeat, silence stretched between them. Then Thor's eyes narrowed. "So be it."
With a sharp swing, he hurled Mjolnir. The enchanted hammer spun through the air with a roar, lightning crackling in its wake, aimed straight for Kurogai's chest.
Kurogai moved with effortless precision, his body tilting aside as the hammer ripped past, blasting a crater into the sand behind him. His voice was calm, almost dismissive. "Mjolnir? Impressive. But not enough."
In the same instant, Kurogai surged forward, the ground splitting beneath his feet as raw force propelled him toward Thor. His fist clenched, drawing on the energy of the Power Stone embedded within him. He didn't summon his ocular magic. This time, he wanted to measure the gem's might with nothing but his own strength.
Their fists collided.
The impact detonated like thunder, scattering waves of sand in all directions. The desert floor trembled as if struck by an earthquake.
Thor's eyes widened in shock. The mortal before him had withstood his full strike. "Impossible… What kind of human possesses such power? Even Asgard's fiercest warriors would struggle against that blow."
Kurogai's expression remained calm, though the faint spark of satisfaction burned in his gaze. "Surprised? You should be."
Thor's arm tingled with the force of the exchange. The man's power was raw, untamed, yet it matched his own strength blow for blow. For the first time in a long while, Thor felt the rush of true battle against a worthy opponent.
Kurogai didn't let the moment linger. He stepped in again, his movements sharp, relentless. His strikes carried both precision and overwhelming weight, each one powered by the infinite energy coursing through him.
Thor blocked, parried, and countered, the desert ringing with the crash of godly hammer and human fist. Sparks of lightning met the pulse of cosmic force, the clash shaking the skies above them.
"Who are you truly?" Thor demanded between blows, his voice strained yet exhilarated. "No mere man carries strength like this!"
But Kurogai only smirked, pressing forward with another devastating strike.
The desert had become their battlefield, and neither combatant showed signs of backing down.
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Milestone
100 Power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter.
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