Chapter 32: The Bloodstained Spear

The loose, pitch-black battle attire shredded into strips, fluttering to the ground. Under the phantom glow of the full moon, Lothar's body rapidly expanded before Hela's astonished eyes. Within mere breaths, a towering great ape, covered in deep brown fur, had taken Lothar's place, standing tall upon the frozen land of Jotunheim's royal court. He threw his head back and let out an earth-shaking roar.

"This… how is this possible…"

Hela, witnessing Lothar's transformation firsthand, lowered the shield before her. She turned to look at Laufey, who now seemed as small as a dwarf before the massive beast, disbelief written all over her face.

"The power of the Titans… Is this the might of a Titan?"

Recalling Lothar's lineage as the son of Thanos, Hela's first thought went to the long-extinct race of Eternal Titans. Legends spoke of Titans being as mighty as dragons, but even among them, had there ever been one of such colossal stature?

How tall was Thanos again?

Having never encountered a Titan in person, Hela could only rely on the records she had read in Odin's library, attempting to piece together the true nature of Lothar's current state.

"The power of the Titans?"

Laufey, much like Hela, immediately associated Lothar's transformation with his identity as the "Titan's Son." Having never seen a Titan himself in all his long years, Laufey tightened his grip around his massive battle-axe.

"A Titan? No… this is the power of a Saiyan."

Having completed his transformation, Lothar looked down at the blue-skinned ant at his feet, bared his fangs, and stomped down.

He considered himself the last of the Saiyans and had never forgotten his origins. Thanos had raised him, given him a place to survive and grow. Because of Thanos' existence, this universe had become his second home. However, that did not mean he would ever abandon his Saiyan identity. Avenging his mother had become an obsession carved into his very bones, and his Saiyan blood was the root of his inherent pride.

"Saiyan…?"

Laufey, still trying to grasp what exactly a Saiyan was, crossed his arms over his head, bracing himself for Lothar's strike.

BOOM!

A direct collision of pure physical strength—Lothar, in his Great Ape form, crushed Laufey into the frozen ground with a single stomp.

"Pathetic."

The sheer physical power of the transformed Lothar overwhelmed Laufey completely, leaving Hela dumbstruck.

Laufey, struggling out from the fractured ice, glared at the massive beast turning its back on him as if dismissing him entirely. Fury surged through him. His crimson mantle, specially forged by the Wind Giants, detached from his body and, under his control, whipped through the air, coiling tightly around Lothar's thick arms.

"I… AM KING OF JOTUNHEIM!"

With a mighty leap, Laufey swung his enormous battle-axe, now brimming with the power of mountains, bringing it down directly toward Lothar's massive skull.

"ROOOOAAARRR!!!"

Lothar roared, his bound arms struggling against the restraint. But Laufey's attack was already upon him, the mountainous force behind him forming a towering shadow.

"DIE—what?!"

Just as Laufey committed his full strength to the strike, his eyes widened in shock. Before him, the gaping maw of the Great Ape yawned open, and an energy blast of unfathomable density formed within.

"RAAAAAGHHHHH!!!!"

With an earth-shattering roar, a silver-white energy wave erupted from Lothar's mouth.

BOOOOM!!!!

The spectral mountain behind Laufey was pierced effortlessly. The colossal axe, once said to rival Mjolnir, was reduced to mere dust, completely erased by the frigid winds of Jotunheim.

"What does it matter if you're a king? I've killed more than one king before."

Murderous intent burned in Lothar's crimson eyes. As his arms finally tore free from their bindings, he grabbed the tattered red cloak and shredded it into pieces. His massive form left deep imprints in the frost-covered ground with each step. Reaching down, his powerful hands closed around Laufey's body as if grabbing a mere insect—then he hurled him down with brutal force.

Laufey felt as if his chest had just collided with a small planet. The searing pain that shot through him was something he had only ever experienced under Odin's might. His frostbitten nerves, long numbed by the cold, were suddenly seared awake.

"You call yourself a king? You're nothing."

Not letting up, Lothar grabbed Laufey by the ankle. The so-called King of the Frost Giants, ruler of Jotunheim, was flung into the air and slammed repeatedly into the ground like a broken ragdoll.

The repeated impacts shattered the icy ground, sending shards flying in all directions. Hela watched in stunned silence from a distance.

Was this truly the same Laufey who had once rivaled her father, Odin?

Was this some kind of impostor?

If this was real… then did it mean that Lothar now possessed power on par with her father?

Hela's expression darkened.

After smashing Laufey more than a dozen times, Lothar finally grew bored of the game. He flung Laufey's battered body toward Hela's feet, where the frost-covered ground swallowed his face, as if trying to hide the shame of his current state.

"Rejoice!"

"The mighty Titan, son of Thanos, the esteemed Prince Lothar, has defeated the King of the Frost Giants on the land of Jotunheim!"

"From this moment forth, Jotunheim shall be counted among Prince Lothar's dominions!"

Emerging from the ruins of the collapsed palace, The Other, still covered in dust, immediately dropped to one knee before Lothar, his voice ringing in reverence.

"Here we go again…"

Onboard the warship, Woz sighed as he shut down the artificial moon projector with a press of his foot. Hearing The Other's endless flattery, he shook his head.

"When Lothar's fighting, you're nowhere to be seen, but the moment the battle's over, you're the first to start celebrating."

Muttering to himself, Woz tucked his slender mechanical arms into his pockets and waddled off, pushing the machine back to storage.

"…"

Hela, meanwhile, gazed down at the broken form of Laufey at her feet. Raising her right hand, she summoned Mjolnir back into her grasp.

"Ic' colru, Isaacs namonark…"

As Mjolnir began to glow, a raspy voice echoed through the royal court of Jotunheim. Each syllable of the ancient incantation carried an indescribable weight, sending a shiver down The Other's spine.

RUMMMMMMBLE!!!!

The darkened skies erupted with thunder and lightning.

Winds howled. Mountains trembled.

The entire realm of Jotunheim quaked beneath the sheer might of the ancient spell, forcing The Other to bend once more beneath its overwhelming pressure.

This feeling…?

Lothar, having just reverted to his normal form, furrowed his brows, his gaze locked onto the motionless Laufey at Hela's feet.

That incantation… that voice… it was Laufey's.

"Laufey… you really have regressed. Facing two mere children, and you resort to your people's forbidden sorcery?"

A voice, deep and unyielding, boomed across the storm-ridden sky.

A bloodstained spear, like a bolt of lightning, tore through everything in its path, embedding itself beside Hela's feet.

"Father."

Hela's face lit up with joy as she turned to the figure standing resolute against the heavens.

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