It seemed that deep down, Loki still cherished the brotherhood between himself and Thor. At the critical moment, he still couldn't bring himself to truly finish Thor off.
Thor let out a relieved smile, secretly grateful that Loki had pulled back in time. Honestly, standing on the edge between life and death—if there's even the slightest chance to live, who would willingly walk into death?
Jane Foster was the same. Seeing the crisis apparently resolved, the heart she'd been holding in her throat finally dropped back into place, and a relieved smile bloomed on her face.
After all, she and Thor had only just confirmed their relationship and were still soaking in the sweetness of being in love. She didn't want her brand-new boyfriend to leave her so soon.
For a moment, the tense atmosphere slowly faded. Everyone gradually relaxed, thinking it was over—that everything would return to peace.
However, right then!
The Destroyer armor suddenly moved.
Without any warning, it swung an arm at terrifying speed, whipping up a shrieking gust of wind as it smashed down—straight toward Thor's face from behind, while he was completely unguarded!
Boom!
Thor didn't even have time to react before that heavy force slammed into his face.
In the instant, he flew like a kite with its string cut, helplessly carving an arc through the air as he was hurled far away!
Fortunately, Harry reacted fast. He blinked to Thor's landing path and caught him firmly.
But Thor's condition was horrific. His face and chest were carved with shocking gashes, flesh torn open—blood surging out like a broken dam, instantly painting the ground red.
Jane: (〇o〇;)
Harry: (ω)?
Lady Sif and the Warriors Three: (ㄒ oㄒ)
No, bro?!
This was your plan?!
Harry circulated his magic, carefully easing it into Thor's body.
Under Hedwig's meticulous scan, Harry quickly got the results—and couldn't help showing a look of surprise.
After taking a full-force blow from the Destroyer armor, Thor wasn't just alive—his physical stats were actually rising at an astonishing speed.
With a little thought, Harry reached a conclusion: no question about it, that old geezer Odin definitely hadn't fully sunk into the Odinsleep.
Clearly, he'd still kept a portion of his attention to observe what was happening outside!
That was the only reason he could, at the last possible instant before the Destroyer's strike landed, lift the seal on Thor's divine power—so Thor wouldn't get punched into a corpse on the spot.
Sure, Thor's injuries looked severe, and he'd even passed out, but in reality, the wounds were healing at a visible speed. At this rate, he'd wake up in a few minutes.
Of course, the fact that Thor survived also had something to do with Loki not running the Destroyer at full output. If the Destroyer armor truly went all out, even a fully powered Thor taking a punch could very well end up gravely injured and unable to get back up.
After all, the current Thor wasn't the God of Thunder.
He was the cowardly God of Hammer, at best!
So it seemed Harry had been right—deep down, Her Highness the Second Princess still treasured that brotherly bond with Thor.
Or rather… Loki's awkward, twisted personality came from his hunger to be acknowledged by everyone.
In Asgard, aside from Queen Frigga's constant care for him, everyone favored Thor more. Even Odin, more or less, leaned that way. Loki had been overlooked for a long time, and he desperately craved attention—craved approval.
Right now, the divine power inside Thor was like a hidden current under spring ice, melting rapidly and surging back to life.
Harry was sure that old schemer Odin had already arranged the script long ago.
The plot would be something like: Thor regains his power at the most critical moment, saves Lady Sif and the Warriors Three first, then defeats the Destroyer armor in one decisive blow.
And with the Warriors Three's personality—loud, showy, always bragging—Thor's "defeated the Destroyer" heroic deed would spread through Asgard at lightning speed, becoming the hottest topic in every street corner and tavern.
That would massively boost Thor's prestige among Asgard's people, earning him more love and admiration.
And after surviving and saving each other through life and death like this, Lady Sif and the Warriors Three's loyalty to Thor would become unshakable—locked in tighter than ever!
Poor second princess. No matter how smart Loki was, in front of Odin—that old, crafty fox—he was still one move short. He couldn't escape being played.
He'd been sold out and was still helping count the money. Harry even suspected that even now, the highest control authority over the Destroyer armor was still in Odin's hands. Maybe even Loki's sudden softening toward Thor had been within Odin's calculations from the very beginning!
What confused Harry a bit was that, normally, Odin also cared about Loki and treated him well—so why, when it came to inheriting the throne of Asgard, did Odin guard against Loki so ruthlessly, never giving him even the slightest chance?
Could it be that Loki was picked up off the street and not actually his biological son?
Thinking that far, Harry shook his head internally, muttering about how messy this whole circle was.
Then his expression sharpened. He strode to stand in front of Thor, his face full of grim resolve, looking like he was ready to sacrifice himself for righteousness as he shouted to Lady Sif and the Warriors Three:
"Quick—take Thor and get out of here! I'll find a way to hold the Destroyer armor back for now!"
Since Odin had already carefully staged this grand play, Harry naturally had to throw himself into it with full enthusiasm, to show proper respect for the Allfather.
And in this script, becoming Thor's lifesaving benefactor, forming deep bonds with Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, and establishing a heroic image in the hearts of Asgard's people… that wasn't too much to ask, right?
Besides, in the middle of a fight, if he "accidentally" removed a part or two from the Destroyer armor… that seemed reasonable too, didn't it?
Harry didn't know exactly how Odin planned for Thor to "defeat" the Destroyer armor, but Harry did know that even peak Thor—if the Destroyer stood still and let him hit it—Thor still wouldn't be able to damage it at all. His damage output would probably be slower than the Destroyer's self-repair.
So Harry was certain that Odin had definitely swapped out the real Destroyer armor in secret, replacing it with a cheap imitation that looked similar, just so Thor could destroy it smoothly.
And the real Destroyer armor would most likely be hidden away in some secret place in Asgard, kept as a trump card to repel external threats when necessary—an ace-in-the-hole for the prophesied Ragnarök, Asgard's hidden last resort.
Harry had no intention of letting that old geezer Odin get everything he wanted.
After all, the Destroyer armor's arrival had practically devastated what used to be a peaceful desert town.
Even though S.H.I.E.L.D. had reacted quickly—evacuating all civilians early while the Destroyer marched from the desert toward the town, preventing casualties—the economic losses to the town were still massive. And those losses had to be paid by Asgard!
Harry looked at the Destroyer armor.
It stood on the earth like a moving steel fortress, its entire body wrapped in cold silver metal, harsh rigid lines, covered in mysterious runes.
Its square head flickered with a crimson glow. Its thick limbs radiated brute power. The energy core on its back emitted waves that warped the air, like a terrifying mobile fortress.
A war machine this strong—how could Harry not want to study it?
His eyes lit up as he stared at the Destroyer's thigh.
Slurp—look at that leg, so long and so pale. Just looking at it, you could practically imagine it: the moment your fingertips touched it, the sensation would be icy-smooth like jade—cool, sleek, fine, and strangely addictive, the kind you'd never want to let go of!
He was already acting his heart out in the script. Taking one leg from the Destroyer armor as payment wasn't unreasonable, was it?
Once he made his decision, Harry's wand danced sharply in his hand—then he snapped it down hard.
In an instant, that familiar sound of space cracking rang out, as if reality itself had been torn open.
The Mirror Dimension expanded with overwhelming force, swallowing Harry and the Destroyer armor completely—yanking both of them into a deserted battlefield in the blink of an eye.
Harry knew that if he wanted to take a leg off the Destroyer armor, with the amount of magic he could currently control smoothly inside his body, it was pure fantasy.
To make it happen, he'd have to use a far greater power.
So—
In the next instant, countless dense, fragmented, unstable arrays abruptly appeared around Harry!
Then that familiar chaos magic—just like when Harry first entered the multiverse—erupted from within him as a thick gray fog, wrapping him up completely!
The dense gray fog spread wildly. Wherever it reached, everything was either broken down into the most primitive particles and erased into nothingness, or violently twisted and reshaped—warped into irregular, absurd forms, gradually blending into an indescribable state of chaos until it became unnameable.
Under Harry's desperate control, the surging gray fog slowly drew in, finally transforming into a dark gray cloak.
The cloak's style was almost identical to the Invisibility Cloak Harry had received—except this one glittered with countless tiny specks of starlight, as if an entire starry sky had been condensed into its fabric.
Harry lifted the cloak and draped it over his shoulders, standing there in silence.
Now the surrounding environment, under the influence of chaotic power, kept collapsing and rebuilding over and over—the scene crazed like the end of the world.
Harry split off part of his focus to stabilize the Mirror Dimension, preventing it from shattering under this violent power, while looking straight at the Destroyer armor.
That gaze seemed to pierce everything—passing through the cold, hard steel shell, reaching all the way to Asgard, to Loki sitting on the Allfather's throne.
At this moment, Loki's face was full of panic. Clearly, he understood exactly what this meant.
Harry had gone all out.
Even if he hadn't completely slipped into full loss of control yet, the power he was unleashing right now was already terrifying enough—absolutely within Skyfather-level territory!
In this state, Harry's power could definitely deal real, meaningful damage to the Destroyer armor!
Harry's lips curled slightly as he murmured softly:
"Showtime. Round two… begins."
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