Then, Mavuika's flames began to change.
Shifting colors began to appear within the flames; they were no longer a simple crimson, but had a hint of neon-like hues.
The ancient runes on the blade of the sun-blaze thousand suns began to glow, and the output of the flames became even more violent.
"How is this possible...?" Laufey discovered with shock that the cold torrent of the casket of ancient winters was beginning to be suppressed.
The flames began to gain the upper hand, and Laufey was even being pushed backward by that terrifying impact.
Mavuika gripped the sword with both hands and slowly pressed down.
The domain of fire began to expand irreversibly.
Seventy meters, eighty meters, one hundred meters, one hundred and fifty meters...
The Frozen hell retreated step by step, and blue blood began to spill from the corners of Laufey's mouth; that was the blood of a Frost Giant.
"I don't believe it..." His eyes were split with rage, and he resisted desperately, pouring all of his power into the casket of ancient winters.
An even more terrifying cold wave erupted; this time, even space itself began to shatter, revealing the pitch-black Akasha behind it.
Mavuika stood firm in the midst of the sky-covering cold wave; she, too, was using her full strength.
Releasing the divine power within her that belonged to Asgard—the power of Odin—and the source from the Fire god of Teyvat.
With the two combined, she seemed to transform into a true Sun, hanging in the sky of Jotunheim.
Wherever the light reached, the thousand-year permafrost would Melt, revealing black soil; glaciers thawed and began to surge, and even the eternal dark clouds were dispersed, revealing a corner of the real starry sky.
Laufey's Frozen hell melted like snow in spring.
The casket of ancient winters let out a final wail, slipped from his hands, and spun into the high sky.
The weather in Jotunheim, usually overcast and filled with ice and snow, saw its clouds scatter at this moment, revealing sunlight that hadn't been seen for hundreds or thousands of years.
Laufey himself fell to his knees, blood spilling from his mouth, his skin cracked like old tree bark.
He looked up at that Sun, at the figure holding the sword within the Sun, and finally, despair appeared in his eyes.
"I actually lost..."
Laufey found it hard to believe; he had always felt that his opponent was Odin, the King of the Gods of Asgard.
But he never expected that he would be defeated by his daughter without even waiting for Odin to personally make a move.
Laufey, who had always thought that the gap between Jotunheim and Asgard was not large, suddenly felt a sliver of despair; he realized that the power gap between Jotunheim and Asgard was already so great that they were no longer on the same level.
If Odin had worked with his daughters to attack in this battle, then the rout of Jotunheim would likely have been even more devastating.
The Sun-like radiance slowly receded, and Mavuika slowly descended from the sky.
She walked up to Laufey, the tip of her sword drooping to the ground.
"You have lost, Laufey. Surrender, for the sake of your surviving kin."
Laufey laughed miserably; he looked at Odin, at Mavuika, and at the battlefield in the distance where the fighting was ceasing.
He saw the desire for survival in the eyes of the surviving Frost Giants, saw the fearful gazes of children hiding in caves, and saw this land of ice and snow that was beginning to Melt under the Sun, yet remained beautiful.
After a long while, he slowly lowered his head, his forehead touching the ice.
That was the posture of submission for a Frost Giant.
Odin had also walked down from the warship; in his hand, he still held the casket of ancient winters that had been knocked away by Mavuika earlier.
Arriving before Laufey, Odin looked down at this ambitious King of the Frost Giants and spoke slowly.
"The Frost Giants have lost. From this day forward, Jotunheim is officially incorporated under the administration of Asgard."
Laufey gritted his teeth tightly; it was clear that he was filled with humiliation and unwillingness regarding this result.
But the fact was settled; even if he was unwilling, there was nothing he could do.
He could only keep his head down and remain silent.
Odin looked at this old rival and said, seemingly with a sigh: "I know you are very unwilling, but Laufey, admit it, we are already old..."
Then Odin looked at his daughters and continued: "The future of the Nine Realms belongs to them."
Hela had also arrived here by this time; after Laufey was defeated, the Frost Giants had completely collapsed, and Hela had no more opponents.
She looked at the prostrate Laufey and licked the corner of her mouth, a look of lingering desire flashing in her eyes.
"The casket of ancient winters will be taken as spoils of this battle and brought back by me to Asgard for safekeeping," Odin said in a flat tone.
After finishing, he didn't care about Laufey's thoughts, grasped the casket of ancient winters, and turned to leave.
Laufey kept his head down, almost biting his teeth to pieces in the shadows where the Asgardians could not see.
The winner is the king, the loser is the bandit; it has always been this way since ancient times.
The Frost Giants had lost, and at this moment, no matter what the Asgardian side said, Jotunheim had no right to bargain.
The Asgardian fleet set sail for home under the setting Sun of Jotunheim.
This war of conquest had taken only a single day, far shorter than expected, but more decisive than any other war in the Nine Realms.
When Odin stood at the highest point of the ruins of the royal court, in front of all the remaining Frost Giants, thrust the Eternal Spear into the ice, and announced that Jotunheim was officially incorporated under the order of Asgard, that silence was more heart-stopping than any war cry.
The Frost Giants knelt in the melted snow water, looking up at the golden fleet in the sky.
They had lost, completely and utterly.
The casket of ancient winters, as spoils of war, was personally sealed by Odin in a magic container and would be brought back to Asgard by Mavuika for safekeeping.
"Jotunheim will retain autonomy," Odin's voice spread across the ice field through magic amplification.
"You may continue to live on this land and follow your traditions, but you must abide by the Nine Realms code, cease all incursions against other realms, and Asgard will station supervisors to assist in reconstruction and ensure peace."
There were no cheers, nor any resistance; the Frost Giants simply accepted it in silence.
This was the only fate for the defeated: either perish or submit.
Laufey chose the latter, for himself and for his kin.
The fleet began to assemble, the wounded were carried onto medical ships, and the bodies of the fallen were properly collected, including both Asgardians and Frost Giants.
Mavuika insisted on this: "In the face of death, all life is worthy of respect."
The return coordinates were set at the location where the Bifrost Bridge had descended.
That had been the center of the battlefield, and now, scorch marks from the Fire and sculptures Frozen by the ice still remained on the ice, crimson and azure intertwined, like a cruel yet magnificent mural.
Mavuika and Hela stood side by side on the railing of the main ship, looking down below.
The sun-blaze thousand suns leaned against Mavuika's side, the blade occasionally still sparking with Fire, as if it were still savoring the intensity of the battle.
"Easier than I imagined," Hela suddenly spoke, her voice carrying a hint of lingering desire: "I thought Laufey would at least let me loosen up my muscles, but in the end, you stole all the spotlight, sister."