Chapter 150: I Can Never Go Back

Lacking a vehicle, the three of them had to walk the entire way along the road, which took them over half an hour.

Eventually, they climbed the mountain and arrived before the grand mansion.

A figure clad in red and gold armor was already waiting at the entrance.

"Thor, the God of Thunder, welcome to Midgard."

Tony looked at Thor with a smile, extending his hand.

"Greetings."

Staring at the enthusiastic Tony, Thor was momentarily stunned, but he still reached out and shook his hand.

He had originally expected Tony Stark to test his strength against him, but to his surprise, Tony simply gave it a brief shake and let go.

"You really should take your Mjölnir back."

Without wasting any words, Tony raised his right hand. Mjölnir flew out from a window and landed straight into his palm.

Seeing this, Thor's eyes widened. What was he witnessing? Aside from himself, someone else could actually wield Mjölnir?

Immediately afterward, Tony handed the hammer directly to Thor.

As Thor reached out to take it, Tony released his grip. The terrifying weight of the hammer instantly caused Thor's body to lurch forward, forcing him to quickly let go of the handle.

This narrow escape saved Thor from tumbling flat onto the ground and making a fool of himself in front of Jane and Darcy.

The hammer plummeted to the ground, smashing a small crater into the earth.

This scene left both Jane and Darcy dumbfounded. How could the weight of this hammer be so entirely inconsistent with its appearance?

"Could it be that I got the wrong person? That shouldn't be..."

Seeing this, Tony furrowed his brow and spoke.

Harvey had mentioned the condition for lifting Mjölnir: anyone with a righteous heart who was deemed worthy could pick it up effortlessly.

Moreover, this hammer was Thor's exclusive weapon. If the person before him was the genuine article, shouldn't he be able to pick it up with ease? So what was happening now?

"Are you truly Thor, the God of Thunder?"

Tony looked Thor up and down once more, his tone laced with skepticism.

"I am Thor, genuine and uncounterfeited."

"Do not doubt it just yet. Wait, I can lift it."

Sensing the shift in Tony Stark's attitude from friendly to somewhat suspicious, Thor felt an overwhelming shock in his heart, yet he quickly moved to appease Tony.

Subsequently, Thor walked up to his Mjölnir, reached out a hand to grasp the handle, and pulled upward, but the hammer remained completely motionless.

A look of disbelief crossed Thor's face. He grabbed the handle with both hands, the veins and muscles in his arms bulging violently.

He exerted every ounce of strength he possessed, yet he still failed to budge the hammer that had accompanied him through countless battles over the years.

"...No, this cannot be true. This is definitely not true."

Realizing that he truly could not lift it, Thor collapsed onto his knees, a look of profound remorse washing over his face.

"Thor, are you alright?"

Seeing Thor's trembling frame and hearing his remorse-laden words, Jane asked with a hint of worry.

However, Thor could not hear the sounds around him at all. Being unable to lift Mjölnir meant that his father was not merely making empty threats this time—he was entirely serious.

His divine power had been stripped away, and he had been cast down to Midgard.

Without his divine power, he was reduced to a mere mortal. Even if his mortal physique was somewhat stronger than that of an average human, he was no longer a god.

"Agh! Father, why must you go to such lengths? Why?!"

Struck by this heavy blow, Thor sank into deep remorse, raising his head to let out a roar of anguish.

Yet before Thor could roar for long, his mouth was forcefully clamped shut by Tony.

The terrifying strength behind the gesture made Thor's eyes widen as he stared at Tony Stark in his iron armor.

"Stop throwing a tantrum here. Pull yourself together."

"Thor, although I can lift Mjölnir, I have no intention of keeping it."

"Judging by your appearance, however, something seems to have happened, rendering you unable to lift your own hammer."

"If you wish to reclaim your hammer, tell me precisely what has occurred."

Feeling Thor's shock, Tony spoke directly.

Harvey seemed to have anticipated all of this long in advance, knowing that Thor would not be able to reclaim Mjölnir immediately.

That was why he had told Tony to converse with Thor himself to find out the truth.

Mjölnir possessed the power of thunder and was undeniably powerful, but compared to using a hammer, Tony preferred the various weapons of his own design.

Therefore, Mjölnir would have to be returned to Thor eventually, no matter what. Yet it was blatantly obvious that returning it would be no simple task.

Consequently, Tony needed to understand the situation before he could figure out a way to unload this hot potato back onto Thor.

"Mmph mph mph...!"

Hearing Tony's words, Thor tried to say something.

"Have you calmed down? If you've calmed down, nod your head."

Seeing Thor's state, Tony did not release his grip immediately, but asked seriously.

At this, Thor nodded repeatedly.

Upon seeing this, Tony finally let go.

"Tony Stark, what on earth are you?"

With his mouth finally liberated, Thor took deep, gasping breaths of air, then glared at Tony with a mixture of shock and accusation.

"Did I not introduce myself to you already?"

"Iron Man, Tony Stark."

Tony spread his hands and replied.

When he had forcefully clamped his hand over Thor's mouth just moments ago, he could feel that Thor's physical constitution was extraordinary.

If a normal person had been subjected to that, their jaw would have long since shattered, but Thor had sustained no injuries whatsoever. This man was undoubtedly the real Thor.

"Then why are you able to lift Mjölnir?"

Ignoring Tony's deflection, Thor demanded an answer.

"You ask me that, but I would rather ask you: why is it that *you* cannot lift your own hammer?"

Instead of answering, Tony countered with a question of his own.

He was dying to get rid of Mjölnir immediately, rather than having to wear his iron armor even inside his own home out of fear of exposure.

"That's right, Thor, why on earth can't you lift your own signature weapon?"

At this point, Darcy chimed in, full of curiosity. Although today's events felt rather magical, she found them quite entertaining.

"Could you tell us about it?"

Jane looked at the thunder god with lingering concern and asked softly.

She could tell that Thor's mood had plummeted drastically after discovering he could no longer lift the hammer.

"I committed a grave mistake, which filled my father with immense wrath."

"Because of this, my father stripped away my divine power, reclaimed my hammer, and cast me down to the mortal realm."

"I had harbored hopes that my father was merely acting out of temporary anger."

"Yet now I realize that I truly may never be able to return to Asgard."

Hearing Tony's interrogation, sensing Darcy's curiosity, and feeling Jane's concern, Thor paused for a moment before speaking in a low, somber voice.