"Fight our way into Asgard?"
Thor had sounded utterly certain when trying to persuade Fenris, but now that the decision rested on his own shoulders, he fell silent.
"That's right. We storm Asgard, fight our way through anyone who stands against us, and take the Casket of Ancient Winters back from Loki."
Odin was in the Odinsleep. With Asgard's most powerful defender out of the picture, Fenris spoke with considerably more confidence.
He extended a hand, and Mjolnir rose from the ground in the distance before flying into his palm. Fenris placed it in front of Thor.
"Try it. See if you can lift it."
"Whew…"
Staring at the familiar hammer before him, Thor closed his eyes and slowly released a long breath.
Trying to stop Loki with the body of a mortal was nothing more than a fool's dream.
But if he could lift Mjolnir again and reclaim the power that had always belonged to him, then with Fenris's help, there was no challenge he would be afraid to face.
As Thor imagined Asgard being plunged into endless war under Loki's rule, his eyes snapped open. They shone with brilliant light and unparalleled confidence.
A faint current of electricity flickered across his body—so subtle that even Thor failed to notice it—before vanishing just as quickly.
Thor clenched his fists and looked at Mjolnir. Then, with solemn reverence, he wrapped both hands around its handle.
"Old friend, let us fight side by side once more."
The familiar feeling of the handle in his grasp brought an unconscious smile to Thor's face. He lowered himself into a half crouch, the muscles in his arms bulging as he exerted every ounce of strength in his body.
Fenris watched expectantly from beside him.
"Hrraah!"
Thor roared.
The runes carved into the hammer's head glowed faintly.
"It still won't move?!"
Veins bulged across Thor's forehead as he poured nearly all his strength into the attempt. Yet as the runes faded once more, Mjolnir remained as heavy as a mountain in his hands, refusing to budge even the slightest bit.
At last, Thor's strength gave out. He dropped heavily onto the ground, his face filled with dejection.
"No. I'm still not worthy of lifting the hammer."
"That's unfortunate."
Fenris shook his head, though he was not particularly surprised.
"Are you still going to Asgard?"
Thor stared silently at his now-feeble hands for a moment.
"I am!"
"Loki is about to destroy Asgard. It is my duty to stop him."
Glancing at the devastation around them and at his severely wounded friends, Thor seized Fenris by the arm and pulled him toward the edge of town.
"Come on. We'll go together."
"Wait."
Fenris pulled free and slowly walked over to Emma. He gave her a faint smile.
"Don't worry. I'll be back soon."
But Asgard was the realm of the gods. How could a mortal set foot there so casually?
They had already witnessed Odin's terrifying power for themselves…
Emma lowered her head and remained silent for a moment. Her lips moved several times, but in the end, she could not bring herself to ask him to stay.
"…All right."
"If anything happens, protect yourself first."
A faint fragrance washed over Fenris as a soft body collided with his chest. Feeling Emma's arms wrap tightly around him, the rigid line of his mouth finally curved into a slight smile for the first time since Wanda had been trapped.
Fenris gently patted Emma on the back, and the stiffness in his voice finally softened.
"Don't worry. With my current strength, as long as I don't encounter those particular few, it won't matter how many others come after me. They won't be able to do anything."
"Mm!"
Emma laughed as well.
She was the first to release him, taking a step back.
"But you just pushed your power beyond its limits…"
"I've already recovered most of it."
Fenris smiled and winked at her.
"Wait for the good news."
With that, he turned toward Wanda.
Even through the thick layer of ice, Wanda appeared to retain some awareness of the outside world. When she noticed Fenris looking at her, her eyes moved almost imperceptibly.
"Don't…"
"Wait for me."
Fenris pressed a hand against the ice. The bone-piercing cold made his palm throb with pain.
"Hold on a little longer. I'll get you out soon."
"Emil!"
Fenris suddenly called out toward the other side of the ruins.
"Yes, Boss."
Living and training alongside Fenris had caused Emil's strength to improve constantly.
His monstrous appearance was slowly receding, but in his Abomination form, he still stood nearly sixteen feet tall. He resembled a massive wall, his imposing presence almost suffocating.
He slowly rose and approached Fenris with heavy, thudding footsteps. Lowering himself into a crouch, he asked in his deep, booming voice, "What are your orders, Boss?"
"Protect them."
Fenris then pointed toward Johnny, Sif, and the others.
"And protect them too."
"I should be back soon. But Johnny has already lost the ability to fight. If Blackheart returns, don't let him draw you into a prolonged battle. You must wait for me."
"Understood!"
Emil never questioned anything Fenris told him. He nodded solemnly.
"Don't worry. I'm here."
"Even if it costs me my life, I won't let any of them get hurt."
"I'm counting on you."
After receiving Emil's promise, Fenris reassuringly patted him on his massive shoulder.
"Emma, I'll leave the compensation payments to you."
Fenris tossed a gleaming golden card to Emma, then turned and strode away.
"Let's go, Thor."
Mjolnir rose into the air and flew after Fenris.
Thor took one last, lingering look at Sif and his other injured friends. Gritting his teeth, he followed Fenris out.
Within the town, the clash between Fenris and Loki had affected nearly all of Puente Antiguo.
Under the blazing summer sun, virtually every building was now covered in a thick layer of frost.
The temperature throughout the town had plummeted. Although Loki had already departed, the region of unnatural cold showed no sign of dissipating. Scorching gusts occasionally blew in from the desert beyond the town, only to transform into howling, frigid winds within moments.
"Fortunately, you blocked all of his attacks. Otherwise, there would have been casualties."
Thor shivered in his thin clothes as he surveyed the town, which now resembled a frozen hellscape nearly indistinguishable from Jotunheim. A deep frown formed on his face.
"With the Casket of Ancient Winters in Loki's hands, who knows how many ordinary people would have been killed or injured?"
"To attack innocent civilians so ruthlessly… Loki has gone far too far."
"…"
Fenris stared at the frozen landscape around them without speaking.
This town in the middle of the desert was already remote enough, yet it had still been unable to escape the effects of a supernatural conflict. The homes where ordinary people lived their daily lives had been buried beneath ice and snow in the blink of an eye, and there had been absolutely nothing they could do to resist.
"Power…"
Fenris shifted his gaze and spotted a crowd several miles away that had been gathered together by S.H.I.E.L.D.
Even Hawkeye—Clint, whom Fenris had met before—had put down his bow and was now moving busily among the crowd, calming the terrified civilians.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had acted the moment it detected the abnormal energy readings, evacuating the civilians away from the center of the energy outbreak.
"Who are those people?" Thor asked curiously, following Fenris's gaze. "Midgard's guardians?"
"Some are good, and some are bad. But for now, they're doing a decent job."
S.H.I.E.L.D. was hardly peaceful on the inside. Hydra's influence moved beneath the surface like a hidden current, while Nick alone struggled to maneuver around it, obstructed at every turn.
Remembering how utterly overwhelmed the bald director had looked during their last few conversations, Fenris smiled.
"Come on, Thor."
(End of Chapter)
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