Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground trembled with each step of the Destroyer, every impact a deafening roar of unrelenting destruction.
Thor, Fandral, and the others rushed outside, with Lockhart and Jane close behind.
As the towering enemy approached—its footsteps shaking the earth—Thor's expression grew grim.
Facing the looming threat, he took a deep breath and turned to Volstagg and the others beside him. "I've lost my powers and can't fight by your side," he said. "But don't worry about me. I'll stay behind and help get people to safety."
Jane immediately stepped forward. "If you're staying, then so am I. I'll help evacuate the civilians."
Erik and Darcy both nodded without hesitation.
Lockhart glanced at Thor and gave a slight nod of approval. This was no longer the reckless brute he'd first met—this Thor had grown. He was someone who now put others before himself.
Lockhart smiled and said, "Evacuating Muggles is something we wizards are very good at."
He raised his wand, channeled magic into it, and began to chant:
"Muggle-Repelling Charm!"
"Muggle-Repelling Charm!"
"Muggle-Repelling Charm!"
...
Silver-white light shot from the tip of his wand, spreading across the area in rippling waves.
Thor, Sif, and the others watched in astonishment as civilians emerged from shops and homes, eyes slightly glazed, moving as if compelled by an unseen force—all of them heading away from danger.
Within minutes, the entire area was cleared. Only Jane, Darcy, Erik, and the rest of the group remained.
Seeing this, even the Asgardians were stunned. They had suspected Lockhart was powerful—but to calmly influence and guide a crowd so precisely left them deeply impressed.
Lockhart nodded with satisfaction. The Muggle-Repelling Charm worked even better here than it did in the wizarding world—perhaps the Marvel universe's natural laws were simply more favorable to magic.
There was no time for questions. The Destroyer was closing in, and tension gripped the air.
Thor and the others fell back.
Sif, Fandral, and the rest raised their weapons, ready for battle.
Lockhart gripped his wand tightly, alert and focused.
He knew Thor's story wouldn't end here. But Lockhart himself wasn't in the script—he wasn't Asgardian, and that meant he wasn't safe.
Boom! Boom!
The Destroyer marched forward, flames leaking from its helmet. Cars and buildings erupted in flames in its path, as if it were putting its power on display.
Explosions echoed around them. Everyone's faces turned grim.
"Lockhart, do you have anything that can slow it down? If not, we're going in now!" Fandral shouted.
"I've got it!" Lockhart replied firmly.
He raised his wand and chanted, "Transfiguration! Transfiguration! Transfiguration!"
The ground beneath the Destroyer rippled like water. The soil churned and shifted, rising in waves to pull the machine downward into a swamp-like trap.
The Destroyer began to sink, struggling as the terrain shifted beneath it. Its arms stretched out, trying to stabilize itself.
But before it could break free, thick ropes of earth and stone coiled around its limbs, holding it in place and dragging it further down.
Lockhart's heart surged with satisfaction. He'd spent days planning this spell—not to defeat the Destroyer, just to delay it.
Magic in the Harry Potter world wasn't always flashy or explosive. It was flexible, subtle, and full of possibilities.
So he had focused on terrain manipulation—using Transfiguration and studying swamps and quagmires to create the perfect trap.
Will was the soul, knowledge the bones, and magic the flesh—and the results today spoke for themselves.
But the moment the Destroyer sensed it was trapped, it pulsed with violent energy. Its head began to glow ominously, charging up a powerful counterattack.
Sif, with her battlefield instincts, didn't hesitate. As the Destroyer's energy peaked, she struck.
From above, her sword transformed midair into a spear—sharp, precise, and aimed at the helmet.
The Destroyer tried to dodge, but it was too slow.
Clang! Crack! Crack!
The enchanted spear pierced through the armor at its neck, carving through the Uru metal with a grating screech before embedding deep into the ground.
The fire in the Destroyer's helmet instantly extinguished.
It froze, motionless—as if deactivated.
Sif exhaled in relief.
But Lockhart didn't let his guard down. He remembered the plot. This wasn't over.
Sure enough, the Destroyer began to shift again—its body flowing like liquid metal.
Its arms snapped free of the ground. Its head turned toward Sif.
The fire in its helmet reignited, even fiercer than before.
BOOM!!
A column of flame erupted toward her.
Sif reacted instantly and leapt aside, but the nearby buildings weren't as lucky. The explosion reduced them to rubble.
The Destroyer, now fully free, turned its attention to Lockhart and Thor.
"Transfiguration!"
Lockhart cast again, but this time the Destroyer fired at him directly, having learned from the earlier trap.
Forced to dodge, Lockhart's spell fizzled midair.
Now the Destroyer spun in place, unleashing fire in all directions. The Asgardians scattered, unable to regroup.
"Bombarda Max—" Lockhart began, but another blast of flame surged toward him, forcing him to cancel the spell. Instead, he cast a Speed Charm and fled backward.
The battlefield became a hellscape of flame and destruction. Ash coated the streets. Debris rained from the skies.
No one could get close.
Thor stood motionless, eyes fixed on the chaos—on the pain and desperation in his friends' faces.
His fists clenched.
His heart pounded.
And finally, his voice rang out—
"Stop it, Loki!!!"