Chương 109: Chapter 109: The Missing Malekith 

"Thor... what exactly is that?" Jane asked, staring nervously at the unnaturally dark, swirling thunderclouds rapidly gathering on the horizon. Given that she was dating the God of Thunder, she assumed he was the resident expert on highly aggressive weather phenomena. 

She subtly glanced down at the heavy metal hammer Thor had instinctively slipped behind his back like a guilty child. Whatever. He's got his precious hammer back, but at least he's still standing next to me. I guess I won't hold a grudge against a piece of metal. 

Thor, however, was frowning deeply at the approaching storm. He felt a strange, inexplicable connection to those clouds. It felt almost as if... he could effortlessly command them if he wanted to. 

While everyone's attention was drawn to the terrifying storm, a colossal, dagger-shaped, pitch-black warship suddenly, violently materialized from stealth directly above Asgard! 

The moment the warship appeared, it immediately opened fire! A massive, hyper-destructive beam of dark energy blasted down, aiming directly for the Royal Palace! 

Fortunately, Heimdall was already on high alert. He reacted instantly, activating the primary planetary defense grid. 

BZZZZT! 

Thanks to Tony Stark having recently, obsessively overhauled and upgraded the entire Asgardian power grid over the last few days, a massive, impenetrable golden energy shield instantly snapped into existence, covering the entire Royal Palace and intercepting the devastating orbital strike! 

"What the hell?!!" Thor roared furiously, staring at the massive warship. Someone actually has the absolute audacity to attack Asgard?! Right now?! 

He immediately raised Mjolnir, projecting a localized energy shield to protect Jane from any debris. He turned and yelled at the nearby Royal Guards. "Escort all civilians into the Palace shelters immediately! Launch the defense skiffs! And tell Heimdall to blast that thing out of the sky with the Bifrost!" 

"I am currently attempting to do exactly that!" Heimdall's voice echoed back via magical projection. He was currently standing in the Observatory, frantically manipulating the massive controls to manually reorient the Bifrost cannon. 

However, before he could lock on, dozens of sleek, dagger-shaped 'Harrow' fighters violently swarmed out of the Dark Elf warship's launch bays, accelerating aggressively directly toward the Bifrost Observatory! 

"I require immediate assistance!" Heimdall yelled, genuinely shocked. He hadn't expected the supposedly extinct Dark Elves to launch a suicide assault on Asgard's most heavily fortified installation. 

Realizing the severity of the situation, Thor immediately handed Jane over to the Royal Guards. "Keep her safe!" he ordered, before violently launching himself into the air, Mjolnir leading the way. 

"GET AWAY FROM THERE!" Thor roared. Because he had been watching the sunset from the cliffs directly adjacent to the Bifrost bridge, he was significantly closer to the Observatory than the Dark Elf fighters. 

Intercepting the leading Harrow fighter, Thor swung Mjolnir with devastating force! 

CRACK! 

A deafening thunderclap echoed as Mjolnir smashed into the fighter. The incredibly dense, reality-forged hull instantly crumpled, and the ship violently exploded into a ball of fire. 

However, Thor's expression remained incredibly grim. He looked down at his right hand, which was currently trembling uncontrollably. 

How the hell are these ships so impossibly dense?! The sheer kinetic recoil from smashing just one of them had completely numbed his entire arm! 

Seeing several more fighters rapidly approaching, Thor violently shook his arm to restore feeling, gritted his teeth, and charged back into the fray. 

"STAY AWAY!" Thor roared, aggressively smashing his hammer into the side of another fighter, causing it to violently spin out of control and explode. Using the recoil, he immediately hurled Mjolnir like a missile, blasting a third fighter out of the sky. 

However, several other Harrow fighters simply ignored him, executing sharp evasive maneuvers and continuing their relentless, suicidal charge toward the Observatory. 

Thor frantically channeled his lightning to pursue them, but his sheer flight speed was significantly slower than the highly advanced fighters. Desperate, he extended his hand, frantically willing Mjolnir to return to him faster so he could intercept them. 

He saw Mjolnir rapidly flying back toward him... but suddenly, the hammer executed a graceful, physics-defying arc and flew aggressively in the exact opposite direction! 

? 

Thor stared in absolute bewilderment as Mjolnir flew directly into the waiting hand of... another large, lightning-wreathed figure. 

"YOU AGAIN?!" Thor screamed, completely breaking down as he stared at the bloated, ragged 'Fat Thor' holding his precious weapon. 

Do you not love me anymore?! Thor mentally screamed at the hammer. 

Mjolnir (internally): You're great, but I definitely prefer him. 

Seemingly hearing the hammer's silent rejection, Thor's eyes filled with profound, soul-crushing despair. 

"Just borrowing it for a minute! I'll give it right back!" Fat Thor yelled casually. His entire body instantly erupted with blinding, apocalyptic lightning. He shot forward like a literal lightning bolt, intercepting the remaining Harrow fighters with terrifying speed. 

"HAVE AT THEE!" Fat Thor roared, hurling Mjolnir with devastating, god-like force. Massive, thick arcs of lightning violently chained off the hammer, instantly blasting the leading fighter into subatomic dust! 

With a sharp, brutal yank of his hand, Mjolnir didn't fly straight back. Instead, it violently altered its trajectory, executing a sharp, lethal arc that completely shattered a second fighter! Fat Thor then physically accelerated, completely overtaking a third fighter and violently smashing it out of the sky with his bare, lightning-infused fists! 

"Okay... I have to admit, he is incredibly effective," Thor muttered, raising an eyebrow as he watched his future, overweight self brutally and effortlessly dismantle the elite Dark Elf squadron. 

However, while Fat Thor was busy preventing the destruction of the Bifrost Observatory, the Dark Elves were not idle. The massive flagship slowly rotated, aiming its primary, devastating orbital cannon directly at the Observatory! 

"FIRE!" The Dark Elf commander who had been left behind to command the flagship yelled nervously. 

Currently, Malekith and his elite strike team had already stealthily infiltrated Asgard. The flagship's sole purpose was to act as a highly visible, incredibly aggressive decoy to draw all of Asgard's primary defensive fire. 

A blinding, impossibly thick beam of destructive dark energy violently erupted from the massive cannon, rocketing directly toward the Observatory! 

"NO!" Fat Thor yelled. Having just effortlessly destroyed the fighters, he was completely out of position to intercept the orbital strike! 

"I've got it," a calm, completely unfazed voice suddenly echoed through the sky. 

Instantly, a massive, swirling vortex of pure, apocalyptic dark energy violently erupted in mid-air directly in the path of the beam! The dark energy rapidly condensed, forming a colossal, highly complex, multi-layered magical shield that effortlessly absorbed the devastating orbital strike without a single crack! 

As the beam dissipated, the massive dark energy shield instantly dissolved, reverting to a vast ocean of raw, chaotic energy. 

Like a living, predatory beast, the boundless ocean of dark energy violently surged upward, completely engulfing the massive Dark Elf flagship! 

"ACTIVATE FULL SHIELDS!" The Dark Elf commander shrieked in absolute terror. Looking at the pitch-black energy completely surrounding the ship, he didn't feel the comforting, familiar embrace of the Dark Dimension they worshipped. Instead, he felt a terrifying, absolute, suffocating void. 

This is not our darkness! This is pure, absolute annihilation! 

"Too late," Luke's voice echoed coldly. He had silently materialized hovering directly above the engulfed warship. 

Luke casually clenched his fist. 

The massive ocean of dark energy violently imploded! The sheer, crushing pressure instantly shattered the flagship's advanced energy shields like brittle glass! 

Luke then subtly shifted his magical frequency, resonating his dark energy directly with the localized spatial fabric. 

CRACK! SHATTER! 

Massive, jagged, glass-like fractures violently spread across the sky, completely engulfing the crippled flagship. In the blink of an eye, the massive warship simply ceased to exist in the material plane, violently dragged into the Mirror Dimension! 

"I just tossed the flagship into a pocket dimension. Do you want to go in and finish them off?" 

Luke casually waved his hand, opening a Sling Ring portal in mid-air. Fat Thor didn't hesitate for a microsecond. He gripped Mjolnir tightly and stepped through the portal. 

"I shall accompany him," Frigga announced, stepping onto the balcony and elegantly walking through the portal after her son. 

Luke closed the portal. He looked down at the younger Thor, who was currently staring blankly at the sky, nodded in greeting, and slowly descended to the Bifrost bridge. 

"WAIT! MY HAMMER!" Thor yelled frantically, desperately wanting to follow them to get his weapon back. 

Suddenly, a heavy hand firmly gripped his shoulder. 

"Father?" Thor spun around to see Odin standing silently behind him. 

"He desperately requires an opportunity to forgive himself. To absolve himself of the crushing sins he believes he bears. Let him borrow Mjolnir for a little while longer," Odin said softly, his single eye filled with profound sorrow. 

"Sins?" Thor frowned in confusion. 

"He lost absolutely everything. And he carries the unbearable belief that his own failures were the direct cause," Odin explained gently, slowly hovering down toward the bridge. 

Thor quickly followed. "What exactly did he lose?" 

Odin paused for a moment. Thor hovered silently beside him. 

"Look around you. Look at this breathtaking, magnificent realm," Odin gestured toward the golden spires of Asgard, currently gleaming brilliantly under the sun. "He lost all of this. And he lost absolutely everyone he loved within it." 

Thor fell silent, staring at the beautiful, peaceful city. He had literally never once considered the horrifying possibility of losing his home or his family. It seemed completely impossible. 

"Is... is that my actual future?" Thor's breathing grew heavy, his voice trembling slightly as he nervously asked his father. 

"That was your ordained future. But your Uncle's arrival has already fundamentally altered the timeline. And I have definitively decided that I shall personally shatter that tragic future completely," Odin's voice grew incredibly firm and absolute. He turned to face Thor. 

"Do not become complacent with your current strength, Thor. You must understand that even gods are not omnipotent. There will always be forces beyond our control." 

Odin saw that Thor was completely stunned by the revelation. He didn't press the issue further, simply descending to the bridge below. 

Luke was currently standing on the Bifrost, frowning deeply in thought. 

Odin landed beside him. "What troubles you?" 

Luke looked at him. "Malekith, the King of the Dark Elves. What was your father's assessment of him?" 

Odin thought for a moment. "He described him as incredibly insidious, ruthlessly cunning, highly ambitious, and absolutely willing to sacrifice anything—and anyone—to achieve victory." 

"Is that so?" Luke nodded thoughtfully. 

He recalled the events of The Dark World movie. In the original timeline, Malekith had orchestrated a highly coordinated, stealthy assault on Asgard. He had intentionally caused a massive prison riot to draw the guards away, while he personally snuck into the palace to extract the Aether from Jane. 

And after he callously murdered Frigga and realized he had been tricked, he hadn't stayed to fight. The moment he sensed Odin approaching, he immediately fled, completely abandoning his troops. He was highly pragmatic and valued his own survival above all else. 

But this attack? 

This was a blatant, highly visible, incredibly idiotic frontal assault! 

Odin had literally just been galavanting across the cosmos a few days ago! Anyone with half a brain in the galaxy knew the All-Father was currently perfectly healthy and terrifyingly powerful! And yet, Malekith had casually parked his flagship directly above the palace and opened fire?! 

That makes absolutely no tactical sense. It completely contradicts his highly cunning nature. 

"I think something is fundamentally wrong here. This frontal assault was far too reckless and stupid. It doesn't fit Malekith's profile," Luke stated, rubbing his chin. 

Odin frowned, considering Luke's words. "You are correct. It is highly probable that he is not actually aboard that flagship. It was likely a decoy, and he is currently hiding elsewhere. When Thor and Frigga finish securing the vessel, they can confirm his presence. To be absolutely safe, I shall immediately return to the Palace to organize a comprehensive internal sweep, ensuring he hasn't infiltrated the royal vaults or the armory." 

After speaking, Odin glanced up at the stunned Thor, who was still hovering in the sky, and immediately flew back toward the Royal Palace. 

Watching Odin leave, Luke immediately acted. 

Numerous pitch-black dimensional rifts silently tore open in the air behind him. Thousands of glowing red eyes ignited within the darkness. 

"Initiate a comprehensive, stealth-based sweep of the entire Asgardian capital. Report any anomalous magical signatures or unfamiliar entities immediately," Luke commanded telepathically. 

Thousands of highly agile Nightbat Ninjas silently swarmed out of the rifts, scattering rapidly across the golden city. 

Luke finally breathed a slight sigh of relief. Regardless of whether Malekith was on that doomed flagship or attempting a stealth infiltration, Luke had cast a massive, invisible net over the entire city. 

Meanwhile, inside the Mirror Dimension... 

Fat Thor aggressively swung Mjolnir, violently smashing it against the massive, heavily armored hull of the Dark Elf flagship. Because Luke had already shattered the ship's energy shields, the strike landed directly on the physical armor. 

The sheer, devastating force of the blow violently slammed the colossal warship into the mirrored ground. However, the hyper-dense, reality-forged armor didn't actually shatter. 

Fat Thor wasn't surprised; he knew exactly how durable these ancient vessels were. 

He flew closer to the hull, violently spinning Mjolnir by the leather strap. With a deafening roar, he brought the hammer down with absolutely apocalyptic force! 

CRACK! SKREEECH! 

The devastating strike finally violently breached the hull, tearing a massive, jagged hole in the armor! 

"THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!" Thor roared furiously. Blinding, localized lightning aggressively channeled from his body directly into Mjolnir as he violently launched himself through the breach! 

Once inside, Thor was an unstoppable, apocalyptic force of nature. A continuous series of violent explosions and agonizing screams echoed from within the ship as Thor aggressively tore through the interior corridors. He was no longer simply fighting to win; he was violently, desperately venting years of accumulated grief, rage, and crushing guilt! 

He brutally smashed his way directly into the ship's primary engineering bay. He stared at the massive, glowing dark energy core, then looked down at Mjolnir in his hand. 

"You aren't escaping this time," Fat Thor muttered darkly. 

His entire body violently erupted with blinding, chaotic lightning. With an absolute, primal roar of fury, he hurled Mjolnir directly into the primary core! 

KABOOM! 

A catastrophic, apocalyptic explosion instantly engulfed the entire engineering bay! The uncontrolled, violently destabilized dark energy erupted outward, literally tearing the massive warship apart from the inside out! The flagship was violently reduced to millions of burning, twisted fragments of shrapnel scattered across the Mirror Dimension. 

Fat Thor, completely unscathed by the explosion, slowly flew out of the burning debris cloud. He looked at the completely annihilated Dark Elf warship and finally offered a small, genuinely satisfied smile. 

"Thor?" 

A gentle voice called out from below. Thor immediately looked down. 

"Mother!" Fat Thor quickly flew down and landed gently beside Frigga. 

"How do you feel?" Frigga asked with a warm, understanding smile. 

"Incredibly cathartic. And honestly, Mjolnir's original design is absolutely perfect," Fat Thor grinned, casually twirling the legendary hammer. "The length of the handle, the weight distribution, the grip... it's absolutely flawless. That massive axe I get in the future... it just isn't the same." 

Fat Thor chuckled softly. "Don't get me wrong, Eitri forged a devastating blade for Stormbreaker. But the handle was actually provided by this little... well, this little talking tree creature. And honestly? The ergonomics were terrible. It was incredibly awkward to swing." 

"I am glad to hear it," Frigga nodded. Seeing Thor genuinely smiling and complaining about weapon ergonomics, she knew he was finally beginning to step out of the crushing shadow of his trauma. 

"Your father asked me to confirm: did you happen to see the Dark Elf leader, Malekith, aboard the vessel?" 

Thor frowned, carefully replaying his violent rampage through the ship. He had brutally smashed his way directly through the primary command bridge, but he had only seen a minor, terrified lieutenant issuing orders. He definitely hadn't seen Malekith. 

"No. He definitely wasn't on board," Thor's expression rapidly darkened, realizing he hadn't actually killed the architect of his misery. 

"It is fine. I am absolutely certain your father and your Uncle will locate him and thoroughly dismantle whatever scheme he is plotting," Frigga said soothingly, gently stroking his unkempt hair. 

"Yeah," Thor nodded, looking down at Mjolnir, his grip tightening. 

"So... how exactly do we get out of here? I really don't want to be trapped in this dimension again and miss dinner." 

"It is quite simple, my son. We simply ask your Uncle."