Marvel's Strongest Mage

The desert wind was perfectly still.

In the pale blue light of morning, Daniel lay sprawled in the sand, his body wrung out and hollow. The jagged, glowing lines of the completed rune circle shimmered beneath him, still breathing with golden light like something alive catching its breath.

A weak smile touched his lips.

He'd done it.

Despite the pressure, the exhaustion, the crushing weight of calculations and magical strain—he'd actually summoned something divine. The Rainbow Bridge Summoning Array, once locked away in Asgardian legend, now pulsed with life under his hands.

It hadn't boosted his raw power the way a new artifact might. But it had given him something even more precious:

Understanding.

His grasp of space magic had shifted, deepened. The flaws in his old theories cracked open under divine pressure, and for the first time, Daniel could see what lay beyond them.

He'd mastered the Space Rune—at least the basics. And that changed everything.

Now, even if someone came after him—the Ancient One, or if Thor turned on him—catching him wouldn't be so simple. Space worked differently for him now.

Still... Loki was a different kind of problem.

Daniel finally understood how Loki had vanished during their last fight. Not through tricks or illusion—he'd slipped through a fold in space itself, instant and seamless.

Asgard's God of Mischief had mastered what Daniel was only beginning to touch.

If Loki could do that... what else was he capable of?

And if Loki was that dangerous, what about Thor—the god who'd spent centuries keeping him in check?

Thor had been stripped of his power, cast down.

But the way he carried himself, the storm always simmering beneath his skin—that was a god waiting to be restored.

And Loki knew it. Feared it.

That's why he'd never let Thor return to Asgard.

The ground shook.

Daniel's eyes snapped open, instincts flaring.

The Rune Circle beneath him suddenly erupted with violent pulses, rainbow light shooting from the grooves like sparks from a forge. A deep, harmonic rumble echoed through the sand—the sound of something ancient stirring awake.

Tony Stark's HUD blazed with warnings.

Across the circle, Thor's face twisted with confusion.

"What's happening?" Jane gasped, shielding her eyes from the glare.

Stark hovered near Thor, armor systems spinning up. "We had a deal. Joint activation only."

"I didn't do this!" Thor shot back. He looked at his hammer floating beside him. "I haven't even channeled power into the array!"

Stark's eyes narrowed. "You sure about that?"

"I swear on Mjolnir. This isn't me."

Then who?

All eyes turned to Daniel.

But he hadn't moved—wasn't casting, wasn't focusing. He lay flat, barely conscious, the last traces of magic flickering around him like dying embers. Whatever was happening, it wasn't him.

So who was it?

The answer came too late.

A shockwave burst from the rune circle. Sand lifted in spiraling clouds as a thunderous roar split the sky. Then, in a blinding flash, rainbow light descended—a pillar of impossible brilliance crashing down from the heavens.

Across Earth, observers watched.

Satellites locked on.

World leaders stood at their desks.

Every backup plan drafted by S.H.I.E.L.D., the Pentagon, and the World Council suddenly went live.

But none of them could stop what happened next.

From the heart of the beam stepped figures cloaked in silhouette, backlit by seven swirling colors. The air warped around them as magic and cosmic power bled into the atmosphere.

The pressure was crushing.

Thor and Stark felt it instantly—breath caught, instincts screaming, armor systems registering power that could level cities.

They were ready to fight.

Then—

A voice rang out from the light, echoing like a war horn.

"Sif! Volstagg! How dare you?!"

Four figures burst from the light—battered, battle-worn, but blazing with purpose.

Lady Sif. The Warriors Three.

Their armor was scorched, their eyes wild with urgency as they landed in the sand. The Rainbow Bridge faded behind them. The energy calmed. The storm settled.

But something else remained.

Something worse.

Thunder rumbled. Footsteps fell—too heavy for human, too deliberate for accident.

From the settling dust emerged a giant of silver.

Three meters tall, its armor gleamed like liquid metal under the rising sun. Intricate grooves covered its body, lined with ancient runes that burned with arcane fire. It moved with terrifying grace—each step precise, like a dancer trained for war.

Its face was a molten forge, a single slit glowing yellow—eyes filled with promised destruction.

The Destroyer.

Thor hit the ground, boots crunching in the dirt, facing the construct.

Sif and the Warriors flanked it, weapons drawn, breathing hard.

"This is Loki's answer," Volstagg muttered grimly.

"Everyone get back!" Thor shouted, his voice cutting through the air. "This is the Destroyer Armor of Asgard! Forged to guard the All-Father's throne, with power to destroy entire realms!"

But his warning came too late.

The Destroyer unleashed hell.

A beam of pure annihilation—searing gold and white—erupted from its visor with a deafening roar. The air itself sizzled as the blast tore forward like a scythe through heaven.

It struck.

Or should have.

Thor raised Mjolnir in a perfect arc, catching the beam mid-flight.

Power clashed against power—storm against forge.

The impact threw shockwaves across the battlefield.

But the Destroyer didn't stop. The beam swung horizontally, sweeping across the desert like a celestial blade.

Sand vaporized.

Stone shattered.

And then—

It hit the Rune Circle.

The circle—Daniel's blood, sweat, genius, and magic—shattered.

With a sound like glass breaking in a cathedral, the spellwork cracked. Runes flared and died. Golden lines twisted, broke apart, vanished.

And behind it all—lying in the sand, too slow to escape—was Daniel.

He didn't see the beam.

Didn't have time to react.

All anyone saw was light—

Then he was gone.

Silence.

Nothing moved.

The space where Daniel had been was now scorched, blackened, glass-smooth from the heat. The entire right side of the summoning array had been obliterated, torn open by raw, unforgiving force.

"No..." Jane whispered, eyes wide. "Where—where is he?"

Stark stood frozen, his HUD flashing error codes. For once, he had no words.

Thor's eyes went dark.

The Destroyer stood motionless, smoke curling from its molten gaze. For a brief, sickening moment, the entire world seemed to tilt.

The Rainbow Bridge was gone.

Daniel was gone.

And Asgard's answer to defiance had arrived.

The Destroyer had come to finish what Loki started.

—

If you want to read 20+ chapters, visit my Ptttn.

pttttn.com/MiniMine352