"Is it no longer going to explode?"
Compared to the Frost Giants, who were drowning in unprecedented grief over Laufey's death, the gods of Asgard were far more excited.
Such a powerful enemy had fallen, one who had inflicted enormous casualties upon Asgard. They could hardly contain their joy.
Now, as they watched the trembling Casket of Ancient Winters gradually stabilize in Fenris's palm, its rapidly flashing blue light slowly faded into silence. The intense sense of danger also disappeared, as though a massive weight had suddenly been lifted from their hearts.
Nearly all the gods breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Thank goodness. Asgard would not be destroyed.
If they lost their home, they would be reduced to homeless wanderers drifting through the universe. Whether they could even survive the explosion was another matter entirely.
"Fenris, how is it?"
Thor stepped forward. After casting a regretful glance at Laufey's remains, he asked Fenris with concern, "Is it safe now?"
"Yeah. It's looking good."
The corners of Fenris's lips curved upward. He was clearly in an excellent mood.
At this moment, he could distinctly feel the faint connection that had formed between him and the Casket of Ancient Winters.
With the Casket empowering him, the Ancient Snow Demon's power was growing almost constantly.
This supreme frost artifact amplified Fenris's perception of that power to an almost absurd degree. His control over it was also deepening with every passing moment.
To Fenris, the Casket of Ancient Winters was at least as valuable as the reactor Tony had designed specifically for him, if not far more so.
After all, the Casket's energy was practically limitless. As his own strength increased, the power it could unleash would also become increasingly terrifying.
For Fenris, it was an extraordinary divine artifact that provided enhancement, healing, offensive power, explosive output, and battlefield control, all while possessing tremendous potential for further growth.
Its only drawback was that he had obtained it too recently and could not yet wield it as skillfully as Laufey had.
The Casket of Ancient Winters was not like the vibranium battle-ax, which Fenris could naturally wield with perfect proficiency thanks to the Titan Codex.
"Still, this is already incredible."
Fenris stared at the exquisite blue casket, his eyes growing brighter by the second.
"Fenris, look!"
Just as Fenris was happily admiring the Casket of Ancient Winters, Thor suddenly cried out and instinctively retreated several steps.
"Look at Laufey!"
"What is it?"
Fenris turned his gaze toward Laufey.
"What?"
Without warning, Laufey's body began to glow with a soft blue light.
Under that radiance, his body gradually began disappearing before Fenris's eyes.
It did not take long for his entire form to dissolve into countless specks of blue light. They gathered where his body had fallen and lingered without dispersing, creating an extraordinarily beautiful sight.
"When the Frost Giants of Jotunheim die, their bodies turn into starlight and return to the place from which they came."
"At the same time, all the power they possessed dissipates and returns to the universe."
Thor stroked his chin thoughtfully before explaining, "Normally, the starlight disperses very quickly. But Laufey's..."
"Could it be because he was so powerful?"
Thor blinked.
He had always performed well in his studies of alien civilizations, but nothing like this had ever been recorded in Asgard's books. For a moment, he had no idea what was happening.
"Wait. Did you just say all of his power will dissipate within a short period of time?"
Thor's absentminded muttering reached Fenris's ears and made his entire body stiffen.
What did all of Laufey's power truly amount to?
"Yes, but the process is very gentle. There's no need to worry. It won't destroy Asgard."
Seeing Fenris's concern, Thor reassuringly patted him on the shoulder.
"But..."
Fenris abruptly raised his head and looked at the colossal mass of ice that covered nearly the entire city of Asgard.
To completely stop the catastrophic blizzard Laufey had created, the Ancient Snow Demon's full-powered attack had frozen the hurricane and all the water vapor it carried. Even the clouds that had covered most of Asgard had been frozen solid.
That enormous structure was already unstable.
Could it truly withstand the impact of Laufey's dispersing energy?
Following Fenris's gaze, Thor also looked upward.
Scattered icicles were already falling from the frozen sky. The relaxed smile that had just appeared on his face vanished instantly.
The structure could originally have remained intact for a while longer, giving them enough time to evacuate normally.
But now...
Thor glanced at the blue specks of light surrounding them, the remnants of Laufey's body.
The moment his eyes met Fenris's, a chill shot down his spine.
"Everyone, take the elderly, the children, the wounded, and the sick, and evacuate the city immediately! Do not delay! Evacuate now!"
Thor's eyes instantly turned red. Without the slightest hesitation, he spun around and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Abandon everything weighing you down and run!"
"The ice is going to collapse!"
Thor's frantic roar made the hearts of the gods of Asgard tighten. They all looked overhead.
The canopy of solid ice nearly filled their entire field of vision.
If that thing fell...
Merely imagining the apocalyptic scene was enough to make everyone shudder.
They had not even emerged from the joy of victory before being forced into another desperate flight for survival.
The crowd fell silent for a brief instant before surging into motion again.
They threw down their weapons and armor, then sprinted toward the distant wall of ice formed from the hurricane.
"Fenris, we need to go!"
Thor grabbed Fenris while continuing to direct the gods in their orderly evacuation.
"Thor!"
Loki and Frigga ran against the fleeing crowd toward them.
They needed only one look at the increasingly bright blue energy around them to understand how serious the situation had become.
"There are still people buried in the ruins who were frozen by Laufey. It hasn't been long, so they may still be alive..."
Frigga struggled to look across the surrounding ruins. She could sense many trembling souls within them.
"That..."
Thor frowned and hesitated for an instant. Then he nodded firmly to Frigga.
"Don't worry. I'll save them!"
He turned toward Fenris.
"Fenris, I'll have to trouble you with getting my mother out of here again."
"I'll be back soon!"
With those final words, Thor spun Mjolnir and flew deep into the ruins.
"Be careful, my child!"
Frigga watched anxiously as Thor disappeared into the distance.
He was still seriously wounded.
"Let's go."
Sensing the increasingly intense energy fluctuations around them, Fenris carried the Casket of Ancient Winters in one hand and turned to leave.
"Hum..."
Suddenly, a dense buzzing noise arose from every direction.
The countless specks of blue light began flickering rapidly.
In the next moment, without the slightest warning, they surged toward Fenris, or more precisely, toward the Casket of Ancient Winters in his hand.
(End of Chapter)
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