From the very start, Loki shook his head, forcefully banishing the absurd, laughable notion that had just crossed his mind. How could a mere mortal possibly compare to someone like me—a god wielding the power of the All-Father?
The very thought was ridiculous.
Still, despite his inner arrogance, there wasn't a hint of carelessness on Loki's face. That brief clash just now had already shown him how terrifying the man before him truly was.
With a sharp flick of Gungnir in his hand, seven orbs of ice-blue magical energy burst forth from the spear's tip. Four of them spiraled away, arcing through the air toward unknown angles before suddenly converging on Gene from behind. The remaining three split their assault—one from his left, one from his right, and one flying straight for his face—sealing off every possible escape route.
The V-shaped visor over Gene's eyes flashed briefly. With the Holy Sword of the Vishanti gripped firmly in one hand, he slashed backward, cutting down the four orbs rushing from behind. They burst into clouds of shimmering, ice-blue smoke. His other hand came up instantly, palm aimed toward the three orbs in front, and unleashed a blinding repulsor blast. The blazing blue beam collided with the magical orbs mid-air, shattering them in an explosion of light and frost before continuing its deadly charge straight toward Loki's face.
Loki swung Gungnir up in time to block. As expected of Odin's weapon, the spear radiated immense might in battle. Without Gungnir's aid, even with the All-Father's power flowing through him, Loki might have been swiftly overwhelmed by Gene.
"Now… it's my turn," Gene said coldly.
His form blurred, becoming a black-gray projectile that tore through the air toward Loki. With a shout, Loki countercharged, spear clashing against sword in a flurry of strikes. A magical domain bloomed around them, twisting and warping the space they fought in. Jagged black "scars" tore into the air nearby—dimensional rifts, birthed from the space itself failing to withstand the sheer ferocity of their battle.
High above Asgard, a flash of red broke through the clouds—Thor's crimson cape billowing as he rocketed toward the fight like a cannonball. His voice boomed with a roar of Loki's name, and his hand swung the Meteor Hammer in a deadly arc straight for Loki's skull.
Loki was too focused on Gene to notice until the Meteor Hammer's wind pressure slammed into the back of his neck. Thor's enraged bellow cracked like thunder in his ears, followed immediately by the electric tingle of oncoming lightning. Distracted, Loki faltered, his attacks slowing for just a moment—enough for Gene to press him hard, forcing him back and nearly knocking Gungnir from his grasp.
Thor's Meteor Hammer came swinging again. Loki, scrambling to defend, lashed out with his left fist, smashing it into the hammer and knocking it aside. Gungnir came up to block Gene's next strike, and then Loki's body erupted with raw, tyrannical All-Father energy. The force shoved Gene's sword away and blew both opponents back, giving Loki a precious few seconds to catch his breath.
Thor shot a glance at Gene, hesitating before finally speaking.
"Now might not be the time, but—"
"Dr. Foster is fine," Gene cut him off. "The Aether particles have been extracted from her body. She's safe on Earth."
"That's… good. That's very good," Thor murmured, relief flooding his tone. "I… I'm sorry, for what happened before."
Gene waved him off. "We can talk about that later. Let's deal with this first."
"Yes. Loki!" Thor raised the Meteor Hammer and pointed it at his brother. "It's not too late—give up the All-Father's power!"
"Hmph. Foolish brother… it's far too late for that." Loki's eyes hardened, his voice cold as ice.
Under the combined assault, Loki was clearly losing ground. Against Gene alone, he'd already been struggling—how could a mortal from Midgard possibly withstand the power of the All-Father? It was unthinkable, yet here Gene was, matching him blow for blow. Now, with Thor's interference—though his raw strength was nothing compared to the All-Father's—the added paralysis effect of Thor's lightning made Loki's situation even worse.
Thor's hammer came crashing in once more, and Loki batted it aside—only for Gene to seize the opening. The golden Holy Sword in his hands suddenly expanded, growing from a normal blade into a towering weapon several meters wide and dozens of meters long, radiating such immense energy that it made the air tremble.
With both hands gripping the massive sword, Gene brought it down in a single, devastating slash.
Having just been distracted by Thor, Loki couldn't dodge. He could only lift Gungnir over his head in a desperate attempt to block.
The impact sounded like a thunderclap. The giant sword smashed into Gungnir, and the spear seemed to scream—hairline cracks spiderwebbed along its shaft. Loki's body was hurled downward like a meteor, slamming into the ground with bone-jarring force.
Gene and Thor descended after him, watching as the disheveled God of Mischief dragged himself up from the crater.
"Give it up, Loki!" Thor roared. "You've lost!"
"Silence!" Loki snarled, like a child caught mid-mischief. His hands spread wide, and waves of raw energy erupted from his body, flooding the air around them.
Access Advance Chapters on my
P@treon: [email protected]/MPHFics