Thor was sent flying again. Hmm? Why did it feel like I should say "again"?
As the most powerful Avenger, there was a sense of normalcy to Thor being knocked back. After Peter pulled Thor to his feet, the Prince of Thunder still looked completely relaxed, even finding the time to ask about the situation. "So, did you find what Loki is looking for?"
Peter checked the communication status. Just as the Captain had predicted, the signal here had been directly severed. While attempting to restore the connection, he replied to Thor, "Uh, we have a rough idea of what he's looking for, but we didn't find it."
"I don't understand, Spider-Man. Can you explain?"
Thor didn't quite grasp Peter's meaning as he reached out his hand to summon Mjolnir back. It seemed Thor had indeed encountered a formidable foe this time, enough to have his hammer knocked away. Though, as usual, he didn't seem particularly bothered by it.
"In the temple, we only found a statue of your father, Odin, which was enchanted with magic to make him look incredibly handsome. It seems your father hid what he actually wanted to conceal somewhere else."
As Peter explained, his Spider-Sense flared. His precognition told him a massive entity was approaching, though he still couldn't identify exactly what it was.
Thor was still curious about Peter's discovery, so Peter continued, "Then we found A.I.M. excavating the site, so we rounded them up. Their leader was... well, a bad guy, anyway. He claimed they were there to unearth the corpse of a Frost Giant."
"The corpse of a Frost Giant?!"
Thor shouted in surprise upon hearing this. After reacting quickly, he asked back in confusion, "Could it be Laufey's corpse? But that doesn't make sense. Why would Loki want to resurrect Laufey... but if it's not for resurrection, what would Malekith need Laufey's corpse for?"
For a moment, Thor couldn't fathom the abstract idea of Loki resurrecting Laufey to serve as a puppet for Malekith. Moreover, there was a more troublesome enemy to deal with right in front of them. Peter sensed the enemy's arrival instantly. Seeing Peter's reaction, Thor immediately moved to shield him, only to be struck heavily by a flail.
Peter watched with his own eyes as that flail actually knocked Thor flat. He then performed a rapid backflip to dodge the enemy's next strike. In that moment, Peter finally saw the foe emerging from the dense forest.
It was a bald, muscular man with a pointed head, wearing only a tank top and shorts. His clothes, like his body, had turned a pitch-black metallic color as he stepped out with a cruel grin.
"Ah, I thought I'd only get to kill one Avenger today. I didn't expect there'd be another."
"It's this villain. His body gives off the feeling of Uru alloy. But as far as I know, the Dwarves only ever created one construct made of pure Uru—the Destroyer."
Thor explained why this bald man with the pointed head felt so incomprehensible to him. Peter, however, was certain of one thing: Thor had likely never looked at the Raft Prison's escapee list.
"This guy is called the Absorbing Man. After being affected by gamma radiation, he gained the ability to transform his entire body into the matter he touches—but if I remember correctly, he shouldn't be able to control what he turns into."
In the 616 Universe, the Absorbing Man's powers were in an early stage; he became whatever he touched. This trait was why he had been defeated multiple times. But Peter was certain of one thing just now: the Absorbing Man had definitely not turned into wood or soil before switching back to Uru; he had maintained that state the entire time.
"Well... I met a very generous employer, so I can just—beat you to death!"
It wasn't just the Absorbing Man himself; his transformation ability could be applied to objects of a certain mass that he touched. For instance, the flail in his hand had also turned into Uru alloy. Peter didn't dare take a direct hit from that thing. Fortunately, Thor surged up and sent him flying with a strike of his hammer.
"So, this fellow is just a mobile hunk of Uru? Ha, that makes things simple. I hammered things like this plenty of times when I was a boy!"
Having understood the enemy's nature, Thor swung his hammer and engaged in a direct exchange of blows with the Absorbing Man. One used a hammer, the other a flail, battering each other relentlessly. The only difference was that Thor's hammer crackled with lightning.
However, Thor's physical durability clearly couldn't match the Absorbing Man's, and after a brief clash, he began to retreat. Peter's Spider-Sense was ringing constantly; his precognition allowed him to see through the Absorbing Man's movements, but the problem was that he couldn't break through the man's defense.
The latter had likely received help from the Enchantress, allowing him to control his state freely without changing randomly. Peter had to seize an opening, grabbing the Absorbing Man's arm with all his might to give Thor a chance to attack.
"I need your intuition, Spider-Man. What does the Web of Fate tell you?"
Thor asked as he knocked the Absorbing Man back with a hammer blow. Peter gave him a very grim answer: "Bad news. I can't see anything. This isn't normal."
"Magic!"
Thor, who had been pushed back by a strike from the flail, stood up and let out a roar at the Absorbing Man, who was preparing his next throw. "Enough! Villain!"
"What is it, blondie? Planning to beg for mercy?"
"No, I merely wanted to tell you that my hammer is also made of Uru."
The Absorbing Man bared his teeth in a laugh. "So?"
"So, I know very well how perfectly Uru alloy matches the power of Thor."
As Thor spoke, he began to laugh. The Absorbing Man's entire body involuntarily floated into the air. Just as Thor was about to lock the Absorbing Man down with his power, a bolt of lightning suddenly erupted from within the man's body, catching Thor completely off guard. Then, the Absorbing Man stood up, maintaining his form, and looked at Thor while speaking with the voice of another person.
"Hello, brother. You aren't the only one who knows how well Uru matches the power of Thor."
"Loki?!"
"Your divine power provided just the right energy for this soul-swapping spell, giving me a suitable body to send you on your way. Oh, and just like you, I've brought quite a few friends along."
Loki, controlling the Absorbing Man's body, let out a laugh. To his left, a green portal opened, and the Enchantress stepped out. To his right, a pitch-black storm came howling in.
"Come and welcome the King of the Wild Hunt, brother."
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