The instant the spear appeared, the chaos in Loki's mind was swept clean beneath the radiance of golden divine power.
He looked deeply at Fenris not far away. After committing that face to memory, he raised Gungnir high without hesitation.
"Boom!"
A brilliant golden light flared from the spear tip. Powerful divine force shot straight into the sky, and a surging shockwave erupted outward with Loki at its center.
As though answering his summons, a powerful mass of energy began gathering overhead in the next moment. The clouds rotated, taking on a funnel-like shape as they enveloped Loki within.
After a shrill whistle, the Bifrost, shimmering with rainbow light, abruptly descended from the distant heavens.
Through the rainbow torrent, Loki looked toward Fenris. His bloodstained lips curved, and he silently mouthed something.
"Just wait."
Fenris had only barely managed to withstand the outburst of the Casket of Ancient Winters in Loki's hands. After forcibly overloading his human body to use atomic breath, every inch of his skin was now radiating terrifying heat, and his throat felt as if it were about to melt.
The atomic furnace slowly calmed. Fenris had only just recovered with difficulty when he met Loki's mocking gaze. He clearly saw Loki's silent sneer.
"You can't save her."
In the next instant, the power of the Bifrost surged. Loki's figure gradually blurred in Fenris's eyes, about to carry him back to Asgard.
At the very end, Loki even waved at Fenris and gave him a gentlemanly smile.
"Fenris! Don't!"
Although Fenris had blocked ninety percent of the impact just now, the remaining force was still nothing to underestimate. Emma was lying weakly on the ground nearby, her entire body slowly reverting from diamond form.
She had clearly seen Loki's silent provocation. When she realized Fenris had fallen quiet, a bad feeling flashed through her mind. Forcing herself upright, she looked toward him.
"If you follow him, you'll die!"
"Huff—"
His peripheral vision swept past the vacant look in Wanda's eyes. Fenris gently exhaled a breath of residual heat, slowly clenched his left hand, then silently loosened it under Emma's worried gaze.
"Calm down, Fenris. We'll find a way together."
Seeing this, Emma finally breathed a sigh of relief, only to suddenly notice that Fenris's right hand had, at some unknown point, moved to the small of his back.
Her eyelid twitched. Her heart dropped hard.
"Fenris?!"
"Too late!"
Fenris clenched his teeth, his face savage, both eyes transforming into furious round pupils. Silver light flashed between the fingers of his right hand, and the small battle-axe in his palm rapidly enlarged.
"Hah!"
Under Emma's horrified gaze, Fenris's right arm swelled with a thunderous surge. The originally smooth lines of muscle abruptly bulged into abnormally massive knots of flesh.
The opportunity would vanish in an instant. The enormous battle-axe, expanded to more than three meters long, was gripped in a pair of massive hands. Fenris twisted at the waist, turned, let out a fierce shout, and hurled the axe in his hand with brutal force.
"Rumble!"
The battle-axe tore through the air, carrying overwhelming power that split the atmosphere into a cone-shaped shockwave visible to the naked eye.
Amid thunderous roars, it instantly broke the sound barrier and transformed into a blinding silver streak, flying toward Loki before he could fully ascend.
"Not good!"
The violent wind dragged along by the battle-axe slammed into Loki's face. Fenris's speed was too fast. One second, he had still been panting heavily, veins bulging across his forehead. The next, Loki saw that terrifying giant axe, twice as large as himself, crashing toward him head-on.
The cold gleam on the axe blade shone sharply before his eyes. If that thing struck him...
The lingering smugness and disdain on Loki's face suddenly froze.
In shock, his pupils contracted violently. Caught off guard, he only had time to raise Gungnir vertically in front of his chest, intending to use the spear's resilient shaft to block the blow.
A fierce gust struck. Just as Loki's eyelids were blown so hard he could no longer keep them open, a thunderous roar rang out. The Bifrost activated instantly, carrying him rapidly upward and lifting him away from the ground.
"Boom!"
The enormous battle-axe flew past Loki by the barest margin. The sharp wind blade it dragged behind swept across his skin, easily piercing the defenses of his divine body and carving out a great spray of blood.
A faint sting came from his body. As that terrifying pressure receded, Loki felt both relieved and shaken to the core.
However, just as his legs went weak and he breathed out in relief, thinking he had escaped disaster, the terrifying howl of wind suddenly came from beneath his feet again.
"What?"
Loki's entire body shuddered. He looked down in disbelief, only to see that the giant axe had actually returned. Silver light traced a beautiful arc through the air before charging straight toward him once again.
"What the hell is that thing?"
Loki's eyes flew wide as he watched the axe below grow larger and larger. It felt as though his heart had leapt into his throat.
Fortunately, the Bifrost was moving faster and faster. Even though the giant axe's speed surged repeatedly, even leaving its own sound far behind, the distance between them was ultimately pulled open beyond control.
The dangerous exchange took place in a mere instant. Those nearby could only hear sonic booms exploding one after another and see a massive streak of silver light flash by. They had no idea that in less than the blink of an eye, Loki had narrowly escaped death twice.
On the ground, seeing the battle-axe's remaining momentum gradually fade while Loki was also about to surge into the clouds and vanish, an intense blue light lit in Fenris's eyes at a speed visible to the naked eye.
His body, which had only just cooled down, once again erupted with a scorching shockwave.
"Bzz—"
Rolling heat gathered and instantly condensed into a blue-white pillar of blazing light that burst from Fenris's throat.
His body temperature soared again. Brilliant white light filled his vision, but Fenris did not look at Loki. Instead, his gaze locked firmly onto the giant axe still climbing rapidly through the sky.
The searing atomic breath arrived after the fact yet reached first. It shot from Fenris's mouth straight into the heavens, tore through the thin cloud layer, and struck the silver streak formed by the battle-axe with perfect precision.
Across the broad face of the axe, the magnificent patterns seemed to come alive under the injection of the atomic torrent, glowing with a deep blue light.
After all, this was not his complete form. After several full-force bursts, the atomic breath released from his human form had already lost its initial density. The edges of the light pillar had grown loose and mist-like.
Even so, as the energy gathered, dark blue light flowed along the cold axe blade, and low hums rose from every direction.
Finally, when the energy reached a critical point, the gorgeous yet rugged battle-axe suddenly swung, and a brilliant arc of axe light emerged from thin air.
The battle-axe's speed had already surpassed several times the speed of sound. Yet the ghostly axe light, gleaming with an ice-cold radiance that made one shudder, vanished from the air the instant it was unleashed, howling as it chased after the rainbow-colored tailstream.
"I finally got away..."
The speed of the Bifrost was beyond question, but Loki had never imagined that in the span of just a few breaths, he would hover on the edge of life and death several times in succession.
That powerful Midgardian. That monster-like powerhouse of Midgard. And that unknown, powerful artifact of his...
Watching the earth gradually recede beneath his feet, Loki saw the distant horizon take on an elegant curve as his altitude rose.
The terrifying giant axe had finally been left far behind by the Bifrost. Loki patted his chest and at last let out a breath of relief.
"Whoosh—"
Just as Loki finally relaxed, in the next instant, a scorching energy fluctuation that made his hair stand on end suddenly came from below, not far away.
"What?"
His heart abruptly sank, and the smile on his face froze at once.
A brilliant blue arc of light shot straight toward Loki from the earth below. Clouds surged as it moved, and the cloud layer was forcibly torn open by a massive rift in its wake.
Sensing danger approaching, Loki's hair stood on end. He jerked his head down, only to see that dazzling axe light following the Bifrost all the way upward, clinging relentlessly beneath his feet.
At first glance, it was still far away. By the time he looked again, it was already right in front of him.
The axe light, dozens of meters long, carried both searing heat and a cold, chilling edge. Just one glance at it made Loki feel as though his eyes had been stabbed, and he instinctively tried to look away.
After catching up to the tail of the Bifrost, that blue radiance actually split the seven-colored torrent in two, moments away from slamming into Loki.
Powerful pressure weighed across his heart. On the Bifrost, every trace of color drained from Loki's face. At last, he realized that this time, even the Bifrost might not be able to save him. His only choice was to withstand the blow head-on.
He gritted his teeth and swung the spear in his hand to meet Fenris's all-out strike.
"Boom!"
The instant Gungnir collided with the axe light, golden and blue radiance erupted outward together, and a world-shaking roar exploded through the sky.
A surging shockwave swept in every direction, blasting an enormous opening through the clouds at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The Bifrost receded into the distance. The two lights appeared for only an instant before vanishing entirely, as though they had never existed.
"Pfft!"
The instant the axe light was annihilated by Gungnir, Loki opened his mouth and spat out a large mouthful of bright red blood.
The Bifrost carried Loki rapidly away from Earth. A moment later, as the rainbow light surrounding him disappeared, Loki felt his feet sink, and the familiar sight of Asgard appeared before his eyes once more.
Only now, Loki could no longer hold the heavy Gungnir. The divine spear representing Asgard's supreme authority struck the ground with a clang.
His legs went weak. Dizziness swept through his mind, as though he had been under that mortal woman's psychic control for a long time. His entire being was dazed and muddled, and for a long while, he could not regain his senses.
After lying there half-conscious for who knew how long, Loki's awareness finally returned. Agony screamed through every part of his body. He lay on his back, stretched out a pale hand still clutching the spear, and shakily loosened the robe at his chest.
A thick stench of blood instantly filled his nose. Loki endured the stabbing pain in his chest, grimacing as he looked down at the wound.
Even with Gungnir blocking the strike, his hardest breastbone had still been cleaved with a clear crack, almost split in two. Under the spread of the residual force, flesh had been torn open, and pale bone could even be faintly seen beneath.
"Thank goodness... he wasn't aiming for my head..."
Loki collapsed limply on the ground in relief, lying there as he gasped for breath.
Under the influence of divine power, his wound did not bleed heavily. It quickly began repairing itself.
Only after a long while did he grit his teeth and struggle to his feet.
How fast was the Bifrost?
From arrival to departure, it had only taken an instant. Yet in that tiny span of time, Fenris had launched three attacks in a row, each one lethal, almost every strike aimed at crippling him completely.
This kind of high-frequency, high-intensity output was beyond Loki. Even Thor, as he was now, could only look on helplessly. Loki could not understand how a mere Midgardian could launch such reckless attacks so easily, as though there were no cost at all.
"Why did I provoke him...?"
At this moment, Loki wanted nothing more than to slap his past self across the face.
Originally, he had only intended to descend to the lower realm and tell his foolish brother that Odin was already dead, and that he himself had been "forced" to inherit the throne of Asgard.
While he was at it, he had planned to show off before Thor by explaining his perfect plan to lure Laufey, king of the Frost Giants, into Asgard, then use Gungnir to eliminate him on the spot.
As long as everything went smoothly, by the time Odin awakened, the Frost Giants, deprived of Laufey's leadership, would have been blasted to ash under the Bifrost's continuous output.
The dream reckless Thor had failed to achieve would come true by Loki's hand.
At that time, he would prove to everyone that he was Odin's most outstanding son. He was the heir most worthy of sitting on that throne.
Everything had gone so smoothly. Seeing the exact frustration and despair on Thor's face that he had imagined, the pleasure in Loki's heart had been beyond words.
But that woman's sudden intrusion had changed everything.
Thinking of this, Loki could not help grinding his teeth.
"If I'd known, I wouldn't have touched that woman..."
"Bang!"
Returning from his memories, Loki staggered over and picked Gungnir up from the ground.
Even after suffering that heavy strike, this supreme artifact wielded by Odin still shone with golden radiance. It looked majestic and divine, without the slightest sign of damage.
"Your Majesty. Welcome back."
As Loki passed through the Bifrost's central chamber, a tall warrior clad in golden armor, standing with his sword planted before him, suddenly spoke.
"You appear badly wounded."
Loki's steps paused.
This gatekeeper of Asgard had always been one of Thor's staunchest supporters and had long been dissatisfied with Loki temporarily holding the throne.
Clutching his chest, Loki passed Heimdall without looking sideways and said mockingly, "Yes. The Bifrost is simply too fast."
"Gungnir can summon the Bifrost by its nature. In the All-Father's hands, it is capable of anything."
Heimdall seemed not to hear the meaning behind Loki's words and answered with neither arrogance nor submission.
"That Midgardian is too strong."
As he spoke, he glanced at Loki, then swept his gaze over the golden spear.
"Hmph."
Loki snorted coldly, turned, and left.
Heimdall said nothing. His deep golden eyes quietly watched Loki drag his heavy body into Asgard's vault.
Along the way, Loki passed a flame that looked as though it could be snuffed out with a casual wave of the hand and a magnificent golden glove, but his steps never paused.
When he arrived at the deepest part of the vault, a heavy door appeared before him. Loki coughed lightly and struck Gungnir hard against the ground.
"Clang—"
A long, resonant echo sounded. In the next moment, the doors opened wide, revealing an enormous suit of armor glowing with silver light.
"The Destroyer."
The ultimate weapon of Odin, King of the Gods, forged from Uru metal, its entire body indestructible.
Possessing the energy of Odin and many other gods, the high-temperature beams fired by the Destroyer could melt almost any substance with ease.
"Go."
Loki raised Gungnir and pointed it at the Destroyer. The armor immediately began to shift as though coming alive, and a powerful pressure spread outward.
"Find Thor and that damned Midgardian—"
The sharp pain in his chest came without pause. Loki gritted his teeth and forced out each word.
"Eliminate them!"
The Destroyer said nothing. In silence, it brushed past Loki.
A moment later, the Bifrost activated once again. Sensing that the Destroyer's presence had already left Asgard, a flash of satisfaction crossed Loki's eyes.
"As expected of the God of Mischief. You can even bring yourself to strike at your own brother."
Just as Loki slowly left the vault and sat down upon Odin's golden throne in the palace, the harsh sound of applause suddenly rang through the empty hall.
"Laufey!"
Loki's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. He turned his gaze toward one empty corner of the hall. From the shadows, a tall ice-blue giant slowly walked out.
Laufey walked forward at an unhurried pace and came to a stop below the high throne.
"Loki, in accordance with our agreement, I have come."
A bad feeling rose in Loki's heart. His expression did not change as he stood from the throne and looked down at the king of the Frost Giants.
"You've come too early. It is not yet the time we agreed upon."
"No, no, no, Loki. I have come at exactly the right time."
Laufey raised his head slightly and looked at Loki with a faint, ambiguous smile.
"If I am not mistaken, our king of Asgard—oh no, temporary king..."
Laufey's tone slowly stretched out.
"You should be badly wounded right now, shouldn't you?"
As the words fell, Loki's pupils quietly widened. The hand gripping Gungnir turned faintly white.
"What do you mean?"
"I'll have you know, Asgard still has countless elite warriors. It still has me. And it still has..."
"Thor!"
Loki snorted coldly and calmly met Laufey's gaze.
"We can cooperate, but if you think you can set your sights on Asgard itself, then I'm telling you, you're thinking far too simply!"
"Is that so, Your Majesty?"
Laufey suddenly took a heavy step forward. Watching Loki's body tremble while he still stood upright upon the throne, Laufey abruptly laughed.
"Now Odin sleeps, Thor has been stripped of his divine power and exiled to Midgard, and even the Destroyer has been sent by you to assassinate your own brother..."
"Noble king, can your grievously injured body still swing Gungnir?"
He clapped his hands heavily. In the next moment, a bone-piercing chill spread through the hall from within.
"How do you know?"
Loki abruptly raised his head, only to see that at some unknown point, pairs of crimson eyes belonging to towering giants had appeared before him.
"My apologies, little princess. Our agreement is void."
Looking at Loki, whose pupils had dilated as he froze in place, Laufey smiled faintly.
"As everyone knows, as the king of Jotunheim and the Frost Giants—"
"I never keep my promises."
(End of Chapter)
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