Asgard's skies burned bright, the remnants of Surtur's flames crackling with renewed fury. Moments ago, Surtur had been a seemingly invincible force. Now, he was battered and broken.
"No... I will return..."
Boom!
The flames roared, the heavens seemed to pale, and Surtur's colossal body cracked apart, collapsing into a crown of fire.
"Is it over?" Loki asked, his voice trembling in disbelief.
The initiator of Ragnarök, who had been unstoppable just moments before, lay in ruins. Could it really be this simple?
Thor shook his head grimly. "No, it's not that easy. Surtur's power comes from the Eternal Fire. As long as the Eternal Fire burns, he can be reborn endlessly."
As if to confirm Thor's words, the crown of fire began to shimmer, and flames reignited above it. Slowly, a massive silhouette emerged, standing taller and stronger than before.
"…" Loki's jaw tightened. How are we supposed to deal with this?
Frigga sighed softly. "Your father faced the same dilemma. In the end, he could only take the Eternal Fire away, but even that didn't stop Surtur's eventual return."
Thor's voice cut through the tension. "He has a weakness."
Loki turned to him, startled. "Weakness? Absolute immortality doesn't exist?"
Thor nodded. "Even so-called immortality has limits. Each resurrection consumes the energy of the Eternal Fire. If its rate of depletion surpasses its recovery, Surtur can be destroyed completely."
Loki gaped at him. "Right. Sure. Just destroy him dozens of times while surviving long enough to wear out a literal fire god. No problem!"
A deafening roar shook the battlefield as Surtur rose again.
Thor wasted no time. The Phoenix Stormbreaker blazed in his grip as he charged, striking Surtur with a mighty blow.
Crack.
Surtur's towering form split in two, cleaved cleanly from head to toe.
Once more, the fire crown fell to the ground, and the flames began to flicker weakly.
Suddenly, a cold, emotionless voice echoed across the cosmos:
"At this moment, there are no superpowers in the world."
Thor and Loki froze. Across Asgard, the once-mighty warriors of its citizenry faltered, their supernatural strength evaporating. Even the most ordinary civilians, whose enhanced physiques were their natural birthright, felt their power vanish.
The sorcerers of Asgard clutched at empty air, their magic extinguished.
Loki's face contorted with panic. "Wanda? Why would she do this? What happened?"
Thor remained calm, his gaze fixed on the flickering crown of fire. He trusted Wanda, believing she must have made this choice for an important reason.
Among everyone present, only two beings remained unaffected: Surtur and Thor.
Surtur's immunity stemmed from his alliance with Thanos, making him exempt from the curse. Thor, however, had transcended the scope of the Infinity Stones' power, standing beyond their reach.
"Brother! My magic! It's gone!" Loki wailed, panic overtaking him.
Thor didn't even look at him. "That's fine. It's not like you were useful before."
Loki glared daggers at him. "..."
But as much as Loki wanted to argue, he knew Thor was right. Even so, the implications of this curse troubled him deeply. "Brother, are you not worried at all? Everyone in Asgard is mortal now. And the same thing is probably happening on Earth. Doesn't that concern you?"
Thor paused, his gaze hardening as he watched Surtur begin to reform yet again. "As an Avenger," he said quietly, "the most important thing is to trust your teammates."
Loki rolled his eyes. Teammates? Those are your teammates, not mine. Every time they see me, they try to beat me up. Trust them? Sure.
On Earth, the battlefield was holding strong despite the curse.
Thanos' forces had suffered heavy losses, and many of the Avengers were still operational. Though superpowers were gone, much of the resistance relied on technology and training rather than innate abilities.
The Ravagers and Nova Corps continued their aerial assault, while Wakandan ground forces held the line with their advanced weaponry.
Even Spider-Man, stripped of his superhuman strength, fought valiantly using his Iron Spider suit. Black Panther relied on his vibranium armor and gadgets to continue battling.
The absence of top-level superpowers was felt, but humanity's resilience endured.
Amidst the chaos, Tony Stark stood quietly, his expression contemplative. He took a deep breath and issued a command:
"Friday, activate Mark 86."