"Asgard's combat power really shouldn't be underestimated."
The battle was intense. Even if these Asgardians couldn't defeat Jormungandr, they weren't in a position where they couldn't stand against it. It seemed these guys weren't useless; they were brave warriors who fought well and didn't fear Death. This led Artoria to give Asgard a high rating. If Odin didn't die, Asgard would remain one of the Celestials' greatest enemies, without a doubt. Earth had no such ability to resist the Celestials; one should be grateful if they didn't have internal strife, let alone expect them to unite and fight together—that was unthinkable.
"It's that child who saved Thor. That's wonderful."
Queen Frigga looked toward Artoria on the mountain with a loving expression. She had already suspected there might be something between Artoria and Thor, and now she was even more certain. This beautiful and powerful girl was her daughter-in-law. Queen Frigga had no idea what price Odin had paid to invite Artoria here; she was still dreaming of a well-behaved, sensible, and beautiful daughter-in-law. If Odin knew what Frigga was thinking, he'd probably explode with anger.
"I wonder when I'll be able to hold a grandchild."
At this thought, the Queen's gaze became increasingly affectionate, making Artoria on the mountain feel extremely uncomfortable. If she knew what Frigga was saying, Artoria would probably quit on the spot. She was only here to do a quest and get some benefits, yet they were lusting after her and wanting her to stay as a daughter-in-law? That was truly too much. Artoria felt like her dragon scales were about to stand up. She didn't know why—she didn't sense danger, but she felt a massive chill, as if someone was having malicious fantasies about her. This feeling made Artoria very displeased.
"I can't just keep watching. It's time to act and see if I can hack this guy to Death. Once Jormungandr is dead, I'll ask old man Odin for more compensation. I must take more things from Odin's vault."
Watching Thor and his companions fight Jormungandr desperately, the crackling lightning hitting Jormungandr was useless; instead, it provoked the serpent's ferocity, making it stronger. Artoria couldn't watch any longer. She took out excalibur and prepared to join the fray. Seeing this, Odin didn't intend to stop her. He also wanted to see how strong the girl was, especially that magnificent sword in her hand, which gave him a sense of crisis. There weren't many divine artifacts that could make even Odin react, and excalibur happened to be one of them. Legend had it that this sword was forged by spirits in a lake within Avalon—the same manufacturer as Caliburn. However, in the Marvel Universe, Artoria didn't know who forged it, but she knew its greatest feat was splitting dimensions.
"Everyone, get back!"
Gripping excalibur with both hands, a massive amount of magical energy began to flow into the blade. The silver blade of excalibur began to emit a dazzling golden light. Artoria shouted to Thor and the others, then stopped caring whether they heard her and slashed directly at Jormungandr. A sharp golden strike flew rapidly toward Jormungandr. Artoria didn't know if any unlucky soul would get caught in the attack; if they did, she could only say sorry.
"So obedient!"
She had thought the Asgardians were so arrogant they'd ignore everyone, but she didn't expect them to be so obedient, running faster than rabbits. If the Asgardian warriors heard Artoria's thoughts, they would definitely complain wildly. They were brave, yes, but not stupid. This was clearly an ally's attack, and they had been warned; anyone who got caught in an ally's attack would be a true fool. Besides, the attack was so strong that being caught in it would mean Death.
"This girl's strength is more than just this. She hasn't perfectly unleashed the power of that divine sword."
Odin, who had lived so long and experienced countless battles, could tell at a glance how strong Artoria's strike was. He could see how much effort Artoria put in versus the proportion of the divine sword's power. In this strike, Artoria had only mobilized about three percent of the sword's power; it was mostly her own strength. To fully utilize a divine artifact, one must use its own power to exert the maximum effect with the minimum personal effort—that was the purpose of creating such artifacts. This rule applied to all such artifacts and was one of Odin's own secrets to power. The fame of the spear gungnir always hitting its mark was built through such combat.
"Roar!"
The golden strike slammed heavily into Jormungandr, instantly slicing through the hard scales. Purple blood flowed from the gash. Although it healed quickly, this was the first time Jormungandr had taken real damage since being unsealed in Asgard. Fortunately, the creature was thick-skinned; though the wound Artoria carved was large, it only cut through scales and skin, not yet reaching a level that truly endangered its essence. However, the grudge from being wounded made it shift its gaze from Odin to Artoria. This damned insect had ambushed it! It was as detestable as Odin. In its fury, it turned its head and charged at Artoria, wanting to bite this little insect to Death and eat her to avenge the sword strike. Looking at the serpent's head rushing toward her, Artoria wasn't flustered at all; she actually found it somewhat amusing.
"This is truly the first time I've seen someone come forward to get hacked voluntarily."
Gauging the strength of her previous strike, Artoria smiled and raised excalibur. The magical energy pouring into the sword was stronger than before, twice the previous amount. The light from this strike was even brighter, like the sun just rising over the horizon—dazzling and holy. Bathed in the golden light, Artoria looked like a sun goddess illuminating the world, while Jormungandr rushing toward her looked like a demon god attacking a goddess.
"Double Flash Slash."
Artoria gripped excalibur tightly and swung it heavily at the charging Jormungandr. Two powerful slashes flew toward the serpent's head. The distance between them was too short for Jormungandr to dodge. The two slashes hit its eyes perfectly. Without any resistance, Artoria's slashes cut through like a knife through tofu. Artoria quickly left her original spot as several heavy thuds sounded on the ground. Jormungandr's body had failed to withstand excalibur's sharpness.
"It's actually still alive."
Just as Artoria was putting away excalibur and preparing to demand her reward from Odin, the pieces of Jormungandr's body on the ground began to squirm. They automatically aligned and the cuts began to heal. In less than a minute, a perfectly intact Jormungandr appeared before Artoria again. This made her understand why Odin chose to seal Jormungandr rather than kill it—it possessed an immortal nature, the traditional 'undying body.' This made Artoria incredibly frustrated. Breaking such immortality was very troublesome unless one had specific magical items, like the 'Yellow Rose' of a certain Lancer, which carried a curse preventing wounds from healing.
"You have done very well, child."
While Artoria was worrying about what to do, a very soft voice sounded beside her. It was Queen Frigga. She placed a hand on Artoria, expressing high praise for her actions. Artoria was a bit surprised—how was the Queen so strong? She hadn't even noticed her approach. When Artoria's eyes caught another figure, she understood: Odin had come over and was preparing to act.
"Jormungandr, go back to sleep in your seal!"
Odin stood in front of Artoria, facing Jormungandr while holding a Black Box. He spoke to the newly recovered serpent, suddenly uttering a few words Artoria didn't understand—they sounded like an incantation. Soon, the box emitted a powerful suction, instantly pulling Jormungandr inside. Artoria's eyes twitched at the sight. As expected of the All-Father Odin, who once ruled the Nine Realms and went toe-to-toe with the Celestials; he handled Jormungandr with just a couple of moves. But why did this guy call her over? Just to show off his strength? As the King of Gods, Odin shouldn't be that petty, right? Artoria thought, somewhat rudely.
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