Late at night, the desert base was quiet except for the distant sound of wind sweeping across the sand.
Inside one of the temporary command tents, Ethan Voss sat calmly across from Professor Charles Xavier. Between them rested a small tea set, steam rising gently from the porcelain cups.
"Professor," Ethan said with a relaxed smile, "this is premium Longjing tea I had brought back from China. What do you think?"
Charles lifted the cup and took a small sip. The aroma lingered pleasantly as he set the cup down again.
"It's excellent," he said warmly.
But then his expression grew more serious.
"Mr. Voss," he continued, "what exactly are we here for? That hammer?"
As he spoke, he turned slightly and glanced toward the observation window outside the tent. In the distance, a massive crater carved into the desert floor held a single object at its center.
The hammer.
Ethan followed his gaze and smiled faintly.
"Professor," he said calmly, "do you remember the gods we once discussed?"
"They've arrived."
Charles paused for a moment, clearly surprised. He turned his eyes back toward the hammer in the crater, and a thoughtful look appeared on his face.
"If that hammer belongs to a god…" he murmured slowly, "then could it be…?"
Ethan grinned.
"The son of Odin."
"Thor."
Charles visibly shivered at the name. After a moment of silence, he spoke again, his voice quiet and cautious.
"The arrival of gods… what will that bring to humanity?"
"Disaster," Ethan said calmly.
"But also help."
He leaned back slightly and folded his hands.
"Many events are beyond our control. In the vast universe, Earth is nothing more than a small and fragile planet."
"All we can do is try our best."
Charles frowned slightly.
"Is there truly no other solution?"
"Not necessarily."
The professor immediately leaned forward.
"What solution?"
Ethan pointed casually at himself.
"Me."
Charles blinked.
"…What?"
Ethan shrugged.
"Or more accurately, the Kingdom of God."
He smiled.
"Now that you know this secret, Professor, you'll need to assist me wholeheartedly."
Then he added lightly, "And I have some good news."
"Tonight, you might get the chance to fight a god."
Charles stared at him in silence.
Before he could ask what exactly that meant, Storm stepped into the tent.
"The target has appeared," she reported.
"The show is starting."
Outside the base perimeter, a tall blond man struggled awkwardly with the barbed wire fence surrounding the facility.
Without his divine power, even a simple security barrier had become an obstacle.
Of course, he had no idea that every move he made was being carefully watched through surveillance cameras.
Just as he finally managed to climb over the fence, heavy rain suddenly began pouring from the sky as if the heavens themselves had chosen to conceal his intrusion.
Inside the monitoring room, Ethan watched the screens quietly.
Then he turned to Frank Castle.
"There should be a woman with a PhD traveling with him," Ethan said calmly. "Since the rain is so heavy, go find her and invite her inside."
Frank nodded and left immediately.
Ethan turned back to the monitor.
On the screen, the intruder had already slipped into the base.
Thor moved stealthily between structures, encountering almost no resistance.
The ease of his infiltration filled him with confidence.
Of course, he thought proudly, I am not only the greatest warrior of Asgard—I am clearly an excellent infiltrator as well.
Soon he reached the center of the crater.
There it was.
His hammer.
Thor's face lit up instantly.
At last.
He stepped forward and wrapped his hand around the handle.
Images filled his mind—lightning crashing from the sky, thunder shaking the battlefield, the glorious return of the mighty Asgardian god of war.
He pulled.
Nothing happened.
Thor blinked.
He pulled again.
The hammer didn't move an inch.
His confidence shattered instantly.
"No…"
Thor grabbed the handle with both hands and pulled with all his strength.
Still nothing.
"No… no… this isn't possible!"
His voice echoed across the rain-soaked desert as his composure collapsed.
Thor fell to his knees beside the hammer.
"Useless…" he muttered hoarsely. "I'm useless…"
"I'm nothing."
Within seconds, armed enhanced soldiers surrounded him.
Elsewhere inside the base, Storm handed Jane Foster a dry towel.
Ethan gestured toward a steaming cup of coffee sitting on the table.
"It's cold and wet outside," he said kindly. "You should warm up."
Jane Foster remained cautious.
"Why are you holding me here?" she asked.
Ethan smiled and pointed toward a pile of scientific equipment stacked neatly in the corner.
"You can take your equipment back now."
Jane froze.
"What?"
"You confiscated it earlier!"
Ethan shook his head.
"Miss Foster, allow me to clarify something."
"It wasn't us who took your equipment."
"It was an organization called S.H.I.E.L.D."
He sighed softly.
"They have little respect for civilian property."
"As for us, we're a justice alliance dedicated to protecting American citizens."
"I would never stoop to stealing from civilians."
Jane looked stunned.
"These instruments belong to you," Ethan continued calmly. "So naturally they should be returned to their rightful owner."
Jane blinked in disbelief.
"Then… what about S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Ethan sighed again.
"Oh, those people who confiscated your property?"
"I already drove them away."
He spread his hands helplessly.
"Unfortunately, their influence spans the entire world. They possess enormous resources, powerful weapons, advanced technology, and even many superhumans."
"Even the White House sometimes has to compromise with them."
"So the best I could do was force them to leave."
Jane's expression darkened immediately.
Combined with her earlier unpleasant encounter with S.H.I.E.L.D., she instantly developed a strong dislike for the organization.
"Thank you," she said sincerely. "That equipment contains years of my research. Some of the instruments were built by me personally."
"They're priceless."
"You're welcome," Ethan said gently.
"You can take them now if you wish."
Jane hesitated and glanced toward the rain outside.
Ethan pretended to suddenly realize something.
"Oh, it's still pouring outside."
"If you don't mind, you could wait here for a while… or stay overnight."
Jane shook her head awkwardly.
"Well… actually…"
She hesitated.
"Did a man break into your base earlier?"
Ethan looked at her meaningfully.
Inside a temporary detention room, Thor sat alone.
His shoulders drooped as if the entire world had collapsed around him.
Even when Jane Foster had come to visit him earlier, he had barely reacted.
Eventually she had no choice but to leave.
Moments after the door closed, a new figure appeared inside the room.
The arrival was so silent that it seemed almost ghostlike.
"Brother," the newcomer said softly.
"What are you doing here?"
The figure wore a long coat and a green-patterned scarf wrapped loosely around the neck.
It was Loki.
The mischievous prince of Asgard.
"I had to see you," Loki said quietly.
Thor looked up slowly.
A terrible feeling stirred inside him.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Is this about Jotunheim? I can explain everything to Father—"
"Father is dead."
Thor froze.
"What?"
His eyes widened in shock.
Loki lowered his head, his expression filled with sorrow.
"Your exile… and the looming war," he said quietly.
"It was too much for him."
Loki sighed heavily.
"Don't blame yourself."
"I know you loved him."
"I tried to convince him to forgive you, but he insisted on punishing you."
"To strip you of your power yet leave the hammer within reach…"
Loki shook his head.
"That was truly cruel."
He straightened slightly.
"The throne of Asgard now rests on my shoulders."
"Don't worry."
"I will rule wisely."
Thor's voice trembled.
"Can I come home?"
Loki shook his head again.
"One of the terms of the peace agreement with Jotunheim was your exile."
"And Mother… she doesn't want you to return yet."
"I'm sorry, brother."
Thor lowered his head.
"No… I should be the one apologizing."
"I'm sorry."
"Goodbye, brother."
Loki turned and walked toward the door.
The moment Thor could no longer see his face, a faint smile appeared on Loki's lips.
Now that the emotional performance was finished, there was only one thing left to try.
He walked toward the crater where the hammer rested.
But the moment he took a step—
The world changed.
Suddenly Loki stood in the middle of an endless snowfield.
White stretched to the horizon in every direction.
He blinked in confusion.
"What…?"
Loki frowned and looked around.
"Did my magic malfunction?"
"That shouldn't be possible."
He muttered quietly to himself.
"I'm known as the greatest mage in the Nine Realms."
Then a troubling thought surfaced in his mind.
"…Unless."
His heartbeat quickened.
Had someone… set a trap for him?
.....
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