Thor raised his lightning-wreathed hammer—Mjolnir—and pointed it directly at the bald man.
As a veteran warrior hardened by countless battles, Thor understood one rule better than anyone else: strike the leader first.
In an instant, a blinding silver bolt of lightning crashed toward Nick Fury.
The sheer power and terrifying speed left the director completely unable to react.
Just as the lightning was about to strike—about to scorch his already dark skin even darker—Fury froze.
Suddenly, a figure appeared behind him.
The speed was far beyond human limits.
The man tackled Fury to the ground, the brilliant lightning grazing the top of Fury's scalp by mere inches.
Fury had rarely felt fear before, but now an icy chill shot straight up his spine—stronger than anything he had ever known.
BOOM!
The lightning that missed them slammed into a nearby armored vehicle, triggering a violent explosion.
There was no time to check for casualties.
"This time, the Goddess of Fortune will not favor you," Thor declared.
Once again, the lightning-clad god pointed his hammer at the two figures on the ground.Crackling energy gathered rapidly, ready to strike again.
"Captain—catch!"
A shout rang out from the side.
With a sharp whistling sound, Agent Coulson, rushing back, hurled a circular shield.
It traced a perfect arc through the air.
The next moment, a figure rolled twice across the ground, sprang upward, and caught the spinning shield midair—blocking the lightning at the last instant!
Seventy years later—Captain America had returned.
Chapter 40: Brilliant "Stars"
(Please continue reading)
"Hm? It seems not all life on Earth is so weak."
Thor gripped Mjolnir and looked at Captain America, who had blocked his lightning with a shield. A hint of admiration flickered in the god's eyes.
"Unfortunately, humans are still only human. You will never stand equal to a true god."
In the next instant, Thor's gaze hardened.
The lightning surging from Mjolnir grew even more violent.
The thunder was so terrifying that even ordinary people several meters away could feel the overwhelming energy ripple through the air.
They retreated immediately, leaving the battlefield entirely to these two inhuman beings.
Captain America was known as the strongest human alive, a man said to be able to stand against anyone.
Yet no matter how strong he was, he remained human.
Even the indestructible shield could only absorb and deflect part of the lightning.
The remaining force still drove his body backward.
His boots carved deep grooves into the ground.
"…What?"
Sheer willpower kept Captain America standing.Even as his body slid backward, his resolve never wavered.
"Excellent!" Thor said, clearly impressed."Human, your will is formidable—worthy of making you my true opponent."
Moved by such unyielding determination, even the God of Thunder showed respect.
"Next, I will show you that no matter how strong your will is, it can never bridge the gap in power!"
With a serious expression, Thor abandoned his lightning and slowly tightened his grip on Mjolnir, his eyes blazing with battle intent.
"And I'll say this in return," Captain America replied calmly, gripping his shield as if standing once again on the battlefield decades ago."Humanity will never bow to self-proclaimed gods or arrogant tyrants. Not seventy years ago. Not now."
"Enough talk," Thor declared."Since we can't find that man called Superman, you'll do as a warm-up!"
Thor leapt several meters into the air, raised Mjolnir high, and slammed it downward.
Captain America reacted instantly, raising his shield at the moment the hammer fell.
BOOM!
The collision between Mjolnir and the vibranium shield unleashed a terrifying shockwave.
The resulting blast overturned several nearby vehicles.
Unlike the scene from the movies, Thor was not thrown back by the rebound.
Instead, both warriors slid backward before charging at each other again—hammer and shield colliding in a fierce, exhilarating battle.
Meanwhile…
While Thor and Captain America clashed in combat, a very different scene was unfolding.
In a remote laboratory on the outskirts of New York City, activity was at its peak.
Numerous scientists and invited media representatives gathered to witness what was being called the greatest invention of the century.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you are fortunate to be here today," a confident voice announced."You—and this experiment—will be recorded in history."
At the center of the modest laboratory stood a slightly overweight, plainly dressed middle-aged man.
"Energy has always been the bottleneck of human progress," he continued."Like the weakest plank in a barrel, it determines the limits of our technological advancement."
"But today, you will witness history.From this moment on, humanity will no longer fear energy shortages."
"You are about to see the birth of a new energy source—safe, sustainable, and even permanent—capable of providing cheap power to everyone."
Even now, Dr. Otto Octavius wore a confident smile.
"Now, allow me to introduce my assistant…"
As he spoke, Otto walked to a device covered by a cloth and pulled it away dramatically.
"Whoa… what is that?"
A strange machine with four metallic tentacles was revealed.Everyone gasped—everyone except Peter.
"You don't seem surprised, Peter," Gwen, standing beside him and serving as Otto's intern, said curiously.It was her first time seeing the mechanical arms.
"They're just robotic arms," Peter replied calmly."What's so surprising about that?"
In another world, they would have been a groundbreaking invention.But in the Marvel universe—where advanced technology was everywhere—they weren't all that shocking.
"These four arms were designed specifically for today's nuclear fusion experiment," Otto explained."They can withstand extreme heat, magnetic forces, and radiation."
As he spoke, Otto slowly removed his shirt, exposing his stocky upper body, and stepped in front of the machine.
The mechanical arms activated.
A spine-like mechanical harness extended and attached itself directly to his back.
In that moment—
Doctor Octopus was born.
"Ouch… that looks painful," Peter muttered, unable to hide his concern.
This wasn't merely a device attached to the skin.
The harness penetrated directly into Otto's spinal nerves—only through such a connection could it be controlled by thought.
"Peter… do you think Dr. Otto will succeed?" Gwen asked quietly.
A deep sense of unease filled her heart.It wasn't spider-sense—yet it felt even worse.
Something was about to go terribly wrong.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," she added.
Despite her words, Peter remained calm.
"Just watch closely," he said."The real show is about to begin."
Now fully transformed, Doctor Octopus stood before the laser ignition device.
"I must also thank Oscorp for generously providing the rare element—tritium!"
As the mechanical arms placed the tritium at the center of the device, an invisible magnetic field instantly locked it in place, suspending it in midair and spinning it rapidly.
"Fasten your seatbelts," Otto said behind dark sunglasses."We're about to take off."
He pressed the activation button.
Several laser beams struck the tritium with perfect precision.
An extreme temperature ignited it instantly.
A tiny, newborn star bloomed at the heart of the machine.
"Wow… is that a miniature artificial sun?" someone whispered in awe.
Though the searing heat and radiation were fully contained by the magnetic field, the crowd couldn't suppress their amazement.
"Sorry, Gwen," Peter said quietly."I need to step out for a moment."
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