Just as Loki became completely disillusioned by Odin's favoritism and resolved to carry out his plan...
Far away on Earth.
An unprecedented battle was breaking out.
With all restrictions lifted and the Destroyer armor now free to act on its own, drawing upon Odin's past combat experiences as a reference, its combat ability had dramatically increased compared to when Loki controlled it.
Even when facing the massively enhanced Thor, the Destroyer fought on equal footing.
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"What's going on? How did the Destroyer suddenly become so much stronger?"
"That coward Loki, who always hides behind others during battles, when did he gain such combat skills and experience?"
On the ground, Sif's body was covered in wounds. She stared at the Destroyer, which was now visibly far stronger than when it fought her earlier. Her face was filled with confusion and disbelief.
Judging by the terrifying combat methods displayed by the Destroyer...
The way it fought her earlier was as if it was merely toying with her, not even bothering to exert its full strength.
Only when Thor's power was fully restored, and he returned gloriously, did the Destroyer start taking the battle seriously.
Were these combat techniques and skills really something that coward Loki could use?
Wait!
Did I ever truly understand Loki?
A hint of doubt flashed through Sif's mind, and she realized she had never really understood Loki at all.
Back then...
Loki was just Thor's shadow. Although he enjoyed pranks, he didn't seem evil.
He would never have done something like this—murdering former companions for the throne of Asgard.
He had never even shown the ambition to compete with Thor for the throne of Asgard.
If everything in the past was merely a facade Loki maintained, then how difficult would it be for him to hide his true strength?
Was Loki really just a master of magic?
"Perhaps, while we mocked him for hiding behind Thor during battles, he was secretly laughing at our foolishness."
Sif, who knew very little about the Destroyer's automatic combat capability, mistakenly attributed the Destroyer's sudden surge of power to Loki's cleverness and deep deception.
And this misunderstanding immediately caused Sif to feel a profound sense of dread toward Loki.
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Sif's thoughts...
Were completely unknown to Thor, who was currently fighting the Destroyer.
Instead, as the battle continued, Thor gradually mastered the surging thunder power within him and began to enjoy the fight.
"Good, I haven't had such a satisfying battle in a long time. But I think it's time to end all this."
Having gained a certain understanding of his greatly enhanced power...
Thor raised Mjolnir, which was spinning continuously, and soared into the sky.
As Mjolnir kept spinning in his hand...
A gigantic tornado instantly engulfed the Destroyer.
Under the force of the tornado's pull...
Even the tremendously heavy Destroyer, trapped within the tornado, found its feet lifted off the ground, its body slightly floating.
"Buzz!"
However, just as the tornado managed to lift the Destroyer off the ground, a destructive beam instantly shot toward the top of the tornado where Thor was generating it with Mjolnir.
"Perfect timing."
Thor, high up in the sky, showed no fear upon seeing the destructive beam. Instead, he swung Mjolnir and charged downward.
In the next instant, Mjolnir, wrapped in silver lightning, collided head-on with the crimson destructive beam.
"Crack... Crack..."
The collision between Mjolnir and the destructive beam didn't produce a deafening roar.
But beneath the deceptive silence, the destructive beam unleashed by the Destroyer's armor shattered inch by inch under the immense force of Mjolnir's strike.
However, just as Mjolnir was about to strike the Destroyer...
Thor's body, hidden behind Mjolnir, was suddenly punched hard by the Destroyer, sending him flying backward.
At the same time that Thor was launched away, the Destroyer's body, now hovering in the air, was also sent flying by the sheer force of Thor's strike with Mjolnir.
Boom!
Boom!
Both Thor and the Destroyer, blown away by each other's attacks, crashed to the ground, destroying several crumbling buildings upon impact.
Dust and debris filled the air.
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Meanwhile...
A single SUV, driving against the flow of the fleeing crowds from Poonce Town, roared through the air, speeding back to the town under the furious growl of its engine.
The moment the SUV returned to Poonce Town, a frantic Jane spotted Thor climbing out of the ruins.
Upon seeing Thor, Jane shouted in a panic, "Thor, stop fighting! The military has launched a cruise missile to bury that monster in Poonce Town once and for all. We have to go! If we don't leave now, it will be too late!"
"Cruise missile? What's that?"
Thor, who was preparing to resume his fight against the Destroyer, looked confused upon hearing the term.
It seemed he had no idea what a cruise missile even was.
Seeing Thor's bewildered expression, Jane paused, then immediately realized that as an "alien," Thor had no concept of what a cruise missile was.
Thinking quickly, Jane explained, "A cruise missile is a devastating weapon our country possesses. It can easily destroy all of Poonce Town, turning the entire town into a wasteland... In short, we have to leave now! If we stay here when the missile hits, we're both going to die."
Hearing Jane's description of a cruise missile, Thor's expression immediately became grim.
And not far away, Joker Eren, who had been watching the show, was momentarily stunned.
What the hell?
Are there still people alive in Poonce Town?
And under these circumstances, the federal military dares to launch a cruise missile to wipe out the town? That's ruthless!
"Damn."
"I can't wait any longer. If the cruise missile falls, I'll be the first to die."
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On the other side...
Just as Jane was trying to get Thor to leave the soon-to-be-destroyed town...
A crimson beam of destruction suddenly shot out from a pile of ruins, aiming directly at Jane's SUV.
"Watch out!"
Seeing the destructive beam aimed at the SUV, Thor's eyes flashed with fury as he swung Mjolnir to deflect the beam.
Barely managing to knock the destructive beam off course in his haste, Thor looked toward the Destroyer behind him and shook his head.
"If I don't deal with this thing, we're not getting out of here. Jane, take Sif and leave first. Once I've dealt with the Destroyer, I'll catch up to you..."
After saying this, Thor swung Mjolnir toward the Destroyer, which was emerging from the ruins.
At that moment.
A massive missile with a blazing tail streaked across the sky, rapidly appearing before Jane's eyes.
The moment she saw the missile, Jane's face turned as pale as a sheet, all color draining away.
"It's too late!"
Seeing Jane's expression, Thor quickly realized that the object appearing at the edge of the sky was the cruise missile Jane had been talking about. His face instantly darkened.
"Damn it!"
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Just as Thor was feeling a bit helpless.
A sigh suddenly echoed in his ear.
The next moment, Joker Eren emerged from a patch of still-burning flames on the street.
Deliberately using "Flame Leap" to appear in front of Thor, Joker Eren immediately shouted toward him, "Thor! Use your hammer to smash that thing in the sky! If you don't, we're all dead. As for the Destroyer, leave it to me!"
"It's you! Joker."
The moment he saw Joker Eren, Thor immediately remembered the Joker who had been his first friend on Earth.
And Jane, standing beside him, quickly recalled the familiar-looking Joker from the time she had seen him eating with Thor at the restaurant.
It's him.
After acknowledging this in her mind, Jane watched as Thor eagerly responded to Eren, "Alright, I'll handle the thing in the sky. I'll leave the Destroyer to you."
Without further ado, the red-caped Thor soared into the air.
Having learned from Jane just how terrifying the power of a cruise missile was, Thor had no intention of letting that deadly weapon reach Poonce Town.
He didn't mind getting hurt himself, but the injured Sif and Jane wouldn't be able to survive such a devastating weapon.
As for the Destroyer...
Thor trusted that Joker Eren, with his mysterious abilities, would be able to hold the Destroyer at bay.
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Seeing Thor rising into the sky alongside Mjolnir, Joker Eren couldn't help but curse aloud.
"You idiot! I told you to use Mjolnir to smash the cruise missile, not to fly up there and take it head-on with your own body! Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Before Joker Eren could even finish his rant, the Destroyer, seeing Thor taking off, began to glow red once again, preparing to shoot him down from the sky.
"Buzz..."
But just as the Destroyer was about to fire, Thor, who was supposed to be in mid-air, suddenly disappeared from its sight.
Fortunately, Thor's figure reappeared within the Destroyer's vision shortly after.
Momentarily confused, the Destroyer hesitated before finally firing its destructive beam at the Thor it saw.
"GOOD!"
Seeing the Destroyer fall for his illusion and blast a vulture out of the sky instead, Joker Eren finally let out a sigh of relief.
Although his abilities as a magician were powerful, they were nowhere near sufficient to go head-to-head with a killing machine like the Destroyer on a direct battlefield.
It was precisely because he saw the Destroyer being affected by the realistic illusion he created that Eren could relax a bit.
Since the Destroyer could be affected by realistic illusions, the next stage of the battle would be much easier.
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Meanwhile, Thor, who had just flown into the air and been scolded by Joker Eren, showed a hint of embarrassment before finally choosing to hurl Mjolnir toward the rapidly approaching cruise missile.
If the cruise missile's power was truly as terrifying as Jane described, it would be much better to strike it from a distance than trying to collide with it using his own body.
On the other side.
The Destroyer, having just successfully "killed" Thor, felt something was wrong within its hollow eyes.
The next moment.
A crimson ring of light suddenly rippled outward from the Destroyer's body.
Under the sweep of the red ring, the already unstable illusionary space around the Destroyer instantly shattered.
"Huh? The Destroyer has such an ability?"
Joker Eren, who had originally planned to deceive the Destroyer until Thor returned and dealt with it, was now forced to change his approach.
Creating a realistic illusion required considerable spiritual energy. If the Destroyer continued to emit those red rings several more times, Eren's spiritual energy would be exhausted.
"Hmm, it looks like I can't keep using realistic illusions. If I want to stop the Destroyer, it's going to take more effort."
Looking at the Destroyer now radiating a crimson glow, Joker Eren's mind raced, and he suddenly pulled out a nearly forgotten stone from his Greed Ring.
[Enhancement Stone: A special stone forged by Kelly from the Celestial Realm. It can unconditionally enhance a weapon once.]
[Effect: The Enhancement Stone contains a unique strengthening rule, but not every enhancement attempt is successful. If the enhancement fails, the force within the stone may instantly destroy the enhanced item. So, you understand...]
[Note: Enhancement is risky. Be cautious when forging. Young one, want to try your luck with an enhancement?]
After glancing at the stone in his hand, a wild and ridiculous idea suddenly sprang into Joker Eren's mind.
"Why not try enhancing this big guy with the stone?"
For some reason, the thought of using the Enhancement Stone on the Destroyer only continued to grow crazily in Eren's mind.
The Enhancement Stone's purpose wasn't limited to just enhancing weapons.
The higher the item's level, the lower the success rate of enhancement.
And as armor forged by Odin that once dominated the Nine Realms, the Destroyer's level was astronomically high.
When faced with such high-level magical items, with an already low enhancement success rate, this Enhancement Stone from the Celestial Realm could turn out to be the most lethal thing of all.
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(End of Chapter)
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