The three of them sat down to eat, replenishing their strength. A fierce battle still loomed ahead. Thor, feeling impatient, stood up and moved toward Ethan Hayes, intent on asking him about the hammer.
Before Thor could even touch Ethan, Outlaw Inez twisted his arm behind his back with one swift motion, pinning him effortlessly to the ground.
"Whoa, whoa! Misunderstanding! Misunderstanding!" Jane Foster quickly intervened.
Thor, surprised, realized he had been subdued by a single woman. "Inez, let him go. This gentleman means no harm," Ethan said, glancing at the Outlaw.
Inez released her grip, and Thor slowly rose to his feet, stunned by the encounter. Today, the once-powerful god was no stronger than any ordinary man. But only Ethan knew the true potential Thor would reach in the future. With time, his strength would rival and even surpass that of Odin.
Thor regained his composure and smiled at Ethan. "Brother, can you show me where this hammer is, the one you mentioned I couldn't lift?"
At this moment, Thor had already come to understand that his father, Odin, had stripped him of his supernatural powers. Thor had always believed his strength came solely from the hammer, Mjolnir.
Ethan pointed in the southeast direction while still calmly eating his burger. It was getting late, and since he had been busy from noon without eating, his body, honed through martial arts, required a lot of energy to replenish.
"Thank you, brother," Thor said, before hurriedly leaving.
Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis quickly followed behind him.
"Master, that man is very powerful," Inez, the Outlaw, whispered to Ethan.
"That's a god who's fallen into the mortal world. Naturally, he has great potential," Ethan replied. "Now, finish eating. We'll join in the fun soon."
Meanwhile, Thor carefully made his way to the restricted area. Eventually, he found the object of his dreams—his beloved hammer, Mjolnir, resting in a deep crater.
"Haha, finally!" Thor leaped into the pit, ecstatic.
Suddenly, a group of agents surrounded Thor, aiming their guns at him.
"Relax, relax! I mean no harm. I'm just here to get my hammer back," Thor said, holding his hands up with a smile.
Phil Coulson, overseeing the operation, stepped forward. "You say this hammer belongs to you?"
"Yes, I am Thor of Asgard, and this is Mjolnir, a divine artifact forged by the Dwarf Kings," Thor said with pride.
"Do you have any proof?" Coulson asked with a smirk.
"I can pick it up," Thor boasted, stepping toward the hammer.
Coulson nodded, curious to see what would happen.
Thor confidently grasped the hammer's handle with one hand, but as he tried to lift it, his smile vanished. The hammer didn't budge.
Embarrassed, Thor used both hands, summoning all his strength. Still, Mjolnir remained unmoved.
The surrounding agents relaxed, while Coulson's face showed disappointment.
"No, Father, you can't take it from me!" Thor yelled, looking up at the sky. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and rain began to pour down heavily.
Just then, a black vehicle broke through the checkpoint and sped toward them.
"Enemy attack!" the agents shouted, raising their weapons.
Sandy Brandenburg got out of the car with a confident smirk, her presence as dramatic as the rain around her. But something was off—the rain seemed to stop mid-air, as if held in place by an invisible force.
The agents stared in awe, and even Thor's attention was drawn to the spectacle. The rainwater gathered into a suspended river, hanging in the air, defying the laws of nature.
At that moment, Ethan Hayes stepped out of the vehicle, his expression calm. Coulson's face paled. Panic set in—he knew exactly who this was. The man before him had single-handedly frozen the Vatican the previous night, an event that had shocked the entire world.
"Hi, Agent Coulson. It seems S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't too happy to see me," Ethan said with a bright smile.
Coulson quickly regained his composure. "Welcome, sir. We're always pleased to have you."
Thor stared at Ethan in surprise, recognizing him from earlier. His eyes then darted toward Inez.
"Prince of Asgard, future King of Asgard, second son of Odin, younger brother of the Goddess of Death Hela—Thor Odinson," Ethan said, listing off Thor's titles.
Thor laughed loudly. "I didn't expect Midgardians to know so much about me! But I don't know any goddess of death named Hela. You must be mistaken."
"No, I'm not. Hela is your elder sister. When Odin dies, she'll return from the realm of the dead. Your father once fought alongside Hela to conquer Asgard, but he later imprisoned her in the underworld," Ethan explained, his gaze sharp.
Thor was taken aback, but he quickly brushed it off. "Hela? My sister? Impossible."
Ethan's smile widened. "Look to the sky, Thor. Heimdall is watching us right now, listening to our conversation. He'll surely report this to your father."
Thor raised his head, shouting, "Heimdall, take me back to Asgard!"
But Ethan shook his head. "It's no use."
More and more water gathered in the sky, forming what looked like a lake suspended in midair. Ethan walked past Coulson, ignoring Thor's internal struggle, and jumped into the pit where Mjolnir lay.
Gripping the hammer, Ethan felt its immense weight. "Ah, Odin's enchantment," he whispered.
Suddenly, the Dragon Elephant Prajna Kung Fu Ethan had cultivated to its peak surged within him. The power of the thirteen giant statues he had mastered exploded. The twenty dragon veins in his body illuminated with a golden light.
With a single pull, Ethan lifted Mjolnir.
Thunder and lightning burst from the hammer, attempting to strike Ethan down. But black frost spread from his fingertips, countering the hammer's energy.
Thor's eyes widened in disbelief as he watched a mere mortal lift Mjolnir—a feat he himself could not accomplish.
In that moment, Ethan contended with the power of Odin.
"There's still a gap between me and Odin…and Hela," Ethan muttered, tossing the hammer back down. Thunder faded, and the golden glow around Ethan dimmed.
But that gap was shrinking fast. With his current power, Ethan had little to fear from either of them.
Ethan lightly jumped out of the pit and walked back to the car. "Such a shame, Thor. You've lived for 1,500 years in vain," he said, before getting into the vehicle.
Inez, the Outlaw, started the engine, while Sandy sat in the back. The car sped away, leaving Coulson drenched in sweat, relieved to see them go.
Meanwhile, Thor stared at the sky, his mind racing. "I have a sister…Hela. Father, why did you lie to me?"
Thor was shaken by the strength of the man who had lifted Mjolnir—a feat that should have been impossible. He now had even more questions for Odin, but without his powers, he was stuck.
"I'll prove myself again and lift Mjolnir," Thor vowed.
Coulson, still recovering from the shock, walked over to Thor and extended a hand. "Hello, Thor. I'm Agent Phil Coulson, from S.H.I.E.L.D. Welcome to Earth."
Thor looked at him suspiciously but shook his hand. "Hi, Phil."
"Would you like to come with us? I think we have a lot to talk about," Coulson suggested, eager to recruit Thor for the Avengers.
As the vehicle drove away, Ethan leaned back in his seat, content. The system's task completion notification chimed in his mind, and his wealth and desire points surged once more.
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