Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Spirit of Sacrifice

Thor sprinted forward, his mortal form betraying not a hint of fear. The resolve to sacrifice himself for others steadily rose within his heart.

Sensing the god’s determination, the Hammer of Thunder began to tremble softly.

Arriving at the scene, Thor saw that it was Michael who was locked in battle with the Destroyer. Shield of sorcery in hand, Michael fended off the searing beams.

This couldn't go on. The creature’s energy seemed inexhaustible.

Michael felt as though he was being steamed alive. The very air around him warped with heat, and each breath burned his lungs.

The Destroyer appeared to have only one attack—its high-temperature ray—but the power behind it was seemingly endless. Who could possibly withstand that?

Michael conjured mirror images, sending his double to continue blocking the rays while his true self cast the Mirror Dimension, attempting to trap the Destroyer within.

But the Destroyer, unlike those four simpletons before, sensed danger as the Mirror Dimension approached. It redirected its ray toward the dimension, shattering it instantly.

The sound of breaking glass rang out—the Mirror Dimension had been forcibly closed.

What was that about? Michael was momentarily at a loss.

He quickly collected himself. After all, this was Odin’s ultimate weapon. If it could be subdued by a mere mirror trick, it would hardly be worthy of legend.

Opening a portal, the Black Phantom teleported to Michael’s side, merging with him.

The Destroyer fired again. This time, Michael didn’t make the same mistake; he braced himself behind his magical shield.

Drawing a double-bladed axe, Michael teleported behind the Destroyer and brought the weapon down on its back, leaving a deep gash.

This axe belonged to Volstagg, one of the Three Warriors of the Palace, forged from Uru metal—strong enough to pierce even the Destroyer’s defenses.

Through the split, Michael glimpsed the inside: a mass of flames and nothing more.

This creature was pure magic, unbound by the laws of physics.

The Destroyer’s head swiveled, arms rotating until its back became its front. It reached out to grab Michael.

With another teleport, Michael appeared behind it and swung the axe at the back of its knee, forcing the Destroyer to kneel.

Seizing the moment, Michael teleported above its head and struck with the axe, cleaving open the top of its skull.

“That’s it! Well done!” Thor watched from the side, his excitement barely contained, longing to join the fray himself.

But Michael frowned.

He noticed that the Destroyer’s energy hadn’t diminished in the slightest.

In moments, the warped Uru metal restored itself, and the Destroyer swung a fist at Michael.

Michael soared into the sky as the Destroyer stood and unleashed another beam of searing energy.

Dodging in midair, Michael pondered his strategy.

Keisha spoke: “That thing may look like mere iron, but what powers it is the energy of Odin and the gods. The metal shell is just a vessel; only powerful magic can truly destroy it.”

“I see,” Michael thought. Breaking the shell was useless unless the core within could be destroyed.

But how?

White magic excelled at defense. Even with illusions, telekinesis, and spatial spells, its offensive power was limited—meant to counter dark magic rather than obliterate foes outright.

Look at Doctor Strange: all his dazzling tricks, and against Thanos, they amounted to little more than a display—less effective than Iron Man’s hammer blow.

At this moment, Michael found himself missing Thor’s hammer. Sometimes, a blunt instrument was just what you needed.

Eighty for the big hammer, forty for the small.

Michael circled the Destroyer, deftly avoiding its attacks.

The Destroyer’s head spun relentlessly, a continuous torrent of heat rays.

Suddenly, an idea sparked in Michael’s mind. He accelerated, using telekinesis to gather the surrounding winds into a tempest.

Loki, controlling the Destroyer, realized this wasn’t working. He stopped wasting time and switched targets—attacking Thor instead.

A searing ray shot toward Thor but missed, perhaps out of pity.

The blast sent Thor tumbling, face first into the dirt.

Spitting out soil, Thor summoned his courage and stood before the Destroyer.

“Loki, I know you can hear me.”

“No matter how I may have wronged you, no matter what I did to make you this way, these people are innocent. Killing them serves you no good. Kill me, and let it end here.”

In that moment, Thor finally possessed the bearing and mercy of a true king, willing to lay down his life for his people. No longer the reckless youth craving the glory of war, he had become a worthy sovereign.

Loki, watching Thor, hesitated. The rage in the Destroyer’s eyes faded, and its rays ceased. It seemed he was ready to let go.

Just as Thor breathed a sigh of relief, the Destroyer struck him with a mighty blow, sending him flying.

As a mortal, Thor’s body was only three times that of a normal man—hardly enough to withstand such force. He crashed to the ground and lost consciousness.

Far away in Asgard, Odin felt what had transpired. Tears of sorrow rolled down his cheeks.

With Thor fallen, the Destroyer turned its gaze back to Michael.

By now, Michael had finished storing energy. With a fierce whirlwind conjured by his telekinesis, he hurled Volstagg’s axe, transforming the tornado into a spinning blade that shot toward the Destroyer.

The Destroyer fired its ray again, but this time, it was useless.

The tremendous pressure of the storm scattered the heat, and with irresistible might, the wind blade struck the Destroyer’s head, cleaving its upper half in two.

Deprived of magical protection, the remains were shredded by the wind’s fury.

Seeing the Destroyer utterly destroyed, Michael hurried to gather its remnants.

This was Uru metal, after all. Even melted down and recast, it surpassed carbonadium.

Sensing Thor’s peril and resolve, the Hammer of Thunder grew restless, magic energy spilling forth and setting off SHIELD’s alarms.

Before the astonished eyes of all, the Hammer soared away.

Soon, it arrived at Thor’s side.

In that instant, the God of Thunder returned, his armor forming around him.

“Where’s the Destroyer?” Thor asked in astonishment, glancing around at the devastation, unsure what had become of it.

Michael finally understood what made one worthy of lifting the Hammer of Thunder.

It was the spirit of sacrifice—the resolve to protect others, even at the cost of one’s own life.

Thor had decided to lay down his life for his people, awakening the mercy of a true ruler and moving the Hammer of Thunder.

Steve Rogers, too, was ready to sacrifice himself in the final battle. The serum only made his heart purer, earning the Hammer’s recognition.

Leaping on a grenade, crashing a plane into the sea—these were acts of self-sacrifice for the greater good.

So it was with Thor. No longer did he seek glory or conquest; he wished only to defend his people with his life.

This was what Odin wanted him to understand: only a merciful king willing to protect his people was worthy to be king of Asgard.