The instant the mushroom cloud rose into the sky, Senju Haruto's Susanoo expanded around the battlefield, enclosing Coulson and the others within its massive form to shield them from the devastating shockwave.
The entire temporary research base was obliterated by the aftershock of that single strike.
Every trace of life was erased — not a blade of grass left standing.
When the mushroom cloud finally began to fade, everything within a hundred-mile radius had been leveled to the ground.
Coulson stood frozen, mouth agape, unable to process what he was seeing.
Thor, Sif, and the Asgardian warriors, meanwhile, scattered in search of the Destroyer.
But all they found were scattered remains.
The indestructible Uru metal armor had been shattered — some pieces reduced entirely to dust by Haruto's power.
"Th-this is…"
Thor swallowed hard. The sheer might Haruto possessed was beyond comprehension.
Across all Nine Realms, only Odin at his peak might have been able to compare to him — and even that was uncertain.
When Haruto saw that the Destroyer had been completely annihilated, his towering form began to shrink back to normal, and Susanoo slowly faded from existence.
However, Haruto had no intention of returning the Destroyer's remains to Thor or anyone else.
With a flick of his fingers, a portal opened beneath the wreckage, and the remnants of Uru metal sank into it — teleported away to Wakanda.
He intended for Orochimaru to study and reforge the material.
With powerful enough enchantments, those Uru fragments could rival even Vibranium in usefulness.
And Haruto, after all, was the Supreme Sorcerer — the one most capable of harnessing their potential.
Before Thor or the others could react, the Uru metal was already gone.
"Let's go," Haruto said casually.
Thor blinked in confusion.
Go?
Go where?
Surely he didn't mean—
"Asgard?" he asked uncertainly.
"Isn't it obvious?" Haruto replied, giving Thor a sidelong glance as though the answer should have been self-evident.
"Loki caused quite a mess on Earth. Naturally, he has to face punishment."
Haruto added bluntly, "And you, right now, don't have the strength to deal with him, do you?"
In truth, Haruto wasn't particularly concerned about what Loki had done.
The Destroyer hadn't killed anyone.
At most, Hawkeye had been seriously injured and would need some time to recover.
Besides, Loki had already been dealt with once before.
Haruto held no grudge against him.
His real motivation was far simpler — he needed to go to Asgard to complete his next sign-in.
Thor hesitated before asking, "What do you plan to do with Loki?"
He paused for several seconds before continuing.
No matter how one looked at it, Loki had caused chaos in Midgard, and as the Supreme Sorcerer, Haruto had every right to intervene.
And honestly, if not for Haruto, Thor and his comrades might not have survived this day.
Asgard owed him a tremendous debt.
But Loki… Loki was his brother.
Though corrupted by ambition, Thor believed his heart wasn't truly evil.
With the right guidance, his brother could still be redeemed.
After all, if Odin hadn't cast Thor down to Midgard, he himself would still be the same arrogant fool he once was — a boy who sought to prove his worth through war.
If he could change, then so could Loki.
"That depends on his attitude," Haruto said after a brief pause.
"If he shows no remorse for what he's done… I won't hesitate to erase him from existence."
The words had barely left Haruto's lips when a column of seven-colored light descended from the heavens — the Bifrost Bridge, connecting Midgard and Asgard.
Heimdall, ever watchful, had been observing all along.
Though once dismissed from his duties for defying Loki's orders, Heimdall could reopen the Bifrost whenever he chose.
Now that Loki's reign had ended, his commands no longer held power.
Seeing the rainbow light descend, Haruto turned to Coulson and spoke briefly — telling him that the situation on Earth was settled and he could return to S.H.I.E.L.D. to report in.
Without waiting for a response, Haruto strode confidently into the Bifrost, vanishing in a flash of prismatic light bound for Asgard.
Thor and Sif exchanged a long look before following.
Neither dared stop him.
He was far too powerful, and they owed him too much.
All they could do now was hope Loki didn't make things worse when Haruto arrived.
"...Haa."
Thor exhaled deeply, the weight of it all pressing on him.
No matter what happened, Loki was still his brother.
Perhaps… he could plead on his behalf.
Turning, Thor looked toward Jane Foster.
By Asgardian law, he wasn't permitted to bring a mortal there.
As for Haruto — the Supreme Sorcerer hardly counted as "mortal."
"I'll come back for you," Thor told her softly.
He had come to understand his own shortcomings.
He no longer craved the throne of Asgard.
His father, Odin, was still alive and far better suited to rule the Nine Realms.
Thor had made up his mind — once Loki's matter was settled, he would return here, to Earth.
To grow old with Jane in the short but precious span of her human life.
Hearing that Thor was willing to give up his throne for her moved Jane deeply.
She stepped forward, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him passionately.
Sif frowned slightly at the sight.
She respected Jane's courage… but the scene still stirred something strange in her chest.
With a quiet sigh, she turned away, helping Fandral — still unconscious — toward the bridge.
The other Asgardian warriors followed her into the Bifrost, leaving the humans behind.
Coulson and Dr. Erik Selvig had no intention of going with them.
After what had just happened, they had no desire to witness another battle between gods.
Who knew what Loki might unleash next, cornered as he was?
When gods fought, mortals stayed far away — that was common sense.
After the long, lingering kiss, Thor reluctantly stepped back.
He gave Jane one last look before turning and walking into the Bifrost, his figure dissolving into light.
As soon as he disappeared, the bridge retracted, and the rainbow glow faded from the sky.
The sunlight that followed cast a lonely calm over the barren land.
Coulson sighed and shrugged helplessly.
The temporary base was in ruins; every vehicle, every communication device had been reduced to ash.
Judging by the size of the explosion, it would be a long, long time before any rescue team reached them.
"I should've asked Haruto to open a portal for us first…" Coulson muttered to himself, rubbing his temples.
"Looks like we'll have to rely on each other for now," Dr. Selvig said, extending his hand.
Coulson accepted it with a small smile.
He still didn't trust S.H.I.E.L.D. entirely, but with Thor involved, he doubted they'd be in any real danger.
At least, for now, their safety was guaranteed.