705

Break of the Eternal Spear

The relentless divine power of fear continued its assault, yet the Holy Shield stood firm, not yielding even a ripple. Kuer found himself deeply surprised by this faint golden light that seemed to connect with boundless abysses, effortlessly nullifying any amount of energy, defying even the most basic laws of the universe, including Odin's wisdom.

However, Forseti was far from calm. The Divine Shield could hold for more than ten seconds, but he wasn't certain if the ensuing reckoning after that duration would suffice to vanquish Kuer. There was a significant chance it wouldn't.

But he had no other options. It was either take the risk or watch Asgard burn, as though it were a mere scene from a film.

Forseti and Cul were locked in a deadly standoff.

Meanwhile, the battlefield's dynamics were shifting rapidly. The presence of the Lich King, Loki, rendered the worthy-bearers ineffective, their souls too fragile when bonded with their weapons.

After dealing with the World-Breaker, Nur, with the assistance of the gathered heroes of Asgard and Earth, Loki effortlessly reaped the souls of two more venerable hammer-bearers before confronting Skadi.

Skadi, however, proved to be no match. While she might have been evenly matched with Loki in one-on-one combat, the combined might against her was overwhelming. Frostmourne's edge grazed her face, emitting an aura that sent shivers down her spine—a blend of death and ice.

"You're a Frost Giant?" Skadi guessed.

Loki confirmed with a smirk, "Yes, in body if not in spirit."

"It's a rare sight—an Asgardian spirit in a Jotunheim body," Skadi retorted with a sneer.

Loki's smile widened, "You hardly have the stature for this banter. Compared to my Frost Giant form, your current manifestation is that of a tainted Earthling... Have you ever glimpsed yourself in a mirror?"

As a descendant of the Red Skull, Cynthia now bore a striking resemblance to her ancestor, albeit with a bit more hair. This physical transformation didn't sit well with Skadi, who wasn't known for her beauty. Her expression darkened.

"Let me release you from this form!" Loki raised Frostmourne again.

Soul Harvest!

Amidst the cold wind, the cries of the damned echoed as Frostmourne's swing seemed to rend Skadi's soul, faintly visible within Cynthia's body.

At that moment, the Hulk intervened.

"Boom!" His massive green foot sent the dazed Skadi flying, crashing through a crumbling wall.

Seeing Skadi in peril, Cul swiftly changed tactics, abandoning his futile assault on Forseti to rescue her.

Forseti was taken aback. He desperately attempted to sway Cul's decision with the Hand of Reckoning, a force that could stir emotions but not alter reasoned actions. Although unpleasant, the touch of the Hand of Reckoning couldn't dissuade Cul, who refused to ignore his daughter's peril. His movements continued without faltering.

With a swift motion, Cul unleashed a faint green light from his palm, akin to a venomous serpent, striking Loki in an instant.

Loki was thrown off balance and collapsed to the ground.

Though seemingly uninjured, he was incapacitated, kneeling and disoriented, as though his spirit had been banished to another realm.

This vulnerability prompted those around him to prefer a more physical approach, seizing him by the throat.

Cul appeared before Loki, seizing him by the neck and lifting him from the ground.

Loki began to regain his senses as Cul's grip tightened. The chilling power of winter swiftly gathered, frost spreading from Cul's touch.

"You're stronger than Laufey," Cul observed the frost on his hand, "but it's in vain. Your remains will join the Midgard, Jotun."

Loki, on the brink of being strangled once more, was spared when Forseti intervened, thrusting his palms forward, radiating with the luminous Seal of Reckoning, piercing through time and space to arrive with swift vengeance.

Instantaneously, the Seal ignited, triggering a cataclysmic explosion upon the accumulating Reckoning runes inscribed upon Cul.

"Boom!"

The force of Reckoning bore upon every fiber of Cul's flesh and soul, delivering a blow of unprecedented magnitude.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Cul's cry of anguish echoed, "Even the god-king of the Aesir cannot escape such torment!"

Loki swiftly freed himself, witnessing Cul—nearly his execution—now battered and bruised, his body a canvas of crimson and violet.

The Reckoning had torn through Cul's skin, each drop of blood akin to sweat, rendering him a frail figure draped in crimson.

At that moment, Forseti descended, his right hand ablaze with the Sulfuron's flame, clutching the mighty blade Quelceira, barreling headlong toward Cul.

Judgment!

Cul hastily raised the Eternal Spear to fend off the assault.

"Boom!"

Forseti, striking with all his might, unleashed a resounding explosion. Flames billowed amidst the shockwave, and Cul staggered back.

Yet the Reckoning's blow failed to fell Cul. Forseti had anticipated this when he unleashed the Reckoning a few moments too early. Even so, he harbored no illusions.

Thus, almost in concert with the Reckoning's release, Forseti seized Quelceira, poised to deliver a final blow while Cul reeled from the earlier assault.

Empowered by Asgard's might, Cul's wounds closed with alarming speed, quicker than Forseti had anticipated.

Forseti swung again with all his might.

"Boom boom boom!"

In the fierce clash, Quelceira's blade bore many gouges. Yet, being a door-sized greatsword, it endured.

The Eternal Spear faltered first, shattering under Quelceira's assault.

However, Kuer's wounds had healed significantly by then.

Forseti readied for another strike.

"You're formidable, Forseti," Cul's eyes flared crimson, breath labored, "but you won't strike with such force again!"

Before the words could fully escape his lips, Cul swung the halved Eternal Spear in a backhand motion, a dark-green miasma of fear divine power blossoming along its golden shaft.

"Boom!"

Forseti was engulfed by darkness. His vision dimmed as he was hurled backward, chest searing with pain, the remnants of the Eternal Spear leaving a grievous wound.

"Ah!" Amidst the anguish, a scream pierced the air—Punisher, now a demon hunter, drove a warblade into Skadi's abdomen.

Observing the scene, Loki grasped Frostmourne and leaped forward, cleaving straight toward Skadi!