"Sif! Can you sense Thor's location?!"
Volstagg's rough voice echoed through the desert, his massive double-bladed battle axe gleaming coldly in the sunlight.
Sif nodded slightly, her long, jet-black hair moving without any wind.
She gripped her longsword with both hands, the tip lightly touching the ground, and closed her eyes to concentrate.
Boom…
In an instant, a visible golden energy surged from her body, spreading outward like ripples.
Suddenly, her emerald eyes snapped open, her sharp gaze piercing the distant hillside, and she shouted:
"Who's there!"
Before the words left her lips, Sif's figure had already transformed into a silver blur, covering a hundred meters in a heartbeat as she rushed toward the hillside.
Shuashuashua—!
The Warriors Three reacted swiftly—Volstagg hefting his double-bladed battle axe, Hogun swinging his mace-and-chain (meteor hammer), and Fandral drawing his rapier—all following close behind.
When the four reached the hillside, they found only weathered rocks and dry shrubs.
The desert wind whipped up fine sand, and the surroundings fell eerily silent.
"Sif, are you sensing something wrong?"
Fandral frowned, his elegant rapier held horizontally before his chest.
Sif didn't answer. Instead, she spun and thrust her longsword backward at an impossible angle—
Clang!
The crisp clash of metal echoed through the desert.
A fiery red spear materialized from thin air, blocking Sif's blade precisely.
Ripples shimmered in the air as a boy wearing a Nuo mask gradually appeared.
"Who are you?!"
With a roar, Volstagg swung his axe at the stranger.
Xiao's body swayed slightly as the weapon grazed the hem of his robe and slammed into the ground, carving a crater three meters wide.
Boom—!
Before the dust settled, Hogun's meteor hammer hurtled in, its chain slicing deadly arcs through the air.
Xiao barely tapped the ground with his toes, his body rising like a willow catkin— the hammer grazing the sole of his boot.
Whoosh!
With a flick of his wrist, the blade from the Box of Annihilation traced a graceful arc, effortlessly deflecting Sif's longsword.
At the same time, Xiao retreated like a ghost, sidestepping Volstagg's follow-up strike.
"Stop. I'm not here to fight you—"
Before Xiao could finish, Hogun's meteor hammer came crashing toward him again!
Bang—!
Xiao twisted aside; the hammer struck the earth, sending sand and pebbles flying.
Fandral's rapier lashed out next, striking for Xiao's throat like a viper.
Snort!
Xiao exhaled softly, leaping into the air with barely a touch of the ground. He flipped midair, then drove the Box of Annihilation downward like a dragon breaching the sea.
Clang! Clang! Clang—!!
Steel met steel in a rapid-fire symphony.
Though surrounded by four elite warriors, Xiao moved with impossible ease. His motions were as fluid as the wind—the Box of Annihilation now striking like a snake's tongue, now roaring like a tiger descending a mountain.
Every parry was flawless. Every counter, razor-sharp.
"Who is this guy?"
Volstagg panted, his grip trembling on his axe.
Sif remained silent. Suddenly, she leapt skyward, raising her longsword high. Golden light blazed along the blade as she cried:
"For Asgard!"
The sword cleaved down with crushing force—but Xiao didn't retreat. Instead, he surged forward. The tip of his spear, Miechen, flared with bluish-green energy.
Boom—!
The collision unleashed a shockwave that blasted sand and stone ten meters in every direction.
Through the dust, Xiao's form split into three—three identical masked youths lunging from different angles.
Bang!
Hogun swung wildly; his hammer passed through a phantom—only for the real Xiao to slam a kick into his chest, sending him flying seventeen meters.
"Hogun!"
Fandral's rapier became a streak of silver, stabbing toward Xiao's back.
Without turning, Xiao thrust his spear backward under his arm—precisely intercepting the blade.
Clang!
Simultaneously, his left hand formed a swift seal. A dark green wind blade shrieked outward, forcing Volstagg back as he tried to flank him.
Sif's eyes narrowed. She plunged her sword into the earth.
Boom—!
Golden energy spiderwebbed across the ground, forming a vast magic circle.
Beneath Xiao's feet, the sand turned to quicksand, threatening to swallow him whole.
"Two windmills stand upright!"
Xiao's cry rang out—and his body shot skyward.
Whoosh—!
He twisted midair, and the Box of Annihilation screamed toward Sif's face.
Boom!
Sif barely raised her sword in time—but the impact hurled her backward dozens of meters, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
"Drink up—!"
Seizing the opening, Volstagg charged from the side, his axe cleaving toward Xiao's waist with earth-shattering force.
Thump!
But Xiao seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He spun the spear and struck the butt against Volstagg's wrist.
"Ah!"
Asgard's mightiest brawler howled as his axe went flying.
Hogun staggered to his feet and hurled his flail once more.
Xiao didn't dodge. A single palm strike sent the meteor hammer soaring ten meters away.
"Stop right there!"
Sif's voice cracked like thunder. Her sword erupted with blinding light as she lunged for Xiao's heart.
Clang—!
Blade met spear—sand and rock exploded outward!
When the dust settled, Xiao stood calmly atop the original boulder, the Box of Annihilation resting at his side.
The four Asgardians lay scattered—weapons lost, bodies broken.
Volstagg clutched his gut, gagging. Hogun stared blankly at his snapped chain. Fandral tried to rise but collapsed again.
Only Sif remained upright, leaning heavily on her cracked sword, her silver armor fractured.
An eerie silence blanketed the desert. The wind carried sand between them as Xiao's blue hair fluttered gently.
He studied the four warriors, slowly sheathed his spear, and said:
"If you attack again, I will show no mercy."
Sif's sword trembled. Sweat dripped from her chin.
She had never faced such a warrior. Even in Asgard, only Thor could so easily overwhelm all four of them.
And what chilled her most—this man hadn't even drawn his full power.
"We acknowledge your skill is unmatched, warrior of Midgard," she said, breathless, eyes filled with b
oth awe and suspicion.
"But why serve Loki? Why hinder our search for Thor?"
Xiao frowned.
"I never intended to stop you. You were the ones who drew your blades on me."
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