Whatever Loki was thinking didn't matter — Thor was feeling fantastic.
After being powerless for so long, after every humiliation, every moment of restraint, he could finally shout his favorite line with all the thunder he could summon.
The part about "For the glory of the Northern Gods" was definitely something he'd picked up from BT, but he had to admit — it rolled off the tongue beautifully.
Mjolnir crackled in his hand as he glared at his brother. "We need to talk, Loki!"
Loki's eyes flashed, a cold gleam slicing through them. "There's nothing left to talk about!"
He raised Gungnir before Thor could take another step — streaks of energy burst from the spear's tip, one after another, blazing across the air toward Thor.
Thor swung Mjolnir in a blur, deflecting each blast with a thunderous clang. Sparks rained across the golden hall as lightning rippled from every parry.
Seizing the brief distraction, Loki spun away and sprinted for Heimdall, ripping the Guardian Sword from his limp hand. In one swift motion, he plunged it into the control pedestal at the heart of the chamber.
"Loki! Don't!" Thor roared.
But the bridge flared to life.
The Bifrost ignited, its power surging wildly — and Loki, ever the overachiever, immediately cranked the output to maximum, setting its target to Jotunheim.
The chamber trembled violently. Rings of energy erupted from the control pillar as the floor itself began to glow.
"Stop it!" Thor charged forward —
—but Loki only laughed and raised the Casket of Ancient Winters, unleashing a surge of freezing mist. The frost spread in seconds, coating the console and the sword in ice so thick it shimmered like glass.
"Now no one can turn it off," Loki said coldly.
Thor didn't slow down. He slammed into Loki like a meteor, sending the trickster crashing into the wall hard enough to rattle the entire palace.
Yet, in true Loki fashion, he got up almost immediately, smirking despite the bruise forming on his cheek. "You can't stop me, brother. Stand there and watch Jotunheim burn."
"Loki!" Thor's voice boomed, lightning flashing down the handle of Mjolnir. "You've gone too far this time!"
"Please," Loki scoffed. "Do you really think I'm afraid of you?"
His arrogance might've been convincing—if not for what happened next.
With a sudden metallic clang, the spear in Loki's hands wrenched itself free and went flying through the air.
Loki blinked in disbelief. "What—?"
Sitting casually atop BT's shoulder, Darren raised a shining magnet in one hand, the Eternal Spear stuck firmly against it.
"Expelliarmus," he said cheerfully.
Loki: "…"
For the first time, real fear flickered in his eyes as he turned to see Thor marching toward him, wreathed in thunder, lightning coiling like serpents across his armor.
"Brother," Loki began, voice cracking into a pitiful grin, "perhaps we… should talk after all."
It didn't work.
Thor was already mid-swing.
CRACK!
A bolt of lightning struck as Mjolnir slammed into Loki's chest, sending him flying across the room.
Then again.
And again.
Thunder roared with every hit, lightning snapping through the air. By the time it ended, Loki was a smoking heap on the floor, his blue skin a few shades darker than Heimdall's armor, his once-perfect hair now an impressive puffball of static curls. Steam puffed from his mouth with every dazed exhale.
"Little brothers," Darren muttered, shaking his head. "Always need a reminder who's boss."
But before anyone could gloat too long, the room began to shake violently. Energy rippled through the chamber, building fast — too fast.
"The Bifrost won't stop!" Thor shouted, panic breaking through his voice. "If I don't destroy it now, all of Jotunheim will be lost! But if I do… you won't be able to return to Midgard."
Darren just waved a hand. "No problem. I was planning to stay in Asgard for a while anyway."
After all, he could teleport whenever he wanted — not like he was stuck. Besides, he hadn't even finished unlocking the Asgard map yet.
The two of them, with BT's help, quickly evacuated the chamber. The wounded were carried to the far end of the bridge where the energy storm couldn't reach.
Then Thor turned back toward the roaring beam of the Bifrost.
He took one last breath — and swung.
BOOM!
The hammer struck with world-breaking force.
The bridge exploded in a torrent of divine energy. The ground shattered, waves of rainbow light cascading into the cosmic abyss below. The explosion carved through reality itself, tearing open a black hole that howled with raw power.
Chunks of the bridge and the transmission hall were ripped from their foundations and sucked into the void, devoured by the endless dark.
Darren watched it all from a distance, expression unreadable.
"Two royal brats," he muttered finally. "First the Destroyer, now the Rainbow Bridge. Do they just enjoy breaking priceless relics?"
If Odin ever woke up to hear what his sons had done, the old man would probably have a stroke before he even managed to shout their names.
When the tremors subsided and the survivors regrouped, the atmosphere was heavy. The destruction of the Bifrost meant no more travel between realms.
Loki, scorched and trembling, stared at the wreckage like someone who'd just lost everything. For once, he didn't even resist as Thor grabbed him by the collar.
"I'll take him back to face judgment," Thor said to Darren. "Stay here for now. I'll find you once this is over."
"Got it," Darren replied.
Thor nodded, hoisted Loki by the scruff like a misbehaving cat, and spun Mjolnir. In a storm of lightning, both brothers vanished into the clouds.
The remaining Asgardians soon followed, limping and bandaged, their minds already on the bureaucratic nightmare awaiting them.
Heimdall, in particular, looked like a man whose career had just imploded. Without the bridge or its hall, Asgard's gatekeeper had, effectively, nothing left to guard. Early retirement seemed inevitable.
Before she left, Sif handed Darren a golden sigil. "This pass will let you move freely through Asgard. As long as you don't enter restricted areas, no one will stop you."
"Perfect," Darren said, pocketing it with a grin. "By the way, just a random question—where exactly is the royal treasury located?"
Sif's silence was deafening.
...
When everyone was gone, Darren finally took a proper stroll through Asgard.
The realm was unlike anything on Earth — not a planet, but a colossal, flat continent floating in the sea of stars. Despite the lack of a sun, it still had days and nights. Logic-defying, but beautifully magical.
And as far as technology went, Asgard made Earth look like it was still rubbing sticks together.
Across the golden skyline, towers bristled with rune-etched laser cannons. Anti-gravity airships glided overhead, their hulls shimmering with arcane energy. Even the Asgardian "swords" weren't really swords — their handles pulsed with glowing power cores.
If not for the medieval armor and capes, Darren would've sworn he'd stepped into a sci-fi epic.
But what truly blinded him was the wealth.
Everything — and he meant everything — was gold.
Golden spires. Golden bridges. Even the damn roads gleamed underfoot.
By the time he'd walked a few blocks, his eyes were watering.
"No wonder these brothers are insufferable," he muttered. "If I grew up in a city where even the sidewalks were solid gold and my dad ruled the universe, I'd probably be an arrogant jerk too."
He grinned, hands behind his head, strolling through the shining streets of Asgard.
"Still," he added with a smirk, "maybe I'll just… take a peek at that treasury. Purely academic interest, of course."