c55 Frost Giants surrendered
The fist struck the chest of the Frost Giant King Laufey, and time seemed to freeze for a moment.
In the next instant, Russell's immense strength, combined with his divine power, exploded.
Bang!
Laufey, the mighty Frost Giant King, was sent flying back, blood pouring from his seven orifices as he plummeted to the ground, his blood freezing into ice flowers.
Smashing through glaciers and rock formations, Laufey's body came to a stop, crashing into a pile of ruins.
As the dust settled, Laufey remained unmoving.
Thor and the others looked on, seeing the Frost Giant King's chest caved in, riddled with cracks. His eyes were bloodshot, and while they still seemed to be working, they were unfocused, giving him a grotesque yet almost pitiable appearance.
Thor had once believed he could defeat Laufey in a single blow. He'd sent the Frost Giant King flying with a single strike of Mjolnir, but that hadn't even left a scratch.
Defeating Laufey with one strike was a task for Odin wielding the Eternal Spear Gungnir, not Thor.
Russell stepped forward, approaching the fallen king.
Laufey had not died. This was unexpected. Russell had anticipated that his punch would tear through Laufey's chest.
Instead, the king had only been gravely wounded. The Frost Giant King truly earned his place as Odin's longtime adversary.
Though his strength had waned, he could still survive such a blow.
With labored effort, Laufey, remembering his full name Laufey Ymirson began to rise. He imagined his father Ymir, the progenitor of the Frost Giants, coming to welcome him into the afterlife.
Struggling, Laufey climbed to his feet, clutching his chest. He was the king of the Frost Giants, and while he could die in battle, he could not lie down like a coward and wait for his fate.
"Cough! Cough!"
Laufey coughed up blood, forcing the words out between labored breaths, but his will remained strong:
"You may kill me, but you cannot defeat me.
You may slay the warriors of the Frost Giants, but you cannot extinguish our desire for vengeance.
As long as a single breath remains, the war between the Frost Giants and Asgard will never end."
Russell halted and raised an eyebrow.
Wait… Am I the villain here?
When it came to the conflict between the Frost Giants and Asgard, Russell had to admit that Asgard's actions were far from pure. Loki had instigated the chaos, and Thor had stormed in seeking answers. From the Frost Giant perspective, Asgard had been the aggressor, playing the role of both judge and executioner.
But Russell wasn't here to judge. He was merely following the path laid out for him just as the Ancient One had advised.
There was a score to settle between Earthlings and Frost Giants.
Seeing Russell's pause, Laufey let out a loud laugh:
"Hahaha, mighty warrior, what is your name?
Before I perish, at least tell me who struck down the King of the Frost Giants."
"Mage Russell," Russell replied coolly.
"Russell, hear this!"
Laufey's eyes widened as he glared at Russell.
"My kingdom will never surrender to you, and Jotunheim will never bow before your feet! We have countless warriors, and you will not kill them all!"
Russell frowned. These Frost Giants were unbelievably stubborn.
Despite what Laufey thought, eradicating the Frost Giant race wouldn't be difficult for Russell.
But there was a distinction between quick and efficient execution, and cold-blooded slaughter.
Wiping out the Frost Giants of an entire realm of an entire world would place a heavy psychological burden on Russell.
And while the Frost Giants might fight to the bitter end, they may never yield to complete annihilation.
But what if… there was another way?
"I already told you, I'm a mage, right?"
Russell mused to himself before extending his mental power through the hovering ring, reaching out to locate distant stars.
"But perhaps you've never seen a mage like me."
"Look up!"
A massive portal tore open in the sky, revealing the vastness of the cosmos beyond.
In the void, a gargantuan star blazed with heat and light, radiating energy at full force.
"What do you intend to do?" Laufey muttered, uneasy, unable to comprehend Russell's actions.
You don't actually think that small portal could melt the ice of Jotunheim, do you?
Russell gave a brief explanation:
"There's a legend from my homeland. It says that if ten suns appear at once, they scorch the forests, dry the earth, and incinerate all plant life. Now I'm curious how many suns does it take to melt your ice fortress?"
Activating his talent [Ability Absorption], Russell drew the light radiation from the distant star, funneling it through the portal.
The radiation entered, spilling onto Jotunheim's surface.
Unfiltered by any atmosphere, the full force of the solar radiation hit the land below.
Even Laufey, the Frost Giant King, felt the discomfort.
Some of the weaker Frost Giants began to shrink and recoil from the overwhelming heat.
Russell smiled at Laufey.
"Would you like to add another?"
In an instant, nine more portals opened across the sky.
Through each, another star pulsed with searing light and heat.
Boom!
Laufey's heart nearly exploded in terror.
The light from one of the stars converged and shot through a portal, causing a second sun to flare into being above Jotunheim.
Before Laufey could react, the third, fourth, and fifth portals were opened, followed by the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth.
The legend of Russell's homeland was being brought to life in Jotunheim.
Ten suns blazing in the sky!
The ice of Jotunheim began to melt at an alarming rate.
The weaker Frost Giants had no choice but to seek shelter deep within caves as their bodies shrank or even began to disintegrate under the intense heat.
Thor and the others, though accustomed to extreme temperatures, still found themselves uncomfortable under the unbearable heat.
Loki, who had stayed near Russell, noticed something odd: the temperature and humidity around Russell remained constant, comfortable even, unaffected by the overwhelming heat around them.
It became clear that if the suns remained in the sky any longer, the very ecosystem of Jotunheim would be obliterated, rendering the Frost Giants homeless and the entire kingdom uninhabitable.
"Stop!" Laufey bellowed, dragging his broken body forward in a final, desperate charge.
He launched a barrage of attacks at Russell, but none could breach his defenses.
Russell coldly watched as Laufey's attacks grew slower, weaker, until the Frost Giant King finally halted, his pride broken.
This once-mighty king, who had fought Odin himself, who had never yielded or surrendered, was now defeated.
Laufey, who had once stood proudly as ruler of Jotunheim, lowered his head in a final moment of submission.
"Stop, Frost Giant! Request a truce!"
Though it was called a truce, everyone knew it was nothing less than surrender.
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