Chapter 100

Abel watched as Loki, wielding Gungnir, had fully transformed the Rainbow Bridge into a star-killing weapon. He considered using the Disarming Charm, but he knew it wouldn't work on divine weapons like Gungnir or Mjolnir—those were far beyond the spell's power. The Disarming Charm worked best on ordinary weapons or, at most, those held by mortals like Tony Stark, when Abel needed to deal with armed enemies.

"Loki, you're going to destroy the Nine Realms!" Abel shouted.

Loki smirked. "No, the Nine Realms won't be destroyed—Asgard will remain unharmed."

He pulled Gungnir from the control console, freezing the power it emitted. The Rainbow Bridge froze solid, cutting off any chance to stop its release of destructive energy. Loki's eyes gleamed with pride. "When Father awakens, I will be Asgard's greatest hero. I will have done what neither he nor you could. I am the rightful heir, the true king of Asgard. You're nothing but a brute who can't think beyond a hammer, Thor."

But before Loki could finish his monologue, the ground beneath them trembled. Golden light rippled across the Rainbow Bridge as energy surged toward the palace.

Thor and Loki stood in silence for a moment, their sibling rivalry laid bare. Abel sighed. The struggle for the throne was universal, an age-old drama. If it weren't for the impending doom threatening the Earth, this would have made quite the spectacle.

Raising his wand, Abel spoke calmly, but the heat radiating from him made both Thor and Loki look in his direction. "Thor, you need to stop him. If the Rainbow Bridge's power is unleashed, not just Jotunheim, but Earth will be caught in the crossfire. If you can't stop it, I will—and I'll destroy the Rainbow Bridge if I have to."

As Abel finished speaking, he conjured a blast of molten lava that struck the Rainbow Bridge. The surface rippled with electricity, and the bridge shook violently.

"Stop!" Loki screamed, swinging Gungnir to release a golden ray, forcing Abel to retreat.

Abel quickly glanced over at Sif and Heimdall, who were unconscious. With a flick of his wand, he levitated them gently back to safety, placing them at the middle of the Rainbow Bridge. He barely avoided Loki's next attack, responding by summoning the sea beneath the Rainbow Bridge, shaping the water into a massive hand, and smashing it down toward the bridge.

Loki cursed under his breath. Using Gungnir and his Frost Giant heritage, he shot an icy blue beam that froze the water hand solid before shattering it into chunks of ice.

Anticipating this, Abel was ready. With another flick of his wand, the ice shards reversed direction and shot toward Loki at high speed.

"Depulso!" Abel cast the Banishing Charm, propelling the shards faster.

Loki quickly summoned several illusionary duplicates of himself, each wielding Gungnir and firing golden beams to destroy the incoming ice. The sky above the bridge filled with a dazzling rain of golden light as the ice was obliterated.

Thor, undeterred, charged forward, smashing through the Loki phantoms with Mjolnir. Each swing sent lightning bolts crashing into the illusions, scattering them. Abel assisted by casting red beams of energy from his wand, wiping out any phantoms that Thor missed.

Finally, Thor struck one of the illusions with Mjolnir, sending it flying to the edge of the bridge, where it hung on for dear life. The illusion looked up, pleading.

"Brother, help me!" it begged, its voice trembling.

Thor, ever the compassionate one, knelt down and extended a hand. But Abel, suspecting another trick, quickly shot a Stunning Spell at the illusion, revealing it to be false. The illusion's expression turned cold as it mocked Thor.

"Always so gullible, brother," the illusion sneered.

Loki's real body appeared beside Thor, using Thor's own form to shield himself from Abel's attack. With a swift movement, Loki lunged at Thor with Gungnir.

CLANG!

Thor raised Mjolnir just in time, blocking the strike. The sound of their weapons clashing echoed across the bridge. Loki staggered back, teeth clenched, before lunging again. But this time, something went wrong. Gungnir's glow dimmed, its golden light fading as it reverted into an ordinary spear.

The power of the All-Father's authority was gone.

Without that power, Loki was no match for Thor in close combat. Within a few blows, Thor knocked him to the ground, disarming him. Gungnir clattered to the bridge's surface.

Loki tried to stand, but Thor placed Mjolnir on his chest, pinning him down. With the hammer's weight preventing any movement, Loki was rendered powerless, unable to cast any more magic.

Abel and Thor exchanged a nod. They both turned to the control console, but despite their combined efforts, they couldn't halt the destructive power of the Rainbow Bridge.

"Hehehe... You can't stop it now," Loki chuckled darkly. "My plan is still a success!"

Abel took a deep breath and turned to Thor. "I have no choice. I need to destroy the Rainbow Bridge. Are you willing to pay the price?"

Thor, grim but resolute, responded, "As the Crown Prince of Asgard, I give you permission. Do it... quickly!"

Abel nodded, raising his wand one final time. Black and red flames erupted from it, spreading across the Rainbow Bridge like a wildfire. The flames, empowered by Abel's control over hellfire, began to destabilize the bridge. It shook violently under the assault, cracks forming across its surface.