A violent surge of power suddenly erupted from her body, and a pale crimson glow burst outward like a raging inferno. The energy resembled a blazing karmic flame, spreading instantly through one corner of the great hall. As the force expanded, the armor worn by every warrior in the chamber began to rattle loudly, the metal plates clanging together as though struck by an invisible hammer.
One after another, the soldiers were hurled backward by the overwhelming pressure. Some were thrown clear across the hall by an inexplicable force, while others crashed heavily to the ground as their armor cracked and split apart under the impact.
Jean Grey had not used telepathy or any form of mental manipulation. What erupted from her was nothing more than the raw power of the Phoenix itself, and the radiance of that power was so overwhelming that it forced everyone present to raise their heads in shock.
If she truly wished to, even warriors of the Asgardian race could be erased from existence with a single thought.
Screams suddenly rang out across the hall.
The Asgardian soldiers who had stood in neat formation moments ago were now completely thrown into chaos. Many were knocked from their feet, while others stumbled violently as the invisible pressure crushed down upon them.
Ethan Cole watched the scene with a faint smile while looking toward Odin.
The king of Asgard did not appear to be affected by the aftermath of the Phoenix Force, standing firm amid the violent energy. However, the expression on his face had grown heavier with every passing moment.
He had already realized that the two people standing before him were far beyond his original expectations.
They were far stronger than he had imagined.
Jean's next action confirmed that realization immediately.
With a fierce motion, she thrust her hand forward. The swirling crimson energy around her condensed into something resembling a tangible flame, surging forward like a tidal wave and sweeping directly toward the Asgardian warriors.
The scorching aura contained within that power was so intense that even Odin felt a flicker of shock.
Seeing the danger, Odin slammed the long staff in his hand down onto the floor.
A deep humming sound echoed through the hall as a brilliant golden light erupted beneath his feet. The light spread rapidly across the ground and surged over the fallen warriors, covering their bodies in a protective glow as if they had been plated with gold.
The two forces collided upon the bodies of the soldiers.
One force sought to destroy them.
The other sought to protect them.
Their bodies instantly became the battlefield where the two overwhelming energies clashed.
The results were devastating.
Terrible screams filled the chamber as the warriors were caught between the opposing powers. The armor on their bodies twisted violently under the strain, the metal warping as if it were soft clay. Flesh and limbs were dragged along with the deformation, writhing under forces they could not resist.
Some soldiers had their arms bent and broken into multiple segments by the crushing pressure. Others began bleeding heavily from their noses and mouths as the internal strain ravaged their bodies. A few were bent backward at horrifying angles from the waist, their torsos contorting in ways no human body could survive.
The sharp cracking of bones echoed repeatedly throughout the hall.
And mixed with it were the agonized screams of the soldiers trapped between the two immense powers.
"You—!"
Odin's voice exploded with anger.
He rose abruptly to his feet, and a brilliant golden glow suddenly spread across his entire body. The divine power surrounding him flared like a blazing sun, forming countless intricate magic runes that floated in the air around him.
A terrifying force radiated from those runes.
The entire hall trembled beneath the pressure.
Odin was no ordinary ruler.
He was worshiped as the King of the Gods, the sovereign ruler of all Asgard, and one of the most powerful beings within the entire Asgardian race.
Unlike the somewhat restrained portrayal seen in certain stories, the Odin standing here was far from weak.
Even Ethan felt a hint of surprise.
He quickly realized that the Odin before him was not fragile or declining in power. On the contrary, the ancient king was still extremely formidable.
Magic was the specialty of the Asgardian race.
It was a power system entirely different from mutant abilities or raw energy manipulation. As Ethan observed the glowing runes surrounding Odin, he could clearly sense the terrifying destructive force hidden within them.
The golden light around Odin's body suddenly transformed into tangible flames.
The temperature of those flames was terrifying.
They burned with enough heat to melt even the legendary divine metal of Asgard. The temperature easily reached three to four thousand degrees, a level that could incinerate almost anything in an instant.
The flames surged forward.
They twisted together like living ropes and shot toward Ethan, wrapping tightly around him before closing into a blazing cocoon. The inferno sought to trap him completely and burn him to ashes.
Ethan immediately felt the threat carried by that heat.
He possessed a powerful healing factor, which meant ordinary flames posed little danger to him. His body could recover faster than typical fire could damage him.
But that only applied to ordinary flames.
The fire Odin summoned was far beyond a simple thousand-degree blaze.
At temperatures reaching several thousand degrees, even Ethan's body would suffer severe damage before it could regenerate fully.
Still, it was only a threat.
His thoughts moved calmly.
In the next instant, the Phoenix Force within his body erupted outward. Crimson energy surged across his entire form, covering every inch of his body like a blazing tide.
Then the power of the Phoenix counterattacked.
Like a massive wave crashing against a fragile barrier, the crimson force shattered the flames surrounding him in a single explosive burst. The burning cocoon collapsed instantly, and the released Phoenix energy continued surging forward toward Odin.
Odin did not appear surprised by the destruction of his flames.
He lifted the long staff in his hand slightly, pausing it in front of him as divine power gathered again. A flowing shield of light appeared before his body, formed entirely from magical energy.
The shield shimmered with a pale blue glow.
Mysterious runes covered its surface, forming an extremely sophisticated defensive spell. Even the raging Phoenix Force was temporarily blocked outside the barrier.
Seeing this, Ethan simply smiled faintly.
Then he slowly raised his hand toward Odin.
The moment Odin saw that smile, a sinking feeling appeared in his chest.
In the next second, he realized something was terribly wrong.
The metal ornaments decorating his armor suddenly cracked apart.
The fragments melted instantly, turning into liquid metal that flowed like rippling water. The silvery liquid surged together rapidly, reshaping itself into dozens of long steel needles.
Each needle measured more than thirty centimeters in length.
Then violent electric currents burst across their surfaces.
Lightning crawled along the metal needles like writhing serpents before they suddenly shot forward, piercing directly into Odin's body.
A muffled groan escaped him.
Even his divine body had been pierced.
The steel needles penetrated through his flesh and emerged again on the other side. But instead of falling away, they melted once more into liquid metal and flowed along the blood on his body, sliding rapidly toward his heart.
.....
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