The Weight of Immortality - CH - 75

The Quinjet flew through the darkened skies, cutting across the horizon with precision. Inside, Natasha Romanoff, Steve Rogers, and several S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives were seated, their eyes trained on the restrained figure of Loki, who sat with an eerie calm, a smug smile playing on his lips.

“Something about this feels too easy,” Steve muttered, his arms crossed. His eyes remained fixed on Loki, who exuded an air of effortless arrogance.

Natasha, seated across from the god of mischief, met Steve’s gaze. “That’s because it is,” she murmured. “Loki’s up to something.”

Loki smirked, tilting his head as he observed them. “You mortals are so amusing. You always assume control when in reality, you are merely playing your parts.”

Steve clenched his fists. “You want to tell us what those parts are?”

Loki chuckled but said nothing.

Before anyone could press him further, the Quinjet suddenly lurched. A bright flash of lightning illuminated the sky, followed by the roar of thunder that seemed to shake the aircraft.

“What the hell was that?!” one of the pilots shouted.

The sky darkened further, the winds howling as if responding to an unseen force. The radar blinked wildly, detecting a fast-moving object closing in.

“It’s not just the storm,” Natasha said as she unbuckled her seatbelt. “Something’s coming.”

Then, as if confirming her words, a loud BOOM resonated across the hull of the jet. The entire Quinjet shook violently.

Steve grabbed the nearest seat to steady himself. “Brace for impact!”

Suddenly, a powerful thud echoed from the cargo bay, and before the agents could react, the reinforced back doors were ripped open as a mighty figure clad in Asgardian armor landed inside the jet.

It was Thor.

His red cape billowed from the force of his entrance, and his eyes blazed with barely restrained fury. Mjolnir was in his hand, crackling with storm energy. He turned his piercing gaze toward Loki.

"You have gone too far, brother."

Loki, despite being bound, simply smirked. “Oh, dear brother, always so dramatic.”

Before anyone could stop him, Thor lunged forward, grabbing Loki by the collar and yanking him out of his seat with a force that sent the god of mischief hurtling out of the Quinjet. The agents could only watch in shock as Thor followed suit, both of them disappearing into the raging storm outside.

“Son of a—” Natasha hissed, rushing to the now-open bay doors.

Steve was already moving. “Pilot, get us down there now!”

Loki and Thor crashed into the dense forest below, landing with enough force to send debris flying in all directions. Loki rolled to his feet, barely affected, while Thor landed with an earth-shaking impact, his grip on Mjolnir tightening.

"You have endangered these mortals, and for what?" Thor's voice was filled with anger, but also frustration. "What madness drives you, Loki?"

Loki dusted himself off and grinned. "Madness? No, dear brother, it is purpose. Something you have never understood."

Thor's eyes narrowed. "You speak of ruling a world that does not belong to you."

Loki twirled his scepter. "A world that does not yet know it belongs to me."

Thor let out a breath, shaking his head. "It pains me that you still think this way."

Loki's eyes darkened, his smirk vanishing. "And it pains me that you refuse to see the truth."

Without warning, Loki attacked. He spun his scepter, sending a wave of green energy toward Thor. But the God of Thunder dodged with ease, using Mjolnir to absorb the brunt of the magic.

Thor counterattacked, swinging Mjolnir at full speed, but Loki was fast—too fast. He teleported mid-air, appearing behind Thor and slashing with the sharp end of his scepter. Thor grunted as the weapon struck his armor, but it barely left a mark.

“You are strong, brother,” Loki admitted. “But strength alone does not win battles.”

"Nor does deceit," Thor shot back.

The sky rumbled as Thor summoned lightning, sending a powerful bolt straight at Loki. But Loki anticipated it. He raised his scepter, absorbing the energy before redirecting it back at Thor.

Thor was blasted backward, smashing through several trees before stopping himself with Mjolnir.

"You've grown stronger," Thor admitted, wiping a streak of dirt from his face.

Loki smirked. "I had time to prepare."

But Thor wasn't done. With a mighty leap, he hurled Mjolnir at Loki. The hammer raced through the air, but just before it could hit, Loki vanished.

A trick.

Thor barely had time to react before Loki reappeared behind him, striking with an enchanted dagger. This time, it cut through Thor's armor, drawing blood.

Thor roared in pain but instead of recoiling, he grabbed Loki by the wrist and slammed him into the ground. The force sent a shockwave across the forest.

Loki coughed, momentarily dazed.

“You will yield, brother,” Thor said, breathing heavily.

Loki, despite being battered, let out a chuckle. "You still hesitate. That is your weakness."

"Okay, Blondie, you're not taking my prisoner," came Tony Stark's voice through his external speakers.

With a sudden burst of energy from his repulsors, Iron Man rocketed in through the hole Thor had made in the forest, his eyes glowing red from the HUD display inside his helmet.

Thor narrowed his eyes at the metal-clad man. "And who are you, to tell the son of Odin what he can and cannot do?"

"I'm Iron Man," Tony replied smoothly. "And that guy—" he gestured to Loki "—is under S.H.I.E.L.D. custody."

Thor scoffed, tightening his grip on Loki. "He is under Asgardian justice. He will return to our father for punishment."

Tony raised his hands, the repulsors glowing ominously. "Yeah, see, the thing is, he just blew up half of Germany, and we kind of have a thing about that here on Earth. So, I’m gonna have to ask you to put him down before I put you down."

Loki grinned, clearly enjoying the rising tension between his captors.

"Very well," Thor said, tossing Loki aside. "If you wish to test your strength, I will oblige."

With that, Thor lunged at Iron Man, his cape billowing behind him.

Tony barely had time to react before Thor slammed into him, sending him flying out of the jet. He flipped in mid-air and stabilized himself using his thrusters just as Thor leaped out after him, Mjolnir spinning in his hand.

The two clashed in mid-air, Iron Man blasting repulsors while Thor deflected them with his hammer. Tony dodged a powerful swing of Mjolnir, the wind pressure alone sending his suit’s sensors into overdrive.

"Okay, muscle boy, let's see how you handle this," Tony quipped before firing a concentrated laser beam from his chest reactor.

Thor raised Mjolnir just in time, and the beam refracted off the enchanted hammer, ricocheting into the sky in a dazzling explosion.

"Oh, great," Tony muttered. "So, you’re basically a walking, talking lightning rod."

Thor hurled Mjolnir at him, and Tony dodged at the last second, but the hammer curved back and slammed into him from behind, sending him crashing into the ground below, tearing up the earth on impact.

"Ow," Tony grumbled, his systems rebooting. "Jarvis, remind me to never pick a fight with a god."

Thor descended rapidly, aiming a punch at Tony, but Iron Man activated his thrusters at full power, launching himself straight up. Thor’s fist missed by inches, cracking the earth where Tony had just been.

"I gotta admit," Tony said, hovering in the air, "you hit like a freight train."

Thor summoned a storm, and the sky above darkened instantly. The sound of rolling thunder filled the air as lightning crackled around Mjolnir.

"Okay, that’s new," Tony muttered.

Thor raised Mjolnir high, summoning a massive bolt of lightning that struck directly onto Iron Man's suit.

For a moment, Tony screamed as his systems overloaded.

Then—

BOOM!

Iron Man absorbed the electricity.

"Woah," Tony said, looking at his now overcharged suit, the energy flowing through his entire armor. "Jarvis, we might have just upgraded the suit."

"Sir, your energy output has increased by 400%," Jarvis responded.

"Let’s see if I can return the favor," Tony grinned.

With a massive power surge, Iron Man unleashed a repulsor blast far more powerful than before, hitting Thor square in the chest. The god of thunder was sent flying backward, crashing through trees before landing in a crater.

Tony hovered over him. "Stay down, Shakespeare, I don’t want to mess up that golden hair of yours."

Thor roared in defiance, launching himself at Iron Man once more, this time at full force. They clashed mid-air again, exchanging blows.

Iron Man fired his micro-missiles, but Thor deflected them with a spin of Mjolnir, sending them exploding into the surrounding forest.

Thor grabbed Iron Man by the leg and swung him like a ragdoll, slamming him into the ground repeatedly before throwing him into a boulder.

Tony groaned, his suit dented and cracked. "That’s it. No more Mr. Nice Stark."

He activated his secret weapon—a high-intensity sonic emitter tuned specifically for gods and superhuman beings.

Thor clutched his head in pain as the soundwaves disoriented him.

Taking advantage, Iron Man blasted him point-blank with an overcharged repulsor beam, sending Thor crashing through three trees.

As Thor struggled to get up, Mjolnir slightly out of reach, Tony approached him.

"Had enough?" Tony asked, standing over him.

Thor looked at him, then at Mjolnir. Then, with a smirk, he extended his hand.

Mjolnir flew into his grasp.

CRACK!

A bolt of lightning exploded from the sky, striking Thor directly. His wounds healed instantly, and his power surged back to full strength.

Tony took a nervous step back. "Oh… That’s not good."

Before Iron Man could react, Thor swung Mjolnir in a full arc, knocking Tony clean across the battlefield.

Iron Man crashed into a hillside, sparks flying from his damaged armor.

Thor strode toward him. "You fight well, Man of Iron, but you cannot defeat a god."

Tony coughed inside his helmet. "Yeah? Well, I was just going easy on you."

The battle raged on, with Thor unleashing the full might of Mjolnir, his strikes sending shockwaves through the forest. Tony, despite the capabilities of his suit, struggled to hold his ground against the sheer strength of the Asgardian god. Captain America, though a formidable warrior, found himself on the defensive against Thor’s overwhelming power, as he joined the fight.

Thor’s swings were precise and relentless, his movements like a storm given form. Each strike of Mjolnir sent sparks flying from Tony’s armor, and each block from Captain America’s shield barely held back the force behind the blows.

Iron Man’s voice crackled through the comms. “Okay, so, reminder for next time—we do not fight gods.”

Captain America gritted his teeth as he parried another blow with his shield. “Hold the line, Stark.”

Thor, unimpressed by their resistance, twirled Mjolnir in his hand, summoning another strike. The battle was clearly tilting in his favor. He had fought thousands of warriors, and these Midgardians, no matter how impressive, were no match for an Asgardian in his prime.

Just as Thor was about to deliver a final, devastating blow, Tony, in a last-ditch effort to diffuse the situation, casually muttered, “I wish Hela was here to deal with this kind of stuff.”

The words hung in the air.

Thor, mid-swing, halted. His muscles froze, and the lightning dancing around him dissipated slightly. His expression shifted from one of battle-driven fury to sheer confusion.

Tony, panting, looked at him, tilting his head. “What? That name ring a bell?”

Thor lowered his hammer slightly, staring at Tony like he had just spoken in riddles. “You know Hela?”

Now it was Tony’s turn to be confused. “Uh… yeah. Helena Black. My lawyer. Harry Black’s wife. Kinda scary, if you ask me, but an excellent legal head.”

Captain America, sensing the tension had shifted, took a step back but remained alert. “How do you know her?” he asked, looking between the two.

“You are speaking of Hela?” Thor clarified, his voice almost hesitant. “Goddess of Death? Daughter of Odin?”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “I mean, I don’t know about the whole ‘goddess of death’ thing, but sure. She’s been working with me for a while now. Runs a legal firm, is married to some hotshot chef named Harry, and has a way of making sure I don’t get sued into oblivion.”

Thor sighed. "I cannot afford to fight her allies," he muttered to himself.

Sitting across from him, Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, gave him a look of curiosity. "You keep saying that," she said. "What exactly is your relationship with Helena Black?"

Thor hesitated for a moment before responding. "She is my sister."