13

Early the following morning, the sky was filled with scorching sun and yellow sand, a typical scene in New Mexico. Victor, unaffected by the intense sunlight due to his lineage as a sun god, lounged comfortably on the roof while others sought shelter from its rays.

"Loki's up to something," Victor muttered, glancing knowingly at the sky. His status as a sun god afforded him insights, and he suspected Loki's gaze was fixed upon him from Asgard.

A colorful pillar of light suddenly pierced the sky near the town's outskirts. "Ah, the Three Warriors and Thor's fiancée have arrived," Victor remarked, removing his sunglasses with a playful smirk. He imagined Loki seething with anger; even as Asgard's representative, Loki struggled to command his followers' loyalty.

"Victor!!" Van Dahl, sharp-eyed, spotted Victor lounging on the roof and hurried the group towards him. Within minutes, everyone congregated at Dr. Eric's house.

"Why are you all here?" Thor greeted, embracing Van Dahl, the leader. "We've come to bring you back to Asgard," Van Dahl explained.

"But I may never return," Thor replied despondently. "I've lost my divine powers, and my father, the king, died because of me. I'm too ashamed to face them."

Thor had been informed the previous night by Loki, who revealed Odin's death and his own ascension to the throne.

"Are you sure Loki told you the truth?" Victor asked Thor incredulously, standing as living proof of Asgard's agents.

"Isn't it?" Thor replied, trusting Loki implicitly, a trait that often led to his deception.

"Thor, you've been misled. The Allfather is in a deep sleep, not dead," Van Dahl clarified urgently.

"Why would Loki do this?" Thor wondered naively, struggling to understand his brother's motives.

Suddenly, the rainbow bridge's light flashed outside, followed by an explosion. A colossal figure, the Destroyer, charged toward the town.

"I think I know why," Victor said, guiding everyone to the window. The Destroyer, Odin's ultimate weapon, had been unleashed, seemingly with the intent to annihilate them.

"It appears Loki means to use the Destroyer to kill us all," Victor declared, stepping outside. The Destroyer laid waste to the town, leaving destruction in its wake while the S.H.I.E.L.D. team stood powerless.

"Dear God!" Eric and his colleagues stood in shock, witnessing the devastation.

"Victor, how did you know Loki would betray us?" Thor asked, realizing Loki's intent to eliminate him for the throne.

Thor couldn't fathom why Victor, whom he had dismissed as a wastrel prince of Asgard, would side against him.

"Simply put, Loki is a Frost Troll's offspring. Do you think Odin would pass the throne to an outsider?" Victor revealed, no longer concealing the truth. He had underestimated Loki's desperation.

"Loki, how dare he!" Van Dahl exclaimed angrily.

"I've always considered Loki my brother," Thor mused naively.

"Don't dwell on it. Let's focus on stopping the Destroyer," Victor urged, leading efforts to evacuate civilians while the Immortal Palace's warriors engaged the Destroyer.

Meanwhile, Odin, observing helplessly from his slumber, lamented Loki's actions. "Loki, my son, why?" he mourned, unable to intervene.

Back in New Mexico's town square, Victor remained active, aiding Thor in evacuating civilians and pondering strategies to defeat the Destroyer without further collateral damage.

"Could the Flying Thunder God Technique work?" a sinister thought crossed Victor's mind. This plan could empower Thor without violating any rules.