Lucas flew forward, and Surtur naturally noticed him.
At this moment, in Surtur's eyes, no one in Asgard could possibly stand against him.
He raised the blazing greatsword in his hand, intending to destroy the surrounding structures to vent his fury.
However, halfway through the swing, the greatsword suddenly seemed to strike an invisible wall, unable to advance even a single inch.
Standing directly in front of the flaming blade was Lucas.
One hand rested calmly against the flat of the sword. No matter how Surtur roared or how violently he exerted force, the greatsword could not move forward even the slightest amount.
The sight instantly stunned all the Asgardians.
Although Surtur's strength was not particularly refined, his enormous body and overwhelming energy granted him terrifying momentum.
Yet Lucas remained completely motionless.
Then, the hand pressed against the blade suddenly slapped downward.
Bang!
Surtur's massive body lost its balance from that single strike and staggered before crashing heavily onto the ground.
After being tempered on the Hell Planet, Lucas's physical strength had reached an entirely new level.
What he had displayed earlier on Sakaar was only the might of his energy.
This battle made him realize even more clearly that the body and ki reinforce one another.
A stronger body condensed ki further and expanded its capacity, while powerful ki in turn refined and strengthened the body.
Ever since leaving the Hell Planet, Lucas's strength had been steadily increasing—even when doing nothing, he was still growing stronger.
That said, the force he displayed earlier was not as exaggerated as it appeared.
First, the point where his palm pressed was precisely the center of the sword's blade—a key stress point. Holding it there required far less strength than it seemed.
It was like restraining someone by pressing their elbow instead of their fist—the difference in required force was enormous.
That slap also relied on principles of leverage and force, though the visual impact was nothing short of shocking.
Even Surtur himself was momentarily stunned.
Among everyone present, only Odin—whose battle experience was immeasurably deep—saw through the mechanics behind it.
But that no longer mattered.
Lucas suddenly withdrew his hand, clenched his fist, and punched violently into the empty air before him.
Boom!
A thunderous air-burst exploded, snapping Surtur's head violently backward.
Before Surtur could react—
Boom!
Another air-burst punch slammed into his chin.
Surtur roared, attempting to counterattack, but before he could even rise—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Air-burst punches rained down like artillery fire, hammering Surtur's body relentlessly.
Each strike triggered a deafening explosion of compressed air.
Each strike landed precisely on Surtur's points of exertion.
As a result, Surtur could not stand at all, forced to lie on the ground while enduring Lucas's merciless assault.
"Do you understand now?" Odin suddenly asked.
"Huh? Understand what?" Thor replied, confused.
"Your father is asking whether you understand why Lucas can suppress Surtur so completely," Frigga sighed.
"Well… his strength seems incredible, and he can—"
Before Thor could finish, Hela snorted.
"That's advanced application of power and energy," she said coldly.
"He uses physical force to drive the air, with energy as the foundation of the attack."
"Every blow strikes Surtur's power nodes, preventing him from mounting any counteroffensive."
"Most importantly, Lucas hasn't moved from his position at all. Not a single bit of strength is wasted—he completely controls the battlefield."
Thor's mouth fell open slightly as realization dawned on him.
"So that's how it works…"
Odin continued calmly, "Thor, remember this. We Asgardians do not lack energy. In fact, once you reach my age, having too much energy becomes a burden."
"What we truly need to master is combat technique and control."
"You are only fifteen hundred years old. I have only a few hundred years left, and even your sister Hela has, at most, two thousand years remaining."
Hela raised an eyebrow but did not interrupt—Odin was stating facts.
"When Hela eventually steps down," Odin continued,
"you will be at the peak of your strength—around thirty-five hundred years old."
"That will be the optimal time for you to inherit the throne."
"But before that, you must absorb all the knowledge you can, improve yourself, and understand true combat."
"This moment is your best opportunity to learn—and you have an excellent teacher right in front of you."
Thor was not foolish; he had simply been shaped by his upbringing and battle style into someone who favored brute force over thought.
Below, Lucas's assault intensified.
His punches grew faster, heavier, and more ferocious.
As the air-burst strikes continued at extreme speed, Surtur—treated like a living punching bag—began to weaken. The flames surrounding his body started to dim.
This happened because the surrounding air had been continuously blasted away, nearly forming a vacuum around him.
"No—!"
Surtur suddenly let out a furious roar.
The flames that were close to extinguishing abruptly reignited, blazing violently once more.
"As expected… not ordinary flames," Lucas muttered.
"These are flames born from energy laws."
At that moment, Lucas's aura erupted, his surging ki colliding head-on with Surtur's oppressive presence.
The contrast was shocking—like an ant facing a giant, yet standing unyielding.
Suddenly, Lucas's aura rapidly compressed, forming an invisible, transparent energy layer around his body.
"Die!"
Surtur swung his greatsword down at Lucas. The blade tore through the air like a falling mountain.
The skyrocketing air pressure had no effect on Lucas whatsoever.
He raised his fist and met the blade head-on with his bare body.
Clang!
A deafening impact echoed as Surtur's greatsword was halted in midair.
In the next instant, blue light flashed around Lucas.
He vanished.
At the same moment, he reappeared directly in front of Surtur's head.
In Lucas's right palm, an energy sphere crackling with electric arcs had already formed.
He pushed his palm forward.
The energy sphere expanded explosively and slammed straight into Surtur's face.
Hummmm—
Amid the roaring energy, Surtur's massive head—dozens of meters across—was completely engulfed.
At that instant, Lucas's faintly glowing pupils suddenly contracted.
"I've found you."
_____
T/N:
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