"What is it, Fenris?"
After catching his breath, Thor strode over to Fenris.
However, when he noticed Fenris staring up at the frozen dome, the rest of his words caught in his throat.
"Breaking through the ice wouldn't be difficult, but doing so could cause the entire structure to collapse ahead of time. We might all be crushed to death before Laufey's remaining power even erupts."
Frigga brushed her hand across the ice, only to instinctively pull it back from the bone-piercing cold.
"We're trapped," she said with a deep frown.
The moment those words left her mouth, the gods behind Frigga, who had been noisily discussing possible solutions, all fell silent.
The fear in their eyes betrayed their growing unease.
What did she mean?
If even the Queen said that, did it mean there was no way for them to escape?
"This..."
Thor rubbed his chin and furrowed his brow in thought, but his less-than-gifted mind could not come up with any useful ideas.
"How about..."
Loki's eyes suddenly darted around as an idea came to him.
"We blast open a large hole and let as many people escape as possible."
"Otherwise, if we keep wasting time..."
"Crash!"
Loki wrapped his hands around his own throat, tilted his head, and rolled his eyes dramatically.
"We can all wait here to be crushed together."
"Isn't there any way to save more people?" Thor asked hesitantly.
"I wouldn't know."
Loki spread his hands, making it clear that he was out of ideas.
"You can keep discussing it."
With that, he simply lay down on the ground, closed his eyes, and stopped moving.
"Fenris still plans to send me to Earth so that pretty girl can judge me. Until then, he certainly isn't going to let anything happen to me."
"You..."
Thor rolled his eyes.
As blunt as Loki's words were, he had to admit that they struck directly at the heart of the matter.
They could only sacrifice some people to secure the safety of the others.
Thor sighed softly, turned away with a pained expression, and patted the silent Fenris on the shoulder.
"Let's do what Loki suggested, Fenris. If anything goes wrong, I'll take full responsibility."
"And you should hurry, because..."
Thor turned toward the heart of the city behind them.
There, countless blue motes of light were growing increasingly radiant.
It was the final glow left behind by Laufey's body, a sign that his remaining power was approaching the point where it would completely dissipate and erupt.
"You go save the others. Leave this place to me."
Fenris grabbed Thor and hurled him high into the air.
"Hurry, Fenris..."
Thor's fading voice echoed through the air as a thin sheet of ice lifted Fenris off the ground.
At some point, an exquisitely crafted pair of glasses had appeared on his face.
"Titan."
"I'm here."
"I need to create several ice pillars to support this dome, then open a passage through the ice so everyone can escape. Mark the load-bearing points for me."
"Understood."
A crisp female voice sounded in Fenris's ear.
The next instant, countless invisible scanning beams shot outward and rapidly swept through the surrounding environment.
A flood of data flashed across the lenses. Soon, a detailed three-dimensional model appeared before Fenris's eyes.
"This is the optimal solution produced by the simulation. Without external interference, the structure can be supported for a maximum of twenty-seven minutes."
Countless load-bearing points were highlighted in bright red.
Fenris swept his gaze over them and immediately understood what needed to be done.
"That's enough."
The corner of Fenris's mouth rose.
"Tony, I'll give you credit this time."
Without the slightest hesitation, he descended and landed in front of Frigga.
"Get everyone to move back. I'm about to begin."
"All right."
Frigga nodded firmly, then hurriedly turned around and began organizing the crowd.
Fenris took a deep breath before abruptly opening his eyes.
"Loki, I suggest you behave yourself. Don't force me to break your legs."
His calm voice echoed through the area.
The motionless Loki lying nearby suddenly vanished. In front of a distant section of ice, Loki's tall, slender figure was already halfway through one of the cracks, trying to sneak away.
"Ha! I was merely scouting ahead and testing the path for you."
Loki's body stiffened. He then turned around smoothly and forced a brilliant smile onto his face.
"Carry on. I won't disturb you."
With that, he obediently followed close behind Frigga.
"Childish."
Fenris curled his lips and opened his palm.
Blue light flickered, and the Casket of Ancient Winters quickly materialized in his hand.
After finding the correct direction, Fenris willed the artifact to activate. A wave of biting cold instantly erupted from his palm.
Boom!
A massive pillar of blue light surged outward and slammed into the overlapping layers of ice.
A deafening roar erupted, and the surrounding ground began to quake violently.
Everywhere the beam passed, the thick layers of ice began melting at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Layers of ice, some thin and others immensely thick, dissolved one after another. Countless fragments rained down from above, striking the ground with a series of unsettling crashes.
The crowd behind Fenris descended into chaos.
Everyone's face was filled with terror, and many struggled to remain standing. Fenris, however, remained as steady as a mountain while precisely controlling the power of the Casket according to Titan's model.
Only moments later, the layer of ice, which was nearly a kilometer thick, was completely pierced by the blue beam.
In the blink of an eye, a deep tunnel had formed.
The previously stable structure had been suddenly compromised. Thunderous rumbles quickly echoed from deep within the ice.
The enormous dome looked as though it might collapse at any moment. It was as if the sky itself had begun to tilt, with the entire structure visibly shifting to one side.
"This..."
A path to survival had been opened, yet the gods were terrified by the horrifying sight before them.
They stared into the seemingly bottomless tunnel while the sounds of falling ice occasionally echoed from within. For a moment, everyone hesitated, too frightened to move forward.
"We don't have much time! Everyone who doesn't want to die, start moving immediately!"
Holding the Casket of Ancient Winters, Fenris flew into the air.
A trace of impatience crossed his face as he looked down at the hesitant crowd, then toward the groups still racing toward them from the distance.
"Roar!"
Godzilla's unique aura erupted from Fenris and descended upon them.
The instant the deafening roar sounded in their ears, the entire crowd began moving.
"They always have to learn the hard way."
"Move!"
At his command, the crowd's pace increased even further.
Fenris saw Frigga look up and nod to him. After casting one more glance at Loki, his figure flashed toward the center of the city.
Surrounded by towering walls of ice on all sides and an enormous frozen dome overhead, Fenris hovered alone in the vast open sky, holding the Casket of Ancient Winters high above him.
The supreme frost artifact surged to life, dazzling blue light flashing wildly within his hands.
"Rise!"
(End of Chapter)
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