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*****
Surtur!
Thor and Loki's expressions changed drastically.
Having grown up reading the stories of Asgard, they naturally remembered the Fire Giant from the legends.
But now, this Fire Giant had actually appeared in Asgard, and... wasn't he a bit too big?
"The source of the Fire Giant Surtur's power lies in the Vault of Asgard. His current appearance makes it obvious he has absorbed his source of power..." Loki looked gloomily at Thanos and Faora in front of him. "So, you are in this together? You are just creating a distraction for him?"
Thanos glanced at Loki and Thor, then shifted his gaze to Surtur, his eyes filled with shock.
Even he, having heard of Surtur's power, was astonished to see the Fire Giant with his strength restored.
Beside him, Faora extended her scarlet tongue, lightly licking her thin lips. "How dull."
"Damn it!"
Thor cursed angrily. Ignoring the two in front of him, he ran toward Surtur. Loki, however, lowered his gaze and suddenly revealed a smile. "Gentlemen, if I were to surrender Asgard to you, I beg you to spare Asgard."
Upon seeing Surtur, he had recalled the stories about the Fire Giant—stories about Ragnarok.
Now, this story—no, it could no longer be called a story.
It was happening.
And with their current strength, trying to stop Surtur...
In that case...
Thinking of this, his expression toward Thanos and Faora became a few degrees more sincere. "As long as you can stop Surtur and take your companion away, Asgard will become the sharpest blade in your hands, and I..."
"Stop playing these petty tricks, Son of Odin," Thanos glanced faintly at Loki and said, "Surtur has only one thought right now: to destroy Asgard!"
Thanos couldn't stop it, because stopping it would mean the rupture of their alliance. Offending a powerful partner for the sake of an enemy like Asgard was not a wise choice.
Moreover, he couldn't stop it.
Right now, no matter who went in front of Surtur to jabber and try to convince him to give up on destroying Asgard, they would simply be chopped into meat paste by the great sword in his hand.
As Thanos's voice fell, Loki vanished silently like a bursting bubble from before them.
In the next instant, a figure suddenly appeared beside Thanos and Faora, his tone filled with schadenfreude.
"Hey! Asgard is finished."
On the other side, Thor leaped rapidly between buildings, carrying lightning of astonishing power, and arrived at the position closest to Surtur.
Surtur swung the Twilight Sword in his hand. Wherever it passed, all things were incinerated.
Buildings, life...
Everything turned to ash in the constantly rising sea of fire.
The Asgardians fled frantically, while Asgard's soldiers and fleet were utterly useless against power of this magnitude.
The fire would devour everything.
They looked at Surtur, their faces filled with despair.
Waves of fire, like an ocean, crashed outward with every swing of the Twilight Sword, turning the fairyland-like Asgard into a fiery hell.
Surtur laughed wildly. Watching Asgard turn to ruins under his flames, the fire on his body burned even more vigorously.
Just then...
Boom!
A bolt of thunder descended from the sky, landing on Surtur's forehead like a giant arrow of lightning.
Bang!
Flowing fire burst out like molten lava. Surtur cried out in pain and looked at Thor, who was as small as a mosquito or ant in the distance.
At this moment, Thor was wrapped in dazzling lightning, looking at Surtur with a mix of anger and shock.
Was this the power of the Fire Giant who brings Ragnarok? Even with his full power, he could only cause a mere wound?
Damn it!
If only his Mjolnir were still here.
Such a thought involuntarily surged in Thor's heart.
"Son of Odin?"
Surtur roared. He dragged the Twilight Sword, which had already turned the ground it touched into a pool of magma, and swung it violently at Thor.
The terrifying power generated a hurricane, and the scorching temperature burned spots of black into the very space around them.
This sword strike was enough to destroy a massive mountain peak, enough to instantly dry up a river.
"Ah!"
Thor shouted in anger. Watching the giant sword chopping down toward him—an attack he could no longer evade—he felt no fear, only endless rage and unwillingness.
At that moment, a figure quietly appeared beside Thor.
It was Loki!
Thor's expression changed, and he cried out, "Go! Take the others and leave quickly!"
"Idiot!"
Loki laughed in a low voice. His gaze toward Thor was filled with deep brotherly affection.
The giant sword fell rapidly, and the surging flames were about to swallow them both.
"Will yelling like that help you win?"
Loki teased. His pale skin suddenly turned blue. He raised both hands, and accompanied by a flash of light, a blue casket appeared in his hands.
The Casket of Ancient Winters!
The treasure of the Frost Giants.
Ever since Loki learned of his true identity, this item had been in his keeping.
This object could instantly freeze an ocean, and given enough time, it could turn an entire planet into a land of winter.
The moment the Casket of Ancient Winters appeared, seemingly endless frost power sprayed out from it. Like a blue river rolling backward, it surged toward the falling Twilight Sword and Surtur.
Frost and fire collided.
"Ah!"
Loki screamed in fury. The power of frost surged violently, completely enveloping Surtur.
Spots of frost appeared on the Twilight Sword, and Surtur's roaring voice became quieter and quieter.
Ding!
Accompanied by a soft sound, the blade of the Twilight Sword collided with the Casket of Ancient Winters.
The tiny Casket of Ancient Winters formed a stark contrast with the massive Twilight Sword.
But fortunately, when the sword continued to fall, the Twilight Sword had been frozen, and the force behind its descent had almost vanished.
Loki's knees buckled, but he immediately stood straight.
"Lo... Loki!"
Thor looked at Loki with excitement and shouted, "Beautifully done!"
Loki was somewhat exhausted, but hearing Thor's cheer, he still revealed a smug smile.
"Hah, now you know how formidable I am."
Thor hugged Loki fiercely, patting Loki's back with force, his face full of relief and excitement.
At the same time, seeing Surtur suddenly turned into an ice sculpture, the people of Asgard cheered. Those closer to Thor and Loki cheered specifically for Loki.
In this moment, Loki became the hero of Asgard.
Frigga, who was helping the soldiers evacuate the ordinary Asgardians, listened to the people's cheers and felt happy for Loki.
In the distance, Thanos and his two companions looked at Surtur, who had been frozen into an ice sculpture, with some surprise.
Faora's eyes flashed. Her vision pierced through the ice layer, and upon seeing the flames reigniting on Surtur's body, she gave a cold smile.
These idiots, do they think they've won just like that?
"Haha!"
Mephisto looked like he was watching a play. "In a moment, when they see Surtur swing that giant sword again, their expressions will surely be wonderful."
Thanos's eyes were dark and deep as he said, "They merely made a contribution to the balance."
Seconds later, just as Thor and Loki moved away from under Surtur's great sword, the two suddenly heard the sound of burning fire and melting ice.
Their bodies stiffened, and they hurriedly turned to look.
Flames were once again springing forth from the frozen Surtur. These flames were like tenacious weeds, drilling out from within the ice layer. In an extremely short time, they connected into a sheet of fire, burning even more vigorously than before.
Feeling the pressure coming from Surtur and realizing the opponent was stronger than just a moment ago, the brothers' expressions changed.
"Damn it!"
Thor cursed angrily.
Loki pursed his lips. "We need to run!"
They were absolutely not Surtur's match.
"Hah!"
Surtur laughed wildly. The sword in his hand circled around, sweeping horizontally toward Thor and Loki.
From the moment Surtur obtained the Eternal Flame until now, his power had been growing continuously. Even his body was still increasing in height. This sweeping sword strike destroyed everything in its path, wiping through the area like a butter knife, leaving a burning sea of fire in its wake.
Thor and Loki rushed frantically; one dropped down, the other leaped up, dodging the massive blade.
Whoosh!
Clusters of small flames burned on both their bodies; Thor's hair was ignited.
As the two wretchedly patted out the flames, Thor looked at his scorched hair, trembling with rage.
At this moment, seeing Surtur raise his sword again, Loki roared at Thor, "Take the people and go! I'll block him for a while!"
Right now, only he, possessing the Casket of Ancient Winters, could temporarily withstand Surtur's flames.
With that said, without waiting for Thor to respond, Loki pushed Thor away with one hand and held the Casket of Ancient Winters with the other, charging toward Surtur.
"Arghhh!"
He roared just like Thor, and frost energy blasted out like a rotating storm.
The temperature plummeted, and snowflakes danced in the air.
Yet, where Surtur's longsword waved, it was like a fiery hell.
The Twilight Sword aimed at Loki. Amidst Surtur's hideous laughter, a pillar of fire shot toward Loki, colliding with the vortex of frost.
Frost and fire devoured each other. At the point where the two met, a clearly defined line between ice and fire appeared.
On one side, a world of frost; on the other, a hell of flames.
"Go!"
Loki roared at Thor with a ferocious expression.
Thor struggled, but under Loki's fierce gaze, he quickly ran into the distance.
Seeing this, Loki smiled faintly. He drove the Casket of Ancient Winters with all his might, controlling the snowstorm to crash against Surtur's flames.
Rumble!
Energy surged violently as ice and fire clashed intensely. But soon, the fire overwhelmed the ice. The world belonging to the frost shrank continuously, gradually being swallowed by the flames.
"Overestimating your own abilities!"
Surtur, whose power was still increasing, looked at the retreating Loki, his gigantic face full of mockery.
Right now, no one was a match for him while he possessed the Eternal Flame.
The frost protecting Loki grew weaker and weaker. Just as a crazy thought appeared in Loki's mind and the Casket of Ancient Winters in his hand flashed with an unnatural light, space was torn apart.
A beam of sharp light—one that stung the eyes just by looking at it—flew toward Surtur's chest like a meteor, leaving a blinding trail on Loki's retinas.
Time seemed to stagnate at this moment.
But as that blinding light pierced through Surtur's chest and Surtur's roar of pain rang out, the whole world became vivid again.
Flowing flames rained down like blood, as if a rain of fire had begun to fall.
Amidst this sky full of fire rain, a figure quietly appeared beside Loki.
It was Odin, clad in golden armor, his expression cold.
He glanced coldly at the wailing Surtur, then turned his head to give the pale-faced Loki a gratifying smile.
"Loki, you did well."
Loki was stunned.
He stammered, feeling as if there were a thousand words in his heart, but when they reached his lips, they only became...
"This is my home."
"Hahaha!"
Odin laughed happily. He patted Loki gently on the shoulder, then reached out and made a grasping motion. The Spear of Eternity, Gungnir, which had shot through Surtur's heart, returned to his hand like a meteor.
"Go, Loki. Join Thor and protect the others as they leave. Leave this to me!"
Saying this, he pressed his hand on Loki. A light flashed, teleporting Loki directly away.
In the next second, holding Gungnir, Odin flew toward Surtur. Arriving at a position parallel to the giant, he said coldly, "You want to destroy Asgard? Unless you defeat me first!"
"Defeat?" Surtur looked at Odin in fury and roared, "You despicable villain!"
Back when Odin was not yet the King of Asgard, not yet the All-Father, but just a brash young man, he had heard the prophecy regarding Ragnarok. He went with his two brothers to steal Surtur's Eternal Flame.
Unfortunately, they were discovered by Surtur. Just as they were about to be killed by him, Odin's two brothers sacrificed their lives to hold Surtur back, and before dying, they transferred all their power to Odin.
Borrowing this immense power, Odin defeated Surtur and brought back the Eternal Flame.
Thus, Surtur's threat was lifted, and Odin became the strongest God King in history.
Now, old enemies meeting again naturally saw red.
After two sentences of nonsense, Odin and Surtur engaged in a fierce battle.
Meanwhile, in the Dark Dimension.
Watching Odin suddenly leave, Dormammu, who was being gang-beaten, breathed a sigh of relief.
Although he didn't know why Odin left, the sudden departure was good news for him.
Even though this was his territory, facing the trio of Mike and the others, he could only passively take a beating. Unless he risked severe injury or the cost of losing most of his energy, he had no assurance of escaping.
But he was unwilling to lose his power for nothing.
If he was destined to be heavily injured, he had to take one down with him—or at least heavily injure one of them.
He thought this way, but he hadn't found an opportunity.
Now, with Odin suddenly leaving with a grim expression...
A look of surprise and joy immediately appeared on his face. His expression turned ferocious as he looked at Mike and the Ancient One.
Two enemies!
Even if he risked severe injury, he would make these two stay here!
Just then, he saw Mike take out a pile of cards again, and his face changed slightly.
Did the opponent want to flee?
(End of Chapter)