38: Opening the Ice Treasure Box

Laufey retrieved a light blue treasure box from his attire and summoned a potent frost magic power before him. The magic formed an arc, flowing from the box's gap, triggering violent vibrations within.

Suddenly, frost erupted around Laufey, coating the ground and walls in dark blue ice. Like an invasive vine, the ice extended in every direction, enshrouding all it encountered.

Unceasingly, it advanced and embraced whatever lay before it. With each touch, it assimilated matter, subduing it beneath its own form.

Around Laufey, light blue ice shards materialized out of thin air, assuming the size of rice grains before descending to the ground as resplendent crystalline gems.

The treasure box slightly ajar, a blue phantom emerged and soared skyward. Its relentless assault caused a rift along the edge.

Above, a blue aurora blanketed the night sky, drawing everyone's gaze. The aurora extended, unveiling a pattern resembling a gradually forming snowflake.

Rhodes' eyes contracted; the magic power from the ice treasure box was responsible for this phenomenon.

His attention fixed on the spot from which the blue phantom had emerged, he peered through a transparent section of the nearby wall. The view expanded, halting at a figure with light blue skin.

Laufey, in mild surprise, looked toward the wall beside him. He met Rhodes' gaze and offered a faint, mocking smile—a silent acknowledgment of Rhodes' delayed reaction.

White velvet snowflakes began descending, eliciting awe at this improbable spectacle. Yet, their smiles soured as an Asgardian Pegasus knight touched a snowflake and transformed into an ice sculpture.

They realized these weren't mere snowflakes; rather, they manifested high-purity frost energy—elements of the universe's freezing point.

Neither Asgardian soldiers nor Frost Giants could withstand such absolute zero without frost-resistant armor.

Apocalypse was bewildered. Employing a series of space teleportations, he appeared consecutively before Rhodes' eyes.

Yet the snowflakes left him virtually no room to evade, permitting only hasty retreat. He dared not confront this energy governed by the universe's laws.

Rhodes let the snowflakes land upon him. Upon impact, they exploded into white halos before vanishing into the void.

His steel-clad form surpassed the might of ordinary cosmic matter, rendering universal laws such as absolute zero ineffective.

Still, the unfolding scene troubled him. His ability to withstand high-intensity frost energy was unquestionable. However, Asgardian soldiers lacked his resilience.

"Army, prioritize personal safety! Evacuate the central battlefield immediately!" Rhodes commanded via his communication device.

Pegasus knights promptly acted, steering their winged mounts away from the snowflake-covered airspace.

Egyptian soldiers lacked the agility of Pegasus knights, quickly falling prey to the descending snowflakes, transforming into ice sculptures.

Apocalypse grasped Rhodes' directive and teleported beyond the snowflake-covered area to a desert location.

Gazing at the white sky above his city, Apocalypse's mouth twitched involuntarily. His Egyptian city, established over countless years, was nearly eradicated by a single snowflake.

Were the snowflake to continue expanding, any living presence within its absolute zero sphere would perish—Egypt's elite troops and general populace alike.

However, the snowflake rapidly spread, encompassing the atmosphere, thinning as it did so. The pure white veil vanished, though the snowflake had covered Earth's airspace.

Rhodes noted the location from which the blue phantom emerged and immediately pursued, intending to confront Apocalypse.

His priority, however, was protecting his Pegasus Knight forces from the impending snowflake coverage.

Apocalypse grinned, "Kill me? While your strength is impressive, it's overly simplistic to think you can end me!"

Rhodes paid him no mind, instead gathering a blazing sun's fire before him.

The crimson flames illuminated the desolate desert, crystallizing the gravel beneath Rhodes' feet.

Apocalypse took a step back in alarm, "Are you joking? Could this flame possibly rival the sun's intensity, lingering only as residual heat?"

"This is no mere comparison—it's the sun's fire!" Rhodes hurled the flames at Apocalypse.

Apocalypse sought to teleport away, but the preceding heavy snowfall had depleted his energy, leaving him defenseless.

As the fireball engulfed him, a shadow writhed within the flames, a tortured figure screaming helplessly.

"Ahhh! Damn it! How can I be ensnared by something like this?"

Apocalypse howled in anguish. His cells regenerated under the fire's fury.

"Hahahaha! I am master of this realm! Every cosmic facet bows before me. So long as you remain within the universe's laws, you cannot slay me!" Apocalypse laughed maniacally.