315

The White Helmet

Forseti sensed Hyosgem's presence all around him, particularly fixated on the uniquely shaped white helmet.

In a swift maneuver, Forseti seized an opening. He deflected Hyosgem's attack with Rivendell's sword and followed up with a strike from Antuthul's hand.

"Hammer of Justice!"

"Crack!" The Hammer of Justice struck Hyosgem's ice shield, causing it to crack open, ice shards scattering.

Staggered by the blow, Hyosgem retreated several steps.

Forseti swiftly launched his sword and hammer simultaneously.

"Charge!"

Hyosgem parried forcefully, pushed back a few paces, and his body chilled as ice armor rapidly formed, becoming akin to heavy armor.

At that moment, Forseti's golden tendrils suddenly extended like whips.

Hyosgem, startled, moved to counter, but the tendrils swerved, circling around to seize his white helmet.

Venom's tendrils coiled around the helmet, yanking it off abruptly.

A flicker of panic crossed Hyosgem's eyes as he lunged to retrieve it.

Forseti tightened his grip on the sword, releasing a burst of holy light brighter than the midday sun.

Caught off guard by the radiant flare, Hyosgem shut his eyes. True to Forseti's speculation, without his white helmet, Hyosgem seemed devoid of his extraordinary perception ability.

Venom retracted the helmet, suggesting, "Try this on."

"Don't," Forseti cautioned. Uncertain of the helmet's specific powers, he advised against hasty actions. Donning it recklessly could increase battlefield risks.

But Venom acted before Forseti's words could deter him, fitting the white helmet onto Forseti's head.

Forseti experienced a sudden darkness, his vision obscured as though his eyes were stitched shut. Yet, simultaneously, an extraordinary sight unfolded within his mind.

It was a visual yet non-visual perception, enveloping the surrounding space within a radius of tens of meters. Within this range, every object buried in soil appeared distinctly visible, leaving no blind spots in any direction.

Before Forseti could marvel, a peculiar distortion manifested at the scene's periphery—tens of meters behind him—a rip in space.

"A portal!"

Forseti recognized the portal's distinctive manifestation and deduced its conjurer: Laufey.

Laufey had intended to kill him during the Mangog conflict, and their reunion now spelled imminent confrontation.

Swiftly, Forseti withdrew Venom from his form, his golden aura receding from notice.

The portal fully opened, and Laufey emerged, clutching the Tesseract and the Casket of Ancient Winters. Scanning the area with a grim expression, his gaze settled upon Hela nearby.

Above the Casket of Ancient Winters, a frigid blue glow surged, culminating in a dazzling beam aimed directly at Hela.

Anticipating the attack despite facing multiple Frost Giants, Hela extended her hand, conjuring a massive shield that intercepted the assault.

"Boom!"

The icy blue blast struck the shield, which held briefly before shattering.

Hela swung her warhammer, releasing several azure bolts resembling flying serpents, converging upon Laufey from multiple angles.

Laufey's ice armor flickered, absorbing the onslaught, though he sustained several direct hits.

"Boom!"

With a thunderous detonation, the azure bolts dispersed, leaving numerous fissures in Laufey's ice armor, swiftly healed.

Before Hela could counter, several Frost Giants who had besieged her seized the opportunity to strike.

Rapidly condensing into massive ice cones, they hurled them skyward towards Hela.

While engaged with Hyosgem, Forseti intermittently observed Hela's clash with Laufey.

Despite wielding half of Asgard's might, Hela faced formidable odds. Even against Laufey wielding the Casket of Ancient Winters, her defeat seemed improbable.

Yet, Laufey had the support of several second-tier deities among the Frost Giants, significantly disadvantaging her.

Thus, after a brief skirmish, Hela found herself on the defensive, countering but seldom retaliating.

"Boom!"

Amidst escalating combat, a sudden explosion rent the sky—a colossal rainbow-hued thunderbolt descended upon Laufey.

Engaged with Hela, Laufey was caught off guard by the immensely powerful bolt, hurling him backward.

Instantly, a figure on horseback streaked across the skies, alighting swiftly upon the ground.

"Odin!" Laufey exclaimed furiously. Noticing one artifact lost, leaving only the Cosmic Rubik's Cube, the Casket of Ancient Winters had vanished.

Odin materialized, clutching the ice-blue square box—the Casket of Ancient Winters, wrested from Laufey's grasp.

In his stature, Odin might have triumphed uprightly, but diminished strength necessitated less honorable means.

Though Odin regretted securing solely the Casket of Ancient Winters, leaving the Cosmic Rubik's Cube behind, he shook his head.

He stowed away the Casket of Ancient Winters, then regarded Laufey. "Your son isn't yet born. Why did you abandon your family and invade Midgard instead?"

Laufey clenched his fists, blood-red eyes locked onto Odin. "I should have remained in Asgard that day."

Believing Mangog could vanquish Odin, Laufey chose to invade Earth without additional aid.

Regret gnawed at Laufey, pondering what might have been if he had allied with Mangog to slay Odin then and there.

"You made an error, Laufey," Odin intoned. "Not only did you fail to eliminate me promptly, but invading Midgard was also a miscalculation. Today, I'll halt your aggression."

"Odin, your words are ever lofty," Laufey sneered. "Yet, Mangog's power must also vex you. Asgard's strength wanes while your daughter's claims augment. How much power do you truly retain?"

"Test me," Odin retorted, gripping the Spear of Heaven.

Laufey fell silent, ice encasing his form, thickening his ice armor with several suspended ice thorns.

"Swoosh!"

Multiple ice thorns darted forth at imperceptible speeds, while Odin's eight-legged Pegasus maneuvered with exceptional agility, evading each projectile.