Marvel - The Blood God

"Amazing!"

As the War Abomination and the Destroyer clashed, the onlookers were stunned. Even Tony Stark had to admit that the War Abomination was on a whole other level—beyond anything he could handle with his current armor.

Of course, Tony wouldn't just give up. He recognized that at the core of the War Abomination was hatred, not mere machinery.

"When did Midgard's mortals grow so strong?" Sif asked, astonished. "They can actually stand against the Destroyer?" The last time she visited Earth, humans knelt before her.

"Humans are tougher than we imagined," Thor agreed. "Still, this isn't the Destroyer's true power. If my father controlled it, its might would be dozens of times greater."

Tony rolled his eyes, but Maverick Cassain knew Thor was telling the truth. Loki simply couldn't bring out the Destroyer's real potential.

On the Bifrost, Loki observed everything and gritted his teeth. It seemed he couldn't kill Thor with the Destroyer. So he'd do something else: lure Laufey to Asgard, kill him there, then destroy Jotunheim with the Rainbow Bridge. Loki refused to be tied to that wretched realm.

Back on Earth, the War Abomination's performance satisfied the U.S. brass. A general remarked, "The $1.5 billion was well spent. The Osborn Group did good work."

Others nodded, pleased that the Osborn Group had given them a reliable control method for the War Abomination.

A gray-haired official suddenly said, "One War Abomination isn't enough."

They all nodded. "Not enough."

On the battlefield, the Destroyer knocked the War Abomination aside once again, but Maverick called out, "Don't just stand there! There's no guarantee it's stable. Help me finish this thing off!"

Tony snorted, "Things built by lunatics are never reliable," but joined in anyway. So did the others. They couldn't pierce the Destroyer's armor, but they could distract it. Soon, the Destroyer was on the defensive.

The trouble was that the Destroyer could heal itself. Without finding a way to stop that, it couldn't be destroyed. That was why Maverick hadn't used his vibranium spear at full force yet.

Maverick called out to Thor, "How do we finish this thing?"

"The Destroyer's healing depends on a divine power core," Thor replied. "Break that, and it's done."

"Where is it?" Maverick asked.

"It moves constantly," Thor answered, frustrated. "No mortal can sense it, and neither can I."

Maverick frowned. Would Thor have to regain his full might to handle this?

In Asgard, Odin sensed the stalemate and grew impatient. Thor needed to prove himself, yet humans were already forcing the Destroyer back. If this continued, when would Thor's moment come?

Odin considered increasing the Destroyer's power, but he felt a watchful gaze from Earth. The Ancient One. He let out a silent sigh and realized he couldn't push too far.

"Very well," he thought. It felt abrupt, but he had no choice. With a subtle gesture, he awakened Mjolnir.

On Earth, agents around Mjolnir gasped as the hammer trembled and shot into the sky, streaking toward Thor. Thor looked baffled as the hammer landed in his hand. Even Maverick was caught off guard. Why now? Thor hadn't made a grand sacrifice, yet the hammer returned.

Thor quickly understood Odin had deemed him worthy again. He shouted, "Father!" He raised Mjolnir, and in a flash of lightning, his armor and red cape returned. The mighty God of Thunder stood renewed.

Sif and the Warriors Three cheered. Maverick looked on, slightly puzzled, but accepted it. Thor had changed, grown more humble and caring since arriving on Earth. Perhaps Odin recognized that.

Thor grinned and launched into the sky, gathering thunderclouds. Lightning roiled, and the air grew heavy. The Destroyer fired its beam at Thor, who slammed Mjolnir forward, channeling a storm's worth of lightning back into the machine. The unstoppable surge found the divine core. With a deafening explosion, the Destroyer blew apart, flames and molten shards raining down.

Tony, too close, was blasted back. His battered armor peeled away as he tumbled hundreds of feet along the ground.

Maverick shouted to Frank and Ivan, "Gather every fragment! That metal is valuable. Don't miss a piece!"

High above, Odin grimaced. The Destroyer, his unique creation, was reduced to scrap. Still, there was no turning back now.

With the Destroyer gone, Thor heard Heidall's urgent voice in his mind. Loki had taken Laufey to Asgard to assassinate Odin. "Heidall!" Thor roared. "Send us back!" Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three gathered, and a rainbow beam whisked them away.

Before leaving, Thor called down, "Maverick, look after Jane! I'll return!"

Maverick nodded. "Go, and be swift."

As Thor vanished, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents rushed to secure what they could, but Maverick blocked them. Coulson hesitated. Maverick stated, "This metal belongs to Thor's lineage. He works for me, and by our agreement, I claim it."

Coulson sighed. "Understood, Mr. Cassain. May we have a few samples for research?"

"You won't learn much," Maverick replied. He turned to Tony, who crawled out of the twisted remains of his suit. Maverick gave him a small vial. "Drink this; it'll help the pain."

Tony downed it and felt relief. "Thanks. So that was the real Thor—and those Frost Giants…aliens?"

Maverick nodded. "They're from another realm. Our world is more complicated than we thought."

Tony frowned. "We can't rely on these so-called gods, can we?"

Maverick shook his head. "We shouldn't. We need to rely on ourselves."

Tony smirked. "Agreed."

…

Far away, Director Nick Fury and Ms. Carter watched footage of the battle. Fury said quietly, "Maverick once warned me: meeting Thor would show how risky it is to rely on others like that. He was right. We need our own symbols, our own strength."

Carter sighed. "What does this have to do with Steve?"

"Captain America is a symbol we need," Fury said. "Humanity needs heroes it can trust—ones that belong here."

Carter replied, "Steve belongs to himself."

Fury nodded. "True. But I hope you'll think about what's best for everyone."

He left Ms. Carter to her thoughts and stepped outside. He made a call to Alexander Pierce to discuss the Tesseract and humanity's preparations for the unknown challenges ahead.

At the same time, Hawkeye called. "Director, I've found Ulysses Klaue."

"Good work," Fury said. "Bring him in." If Wakanda's secrets were real, it could give humanity an edge.

…

By the time dawn approached, the military's main force had arrived, locking down the entire area around Amput. Troops were quickly deployed to track down the fleeing Frost Giants.

Maverick Cassain, however, was long gone, having departed on a private jet with the Uru metal in tow. The cleanup was left to Frank, who stayed behind to handle the aftermath.

As for Ivan and the War Abomination, they had left shortly after the battle concluded. There were some malfunctions—both with the armor and the War Abomination itself—which Ivan needed to address back at his lab.

Despite these minor setbacks, the War Abomination project was a clear success. The military brass were impressed, even dropping hints that they expected the Osborne Group to continue pushing forward with further developments.

"Uru metal is a magical material," Maverick mused to himself on the flight. "The only place capable of forging it properly is likely at Kamar-Taj."

His thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of his phone. The caller ID displayed the name Carter.

Carter didn't waste time on pleasantries. "Maverick, why did you tip off S.H.I.E.L.D. about Steve's location?"

Maverick didn't bother denying it. He asked in return, "Ms. Carter, do you believe S.H.I.E.L.D. deserves to exist?"

---

Want to read ahead? Support this work at [email protected]/OneSword