The Destroyer's beam blasted over. Alex neither retreated nor dodged. His eyes lit up as well, golden light flames shot out from his pupils and crashed against the Destroyer's beam.
The two streams of light slammed into each other inside the vault, instantly exploding into raging flames. The flames spun around Alex and the Destroyer without stopping, eventually forming a tornado that shot into the sky.
This fire dragon shattered the vault ceiling in one move, rising upward until it connected with the clouds, dazzling to look at.
Even on the chaotic battlefield above Asgard, the Dark Elves and Asgardian warriors still fighting could see it clearly.
Volstagg looked in that direction and shouted, "What's going on? That's the vault."
"Did the Dark Elves sneak into the vault?"
The man built like a giant wine barrel looked again toward the Dark Throne in the distance.
The man calling himself the "Conqueror" was still sitting on the throne.
That left Volstagg confused. He did not know who else could have invaded the vault.
But right now, warships and battle flags crossed through the sky in endless streams, gunfire continuing nonstop.
No one had time to care about the vault.
The swordmaster Fandral had just destroyed a Dark Elf fighter with his sword and jumped back onto an Asgardian warship.
He grabbed the female warrior Sif by the shoulder, "Go see how Thor is doing."
He looked toward the "Dark Prison" below that had trapped Odin, "If His Majesty can't get out in time, then we can only rely on Thor."
Sif was also worried about Thor. Hearing that, she nodded, jumped onto a warship, and piloted it away to search for Thor.
———
[Inside the Vault]
Most of the walls had melted. Only the treasures and divine artifacts remained unharmed.
An item resembling the Infinity Gauntlet had already melted into liquid metal.
But the Casket of Ancient Winters in Alex's hand was still intact.
It had even released a wave of cold air on its own, protecting the surrounding area from the flames.
Alex and the Destroyer had stopped firing beams.
The steel puppet had no joy or anger. It would not feel frustrated or annoyed just because the beam attack failed.
It simply switched methods.
Taking a huge step forward, the Destroyer raised its hand and threw out an iron fist.
The moment the fist came down, a sharp cry rang through the air, so piercing it seemed like it would stab through Alex's eardrums.
Of course, for Alex, the sound was only unpleasant. It could not injure his ears.
Facing the Destroyer's fierce punch, Alex raised his arm and bent his elbow, smashing it against the iron fist.
The instant they collided, the entire vault shook violently. Everything became blurry because of the high-frequency shockwaves.
Within that blur, aside from the treasures and divine artifacts, nothing exploded.
Instead, everything turned into piles of fragments in an instant.
There was not even the slightest transition.
Then, under the spread of the shockwave from the collision, the vault scattered apart and disappeared like it had been made from foam.
Only then did the Destroyer's arm suddenly bounce upward, its massive body rising high into the air.
Suddenly, the Destroyer was blasted backward, smashing through countless things before finally stopping.
After stopping, it pressed both hands down and climbed back up again.
It seemed completely unharmed.
Then it charged forward again with heavy steps.
Alex had no interest in playing with it any longer. He raised the Casket of Ancient Winters and pointed it at the Destroyer.
The casket immediately lit up, releasing a field of blue light. Everything within the range of that blue glow rapidly froze.
As the Destroyer ran, frost quickly spread across its surface. The wind blew the frost backward, forming icicles all over the steel giant's body.
The Destroyer's movements became slower and slower, but it still stubbornly charged toward Alex, raising its arm.
In the end, it froze completely in a pose with its fist clenched, just about to strike down.
The Destroyer had been frozen.
For the moment, it could not move.
Alex smiled, stepped back slightly with the Casket of Ancient Winters in hand, then suddenly disappeared from the flattened vault.
———
[The Palace]
[Inside Frigga's Bedroom]
Jane Foster looked out the window into the distance, worry on her face, "Thor will be alright, won't he?"
Frigga smiled, "You don't have faith in him?"
"No. I'm just worried about him," Jane Foster shook her head.
Frigga smiled softly, "I trust my son and husband. They've faced countless challenges and made it through every time. This time will be no different."
Jane Foster nodded, "I hope so."
Frigga turned around and said, "Thor mentioned you to me before, but he never explained exactly how you two met."
"Would you mind telling me about it?"
Jane Foster smiled, "The first time I met him, I was chasing a storm."
"He appeared inside the storm."
"At the time he wasn't wearing anything. When I saw him, I thought, my God, how can there be a man this strong in the world?"
Frigga laughed.
Right then, a figure suddenly appeared in the bedroom.
Golden hair. Blue eyes.
Black battle suit.
Red cape.
'The Conqueror!'
Frigga immediately stepped in front of Jane Foster and pointed her sword at the man opposite her, "Why are you here?"
Alex looked at the queen and shook his head, "Why is it that people like you refuse to be proper sorcerers and always want to act like assassins?"
"Loki probably got that bad habit from you, right, Your Majesty?"
Frigga slowly closed her eyes for a moment before saying, "You should leave this place."
"I will leave, but only after taking you with me," Alex said.
Frigga froze, "What did you say?"
Alex glanced at the Jane Foster beside her, "Just like I said earlier."
"I know you're a skilled witch, but I didn't expect you to be able to hide Jane Foster's mind too."
"So yes, I tried to find her."
"Unfortunately, I couldn't."
"In that case, I can only take you away instead."
"I think your husband and son would gladly trade Jane Foster for you, wouldn't they?"
Frigga and the Jane Foster beside her exchanged a look.
Then that Jane Foster vanished like an illusion.
"You actually saw through my illusion?", When Frigga looked at Alex again, her gaze became serious.
Alex shrugged. With the Mind Domain ability, illusions truly had no effect on him.
No matter how perfect the illusion was, it could not fake a soul or a mind.
Frigga said, "But taking me away won't be that easy."
"Really?"
Alex glanced at the Casket of Ancient Winters in his hand.
Frigga's expression finally changed.
———
[At this Moment, at the Edge of Asgard]
Sif piloted a warship there and found Thor embedded in the Sacred Mountain.
The female warrior's face turned pale, "The Sacred Mountain is indestructible, and it still ended up like this."
"The Conqueror's power is terrifying."
She quickly guided the warship beside Thor. His face was bruised purple and blue, his eyes swollen shut, his nose seemingly broken, and his lips split open. He looked terrible.
Sif felt pain seeing him like this. She had never seen Thor in such a miserable state before.
After pulling Thor onto the ship, Sif quickly took out Asgardian medicine and applied it to his face.
A moment later, the injuries on Thor's face improved somewhat, and the swelling around his eyes faded.
Then he slowly opened his eyes and moved his lips, "Sif?"
Sif nodded, "Are you alright?"
Thor gave a bitter smile, "Not really."
"How's the situation now?"
Sif's expression darkened, "His Majesty has been trapped by some kind of magic and can't escape for now."
"Our army and the Dark Elves are already in full battle, but honestly, things aren't going well."
Thor immediately climbed up and stretched out his hand as he said, "I'm going to help right now."
Sif nodded.
Right then, a blue beam suddenly shot out from the distant palace.
Wherever the blue light passed, building after building froze solid.
Thor's gaze sharpened, "That…"
"That's the Casket of Ancient Winters!"
"What's going on?"
Sif looked more carefully, "That seems to be the queen's chambers."
"What!"
At that moment, Mjolnir flew back into Thor's hand.
Thor immediately spun the hammer and let it carry him toward the palace.
"Mother."
"Please don't let anything happen to you!"
Thor rushed forward. In the blink of an eye, he landed inside Queen Frigga's chambers.
Everything there had frozen.
The ceiling, pillars, floor, everything.
All covered in frost.
Thor looked around nervously and shouted, "Mother, where are you?"
"She's been taken," A familiar voice sounded.
Thor suddenly turned around.
Then he saw his younger brother Loki stepping out from behind a pillar.
"Loki."
"Why are you here?"
Thor grabbed his collar, "Did you take Mother away?"
Loki shouted, "Use that muscle-filled brain of yours and think about it. Why would I kidnap Frigga?"
"It was the Conqueror!"
"When I got here, I saw him carrying away a frozen Frigga."
Thor immediately let go of Loki and flew out without another word.
Loki looked around, his appearance suddenly changed into that of an Asgardian soldier before leaving the chambers.
———
Loki was right. After freezing Frigga with the Casket of Ancient Winters, Alex carried the Asgardian queen away.
He returned to the battlefield, recalled his clone, and landed on the Dark Throne.
"Listen carefully."
"People of Asgard!"
Alex's voice echoed across the skies of all Asgard.
"Your queen is in my hands."
"If you want her back, tell Odin to bring Jane Foster to Svartalfheim."
"I'll be waiting there."
Afterward, the Dark Throne floated toward the mothership.
Thor rushed over at full speed and happened to see this scene.
With a roar, he unleashed a wave of lightning from his hammer, blasting toward Alex.
"GIVE MY MOTHER BACK!"
Alex looked back and smiled, moving Frigga in front of himself.
Thor's expression changed at once. He swung the hammer instantly to the side, causing the lightning wave to pass beside the Dark Throne instead, shooting down several Dark Elf fighters.
By the time Thor landed on an Asgardian warship, the Dark Throne had already entered the mothership.
Then one Dark Elf ship after another drifted backward.
Fighters received the order to retreat and began returning to their respective main ships.
The Asgardian warships wanted to pursue them, but they received Thor's order and had no choice but to stop.
They could only watch as the invaders openly withdrew and disappeared from Asgard's skies.
———
At this moment, on the ground, inside the Dark Prison, a silver-white beam suddenly shot upward.
The beam tore open the prison. Darkness scattered as Odin walked out from within.
The Allfather had broken the prison of light, but the Dark Elves were already nowhere to be seen.
He paused for a moment, "Where are the Dark Elves?"
———
Standing inside the palace chambers that now resembled an ice cave, Odin's expression was dark as he stayed silent.
Jane Foster, whom Frigga had protected, glanced at Thor, who stood with his head lowered in guilt, and quietly said, "I'm sorry. This all happened because of me."
Thor shook his head, "It's not your fault."
Then he looked at his father, "Father, let me take Jane to Svartalfheim."
Odin looked at him, "What are you planning to do?"
Thor pointed at his girlfriend, "What the Conqueror wants isn't Jane. It's the Aether inside her."
"He's right. If the Aether isn't removed soon, Jane will die."
"So I plan to trade the Aether for Mother."
"Once Mother is returned and the Aether is removed from Jane, I'll do everything I can to destroy that weapon and safely bring both Mother and Jane back."
Odin looked at him, "That's your plan?"
Thor nodded.
Odin closed his eyes, "Thor, my dear son, you are too naive."
"The Conqueror knocked you unconscious and trapped me."
"He is not an opponent you can handle."
"Also, if the Aether could really be destroyed, then your grandfather, my father, would not have gone through the trouble of sealing it on Earth."
"You cannot destroy it with your own power."
Thor shouted, "Then what are we supposed to do?"
"Am I supposed to just watch Mother die?"
Odin did not open his eyes.
Thor seemed to realize something.
His body shook slightly.
"No! Noo! Noo!"
"You really plan not to save her?"
"You want to sacrifice her?"
Odin slowly opened his eyes, "Thor, the Convergence has already begun."
"Soon, the Nine Realms will align."
"If the Conqueror obtains the Aether, the entire universe will be in danger."
"If sacrificing Frigga alone can save the Nine Realms, then yes, I will do it."
Thor was almost in tears and pointed his hammer at his father, "How can you do this!"
"She's my mother! Your wife!"
"Don't you think you're being too cold?"
"I'm cold?"
Odin roared, "DO YOU THINK I DON'T WANT TO SAVE HER?"
"SHE'S MY WIFE!"
"I LOVE HER MORE THAN ANYONE!"
"But I also know what will happen if the Aether falls into the Conqueror's hands, into the hands of the Dark Elves!"
"Stop arguing."
Jane Foster said, "This is all my fault."
"If I hadn't come to Asgard, none of this would have happened."
Odin shook his head, "No, girl. This has nothing to do with you."
"The one at fault is you, Thor."
"You always ignore my words."
"You always want to break the rules I set."
"But you never think about it."
"The things I say and the rules I make are all to protect Asgard and the Nine Realms."
"Frigga's sacrifice today is the consequence of you ignoring the rules and breaking them!"
As he said this, for some reason, Odin gave Jane Foster a deep look.
Thor did not notice that detail. He only shook his head and stepped back, "No, Father."
"I just…"
"ENOUGH!"
Odin shouted, "Guards, take this girl away."
"No one is allowed near her."
"Especially Thor!"
Two Asgardian soldiers walked over to take Jane Foster away.
Thor raised his hammer, preparing to force the soldiers back.
At that moment, Gungnir blocked his path.
Thor turned around.
What he saw was Odin's furious face.
———
[Inside an Asgardian Tavern]
"One more."
Thor slapped his already empty mug on the table.
At that moment, Sif walked in wearing a hood and cloak.
She sat beside Thor, "I knew you'd be here drinking."
Thor let out a drunken burp and laughed at himself, "Right now, other than drinking, what else can I do?"
"My father, the great Allfather, ordered the Bifrost shut down and forbade anyone from going to Svartalfheim."
"Jane's also been locked up, and I'm not allowed near her."
"So tell me, besides drinking, what else can I do?"
Sif looked at him, "You're giving up just like that?"
"That's nothing like the Thor I know."
Thor spread his hands, "Then tell me, brave Lady Sif."
"What exactly do you think I can do now?"
Sif looked at him and said, "You can rescue Jane, then go to Svartalfheim and save your mother."
Thor shook his head, "Maybe you didn't hear clearly, so I'll say it again. His Majesty the King forbade me from approaching Jane."
"The moment I show up, the guards will arrest me."
Sif knocked on the counter and ordered a drink before saying, "Then let someone else rescue her."
Thor still shook his head, "Even if I could get Jane out, how are we supposed to reach Svartalfheim?"
"I don't think Heimdall would disobey orders."
"Maybe he wouldn't."
"But who told you the Bifrost is the only way to reach Svartalfheim?"
Sif said calmly, "I happen to know a secret passage that leads there."
Thor burst out laughing, "Stop joking."
"What, do you think you're Loki?"
He picked up his beer and took a drink.
Suddenly, Thor sprayed all the beer from his mouth.
Then he stared at Sif with wide eyes.
Sif gave him a wicked smile.
———
[Inside the Palace]
Jane Foster was locked inside a room.
She looked at the dinner a servant had just brought her, but she had no appetite.
Right then, she heard two muffled thuds outside.
Then the door opened.
A black-haired female warrior walked in.
"Jane Foster?", the warrior asked.
Jane Foster nodded.
The female warrior tossed over a cloak, "Put this on and come with me. Thor wants to see you."
Jane Foster froze for a moment before putting on the cloak and pulling up the hood.
As she walked out of the room, she saw two Asgardian soldiers lying on the floor, clearly knocked unconscious by the female warrior in front of her.
"May I ask who you are?"
"Sif."
The female warrior answered simply, "Stay close to me."
They quickly moved through one corridor after another before arriving at a room.
———
Inside the room, Jane Foster saw Thor, Volstagg, and Fandral.
As well as a man in green robes, with slightly curly black hair and a dangerous-looking face.
'Loki!'
Jane Foster looked at this group in disbelief, "What are you trying to do?"