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"Dawn Light!"

Forseti raised his hand, unleashing another wave of Dawn Light that bathed the surrounding Asgardian warriors in healing radiance.

Taking to the skies, he swiftly located another cluster of demons.

Forseti dove into the fray, wielding Rivendell's Blade like a whirlwind, swiftly dispatching over a dozen demons and swiftly replenishing his mana.

With his mana fully restored, Forseti ceased his demon-slaying spree, pivoting to support nearby Asgardian allies with Dawn Light and King's Blessing.

Both spells were among his most mana-intensive, swiftly draining his reserves with every use.

As he continued fighting, Forseti ensured that nearby demons were rendered virtually powerless, turning negative their combat effectiveness—every demon slain meant one less Asgardian casualty.

Under normal circumstances, the enemy's best strategy would be to send powerful frost giants or trolls to halt Forseti's rampage. However, the chaotic influx of enemies summoned by Mangog had no unified strategy.

Focused on demon-slaying and aiding his comrades, Forseti encountered almost exclusively demons.

Thanks to the restraining power of Holy Light, most lower-level demons posed little threat, while even higher-tier demons struggled against his relentless assault.

Yet Forseti's relentless slaughter drew the attention of a formidable foe—a major demon.

By divine standards, a major demon typically wielded power equivalent to that of a second-tier deity or higher. While the term encompassed demons of both second and third-tier powers, those of third-tier were more often referred to as demon lords or infernal overlords.

Before him now stood a major demon—an ice-blue behemoth adorned with horns, exuding an aura of chilling malevolence that dropped the surrounding temperature upon its arrival.

"Asgardians, your victory ends here!" the ice demon declared, surveying the corpses of fallen demons.

"Not today," Forseti retorted, his hand straying to a silver, circular case at his waist.

Venom oozed forth from within, enveloping his arm.

Forseti transformed into his symbiote-enhanced warrior form, wielding the Ice Blade in one hand and Rivendell's Sword in the other.

Both weapons, originally two-handed and cumbersome, now fit snugly in his enlarged, three-meter-tall frame, empowered by Venom.

With a swift motion, Forseti unleashed a dual strike of radiant energy blades—formed of Holy Light—that streaked towards the ice demon.

The ice demon reacted, conjuring an ice shield with a sweep of its fingers.

"Boom!"

Forseti's Judgment Blade shattered the ice shield upon impact, continuing its trajectory to strike the ice demon, bathing it in cleansing brilliance and sending it crashing to the ground.

"Ah!" The ice demon howled in pain, retreating hastily to regroup.

Regaining composure, it regarded Forseti with a mix of shock and fury.

Forseti grinned inwardly. Having previously faced off against Earth Demon—a major demon—he was eager for redemption following their prior encounter.

Forseti charged once more, the Ice Demon brandishing two massive ice axes in response.

Meanwhile, across Asgard, portals continued to open and close at a frenetic pace.

Near the Golden Palace, a portal materialized, disgorging a hulking troll in resplendent golden armor, leading a retinue of troll soldiers.

This troll, larger than most Asgardians, towered even taller in his gilded armor—Ulic, King of the Trolls.

Following the War of Vanaheim, trolls suffered catastrophic losses, prompting Ulic to retreat with his surviving kin to the crags of Vanaheim.

Over a millennium had passed since trolls last prominently figured in the Nine Realms, Ulic's presence largely confined to historical annals.

Standing before the Asgardian Golden Palace and Odin embroiled in fierce combat with Mangog, Ulic's eyes reflected age-old vendetta, a thirst for vengeance, and grim satisfaction: "After a millennium, the hour of reckoning has come."

"I will sever Odin's head with my own hands and hoist it within Nornheim's royal city!" Ulic vowed coldly, brandishing a battle-axe.

Before he could act, however, a gallant figure interposed himself—a handsome man—and several searing rays of light pierced the air.

Caught off guard, Ulic sustained scorched wounds and grunted in pain.

"Baldur!"

The newcomer was none other than Balder, God of Light.

Ulic sneered, "You think you can stop me?"

Confronting the Troll King, Balder appeared uneasy yet resolute, firmly gripping his longsword.

Ulic tightened his grip on his battle-axe, leaping into the air like a meteor.

Balder radiated fiery light, his sword transformed into a coruscating blade of light that slashed through the air.

Undaunted, Ulic met the fiery beam head-on.

Trolls boasted tough hides and robust physiques; as their king, Ulic's strength and defense were legendary, often described across civilizations as possessing "near-indestructible skin," and capable of surviving even nuclear explosions.

Balder's light beam left only a superficial wound on Ulic, failing to deliver a decisive blow.

Ulic roared, retaliating with a mighty swing of his axe aimed directly at Balder's torso.

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