Chapter 88

Abel never underestimated Loki's strength, but he certainly didn't expect Loki's magic to be so formidable. The powerful magic Loki had just unleashed with ease went beyond simple illusion spells.

Abel knew this world was quite different from the one he remembered from the movies, but he hadn't expected such a vast difference. Loki had gone from being a cunning trickster with a few sleights of hand to a master of magic. The gap was enormous.

However, while he was astonished, Abel didn't feel any fear. He might face some challenges when dealing with inhuman beings, but when it came to humans—or living creatures in general—he had never backed down.

Holding his wand firmly, Abel looked at Loki and said, "I always heard Loki was just a trickster, a prankster. But now, it seems the rumors were unreliable."

"It's not your fault," Loki replied. "Most intelligent beings tend to judge others by appearances. You lowly humans are no different."

Loki raised his hand, and a swirl of green flames ignited in his palm. With a sharp flick, he sent the flame into the ground beside him. The green fire spread rapidly, rippling like water. In the next instant, stone puppets resembling Asgardian soldiers, clad in armor and holding spears, emerged from the ground and began marching towards Abel.

"Come, human mage, let me see what you're capable of. How dare you secretly follow the great Loki!"

As the soldier puppets charged, Abel's wrist flicked, and a red glow shot from his wand, colliding with the front line of the puppets and exploding them into pieces.

Abel transformed into black smoke, moving swiftly between the remaining soldiers. Any puppet touched by the black smoke disintegrated into soil and rocks.

Seeing Abel tear through his army with ease, Loki's lips curled into a wicked grin. His eyes flashed with green light, and he vanished into thin air. His voice echoed around the area: "Heh, heh, heh... you couldn't even deal with my lowest-level earth puppets immediately. I may have overestimated you."

Despite Loki's taunts, Abel remained calm, searching for Loki's true location. Loki's illusions were impressive but not foolproof, especially when the opponent kept talking.

Abel cast Caelum Explosio!, blue flames spreading across the area like clouds. The flames exploded in a fiery blast, revealing Loki, his coat singed and his expression darkening.

A wave of green energy rippled from Loki, transforming his appearance into traditional Asgardian attire, complete with a horned helmet. Raising his hands, Loki conjured green flames, which morphed into a swarm of glowing bats that charged towards Abel.

Seeing the bats, Abel's instincts screamed danger. Without hesitation, he once again transformed into black smoke, weaving around the soldier puppets that had yet to be destroyed. The green bats collided with the puppets, igniting violent explosions that consumed everything in their path.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The bats annihilated the remaining soldier puppets. The few bats that remained were destroyed mid-air by Abel's spells.

Having dealt with the bats and puppets, Abel immediately turned his attention back to Loki. He knew the attacks were meant to buy Loki time—time to prepare a stronger spell that could potentially decide the battle.

And indeed, Loki was now surrounded by intense green flames. As he chanted, a crack resembling a vertical pupil began forming in the sky above him. From the crack emerged a massive claw, covered in black scales. It clawed at the edges of the crack, tearing it wider, allowing a huge, serpentine creature to descend from the rift. The snake, with glowing green eyes, was clearly under Loki's control.

"Human, consider yourself fortunate to become food for my pet!" Loki declared, his voice dripping with malice. His body flickered like a bubble and vanished, reappearing as a green glow on the serpent's head. Laughing, he directed the snake to charge at Abel.

Abel smiled as the creature approached. "If you had summoned a rock puppet or something similar, I might have had some trouble. But summoning a living creature... well, you've played right into my hands."

Loki's instincts flared with alarm, but it was too late. Dark green light filled the serpent's eyes, and in the next moment, it let out a deafening, pained roar. The agony that filled the serpent's body was evident in its violent thrashing, and Loki, unable to maintain his balance, was thrown off.

The serpent's enormous body caused the earth to tremble like an earthquake as it writhed in pain. Abel's wand tip glowed with dark green electricity, which continuously struck the struggling creature.

Loki, watching his pet fall under Abel's control, gritted his teeth. A strange, square object framed in metal and glowing with icy blue energy appeared in his hand. The moment Loki grasped it, his body rapidly transformed into the form of a Frost Giant. Lifting the object, Loki aimed it directly at Abel!