The Destroyer stood at the center of the storm. It raised its head as intense flames condensed across its striped face.
Thor's strength wasn't bad.
But the Destroyer was just a robot. Unlike Ultron, it lacked true self-awareness. At the moment, Loki—temporarily acting as King of the Gods in place of Odin—was issuing commands, and the Destroyer would carry them out without hesitation.
Even though Thor had regained his powers, the Destroyer would still fulfill its mission.
The striped faceplate opened from both sides, revealing no face inside—only an energy matrix of magma-like, boiling heat was condensing within.
Boom--!!
Once it reached critical mass, the energy beam shot out, covering hundreds of meters in an instant. The air distorted, and space itself seemed unable to withstand the scorching heat as the beam surged toward Thor, who hovered in midair.
At that moment, Thor had just completed his Energy Absorption.
Now fully armed and reborn in the image of a true god, Thor returned to Earth. Hovering 100 meters above the ground, he didn't dodge the incoming flames. Instead, he raised Mjolnir in front of him and descended directly, suppressing the molten beam with sheer force.
Hoo—hoo—
Thunder roared, lightning crackled in his eyes, and his red cape fluttered behind him. Holding Mjolnir, Thor dived headlong into the terrifying attack.
The Destroyer, now powerless against Thor in his prime, watched its energy beam shrink again and again—completely ineffective against him.
With a mighty swing, Mjolnir struck the Destroyer squarely on the head.
This massive robot—once hailed as the ultimate weapon—was sent flying by the impact, crashing through the wall of a nearby warehouse and collapsing to the ground, unable to move.
The tornado subsided, and the night sky cleared.
Thor descended to the ground.
Now, holding Mjolnir, clad in his red cape, and surrounded by arcs of lightning—this was Thor's most iconic form.
"Hah..."
He exhaled slowly.
Suppressing his divine strength, the lightning in his eyes gradually faded. With a few long strides, he reached the four Asgardian warriors.
Although all four were battered and bruised, smiles lit their faces—they were genuinely happy for Thor.
"Are you all alright?"
Thor helped Volstagg to his feet and asked, "What's going on? Why did the Destroyer come after us again? My father…"
The Destroyer was Odin's ultimate weapon. Thor never imagined his father would send such a terrifying robot to hunt down his own son and friends after casting him down to the mortal world.
But... Odin was dead.
And his mother hadn't wanted him to return either.
At that moment, Thor looked a little lost. Even though he had regained the power of the God of Thunder, he still seemed to have nothing.
"No, Thor. Your father isn't dead…"
"And…"
The four warriors exchanged glances and quickly recounted everything they had learned—especially what Loki had done in Asgard during Thor's absence.
Odin wasn't dead.
Thor's pupils narrowed slightly as anger stirred within him.
He now understood that Loki had deceived him. The Destroyer had clearly been sent by Loki to kill them.
"Shit…"
Thor cursed under his breath. "We're going back. Immediately."
But that was just a moment of impulsive anger.
He glanced at the four Asgardian warriors—slightly embarrassed and still supporting each other—and softened his tone.
"You all should rest and recover. Once you've regained your strength, we'll return together. There are still other things I need to take care of."
"Alright."
Volstagg and the others nodded and sat down quietly.
Despite their injuries, they were Asgardian warriors who had fought countless battles. Their recovery would be swift.
Thor, holding his hammer, walked to the base of Warehouse No. 3. Seeing Blaine and Gali still sitting there, he swung Mjolnir down hard. Lightning burst from the impact. With a loud crack, Thor was launched into the air, leaping over ten meters before landing gracefully in front of them.
Compared to the ordinary man he had been moments ago,
Now, Thor—restored to his full divine power—looked radiant and imposing.
"Let's have a fight,"
He said, pointing Mjolnir at Gali.
It wasn't that Thor intended to bully a child. Though arrogant, he was still kind-hearted—especially toward kids.
The real reason was that Gali defied common sense. Her strength was terrifying, and Thor genuinely wanted to test himself against her to wash away the shame of being toyed with before. Even though he had regained his worthiness to wield the hammer,
Thor was still... Thor—proud and fierce.
But even so, the scene of this mighty god challenging a little girl eating a rice ball came off more than a little comical.
Blaine couldn't help but burst into laughter at the sight of Thor preparing to challenge Gali.
Thor and Gali immediately turned to stare at him.
"Ahem."
With an awkward cough, Blaine waved his hands. "Carry on. I'll just watch."
"I don't want to fight."
Gali pouted. "Fighting is boring. It just wastes my energy and makes me even hungrier."
If it wasn't about fighting for food, then it was meaningless—according to Gali.
Thor's mouth twitched. He didn't really understand what she meant, but he responded anyway: "If you can defeat me, I'll grant you any wish."
"Then I want your hammer."
Gali's big eyes sparkled as she stared at Mjolnir, drooling slightly.
"I'm afraid that's not possible."
Thor flinched, suddenly uneasy. He quickly hid the hammer behind his back.
"No deal…"
Gali pouted and turned her glowing purple eyes toward the damaged warehouse. She grinned and pointed. "Then I want that robot. Is that okay?"
She meant the Destroyer.
As she spoke, Gali looked at Blaine with pitiful eyes, silently pleading: *I want to eat it.*
Blaine could only nod helplessly, agreeing to Gali's "stealing" behavior.
"No problem."
Thor agreed without hesitation. The Destroyer was already destroyed. Though its armor was made of rare metals and its energy core was still full, Thor had no use for it—he wasn't a smith.
"As long as you can beat me."
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