The violent storm, like the sky itself collapsing, constantly lashed the desolate surface of the desert.
Accompanied by the immense roar of the Valkyrie's engine, the flying vehicle, listing precariously on its broken wing, suddenly swept low through the air.
The next moment, a towering, armored figure plunged through the blurred rain curtain and landed heavily in the thick, muddy ground.
The sheer impact of the landing splashed countless gallons of turbid rainwater, setting off wide ripples across the flooded surface. The muddy water that coated the red metal armor was instantly washed away by more raindrops pouring from the sky, finally merging back into the omnipresent, turbulent stream.
Nolan, his heavy boots sinking into the turbid mud, raised the long Gauss Blaster with one hand.
He activated the enhanced night-vision and thermal functions inside his helmet. His vision sharpened, and his optics quickly scanned the chaotic, rain-drenched battlefield environment in front of him.
Then, Nolan caught sight of a massive figure standing rigidly in the depths of the heavy rain.
It was a four-meter-tall metal giant.
Its metal body, constructed from rings and overlapping structures, was constantly rotating and wriggling, an unnerving display of alien engineering. Gaps that occasionally appeared in the armor reflected a terrifying, molten energy rolling and churning inside.
Hiss, hiss, hiss!
The relentless rain hitting the metal giant was instantly evaporated into bursts of dense white mist by the extreme heat radiating from its surface. A series of searing, orange-red rays, filled with the undeniable breath of destruction, gushed continuously from the opponent's faceplate.
These rays were almost non-stop, repeatedly striking the crippled Valkyrie hovering unsteadily in the air and a vague human figure that seemed wrapped in streaks of pure lightning.
There was no doubt about the giant's identity; this was the ultimate weapon from Asgard. The Destroyer!
Nolan took a deep breath, his huge gauntleted fists clenching around the Gauss Blaster.
He was just about to maneuver the Hunting Lord armor and carefully approach the Destroyer for a calculated sneak attack, when the entire sky changed.
In an instant, a ray of terrifying, blinding lightning suddenly illuminated the gloomy, dark clouds!
Accompanied by a series of deafening, booming roars, the terrifying electrical energy gathered into a winding, serpentine column and smashed heavily into the huge body of the Destroyer Armor!
The fierce, terrifying lightning instantly interrupted the opponent's next attack and blasted the massive Destroyer deep into the earth!
At the same time, the curtain of rain splashing from the sky seemed to be momentarily shredded by the violently vibrating air.
Holding Mjolnir, which was wrapped with thick, pulsing strands of lightning, Thor flew through the air and landed with a great impact directly in front of Nolan.
His heavy body slammed onto the muddy ground, splashing countless gallons of turbid water.
The moment Thor landed, Nolan's keen senses registered that the opponent's footsteps seemed to stagger slightly.
He looked up and confirmed that Thor's current state was indeed perilous. His long, golden hair was completely soaked from the rain, clinging heavily to his pale, bearded cheeks. Most of the famous red cape hanging behind him was burned off, leaving only a broken, smoldering remnant. Even the chest of his shiny armor was covered with ugly, deep scorch marks.
However, before Nolan could speak, Thor, his expression drawn and solemn, spoke first:
"Midgardian, this is not your battlefield! Leave quickly! While I can still hold that guy back..."
Looking at the other party's truly miserable appearance, Nolan, hidden within his metal helmet, frowned slightly.
He lowered the Gauss Blaster, which had been aimed past Thor, released the trigger lock, and asked in a low, resonant voice:
"Thor? What's the matter? How is it that you can't even deal with the Destroyer?"
Hearing the question from the strange armored human, a flash of doubt crossed Thor's blue eyes.
"You know me? How do you know it's the Destroyer? Forget it... It's not important now! Listen to my advice, Midgardian..."
"Damn it! It's recovered again! How many layers of the seals of the gods has it foolishly opened?"
In the short time Thor spent attempting to persuade Nolan to retreat, the metal giant that had been blasted into the ground violently climbed out again.
A large amount of rain fell onto the Destroyer's huge metal body and was instantly evaporated into thick, rising wisps of white mist.
Judging by its unhurried, measured actions, the Destroyer appeared to have suffered no permanent or fatal injuries.
The next moment, Thor took a deep, rattling breath. He raised Mjolnir again with his slightly trembling, thick arms.
Accompanied by the dull thunder that continued to sound, brilliant lightning fell from the gloomy sky and smashed heavily into the metal body of the Destroyer.
Unfortunately, the terrifying electrical energy, easily enough to destroy a large skyscraper, only managed to stall the opponent for a very brief moment!
The Destroyer seemed to have locked onto its primary target again. The metal armor covering its face opened quickly, and a scorching beam of light burst out from the cavity!
The sheer energy drain from continuously summoning lightning seemed to have critically slowed Thor's reaction speed.
He had no time to dodge.
He was bombarded full-force in the chest by the searing light. His entire body was violently thrown backward by the terrifying energy blast!
Then, another scorching beam of light swept dangerously towards the running Nolan!
Accompanied by the rapid, high-pitched whine of the Hunting Lord armor's protection force field, the scorching light was stubbornly resisted by the invisible energy barrier!
"I can still bear it!"
Nolan's eyes suddenly glowed behind the visor.
He immediately raised the Gauss Blaster in his huge gauntlet and pulled the trigger without hesitation!
Swish, swish, swish!
In an instant, a series of terrifying green beams rapidly passed through the heavy rain and accurately struck the huge body of the metal giant!
However, the green beams that Nolan knew should vaporize everything did not perform as he expected.
Under the scouring of countless terrifying green lights, only a shallow layer of metal on the Destroyer's surface was annihilated and evaporated into green atoms, instantly dissipating in mid-air!
Afterwards, the continuous green beams quickly spread outwards, as if they were being forcibly dispersed and deflected by a mysterious, unknown force!
Nolan couldn't help but squint his eyes, adjusting his vision.
He saw that the Destroyer's body was gradually lighting up with dense, glowing runes!
It seemed to be the power flowing from Odin, the Allfather. It was the potent magic power of Asgard!
"The Destroyer Armor with nine layers of gods' seals is the ultimate weapon my father painstakingly forged. When it had only lifted one layer, it destroyed countless planets in the Nine Realms. It is not an existence that can be destroyed by mortal weapons..."
"Now it has unlocked at least two layers! Even I am no match!"
At this moment, Thor, holding Mjolnir in a white-knuckled grip, slowly staggered to Nolan's side.
One of his palms was pressed hard against the damaged armor on his chest. The rain streamed along his pale cheeks, dripping steadily into his golden beard. A deep, profound sadness seemed to flash momentarily in his blue eyes.
"Run away, midgardian... It only wants to take my life. Perhaps only when I die will your home return to its former peace."
"Peace? Fart peace!"
Nolan threw down the now-useless Gauss Blaster without hesitation.
He suddenly raised his two huge, red-armored gauntlets.
The next second, the distinct, shattering roar and fire of bolters suddenly broke through the rain and the thunder.
Boom boom boom!
The huge, rune-covered metal body of the Destroyer was repeatedly shaken by the violent explosions, and it was forced to continually retreat!
Even though the explosive power of the bolters still couldn't genuinely destroy the incredibly strong Asgardian metal, the continuous barrage temporarily stopped the opponent from attacking!
Boom boom boom!
Nolan rotated his huge gauntlets rapidly, firing the bolters alternately to maintain pressure.
His closed metal helmet suddenly whipped toward Thor, who was staring blankly, his face etched with shock.
"Thor, are you afraid of death?"
"Asgardians are never timid! And I am the heir to the throne of Asgard..."
Hearing the strange midgardian's challenge, a long-dormant light of courage seemed to bloom brightly in Thor's blue eyes.
At that moment, the roar from the bolters stopped abruptly; the long-range ammunition of the Hunting Lord armor was exhausted.
A deep laugh slowly rumbled out from the closed metal helmet.
"If you are not afraid of death... follow me to charge!"
One of Nolan's huge gauntlets extended forward slightly.
It seemed to reach out into the very void.
Then, a Necron melee weapon, nearly 1.6 meters in length, with a huge, fan-shaped blade glowing with a terrifying, consuming green light, slowly materialized and settled into his palm.
The C'tan Phase Sword... unsheathed!