At the same time, Axel noticed Natasha rushing toward him.
He calmly picked up the Tesseract and turned to face her.
Natasha met his gaze, clenched her teeth, and leaped forward. Her wrist taser shot toward Axel's temple.
At the same moment, voices burst through her earpiece.
"Natasha, calm down," Clint Barton said urgently. "The portal is closed. That means the primary mission is complete."
He continued cautiously.
"As for Axel, he appeared out of nowhere. We don't know his background or abilities yet. He... wait. What the hell is that sound?"
"Mmm... you damn... mmm?!"
Suddenly, muffled noises filled the communication channel.
They sounded like someone speaking while their mouth was covered.
Mixed with the sound was Natasha's heavy breathing and clear struggling.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Natasha slammed several punches into the back of Axel's head. At the same time, she desperately drove her knees toward his lower body.
Axel did not seem impressed.
He grabbed Natasha by the neck with his left hand, pulled her close, and suddenly pressed his lips against hers.
For dozens of seconds, Natasha struggled violently.
Her fists kept striking him while her mouth remained trapped.
Finally, when Axel seemed satisfied, he released her and tossed her aside.
"Damn it!"
Natasha landed hard on the ground. She immediately spat to the side and pressed her swollen lips together.
Axel smirked and gave her a thumbs up.
"Not bad, Teacher. Your tongue is pretty flexible."
He grinned.
"Maybe you should give me some private lessons sometime."
"You...!"
Natasha's chest rose and fell sharply. She forced herself to breathe slowly until her anger settled.
Then she looked at him calmly.
"Whenever you're free, Axel. As long as you don't become a full blown supervillain, I don't mind giving you a few lessons."
Axel laughed.
"I'm free anytime."
He glanced around at the battlefield.
"Honestly, now would be perfect."
He shrugged.
"Yeah, a few Chitauri are still running around New York, but without the portal they're screwed anyway."
He casually patted his coat pocket.
"Technically you just saved New York, Big Teacher."
His grin widened.
"Moments like this deserve a celebration. Maybe a little fun on top of the tallest building in the city."
As he spoke, Axel slipped the Tesseract into his coat pocket.
The Mind Scepter, however, he simply tossed aside like trash.
Infinity Stones were strange things. Having one or five rarely made much difference.
Unless all six were gathered together, the power of a single stone was rarely worth obsessing over for people capable of obtaining them.
Natasha noticed the careless gesture.
Her eyes flickered with surprise before she smiled slightly.
"If Stark Tower didn't have so many annoying spectators right now, I might actually consider that offer."
She slowly straightened.
"But like I said, Axel. Too many spectators."
The moment she finished speaking, a violent gust of wind rushed toward Axel from behind.
Axel reacted instantly.
He turned sideways and raised his right hand, slamming his palm directly into Mjolnir.
The impact stopped both the hammer and Thor at the same time.
Axel grabbed the handle tightly and began squeezing with all his strength.
Thor blinked in confusion.
Then he burst out laughing.
"Buddy, you're not trying to crush my hammer, are you?"
He shook his head.
"That's impossible. Mjolnir was forged from the core of a white dwarf star and mixed with Uru metal."
Thor laughed loudly.
"Very few beings in the universe can even lift it, let alone crush it. No one will ever do that."
Then Thor casually let go.
The hammer dropped straight into Axel's hand.
Thump.
"Oh, holy shit."
Mjolnir fell flat onto the ground.
Four of Axel's fingers were pinned directly beneath it.
Thor walked past him laughing.
Then he noticed Natasha's lips.
"By Odin, your mouth looks like it was deep fried."
Natasha rolled her eyes.
"Thor, if you couldn't speak, you might actually pass as a competent prince."
She walked over to Axel and picked up the Mind Scepter.
Then she glanced at him struggling with the hammer.
"Axel, I don't know who you are, but give it up."
She shook her head.
"Even the Hulk couldn't lift Thor's hammer at full strength."
She smirked.
"So you definitely can't..."
Her words stopped.
Axel suddenly twisted his hand.
Crack.
Several sharp bone snapping sounds echoed across the rooftop.
Axel brutally snapped his own fingers and yanked his hand free from beneath Mjolnir.
Blood sprayed across the ground.
He grabbed his injured wrist and blew on it repeatedly.
"Phew... shit."
He winced.
"No wonder people say the ten fingers connect to the heart. That hurts like hell."
Natasha stared at him in disbelief.
"You think blowing on it actually helps?"
Thor, however, had gone silent.
He stared at Axel's mutilated hand with intense respect.
Finally, Thor nodded heavily.
"Buddy, you are a true warrior."
His voice was serious now.
"I have traveled the Nine Realms, but I have rarely seen someone who can overcome pain like that."
Thor raised his hand.
Mjolnir immediately flew back into his grip.
Axel's severed fingers remained twitching on the ground.
Axel kept blowing on his injured palm.
Then he grinned.
"Heh. You're praising me so much I'm getting embarrassed."
He casually flicked his wrist.
The four fingers lying on the ground suddenly burst into flames.
At the same time, fire spread across Axel's injured hand.
Within seconds, the flesh regenerated completely.
His fingers grew back as if nothing had happened.
Natasha saw everything clearly.
Her eyes widened.
"Axel also has extremely powerful regenerative abilities."
She quickly reported the information through the communication channel.
Thor suddenly stepped forward and pushed Natasha behind him.
Then he began spinning Mjolnir slowly.
Lightning crackled across the hammer.
"I never expected to meet a warrior like you on Midgard."
Thor's eyes burned with excitement.
"My father once spoke of Midgardian sorcerers, but your abilities are different."
He pointed at Axel.
"So tell me, are you the true Champion of humanity?"
Thor took a deep breath, then nodded to himself.
"Every race has its strongest warrior. That individual is called a Champion."
He frowned slightly.
"I once thought Steve Rogers was your champion."
Thor shook his head.
"But compared to the champions I have fought across the Nine Realms, he is far too weak."
His eyes lit up again.
"But you are different."
He grinned fiercely.
"You are worthy."
Thor raised Mjolnir.
"I am Thor, God of Thunder, Asgard's undefeated arena champion for nearly two thousand years."
Lightning exploded around him.
"Strike me, Champion of Midgard."
His voice thundered across the rooftop.
"Let us duel!"
Across the communication channel, everyone listening went silent.
After a moment, Clint Barton spoke.
"What champion? When the hell did we get one?"
Maria Hill replied awkwardly.
"The only champions we have are Olympic champions."
Thor groaned loudly.
"You Midgardians know less about your own world than I do."
He sighed.
"I have lived over eighteen hundred years. I have seen far more than any of you."
Thor pointed at Axel again.
"Midgard is protected by sorcerers, and now I have found your champion as well."
He grinned confidently.
"So watch carefully."
Thor lifted his hammer.
"I will defeat him and become the champion of Midgard as well."
With that, Thor charged forward.
Lightning followed him like a storm.
He reached Axel in an instant.
Axel simply smiled.
Then he casually stepped aside.
Mjolnir missed completely.
At the same moment, Axel raised his right leg.
His size forty four boot slammed directly into Thor's face.
Boom.
A violent shockwave exploded across the rooftop.
Thor was launched like a missile.
His body tore through the air, smashing through more than a dozen buildings before finally stopping hundreds of meters away.
Back on Stark Tower's rooftop, silence fell.
Natasha stared in shock.
Axel slowly lowered his foot.
Then he shook it in irritation.
The front of his leather shoe had completely exploded from the impact.
"Tch."
He flicked away the torn fragments.
"Great. Now my damn shoe is ruined."
---