Chapter 262: 262
“Leave?”
The surviving Frost Giants in the city of Asgard suddenly saw Laufey stagger back into the air.
With Odin’s queen, Frigga, slung over his shoulder and the Casket of Ancient Winters clutched in his remaining right hand, he rasped an order to his battered and defeated forces.
“Follow me! We return to Jotunheim immediately!”
“The Asgardians are watching us from every direction. Can we really get away?”
One Frost Giant remained hidden among the ruins, too hesitant to reveal himself.
Most of the Frost Giants, however, immediately obeyed Laufey’s command. They emerged from their hiding places one after another and hurried after him.
“Do not stand in our way! Otherwise, you can forget about getting your queen back unharmed!”
After briefly determining which direction to take, Laufey fled at full speed. Even then, he did not forget to look down and shout a threat at Fenris and Thor.
Fenris did not immediately pursue him. Instead, he remained exactly where he was, looking perfectly at ease.
Thor did the same. He stood motionless beside Fenris and calmly watched Laufey struggle through the air, showing no intention of stopping him.
What was going on?
A chill suddenly ran down Laufey’s back.
“Thor, stop them.”
After turning to give Thor the order, Fenris raised his head and met Laufey’s gaze.
The moment their eyes met, Laufey’s body stiffened. He could clearly see the amusement in Fenris’s eyes.
“It wasn’t easy getting these rats to crawl out of their holes. Search carefully and make sure not a single one escapes.”
Fenris added, “Just surround them. No more fighting.”
“Understood.”
Thor nodded in complete confidence and quickly turned around.
A modest bolt of lightning descended from the sky. Thunder and lightning surrounded Thor as his voice rang out clearly across the battlefield.
“I, Thor, God of Thunder and Prince of Asgard, command you in the name of Mjolnir! Gods of Asgard, heed my order!”
There was a great commotion.
No one questioned Thor’s identity or authority. The remaining Asgardians immediately rose to their feet and fixed their attention on him, awaiting his next command.
“Some of you will remain behind to protect the elderly, the children, the wounded, and the sick. As for the rest of you warriors, surround every last beast that invaded our home!”
“Do not let a single one escape!”
“Yes!”
His words instantly lifted the spirits of every Asgardian.
They swiftly formed ranks before charging toward the Frost Giants.
Seen from above, the countless warriors in shattered golden armor moved across the ruins like winding serpents, heading directly toward the scattered enemy forces.
“What?”
The Frost Giants were already demoralized, and Fenris had frightened them out of their wits. Merely gathering the courage to leave their hiding places and follow Laufey had pushed them to their limits. There was no chance they could stand against the furious Asgardian warriors bearing down on them.
Faced with the frenzied charge, they had no morale left with which to resist. One after another, they turned their long legs toward escape, threw down their weapons, and fled through the ruins in utter panic.
Weapons clattered across the ground behind them. The enraged Asgardians showed no mercy, and it was not long before cries of agony filled the battlefield. Great numbers of Frost Giants lay sprawled across the ice.
High above them, Laufey’s expression changed drastically as he watched his warriors being captured one after another. Even his frantic flight briefly slowed.
“Have you lost your mind? What are you trying to do?”
“I have this woman! Don’t you want her to live?”
Compared to the Casket of Ancient Winters in his hand, those warriors meant little to Laufey. It would be preferable if they survived, but their deaths would hardly matter.
What he could not understand was the enemy’s complete lack of concern.
Frigga was one of the most important figures in all of Asgard. It might make sense for this Midgardian not to care about her, but why was Thor going along with this insanity?
Did he not even care about his own mother?
If they truly did not care about this woman, then Laufey’s safety…
A torrent of complicated thoughts surged through his mind, and panic suddenly rose in his heart.
“Run!”
The power of the Casket of Ancient Winters surged into his body. Laufey did not dare use it to heal his wounds. Instead, he poured every bit of its power into his speed and fled in the opposite direction.
In the blink of an eye, he had crossed several hundred meters.
He was almost there.
All he needed to do was smash apart the frozen hurricane and send it collapsing with the clouds. The city of Asgard would immediately be buried beneath a massive avalanche of ice.
Amid the chaos, he could slip away, bypass the Bifrost, and enter the hidden path leading out of Asgard. His chances of escaping would increase enormously.
The Casket of Ancient Winters was already in his possession. Nothing else mattered now.
As long as he survived…
The massive wall of ice was just ahead. Laufey’s eyes grew brighter, and he increased his speed once again.
“Running?”
“Where exactly do you think you’re going?”
The air ahead suddenly shimmered.
Laufey’s vision blurred, and a young man with two pairs of beautiful wings of light appeared before him. Despite setting off later, the young man had overtaken him as if he had teleported, blocking his path.
Brilliant, rainbow-colored light flowed across those wings. The young man’s harmless-looking face appeared no different from that of a demon in Laufey’s eyes.
“Damn it!”
Laufey’s pupils contracted, and cold sweat instantly covered his forehead.
Without the slightest hesitation, he spun around and fled in another direction.
“Whoosh!”
With a soft rush of air and the pleasant flutter of wings, the figure appeared in Laufey’s path once again.
“What?”
“Get down there!”
The young man seemed to have lost his patience. He suddenly soared higher, then brought one long leg down through the air like a battle-ax.
Terror filled Laufey’s face. He tried to turn and flee in yet another direction, but he had no time to react.
An irresistible force crashed into what remained of his left shoulder, followed by the crisp crack of breaking bones.
“Boom!”
The single blow completely stripped Laufey of his ability to resist and sent him plummeting from the sky.
On the battlefield below, nearly all the remaining Frost Giants had been dragged out of hiding and herded into a tightly packed group.
They had been stripped of their clothing and armor and now lay face down on the thick ice, utterly deprived of dignity. All around them stood Asgardians glaring with such hatred that they seemed ready to skin them alive and tear out their tendons.
Had Thor not issued his orders in advance, the Frost Giants would likely have already been torn apart.
“Bang!”
A heavy impact suddenly rang out as a crater appeared in the middle of the enormous encirclement.
Shards of ice flew through the air.
The Frost Giants flinched and turned their heads in unison, only to see their king lying there in a horribly twisted position.
The entire left side of Laufey’s body had nearly lost its human shape. Even so, his right hand remained tightly wrapped around the now-dim Casket of Ancient Winters, refusing to release it.
Frigga had also been thrown heavily from his shoulder. She lay motionless nearby without making a sound.
(End of Chapter)
“Zaelum”]