Feeling the unprecedented power surging through his body, Laufey snorted coldly and raised the Casket of Ancient Winters before his chest.
An artifact's power grew alongside that of its wielder. After restoring Laufey to his peak, the power the Casket could unleash had increased by far more than a mere fewfold.
Boom!
Without the slightest delay, an enormous beam of white light erupted from the exquisite Casket. It expanded at a speed visible to the naked eye until Fenris's colossal body was completely engulfed.
The dazzling white light was even more brilliant than Fenris's Atomic Breath. An unprecedented wave of cold erupted, causing the temperature throughout Asgard to plummet.
Far beneath the Bifrost, even the celestial river that seemed incapable of freezing ceased flowing. Ice spread rapidly across its surface toward Asgard. The cold swept across the land and through the city, and within moments, everything visible beneath heaven and earth was covered in a faint layer of frost.
Crack!
The aftermath alone was terrifying. Fenris, who bore the full brunt of the attack, was completely frozen before he could offer any resistance.
The murderous fury in his eyes became frozen in place. Ice several meters thick enveloped his entire body in an instant, turning him into a lifelike statue within the ice, just like Wanda.
"That's better..."
An almost inaudible sigh escaped him.
Thirty percent...
Forty percent...
The white light deep within his consciousness grew increasingly radiant.
As the freezing energy invaded his body, Fenris deliberately reduced the output of his seemingly eternal Atomic Furnace to its lowest level ever. The half-formed Atomic Breath in his mouth dissolved into a wisp of smoke.
The blue light along his dorsal spines, which represented his life force, gradually went dark. At the same time, his life force field slowly fell silent.
"Hahahaha!"
"Finally!"
As he continued healing, Laufey stared at the enemy who had nearly killed him several times. The wild delight in his eyes was almost impossible to conceal.
Fenris might not have been the strongest enemy Laufey had ever encountered, but he was unquestionably the opponent Laufey least wanted to face.
Powerful, relentless, and impossible to counter.
Even after partially recovering from his injuries, Laufey might truly have died beneath that terrifying axe if he had not dodged quickly enough.
"Fortunately, I am still the victor!"
In the face of his overwhelming strength, the scales of victory had ultimately tipped in his favor.
"Midgardian, I will claim your battle axe and place it beneath my throne in Jotunheim. I will remember you well!"
Once the last of his injuries had healed, Laufey slowly flew up until he hovered directly before Fenris's eyes.
Those cold vertical pupils had lost all trace of light, yet the lingering presence within them still spoke of how powerful their owner had once been.
"My warriors!"
"At your command!"
Laufey raised his right hand. The Frost Giants immediately answered with a deafening roar that rolled across the battlefield like an avalanche.
"Follow me!"
"Crush Asgard beneath your feet!"
Rumble!
The blue tide surged forward. Freezing energy gathered in the sky, condensing into dark, oppressive clouds that rolled toward the Asgardian gods.
"Kill!"
Their battle cries were deafening as the army rapidly closed in.
Loki stared at the seemingly endless Frost Giant army. He looked up at Laufey, who stood suspended in the sky with the Casket of Ancient Winters in his hands, so powerful that defeating him seemed utterly impossible.
Loki exhaled deeply and slowly closed his eyes.
"Alas..."
"It was nothing but a futile final struggle..."
Such a magnificent beast had charged at an unbeatable enemy like the last light of a dying sun, his enormous body filled with the despair of one nearing the end of his life. Yet this was where it had led him.
Loki shook his head and looked away from Fenris.
"Thor, Thor... Sometimes, I truly envy you."
Loki turned toward Thor, who lay motionless on the ground.
"You've always been so lucky..."
"Father favored you, although Mother favored me..."
"The gods of Asgard favored you. Every one of them regarded you as the embodiment of their faith. But what about me?"
"Even after being exiled to Midgard, you still managed to find such a wonderful comrade..."
"But never mind. I don't care anymore..."
"My only regret is that I didn't keep you as Frog Thor for just a little longer. Now that I think about it, what a pity..."
Loki muttered incoherent words so quietly that even he could barely hear them. His entire body trembled faintly.
After taking several deep breaths, he finally felt a little strength return to his body.
"Gods of Asgard!"
As though experiencing one final burst of vitality before death, Loki's voice suddenly rose with renewed strength.
He raised his chest proudly and used the golden Gungnir to support himself as he limped to the front of the gods.
Loki leveled the spear, becoming the sharpest weapon of the Asgardians. Though weak, he pointed it unwaveringly toward the approaching Frost Giant army.
"Thor was right. I am king. I am the King of Asgard!"
"A king will not suffer humiliation!"
"Even if I must die in battle, I will defend Asgard and fall before any of its gods!"
"War is upon us, and slaughter is close at hand. If you see Gungnir fall beneath the Frost Giants' advance..."
Loki's iconic armor gradually materialized around his body, its curved horns rising proudly into the air.
"Do not mourn me! Do not stop your charge!"
"The glory of Asgard will never be extinguished!"
"Kill!"
His final roar injected one last burst of courage into the dispirited gods.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Loki did not know where the strength came from, but his body suddenly felt lighter than ever. Even Gungnir seemed more agile in his hands than it had ever been before.
He shouted and roared as he leaped high into the air, his body erupting with green and gold radiance.
Countless Lokis suddenly filled the sky. Each illusion brandished its spear before charging fearlessly into the Frost Giants' ranks.
Boom!
Boom!
One against a thousand, an egg hurled against a boulder.
Loki knew how this would end, yet he charged alone toward his fate.
Gungnir's final song erupted in a brilliant explosion of golden light.
Everywhere Loki passed, the formidable Frost Giant army was forcibly torn apart, leaving a deep path through its ranks.
The God of Mischief's final eruption of power blasted open an empty space several meters wide around him. The surrounding Frost Giants stared at the exhausted Loki with weapons in hand, yet they shrank beneath his divine majesty. Not one of them dared step forward.
"Hahahaha!"
"A pack of cowards!"
Loki laughed wildly, mocking the so-called giants who stood more than twice his height without the slightest restraint.
Yet as time passed, his consciousness inevitably began to fade once more.
"So this is as far as I go..."
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]