Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Destroyer Comes
A few of Loki's companions have arrived, and soon he will dispatch the Destroyer armor to hunt him down. Since his current power has not been sealed, Loki's main objective seems to be luring Thor to Earth to execute his plan.
Thor, who is familiar with the original timeline, knows that while Loki appears to betray Asgard and invite disaster, his true aim is not to kill Odin. Instead, Loki intends to use this scheme to eliminate Laufey and prove himself to Odin.
Laufey should have been dead a long time ago, and Thor has no intention of stopping him. He decides to let things play out.
…
S.H.I.E.L.D. acted swiftly and soon brought in several guests.
"Sif, Nebula, Minerva! It's great to see you all!" Thor exclaimed, hugging each of them warmly after a long absence.
"Oh, hell, let me tell you, Thor has changed. He's no longer the Thor who thought a real man should be a true warrior!" Fandral teased. "The most important thing to him used to be our brotherhood, always hugging us first!"
Thor laughed heartily and gave Fandral a friendly pat on the shoulder: "Who said the most important thing in the past was brotherhood? It was obviously the hammer!"
The three warriors glanced at Thor, who was currently empty-handed, then looked around until they spotted the hammer that Jane Foster was holding. Their eyes nearly popped out...
"Wow, you're willing to give such a precious hammer to a woman?" Fandral exclaimed, "You even dressed up as women for the hammer!"
The others burst into laughter, and Thor fumed: "Sif, take care of him!"
This is an embarrassing chapter from Thor's past, hard to explain in just a few words... better left unsaid!
…
Subsequently, some of Thor's companions updated him on Loki's scheme. Nebula and Minerva seemed determined to stay on Earth.
Their presence would inevitably be noticed by Loki, who would soon deploy the Destroyer armor.
Thor, not wanting the aftermath of the battle to damage the manor, decided to take Jane Foster with him to an open area in the suburbs where the Bifrost had appeared recently.
…
In the vast wilderness, a massive tornado storm formed within seconds, and a three-meter-high armor with a metallic sheen emerged slowly.
The Destroyer Armor!
In S.H.I.E.L.D.'s command headquarters and the military base, numerous screens displayed footage from drones.
The Destroyer raised its head and surveyed the area. Crimson light from the visor shot out in all directions like a volcanic eruption, accompanied by the sound of explosions.
The screen's image turned red momentarily, then shifted to a snowy white.
"Report! All drones near the target are destroyed!"
"Report! Satellite lost contact!"
…
"Dammit!!" Nick Fury slammed his hand on the table.
…
Thor was not surprised to see the Destroyer armor clear the area instantly. Loki's usual tactic is to sabotage monitoring efforts before committing a deed, and this is no exception.
Defeating the Destroyer is not difficult for him; Loki has not yet acquired full control, and its strength could be easily managed by Thor even in the original timeline, let alone now.
Sif, Nebula, and the three warriors readied their weapons. Natasha prepared her Widow's Bite, and Minerva drew a sniper rifle.
Thor turned to Jane Foster, whose eyes widened with surprise.
"You are the first assessment target. Cooperate with your teammates and destroy any part of its armor to pass the test."
After many days of training, Jane's strength has improved significantly, though she still lacks combat experience.
The Destroyer armor in front of her is a suitable challenge. With Thor observing from the sidelines and the support of Extremis, he is confident there will be no accidents.
"Me?" Jane asked, taken aback, but her expression soon hardened with determination.
"Yes!"
…