Asgard was vast, but nearly all its gods lived around the royal palace, while the homes of ordinary Asgardians lay farther beyond.
However, after Laufey secretly infiltrated Asgard with an army of Frost Giants, his first command sent the rioting giants charging outward from the palace.
Neither the gods outside nor even the patrolling guards could have imagined that so many Frost Giants would suddenly emerge from the very heart of the royal palace. Caught completely unprepared, Asgard descended into chaos almost instantly.
Bone-chilling cold spread throughout the city. Thick layers of frost formed over its buildings, and even the waterways that ordinarily extended in every direction, connecting all of Asgard, were gradually frozen solid.
Countless enchanted warships rose from the ice and swept through the sky at low altitude. Even with the gods urgently joining the battle and the watchtowers providing covering fire, it took a long time before they barely managed to stabilize the front line.
Yet even then, a seemingly endless tide of Frost Giant warriors continued pouring forth.
Every one of them was enormous and armed with finely crafted weapons. Although ordinary Asgardian civilians possessed physical abilities far beyond those of humans and would have qualified as formidable superhumans on Earth, they were still utterly helpless when suddenly confronted by disciplined Frost Giants consumed by their desire to slaughter Asgardians.
Blue giants filled the streets. Under the gods' protection, the Asgardian civilians retreated frantically. Viewed from the sky, the two opposing crowds formed two starkly distinct tides.
Wherever the blue tide passed, the once-idyllic city was effortlessly reduced to ruins. As more Frost Giants gathered, they grew increasingly brazen. The resentment accumulated over a thousand years beneath Odin's rule now erupted all at once, driving them to destroy everything within sight.
Unrestrained laughter, terrified screams, and the sobs of those fleeing for their lives mingled above the city, forming a suffocating cloud of dread that weighed upon everyone's hearts.
"It's too cold. We can't hold them much longer…"
Overwhelming cold swept toward them. Many warriors had begun trembling, their hands shaking around their shields and spears as they watched the Frost Giants advancing like an enormous wall.
If not for their numerical advantage, superior weapons, and the constant delaying attacks launched by the warships from the air, this unexpected calamity might already have brought Asgard to its knees.
"No…"
"All-Father, where are you? Why haven't you come to save Asgard?"
"Is this what you wanted to see?"
The civilians sheltered behind the warriors stared at the savage Frost Giants and closed their eyes in grief.
Jotunheim had always seemed impossibly distant. They had spent most of their lives listening to heroic tales of Odin defeating Laufey, never imagining that peace could be so fragile.
Yet in a single instant, the shadow of war had fallen upon them.
Now, more than ever, they yearned to see that brilliant golden light rise from the depths of the palace.
They longed for that tall, invincible figure riding his mighty steed and wielding the golden spear Gungnir.
"Where is Thor, our greatest warrior? Why isn't Loki here? Where have the Warriors Three gone?"
Some lamented in despair, while others roared in grief and fury.
Yet the Frost Giants would never halt because of their cries. The weakness displayed by the Asgardians only made their enemies swing their weapons with even greater ferocity.
The Asgardian warriors were forced back again and again. The civilians' extraordinary eyesight allowed them to clearly see the uncontrollable greed and killing intent in their enemies' eyes.
"A wretched race like yours dares call itself divine?"
Countless weapons of slaughter descended.
The gods of Asgard fought back desperately, while the warriors raised their shields high. Yet anyone could see that their morale had already begun to crumble, and their supposedly unbreakable defensive line was on the verge of collapse.
"ROAR!"
Despair had drained the color from every face. Just as the Asgardians gritted their teeth and prepared for one final stand, an unfamiliar, piercing roar suddenly came from far in the distance, seemingly powerful enough to shake heaven and earth.
The roar carried a force that struck directly at the soul, silencing the enormous battlefield for a brief instant.
Countless Frost Giants had raised their weapons, yet they froze in place, unable to bring them down.
"What is that?"
Heavy footsteps came from far away. Asgardian civilians stretched their necks and peered in the direction of the sound.
Hum—
The next instant, a brilliant blue-white beam suddenly rose in the distance. Carrying blistering heat, the surging Atomic Breath tore effortlessly through the freezing air blanketing Asgard.
The cold instantly receded.
In its place, indescribable heat swept across the city.
The rapid shift between freezing cold and scorching heat left the Asgardian warriors suffering, but the Frost Giants, who naturally favored frigid temperatures, fared far worse.
The massive beam of Atomic Breath descended like divine punishment, striking the very heart of the Frost Giant army with perfect accuracy. In an instant, the surrounding temperature began rising at a terrifying rate.
The roaring torrent of atomic energy crashed down with incomparable force. The Frost Giants caught directly within the blast did not even have time to scream before they were vaporized on the spot.
The remaining Frost Giants were struck by the violent shock wave the moment the beam descended and were sent hurtling through the air.
Within mere moments, the Frost Giants had suffered catastrophic casualties. More than a hundred elite warriors vanished into thin air, vaporized amid their tightly packed formation. Countless others suffered severe burns or were gravely wounded by the shock wave.
The sudden attack exceeded everyone's expectations, throwing the Frost Giant army into complete chaos.
"Ahhh!"
"Odin!"
"The God-King has returned!"
"Run!"
In their minds, aside from their own king, Laufey, only the lofty God-King Odin—forever wreathed in golden light—could possess such terrifying destructive power.
Such overwhelming divine might. Such an unreasonably powerful attack.
Who else in all of Asgard could possibly unleash it?
The Frost Giants descended into chaos. Their previously disciplined offensive collapsed in an instant and teetered on the brink of total destruction.
They looked up at the blue-white beam stretching across the sky from the distance. It resembled Death's scythe, its searing heat mercilessly reaping the lives of the blue giants.
As the seconds passed and they began to believe the attack was finally about to fade, the descending beam of blue light silently began to move.
(End of Chapter)
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