"Laufey?!"
"Hahaha!"
Loki's merciless laughter drifted faintly up from the ground. As Laufey watched another attack he had been certain would succeed get stopped by yet another unforeseen development, an inexplicable wave of frustration welled up inside him.
How many times had this happened?
With Odin gone, someone of his strength should have been able to conquer Asgard effortlessly. So why did something always go wrong just as he was about to succeed, delaying his victory time and time again?
"So close. Every time, I'm so close..."
Laufey's expression darkened completely.
It was all because of this insect-like human. If not for him, Laufey could have overturned an Asgard defended by Loki alone with a mere flick of his hand. The Frost Giants would never have suffered such devastating losses.
Laufey slowly rose into the air until he was level with Fenris's eyes. Separated by several hundred meters, the two figures, one enormous and the other comparatively tiny, met each other's gaze in silent understanding.
His crimson eyes fixed on Fenris. In the few seconds their gazes met, countless thoughts raced through Laufey's mind.
Anger would not rob him of his reason. He would never allow himself to think while his judgment was clouded.
The two stared at each other for only a moment, but after that first clash, the atmosphere across the battlefield quietly became suffocating.
Laufey forced down the fury in his heart and calmly studied Fenris.
"A completely new form. Larger, with seemingly stronger defenses."
"But his claws aren't as sharp anymore, and he seems less suited for offense. The question is how much physical strength he has..."
That unfamiliar appearance made Laufey exceptionally wary, especially the cold radiating from Fenris's body. It was every bit as terrifying as the power of the Casket of Ancient Winters.
How could some lowly creature from Midgard command a cold equal to that of the Casket of Ancient Winters?
Even Laufey, the king of the Frost Giants, blessed from birth with extraordinary gifts, could only wield such power to its fullest with the aid of his people's greatest treasure. How could a mere creature of flesh and blood possess it?
What gave him the right?
Confusion, anger, and disbelief warred within him.
Fenris had no idea how many thoughts had passed through Laufey's mind in that brief instant to make his expression change so dramatically. Feeling the explosive power surging through his body, he had only one thought.
Kill him!
Take back the Casket of Ancient Winters!
Fenris did not hesitate. The instant the shock waves from their collision dissipated and the thought entered his mind, his body sprang into motion.
He had never experienced running on all fours before, yet there was not the slightest hesitation in his movements. His nearly hundred-meter-long body charged forward at full speed without restraint, causing the already devastated battlefield to shake as though struck by an earthquake.
The few buildings still struggling to remain upright collapsed with thunderous crashes. Vast clouds of dust rose from the ground, only to be swept into the sky by the freezing winds.
It sounded as though an army of thousands was charging.
The soldiers of Jotunheim had no idea what had happened. They only saw the dying enemy suddenly assume a new form and return to full strength. As another battle threatened to erupt, the overwhelming terror of his charge shattered what little remained of their formation.
They seemed impossibly tiny before that colossal creature. All they could do was flee in panic, desperately trying to escape his path.
Even Frost Giants more than three meters tall were barely larger than ants in Fenris's eyes. He could not even be bothered to glance at ordinary soldiers.
He crossed the several hundred meters between them in the blink of an eye. There was no telling how many obstacles he crushed beneath his feet. The only evidence was the faint smears of blue blood spreading across the rubble-strewn ground.
Forced to watch his own people being slaughtered before his eyes, Laufey's eyes turned so red they appeared ready to bleed.
"You're courting death!"
He raised the Casket of Ancient Winters high above his head. Brilliant blue light erupted from his palm, and the next instant, the thick clouds overhead began to rotate as they descended ominously toward the ground.
Boom!
The clouds ground against one another, producing explosive peals of thunder. Deafening rumbles rolled across the sky as Laufey roared, unleashing a boundless flood of frost from the Casket of Ancient Winters. Countless razor-sharp icicles took shape within the clouds.
In the blink of an eye, a towering hurricane connected heaven and earth. Terrifying cold spread through the howling winds, instantly coating the ground in a thick layer of solid ice.
The hurricane was immense. The spiraling clouds covered nearly half the sky above Asgard. From any corner of the floating continent, one needed only to look up to see this apocalyptic natural disaster.
Countless sharp icicles were swept along by the high-speed winds. The already gloomy sky plunged into utter darkness. Only cold white light flickered within the storm, illuminating Laufey's savage expression and Fenris's colossal body.
Everything in the hurricane's path was effortlessly torn from the ground, dragged into the storm, and pulverized into dust.
In the blink of an eye, debris filled the already devastated battlefield. Laufey had spared almost nothing to unleash this all-out attack.
"Has our king gone mad?!"
Even the surviving Frost Giants widened their eyes in terror. They turned and fled in every direction, desperate to avoid being swallowed by the storm.
Elsewhere, Loki supported Frigga as they inched toward Thor. The instant the hurricane formed, freezing winds swept over them, and a thin layer of ice began spreading across all three of their bodies.
Every one of the densely packed icicles was several meters long, more than enough to pierce straight through a person.
The moment Laufey released his creation in full, the merciless cold surged toward them. Dozens of sharp icicles that had been more than a hundred meters away an instant earlier were suddenly right before their eyes.
"No!"
Thor remained bound and unable to move. Loki's pupils abruptly dilated, but he had already exhausted every last ounce of strength. All he could do was watch as the deadly aftermath screamed toward the three of them.
Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, an exceptionally thick yet agile tail swept out from the darkness beyond their line of sight.
The five-pronged tip flicked lightly.
A dense series of impacts rang out, and every icicle flying toward the three of them was swept aside with unerring precision.
Sharp cracking sounds filled the air. Shards of ice rained from above, splashing the three of them with biting cold.
"Mmph! Mmmph! Mmph!"
Having nearly died to the mere aftermath of Laufey's attack, Thor collapsed limply to the ground. His eyes were filled with relief at surviving the ordeal, and muffled cries of excitement escaped his mouth, though no one could understand what he was trying to say.
Fenris's long tail extended from the darkness. Thor looked up, but he could not make out the colossal body hidden within the storm. All he could see was a pair of glowing white eyes gazing down from dozens of meters overhead.
Fenris's gaze swept across the three of them. Sensing the immense threat posed by Laufey's nearly suicidal attack, he moved his tail and gently swept it across their bodies, sending all three safely beyond the disaster's reach.
(End of Chapter)
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