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*****
Although Odin was effectively taking the fall for Loki's actions, Feny had no intention of clearing things up for him. As the two parties spoke, a massive contingency of Frost Giant soldiers arrived, surrounding them in a dense, suffocating throng.
"I will reiterate: I was not sent by Asgard. I came to Jotunheim merely to travel. Do not push your luck!"
Internally, Feny was practically vibrating with excitement at the prospect of so many experience points, yet he maintained a hypocritical facade, insisting that this entire situation was merely a misunderstanding.
Knowing that Heimdall enjoyed peeking at him whenever he felt like it, Feny had given the matter some thought. Setting aside the issue of privacy, he at least wanted to know when he was being watched. Thanks to the intuition granted by his "Golden Ars Magna," he could clearly feel Heimdall's gaze fixed upon him at this very moment.
Feny didn't want Asgard to think he had come here specifically to cause trouble—even though he technically had. At the very least, he couldn't let it appear that way on the surface.
"Hmph. Surrender quietly, and perhaps we will spare your life!"
Bolstered by the large number of soldiers at his back, Helblindi spoke with renewed confidence.
Feny felt a small wave of relief. He had actually been afraid they might just let him walk away. Even if the start of the battle was a bit of an accident, now that it had begun, he wasn't leaving until he had harvested a decent amount of experience.
"Then don't blame me for being impolite!"
Feny continued his act while excitedly gripping the "White Dragon's Breath," readying himself for the grind.
"Feny, do not incite a war!"
Just then, Heimdall's voice seemed to drift faintly into Feny's ear.
"What!?"
Feny startled. Before he could distinguish if it was truly Heimdall speaking, Helblindi shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Attack!"
The surrounding Frost Giants surged forward as one. Although they lacked refined equipment, their natural constitutions and magic were their greatest defenses and weapons.
Seeing the enemy launch their assault, Feny put Heimdall out of his mind. Even if that really had been the Gatekeeper's voice, Feny wasn't about to play the obedient child.
By now, Feny had acquired a total of eight skills. He was no longer the novice who had to rely on desperate, careful ambushes to deal with two common muggers. He had grown immensely powerful; while he might not yet rival the top-tier entities of the universe, he was firmly in the upper-middle class of strength.
Facing the sea of Frost Giants, Feny remained unperturbed and activated the abilities granted by his system.
"City of Devoured Time!"
Feny didn't immediately begin a indiscriminate bombardment with Explosion. Instead, he chose to deploy the City of Devoured Time, intending to use this opportunity to plunder some "time."
Frost Giants possessed incredibly long lifespans—even longer than those of Asgardians—and since almost everyone present was a mature adult, they had plenty of time to spare.
When the blood-red barrier manifested, the giants caught within it initially stopped in terror. However, upon realizing they only felt a bit heavier and hadn't suffered immediate harm, they resumed their charge. This was primarily because the current level of the skill was still relatively low; if the ability were stronger, they wouldn't have been able to move at all within the boundary.
Feny stood his ground, maintaining the barrier as he watched the giants close in with ice blades raised. A scarlet glint flashed behind his visor.
"Explosion!"
The crimson fire was blindingly bright against the dim, snow-filled palace.
However, Feny made an effort to hold back. Beyond Heimdall, he could feel two other gazes watching him intently. He had a strong suspicion about their identities. One was certainly Odin; despite having only one eye, observing such an event would be child's play for him.
As for the other, Feny felt it was highly likely to be his teacher, the Ancient One. He didn't know exactly what method she was using, but he knew for a fact that if she wanted to observe him, she was more than capable of doing so. With two heavyweights peeking over his shoulder, Feny didn't dare go overboard.
While the Explosion bombardment momentarily disrupted the giants' formation, their innate hatred and loathing for fire drove even more of them forward to swarm Feny.
Unlike Feny, the giants showed no restraint. Their ice blades swung wildly, targeting his vitals with lethal intent.
Fortunately, Feny was currently in Flame Mode. With his entire body wreathed in roaring fire, the ice blades were almost useless. Weaker blades simply evaporated the moment they struck him. Even if Feny stood perfectly still and didn't fight back, many of the giants would be unable to even scratch him.
A Frost Giant's body was a weapon in itself; their touch was so cold that even an Asgardian could suffer frostbite upon contact. Even equipment forged by Dwarves struggled to withstand the freezing aura radiating from their skin. Unfortunately for them, they had run into a "Human Torch." Forget frostbite—the giants found that the closer they got to him, the more likely they were to suffer severe burns.
Feny remained stationary, simultaneously absorbing time with the City of Devoured Time and retaliating with Explosion. He stood like a one-man fortress, an impenetrable wall against a thousand foes.
Watching this unfold, Farbauti frowned deeply and turned to her sons. "His flames counter our people too effectively. We must find a way!"
Helblindi and Byleistr exchanged a grim look.
"Dammit, if only we still had the Casket of Ancient Winters!" Byleistr muttered in frustration. The Casket was their racial artifact, possessing frost power so vast it could freeze an entire planet. In his mind, if they had the Casket, Feny's flames would be nothing more than a flickering candle.
"Stop dreaming of what isn't there!" Helblindi snapped. "He seems unable to fly while maintaining that red barrier. The three of us will close in among the soldiers and launch a combined sneak attack. We'll see if we can't seal him in ice."
"Agreed," Farbauti nodded. The flames wreathed around Feny were the biggest obstacle. Even if they couldn't freeze him completely, extinguishing that fire would be enough.
The three leaders then subtly reduced their size, blending into the crowd of giants as they slowly closed in on Feny.
Feny was completely unaware of their plan. At that moment, he was actually considering ending the battle. While Flame Mode was powerful and countered the giants, it was also incredibly draining. Furthermore, the counter-effect was mutual: fire might dry up water, but water—or in this case, ice—could just as easily extinguish fire.
Enduring so many ice-based attacks meant that the stamina cost of Flame Mode was significantly higher than usual. He decided to end the engagement and harvest one final, massive wave of experience.
(End of Chapter)