All eyes were on New York.
Across the world, people watched through live broadcasts, satellite feeds, and shaky helicopter footage. No one dared look away.
Two monsters were about to collide.
On the shattered street, Thor's roar still echoed through the air.
Noah Vale barely reacted.
"You don't have to yell," he said calmly. "I can hear you just fine."
He studied Thor for a moment.
"You're Thor, right? The one from Norse mythology?"
A slight pause.
"So why exactly are you trying to kill me?"
Thor's grip tightened on his hammer.
"Your actions have brought destruction to countless people," he said, voice filled with fury. "I'm here to stop you."
Noah blinked.
"…That's it?"
Then he laughed.
"Right. Of course."
He almost forgot what kind of world this was.
Of course someone like Thor would show up eventually.
Thor's expression darkened.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing," Noah said, waving a hand dismissively. "If you're here to fight, then fight."
He tilted his head slightly.
"I'll even let you go first."
That was the last straw.
Thor slammed his foot into the ground, lightning crashing down from the sky and wrapping around his hammer.
The air trembled.
Energy surged.
He swung—
But before the attack could land—
Noah moved.
In an instant, he crossed the distance between them.
A hand shot out—
And grabbed Thor by the face.
For a split second, their eyes met.
Noah's expression held a faint, mocking smile.
Then—
BOOM.
Thor's entire body was driven straight into the ground.
Noah didn't stop.
His grip tightened as he dragged Thor forward, brute force tearing through the street beneath them.
The ground split open.
Buildings shook.
A massive trench carved its way across the city—
Dozens of meters wide.
Miles long.
From above, it looked like someone had taken a blade and ripped straight through New York.
And Noah wasn't done.
He turned.
Dragged Thor back the other way.
Again.
And again.
The city trembled under the repeated impact.
Each pass deepened the destruction.
Back in the command center, Tony Stark stared at the feed in silence.
"…And he's still not at the next level?" he muttered.
If this was what Noah could do now—
What came after?
After several brutal passes, Noah finally stopped.
He lifted Thor by the throat, holding him in place.
Thor's armor was gone.
His body was broken.
Bones shattered.
Skin torn open.
He looked barely alive.
Noah snapped his fingers.
Portals opened.
A dozen of them, surrounding the area in a loose circle.
Golden sparks crackled at their edges.
Noah tilted his head slightly.
"You enjoy playing hero?"
Thor didn't respond.
He couldn't.
Noah didn't care.
He kicked.
Thor's body shot into one portal—
And instantly came flying out of another.
Noah kicked again.
And again.
And again.
The portals formed a loop.
Every impact sent Thor flying—only for him to be thrown back into range.
To everyone watching—
It looked like Thor had become nothing more than a ball.
Bouncing.
Breaking.
Over and over.
The impacts came faster.
Dozens per second.
Then hundreds.
Three seconds later—
Thor hit the ground.
Hard.
He didn't move.
Noah stood still, lowering his leg.
Then he turned his head slightly.
His gaze locked onto one of the distant helicopters.
Through the camera—
Through the screen—
It felt like he was looking directly at everyone watching.
A warning.
Across the world, people froze.
Even those far from New York felt it.
A chill.
A sense of dread.
Noah looked back at Thor.
"Huh," he said lightly. "Still alive. Not bad."
Dust settled.
Revealing the broken figure lying in the crater.
Thor's body was ruined.
Barely holding together.
Noah stepped forward.
Slowly.
Each step echoed.
Thor saw him coming.
And for the first time—
Fear replaced anger.
He tried to move.
Tried to crawl away.
Even with his body destroyed, he forced himself to inch backward.
Noah stopped in front of him.
"Oh, now you're scared?"
He smiled faintly.
Thor's voice was barely a whisper.
"…I'm done."
A pause.
"…Please."
Noah raised his foot.
"I'm not."
Before it could fall—
A beam of light descended from the sky.
Brilliant.
Multicolored.
The Bifrost.
It enveloped Thor completely.
Lifting him upward.
Noah watched, expression unchanged.
"So you're running."
He didn't move to stop it.
Within seconds—
Thor vanished.
The light faded.
The storm began to settle.
Noah stood alone in the ruined street.
Then he smiled.
"No one gets away from me."