Jack forced himself not to blink in fear. Killing Intent Perception locked onto the spear aimed directly at his and Sif's chests. The Ten Rings on his arms flew out, slamming into the spear's flank before it could strike them.
The spear was knocked off course, brushing past Jack's side.
When it was over, Jack couldn't stop shaking.
Sif, her eyes still closed as she waited for death, felt everything—the trembling body and the slowly pounding heart of the terrified man beside her.
She opened her eyes and mocked him, "Overconfident fool."
Jack's mind was still spinning; he had been a hair's breadth away from death.
He hadn't been showing off by not dodging—he simply hadn't expected the Destroyer to target him at all. Every reaction he made was at his absolute limit. He had even been prepared to pull out a holy blessing potion and chug it the instant it appeared.
Thank the heavens he had kept the Ten Rings equipped; otherwise, he would have wasted a life for nothing.
He gently set down the tall, golden-haired, gorgeous Amazon in his arms and, without saying a word, charged straight at the Destroyer armor now entangled with the Warriors Three.
Watching from afar, Tony broke out in a cold sweat—he had nearly lost a friend.
But when the silver titan was punched flying by Jack, Tony figured backup wouldn't be needed after all.
On the battlefield, the Warriors Three rubbed their eyes in disbelief as Jack single-handedly battered the Destroyer away.
All three of them had been taken down with a single punch earlier. Jack, however, had sent the Destroyer flying hundreds of meters out of town with just a few swings.
Volstagg clutched his aching back as he climbed to his feet. "I think… he can handle it alone."
The other two nodded in agreement.
Sif and Thor were equally stunned. They knew the strength of the Warriors Three—even Thor himself had to work hard to subdue them. Watching Jack overpower the machine that had crushed the trio was deeply unsettling.
Daisy exclaimed, "Wow—he's like a war god."
Receiving the Destroyer's feedback, Loki rubbed his temples. This one was trouble.
He poured more magic into the Destroyer. It fought harder, but was still tossed around by blows carrying hundreds of tons of force.
After five minutes of merciless pounding, Jack's anger gradually cooled.
He would settle things with Loki later. If this dragged on, Odin might actually be killed by Laufey—anything could happen in the multiverse.
If Odin died now, the consequences would be more than Jack could handle.
Especially if Hela appeared—Earth would be completely screwed.
Jack slowly eased his assault and began deliberately taking hits.
Seeing this, Loki assumed Jack was exhausted and poured in even more magic, determined to finish the Midgardian.
Jack deliberately sold an opening and was blasted more than a hundred meters away.
Loki seized the chance, unleashing the maximum energy he could muster. The orange-yellow beam turned incandescent red, its readings spiking toward detonation.
Jack raised the Ten Rings in front of him. He was ready to transform into Red Hulk if necessary, but the rings proved stronger than expected, spinning into a shield that blocked the blast.
[System: Hey troll, speak up—was it you who sucked before?]
Seizing the right moment, Jack dropped the rings' defense and was blasted hundreds of meters back into town, crashing through a shop.
The Warriors Three rushed in to help, only to freeze as Jack flew past them.
They braced themselves immediately. Facing the Destroyer, merely surviving was the limit of their ability.
In the rubble, Daisy and Selvig rushed into the shop and found Jack lying among the debris, calmly spectating while chewing on a strip of gummy candy.
"Boss, you okay?" Selvig asked—purely out of habit, since Jack looked perfectly fine.
JARVIS had already reported to Tony: Jack was completely unharmed and had even shifted to a more comfortable position to watch the Warriors get beaten.
Tony dispatched several combat suits to assist them, but stayed back himself at Jack's request.
He was glad he did. Watching one armor melt under the Destroyer's beam, Tony knew he'd be dead in a single hit.
He flew over and sat down on Jack's upturned backside, joining him to watch the Destroyer fire dazzling energy beams.
"So their toughness comes from magic?" Tony asked.
Unbothered by Tony sitting on him—Jack oddly found the weight comfortable—he analyzed the fight. "Long-term exposure to magic grants resistance. The Destroyer hurts them less than it would us."
Tony nodded. "Makes sense. Still, I'd love to dissect a volunteer."
"Did you bring what I asked for?" Jack asked.
Tony clapped his hands. A large crate detached from a nearby armor and flew over.
"It's here. But what's it for? Whose house are we installing this monster in?"
Jack smiled faintly. "We'll need it in the future," and returned his attention to the fight.
Below, the battle reached its climax. Sif and the Warriors Three were overwhelmed and flung in four different directions.
After giving Jane a classic heroic farewell, Thor walked resolutely toward the Destroyer.
As expected, he delivered a heartfelt speech. The Destroyer's faceplates closed, and it turned away.
Thor smiled, touched. My brother still loves me.
The next second, the Destroyer spun around and smashed him dozens of meters away.
Jane ran to Thor's side, sobbing but wisely avoiding his injured head.
As Jane cried, the battered Thunder God drifted into unconsciousness.
Seeing Thor fall, Loki prepared to leave. He still had to deal with Laufey before Odin actually died—at least, in Loki's mind.
In Asgard, Odin watched from his Odinsleep chamber and shed a tear—perhaps the joy of a father finally seeing his son grow up.
Loki turned and ordered coldly, "Kill them all."
After that, he strode deeper into the palace, planning to kill Laufey, wipe out Jotunheim, and prove he was the rightful heir.
On Earth, the Destroyer turned once more, ready to carry out its final command: exterminate all life here.
JARVIS reported urgently, "Sir, an anomaly detected—Mjolnir is emitting massive energy spikes."
Before Tony could respond, Jack cut in, "JARVIS, get Jane away from Thor. If not, the hammer will smash her to death."
A speed-type armor rushed forward, braking just short of Jane—otherwise Hughie's girlfriend would've been pasted into the ground.
Ignoring Jane's protests, JARVIS obeyed and carried her away.
Barely three seconds later, Mjolnir flew into Thor's hand, lightning erupting outward in all directions.
Had Jane stayed, she would've ended up an Asgardian shish-kebab.
"Whoa—he's basically a living sparkler," Tony exclaimed. "Cape and all. Is he gonna fly?"
"Good guess," Jack replied. "It really does fly."
"It?" Tony frowned. "Shouldn't it be he?"
Jack replied firmly, "It. The hammer flies. It carries him."
Tony smirked. "Didn't expect the hammer to be the one on top."
Power restored, Thor looked himself over, gave Jane a thumbs-up, flashed his iconic grin, and vanished in a streak of lightning.
Still obeying its command, the Destroyer aimed at Thor's back.
Thor spun Mjolnir and took off, his restored divinity making him terrifyingly durable.
High above, he summoned a massive storm vortex. Lightning gathered as he unleashed his full power.
Mjolnir smashed through the Destroyer's beam and slammed into its armor.
The impact detonated with a violent shockwave that would've carved a crater through the town had it landed lower.
Watching the energy spike, Tony clicked his tongue. "Damn. Your cheap nephew's terrifying. Think you can keep him from going full cut-cock mode?"
Jack grinned. "Not me—but someone can. Now stop staring and collect those scraps."
Tony sent his suits to gather the Destroyer's remains.
Watching the footage, Sitwell froze in shock… then collapsed.
"The officer's scared to death!"
"Idiot—bag the fragments, not the officer!"
S.H.I.E.L.D. cleaned up quickly and retreated.
Thor celebrated with the Warriors Three, deliberately ignoring Sif's attempted hug.
Jack and Tony flew over. Jack handed Thor the large crate.
After Thor and Jane finished feeding each other grapes, Jack called him over.
"Thor, take this back and install it in the Heavenly Palace."
Thor hesitated, but Jack cut him off. "Life-saving equipment. Instructions inside. Don't let your guards fuck with it."
"Uncle… tell me," Thor pressed.
Jack replied lazily, "Ragnarok."
Thor went pale.
Jack turned to leave.
Thor grabbed his hand. "Uncle, come back with me. I'll make you a Prince."
Jack shook his head. "I'm staying on Earth. And don't mention me to your father. Stay by his side—he doesn't have much time."
Thor trembled. "Father…?"
Jack patted his shoulder. "That's how Odinsleep works."
Thor carried the crate and departed.
He hugged Jane, spun Mjolnir, and soared off amid her screams.
The Warriors Three gathered as Thor called out, "Heimdall, take us home."
Silence.
Just then, Sif looked skyward. "Thor—look."
The Bifrost opened.
Heimdall had returned.
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