Thor had truly grown—
and Loki, for the first time, began to believe Thor might actually become a wise king.
For a fleeting moment, Loki even considered abandoning his plan.
He was a prince of Asgard; he never wished his home to fall into chaos.
His family lived here. His roots were here.
But the moment passed.
He looked toward the far end of the Bifrost and hardened his resolve.
He would become king—
the King of Asgard.
He would prove himself to Odin, and to everyone,
that he was the one truly worthy of the throne.
With that, Loki willed a new command into the Destroyer.
On the golden bed of the Odinsleep, the All-Father saw everything within the sea of his consciousness.
Watching Thor's growth drew a tear from his eye.
All of this had been part of his design, and even Loki's actions were well within his predictions.
But the growth of both sons touched him.
He knew it was unfair to Loki.
But Thor was the heir—
the crown prince.
It was the heir's path that must be paved;
Loki, at best, would one day rule only as a vassal lord.
His duty was to support the crown prince—
never overshadow him.
Back in the town—
The Destroyer had originally been turning to leave.
But suddenly its movement stalled.
Then, without warning, it swung around and slapped Thor with overwhelming force.
Stripped of his powers, Thor was flung like a powerless toy, skidding across the ground for dozens of meters before rolling to a stop, unconscious and unmoving.
Lucas didn't spare Thor a glance.
He already knew Thor's powers were about to return.
There was no chance Odin would let his rightful heir die here.
Lucas extended a hand.
Mjolnir flew obediently back into his palm.
He walked toward Thor.
Instantly, Sif, Jane, and Fandral moved to block his path.
"Human, what do you intend to do?"
Sif's gaze was icy, her grip on her sword tightening.
Jane glared at him.
She knew Lucas was aligned with those SHIELD "thugs."
"Thor's already like this—why are you still pushing him?!"
Lucas didn't answer.
Instead—he suddenly hurled Mjolnir behind him.
The hammer, wrapped in purple lightning, smashed straight into the charging Frost Giant—reducing its body to shattered ice before it even hit the ground.
The hammer stalled mid-air, then returned to Lucas' hand like a well-trained kitten.
Lucas looked at Jane and Sif calmly.
"He has to pass this trial himself.
There's only one path left to him now—
and it's to save himself.
No one else can intervene."
He dropped Mjolnir in front of Thor—
then leapt lightly onto the restaurant roof to watch what would unfold.
From the rubble behind them, a violent explosion erupted.
The Destroyer staggered out—unscathed—and marched toward Thor again, energy surging.
Lucas frowned.
Thor still hadn't awakened.
And yet Lucas could feel it—
the Thunder God's power inside him had already reawakened.
Thor could wield Mjolnir at any moment.
But he wasn't waking up.
Mjolnir also wasn't returning to his hand to forcefully rouse him.
This is awkward, Lucas thought.
If Thor didn't wake soon—who was going to stop the Destroyer?
Was he supposed to finish the job himself?
The Destroyer reached Thor.
But standing in its way—
were Sif and Jane.
Sif attacked first.
She didn't even make it halfway into the leap before the Destroyer snatched her from the air and hurled her aside—smashing her into a wrecked car.
Jane trembled violently, terror written across her face—
but she refused to run.
She spread her arms wide and stood firmly in front of Thor, shielding him with her own body.
VMMM—
The Destroyer fired another beam—
hot as molten magma, scorching the very air.
Jane couldn't breathe; it felt like the depths of a volcano.
Suddenly—
A blue light flashed.
A long crystalline sword stabbed into the asphalt between Jane and the beam—
its blade absorbing the searing heat.
Jane opened her eyes.
A figure stood tall beside the sword—
wreathed in serpents of violet lightning,
like a god descending from the heavens.
It was Lucas.
He had been waiting on the roof—but seeing Jane in mortal danger forced his hand.
Without intervention she would have been vaporized.
So he chose to act—
to destroy the ancient armor Odin himself once wore.
RUMBLE—!
A bolt of violet lightning crashed down from above, striking the Destroyer's head—
interrupting the gathering of energy.
A heartbeat later—
countless bolts rained upon it like a storm.
Even with armor forged from Uru metal and immense resistance to magic,
the Destroyer couldn't withstand the onslaught.
Its body twisted, melted, blackened—
no longer resembling the proud armor it once was.
But the true core—the web of runes within the armor—remained untouched.
Those runes were its mind, its heart, its power.
In Asgard, Loki stared wide-eyed at the spectacle.
He never imagined a mortal could lift Mjolnir—
let alone wield lightning more violently than Thor.
"Destroyer, kill that mortal."
Loki slammed Gungnir down.
The runes across the Destroyer ignited at once—
its battered armor instantly restoring itself to pristine form,
as if completely reborn.
VMMM—!
A far hotter, brighter blast launched forth—
twice the power of before, the yellow glow deepening toward orange.
Lucas narrowed his eyes.
His divine weapon shifted into a violet staff.
Lightning erupted from around him—
meeting the Destroyer's beam head-on.
The collision tore the street apart.
Buildings collapsed.
The earth cracked, winds howled—
as if the world were ending.
Jane and the unconscious Thor were thrown backward—
but Sif, barely standing, caught them both before they could be injured.
When the energy cleared—
Lucas vaulted upward, landing atop the Destroyer's head.
His weapon plunged downward—
straight into the back of the Destroyer's neck.
The blade pierced cleanly through—
right into one of its runes.
Energy burst from the wound—
shattering the rune.
The Destroyer's signature beam suddenly sputtered and died,
black smoke rising from its helm.
Lucas blinked.
He hadn't actually known where the runes were located.
He had simply gotten lucky.
But luck had destroyed the armor's greatest weapon.
Now the Destroyer had nothing left but close-quarters combat—
which was exactly what Lucas wanted.
With a flick of his wrist—
the weapon transformed into the Judgment Handgun.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three thunderous shots.
Three bowl-sized holes punched clean through the Destroyer.
Unfortunately—
none of them happened to hit another rune.
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