The Enchantress was in a partnership with Loki, so she knew better than anyone that Thor, the God of Thunder, had been outsmarted by Loki four months ago and banished to the Silent Realm.
That place possessed no sound whatsoever. Aside from black and white, no other colors existed there. Within its small space stood an active volcano that periodically erupted deadly gases capable of severely weakening the power of Asgardians.
Other than the outsider, Thor, the only living organisms in that realm were tangle-vines—plants capable of tightly binding any living creature that drew near.
"Impossible!"
In an apartment not far from Times Square, Loki—the God of Mischief, who possessed the body of a young husband—also suffered a drastic change in expression as he looked toward the East River.
After banishing Thor to the Silent Realm, he had provided no one with a way to rescue him. In fact, short of sacrificing Thor, there was no other way to release him.
Yet at this moment, black clouds loomed heavily over Manhattan's sky. Thunder rumbled, and lightning raged continuously. Everything indicated that Thor had not only been rescued, but was now right here in Midgard!
"Odin?" Loki's brow furrowed tightly. He did not believe anyone other than Odin possessed the ability to rescue Thor.
But the problem was...
Odin was currently asleep—undergoing the "Odinsleep."
Every so often, Odin, the All-Father, required a period of Odinsleep to help restore his Odinforce and extend his lifespan.
It was precisely by seizing this opportunity that Loki had been able to banish Thor, team up with the Enchantress to take control of Asgard, and even release the Frost Giants onto Midgard.
Apart from Odin, who else could have done this?
Loki had no time to think further. High in the sky, he caught sight of a dark figure appearing intermittently, illuminated by streaks of lightning piercing the horizon.
The figure was imposing and magnificently built. Even without being able to see the details of his body clear through the thousands of yards of thunder, an authoritative, awe-inspiring aura crushed down relentlessly.
"I don't believe it. I want to see for myself just who had the nerve and skill to rescue Thor."
Loki muttered to himself. He stopped observing from afar through the window, pushed open the door, took the elevator down, and walked slowly toward Times Square.
In any case, the body he currently occupied wasn't his real one—it was merely a vessel controlled by a phantom clone or projection of Loki.
He even reached into his pocket as he walked and pulled out a cell phone to dial a number:
"New York Police Department? I'd like to report a crime. A group of town-slaughtering criminals is currently at Times Square in Manhattan."
"That's right. It's that group of 'superheroes' you see on reporter Eddie Brock's live stream."
In Times Square, the Hulk didn't care about any thunder. He was trading blows back and forth with a Frost Giant.
Initially, the Hulk was at a disadvantage. But as time went on and the number of hits he took increased, his rage began to climb without end.
He gradually became able to hold his own against a Frost Giant, and was increasingly able to suppress his opponent.
The famous giant TV ad wall in Times Square was smashed to pieces by their battle. The combat scene between these two behemoths of drastically different sizes was no longer confined to the ground.
They smashed all the way into high-rise buildings, punching through thick load-bearing walls and reinforced concrete floor slabs.
As dust, paper, and wooden debris flew everywhere, electrical sparks flickered wildly from the destroyed circuitry inside the building.
None of this, however, could stop the brawl between the two monsters.
Before the thunder in the sky could rumble a few more times, a twenty-seven-story high-rise collapsed with a roar. Dust swept across Times Square, engulfing it in a chaotic, murky smog.
The sky was already dark due to the overcast clouds, and with dust taking over, visibility in Times Square instantly plummeted to its lowest point.
Eddie Brock, a reporter for the Daily Bugle, could not even see the view five meters ahead.
The dust rolled in with the shockwave, rising extremely high and enveloping even the Frost Giants within it.
Eddie Brock gritted his teeth. Seeing a barrage of dissatisfied comments appear on his phone's live stream, he gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, and charged headfirst straight into the dust cloud.
It was at this precise moment that the Frost Giants surrounding the superheroes raised their weapons in unison.
Frost clubs, giant axes, and sledgehammers—some three to five meters long—were raised high. The dust conveniently masked their actions.
The Frost Giants naturally noticed the rolling thunder in the sky, but unlike the Enchantress, they didn't stand frozen in place. Instead, they faithfully executed the orders they had previously received:
Namely, the order to beat these strongest individuals of Midgard to death on the spot.
At this time, the Hulk had just crawled out of the smashed building ruins, while the Frost Giant lay buried halfway in reinforced concrete, his fate unknown.
Looking at the thick smoke and dust, a flash of rage crossed the Hulk's face. He stomped one foot down hard, rooting himself firmly into the ground, and slammed both palms together violently in front of his chest.
Clap!
A howling gale erupted. The gust triggered by the Hulk's palm clap blew away the dust shrouding Times Square, taking Eddie Brock—the one with the weakest physical constitution—with it, sending him crashing several meters away.
Yet no one paid attention to Eddie Brock lying on the ground.
The Frost Giants surrounding the superheroes bulged with prominent muscles, swinging their arms downward with all their might.
Almost before the gale raised by the Hulk's palms could dissipate, the airwaves carved out by the Frost Giants' weapons descended.
Captain America's eyes widened. Brave against the biting wind, he leaped forward, raising his forearm to hold his circular shield above his head, attempting to block the Frost Giants' attack.
Ant-Man also grew massive once again, risking his life to catch a giant club.
Others with quick reactions either fled or held the front line.
However, even the Hulk needed his strength to explode after taking hits and getting enraged to knock down a single Frost Giant.
And right now, how many were surrounding the superheroes? Full dozens of them!
Ignoring the pain from his fall, Eddie Brock held up his carefully protected phone and aimed the camera at the superheroes.
Whatever was about to happen, he was going to record it. That was his job as a reporter.
Through the phone held by Eddie Brock, countless people around the world held their breath, watching the superheroes—who had just been fighting to the death against Hydra—about to perish.
In that split second, however, the imposing figure floating in the sky surrounded by thunder suddenly raised one hand high. A bolt of lightning shot from the short-handled hammer in his hand straight into the heavens.
Then, in less than a thousandth of a second, dozens of barrel-thick lightning bolts crashed down violently from the black clouds, slamming the Frost Giants into the earth.
More than a dozen pillars of lightning lasted for several seconds before dissipating. Electric sparks seemed to linger in the air, making the hair on the superheroes' arms stand on end.
Iron Man and the Latverian supervillains who relied on tech gear burst into sparks.
Evidently, even though they hadn't taken a direct hit from the lightning, their weapons and equipment were rendered completely useless under such terrifying electricity.
Following the lightning, Thor descended from the thunderclouds, swinging his short-handled hammer and plunging at extreme speed straight into the earth.
The Frost Giants were not dead; Thor, the God of Thunder, was diving underground to face them head-on.
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