Chapter 14: Marvel 14
Max stared coldly at the battered Thor lying on the ground.
"Thor!" Jane screamed, rushing toward him, followed closely by her friends.
"Why didn't you help him?" Peter asked curiously. Even Phil looked at Max, puzzled. From what they had seen earlier, they understood that Max could have easily intervened to save Thor.
"If he can't even show me his true power, he can die for all I care," Max replied with an indifferent look in his eyes.
The Destroyer stood motionless for a moment, glancing at Max as if confused about why he hadn't stepped in to help.
"Well, this works in my favor," Loki thought from Asgard, smiling to himself as he directed the Destroyer to finish Thor off.
"Jane... go," Thor whispered, his voice weak as he lay broken on the ground.
"No, we can't leave you!" Jane sobbed, refusing to leave his side.
"Friend, you must go... it's here for me..." Thor muttered, struggling to speak.
"We're not leaving," Jane insisted, tears streaming down her face.
"Help us!" Erik pleaded with Max.
"Why should I?" Max asked, his expression unchanging.
"What?" Erik gasped in shock.
"He's dying! You could at least help him!" Kyle shouted angrily, standing beside Jane.
Max shrugged. "If he's someone who relies solely on a piece of equipment for his power, then he's already dead," he said coldly, stepping aside and allowing the Destroyer to advance on Thor.
The Destroyer approached Thor, its deadly steps reverberating across the battlefield. But as it loomed over the broken god, it suddenly stopped when it saw Jane crying over Thor's unconscious body.
"No..." Thor whispered, his eyes slowly closing.
Loki, watching from Asgard, began to turn away, satisfied. Victory was within his grasp.
Max, observing the scene, smirked. "Hmph, just like in the movie," he muttered under his breath.
Suddenly, lightning crackled across the sky, swirling around Thor's still body. Jane, still holding him, gasped as she saw the electric energy revitalizing him.
At that exact moment, Phil noticed something in the distance. The hammer, Mjölnir, which they had been rushing toward, suddenly flew off on its own, as if called by some invisible force.
Phil stood frozen in disbelief. "Where did the hammer go?" he wondered aloud, only to get his answer when he saw it streak through the air and land directly in Thor's hand.
With newfound strength, Thor rose, clutching Mjölnir tightly, his eyes blazing with lightning as he regained his full power.
The Destroyer turned around, its helmet opening as it charged up its destructive beam. But before it could fire, Thor leaped into action. Without giving it a chance, he struck the Destroyer's head with Mjölnir, causing it to stagger, the beam shooting off in a different direction. Thor followed up with another mighty blow, sending the Destroyer flying and crashing into the distance.
Thor then turned to Max, locking eyes with him for a moment. "Thank you for your... restraint," Thor said with a calm but appreciative tone.
"You're welcome," Max replied with a smile. "I would have loved to battle you and repay the favor, but Asgard needs me now. I have regained my power, and you've achieved your goal of seeing me wield it. I trust you can handle the Destroyer while I return to Asgard," Thor said, looking at Max expectantly.
"What do I get in return?" Max asked with a smirk.
"A fight with me," Thor replied confidently, his tone challenging yet respectful.
"I'll gladly take you up on that offer," Max's eyes widened, nodding with excitement.
Thor gave a small smile before turning to Jane. "I will return, Jane," he promised, his voice soft as he spoke to her. Then, with a mighty swing of Mjölnir, Thor flew off into the sky, leaving the battlefield behind, along with his friends.
As Thor soared through the sky, he shouted, "Heimdall!" waiting for the familiar pull of the Bifrost to take him back to Asgard. But nothing happened.
"Heimdall!" Thor called out again, louder this time, but still, no shimmering light from the Bifrost appeared.
Back on the ground, Peter watched Thor's futile calls with a puzzled expression. "What's he doing?"
"Beats me," Max replied casually, but his focus shifted to the Destroyer, which had turned its gaze back towards Thor, still on the ground.
"I'm going to take out that big hunk of metal," Max declared, a dark resolve in his voice as he began to walk towards the Destroyer. As he moved, the air around him darkened, a sinister energy radiating from him. Phil and the others could only watch in awe and apprehension as Max approached the towering enemy.
A black katana materialized in Max's hand, its blade seemed to absorb all the surrounding light, an otherworldly weapon that radiated raw power.
Max stopped at a distance from the Destroyer, leveling the katana at his eye level, holding it horizontally with its tip aimed directly at the massive automaton. He took a deep breath, and the darkness coiled tighter around him like a storm. "Night Sword Style..." Max whispered, the energy around him growing more intense.
Everyone watching barely had time to react. In one fluid motion, Max vanished from his spot. The next second, he was behind the Destroyer, his sword flashing in the moonlight.
"Dragon Claw..." Max's voice was calm but deadly as he whispered the technique. A second later, a dark slash of energy ripped through the air.
The Destroyer froze for a moment before its entire body split into multiple pieces. Dark, jagged lines of energy traced across its armor, and with a loud crash, it fell apart, disintegrating into blackened chunks of metal, scattered across the battlefield.
Everyone stared at Max in a mixture of fear and awe. He turned back toward the group, his expression calm as if nothing had happened. "Let's go back. There's nothing more to do here," Max said casually.
Peter nodded, still in shock from what he had just witnessed. As they began to walk away, Max flicked his wrist, summoning a sleek black card that materialized mid-air before landing directly at Jane's feet.
"By the way, here's our number," Max said without breaking stride. "Call us when Thor returns."
As they continued moving, Max waved his hand once more, and a dark shadow expanded under the Destroyer's scattered, cubed remains. The blackness engulfed the pieces entirely, leaving no trace of the Destroyer behind, as if it had never existed.
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