"Who... who exactly... are you?" Thor's voice was trembling.
This Mortal in front of him knew him even better than he knew himself. Those embarrassing incidents were being aired out one by one, as if the man had seen them with his own eyes.
No longer able to maintain his princely dignity, he grabbed Lin Huai's shoulders and shook him frantically, asking, "All-knowing sage, please tell me, how can I lift mjolnir?"
Lin Huai pushed him away and shook his head.
"It's not a matter of skill or strength, Thor. This is a trial given to you by Odin."
He had Thor sit down, then said calmly, "Odin wants you to understand what a king truly needs. You must learn humility and sacrifice. Only when you no longer fight for your own glory, but to protect others, will mjolnir recognize you again."
Lin Huai's gaze swept across Thor's bewildered face as he continued, "You've relied on that hammer for too long. You think you're the Thor, but you're not; you're just a God of Hammers. Your father, Odin, is still the Supreme of the Nine Realms even without Gungnir. But without mjolnir, you're just Thor—a brute with nothing but brute force, not the Thor at all."
These words were like a wake-up call.
Thor stood up, a light flashing in his eyes as if he had attained enlightenment. He fell into deep thought.
A moment later, he looked up and scratched his head earnestly.
"I'm sorry," he asked, "you spoke very well, but I didn't quite understand. Could you put it more simply?"
(╯°Д°)╯︵ ┻━┻
The smile on Lin Huai's face froze. He felt his temples throbbing.
"Pfft—Hahahaha!!!" Beside him, Tony Stark could no longer hold it in. He clutched his stomach, laughing so hard tears almost flew out. "Lin! I take back what I said before. This guy isn't just dim-witted; he doesn't have a brain at all! Hahaha! God of Hammers? That name is just too fitting!"
Although Thor didn't understand Lin Huai's grand principles, he could certainly understand being mocked. He glared at the bald man who was doubled over with laughter.
"Mortal! A Warrior's honor shall not be insulted!!!" Thor roared. "I want a duel with you, you detestable bald man!"
The word "bald" was like a needle that pricked Tony's sore spot.
The smile vanished from his face instantly, and his eyebrows twitched.
"Very well." Tony stood up and gave Coulson a cold smile while gesturing, "Bring me my suitcase."
Soon, an Agent pushed over a massive red suitcase.
"Since you're so eager for a beating," Tony walked to the suitcase and loosened his wrists, "then I'll oblige you."
He reached for the suitcase, and the casing swished upward, decomposing into dozens of independent mechanical parts. Several flexible mechanical arms popped out from the bottom, and with a precise sequence full of industrial beauty, they fitted red-and-gold armor plates onto Tony. With a series of metallic clicks as they locked into place, the Mark V Armor was fully donned, the faceplate closed, and the electronic eyes lit up.
"And that's not all," Tony's modified voice echoed from inside the armor.
He raised his right arm, and the armor plates on the outside of his forearm popped open, revealing a thick hammer handle. Simultaneously, the armor on his back opened, and a massive Tungsten steel hammerhead was pushed to his shoulder by a mechanical structure. Tony grabbed the handle and inserted it into the socket at the base of the hammerhead.
"Clank—Ching!"
The Warhammer was assembled.
"Come on, muscle boy," Tony boasted, hefting the hammer in his hand. "Let me show you that this bald... pfft... genius is also quite the hand with a hammer. Today, one of us has to end up on the ground!"
The outcome of the duel was a foregone conclusion.
Without his divine power, Thor facing a fully armed Iron Man was like a strongman going up against a tank. Tony didn't even use energy weapons; with just a few swings, parries, and strikes of the hammer, he quickly pinned Thor to the ground.
Lin Huai covered his face as he watched this one-sided beating. (－_－)
"Tony, that's enough," he said weakly, stopping Tony, who still wanted to settle the score.
He walked up to the bruised and defiant Thor and sighed.
"Those grand principles are indeed a bit difficult for you. First, figure out how to regain the hammer's recognition," Lin Huai said, pointing to the silent Steve Rogers nearby.
"Learn from him. He will tell you what humility and sacrifice mean."
Lin Huai gave Steve a wink.
Steve was taken aback, remembering the strange resonance and repulsion he felt when he touched the hammer last night. He nodded and, under everyone's confused gazes, led the way to the hammer in the center of the field.
He didn't rush to prove himself like Tony; he simply reached out calmly and grasped the handle of mjolnir.
Then, he gave it a light lift.
Everyone was stunned. Mjolnir, which even a crane couldn't lift, was easily pulled from the mud by Steve Rogers and held aloft.
"It feels... about the same as an ordinary hammer," Steve said, feeling its weight and sharing his impression. "I can just feel that it seems to be repelling me slightly."
No sooner had he finished speaking than he heard a gasp from the side.
Thor, the Prince of Asgard, was staring wide-eyed, his jaw nearly hitting the floor, pointing a trembling finger at Steve holding the hammer, unable to say a word for a long time.
∑( mouth ||
The expression on Steve's face when he lifted the hammer was also one of complete astonishment. He had imagined many possibilities, but he hadn't expected it to be so easy. The sense of repulsion from the hammer made him a bit uncomfortable, as if the weapon were urging him to put it down quickly.
He gently placed mjolnir back on the ground, and with a "thud," the hammer once again became one with the earth.
Thor's gaze moved from Steve's face to the hammer on the ground, and then back to Steve's face. His brain, which had been scorched by alcohol and ego, began its first real, painful contemplation.
He had lost to a Mortal in an iron shell, which made him angry. But seeing another Mortal—a soldier he could have easily bested in a fight just moments ago—effortlessly lift his soul, left him feeling an unprecedented, bone-deep confusion and panic.
Power, glory, and birthright... everything he had once taken pride in seemed utterly ridiculous at this moment.
He stumbled to the hammer, took a deep breath, and reached out once more... and failed again.
The hand that could once shake mountains couldn't move even a piece of Mortal iron now.
Thor didn't roar again. He just knelt beside the hammer and laughed. The laughter was low, filled with deep self-deprecation and desolation, eventually turning into silent sobs, his shoulders shaking violently.
This Prince of the God Realm, who had lived for fifteen hundred years, cried in the mud like a child for the first time.
Seeing this, Tony retracted his armor, his bald head looking a bit lonely under the lights. He wanted to say something but found any witty remark inappropriate. Steve silently walked over and patted Thor's shoulder, his eyes showing no pity, only the understanding of a fellow soldier who had been through it all.
"Alright, it seems the first lesson is over." Lin Huai broke the silence and walked to Steve's side. "Captain, the task of teaching this prince humility is in your hands. I believe no one is more suited to be this instructor than you."
Steve glanced at the dejected Thor and nodded solemnly, "I will do my best."