Chapter 49. Battle
A massive wave of golden energy erupted from Noah's bronze gauntlet, surging toward the Destroyer, gleaming in a radiant golden stream of light.
At the same time, a powerful beam of light shot out from Gungnir, clashing with Noah's energy wave. The collision caused a massive explosion, collapsing many of the already damaged buildings in the small town once again.
By now, due to their fight, many streets had been demolished, fires raged everywhere, and explosions tore through the town. The sounds of bursting electrical appliances added to the chaos.
Noah glanced around the destroyed town and realized that if they continued fighting here, there would be nothing left of it.
"Thor, let's move to the sky. We'll destroy the entire town if we keep this up."
"Alright!"
Thor nodded in agreement, and they both soared into the sky. Noah cast one last look at the burning town and at the Destroyer, standing amidst the flames, then swung his sword, sending several wind blades toward the enemy.
The Destroyer, holding Gungnir, imbued with Odin's power, deflected all the attacks. He looked up at his two opponents hovering in the air, bent his knees, and suddenly pushed off the ground, launching himself skyward. A massive crater remained in his wake.
The aerial battle began. Their speed was so fast that they tore through the sound barrier, creating sonic booms as they transformed into three streaks of light.
Noah, in black streaked with yellow lightning. Thor, in silver streaked with blue lightning. And the Destroyer, glowing gold. They clashed in the sky, producing deafening sounds.
The people on the ground watched the battle in awe. Tony Stark also took to the air. Though his speed lagged behind the three fighters, he managed to keep up. For the first time, Tony deployed his latest invention—an advanced chest cannon.
With Jarvis' assistance, he landed several precise hits on the Destroyer, disrupting it and allowing Thor and Noah to land extra blows.
Noah repeatedly used his bronze gauntlet, applying the Essence Flux (Ezreal's W) to the Destroyer, and then triggered it with Hextech Micro-Rockets, dealing significant damage.
After numerous clashes, the Destroyer's golden glow noticeably dimmed.
Noah, Thor, and the Destroyer came to a halt in the sky, preparing for the next phase of the fight.
Noah and Thor exchanged glances and nodded at each other. Thor raised his hammer, summoning lightning, which began to pour into Mjolnir.
Noah stored his Statikk Shiv into his inventory and gripped Manamune with both hands, significantly boosting his magical power. He began to draw the energy of the rune from his body and channel it into the sword, which started to glow with a silvery light.
The preparation didn't take long. As the Destroyer approached, Thor unleashed Mjolnir, wrapped in lightning, with a thunderous shout. The hammer flew straight toward the enemy.
Noah, having finished charging, released a pure white blade of energy that, like a silver crescent moon, tore through the air toward the Destroyer.
The two powerful attacks converged on the Destroyer, who, unwilling to retreat, turned into a golden beam of light and shot upward.
However, faced with the hammer and the blade, the golden light quickly faded. Mjolnir and the energy blade continued forward, striking the Destroyer and sending him crashing to the ground like a white meteor.
"Hm?"
Noah, glancing toward the spot where the Destroyer had fallen, realized things were taking a bad turn. He noticed a large group of people running toward the impact site.
"Damn it," Noah muttered, alarmed. He immediately increased his armor's power to maximum, activated "Ghost," and dashed toward the ground at full speed.
Nick Fury and his team were rushing to the Quinjet parked outside the town. Throughout their journey, Fury could hear the sounds of the battle overhead. Raising his head, he saw the golden light falling straight toward them.
"Danger! Everyone, get back!"
"Boom!!"
"Damn it!" Nick shouted, his eye widening in horror.
With a crash, the Destroyer slammed directly into the Quinjet, smashing it to pieces. The shockwave spread quickly, threatening the lives of everyone nearby.
Suddenly, a figure fell from the sky, and a massive shield enveloped them, protecting them from the deadly blast.
"Whew, just in time," it was Noah, who had rushed down at full speed and activated the Guardian from the Resolve Rune, deflecting the shockwave from the Destroyer's fall.
Nick Fury let out a sigh of relief, though looking back at the destroyed Quinjet, he felt a pang of pain. The cost of a single Quinjet exceeded 250 million dollars. But at least everyone was still alive.
Thor and Tony arrived shortly after. Thor immediately rushed to Jane, worried for her safety. Seeing Noah shielding everyone, he felt relieved.
Noah, still holding the shield, waved his hand to disperse the smoke around the Destroyer. As expected, it rose from the ruins once more, its golden glow even brighter. However, Noah noticed that its power was waning.
"Is this your last bit of strength? Then let me show you something." Noah summoned a rune, which appeared in his hand.
The rune immediately caught everyone's attention. Sensing its incredible power, Thor realized that this was a mighty artifact. Nick thought about its significance, understanding that this green stone played a key role in Noah's organization. Tony, unable to make sense of it, simply instructed Jarvis to record everything for further analysis.
With the rune's appearance, a surge of powerful magical energy began to emanate from it. The energies were not aggressive, but rather filled with vitality. All the ordinary people in the area began to absorb this energy slowly, even without realizing it. The rune slightly fortified their bodies.
Holding the rune, Noah began to float upward. This time, he wasn't flying due to his armor, but thanks to the rune's power. He started activating the rune. Although the Resolve Rune wasn't meant for offense, it possessed incredible strength.
It was the first time he was using the full power of the rune available to him at the moment.
The rune in his hand began to emit unparalleled magical might. To the surrounding onlookers, the space around Noah started to distort. The powers of Grasp of the Undying and Demolish began to concentrate in his hand.
Realizing that this was the final blow, the Destroyer gathered all of Odin's power into Gungnir and hurled it. The shining golden spear tore through the air toward Noah.
At that moment, Noah also released the accumulated energy of the rune. Green life energy surged wildly forward, shattering Gungnir into pieces. Without slowing down, it struck the Destroyer, piercing straight through him.
"Boom!"
The rune's power hit him, driving him into the ground. The earth around him began to melt from the rune's power, and then the energy started to penetrate deep into the ground. The soil trembled, cracks appeared, and green light seeped through. These cracks quickly spread, followed by a massive explosion, after which the ground began to collapse.
The earth beneath their feet resembled the epicenter of a small earthquake. Nick Fury and his team struggled to stay on their feet. Fortunately, the protective field surrounding them had not yet disappeared, and the dispersed energy waves couldn't reach them. However, the rising dust and sand limited visibility, with only the green glow piercing through the haze.
After some time, the dust settled, revealing an unimaginable sight. Where the Destroyer once stood, there was now a massive crater, and a kilometer-long fissure extended from it. It wasn't just a crack, but an entire canyon, splitting the earth. Looking at this scene, everyone was stunned and could hardly believe their eyes.
"What happened?" Phil Coulson whispered. It seemed as if a superweapon had been used here. It was hard to imagine that one man had caused this.
Nick was equally shocked. He realized that he had severely underestimated Noah and his organization.
Noah saw the shock on the faces of those around him and was pleased with the result. The World Rune truly lived up to its reputation as a power capable of destroying a world. Even the Resolve Rune, not meant for offense, had enormous might. He still couldn't fully control the rune's power and use it to its full potential. Imagining what would happen when he mastered the full power of the rune and obtained others, Noah realized that he could truly destroy the world.
"What power, Noah," Thor said, awestruck by what he had seen. He was happy for his friend, who wielded such strength. Furthermore, he confirmed that the Destroyer was completely obliterated.
"I need to go. I have to talk to Loki and figure out why he did this. Jane, I'll return."
Thor spoke resolutely. He had regained his strength and was ready to return to confront his brother and get the answers he needed.
"Wait, Thor. Can I go with you?" Noah suddenly asked.
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