Laufey understood Odin's power all too well.
The older an Asgardian god grew, the stronger they became. Odin might appear aged, but he was far from feeble. If Thor were killed, Laufey knew his Frost Giants could never endure Odin's wrath. In Odin's prime, Laufey hadn't been able to stand against him—how could he now, when Odin still lived?
But Laufey also knew one thing. As long as Thor, the Prince of Asgard, remained alive, Odin might hold back from unleashing his full might. That would be enough. Today, Laufey swore he would make the Asgardians taste the same slaughter Jotunheim had once endured.
"Forward. Welcome our warriors," Laufey commanded.
He carried the Casket of Ancient Winters, frost spilling out beneath his steps. In seconds, everything within sight—hills, forests, and seas—was coated in a suffocating layer of ice.
This was the true might of the Casket. Its power could freeze an entire world, unleashing storms that would strip life from a planet.
Laufey guided the ice beneath his feet, carrying himself, his Frost Giant army, and the frozen form of Thor swiftly toward the Bifrost's control chamber. They crossed the sea, and as they went, the waves froze solid, leaving their path etched into the ocean itself.
From afar, Asgardian warriors spotted the procession. Their Prince—Thor—was trapped in ice at the head of the Frost Giants' march.
Inside one of the ships, Sif and the Warriors Three stiffened in horror. The Prince of Asgard had been taken hostage.
They immediately sent word to Odin, urging for reinforcements, while steering their ships to cut off the Frost Giants.
The fleet closed in, but before they could fire a warning shot or demand Thor's release, Laufey turned his gaze upon them. A wave of icy power exploded outward.
In an instant, squadrons of ships were frozen solid, transformed into floating blocks of ice. Engines failed, hulls cracked apart, and one by one, they plummeted into the frozen sea, shattering on impact.
Wreckage and broken bodies scattered across the ice.
In a single exchange, the fully armed Asgardian fleet had been annihilated.
Thor, locked inside his prison of ice, could only watch as his companions perished. He couldn't even blink, yet every death seared into him. Though chilled to the bone, he felt as if he were burning alive. His heart ached with fire that spread from his skin deep into his core.
The only solace he found was that he had not seen Malrick, Sif, or the Warriors Three among the dead.
Laufey noticed Thor's pained expression and sneered. "So this is the mighty Thor? A child in armor, ignorant of war's brutality. Odin's training of his son is pitiful compared to that of his firstborn daughter."
With a gesture, he urged the ice forward again, accelerating their march to the Bifrost.
Even Heimdall, guardian of the Bridge, could not withstand him. Laufey froze the gatekeeper where he stood, then wrenched Heimdall's sword—the key to the Bifrost—free from his grasp.
"Open the Bifrost. Summon our armies!"
The invasion of Asgard had begun.
Jotunheim's legions poured through, Frost Beasts surging at the vanguard and smashing through Asgard's defensive lines. With the Casket amplifying their strength, the Frost Giants were unstoppable. Death followed their every step.
Loki arrived on the battlefield, stunned at the destruction. One of his schemes had allowed Jotunheim's forces into the realm, but now the scale of the devastation left him horrified.
Casualties mounted, and Loki had no strategy to stop them. "Only Father can end this…" he whispered, pushing aside his turmoil over the truth of his heritage. He sprinted toward the palace to summon Odin.
Behind the Frost Giant lines, Thor seethed with regret.
He cursed his recklessness. Had he not killed those Frost Giants in his blind pride, Laufey might have taken the Casket and left Asgard without further bloodshed.
He hated his weakness. If only he were stronger, strong enough to shatter the ice and fight at his warriors' side.
Lightning stirred faintly within him, flickering across his flesh. Mjolnir, trapped in ice nearby, quivered in response. But it was not enough. Without Odin's guidance, Thor could not break his bonds nor realize his full power.
As Asgard's army faltered and fell, Thor sank into despair.
At last, Odin's voice boomed across the realm.
"Enough, Laufey!"
A rainbow cleaved the frost-filled sky. Odin descended from the palace, riding his eight-legged steed, Gungnir blazing with power in his grasp. His arrival radiated authority so overwhelming that even the Frost Giants halted. All eyes turned to the All-Father.
"All-Father…" Laufey lowered the Casket slightly, his gaze locked on Odin.
Where others saw majesty, Laufey noticed the fatigue etched into Odin's face. "You're not in your prime anymore… are you?" His voice dripped with both curiosity and hunger.
Hatred spanning millennia boiled inside him. He had told his people this war was for independence, but deep down, vengeance was what drove him. Today, at last, he faced Odin himself.
Odin glared down. "Laufey, stop this madness. This began with a child's mischief. Do not spill more blood."
Everyone else assumed Odin referred to Thor, but Laufey and Odin both knew the truth: Loki's reckless schemes had brought this war to their gates.
Laufey's eyes hardened. "And if I refuse?"
He thrust the Casket high. A torrent of blue frost shot upward, freezing the very air, hurtling straight toward Odin.
Odin raised Gungnir, golden light surging forth like a rainbow-tipped spear. "Then fight me!"
The two forces collided.
The ground split apart, the bridge to the Bifrost crumbling under the strain. Asgardian soldiers and Frost Giants alike were hurled into the sea. The clash of two Skyfather-level beings shook the realm itself.
The explosion of power threatened to tear Asgard apart.
But in the midst of the struggle, Odin faltered. His breathing turned ragged. His hand trembled.
"Ugh… ah…" He groaned, sounding not like a god, but an old man buckling beneath a weight too great to bear.
Gungnir slipped from his grasp. The blast from the Casket struck him full force.
Odin froze solid, encased in ice, before plummeting into the sea below. A massive splash erupted, echoing like a death knell across the realm.
The hearts of every Asgardian sank with him.
Their king had fallen.
Asgard was finished.
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