Loki's mounting frustration finally boiled over into desperate action. Sensing that the coordinated assault was slowly wearing down his defenses, he decided to break the stalemate with overwhelming force.
The Destroyer's energy core pulsed as Loki channeled his godly essence into a devastating area attack. When the shockwave erupted outward, it struck with the force of a localized earthquake, pulverizing solid rock into fine powder and sending debris cascading across the battlefield like deadly rain.
Fandral and Hogun were caught completely off-guard, their positions too close to the epicenter for effective evasion. The blast hurled them across the desert like discarded toys, their enhanced physiques barely protecting them from impacts that would have killed lesser beings. Volstagg's massive frame provided better resistance, allowing him to remain standing through sheer stubborn determination, though even he staggered under the assault's intensity.
Sif reacted with warrior's instincts, driving her blade deep into the hardpan desert floor and using it as an anchor point. The improvised technique saved her from the worst of the shockwave, though she still slid several meters backward before the crystal sword's grip held firm.
Ben's response demonstrated the tactical flexibility that made Diamondhead such a formidable opponent. His right arm plunged into the earth and immediately began reshaping itself, crystalline flesh flowing like liquid to create an elaborate root system that spread through the substrate. The technique locked him in place despite the tremendous forces trying to dislodge him.
Steve Rogers took a more direct approach, raising his vibranium shield and trusting in both its physical properties and Mjolnir's protective influence. The combination proved effective—the shield's unique molecular structure absorbed and dissipated the kinetic energy while the hammer's godly aura provided additional protection against supernatural forces.
But Loki had learned from their previous exchanges. Instead of remaining static after his area attack, he used the moment of confusion to close distance rapidly. His armored form moved with surprising grace, landing behind Steve's position where the shield provided minimal protection.
The Destroyer's massive fist descended toward Steve's skull with enough force to crack concrete, but the killing blow never connected. A barrier of crystalline spears erupted from the ground between attacker and victim, their razor-sharp points designed to impale anyone who pressed forward.
"Captain!" Ben's warning came as he withdrew his root-system from the earth, his body already beginning to reform into more conventional configurations.
Steve didn't waste the opportunity Ben's intervention had provided. Pivoting with the fluid grace that made him such an effective close-quarters combatant, he brought Mjolnir around in a devastating arc aimed at Loki's exposed head.
Lightning wreathed the hammer as it struck, godly power channeled through Asgardian craftsmanship to deliver a blow that should have been capable of felling giants. The impact rang across the desert like a thunderclap, accompanied by a brilliant flash that temporarily bleached all color from the landscape.
Yet when the light faded, Loki remained standing. The Destroyer's armor had absorbed the tremendous impact with barely a visible mark, its Uru construction proving worthy of its legendary reputation. The God of Mischief staggered slightly from the force transfer, but his counterattack came without hesitation.
Steve barely managed to interpose his shield before Loki's return strike arrived. The vibranium disc had been designed to handle tremendous forces, its unique properties allowing it to absorb and redirect kinetic energy that would overwhelm conventional materials. Even so, the impact sent painful vibrations up Steve's arms.
Ben seized the moment when Loki's attention was focused on Steve, using his molecular control to create a forest of crystal spears that erupted from the ground around the Destroyer's position. The improvised prison didn't damage their opponent, but it forced him to step backward and reassess his situation.
"We can't maintain this," Ben called out, though his tone suggested more calculation than genuine concern. "Our attacks aren't penetrating his defenses."
He turned toward Sif with apparent desperation. "Don't you Asgardians have access to more powerful weapons?"
The question struck Sif like a physical blow as she immediately understood its implications. There was indeed one weapon in Asgard's arsenal capable of overwhelming the Destroyer's defenses, but using it carried enormous risks.
The Rainbow Bridge—Asgard's primary method of transportation—was fundamentally a directed-energy weapon with the theoretical capacity to crack planets. Under normal circumstances, its destructive potential remained carefully controlled, channeled into creating stable wormholes rather than unleashing raw devastation.
But if Heimdall focused the Bridge's full power on a single target...
"The Bridge could destroy him," Sif murmured, her tactical mind already working through the implications. "But if Heimdall miscalculates the power, it could destroy this planet."
Ben nodded gravely, as if the enormous risk hadn't been part of his calculations from the beginning. "If we don't act soon, Loki's going to exhaust his life force maintaining that armor. Even if we win, the casualties could be enormous."
It was a compelling argument, made more persuasive by its essential truth. The Destroyer was indeed draining Loki's vitality at an unsustainable rate, but his desperation made him increasingly dangerous rather than weak.
"I'll contact Heimdall," Sif decided, her warrior's pragmatism overriding her natural caution.
In Asgard's observatory, Heimdall had been monitoring the situation with growing concern. The gatekeeper's all-seeing vision allowed him to observe events across the Nine Realms simultaneously, and what he witnessed on Midgard represented a crisis that threatened to spiral beyond anyone's ability to control.
Loki's decision to personally pilot with the Destroyer had created a situation that normal responses couldn't address. The prince was effectively holding himself hostage—any attempt to destroy the armor would likely kill its occupant, while allowing the situation to continue risked catastrophic damage to an entire planet.
More troubling still was the political effect of the crisis. Loki remained Odin's adopted son and Asgard's current ruler, regardless of his increasingly erratic behavior. As a loyal subject, Heimdall lacked the authority to take lethal action against someone who technically commanded his obedience.
But exile? That represented a viable alternative that preserved both honor and practicality.
When Sif's mental communication reached him, Heimdall was already prepared with a solution. "I will use the Rainbow Bridge to transport Loki beyond the Nine Realms," he replied, his thoughts carrying across dimensional barriers with practiced ease. "But I need someone to maintain contact during the transition."
The message reached the battlefield through Sif's relay, and Ben immediately volunteered for what appeared to be a suicide mission.
"Let me handle the restraint," he told Steve, whose enhanced physiology would survive the Bridge's activation but whose singular importance to Earth's defense made him too valuable to risk. "My molecular structure can handle the energy discharge, and I know exactly where Loki should be sent."
Ben's hand found Sif's shoulder as he continued, "Tell Heimdall to target Sakaar. It's a garbage world where constant fight makes survival... challenging. Perfect for someone who needs time to reconsider their life choices."
In the observatory, Heimdall's expression darkened as he realized he was being ordered by someone who clearly understood both Asgardian politics and space far better than any Midgardian should. Yet he could find no flaw in the suggested destination—Sakaar was indeed an ideal place for someone like Loki.
With grim resignation, Heimdall grasped the control mechanism that would activate the Rainbow Bridge's transportation protocols. The moment Ben achieved physical contact with Loki, the dimensional pathway would open.
On the battlefield, Ben abandoned all pretense of restraint. Among his ten transformations, Diamondhead might not possess the raw power of some alternatives, but his combination of offense, defense, and tactical flexibility made him arguably the most versatile combatant in his arsenal.
And if his goal was containment rather than destruction, he was practically unbeatable.
When Loki launched his next attack, Ben didn't dodge—he met it head-on. The Destroyer's massive hands clamped down on his crystalline body, servos groaning as they tried to crush him with force strong enough to shatter boulders. The pressure was immense, enough to grind stone to dust.
"Finally," Loki snarled through the armor. "This time I'll reduce you to component atoms!"
But even as the Destroyer's energy core began building toward another devastating discharge, Ben's body was undergoing rapid transformation. Crystal growths erupted from his feet and hands, spreading across the ground and up Loki's armor like living vines.
Within seconds, what had been a simple grapple became an elaborate crystal prison. Ben's molecular control allowed him to create structures with specific internal arrangements—formations that appeared delicate but possessed the structural integrity of diamond lattices.
"Let me go!" Loki's panic was evident as he realized his situation had shifted from advantage to trap. "Release me immediately!"
But Ben's crystalline embrace only tightened, his body continuing to grow and expand until both were enclosed within a mountain of living crystal that stretched toward the clouds. From the outside, the formation looked like abstract art—beautiful, alien, and utterly impenetrable.
Miles away, Director Fury and his search teams paused in their efforts to locate Thor, their attention drawn by the impossible sight of a crystal mountain materializing in the desert.
"Threat assessment just went to maximum," Fury muttered, his mind already calculating the implications. "If the Plumbers can reshape landscapes on this scale..."
But before he could complete the thought, the sky split open with rainbow fire.
The Rainbow Bridge descended from the heavens like the wrath of gods made manifest, its multicolored radiance beautiful and terrible in equal measure. When that force struck Ben's crystal fortress, the entire structure simply... vanished.
Not destroyed—transported. The distinction would have been academic to casual observers, but those with knowledge of Asgardian technology understood the difference. The Bridge had opened a pathway between worlds, carrying its targets across distances that defied conventional physics.
For several heartbeats, perfect silence reigned over the New Mexican desert. Then, gradually, the normal sounds of wind and distant civilization began to return.