"Doesn't Include Dying for Free"
Damn it.
After the baby finally came home, the coughing actually got worse again.
Did that mean the ten-plus grand we spent earlier basically went straight down the drain? Were hospitals supposed to save lives—or just squeeze wallets dry?
Hopefully the baby recovers soon. Otherwise, there's no way I'll be able to calm down.
Still two updates today. One at noon, one tonight. Please keep supporting the book.
And if you've got any good ideas or feedback, drop them in the comments. Thanks.
...
Before long, the battlefield—now eerily quiet—held only three figures:
a weakened Thor, Ryan Cole clad in angelic armor, and the Destroyer.
Angel Armament.
That was the name Ryan had given the suit himself. No matter how you looked at it—or said it—it sounded way better than something boring like Iron Armor.
"Brother," Thor said, voice hoarse, "no matter what I did to lead you down the wrong path… no matter what pushed you to do all this… I'm truly sorry."
"These people are innocent. Killing them gains you nothing."
As he spoke, Thor gently pushed Ryan aside and forced himself two shaky steps forward, staring straight at the Destroyer.
"Take my life," he said quietly.
"End this."
Far away, on the throne of Asgard, Loki—watching through the Destroyer—finally pulled his attention away from the golden-armored giant.
No one knew what the Trickster God was thinking.
After a long moment of silence, the Destroyer—previously primed for attack—suddenly shut its faceplate.
For a split second, everyone watching thought things might actually turn around.
That was when Ryan moved.
In the instant Thor finished speaking, Ryan vanished from behind him and reappeared directly in front of the weakened god.
Almost at the same moment, the Destroyer—seemingly turning away—whipped its arm around and struck.
A pale blue force-field shield bloomed from Ryan's metal wings.
BOOM.
Ryan's expression changed instantly.
The incoming power smashed straight through the shield. If not for the absurd durability of the Angel Armament, that hit would've punched clean through.
Even so, the sheer force blasted Ryan backward, his boots carving twin trenches through the ground.
And Thor—the one behind him—was caught in the spillover.
Granted, the Destroyer's original target had always been Thor.
If anyone was collateral damage, it was Ryan.
Fate, apparently, had a twisted sense of humor.
Thor had avoided the Destroyer's killing blow…
only to fall to friendly fire.
If Thor had still been at full strength, this impact would've hurt—maybe even badly—but it wouldn't have been fatal.
Even stripped of his divinity, Thor was still elite among mortals.
But the weakness caused by the earlier blood transfusions turned this accident into a death sentence.
"What the hell?!" Ryan blurted.
Earlier, while trading blows with the Destroyer, Ryan honestly thought the thing wasn't that impressive.
That last hit proved otherwise.
Turns out the earlier fighting hadn't even been the Destroyer's real output.
Which… made sense.
In the comics, the Destroyer was a god-forged super-armor built by Odin himself—originally designed to counter threats from dark cosmic entities.
Later, Loki hijacked it and sent it to Earth to assassinate Thor. In multiple encounters, Thor barely survived.
Sure, in the movie version, the Destroyer got taken out not long after Thor reclaimed Mjolnir—but that didn't mean it was weak.
Even in the film, Thor didn't destroy it. He just shut it down. The armor itself remained largely intact.
That alone spoke volumes.
But Ryan didn't have time to dwell on lore.
He flashed to Thor's side, grabbing him and preparing to retreat to safety.
Sure, "death and rebirth" sounded poetic—but Ryan had zero interest in letting Thor actually die.
If Thor was gone, no one would be able to keep Loki in check.
And that would seriously screw up Ryan's long-term plans involving Asgard.
"It's over," Thor said weakly, blood streaking his face as he smiled up at the dark-gold helmet.
"Everyone's safe now."
His eyes closed.
Ryan sighed softly—and immediately snapped his attention toward the direction where Mjolnir had fallen.
Sure enough, things didn't disappoint.
Moments after Thor went still, the suit's AI flagged a massive energy surge.
A white contrail—sonic-boom sharp—shot skyward, then curved straight toward Ryan at insane speed.
"Thank God… no surprises."
As the white streak closed in, Ryan launched himself skyward with a sharp Biu—! and pulled back toward Maria Hill's position, clearing the battlefield.
At the same time, Loki—still connected to the Destroyer from Asgard—went pale.
Just like in the original timeline.
When Mjolnir reached Thor's position, the supposedly dead god suddenly lifted his right hand.
The moment his fingers wrapped around the hammer's grip, the clear sky detonated.
A massive lightning column slammed down from spiraling storm clouds, engulfing Thor completely.
Lightning wrapped around him.
Armor reformed.
The God of Thunder rose again.
"You're not going to help?" Maria Hill asked as Ryan landed nearby, staring at the spectacle.
"I agreed to step in at a critical moment," Ryan replied calmly.
"Dying for free wasn't part of the deal."
She glanced at his armor.
"Nice suit. Beats a certain billionaire's."
"You mean Iron Man?" Ryan chuckled, disengaging the Angel Armament.
"Different class of gear. Not really comparable."
"I heard you're leaving," Maria said casually, eyes still on the fight.
"Yeah. Heading back to my world. Though… I might come back someday."
The groundwork for his identity—and future movements—was already laid.
"The Oracle asked me to check," Maria added, pointing skyward.
"Want to help out over there?"
Ryan knew she meant Asgard.
He'd considered it.
With his current power, he wasn't Thor's equal—but he wasn't far off either. Against MCU Asgard, he could bulldoze most opponents. Even Loki wouldn't be an easy win for them.
Helping here would earn Asgard a massive favor.
But Ryan shook his head.
"Pass. Family drama is still family drama."
"If I interfere and fail, I offend gods.
If I succeed, I still probably get nothing—or worse, trouble."
"So I'll sit this one out."
This wasn't cowardice. The timing just sucked.
Asgard wasn't going anywhere. Once the Nine Realms aligned, opportunities would come knocking.
And even if Odin tried to stiff him later… Thor definitely owed him now.
That favor might not pay big—but it was safe. And sometimes, safe mattered more.
Maria Hill didn't argue.
Mostly because, during their conversation, the distant battle had already reached its conclusion.
Just like the original story, Thor—restored as the God of Thunder—defeated the Destroyer on his own.
He regrouped with the Warriors Three, Lady Sif, Jane Foster, and the others, then walked over.
"Tell the Oracle this," Thor said firmly.
"Thank him for his help. He has my friendship."
"I'll deliver the message," Maria replied.
Thor turned to Ryan.
"And you. Thank you. Without you, I don't know how this would've ended.
Angel—you have my friendship as well."
"No need," Ryan said, spinning his dark-gold spear lightly.
"I just didn't want a friend to get hurt. Sorry I can't stay longer."
"Good," Thor said, punching Ryan's shoulder once.
"We're friends now."
"…Huh."
Ryan blinked, surprised by the sincerity.
And by the strength.
That casual punch carried serious weight.
No wonder Thor crushed the Destroyer so easily.
Right then, Phil Coulson—who'd spent the whole fight stuck on standby—finally rolled in with his team.