S.H.I.E.L.D. demonstrated their superior operational efficiency, clearing the area at record speed.
In response, the people who had turned the place into a giant open-air party offered warm greetings to the agents' families and expressed their full compliance with orders.
"Everyone be advised... Adam has also arrived in your sector. Damn it, is this a coincidence?"
"We have even worse news. We couldn't track the strange rainbow that came from outer space, but we're certain it's closely connected to that hammer."
"Based on the analysis, we need to prepare ourselves. The gods who cut off contact with Earth thousands of years ago may be making their move again."
S.H.I.E.L.D. had access to all sorts of scattered intelligence. No matter how bizarre the situation, cross-referencing it with their database usually turned up some clues.
"The legendary Asgardians? The hammer of Thor?"
Coulson, racing toward the site in a helicopter, felt his hairline receding from stress. He was seriously worried he would end up the next Fury.
The appearance of the Bifrost and a weapon suspected to be Mjolnir had drawn the attention of many interested parties.
S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't the only powerful organization on Earth, and they weren't the only ones with records on the various pantheons.
When S.H.I.E.L.D. tried to establish a perimeter around Mjolnir, others worked just as hard to sabotage their efforts and prevent them from controlling the situation.
As more people tried... and failed... to lift the hammer, interest skyrocketed.
Maybe… the owner of the hammer really was that guy?
Amid the chaos, Thor arrived. No chariot, no warhorse, no radiant glory or dramatic entrance... just a pair of large feet pounding the ground at high speed.
In broad daylight, under countless watchful eyes both overt and covert, Thor regained his usual arrogance. Laughing wildly, he knocked out countless agents with single punches.
"Mjolnir! My hammer!!"
Even without his divine power, the blond warrior was ridiculously strong. Taking down highly trained agents was easier for him than bullying children.
Considering the average Asgardian civilian was roughly three times stronger than an ordinary human, Odin's son... with the blood of the All-Father... was on another level entirely. With nothing but his bare fists and feet, he could overpower a large group of superheroes.
A massive base filled with well-trained agents still couldn't stop a single man. Bodies littered the ground.
"So this is Thor, son of Odin? That reckless behavior, that arrogant disregard for everything... it's hard to believe this is a god who has lived for at least a thousand years."
Coulson arrived on scene and assessed the performance of Odin's son.
Aside from being an incredibly skilled and powerful fighter, there wasn't much else noteworthy about him.
Should they just let him approach the hammer? It felt like a waste. They had finally gotten a chance to study a mythical weapon, and they still hadn't unraveled the secret of why no one else could lift it.
"Director, he's already breached the second defensive line. What are your orders?" Hawkeye, the elite agent holding position, quietly drew his bow and aimed at Thor, awaiting Coulson's command.
Coulson hesitated, about to speak.
"Something else is coming in... moving extremely fast!" an agent monitoring the cameras shouted.
Everyone else turned to the feeds, their faces changing drastically.
They saw a massive figure barreling in. The hulking creature grabbed an agent and absorbed him completely in an instant using a single fleshy tendril.
"A Xenomorph?"
"It's a Deviant! A very powerful one!"
Coulson drew a sharp breath, his heart sinking. "Why the hell is this thing here? It should be hundreds of kilometers away, being chased by the Brotherhood!"
For a split second, Coulson suspected a trap, but he quickly dismissed the idea. It was either pure coincidence that the Deviant had passed through the area, or it had been drawn here specifically by Thor's arrival.
The footage confirmed the latter.
The incredibly strong Deviant, sprinting at high speed on two powerful legs, completely ignored Mjolnir and charged straight toward the far side of the camp... directly at Thor.
Anyone who tried to stop it along the way was absorbed instantly. There weren't even bodies left, let alone bones. The exaggerated absorption ability made Coulson's eyelids twitch in sheer horror.
"What the hell has Magneto been feeding this thing to make it grow this strong in such a short time?!" Coulson was both furious and alarmed. This was no longer a monster they could handle.
He called for backup without hesitation.
Fury fell silent for a long moment after receiving the report, then spoke in a heavy voice. "Dispatching agents from S.H.I.E.L.D. won't be fast enough. That Deviant will kill Thor first."
"If Thor dies, we'll all be in serious trouble. Who knows what the current situation in Asgard is like, or what attitude Odin will take?" Coulson said grimly.
Just thinking about the consequences made his heart race. They might need the entire planet to endure the All-Father's wrath.
Thor, completely unaware, focused all his attention on his hammer with pure joy.
"Hahaha! I found you, old friend!"
At over a thousand years old, Thor was still young by Asgardian standards. His voice boomed with excitement as he trembled with delight and charged toward his hammer.
Just a few more seconds. Reach the hammer, grab it, lift it, and he would regain his power and return to Asgard!
He didn't want to spend another second in this damned Midgard!
But those last dozen meters might as well have been an uncrossable chasm. The Deviant had already torn through the barriers and reached Thor first.
"What is this thing?"
Thor stopped in his tracks, every hair standing on end. His powerful combat instincts screamed in alarm.
It was strong. The black humanoid creature blocking his path was extremely strong... at least more than a powerless Thor could easily handle!
"Get out of my way. I don't care what you are... anyone who stands between the God of Thunder and his goal will die!" A flash of brutality shone in Thor's eyes. He had never been known for patience. If he could kill with his fists, he wouldn't waste words.
In the hundreds of years of his campaigns, even when offering surrender, he gave only one short demand. Refusal meant a hammer to the skull. There was never a second warning.
Thor assumed the creature was trying to stop him from reclaiming his hammer.
Another fool coveting divine power, he thought. All he had to do was get around it, grab the hammer…
And then there was no "then."
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