Chapter 13 – Peace… was never an option!

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*Any images in this chapter don't belong to me! It belongs to their respective artists/creators!

Without further ado, enjoy the chapter!

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Third-person pov.

Útgard's plan was quite simple, to challenge the gods to impossible challenges, use his castle to 'record' the gods' humiliating performance, and send to the other races subordinate to the Aesir gods through runes, and show them their ' protectors', this would lead to other races being more receptive to joining the Jotuns in their rebellion.

It is a fact that races subordinate to the gods are now more insecure with their leader's new form of leadership, not least because the kingdom of Asgard was forged by war.

A warrior kingdom, with a leader who now prefers diplomacy over retaliation against other pantheons.

Útgard wanted new leadership, a leadership that other pantheons were afraid to face.

Odin was still feared right after the war against the Vanir gods.

But over the years, some have felt that... Odin was getting soft; some races blamed his wife, Frigg, others thought that when Odin drank from the waters of Mimisbrunnr he now preferred more dialogue than fighting.

More than one thing was certain in Útgard's mind.

The other pantheons are not afraid of the Nordic pantheon... And that is a mistake.

'Nice words' do not stop others from invading the Nordic territory.

What prevents other pantheons from invading is something simple.

Cruelty.

The cruelty of the Aesir gods was legendary during wars.

And this, the leaders of some races respected.

Unlike Odin, the leaders respect only one thing: Strength.

Without strength, you don't keep the leaders together.

And as Odin no longer demonstrates his 'strength', the other races began to feel insecure; and Útgard would seize that chance.

The challenges were intended to show the weakness of the future leader of the Aesir's closest allies; ironically it was the last race to submit to the Aesir.

The Vanir gods.

Útgard knew how much Prince Frey loved his sister, so he made Frey a target.

Having one of Odin's bastard sons humiliated was also a bonus.

Or at least... That's what Útgard initially thought.

"*Hic* Hey~...Bring me more" said Thor.

"... More?" asked Útgard confused.

"Yes! *Hic* Bring me more mead!" Thor said with a smile.

Now Útgard was in disbelief.

He's just done the impossible of depleting a 'planet of mead' and still wants more?

"I…I would like to finish the challenges first…Only then can I deliver more mead…" said Útgard.

"Hmm~... Alright~ *Hic* but I hope I get the same amount of mead after these challenges are over, if not..." said Thor.

Now Útgard looked upset.

After all... It looked like Thor had threatened him.

"…Was that a threat, Prince Thor?… Under MY roof, and the 'guest law'?" asked Útgard.

Automatically, most of the Jotuns were taking up their weapons.

At the same time, Frey and Sif began to get nervous.

"Threaten? *Hic* Oh no, I don't make threats…" Thor said smiling.

The Jotuns seemed to have calmed down and began to drop their weapons.

Until Thor continued to speak...

"*Hic*…I make promises though~" said Thor.

As soon as Thor said these words the majority of the Jotuns again grabbed their weapons and were ready to fight.

But Útgard raised a hand, and the Jotuns stopped.

While Útgard wouldn't mind breaking guest law and killing the Asgardians, there was one small problem.

He wanted to bring other races into his rebellion.

And violating guest law would not be ideal for Útgard's plans.

Anyone who violates the guest law will be marked for life as someone unreliable, being ostracized.

"Certainly, Prince Thor... Shall we go to the next challenge?" asked Útgard through gritted teeth.

- Timeskip: 5 minutes.

Third-person pov.

"Your next challenge will be… lift this house cat," said Útgard.

The cat, of the Norwegian forest breed, had its fur gray color and its eyes were amber.

For some reason... Sif didn't feel comfortable with this cat.

"This is no ordinary cat..." whispered Sif to Frey.

"... Why do you think that?" asked Frey confused.

"The previous challenge was not normal... You and I faced specific 'personifications' for our challenges, I even understand that we lost 'fairly'... But what about Thor's first challenge? That horn had more mead than it looked... That cat, it can't be a simple cat," replied Sif.

As Sif thought about the giant cat, she was interrupted by Útgard's voice.

"Your challenge is simple Asgardian…lift the cat off the ground," said Útgard.

"*Hic*...Okay~" said Thor.

Thor then addressed the cat, who was much bigger than he was. The cat just looked at Thor.

And when Thor was inches from the cat, he held up his hand.

"… You know~… I never liked cats… *Hic* So we can do it the easy way or the hard way" said Thor.

The cat just looked at Thor and hissed.

"Okay then…I was hoping it was the hard way," Thor said, as he cracked his knuckles.

The cat just hissed...until Thor slapped it silent, surprising the Jotuns once more.

*Slap*

"*Hic* Respect my authority!" said Thor, as he hit the cat a few more times.

After a good spanking, the cat found itself in Thor's hands... Being lifted off the ground.

The vision looked like... A man lifting a cat of the size of an elephant.

"*Hic* Let's get on with it! I want my mead!" said Thor, dropping the cat.

As soon as the cat fell to the ground he started running out of the castle as fast as possible.

For Útgard this was a feat no one could have done... After all the 'cat' was another son of Angrboda... His name was Jörmungandr, Miðgarðsormr himself in disguise.

Seeing that Thor managed to tie the score made both Sif and Frey happy.

But it made Útgard hesitate to go on with the next challenge.

At this time Útgard was contemplating killing the Asgardians and continuing his rebellion without the support of other races; there was only one more challenge left, it would be the tiebreaker.

After some consideration... Útgard smiled.

He knew exactly which challenge would be perfect to humiliate Odin's son.

"I must say…I am impressed, Prince Thor. As the last challenge will be something definitive... It is only fair that it is a competition of strength" said Útgard.

"Oh? *Hic* A fight? All right then," said Thor.

It was then that a person the size of Sif, 6' feet, approached Thor.

It was an old lady.

"…Huh?*Hic*" Thor was confused.

Would he have to fight an old lady?

"Don't underestimate her, son of Odin... No man or woman has been able to defeat Elli. In fact, I don't think anyone can beat her in the test of strength, she remains undefeated," explained Útgard with a smile.

Frey looked confused.

How could an old lady never be defeated in a test of strength?

Sif wasn't looking at the old woman or Útgard... She was looking at the other Jotuns in the ballroom, who wore a victorious smile.

"…Something is not right," Sif said to herself.

Thor just stared at the old woman.

"Well…let's go then," Thor said.

- Timeskip: 5 minutes.

The field was defined, a circle on the ground would serve as a fighting ring.

"Let the challenge begin!" said Útgard.

The sound of a trumpet echoed through the hall.

Soon Elli leaped toward Thor.

And then she grabbed Thor's arms, no matter how ridiculous the situation... Sif realized that the old woman was managing to dominate Thor.

"You are the strongest guy I know Thor! Show this old woman what you're capable of!" shouted Frey, rooting for his friend.

"*Hic* Shut up Frey! When this is over I'll make you cry blood!" said Thor turning his head to face Frey.

This seemed to make Frey worried about his future.

"Come on Thor! Don't you dare lose!" shouted Sif worriedly, trying to cheer for her longtime friend.

She knew of Thor's absurd strength, but she didn't know how a simple old woman had such strength... What 'personification' was she?

Fortunately, Útgard answered her question.

"Hahaha... I'm sorry to disappoint you Asgardians! But it looks like you won't get the information I have! Nobody can beat 'old age'! Even if you can't die of old age thanks to Idunn's apples, you will NEVER be able to stop it, it's inevitable! You can't stop time!"

As soon as Útgard talked about stopping time, Thor soon thought of one of his techniques... Just to remember that Útgard is canceling the use of magic inside the castle through the corrupted ice. So he would have to win the traditional way.

Meanwhile, the Jotuns mocked Thor's plight.

"Give up Asgardian!"

"You see how superior our race is!"

"Apparently you Asgardians will have to look elsewhere for Brisingamen! Hahahaha"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

All the Jotuns started to laugh.

"Well... There's only one thing left to do *Hic*... Maximum effort!" said Thor.

Thor then took hold of the old woman's arms... And fell backward performing a backward roll; due to the old lady being held, she ended up unsteady forward, and then, in the short space of time Elli was falling, Thor placed his foot at the height of the old lady's waist and applied pressure as he rolled onto his own back. The result?... Elli was thrown out of the bounded area.

Meaning the defeat of 'old age'.

As well as the Asgardian victory over the Jotuns.

"Yeah!!!" shouted Sif and Frey as they ran towards Thor, who was rising from the ground.

"*Hic* Phew~... Now it's time for the sweet nectar! Give me my mead...NOW!" said Thor, holding out his hand, facing Útgard who was in shock.

Sif lunged and then hugged Thor, while Frey walked over and patted his shoulder.

"...Huh? *Hic* Hey... Let go of me," Thor said, looking at Sif.

"You drunk idiot!" said Sif smiling.

Thor then grabbed Sif by the collar and flung her over his shoulder.

Frey then proceeded to speak.

"I'm glad you win Thor! Now we can finally get the information about my sister's necklace and get out of here!" Frey said with a smile.

Thor just smiled.

"Do you think *Hic* I forgot what I said about what I was going to do to you?~" Thor said looking at Frey.

"*Gulp* Errr... Not in the face?" asked Frey nervously.

"*Hic*... Yes in the face~" Thor said smiling.

Then Thor punched Frey in the face making him fly towards a castle wall.

Frey collided with the wall creating cracks, he had a broken nose, was missing a few teeth, and appeared to have been knocked out.

"Well *Hic*... That was just the beginning... But before continuing with Frey's punishment, I need to resolve one thing first, Sif go get Frey off the wall..." said Thor looking at Sif.

As Sif walked towards Frey, Thor then faced Útgard.

"...It's here, isn't it?" Thor asked, narrowing his eyes.

"... What?" asked Útgard.

"Don't make a fool of yourself *Hic* your castle is one of the few things that can negate the effect of magic. While it's true that it may be something else I'm denying, I found your challenges strange~ *Hic*" Thor said smiling.

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Útgard.

"Oh?~*Hic*... Let me clarify then, all of your challenges were inside your castle, although they could have been done outside right after Sif and Hugi's run," said Thor.

"…Even if that's the case, it could just be a coincidence. Besides, as you said yourself, the race was outside of my castle," said Útgard.

"Yeah~*Hic*...But those runes in the trees were pretty suspicious~" said Thor.

Útgard froze.

The four challenges were inside the castle because of the need to record the challenges and send them to the leaders of the other races.

Unfortunately, the first challenge was a race, it was out of bounds for the castle's event recording ability.

So Útgard spread runes along the way, he didn't think anyone would notice as they were the size of a leaf, the runes would function as a kind of 'extension' of his castle.

The Jotuns started to get nervous.

"...What would be my motivation for doing such a thing then?" asked Útgard.

"*Hic*... I don't care about things like motivation... The act itself is damning. But I want Freyja's necklace, I've already come this far and made the pact, it's time for you to honor it... Or would you rather be called an 'oathbreaker'?" said Thor.

Útgard narrowed his eyes but began to respond.

"…Very well…I know of someone who might know where the necklace is – "Until he was interrupted by Thor.

"Wasn't that clear?*Hic* I said I want the necklace…I know it's with you, or at least you know who stole it," Thor said, narrowing his eyes.

"...I have no way of knowing such information!" said Útgard, rising from his throne.

As soon as Útgard rose, the other Jotuns began to pick up their weapons.

"*Hic* Are you sure?~ Freyja's necklace was recently stolen, but it was also recently 'created', just a few people knew the name it was given to the necklace... So tell me Útgard, during my fight against the old lady, how one of your subordinates knew the name of the necklace?" said Thor.

"This can be easily explained… It has been a few months since Freyja received the necklace, the name is already known," explained Útgard.

"Hmm~*Hic*... So why didn't you call it by its name at first?" Thor asked.

Now Thor, drunk as he was, knew his questions were only suspicious, he could not blame Útgard of the theft.

But the Jotuns' behavior remained suspect.

To begin:

- All the Jotuns were heavily armed in the main hall of the castle.

- Útgard scattered runes in the challenge, which Thor noticed were convergence runes pointing towards the castle, signifying a kind of extension of the castle.

Thor knew that there were certain incidents and disagreements over the years between Asgard and Jotunheim.

Thor was already upset by this futile quest, and everything the Jotuns had been doing so far in recent years only pointed to one thing... Rebellion.

At the time, it looked like only the Jotuns were wanting this rebellion, but if the Jotuns start, other races might join. The problem with all this is that if Asgard has a new internal war, It is likely that the closest pantheons, like the Slav pantheon that had a rivalry against the Nordic pantheon, will see this as an opportunity to 'take over' territories.

What Thor was doing now was voicing his suspicions openly…until he found a fool.

And end this future rebellion in the most practical way:

Kill the idiots who want to make war.

And who were these idiots? The inhabitants of the castle of Utgard; but, owing to guest law, Thor must wait for some fool to show up.

And make the fool violate guest law.

"Enough!" yelled a random Jotun getting up from the chair, which was next to a Hugi.

Apparently, the fool appeared.

"You come here, destroy the gates of our house! Threaten our king! Accuses him without concrete evidence! And do you expect us to stand here?! I'm tired of Asgardian arrogance!" said Jotun.

Útgard then motioned to Hugi.

Hugi understood the signal and grabbed the Jotun and pulled him to his seat again.

The Jotun reluctantly obeyed.

However, to his misfortune… Thor had targeted him.

"I apologize for my subordinate... He has a bit of a grudge against Asgard, old blood. But one thing he's right, you're treating an ally in a hostile way... Are you going to accuse the other races of stealing Freyja's Brisingamen as well?" explained Útgard.

Thor didn't immediately respond, just jumped up onto the table and started walking.

"…Maybe I might have exaggerated…" said Thor, walking towards the Jotun who had shouted.

Then Thor stepped in front of Jotun.

"Out of curiosity... Why do you hate the Asgardians?" Thor asked.

Before Hugi could stop his partner, the Jotun spoke.

"You took my son from me... Blood for blood, this is our law, asgardian" said the Jotun facing Thor, under the table, the Jotun was gripping the hilt of a hammer.

As soon as Jotun responded, the tension was palpable.

"Huum~*Hic*... Understandable," Thor said, turning away.

It looked like it would end at this point... But...

"*Hic* You know... There was a story my father, Odin, told me about a battle of my grandfather Borr... He said that a young Jotun blindly ran into a trap and died begging mercy... Tell me, was it your son?" said Thor looking at Jotun.

As soon as Thor had finished speaking, hell derailed in the ballroom of Útgard castle.

Everything happened so fast.

The Jotun raised the hammer and attacked Thor.

*BAM*

The hammer hit Thor on the table and shattered it.

"Thor!" Sif yelled.

"*sigh* Well... It wasn't exactly what I wanted... But I don't think I can take this farce anymore. Hugi! Let the rest of the men know... We're going to Asgard," said Útgard.

Since the law of the guest was violated by the Jotuns, other leaders, probably, will not join the rebellion.

Útgard then assumed it had to be the hard way.

Kill the Asgardians without help from the other races, and then make the other races submit to the new government.

"Kill the einherjar and capture Prince Frey, I want to know Asgard's defenses first, once I find out, I will send his head as a gift to Njord," said Útgard.

The Jotuns then looked at Sif who had her sword unsheathed in her right hand and holding Frey's body with her left hand.

The Jotuns could only scoff, as the einherjar would still try to resist, even though she knew she had no chance of surviving.

"Come here, girl... Maybe we can have some 'fun' before killing you" said a Jotun approaching with a smile.

Sif just spat on the ground.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, I'd rather cut my throat than participate in this fun, you're really not my type" replied Sif.

Jotun then grimaced, but he didn't stop smiling.

"Oh? And what's your type then? Maybe I'll kill them in Asgard and then feed you with their meat" asked Jotun.

It was then that Sif noticed a small movement on the broken table.

And then she smiled.

"…I've always had a thing for redheads," Sif said.

As soon as Sif responded, a scream of pain resounded in the hall.

"AAAAARRRGH!"

Everyone looked towards the scream.

It was Hugi.

He was lying on the floor... His legs seemed to be broken in two different places, at the knee, and the ankle.

"*Hic* first rule when facing someone fast... Aim for the legs first" someone said.

It was Thor, who was walking slowly towards Hugi's head.

When Thor got close, he then looked into Hugi's eyes.

"…Just then aim for the head," Thor said, raising his fist.

Then Thor punched Hugi in the head.

As soon as the fist made contact with Hugi's face, the head exploded.

And so, Hugi was the first Jotun to die after centuries after the last war.

And Thor was the first god to kill a Jotun... alone.

Thor then walked towards Mjolnir.

No one made a move as they were still processing what had happened.

Thor then grabbed the Mjolnir and walked towards Sif and Frey.

Ignoring the looks the Jotuns were giving him.

"*Hic*... Sif"

This seemed to wake up Sif.

"Take Frey and get out of here... Use your new boots and cape to run faster," Thor said.

"Wait a minute! I won't leave you here!" said Sif.

"It wasn't a request," Thor said, looking into Sif's eyes.

Sif was silent and looked at Hugi's body on the ground, then at Frey.

And then she looked at Thor again.

"Even if you want me to leave... We are surrounded" said Sif, pointing to the rest of the Jotuns who were hesitating to take the first step... Because they were facing Thor.

"*Hic* No problem~" Thor replied with a smile.

Thor then looked at Útgard who was in shock.

"Hey, ~*Hic*...Thanks for violating the guest's rights first~" said Thor.

As soon as Thor finished speaking, he slammed the Mjolnir into the wall, creating cracks.

The wall of the ballroom soon gave way and showed the castle gates, which were still in the ground.

This seemed to wake up the Jotuns.

"Kill them! Kill them now!" shouted Útgard, picking up his warhammer.

Sif just looked at Thor.

"…I promise to bring reinforcements," Sif said seriously before grabbing a princess-style Frey and running out of the castle.

As soon as Sif passed through the gate, Thor turned towards the Jotuns who were only a few meters away.

"Ah, Sif~ *Hic*... I am the 'reinforcement'" said Thor with a manic smile, holding up the Mjolnir.

- Location: Jotunheim/outside the Útgard castle/Sif and Frey.

Third personal POV.

As soon as Sif left the castle, she quickly formed a transport rune, with her destination being an island in Miðgarðr (Midgard), where there was at the door to Ásbrú, the bridge of the Aesir, also known as Bilröst.

Before Sif goes through the portal, she hears the sound.

*BOOM*

And then the earth shook.

Sif decided not to waste any more time and go through the portal.

- Location: Miðgarðr (Midgard)/future island Svalbard.

A portal opened and Sif carrying Frey exited it. She then ran towards a rune circle on the ground, which was located in the center of the island.

"Heimdallr!" shouted Sif looking at the sky.

A barrier then rose and a rainbow-colored light descended from the sky and hit the rune.

When the glow was gone Sif and Frey were gone.

- Location: the kingdom of Asgard/ Himinbjǫrg (home of Heimdallr).

Sif, carrying Frey, appeared after a glow about a rune, by this time they were on the highest mountain in Asgard.

"Sif! What is happening?!" asked Heimdallr, the only guard on the Aesir bridge, responsible for blowing the trumpet, the Gjallarhorn, when the Ragnarok happens; and that according to the prophecy, the sound that Gjallarhorn will make will be heard by all nine realms.

"We do not have time! I need to tell King Odin!" said Sif.

"Warn about what?!" asked Heimdallr exasperated.

Sif just said one word.

"War"

- Location: Jotunheim/ Útgard castle.

Third-person pov.

While Sif may have looked worried... Someone was having fun.

"Hahahahaha!*Hic* Keep coming Jotuns! Come on! Hahaha," roared Thor in defiance.

Thor leaped towards the nearest Jotun and hammered its head, causing the head to explode.

Bloodstained the floor and walls of the Útgard castle's ballroom; bodies of Jotuns, or what was left of them, were strewn on the ground.

Thor then landed on a table and raised his hammer to block an ax.

"You are not leaving here alive Asgardian!" said the ax user, it was Logi.

"*Hic* I'll leave... But you won't be there to see me come out of this pile of rubble!" Thor replied.

Thor then applied pressure to Mjolnir and thrust the ax, then leaped towards Logi's head.

*Snap*

That was the noise Logis neck made when Thor kicked him.

Logi's body then fell to the ground.

"Body number 66 *Hic*... Who is next?!" said Thor, smiling.

And then other Jotuns ran towards Thor.

Neither Thor nor the Jotuns noticed that Thor's back, from time to time, emitted a red glow...

And so Thor fought, bathing in the blood of the Jotuns.

Until after a while...

Thor then blocked a warhammer with Mjolnir.

"You! You destroyed everything!" it was Útgard, who had the hammer, and by the face... He was quite irritated.

"Huh?~*Hic*... Are you going to cry?~" Thor asked, with a mocking smile.

Thor had been fighting traditionally for some time now, just using Mjolnir and his strength.

During the fight, Thor was looking for a single person.

The person? It was the Jotun who was controlling this castle to deny any kind of magic... And this Jotun was now in front of Thor.

"I have *Hic* to thank... for saving me the time to look for you," Thor said.

Thor then pushed Útgard's hammer using Mjolnir.

Útgard then backed away and was ready to strike Thor again...

Until the Mjolnir hit Útgard's head, causing it to explode.

The Mjolnir then stopped in midair and remained afloat, until it returned towards Thor's hands.

Now the Jotuns got nervous... With the death of Útgard, the castle no longer had the effect of nullifying magic.

As soon as Thor grabbed the Mjolnir, lightning began to form around him. So Thor imbued his divine power in the form of lightning into Mjolnir, and then it looked like he 'fell' backward... Until he stopped his 'fall'; and there he remained, with his back arched downward.

Thor then looked at the nearest Jotun.

It was Skrymir... He was missing his left arm and was using a spear to support himself as his right leg was broken.

"... Mercy," said Skrymir fearfully.

"*Hic*... NO MERCY!" Thor replied.

Thor then attacked.

*BOOM*

The earth then shook and the roar of thunder resounded in Jotunheim.

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Well... That's it, folks!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Until next time, and don't forget to leave your comment!