The Palace of Asgard, the great hall.
"Listen—"
"Listen to those Asgardians screaming outside, little princess."
"I hear you're all called gods beyond this realm. But how can gods scream? How can gods bleed?"
"Hmm?"
The sounds of fighting outside the great hall and the desperate cries of ordinary Asgardians fleeing for their lives rang clearly in their ears.
Laufey stared at Loki, who remained frozen and motionless within the ice. Mockery gleamed in his bloodred eyes.
"Hand over the Casket of Ancient Winters and tell me where Odin is. Do that, and I'll spare you."
"Once my warriors have exhausted themselves, I won't cling to this insignificant territory of yours. You can remain Asgard's king. What do you say?"
As he spoke, Laufey even tapped Loki lightly on the face through the ice.
The God of Mischief was rumored to be treacherous, cunning, and utterly self-serving. His relationship with Thor was said to be especially hostile, with each brother constantly guarding against the other. As for Odin, there was even less reason for Loki to remain loyal to him.
Besides, what kind of person would conspire with outsiders against his own family?
Compared to being frozen alive inside the ice, Laufey's proposal was clearly far more tempting.
When he saw Loki's eyes move and caught the strange gleam that flashed through them, Laufey chuckled. His opinion of Asgard's second princess sank even lower.
"Odin, Odin. You oppressed both me and Jotunheim for thousands of years, but even you could never have imagined that your own son would prove so pathetic."
Loki's eyes moved almost imperceptibly, subtly indicating a particular direction within the great hall.
"The Casket of Ancient Winters!"
Delight surged through Laufey. He hurriedly turned his head and followed Loki's gaze.
"Idiot."
Loki's lips immediately curled into a mocking smile, and the hand gripping Gungnir finally relaxed.
"Midgardian, the great Loki, God of Mischief, has decided to forgive your earlier offense…"
The Casket of Ancient Winters was as important to Laufey as Mjolnir was to Thor in his current state—or as the Eternal Flame was to the severely weakened Surtur.
How could Loki possibly have hidden such a treasure anywhere but on his own person?
After all, he himself was a genuine Frost Giant.
Boom! Boom!
Completely unaware that Loki had fooled him yet again, Laufey turned around with anticipation filling his heart. The Casket of Ancient Winters he had dreamed of possessing was, in truth, right beneath his nose.
The next moment, however, the scene before him instantly froze the smile on his face.
Heavy footsteps thundered from the distance. Amid the panicked crowds and the Frost Giant soldiers who had suddenly descended into chaos, an enormous shadow visibly began rising from the far end of the Bifrost.
"What is that thing?"
The warriors guarding the entrance to the great hall turned their heads. Narrowing their eyes, they peered as far into the distance as they could.
Laufey, the strongest among them, widened his eyes and craned his neck in disbelief, trying to see more clearly.
"ROAR!"
A deafening roar erupted like a thunderclap.
Dozens of Frost Giants stood in Fenris's path, completely blocking the Bifrost, while more warriors continued rushing over from the distance.
Before their very eyes, the unfamiliar young man standing between them and Thor suddenly began expanding at a terrifying rate.
His hands transformed into long, razor-sharp claws. The muscles in his legs swelled until they became extraordinarily thick, and a fearsome tail nearly as long as his body burst out behind him. It slammed against the ground with a tremendous crash.
His pale skin visibly became coarse and heavy, while his handsome face transformed into something ferocious and terrifying in the blink of an eye.
Six feet.
Sixteen feet.
Thirty-three feet.
Thor suddenly felt an immensely powerful life force field envelop the area around him. A dangerous aura erupted outward, making his entire body tremble instinctively.
Fenris soon surpassed the eighty-two-foot height his Godzilla form had reached after devouring Otto's miniature sun and evolving.
Following Odin's blessing, Mothra had benefited the most, but his Godzilla form had grown once again as well.
Only after Fenris passed one hundred feet did his growth gradually begin to slow, finally stopping at roughly one hundred and thirty feet.
After evolving several times, his Godzilla form was now nearly as large as the ancient Titan Kong had been during Fenris's first transformation.
The dorsal plates along his back slowly lit up with an eerie blue glow.
A deep humming filled the air. Every Frost Giant present, as well as Thor standing closest to him, felt an agonizing pressure build inside their ears. Even their hearts seemed to pound in terror in time with the breathing of the colossal creature that had suddenly appeared before them.
Within a spectrum invisible to the naked eye, Fenris could feel every cell in his body releasing intense energy radiation into the surrounding environment.
Every part of him was filled with a pleasantly searing warmth. He instinctively shook his head, then breathed out through his nostrils. Scalding white vapor surged forth and quickly condensed into thick clouds of steam upon meeting the frigid air.
What did it mean to stand one hundred and thirty feet tall?
Thor had to raise his head to look at the densely packed Frost Giants, yet in Fenris's eyes, those so-called giants were barely larger than ants.
The towering creatures he once would have needed to look up at had become tiny specks he could scarcely see without paying close attention. It seemed as though he could crush them effortlessly with the slightest movement of his foot.
As his atomic reactor accelerated, the surging breath that had previously overheated his human form after only a few uses now seemed inexhaustible. He could release it freely and without restraint.
Fenris drew a deep breath, breaking free from the intoxicating sensation of standing above everything with overwhelming power coursing through his body. Then he took a sudden step forward.
Boom!
The Bifrost's control chamber could never contain a creature of such immense size. Fenris merely swept his tail casually, and this vital center of Asgard was effortlessly smashed into fragments.
Dozens of Frost Giant warriors stood frozen in place.
When Fenris lowered his head, all they saw was a pair of cold, vertical pupils utterly devoid of emotion.
His enormous head occupied nearly their entire field of vision.
When such a colossal creature stared silently down at them and its scorching breath washed across their faces, even seasoned warriors would have struggled to remain calm. These soldiers had barely experienced war at all.
Even their sole commander's legs were trembling violently, and the hands gripping his weapon shook beyond his control.
His entire body had gone rigid. All the grueling training he had endured was long forgotten. He didn't dare make even the slightest movement.
Jotunheim had Frost Beasts of its own, but none of them were this enormous!
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]