Just as Laufey was trapped by Loki’s magic and was about to face Thor’s impending attack, a surge of icy energy suddenly emanated from the vine wrapped around his right leg. It was this icy energy that caused Laufey’s strength to suddenly surge, breaking through Loki’s blockade, and allowing him to evade Thor’s assault.
Whoosh, Whoosh…
Without the magical buff, the vine quickly decayed in Laufey’s hands, turning to ashes and disappearing. However, at this point, Laufey no longer needed the assistance of the vine.
“This is… the power of the Casket of Ancient Winters. Loki… What are you up to!?”
Clenching his fists tightly, Laufey whispered in disbelief as he recognized that the icy power he had felt from the vine was derived from the sacred artifact of the Frost Giants, the Casket of Ancient Winters.
He was puzzled by Loki’s actions. In the recent situation, Laufey had initially succeeded in his ambush against Loki, only to be confronted by Loki and Thor’s combined forces. However, just when he was about to be defeated or captured, Loki secretly intervened to help him escape.
The power of the Casket of Ancient Winters had come through the vine, and those vines were controlled by Loki’s magic. Without a doubt, Loki had been the one who had quietly acted to aid Laufey in his escape while simultaneously attacking him.
This dual approach of attacking oneself while secretly transmitting icy energy was truly perplexing to Laufey.
Especially since, after Laufey had impaled Loki with an ice spike, there was no apparent reason for Loki to come to his rescue.
Laufey wasn’t a naive individual; he didn’t believe that Loki saved him just because they both shared Frost Giant lineage. Therefore, Loki’s motives were deeply enigmatic to Laufey.
It was no wonder that Laufey couldn’t fathom the situation. Under normal circumstances, Laufey would have been defeated by the combined might of Loki and Thor.
If Loki hadn’t quietly intervened to help him escape, Laufey would have concluded that Loki and Thor’s internal strife had been a ruse to draw him out and eliminate him.
However, as the protagonist of the entire event, Loki had a simple reason for saving Laufey. He was merely playing a role, and although sacrifices were necessary to make the performance appear more convincing, outright exterminating the leader of the Frost Giants was not part of Loki’s plan.
After all, the Frost Giants were part of the Nine Realms. While conflicts could arise among the Nine Realms themselves, once they came into contact with external cosmic forces, they would unite, just as Earth was doing now. Therefore, Loki had no intention of weakening the strength of the same side.
Of course, Laufey couldn’t possibly know all of this because he was just an unintended bystander who had imprudently inserted himself into the situation. Now, his best choice was to lead the Frost Giant army back to his own territory and await developments quietly, especially since Asgard had already begun to withdraw its troops.
Following the conclusion of this major battle witnessed by Asgard and the Frost Giants, Loki’s bid for power was exposed due to Thor’s triumphant return. However, the resourceful Loki wasn’t about to give up after this single defeat.
In the days that followed, Loki intermittently caused trouble for Thor. As a result, there was continuous turmoil within Asgard, and it appeared that Loki was gradually unraveling it.
Faced with this dire situation, Thor, who wasn’t skilled in scheming, found himself helplessly at Loki’s mercy, with no effective means to deal with his brother. Consequently, Thor had no choice but to seek assistance from Earth. Phantom Knight and a few of his companions answered the call and arrived in Asgard to support Thor.
After Phantom Knight and his team arrived in Asgard, the situation underwent significant changes. Some of Loki’s schemes were exposed, and countermeasures were implemented. In the midst of this ongoing cat-and-mouse game, Thor was also learning how to become a responsible king.
This state of turmoil continued for nearly a month before finally coming to an end. On this day, all of Loki’s tactics had been thwarted by Thor, and Loki found himself cornered on the Bifrost.
Whoosh, Whoosh…
The magnificent Bifrost spanned the endless sea of Asgard, and the winds blew across it, rustling the magic cloak draped over Loki’s shoulders. Facing his brother, with whom he had been locked in battle for almost a month, Loki remained surprisingly calm.
From the beginning when Thor was manipulated by Loki’s various schemes to the later reversal of the situation, and now capturing his whereabouts and cornering him on the Bifrost, Thor’s progress was undeniably significant. Of course, it’s unclear how much of it was due to coincidence.
“Loki! You have no way out now! Turn back! As long as you’re willing to turn back, both Mother and I will forgive you!” Standing in front of Loki, Thor called out sternly.
A month’s time was enough to allow Thor to recover his rationality from his initial anger, and multiple encounters with Loki made Thor realize just how powerful his younger brother was.
Loki’s strength lay not only in his own abilities but also in his cunning and intelligence. Without the assistance of the Phantom Knight and their Earth-derived knowledge, Thor believed he wouldn’t have been able to resolve the situation with Loki this quickly.
However, in the face of Thor’s shouting, Loki, who stood in the center of the Bifrost, only curled his lips slightly, revealing a clear expression of disdain.
“Turn back? I don’t want to go back to being your good little brother. Compared to you, I’m better suited to be the king of Asgard!”
At this moment, even Lin Rui, who stood behind Thor, found it difficult to discern whether the Loki before them was following the script or genuinely pursuing his own desires. The situation had become so complex that Lin Rui couldn’t distinguish between fiction and reality anymore.
However, upon hearing Loki’s shout, Lin Rui couldn’t help but agree to some extent. Between Thor and Loki, aside from Thor’s position as the legitimate crown prince, he didn’t seem to possess any other advantages over Loki.
“For the sake of a throne, you’ve made too many mistakes! Now, you have no other choice. Come back with me!”
“Go back?! Forget it!”
Harshly rejecting Thor’s proposal, Loki vanished from his original spot. At the same moment, Thor propelled himself into the air with a powerful leap.
Boom!
In the next instant, a muffled sound echoed in mid-air. Loki’s disappeared figure reappeared in mid-air and was slammed down by Thor’s mighty blow. After the recent pursuit and battles, Loki’s condition had significantly deteriorated, and using the Bifrost to escape was now seemingly impossible.
“If you want me to turn back, you’ll have to kill me!”
Rumble!
After Loki’s defiant declaration, Thor, suspended in mid-air, swung Mjölnir down as if he truly intended to smash Loki to death on the spot.
…
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