Levi didn't call Tony.
He didn't notify S.H.I.E.L.D., either.
Instead, through an encrypted channel, he left a single anonymous message on Coulson's secure terminal within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s internal database.
"Keep your people back. Don't let them throw their lives away."
The moment the message was sent, Levi vanished from the top floor of Stark Tower.
…
Puente Antiguo, New Mexico.
The afternoon sun should have been lazy and warm.
Instead, an icy dread had frozen the town in place.
Panic spread like invisible wildfire.
A metallic giant over three meters tall strode down the town's only main street.
Its body was sleek yet menacing, forged from dark, gleaming metal that reflected sunlight with a cold sheen.
The Destroyer.
It did not move quickly—almost methodically—but each step carried immense force, leaving deep craters in the asphalt.
A pickup truck blocked its path.
With a casual swing of its arm, the one-ton vehicle was swatted aside like an empty soda can, tumbling through a storefront window in a cascade of shattered glass.
Sirens. Screams. Crying.
The townspeople scattered like disturbed ants.
Phil Coulson crouched behind a police cruiser, shouting hoarsely into his radio.
"All units—repeat, all units! Cease conventional engagement immediately! Evacuate civilians now! This is not a drill!"
Nearby agents leaned out, firing assault rifles at the towering machine.
Bullets struck its smooth armor and ricocheted uselessly, clinking harmlessly to the ground.
The Destroyer didn't even acknowledge them. It kept advancing.
Its objective was clear.
Coulson's back was drenched in sweat. He had seen strange things before—but not this kind of incomprehensible, absolute force.
A name flashed in his mind.
Anthony Chen.
And then—
That anonymous warning.
"Fall back!" Coulson ordered. "All personnel retreat beyond the safety perimeter!"
Staying would accomplish nothing except adding bodies to the street.
…
At the far end of town, Thor drove a battered pickup truck barely holding together. The truck bed was packed with terrified townsfolk. Jane Foster, Erik Selvig, and Darcy Lewis were squeezed into the cab.
"What is that thing?!" Jane's face was pale as she glanced in the rearview mirror.
"Loki sent it," Thor said grimly, knuckles white on the steering wheel. "He's come to kill me."
He swerved sharply, narrowly avoiding a slab of concrete hurled by the Destroyer.
Thor slammed the brakes, jumped out, and shoved a little girl out of harm's way.
"You have to go!" he shouted at Jane. "I'll hold it off!"
"Are you insane?!" Jane grabbed his arm. "You're just a man now! You'll die!"
"I am the only one who can stop this," Thor said, pulling free. "This began because of me. It ends with me."
He had no powers. No divine strength.
But he would not watch innocents die in his name.
Alone, he walked toward the metal colossus.
The Destroyer stopped.
Its smooth faceplate rotated open, revealing a hollow core glowing with molten orange energy.
It had identified its target.
"Brother!" Thor shouted into the scorching heat. "I know you can hear me! I know you hate me! Whatever wrong I've done—I am sorry! But these people are innocent! Spare them! You want me—here I am!"
He spread his arms.
Closed his eyes.
…
Asgard.
Loki sat upon Odin's throne, clad in black royal attire, Gungnir in hand. Through the Destroyer's vision, he watched Earth with cold detachment.
"How touching," Loki murmured. "Such brotherly devotion."
He raised the spear.
"Very well, dear brother."
He gave the command.
…
Earth.
The Destroyer's core flared.
A beam of searing energy erupted forth—aimed directly at Thor's chest.
"No—!" Jane screamed.
Coulson shut his eyes.
Just before impact—
A figure appeared.
Levi.
He stood before Thor and raised one hand.
[Spatial Curvature Barrier] activated.
The beam halted less than ten centimeters from his palm.
It writhed like a serpent striking invisible glass, twisting violently—but unable to advance even a fraction.
The air sizzled.
Time seemed to stop.
Everyone stared.
Coulson's agents froze mid-motion. Jane and Erik stood stunned.
Thor opened his eyes—staring at Levi's calm, unmoving back.
"Long time no see, God of Thunder," Levi said evenly. "Your Earth vacation seems eventful."
His fingers closed slightly.
The energy beam compressed inward, collapsing into a fist-sized sphere before popping out of existence like a burst soap bubble.
The Destroyer paused.
No protocol for this scenario.
It raised its massive arm and brought it down toward Levi's head.
Levi didn't even turn.
He lifted his other hand.
Boom.
The metallic fist met his palm.
Levi did not move.
Not even a crack formed beneath his feet.
A shockwave rippled outward, blasting dust and debris away.
"Decent strength," Levi commented mildly. "Still weaker than Hulk."
At the moment of contact—
New data entered his mind.
[S-Class Ability: Adaptive Armor]
Description: Absorbs incoming attack energy, analyzes attack patterns, rapidly generates high-strength defensive structures.
"Interesting," Levi thought. "Mine."
The Destroyer recalculated.
Threat level: Maximum.
Its arms transformed, splitting open into honeycomb-like energy cannons.
A storm of energy beams rained down.
Levi remained still.
Within one meter of him, space warped like rippling water.
Beams bent skyward, exploding harmlessly in clouds.
Others ricocheted into the ground, blasting craters.
Some simply vanished—redirected to unknown coordinates.
None touched him.
"Finished?" Levi asked, faintly bored. "My turn."
He stepped forward—
And vanished.
Reappearing above the Destroyer's head.
Golden lightning crackled around his clenched fist.
[Infinite Rage]
He brought it down.
Crack.
A crisp fracture echoed across the town.
A visible crack formed in the Destroyer's uru-forged helmet.
Then it spread—like a spiderweb—across its entire body.
Orange energy leaked from countless fissures.
Levi landed lightly beside Thor.
Behind him—
The Destroyer collapsed to its knees.
Its upper body exploded into fragments of twisted metal.
Silence blanketed the town.
Levi picked up a piece of the shattered faceplate and held it before Thor.
"In Asgard, this is considered a top-tier weapon, right?"
Thor swallowed and nodded faintly.
"It has no will. No soul. Only orders." Levi crushed the fragment in his hand like clay. "That's why it's fragile."
The metal crumpled effortlessly.
"You once possessed power far greater than this. But you used it for pride. For glory. What's the difference between you and it?"
Thor trembled.
The words shattered his last fragments of arrogance.
He looked at the ruined town.
The frightened civilians.
Jane's tear-streaked face.
The twisted scrap metal at his feet.
Shame flooded him.
He finally understood.
His father had not stripped his power away.
He had been unworthy of it.
At that exact moment—
Far away, in the crater once sealed by S.H.I.E.L.D., Mjolnir vibrated.
With a ringing hum, it launched skyward—breaking the sound barrier as it streaked toward the town.
Thor felt it instinctively.
He raised his hand.
Mjolnir arced through the sky and slammed perfectly into his palm.
"BOOM!"
A pillar of lightning descended from the heavens.
His mortal clothes disintegrated.
Silver-scaled armor formed around him.
A red cape unfurled behind.
Thor, God of Thunder, had returned.
Levi nodded slightly.
Not a wasted lecture after all.
He turned to leave.
"Wait!" Thor called.
There was no arrogance left in his eyes—only gratitude and respect.
"Who are you?"
Levi smiled faintly, not turning back.
"Just passing through."
His figure faded into nothingness.
Leaving Thor standing beneath the clearing sky—hammer in hand.
He knew he owed that man a great debt.
And his next destination—
Was Asgard.
To settle accounts with his brother.
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