"How could you save me, only to fail to save yourself..."
Thor had never imagined that the first thing he would see upon opening his eyes would be the lifeless body of his friend.
Fenris had been so powerful. How could he have fallen so easily?
Thor felt his nose sting as an indescribable grief surged from the depths of his heart. Before he knew it, his vision had blurred with tears.
But he quickly pulled himself together.
The war was not over yet. He had no time to lose himself in grief.
"Loki, I'm coming!"
Thor wiped the corners of his eyes and roared.
Mjolnir spun rapidly in his hand before carrying him high into the sky. Dense arcs of electricity enveloped his entire body as he came crashing down beside Loki.
"Boom!"
Blinding lightning erupted in an instant, reducing every Frost Giant surrounding Loki to ashes. Only a handful survived, but their bodies were charred black and convulsing uncontrollably. They had completely lost the ability to fight.
Thor did not stop after that single attack. Transforming into a streak of lightning, he raced across the battlefield.
Wherever the deafening thunder passed, ordinary Frost Giants proved utterly helpless against him. The enemies surrounding the gods of Asgard were quickly swept away.
Thor planted himself in front of Loki and the gods, holding his hammer horizontally as he glared at the enemy.
"Let's see who dares take another step!"
"Thor!"
The pressure on the battlefield eased instantly. Looking at Thor's back, Loki felt for the first time that his muscle-brained brother could actually be dependable.
His entire body went limp, and he nearly lost consciousness. The gods behind him were overjoyed, as though the pillar holding up Asgard had finally returned.
"That's enough. All of you, stand down."
But the moment Laufey's voice sounded, a shadow once again fell over everyone's hearts.
"God of Thunder!"
Hovering in the air, Laufey stared down at Thor, who had not only returned to life but seemed even more powerful than before. His expression immediately became uncertain.
"Where is Odin?"
"Where did that old bastard go? Tell him to show himself!"
For a moment, even Laufey could not describe what he was feeling.
Again and again, the people of Asgard had refused to stay down. Every time Laufey thought they were finally finished, someone else stepped forward.
Thor had clearly possessed the body of an ordinary mortal moments ago. What ordinary mortal could endure one of Laufey's attacks and then rise again, brimming with life?
Laufey refused to believe that Odin had nothing to do with it.
He knew his opponent far too well.
Odin appeared honorable and forthright, but beneath that facade lay a calculating mind and meticulous schemes. Had the Odinsleep not restricted him, Jotunheim's situation would have been far worse.
"I should have known. There's no way he could truly bring himself to be so cruel to his own son..."
Laufey slowly raised the Casket of Ancient Winters. He extended his senses to their limits and vigilantly scanned his surroundings, waiting for that familiar golden figure to appear once more.
Yet after several moments, everything remained silent.
Laufey narrowed his eyes at Thor, who stood below guarding the others, and quietly clenched his fist.
"Could Odin... still be asleep?"
"Laufey, my father has no need to deal personally with a coward like you."
Thor raised his head and stared directly at the uncertain Laufey.
Lightning flashed as he lifted Mjolnir high in his right hand.
"I'm more than enough to defeat you!"
"You?"
Thor's declaration made Laufey burst out laughing.
He admitted that Thor was powerful, but Thor was ultimately still an immature brat. To Laufey in his current state, Thor posed far less of a threat than the human who had just fought him.
"It was him..."
As he laughed, Laufey seemed to realize something.
"He knew you wouldn't die. He stopped that attack to protect your heart and keep your life from being completely extinguished. That was why he..."
No wonder that human had ignored the Casket of Ancient Winters and instead gone to such trouble to stop a mere dagger of ice.
"Interesting."
As he spoke, Laufey's gaze suddenly shifted. The smile vanished from his face as he looked toward the motionless Fenris.
"He was a powerful opponent. An enemy worthy of respect."
"Unfortunately, he was far too foolish, and he chose the wrong side..."
The same realization passed through Thor's mind.
His final memory before losing consciousness was of Fenris descending from the sky and intercepting that fatal attack for him.
Thor turned his head toward Fenris, whose body remained sealed inside the ice without the slightest trace of life. An unmistakable sadness and desolation flickered in his eyes.
"Fenris..."
"One blessing from Odin was enough for you to risk your life protecting me and all of Asgard..."
Thor gritted his teeth as moisture gathered in his eyes once more.
Then his expression suddenly hardened.
"Don't worry. I'll find a way to bring that girl on Earth back!"
"You traded your life for mine. Even if I have to sacrifice my own life to save her, I won't hesitate!"
"You won't hesitate? You?"
Laufey withdrew his gaze from Fenris and sneered at Thor.
"Thor, God of Thunder. You may be nothing more than an immature brat, but your luck was certainly impressive. You even managed to find such a powerful ally."
Laufey shook his head, sounding almost regretful.
"Unfortunately, your good fortune ends here!"
"Open your eyes and take a good look around. Do you truly believe your arrival is enough to reverse the situation?"
Rather than attacking immediately, Laufey spread his arms and gestured for Thor to survey the battlefield.
At the peak of his power, with the Casket of Ancient Winters in his possession, Laufey feared nothing.
Even if Odin appeared in person, Laufey was no longer certain that the old king could suppress him as thoroughly as he had a thousand years ago.
Moreover, Odin had grown old and frail. His body could no longer withstand his ever-increasing power, which was precisely why he periodically fell into the Odinsleep.
"..."
Thor silently looked around.
The scales of victory had already tipped irreversibly toward Jotunheim.
Loki had completely lost the ability to fight.
More than half of the gods had been killed or wounded, and those who remained had almost no strength left.
Fenris...
Huh?
Thor blinked.
Why was Fenris's body beginning to glow?
"It must be an illusion..."
No matter how unwilling he was to accept it, Thor had to acknowledge the truth. Even Fenris had fallen to Laufey. Thor alone could never turn the tide or change the outcome of the war.
Was Asgard's destruction truly inevitable?
"No!"
Thor abruptly raised his head.
"Fenris, Loki... None of them gave up! Even if I die, I'll tear a piece of flesh from your body first!"
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]