198

Holy Shock

More than a dozen airships pursued Forseti, prompting him to tactically retreat without hesitation. Infusing divine power, his speed surged, hurtling towards Earth.

Free from atmospheric drag, gravity accelerated his descent, yet the Kree Empire's ships, swift and unyielding, closed the gap.

After half an hour of pursuit, the airships unleashed lasers, closing in. Forseti grimaced as pain lanced through him with each hit, destabilizing his trajectory.

Summoning a shield of light, he deflected the barrage but knew evasion alone wouldn't suffice. Forseti pivoted.

Only a dozen airships remained in pursuit, manageable but urgent.

His velocity plateaued as he turned, heading directly for one with his holy light shield.

"Boom!"

Under intense laser fire, the shield buckled and exploded—audibly, only in Forseti's mind.

Brandishing his warhammer, he unleashed a judgmental blow.

"Boom!" The hammer obliterated one airship.

Approaching another, smaller lasers replaced the previous heavy cannons.

Enduring several hits, Forseti ascended and landed atop the ship, gripping Antusul tightly.

"Holy Light Strike!"

"Boom!" Antusul carved through the ship, tearing it asunder.

Moving swiftly, he repeated the maneuver with the next ship, absorbing more hits en route but easily dismantling the vessel.

This time, rather than a strike, he infused holy light between his fingers, channeling it into the ship.

"Holy Light Infusion!"

After filling six ships, he observed the remaining three, weaving unpredictably under fire.

Seizing the moment, he unleashed his fingers.

"Holy Shock!"

Detonating the holy light within, the ships exploded in sequence, littering the sky with fiery debris.

"Boom boom boom boom boom!"

The resulting inferno damaged nearby airships, leaving only three in pursuit.

The remaining ships scattered, firing lasers in unison.

Forseti, shield aloft, accelerated, piercing two ships like needles.

One remained.

Fatigue set in, but with only one ship left, Forseti pressed on.

Flames engulfed him as he ascended, landing atop the final ship.

About to destroy it, he changed his mind, unsheathing Blade to slice through a gap in the ship's hull.

Then, he infiltrated.

"Ah, greetings."

Facing four terrified Kree soldiers, Forseti sealed the hatch and calmly spoke.

"Boom!"

A soldier fired, but the bullet left no mark on him.

Grabbing the soldier's neck, Forseti spoke firmly, "Surrender or perish."

"Kree Empire will—"

Forseti silenced him with a swift twist.

The next soldier shouted, "Long live the Kree Empire!"

Forseti dispatched him as well.

Two soldiers remained.

Simultaneously, they aimed their weapons.

"Long live the Kree Empire!" one yelled, aiming at his head before pulling the trigger, only to be swiftly neutralized.

Forseti was taken aback.

Are the Kree this fervent?

He gazed at the last soldier, expecting resistance.

To his surprise, the soldier holstered his gun, hands raised in surrender.

Forseti hesitated, unsure what to say.

Suddenly, the soldier's appearance shifted from blue to green.

In another language, he said, "Mighty Aesir, I'm not Kree but a Skrull spy infiltrating their ranks. I mean you no harm."

Skrulls.

Forseti was taken aback. "What's your name?"

"Soransen."

"For now, why were the Kree pursuing me?" Forseti inquired.

Soransen explained, "I'm unsure of specifics, but the Kree are conducting a biological power experiment on the moon—the critical 'Hive Project'. They find all exotic beings intriguing, especially Aesir."

'Hive'—Forseti recognized the name from Hydra's origins.

After a pause, he asked, "Can you pilot this ship?"

"Of course," Soransen replied.

Forseti nodded, infusing Soransen with holy light. "While this energy feels pleasant, remember: I can trigger violent shocks at will, as seen with those six ships. Understood?"

Soransen winced. "Understood."

"Can this ship jump through space?"

"No," Soransen shook his head. "It's just a basic model. Only our moon base's mothership has that capability."

Forseti sighed inwardly. "Set course for Earth."

The ship adjusted course, approaching Earth's surface.

Fatigue weighed heavily on Forseti after days in space and the recent battle, leaving him near exhaustion.

Compounding his dilemma, the moon's space channel to Asgard was blocked by the Kree presence. Any future confrontations would likely involve stronger, more numerous ships.

Am I fated to remain on Earth for a century?

"Where do we land?" Soransen asked as the ship descended closer to Earth.