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Unfortunately, Captain America's seemingly balanced abilities aren't absolute, or rather, they can only enhance him to a certain extent. Just like during the final battle. When he picked up the hammer, Captain America was able to briefly overpower Thanos with a series of combos, but the fundamental difference in strength couldn't be bridged by a hammer alone. Once Thanos regained his senses, he quickly beat Captain America down like a dog.
In the current battle, after exchanging blows with the Destroyer for dozens of rounds, Captain America was gradually overwhelmed and began losing ground. With a loud clang, the Destroyer landed a punch on Captain America's shield, sending him, along with his hammer, flying for dozens of meters before he crashed to the ground like a dead dog. Both the hammer and shield were dropped.
Buzz! The Destroyer, taking advantage of the situation, aimed its fiercely blazing face at Captain America, preparing to launch a thunderous attack. But Tony Stark, Iron Man, was no vegetarian. Seeing Captain America in a critical situation, he immediately fired his repulsor beam at the Destroyer, causing it to stagger. Before the Destroyer could steady itself, Iron Man swiftly flew up and delivered several heavy punches, forcing the Destroyer back a few steps. Clang!
But when the Destroyer recovered, it slapped Iron Man, sending him flying. Fortunately, at this time, Captain America had caught a second wind. Picking up his hammer and shield, he charged at the Destroyer once more.
"Let's join too!" Fandral, one of the Warriors Three, made a decision and, stepping forward, called his companions to action. It was clear that even if a mortal could lift Thor's hammer, he wasn't Thor. And with Iron Man's help, they could only suppress but not truly vanquish the Destroyer. Thankfully, they had also arrived!
If the two Midgardians were joined by the four of them, there was still hope! The Warriors Three and Sif, the female warrior, hesitated no longer and, gripping their weapons, rushed into battle alongside Captain America and Iron Man. Cling clang! The ringing sounds of their metallic combat became increasingly intense.
Though portrayed as seemingly weaker in the movies, the Warriors Three and Sif were actually strong fighters—one of the mightiest in all of Asgard. With their powerful assistance, the tide of battle quickly turned. The Destroyer, once dominant, was now in retreat, crumbling under the group onslaught. Had the Destroyer's body not been almost invincible, it would have been reduced to rubble by the relentless attacks.
"Loki, mysterious Midgardians, very good!" Loki, orchestrating behind the scenes, couldn't hide the darkness on his face. The situation was clear; the Destroyer's defeat was inevitable, and his plan to kill Thor was certain to fail. But this was not a major setback for Loki, who believed that if his subsequent plans succeeded, it wouldn't matter if Thor survived. Soon, Loki would become the savior of their father and the destroyer of Jotunheim, a great hero in the eyes of Odin!
Clang! As Loki pondered these thoughts, he noticed the Destroyer on the battlefield, impaled by Sif's spear and temporarily pinned to the ground.
"Now, mortal!" Sif, having struck, immediately shouted to Captain America. Without needing the reminder, Captain America was already in motion. He tightly grasped Thor's hammer and rushed towards the Destroyer, unleashing the final thunderous strike. Clang!
Another deafening blast resounded, causing nearby ears to ring. With the force of a thunderstorm, the hammer smashed down upon the Destroyer's head, crushing it. The Destroyer's massive body fell heavily to the ground and moved no more, its luster rapidly fading, along with the oppressive aura it exuded.
Phew! The Avengers, Thor, and the Asgardian warriors all let out a sigh of relief. They had won the hard-fought battle. The ultimate weapon of Asgard, the Destroyer, had been defeated, and the crisis was finally over.
Everyone's faces were filled with excitement and joy, except Thor, who felt somewhat upstaged. He had always been the hero, and for the first time, Thor played an insignificant role and felt rather uncomfortable.
"Thor…" Sif, ever perceptive, detected something was off and approached Thor. "I'm fine," Thor said, shaking his head to dispel those distracting thoughts and turned serious, "Listen, you must return immediately, expose Loki's lies, and warn our father and Asgard."
Thor's trust in the notebook, which had detailed sequential events that came true, was at its peak, leaving him with little doubt. From Captain America lifting the hammer to Loki deceiving them and sending the Destroyer, all had come to pass, compelling Thor to take the notebook seriously. Therefore, he was becoming increasingly troubled by that lonely future in the notebook.
Although he did not know what would happen to cause the demise of his parents and brother, and the notebook didn't specify a time, Thor felt an urgent need to issue a warning. "Warn them of what?" Sif asked, confused but looking gravely at Thor. "Warn them they may be in danger!" Thor insisted, "I don't know when, but one day in the future, their lives will be at risk." Sif and the Warriors Three's expressions changed at once, and they inquired further, but unfortunately, Thor couldn't disclose the contents of the notebook.
"So, Thor?" Fandral's voice rose, his serious gaze fixed on Thor as he asked, "I might be delayed a little longer."
Thor glanced at the hammer effortlessly held in Captain America's hand. "Once I retrieve my hammer, I'll return at the first opportunity. Until then, guys, it's up to you." The Warriors Three and Lady Sif exchanged glances and immediately agreed to Thor's arrangements. After briefly greeting the two "mortals" who fought alongside them, they quickly departed. As for Thor, he returned to the secret base with the rest of the Avengers. Now that the threat of the Destroyer was removed, all that remained for Thor was to retrieve his hammer and regain his powers.
...
"Director, we won," said one voice in the command room. Both Nick Fury and Coulson looked at the high-tech transparent screen in front of them, unable to hide the excitement on their faces. Even the stoic Coulson showed some emotion. Nick Fury always wore a metaphorical mask, but in times of universal celebration, there was no need for pretense. A spy's first duty was always to blend in and avoid drawing attention, and that was precisely what Coulson was doing now. "Indeed, we won," said Nick Fury, nodding his head, feeling a sudden wave of relief. Honestly, even with the hints in his notebook about Captain America wielding the hammer impressively and smashing Thanos, Coulson still felt the weight of a mountain on his chest. It was, after all, Asgard's ultimate weapon, designed by Odin to counter the Celestials!
Especially since Captain America clearly struggled against the Destroyer, Nick Fury became more tense and hardly dared to breathe. Thankfully, Stark and a few warriors from Asgard were formidable enough, and together they managed to defeat the Destroyer. Next, Nick Fury's eyes gleamed with the most critical task at hand: figuring out how to approach Thor before he regained his powers and returned to Asgard. Ideally, Black Widow would take action before Thor could leave Earth! Of course, that was a problem for another time.
Nick Fury glanced at the big screen showing the team's return to the base and quickly made his way to meet the triumphant heroes. Little did he suspect that the very same images displayed on the screen were also on Zhou Cheng's computer!
The SHIELD system had been silently infiltrated by Zhou Cheng, but that was no challenge for someone with Shockwave Hacker abilities. Hence Zhou Cheng wore a look of confusion. "Captain America was dug up ahead of time? And he even picked up the hammer?
The Destroyer was defeated by Captain America and Iron Man, and Thor didn't even make a move? It doesn't even look like he has plans to leave Earth anytime soon?" Zhou Cheng couldn't help but scratch his head. This Thor storyline was deviating significantly from what he remembered.
Not just for Thor, but Captain America's storyline was equally askew. By the Marvel Cinematic Universe's timeline, the captain should still be in the Arctic right now. Even if he had misremembered, there was no way Captain America could lift Thor's hammer at this point! Wasn't that supposed to happen in 'Avengers 2,' not even having reached 'Avengers 1' yet?
This universe certainly seemed to vastly differ from Universe 199999, which was not good news for Zhou Cheng, who was hoping to coast by with the advantage of foresight. He sighed, shaking his head and recorded his thoughts in his notebook.
...
"Well done, everyone. You've all worked hard!" At the SHIELD secret base, Nick Fury and Coulson stood at the entrance, welcoming the victorious Avengers. "I didn't have it hard. I didn't even get a chance to contribute," the Red Guardian said, somewhat disgruntled, as he had been looking forward to a battle that didn't come his way. "Our mission is over, right?" Captain America asked Nick Fury, eager to return if that was the case. He didn't like the idea of working for Nick Fury indefinitely.
"Yes, Captain, it's over," Nick Fury affirmed, "You've done a great job." Captain America nodded, said nothing more, and left with his hammer. He needed to tidy himself up in his room, as he was quite disheveled. Tony Stark, battered and bruised in his Iron Man suit, did the same, exchanging a greeting with Coulson before retreating to his room to remove his armor. He poured himself a coffee, ready to rest when he suddenly discovered that the notebook had updated again.
The notebook detailed confusion over the unexpected developments, particularly regarding Captain America's premature excavation, his wielding of Thor's hammer, and the battle against the Destroyer—events that seemed out of place, suggesting a vast deviation from the known timeline, even positing the possibility that this Captain America might have traveled from the future.
The notes mused on how heroes united earlier than expected, speculating on untold actions Captain America may have taken after returning to the past post-Endgame.