Chapter 260: 260
"Damn it! I was so close..."
"Again... How did he discover me?"
Laufey had been as cautious as possible and employed every technique he had accumulated throughout his life. He had fooled everyone else, yet somehow he had once again been exposed by that man.
"Damn it!"
Fenris's reaction had been impossibly fast. Barely an instant had passed between him detecting the anomaly and launching his attack. If the keen instincts Laufey had forged through countless years of war had not driven him to flee without hesitation, even the slightest delay would have reduced him to scattered chunks of flesh.
Even now, Laufey could clearly sense the sharp and undiluted killing intent pursuing him from behind.
He desperately accelerated, terrified that if he slowed down, that man would transform into the unstoppable snow-white beast again, reach out with one claw, and pin him to the ground once more.
"Whoosh!"
A piercing explosion suddenly came from far behind and to his side.
It sounded incredibly distant one moment, only to arrive almost directly beside him the next.
"What?!"
The sudden noise startled Laufey, and he hastily turned his head.
An enormous battle-axe with a crimson handle came spinning through the air from the distance, as though answering someone's summons.
A dark blue glow shimmered across its broad head. Its long cutting edge traced an icy arc through the air as it cleaved directly toward Laufey.
"That thing again!"
The instant Laufey saw the axe, an explosion seemed to erupt inside his mind. All that remained before his eyes was its murderous, freezing edge.
For some reason, every hair on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end. The terrifying threat of death surged through his entire body almost instantly.
"No!"
Laufey's pupils dilated. His powerful instincts forced his body to react even before his conscious mind could catch up.
His towering body abruptly dropped and twisted sideways, contorting him into an extremely unnatural posture.
"Slash!"
The next instant, the brilliant edge swept through half of Laufey's shoulder without the slightest resistance.
Like a heated blade slicing through softened butter, the attack encountered virtually no obstruction. Laufey's resilient flesh and bone were severed cleanly.
It was too fast.
Before Laufey could even comprehend what had happened, his left shoulder suddenly felt lighter. From the corner of his eye, he saw his familiar blue arm separating from his body.
"Whoosh!"
Time seemed to freeze for an instant before suddenly resuming.
"My arm..."
Laufey's eyes widened, but his voice was immediately swallowed by the violent gale that followed.
The storm generated by the battle-axe swept past his severed shoulder. The air itself seemed to take shape, becoming countless blades that ravaged the exposed wound.
In a single instant, the cleanly severed surface was torn beyond recognition. Tendons, shattered bone, and mangled flesh became entangled in a horrifying mess.
The falling arm vanished directly into the storm, leaving no trace behind.
Only then did a single drop of blood seep from the wound. Half of Laufey's shoulder had practically vanished, and the pain finally reached his brain.
"Argh..."
Agony surged from the enormous wound and spread through his entire body. Laufey's legs went weak, and he nearly fell from the sky.
His grievously wounded body had only just recovered slightly, yet this single attack had brutally returned him to his previous condition. In fact, he was now in an even worse state.
Every muscle in Laufey's body bulged. He swept his right hand across what remained of his left shoulder, releasing a wave of cold energy. A thin layer of ice formed over the wound, and its cooling sensation gradually began to suppress the agony of losing his arm.
Still shaken, he stared at the path the Vibranium battle-axe had carved through the air. Cold sweat immediately poured down his back.
If he had not dodged, it would have been his neck instead of his arm.
"These ancient monsters who have lived for tens of thousands of years really are harder to kill than the last."
Fenris frowned at Laufey, who had somehow survived despite his condition. His figure instantly vanished.
Another enormous crater exploded into the ice where he had been standing. When Fenris reappeared, he was already in midair, becoming a blur as he raced after Laufey.
At the same time, he opened his right hand and reached toward the battle-axe again.
The axe, which had already flown far into the distance, answered his summons. It spun around in a graceful arc, accelerating once more as it hurtled toward Laufey.
"Again?"
Laufey had barely survived the previous attack and had not even had time to breathe when he saw that deathly silver edge flying toward him once more.
Before the blade arrived, he could already feel its suffocating pressure against his neck.
There was no question about it. This strike was aimed at his head again.
"That lunatic!"
The instant one attack failed, the next was already coming. Fenris did not give him even the slightest chance to breathe. Every strike was lethal and swift as lightning, as though he feared leaving Laufey even the faintest chance to survive.
Laufey had no time to acknowledge his pain. Dragging his weakened body forward, he burned through nearly every last trace of strength remaining within him.
His body transformed into a blue blur and vanished, diving straight toward the defenseless Loki and Frigga on the ground.
"Stop!"
Laufey pushed himself beyond his limits in this desperate gamble, forcing his body to withstand an enormous strain. Dense cracks spread across his flesh as though he were made of porcelain.
Fortunately, with death closing in, his reckless gamble earned him a narrow chance to survive. At the final moment, he reached Frigga.
Laufey brutally kicked Loki to the ground, then seized Frigga by the throat and dragged her in front of him as a shield.
Facing Fenris, he roared, "I told you to stop!"
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion shook the battlefield.
The silver light abruptly slowed, revealing the enormous battle-axe within. It descended from the sky and crashed into the ground, stopping less than half a meter from Laufey.
Its freezing edge effortlessly split through the thick ice. Tremendous force poured into the earth, causing the entire area to shake as though struck by an earthquake.
The frozen hurricane and clouds overhead began to collapse. Massive chunks of ice rained down, and one icicle struck Laufey a glancing blow, causing him to stumble.
Even so, he did not dare relax for an instant. His eyes remained fixed on the figure ahead.
The axe's edge was right before him. It had nearly passed through Frigga's body and sliced across his neck.
Staring at the terrifying weapon, Laufey's forehead was instantly covered in cold sweat.
That weapon was far too terrifying.
Even Gungnir in Odin's hands had never exerted such overwhelming pressure on Laufey.
He struggled to steady his rapid breathing. His throat shifted as he swallowed, and his grip around Frigga's neck tightened.
"You! Stay away from me!"
"If you come any closer... I'll... I'll..."
(End of Chapter)