53
[Blind Light]
Hermond rushed to report the news, and the large army quickly retreated, leaving only Hela with less than a hundred people to cover the rear.
Looking at the large ice bear cavalry charging forward, Forseti's scalp tingled, and he tightened his grip on his staff and hammer.
Three of the previous four ice polar beasts had been killed by the Berserker troops, but one remained, roaring and leaping toward them.
"Roar—" The ice polar beast opened its bloody mouth, its huge roar deafening.
Hela's expression was stern. With a turn of her palm, her dark green sword shot out.
"Crack!"
The sword flew through the polar ice beast's mouth, exiting from the back of its head, trailing blood.
"Boom—"
Just as it was about to reach Hela, the huge body of the ice polar beast collapsed, causing the ground to tremble slightly.
"Kill!"
Soon, the ice bear cavalry arrived and clashed with the rear guard.
Forseti thought for a moment, then stowed the warhammer into his Sanctuary space. He stepped back a few paces, held his staff in his left hand, and prepared to release the Hand of Reckoning with his right hand.
Hand of Reckoning!
Golden light exploded as Forseti targeted an ice bear cavalryman with his finger.
The bear cavalryman was stunned, allowing the Asgardian warrior in front of him to decapitate him, blood spurting out.
Hand of Reckoning!
Another bear cavalryman fell.
Hand of Reckoning!
Yet another bear cavalryman was killed.
The more Forseti used this spell, the more familiar he became with it, and its effect was top-notch. It was like he was cosplaying Archimonde.
However, just like in World of Warcraft, this spell attracted a lot of attention. When the Hand of Reckoning was released, it lit up the battlefield, marking its targets for death, quickly drawing the Frost Giants' focus.
Several huge ice spikes shot out from the Frost Giant's ranks, aiming straight for Forseti.
The angles of the ice spikes were tricky, fast, and accurate. Forseti was about to be hit when he noticed them.
At the critical moment, a sword glowing with dark green light flew through the air like a swift swallow, shattering the ice spikes into fragments.
"Crash..." The ice fragments fell to the ground.
Forseti exhaled.
Saved by a holy shield.
But in this kind of group battle, although the Hand of Reckoning was effective, it was too dangerous, potentially drawing enemy focus fire.
Forseti had only two fragments of the Divine Shield technique, so he couldn't afford to be reckless.
He thought for a while, then moved carefully, trying to hide behind Hela...
Sensing something, Hela glanced back at him but then turned away without saying anything.
Was this... tacit approval?
Forseti blinked, then stopped worrying, taking Hela's silence as consent.
Dignified, he hid behind Hela, extending his middle finger to the Frost Giants, casting the Hand of Reckoning wildly.
Hand of Reckoning!
Hand of Reckoning!
Hand of Reckoning!
In a ferocious operation, several Frost Giants died under Forseti's middle finger, most of them leaders, causing some confusion among the Frost Giants.
Hand of Reckoning!
Forseti cast another Hand of Reckoning, saving Ander, who was besieged by two bear cavalry and in a precarious position, then paused to rest.
After a series of battles, his Holy Light power was running low, and he could only cast three or four more Holy Light spells at most.
He had to reserve this Holy Light power for emergencies.
The fighting continued.
Asgard's rear guard fought desperately, but their numbers were too few. The overall situation worsened, and casualties increased rapidly.
After a few more minutes, only about thirty troops remained, most of them injured and with little combat power left.
At this moment, the Frost Giant's attack suddenly stopped, and the team split, creating a path.
Laufey rode his ice bear, approaching slowly, looking down at Hela and the Asgardians, and said, "Surrender, or die."
"Asgardians, I'd rather die than surrender!" Hela held her sword, glaring coldly at Laufey.
Laufey smiled. "Hela, Odin's daughter, we didn't intend to kill you... You are just sending your subordinates to their deaths."
Hela's hand seemed to tremble slightly.
After a moment, she turned around, looking at the soldiers behind her, raised her head, and said proudly, "Now, I allow you to surrender. Whoever is ready to surrender can stand up, and you will witness the death of Hela Odinson."
The cold wind howled, and no one made a sound.
Hela paused. "Or, we will reunite in Valhalla."
"For Asgard!" A cry suddenly erupted, igniting a fervor.
Immediately, all the soldiers shouted, their fighting spirit ablaze: "For Asgard!"
Thirty voices shouted in unison, sounding like thunder.
Laufey's face darkened. "Very well..."
At that moment, the remaining Asgardian Einherjar warriors formed a shield formation, their spears glowing brightly. They threw them, aiming for Laufey.
"Boom!" The spears exploded near Laufey, turning into several rounds of scorching sun.
Caught off guard, Laufey was overwhelmed by the fiery light.
Hela seized the opportunity, her sword flying into the still-bright light.
"Crack!" A crisp sound was heard.
Forseti's eyes widened.
The light dissipated, revealing Laufey holding Hela's sword, ice shards falling from his hand.
"Crash..."
Forseti realized that Laufey had always been covered in a thin layer of nearly invisible ice. Though thin, it was extremely strong, even withstanding Hela's sword.
Despite the combined efforts of the Einherjar and Hela, they failed to kill Laufey. However, Laufey's mount was injured by the explosion, lying on the ground and wailing.
"Humph!" Laufey snorted coldly, throwing the sword, piercing a nearby Einherjar holding a shield.
"Capture Hela alive. Leave the rest," he ordered.
"Yes!"
The Frost Giants responded in unison, readying their attack.
Forseti gritted his teeth and shouted, "Retreat!"
As he spoke, a strong light radiated from his palm, brighter than the sun, enveloping the Frost Giants before him.
Blind Light!
Under the blinding light, many Frost Giants briefly lost their sight, causing confusion in their ranks.
Hela, momentarily startled, immediately shouted, "Retreat!"
The Asgardians retreated, putting distance between them and the Frost Giants.
Seeing this, Laufey's expression grew even more grim. With a flip of his palm, the ice-blue square box that had previously destroyed the mirror image of the sun reappeared, exuding a powerful cold force.
"Boom!"
The ice-blue beam of light shot out, wiping out more than half of the remaining Asgardian warriors.
The few survivors scattered in fear, fleeing in all directions.
"Chase!" Laufey commanded.