POV: Third Person.
Crystal Path, Bifrost, Asgard.
One Day Before the Counterattack.
The Crystal Path of Asgard was one of the city's most beautiful spots, its purpose to energize the Bifrost. Thus, it was one of the key components for its functioning. However, after Malekith the Accursed attacked Asgard and corrupted the crystal, this location became a mark of shame for the Asgardians, a constant reminder that they had lost. And the one most aware of this was the King of Asgard.
Initially, he thought the dark elf's magic would be easily resolved. But unfortunately, after Heimdall spent several days without success, and as the movements of the dark elf grew increasingly wild, throwing the realms into chaos, Odin also joined his loyal soldier in attempting to remove the elf's magic.
Yet once again, the Father of All underestimated the gravity of the problem. After joining Heimdall, he truly understood the extent to which the Bifrost was affected. The Dark Elf King deserved all the accolades from his Father for his skill in sorcery.
At first, the magic of the dark elves was something passed down only among them; the lack of information was a major obstacle. Even Odin, being a master of rune magic, did not mean he was a master of all types of magic. Almost losing patience, he even considered destroying the entire crystal path and rebuilding everything from scratch, but he did not have the luxury of waiting for months.
So, all he could do was move as quickly as possible to fulfill his task. Unfortunately, by his calculations, it would take a whole month to complete. It was then that his youngest son gave him another surprise. He reported the trap he willingly intended to enter and his plan to end this ridiculous war. It was a unique moment for Odin, the moment he realized that his son's strategic mind matched his own. But to put this plan into action, they needed the Bifrost, not in a month, but in a few days. If he and Heimdall couldn't make it happen in a few days, they just needed more help. Help that his son pointed out.
"It's almost done," said the King.
Three people stood at the forefront of the crystal path. The long corridor of crystal, once transparent, was now completely black.
"Yes, my King, almost there," replied Heimdall, plunging his sword into the crystal path.
"When I received this unexpected request, I must say a big part of me accepted it just to see this view."
The third voice was not a man's, but a woman's. Unlike the other two men wearing armor covering their bodies, the woman wore only a simple yellow tunic.
"Your help to Asgard will not be forgotten; the Sorceress Supreme of Earth will always be welcome whenever she wishes," the King said to the woman.
"A kind gesture, King Odin, I appreciate it. But I am only here doing a favor for a friend."
"My son expected you to be accompanied by another sorceress," Odin said, shifting the focus of the conversation.
"Unfortunately, my other friend thought her presence here would be uncomfortable for everyone," the Elder said, smiling.
"Uncomfortable? Perhaps. But with your help, we could finish even faster," Odin replied.
"That's true. But don't worry, King Odin, I assure you that my friend is just waiting for the right moment to help, just in another place."
"We are ready, my king," Heimdall interrupted.
"Then let's begin."
The three stood side by side. The first to act was Heimdall, using his magic through his sword to concentrate it on the ground. Then it was the Elder's turn; she created a formation of pure golden energy in front of her body, shooting several strands of energy into the crystal path. And lastly, it was the King's turn; he struck his lance on the ground, embedding a magical rune into the crystal. All three magics worked in unison, and then the darkness of the crystal path began to dissolve like smoke in the air.
"The Bifrost is back under your command, my King," Heimdall said, smiling.
"Yes, I see. Let's put it to use then."
From the beginning of the crystal path, something approaches. An army of Asgardians with full armor and weapons drawn. They were here to finally go to war.
POV: Third Person
Near the Bloodmuck Swamp, Svartalfheim
On the Day of the Counterattack
Swamps are undoubtedly one of the worst places General Freyja could have chosen for a battle. It was precisely because of this difficulty that Malekith had likely selected this location as his central base. It was here that the majority of his army was stationed, and it was also where his primary objective lay: the Black Bifrost.
Ratatosk had arrived in Svartalfheim just a few hours earlier, carefully remaining camouflaged several meters above the ground to avoid detection by the enemy. The first few hours were spent locating the enemy, a task that wasn't too difficult given the four Dark Elf motherships arranged in a square formation around the camp.
After gathering intelligence on the enemy and their defenses, it was time to plan the attack. The ships in the air weren't a significant problem for Ratatosk, but the army on the ground was an entirely different matter. The Bloodmuck Swamp was a massive natural trap, a mix of wild vegetation and uneven, wet terrain that made an organized march impossible. Additionally, the swamp was inhabited by three-meter-tall giant dogs that could move freely through it.
The only area free from these challenges was the center of the swamp, where the elves lived in small tents around a modest palace. Their number was around thirty thousand, clearly the core force of the army. Their defenses were practically non-existent, but this made sense given the difficulty of reaching them. Any army, even the Asgardian, would take hours or days to cross the swamp, ample time for the elves to prepare a defense or flee, as the moment anyone set foot in the swamp, the Dark Elves would know.
A good plan was needed. General Freyja gathered all her trusted men, hoping for an idea to emerge among them. After another hour of planning, they devised a strategy. It was a crazy plan, one many doubted was feasible, but fortunately, Alice confirmed it could be done. Thus, the General gave the order.
First, they had to move their infantry close to the swamp without the elves noticing—a challenging task, as they had nearly twenty thousand men to disembark, along with equipment. Difficult, but not impossible. Ratatosk was brought to the ground as discreetly as possible, and then the men disembarked as slowly and quietly as they could. Once the men had taken their positions, it was time to unload the heavy weapons. With everything in place, Ratatosk ascended once again.
"Begin the plan," ordered Freyja from the ground. This time, she would not command the battle from Ratatosk but would stay on the front lines with her infantry.
"{Understood, ma'am, removing camouflage!}" responded her subordinate on the ship.
Finally, Ratatosk was revealed in all its glory in the sky.
"{Enemy ships have noticed us, ma'am. They are preparing to fire,}" reported the subordinate.
"How long until they fire?" Freyja asked.
"{Thirty seconds.}"
"BOOM!"
It didn't take long for energy blasts from the four motherships to hit the ship's force field.
"{Shields at eighty percent!}"
Normally, such an attack wouldn't do much damage to the ship, but they needed to conserve a lot of energy for the plan, so the shields were only powered enough to prevent them from exploding.
"{3, 2, 1. Weapon ready!}" shouted her subordinate over the communicator.
"FIRE!"
A concentrated energy beam shot through the air. But instead of hitting the Dark Elf camp or even the enemy ships, the beam struck a few kilometers ahead of Freyja and her men. Due to the distance, she and her men weren't harmed, but the beam's purpose wasn't to destroy—it was to create.
The energy beam, typically only a few meters thick, now spanned as wide as a building.
The beam then began moving forward, cutting through the swamp. It was like a concentrated ray of light from a magnifying glass, burning a straight path through the swamp. This was the plan: if they couldn't enter the swamp, they would create their own path.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Their enemies did not merely stand by and watch; the four ships fired at Ratatosk once again.
"{Shields at fifty percent!}" shouted the subordinate in command of the ship.
The beam of light cutting through the swamp was not a standard application for the ship. Even though Ratatosk was powered by a miniature sun, there was a limit to how much energy it could use without sustaining damage. Consequently, while the beam was in use, Ratatosk was at its most vulnerable.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
"{Shields at thirty percent!}"
Unfortunately, such a strategy was necessary. If Ratatosk simply fired at the Dark Elf camp, there was a significant chance one of their ships would shield them, giving the enemy enough time to escape through the Black Bifrost—a scenario that could not be allowed.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
"{Shields at fifteen percent!}"
"Come on!" urged Freyja.
To her dismay, another barrage of energy blasts streaked across the sky towards Ratatosk.
"{Objective complete. Recharging shields!}"
There was a brief moment when the beam of light vanished, and the enemy's shots struck Ratatosk. But to everyone's relief, and thanks to Alice's high processing power, a mere second was enough to redirect energy to the shields, successfully defending against the enemy attack.
"Report!" Freyja demanded over the communicator.
"{Shields at ten percent. Multiple damages across the ship, and we're operating at only thirty percent efficiency.}"
"It's not ideal, but it's what we've got. Initiate the next phase."
"{Yes, ma'am!}"
General Freyja looked ahead. The once-treacherous swamp now had a newly created black path leading to its center, straight to the heart of the enemy. The road was so wide that twenty of her soldiers could march side by side with ease. Smiling at their achievement, she shouted, "Attack!"
Her order was followed promptly. With her at the forefront, her men ran as fast as they could, holding their shields, spears, and swords. The equipment from Genosha was relatively light, yet their speed wasn't particularly fast. However, considering they were running in a synchronized battle formation, it was a significant military feat.
When they were about twenty-five percent along the path, Freyja spotted several dark shapes heading their way. Enemy fighters. They were indeed in an open space, perfect for a bombing run. But before the enemy fighters could reach them, Genosha's jets soared overhead, targeting the incoming threats. This was phase two: after clearing the path for the infantry, Ratatosk would focus its full attention on the enemy air force. Despite the ship's current state, Freyja was confident Ratatosk could handle the four enemy ships.
As they continued their charge, more obstacles emerged. On either side of the path, in the swamp, several enormous beasts appeared—giant dogs, three meters tall, eyeing their prey. Yet, the soldiers of Genosha did not falter in their march.
When the first creature dared to leap at them, it was struck by an energy blast, exploding in mid-air. Blood rained down on the running soldiers, but they did not stop.
At the rear of the infantry, just outside the swamp path, were twenty long-range tanks. Positioned side by side, they had a single order: protect the infantry. These tanks were powerful weapons but couldn't fire continuously. Therefore, they took turns firing. With a perfect targeting system, they functioned like mortars on Earth, their energy blasts hitting both sides of the path, obliterating anything in the way as the army advanced.
Unfortunately, there were still casualties. Some of the giant dogs managed to evade the blasts and attacked the soldiers. Due to their proximity, the tanks couldn't help, leaving everything to the infantry. Fortunately, the beasts weren't formidable enough to overwhelm their numbers, yet there were still deaths and injuries. The dead were left behind, but the injured were teleported to the ship. Normally, the dead would also be retrieved, but energy consumption was now a critical concern.
Finally, General Freyja saw the end of the path, but it wasn't a pleasant sight. The Dark Elves had set up a defense with four mammoths in front, and countless elves ready to attack behind them. The tanks were now out of range, leaving it all up to them. Freyja surged forward, leaving her men behind. Her sword began to glow red as if freshly forged, then erupted in golden flames covering the entire blade. She unleashed a wave of flames over five meters wide towards the mammoths.
"BOOOM!"
The explosion of flames was like a golden wall of fire erupting from nowhere. Unfortunately, the strike wasn't enough to kill all four mammoths, but every animal instinctively fears fire. With their vision obscured by the flames, their panic was understandable. In their frenzied state, the mammoths destroyed themselves, stampeding wildly in any direction away from the source of the fire. This cleared the view for the elven armies.
And there they were, clad in black garments and white masks, armed with knives, staffs, and swords. They were silent as the night and cold as ice. The silence was palpable. If not for the sounds of jets and drones clashing in the air and the exchanges of fire between the four ships and Ratatosk above, this place would have been the quietest in Svartalfheim. There was a brief moment of quiet as the Genosha army finally reached their general. All the players were on stage. All that was needed was the signal.
"BOOOM!"
The signal came with the explosion of one of the four Dark Elf ships, which was shot down and crashed into the swamps. As it collided with the ground, both armies launched into their final battle.
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