The facility was sealed from above by a massive dome made of translucent material, allowing pale daylight to filter down into the enormous structure. Several circular corridors surrounded the center of the installation, forming layered walkways that spiraled inward like rings around a target. Leon and Jean entered through one of these corridors, their footsteps echoing faintly in the cavernous space.
Wherever they walked, people moved aside.
Heavily armed soldiers stepped back against the railings. Scientists holding data tablets quietly retreated toward the walls. The crowd parted naturally, leaving a clear path ahead as though everyone had silently agreed not to stand in their way.
The atmosphere carried an unmistakable tension.
Leon wasn't surprised by this treatment. In the eyes of many intelligence agencies and senior officials around the world, he had already become something closer to a strategic deterrent than a normal person. His name alone was enough to make governments reconsider their actions carefully.
No one wanted unnecessary conflict with him.
Especially when no one yet understood the purpose of his sudden visit.
Agent Phil hurried along behind them, keeping a respectful distance as he began explaining the situation.
"This object first fell here three days ago," Phil said carefully. "We still have no idea where it originated. Our preliminary assumption is that it's some kind of extraterrestrial artifact."
He gestured toward the center of the facility while continuing.
"The material used to create the hammer has completely baffled our scientists. Every attempt at analysis has failed. It's a composition none of our labs have ever seen before."
Before approaching Leon earlier, Phil had already contacted headquarters for instructions. The response had been surprisingly straightforward.
If necessary, they could abandon the object entirely.
In S.H.I.E.L.D.'s internal evaluation, the hammer was certainly strange and potentially valuable, but it was not important enough to risk a direct confrontation with Leon.
Leon merely nodded slightly as he listened.
"There's no doubt about it," he said calmly. "It is indeed an extraterrestrial object. To be more precise, though, it's something from mythology."
Phil frowned slightly.
"Mythology?"
Leon glanced toward the center chamber.
"The weapon belongs to someone known in Norse mythology as Thor, the God of Thunder."
Phil stopped walking for a moment.
"That's impossible," he said instinctively.
Leon shrugged casually, clearly unconcerned whether Phil believed him or not.
"I already mentioned during my previous broadcast that intelligent life is widespread throughout the universe," he continued. "There are many powerful civilizations out there, some far beyond your imagination. Some of those beings even consider themselves gods."
He spoke in a calm, almost conversational tone.
"They possess extremely long lifespans and power that ordinary humans can barely comprehend. Compared to the scale of the universe, Earth is little more than a remote rural village."
Phil remained silent.
Leon glanced at him briefly before continuing.
"Your perspective is always limited to this planet. You barely recognize the dangers—or the opportunities—waiting in the vastness of space. But forget it. Explaining this to you is pointless."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"You people have always been short-sighted."
Phil's mouth twitched slightly.
Leon hadn't mentioned any names, but the meaning was obvious enough. Phil knew exactly which group Leon was referring to, yet he forced himself to maintain a neutral expression.
Arguing with Leon was the last thing he wanted to do.
The group soon reached the central chamber of the facility.
At the very center of the large open pit stood the object everyone had gathered to study.
Thor's hammer.
The surrounding ground had been excavated away, leaving only a thick column of compacted earth rising from the pit floor. The hammer was embedded in that column at a slight angle, as though it had struck the ground with tremendous force before coming to rest.
Both the hammer and the pillar beneath it remained firmly fixed in place.
Clearly, countless attempts had already been made to remove it.
Leon studied the scene quietly before asking a simple question.
"How many times have you tried to move it?"
Phil gave a helpless shrug.
"I've honestly lost count," he admitted. "Everyone in this base has taken a turn trying to lift it. None of them succeeded."
He gestured toward the equipment positioned nearby.
"We even tried using the largest crane available, but the machine couldn't budge it either. It's like the hammer weighs more than an entire building."
He paused briefly before adding, "It's… extremely strange."
Leon nodded calmly. Nothing about that result surprised him.
Then he turned toward Jean.
"Go ahead," he said. "Try lifting it."
The hammer carried a spell cast by Odin himself. Leon wasn't entirely sure how powerful the king of Asgard truly was, but anyone called the King of Gods certainly wouldn't be weak.
Jean didn't respond verbally.
Instead, her body slowly lifted into the air.
She floated down toward the center pit until she hovered beside the hammer. Reaching out with one hand, she grasped the handle firmly before tightening her grip.
Then she began to pull.
Under Leon's watchful gaze, the hammer didn't move even slightly.
Jean's brows gradually furrowed as she increased her strength. After a few seconds, she released the handle and hovered silently for a moment.
Then the atmosphere around her began to change.
Her eyes darkened.
A faint crimson aura slowly emerged around her body, swirling like smoke in the air.
Leon noticed the hammer tremble ever so slightly.
Jean's telekinetic power had begun to act directly on the weapon.
Then something unexpected happened.
The hammer, which had refused to move even a fraction earlier, suddenly rose into the air with a slow, trembling motion.
Jean's expression tightened.
The deeper her control reached, the heavier the burden clearly became. Fine lines appeared between her brows as she concentrated.
The hammer continued rising unsteadily.
One meter.
Two meters.
Three meters.
It hovered more than three meters above the ground, swaying faintly in the air as though barely maintaining its balance. The movement looked unstable, as if it might drop at any moment.
Leon narrowed his eyes slightly.
The next moment, exactly what he expected happened.
The hammer suddenly slipped free of Jean's telekinetic control.
"Boom!"
With a dull, heavy crash, it plummeted straight back down. The earthen pillar shattered instantly under the impact, collapsing into broken chunks of soil as the hammer buried itself deep into the ground.
Agent Phil stood frozen at the edge of the pit, staring in disbelief.
He had no knowledge of the enchantment placed upon the hammer. In his mind, the object was simply an impossibly dense piece of alien metal.
Seeing Jean lift it several meters into the air had already left him stunned.
Leon waved his hand casually.
The dirt covering the hammer suddenly split apart and slid to both sides of the pit as if pushed away by an invisible force. A moment later, the hammer lay exposed once again at the center of the crater.
Jean floated back to Leon's side.
She shook her head slightly.
"I can destroy it," she said calmly. "But I can't lift it."
Leon nodded thoughtfully.
Then he stepped down into the pit himself.
Walking across the broken soil, he approached the hammer and crouched beside it. His hand wrapped firmly around the handle before he applied a small amount of force.
Just as he expected, the hammer didn't move at all.
It felt less like lifting a weapon and more like trying to lift an entire building.
The weight was absurd.
"I don't believe this."
Leon tightened his grip.
Then he tensed his body and unleashed his full strength.
.....
Want to read ahead. Then Join my P@treon 60+ exclusive chapters that are waiting for you.
Free members can get 2 advanced chapters FOR FREE.
Link: ptreon.com/Lotus_Lover
Join Right Now