Cursing under his breath, Thor extended his hand, and Mjolnir flew back to him.
Grasping the leather strap on the hammer, he spun it furiously, attempting to summon a storm to break through the dimensional space.
But after several moments of spinning, the sky within the mirrored space remained calm, devoid of clouds or lightning. Thor felt a pang of disappointment, while William breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness the movie-version Thor and his hammer are heavily nerfed, William thought. Otherwise, he'd have no confidence in containing the centuries-old God of Thunder. A smile crept back onto William's face as he turned to Loki and said provocatively, "Not all mages are cowards, right, Prince Loki?"
Thor froze, suddenly remembering that his brother was a mage. He glanced back at Loki, his expression sheepish.
Loki merely shook his head, signaling that it was fine. But William, not missing a beat, added with a sly grin, "And if I recall correctly, your mother, Queen Frigga, is also a mage. Thor, does that mean you just insulted your own mother?"
"Enough!" Thor roared, glaring at William's smug expression. "The noble Queen Frigga is nothing like an evil sorcerer like you!"
"Evil?" William raised an eyebrow and snapped his fingers. Instantly, radiant magic filled the mirrored space.
At first, Thor and Loki felt a soothing warmth, but the light quickly intensified, becoming uncomfortably hot.
Though the magic wasn't strong enough to harm them yet, they recognized it as light magic, which was supposed to be exclusive to the Light Elves of Alfheim.
Thor grew uneasy and shouted toward the dimensional barrier separating them from William. "Who are you, and how do you know the magic of the Light Elves?"
"Oh, I know much more than that," William replied with a chuckle. "Not just light magic—nature magic as well."
With another snap of his fingers, tendrils of green magic seeped into Thor and Loki's bodies, gently nourishing them.
Before they could fully process the sensation, two thorny vines sprouted from the ground, wrapping around their feet.
"Enough!" Thor shouted, worriedly glancing at Loki. While Thor's robust Asgardian physiology allowed him to survive even in the vacuum of space, his mage brother wasn't as physically resilient.
"Oh, you think you can just shout 'enough,' and I'll stop?" William teased. "Weren't you the one saying you'd beat me until I begged?"
Thor growled in frustration. With a mighty tug, he ripped the vines from his arms and raised Mjolnir, slamming it toward the barrier between the mirrored space and reality.
Unfortunately, before the hammer could make contact, the barrier retreated rapidly and vanished entirely.
Thor, overexerting himself, stumbled forward, breaking the vines around his feet. Remarkably, the thorns didn't even pierce his skin, showcasing his durability.
This guy really is the Avengers' ultimate tank, William mused with a sigh.
Thor regained his balance and was about to help free Loki when he noticed a shimmering distortion nearby. A moment later, Loki's real body materialized beside him.
Relieved, Thor turned to Loki and pointed at William, who was still visible outside the mirrored space. "Who is this guy? There aren't many people who can wield space magic. Why have we never heard of him before?"
"I don't know," Loki replied, shaking his head. "Perhaps we should negotiate."
Thor opened his mouth to object, but Loki cut him off with a telepathic message. We need to escape this dimensional space first. It's his domain. Unless we break through, we have no chance of winning.
As they conversed, a portal appeared near them.
William stepped out, intending to speak with Thor, but the impulsive god immediately hurled Mjolnir at him.
Startled, William quickly conjured a portal. The hammer zipped through, narrowly missing him. That thing could have smashed me into pieces.
"Alright," William said, forcing a grin. "We'll talk in half an hour."
With a wave of his hand, two magic circles appeared beneath Thor and Loki's feet.
"What's this?" Thor asked, trying to move, but William made a downward gesture.
In an instant, the circles restrained them with mental force, holding them in place just long enough for portals to open beneath their feet.
Thor and Loki fell through the portals, reappearing in the mirrored space's sky. They plunged down, only to be caught by another set of portals that sent them falling again.
Over and over, they dropped through the air, their shouts of frustration echoing through the space.
Ten minutes later, William stood watching the brothers flail and yell at him from their perpetual freefall.
"Enough!" A voice full of authority boomed through the space, and the mirrored dimension trembled as if struck by a giant bell.
The metallic clang of a weapon striking the ground resonated, further destabilizing the space.
William didn't need to guess who it was—Odin had arrived. First the sons, now the father. Perfect, William thought, frustrated but also intrigued.
The Eternal Spear, Gungnir, struck the ground again, this time with greater force. William felt the mirrored space ripple violently, but he increased his magical output to stabilize it once more.
Despite the immense power of Odin's strikes, the space held firm under William's control.
At least Odin didn't shatter it outright. That means I'm not completely out of my depth, William thought.
Still, there was no point in antagonizing someone of Odin's caliber. William gestured, closing the portals and ending Thor and Loki's freefall.
"Thud! Thud!"
Thor and Loki hit the floor of the Yautja mothership's bridge face-first.
"You dare toy with the princes of Asgard?" Thor roared, pushing himself up. "I fell for ten minutes! You've angered me, mortal!"
Thor clenched Mjolnir tightly and prepared to attack, but stopped when a new portal opened in front of him.
"Goodbye, princes of Asgard," William said with a smirk, waving mockingly. Before either brother could react, the portal swept forward, teleporting them to the bridge near the Xenomorph hybrid's hideout.
"Coward! Fight me one-on-one if you dare!" Thor bellowed, glaring at the now-closed portal.
Loki, brushing himself off, smirked. "You're an idiot if you think a mage would engage in close combat. That's not cowardice—it's intelligence."
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 391)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 471)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 677)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 1059)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1418)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1422)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1452)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1504)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld!(Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 703)
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