"Long time no see, guys!!"
Thor now wore his hair cropped short and neat. An eyepatch covered his right eye, making him look surprisingly similar to Nick Fury. Clad in armor and a crimson cape, he no longer carried Mjolnir. In its place was a massive, imposing battle axe.
Beside him stood Rocket and Groot. The three had successfully returned from Nidavellir.
"Thor?! What happened to you...?"
Steve stared at him in surprise. His appearance had changed dramatically, especially the missing eye.
"It's a long story, Steve. Didn't Bruce tell you?"
Thor seemed completely unconcerned. Stormbreaker had given him all the confidence he needed. Right now, he only wanted one thing—to tear off Thanos's head.
After listening to Thor's account, everyone finally learned what had happened.
"I never expected Loki to die saving you..."
Those who had dealt with Loki before couldn't help feeling a little emotional.
Loki had certainly hurt them. He had led the Chitauri invasion of Earth, devastated much of New York, and left countless families shattered.
From humanity's perspective, his crimes were unforgivable.
But aside from that, Loki had genuinely cared about the people of Asgard and his family.
The world was complicated. There were no absolute heroes, and likewise no absolute villains. Most people judged from their own point of view.
Of course, there were exceptions. Some people were simply born evil—and at that point, they could hardly be called human anymore.
"What about Valkyrie and the other half of the Asgardians? Where are they now?"
Bruce asked.
Their destination had always been Earth, but there had been no sign of the other ship. He couldn't help worrying about their safety.
"You mean they haven't arrived yet?"
Thor looked shocked.
Based on the planned travel time, Valkyrie should have reached Earth long ago.
Everyone exchanged confused looks. Karl was no exception.
The movies he had watched before transmigrating were no longer reliable. The timeline had diverged too much. The films never clearly showed when Valkyrie's ship reached Earth. By the time of Avengers: Endgame, they were already there, but no specific arrival date had ever been given.
Just then, Nick Fury's communicator and Shuri's voice sounded simultaneously.
"Director, an alien spacecraft has entered near-Earth orbit."
"Brother, a ship is about to enter the atmosphere."
Speak of the devil.
They had just been worrying about Valkyrie, and now the ship had arrived.
"I understand. Do not engage for now."
Nick Fury issued the order.
Meanwhile, T'Challa enlarged the holographic display.
A spacecraft was currently descending through the atmosphere.
Thor recognized it instantly.
It was the very ship they had used to evacuate from Asgard.
"It's Valkyrie and the others!"
Thor shouted excitedly.
At least his people had reached Earth safely without being attacked.
"Can anyone contact that ship? Tell them to come directly here."
T'Challa spoke up.
As King of Wakanda, he naturally had the final say regarding who could come. No one objected—not even Thor.
"I can."
Rocket pulled out a communicator.
It was standard equipment for the Guardians of the Galaxy, capable of connecting to communication networks across most of the universe.
After a bit of adjustment, Rocket tossed it to Thor.
"Valkyrie, is that you?"
Thor asked eagerly.
Bzzzt... Bzzzt...
"Th... Thor... We've arrived... at Earth... currently entering the atmosphere..."
Though the signal was intermittent, the voice undoubtedly belonged to Valkyrie.
"Valkyrie, track the communicator's location and come find me—"
Before Thor could finish—
BOOM!
An explosion erupted through the communicator.
At the same time, the holographic display showed the ship's engines detonating.
The entire vessel instantly lost power and began plummeting toward the ground.
"Valkyrie!!"
Thor roared.
Without hesitation, he raised Stormbreaker and shot into the sky.
The others looked up as well.
A blazing object streaked across the heavens like a meteor, dragging a long fiery tail behind it.
At the same moment, Karl, Tony, Rhodey, Pepper, and even Wanda—all those capable of flight—launched into the air and raced toward the falling ship.
Tony, Rhodey, and Pepper pushed their armor systems to maximum output.
Nanotechnology converged beneath their feet into massive thrusters, instantly breaking the sound barrier.
Karl and Strange were even faster.
The Cloak of Levitation propelled Strange at incredible speed, while Karl kept pace effortlessly, neither producing the sonic booms that accompanied the armored suits.
The two surged ahead of everyone else.
Then suddenly—
A streak of light descended from outer space.
It shot toward Valkyrie's ship, arriving before anyone else.
The glowing figure positioned itself beneath the vessel.
Gradually, the ship's descent slowed.
Its previously uncontrolled fall became increasingly stable.
Within the radiance appeared a woman clad in a red-and-blue suit.
A golden star gleamed on her chest.
Her blonde hair flowed behind her.
It was none other than Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers.
While in near-Earth orbit, she had already noticed the vessel.
Since she couldn't determine whether it was friend or foe, she had simply followed it.
When the engines exploded, she finally intervened.
Moments later, Karl and Strange arrived beside the ship.
Naturally, they noticed Carol.
Strange had no idea who she was.
Immediately, he became alert.
Mystic circles unfolded around him.
Countless magical sigils appeared, surrounding Carol from all directions.
Dangerous magical energy filled the air.
"I'd advise against that."
Carol's voice remained calm.
Supporting the massive spacecraft with ease, she slowly guided it downward.
The magical formations surrounding her didn't seem to concern her in the slightest.
Energy surged across her body.
Light shone from her eyes.
An immense pressure burst outward—a clear warning for Strange not to act rashly.
Strange hesitated.
After all, Carol was currently holding up an entire spacecraft.
Any fight could endanger everyone aboard.
"Carol Danvers, bring the ship with us. I'll take you to Nick Fury."
Karl spoke.
He knew exactly why Carol had come.
After all, Fury had sent her a signal.
"You know Nick Fury?"
The energy surrounding Carol subsided, shrinking to a thin layer around her body.
The overwhelming pressure disappeared as well.
"That's right. And I know who you are too."
Karl nodded.
Then he turned and flew back toward Wakanda.
At the same time, he signaled Strange to dismiss the surrounding spell formations.
Just then—
Thor arrived.
His entire body crackled with lightning.
Without a word, he swung Stormbreaker directly at Carol.
He had mistaken her for the one who sabotaged the ship.
There was no trace of restraint in his attack.
Thor transformed into a bolt of lightning.
Stormbreaker hummed with thunder as he charged straight toward her.
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