Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Arrival of the Destroyer

The Three Warriors of the Celestial Palace—do they have any special abilities? Hmm, I can't quite recall. Still, their genes are worth studying. They could serve as a control group in experiments to uncover the secrets of the Asgardians.

The Asgardians have lifespans reaching five thousand years; there must be something extraordinary behind that.

Michael had specifically instructed his agents: if anyone dressed in outlandish garb appeared near the town, he was to be notified immediately.

It wasn’t long before he received word: several strangely dressed individuals were approaching the town.

Michael drew a portal, stepping directly into the settlement.

As he watched the four bumbling figures approaching, he promptly cast the Mirror Dimension.

A wall of fractured glass glided toward the group.

“What is this?” they asked, gazing in confusion at the shattered surface blocking their path.

Though Sif was the only woman among them, her temper was fiercer than any of theirs.

“Let's smash it and see,” she said.

The level-headed Fandral stopped her. “Careful. It could be Loki trying to stop us.”

“Let me handle this,” Volstagg declared, hurling his axe. The glass shattered on impact, shards raining down upon them.

Fearing injury, they shielded themselves with their arms—yet nothing happened. It was as if everything they’d just experienced had been a mere hallucination.

“What just happened?” Hogun asked, bewildered. He couldn’t tell if nothing had changed, or if everything had.

The Mirror Dimension was an exceedingly advanced spell, and Michael had only recently mastered its flexible use—these four had likely never encountered its like.

Unable to make sense of the situation, Fandral suggested, “Let’s find Thor first.”

After a moment’s hesitation, the four entered the town.

The townsfolk passed by, facing them directly, yet acted as if they weren’t even there.

“What’s going on, Hogun?” Fandral inquired.

Hogun looked at him, equally confused. “I don’t know. Either we’re under an illusion, or perhaps they are.”

“Given what’s happened so far, I’d say we’re the ones trapped in an illusion,” Hogun concluded.

“What should we do?” Sif interjected. “Hurry and think of a way to break it!”

“I think I see Thor,” Volstagg exclaimed, his gaze fixed on Thor through a shop window.

“Hey, Thor!”

“You fool,” Fandral chided. “I already told you—we’re in an illusion. That’s not really Thor.”

Michael couldn’t help but laugh. What a quartet of geniuses.

That was indeed Thor, but since they were trapped in the Mirror Dimension, he couldn’t hear their voices.

Appearing behind them, Michael made a gesture, and the entire street twisted upon itself like a spring roll, forming a massive rotating cylinder.

The Three Warriors and Sif found themselves like hamsters on a wheel, compelled to run endlessly to keep their balance.

“Damn it, is this another illusion?”

“Just keep running—the pain from falling feels way too real.”

Fandral, the keenest-eyed among them, spotted the only unaffected person.

“Look—over there! That one isn’t affected.”

The other three turned to Michael. Sif, furious, asked, “Is there any way to kill him?”

Hogun was exasperated. “Do you really think plotting out loud is a good idea?”

Michael shook his head. The combined intelligence of these four didn’t even match his lab mice.

With a wave, he sealed both ends of the cylinder, layering the barriers so they were forced to run on, exhausting their strength.

When they tried to break through the walls with their weapons, shattering one layer only led them into another, and soon each was separated from the rest.

Space and time magic—truly the most useful forms of sorcery. Unfortunately, Michael lacked the Eye of Agamotto and couldn’t wield time spells.

With careful planning, Michael easily captured the Three Warriors and Sif.

After drawing blood from the three, he dumped them at S.H.I.E.L.D., their fate no longer his concern.

Compared to Loki and Thor, their genes showed little promise when spliced into animals. The lab mice’s physiology changed, gaining strength, speed, and the ability to absorb and store dark energy, but no remarkable powers emerged.

At least, there were no evident side effects—otherwise, they were rather unremarkable.

...

Loki, enraged by Heimdall’s betrayal, dismissed him from his post.

Heimdall, for his part, loathed Loki to the core. If he was dismissed, he saw no reason to remain loyal. Sword in hand, he moved to confront Loki.

Loki launched a sneak attack with the ancient Casket of Winters, successfully freezing Heimdall in place.

At last, there was no one left to stand in his way.

Loki exhaled in relief.

Above New Mexico, immense clouds gathered, spiraling down from the sky like a dragon drinking from the earth.

A massive automaton plummeted from the heavens, landing with a thunderous crash.

From the strange weather, S.H.I.E.L.D. predicted the landing site in advance and arrived on the scene ahead of time.

Coulson stared at the gigantic machine, struggling to comprehend that such a thing could have been made by those ancient beings.

“Doctor, was this your creation? Or Stark’s?” he inquired.

Michael gave him a sidelong glance. “Hardly. This must be the ‘Destroyer’ Thor spoke of—Asgard’s most powerful weapon.”

“Looks like we’re in deep trouble. Do you think it understands if we try to reason with it?”

Michael smiled. “I doubt it.”

Nonetheless, Coulson decided to try.

“Hey, can you hear me? You are an unauthorized weapon—cease your activity immediately.”

The Destroyer glanced at Michael, identified him as a target for extermination, and its eyes blazed with fiery red light.

A moment later, it unleashed a scorching beam. Michael conjured a magical shield, fending off the blast.

“Everyone, evacuate now!” Coulson realized the gravity of the situation—the agents stood no chance against such a behemoth.

“Move! Go! Fall back, everyone!”

From afar, Thor saw the giant and the searing ray and immediately recognized them.

Jane Foster gasped, “What is that?”

“The Destroyer—Asgard’s mightiest weapon. Damn it, why is it here?”

A weapon of this magnitude spelled disaster for the town.

Thor turned to Jane.

“Jane, you must leave this place.”

“And what about you?” Jane asked, worry etched on her face.

Thor gazed at her, resolute. “I may be mortal now, but I must stand my ground. I have to stay.”

Jane was visibly worried for him.

“If you can stay, then so can I,” she insisted.

Professor Selvig wanted to caution her—not to let love cloud her judgment. That machine was not something mortals could face.

Thor shook his head. “No. You must evacuate everyone. The Destroyer’s target is likely me. I’ll hold it off.”

This time, with no help from the Three Warriors, Thor would have to buy time himself.

Perhaps that man—Michael—could help, Thor thought. But there was no time now. Thor rushed toward the Destroyer, intent on drawing its attention with his own body.

Meanwhile, Michael was pondering: could this thing withstand a nuclear blast?

A robot of uru metal this size—surely it could survive a nuke, couldn’t it?