Chapter Twenty-One: Iron Man Versus the Destroyer!
That night, events unfolded like a scene from a futuristic movie—Thor failed to retrieve his hammer, believed Odin to have perished, and ended up spending the night outside the research institute with Jane Foster.
The next morning, as Thor and Jane prepared breakfast together, before the arrival of the Four Warriors of Asgard, a streak of fire shot across the sky—
Bang!
With a heavy thud, Tony arrived with his classic Iron Man landing pose!
“Iron Man?! Tony Stark!” Darcy was the first to spot Iron Man, crying out in surprise.
“Want an autograph?” The front of the armor automatically split open, and Tony Stark stepped out wearing casual clothes and sneakers. Passing by Darcy, he handed her a signed autograph, striking a flamboyant pose.
“Who is he?” Thor frowned at Tony, his expression rather unpleasant.
“He’s—”
“I’ll introduce myself,” Tony Stark sized Thor up and cut Jane off. His tone dripped with contempt: “So you’re Thor? That five-thousand-year-old prince of Asgard who’s never grown up?”
Bang!
Thor, enraged, overturned the table before him.
“Mortal, are you insulting a god?!”
“Oh, a god.” Tony continued his mockery, “A god who turns mortal when his powers are sealed? Frankly, I doubt you can protect the Nine Realms with that naïve, reckless mind of yours.”
A sharp jab, right to the heart… Bruised and battered from Loki’s blows the day before, Thor was left speechless.
Hao Yun had no intention of stepping in to comfort him; truthfully, compared to Iron Man, Thor was exceedingly immature. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be considering an alliance with Hela for the future.
After all, isn’t a protagonist more appealing than a villain?
“You—!”
“Thor! Thor!”
Just as Thor was about to retort, voices calling his name sounded from outside the institute's glass. Everyone looked up: the Four Warriors of Asgard!
Hao Yun’s face changed; he exchanged a glance with Tony, both hurriedly donning their armor and rushing outside.
“Erik, Jane, Darcy, evacuate the civilians at once! Asgard’s strongest weapon has arrived!”
“The strongest weapon? The Destroyer?”
Sif looked puzzled, then scoffed, “The King’s Armor? How could it possibly appear in Midgard, especially without anyone to control it—”
Boom!
Before Sif could finish, a violent explosion echoed from the distance!
Looking out, the enormous iron armor spewed jets of fiery energy as it advanced toward the town… Sif’s face flushed red, the slap of reality ringing loud and clear!
But no one noticed her embarrassment; Thor and the others were more concerned with casualties in the town. Without hesitation, they followed Hao Yun and Tony out of the institute!
“Damn, that’s the All-Father’s armor—not something mortals of Midgard can handle! Sif, please intercept it.”
“No problem, Prince. We’ll fight side by side once more!” Sif exclaimed excitedly, sword in hand. Asgard prized martial prowess, and battling formidable foes was their greatest joy. The Destroyer was the toughest enemy they had ever faced.
“I…” Thor forced a bitter smile, “I can’t join you—my powers are sealed, I’m just a mortal now. I’ll go help rescue people instead.”
Sif gazed at Thor deeply, with an expression that was part disappointment, part admiration, “Thor, now you are more like the King of Asgard than ever.”
“Am I?” Thor scratched his head, “I’ve learned so much here in Midgard…” As he spoke, his gaze involuntarily drifted toward Jane’s direction.
Sif followed his gaze, her expression shifting, then she snorted coldly and barked at her three companions, “Prepare yourselves!”
On the battlefield, Tony Stark charged ahead; upon seeing the Destroyer armor, he fired an energy blast—but after the shot, the armor was left with only a palm-sized dent that vanished in an instant, causing no damage at all!
“Damn, what the hell is this thing!” Tony couldn’t help but curse. This thing was way too tough! His repulsor, constantly improved after Hao Yun told him about the future, now packed enough punch to penetrate heavy tank armor.
But now, it left only a dent, which healed itself?
Wasn’t it said in Infinity War and Endgame that even the Winter Soldier’s automatic rifle could mow down enemies?
“The King’s Armor is forged entirely from Uru metal, with remarkable regenerative abilities. It’s Odin’s strongest ally in conquering the Nine Realms,” Hao Yun explained, flying up beside Tony in his Shockwave Nano Armor—this time, he’d ordered the color changed to silver-white, unlike Tony’s flamboyant gold.
“Unless you use a finishing move to completely destroy it, any damage will quickly be repaired.”
“Alright! Let me try the latest laser tech!” Tony gritted his teeth, extending both hands forward… Two high-energy laser emitters appeared on his wrists and, under his control, fired rapidly—then he swept them down—
Zzzzz…
A crack appeared on the armor’s surface from the laser’s sweep… But unfortunately, the high-energy laser only pierced the outermost layer, which healed in less than three seconds!
“No good, the strongest weapon I’ve got is the laser. Hao Yun, do you have any other ideas?!”
After two consecutive attacks, Loki, controlling the Destroyer, noticed their presence. The armor’s head twisted and a massive red energy blast shot toward Tony.
Tony, dodging with his armor, shouted loudly to Hao Yun—this thing was simply too tough, earthly weapons were useless against it.
He was secretly terrified: if future enemies all wore armor like this, what was the point of forming an alliance? They might as well surrender outright!
“I’ll try! Tony, keep it busy for me!”
Hao Yun murmured “Shockwave,” and his right-hand Nano Armor swiftly extended, forming a three-meter-long electromagnetic cannon barrel… Then Hao Yun pulled out a coin and tossed it; as it fell, electricity crackled, every bit of power from LV5 Electrokinesis poured into the barrel!
“The electric light dancing at your fingertips is my unwavering faith!”
“Super Electromagnetic Cannon—Modified!”
The coin didn’t last even 0.000001 seconds in the electromagnetic channel before the immense energy liquefied it, and it shot out as a metallic projectile under the surge of electric power!
Boom!
The high-energy, high-temperature, high-velocity electromagnetic shot blasted out at hundreds of times the speed of sound, striking the Destroyer’s neck… In Asgard, Loki wielding the Eternal Spear felt his head reel, nearly breaking his link to the Destroyer.
“Damn!” Loki gripped the Eternal Spear fiercely. How could Midgard have such a powerful warrior? And where did that flying ant come from? Wasn’t that planet supposed to be Asgard’s backyard?
He poured all his divine power into the Eternal Spear, linking it to the Destroyer… Who was he? The Prince of Asgard, the God of Mischief, Loki! He would never be defeated by a mere mortal!