Lucas's leg muscles suddenly bulged, and an invisible shockwave swept outward in all directions.
Even the steel-framed research shelter—designed to withstand a magnitude-7 earthquake—began to tremble violently under the pressure.
Coulson staggered back. If it weren't for his well-trained body, that single burst would have sent an ordinary person flying.
Even so, he could only retreat behind Clark.
Among everyone present, only this man stood firm—his feet planted like pillars, his body unmoved despite wave after wave of impact.
Crack!
The ground beneath Lucas's feet began to fracture. Even with Mjolnir's restraining influence, the overwhelming force shattered the earth, sending debris exploding outward.
Clang! Clatter!
Broken stones shot out like bullets.
Tony snapped his faceplate shut in alarm. The flying debris already carried power comparable to real gunfire.
Watching shards punch holes straight through reinforced plastic before vanishing, Coulson felt an intense surge of gratitude for hiding behind Clark earlier.
Yet despite all this—
Mjolnir, gripped firmly in Lucas's hands, did not move an inch.
"Interesting," Lucas murmured, a spark of excitement flashing in his eyes.
He knew exactly how much strength he had unleashed just now—easily enough to lift objects weighing over a hundred tons.
And yet, this small hammer remained immovable.
Lucas had no intention of backing down.
The surging aura around him erupted again—far more violent than before.
He knew that Odin had engraved divine runes and binding enchantments into Mjolnir. Any being that failed to meet the conditions would be unable to lift it.
But so what?
Lucas intended to lift it anyway.
As his aura shifted into a jet-like surge, every muscle in his body began to swell violently.
His height rapidly increased—from just over 1.9 meters to more than 2.1 meters in mere seconds. His frame expanded dramatically, as if inflated.
Terrifying power poured through his arms into the hammer's handle.
The already shattered ground beneath him exploded again.
Energy propagated through the earth's layers, colliding violently and triggering a quake measuring roughly 4.5 on the Richter scale.
Outside the base, researchers and armed personnel were thrown into confusion by the sudden tremor.
Moments later, Coulson's urgent orders rang through their earpieces, commanding immediate evacuation.
As Lucas continued releasing power, chunks of debris around him began to rise into the air.
Even Coulson—already at a safe distance—felt crushing pressure.
It wasn't just physical. Breathing became difficult. Movement felt sluggish.
JARVIS:
[Sir, atmospheric pressure is rising rapidly. Internal pressure adjustments have been completed. Please keep your faceplate sealed.]
[At the current rate, evacuation is recommended within six minutes.]
Tony immediately looked toward the only unprotected ordinary human nearby.
Clark sensed the danger as well. He grabbed Coulson—who was already close to suffocating—and vanished in a blur.
Two seconds later, Clark reappeared, leaving Coulson safely outside the danger zone.
Tony, meanwhile, remained in place, relying entirely on his Mark armor to endure the pressure.
"You should leave," Clark warned. "This could get dangerous."
"I'm fine—for now!" Tony replied stubbornly. There was no way he was missing this.
Thor watched intently, his hands clenched together, anticipation burning in his eyes.
BOOM!
Like a bomb detonating, the massive pressure difference caused the entire shelter enclosing Mjolnir to explode outward—just like a pressure cooker bursting open.
The sky was suddenly exposed.
Crack.
Mjolnir moved.
Thor's heart trembled violently.
But just as suddenly, the debris crashed back to the ground, and the pressure dissipated. Everything returned to normal.
"What happened?" Clark asked, confused.
Lucas released the hammer and frowned.
"I can lift it—but there's no need."
He continued calmly,
"Odin installed a failsafe inside the hammer. If I forcefully lift it, everyone here except you and Thor would be struck by the lightning energy inside."
He had clearly sensed it just now.
If he continued brute-forcing it, Mjolnir would essentially turn into a bomb—a devastating energy bomb.
That was Odin's safeguard: a deterrent against beings powerful enough to ignore worthiness.
Lucas himself wasn't afraid.
But dragging Tony and everyone else into that mess wasn't worth it.
"That's fine," Thor said, letting out a long breath. "It's normal that you can't lift it."
"Actually," Lucas said suddenly, "I do have a simple method."
An idea had just struck him.
He attempted to inject his own energy into the hammer.
The moment his energy touched the handle, it was violently repelled by a mysterious force.
"As expected," Lucas smiled.
He released the handle.
In the astonished gazes of everyone present, a semi-transparent energy field enveloped Mjolnir.
With a casual flick of his hand, the hammer began to tremble.
It tore free from the earth—
And slowly floated upward.
"What?!"
Thor and Tony stared in disbelief.
Mjolnir drifted into Lucas's palm and began rotating calmly in midair.
"NO—!!" Thor shouted. "That's impossible!"
Lucas shook his head and casually tossed the hammer back to the ground, ignoring Thor's expression—one that looked like he had just witnessed the ultimate betrayal.
"I cheated," Lucas explained. "I wrapped it in my energy. I never actually touched it."
"Cheated?" Clark asked.
"It's simple," Lucas said.
"If a person can't lift it, then something that isn't a person can. But that doesn't grant any of Mjolnir's power."
Tony frowned. "Then why couldn't I lift it? I used armor."
"Because Mjolnir recognizes your armor as an extension of yourself," Lucas replied.
"That makes no sense—your energy isn't you?" Tony shot back.
"My energy never touched the hammer directly," Lucas said with a shrug.
"There was compressed air and multiple energy layers in between."
"In short, it looks impressive—but it's useless."
"You didn't even hold the handle," Tony muttered.
"Exactly," Lucas nodded.
"The moment I grab the handle, Mjolnir identifies me."
Tony stared at the hammer. "That thing is way too intelligent."
Lucas glanced at Thor and smiled faintly.
"Don't underestimate the Asgardians. In some areas, they're far beyond your imagination."
At that moment, Clark stepped forward and stood in front of Mjolnir.
"Oh?" Lucas raised an eyebrow.
"You want to give it a try?"
_____
T/N:
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