Chapter 24: One Man, One Army

A deafening shockwave roared past Hela's ears. Lothar, his upper body bare, once again lunged forward with relentless fury toward the Frost Giant at the forefront—Malnor.

"Thanos' son… just what kind of monster is he?"

Hela, barely capable of fighting anymore, stared at the bloodied warrior, momentarily lost in thought.

She had never encountered a Titan before. Everything she knew about them came from her parents' accounts and the tomes in Odin's archives.

Odin's library recorded that Thanos had taken Lothar from their dying homeworld—Titan.

Was this what all Eternal Titans were like?

The more he fought, the stronger he became. Even with grievous injuries, he still chose to meet death head-on, throwing himself into battle with nothing but his fists. Watching him fight, Hela couldn't help but feel her blood boil with excitement.

This was why she had chosen the path of a close-combat mage. She lived for that visceral, bone-shaking thrill of melee combat. Once she had experienced it, there was no turning back.

"You bastard, when the hell are you going to stay down?!"

Malnor, barely deflecting Lothar's strike with his massive battle axe, felt a shiver of fear creeping up his spine.

What was this man?

Even Laufey, his king, wouldn't be able to fight an entire army single-handedly while gravely wounded.

Yet, Lothar had done just that.

His battered body wasn't a hindrance—it was a catalyst, fueling his growth into something even more terrifying.

"Heh, we're just getting started."

With a powerful leap, Lothar narrowly evaded a barrage of frost magic. His thumb wiped away the blood trickling from his lips, and he flashed a grin—wild, fearless, and exultant.

It had been far too long since anyone had pushed him to the brink like this. So long, in fact, that he had nearly forgotten the intoxicating thrill of a true battle to the death.

Slaughtering Centaurian traitors? Killing the Chitauri King? Eliminating targets from the Decapitation Directive? None of it had ever challenged him like this.

His wounds should have weakened him. Instead, they ignited something primal.

Born for battle. Strengthened by battle.

A savage exhilaration mixed with inhuman composure surged within him, an intoxicating power welling up like a geyser, filling every fiber of his being.

His muscles, chiseled and raw, pulsed with surging veins as invisible waves of energy rippled around him.

Yes. This feeling. This is it!

With a thunderous roar, Lothar's fists plunged through the chests of two Frost Giants.

Invisible energy condensed at his fingertips, a tangible force of destruction. Malnor, sensing imminent danger, roared and raised his frost-forged battle axe—the very weapon bestowed upon him by King Laufey, his key to glory.

But in a single punch, Lothar shattered it into dust.

"I'll tear you apart!!!"

Weaponless and seething with rage, Malnor charged at Lothar, abandoning all thought of strategy. Even Hela, still fighting off the remaining Frost Giants, was momentarily forgotten.

Lothar's existence filled him with an overwhelming dread.

A foe like this needed to die.

The swarm of Frost Giants converged, drowning Lothar in a sea of towering blue figures. Meanwhile, Hela, wielding Mjolnir, struggled against the relentless assault.

She glanced back but could no longer see him.

"A shame, Thanos' son."

Shaking her head, she acknowledged Lothar's strength, but in the end, he was no Thanos—just as she was no Odin.

The universe had many prodigies, but few ever grew into true powerhouses. Most, like Lothar, were swallowed by fate before they could reach their peak.

And at this moment, she too teetered on the brink of defeat.

"What the hell is Heimdall waiting for?"

Swinging Mjolnir, she crushed several Frost Giants into dust, then instinctively looked skyward—only to be blasted off her feet by an unseen shockwave.

"???"

Dazed, she turned toward the source of the disturbance.

Then she heard it.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

A thunderous roar shattered the heavens, twisting the winds into a raging vortex.

Countless Frost Giant corpses were hurled into the sky as a single figure emerged from the carnage, reflected vividly in Hela's widening eyes.

"…He's still alive?!"

She stared in disbelief as Lothar rose, having obliterated dozens of Frost Giants in a single surge of power.

"Impossible!!!!"

Malnor's composure shattered.

He had led armies for years, but he had never seen a being with such tenacious vitality.

Not only was Lothar still standing after what should have been certain death—he was getting stronger?!

What kind of logic was that?!

Lothar stepped forward, crushing a frozen corpse beneath his heel, his gaze locking onto the panicked Malnor. His icy stare carried a murderous intent so intense it sent shivers down Malnor's spine.

"Your axe should've struck my head, not my body."

Something within Lothar had changed.

Breaking past his limits once again, his power surged exponentially.

For the briefest moment, a faint golden aura flickered around him, reminiscent of when he was seven years old. An overwhelming force filled his every cell.

But it was fleeting.

As the thrill of battle overtook his rage, the golden light—and the slight tint to his hair—vanished.

Still, even without fully stabilizing that mysterious golden power, his newfound strength was more than enough.

For this army.

For this war.

For all of them.

"You… what the hell are you?!"

Malnor's voice trembled.

"Me?"

A smirk crossed Lothar's lips.

"Just a passerby."

Before Malnor could react, Lothar appeared before him—his speed beyond comprehension. By the time Malnor realized what had happened, he was already on the ground, crushed beneath Lothar's boot.

The afterimages left by his sheer velocity only now began to fade.

"Laufey will never let you go! I swear, you'll die a horrible death!"

Malnor roared, struggling against the weight of Lothar's foot pressing into his chest, agony wracking every nerve in his body.

Lothar's voice was as cold as the void.

"Disappear."

Those were the last words Malnor ever heard. With a single devastating stomp, Lothar shattered his chest, snuffing out his life instantly.

"Now then…"

With a detached expression, Lothar turned toward the remaining Frost Giant army.

Flexing his fingers, he surged forward—straight into their ranks.

Screams and blood intertwined, painting a gruesome symphony over the battlefield.

Hela, still gripping Mjolnir, bore witness to the carnage.

One man.

Annihilating an entire army.

-----------------------

Want to read ahead of schedule?

Join here for advance chapters: PATREON.COM / PRIMALDEMON