Frigga's voice rang through the chamber.
"Get away from him!"
She thrust out a hand, gathering a surge of magical energy in her palm. The power condensed into a brilliant arcane projectile that struck Laufey squarely in the chest.
Caught off guard, the Frost Giant King was blasted backward. He spun through the air before slamming into the palace wall with enough force to leave a deep crater in the ancient stone.
The moment she forced him back, Frigga sprinted forward. As she passed a weapon rack mounted on the wall, she drew a slender sword from its sheath and positioned herself between Laufey and the sleeping Odin.
Her eyes never left the Frost Giant King.
At the same time, she triggered an emergency signal, summoning the royal guards to Odin's chamber.
For all the talk of Asgardian sorcerers, they seemed to dream of being warriors.
Frigga had drawn a blade instead of relying solely on magic. Loki favored daggers and knives. The tendency clearly ran in the family.
Even the sorcerers tied to the traditions of the Ancient One seemed more inclined toward conjured weapons than staffs. Energy whips, translucent blades, glowing shields. Finding a true long-range mage among them felt about as likely as finding a lake on the surface of the sun.
The magical projectile had certainly launched Laufey across the room, but it had done little else.
His icy armor remained completely intact.
He rose calmly from the floor and brushed off the attack as though it were an inconvenience. A cold smile spread across his face as he looked at Frigga.
"Frigga. The famed beauty of the Nine Realms. It's a shame you're married to an old man like Odin. He's going to die soon. Why not come back to Jotunheim with me?"
"Laufey," Frigga replied sharply, though tension hid beneath her composure. "Asgard and Jotunheim are bound by a ceasefire. Why have you invaded Asgard?"
Laufey laughed.
"Your son Thor broke that agreement first. He stormed my palace, slaughtered my people, and humiliated my kingdom. Do you still expect peace after that?"
As he spoke, he advanced one deliberate step at a time.
Frost gathered around his lowered right arm.
Within seconds, the ice condensed into a crude but deadly spear over two meters long.
Frigga instinctively stepped backward.
The hand gripping her sword trembled slightly.
Years ago, Odin had fought a brutal war to defeat Laufey. Frigga knew she was nowhere near Odin's equal in battle. If they truly fought, the outcome was obvious.
But then she glanced behind her.
Odin lay motionless upon his bed.
Drawing a breath, she steeled herself and charged.
The royal guard would arrive soon.
She only needed to hold the Frost Giant King long enough for help to come.
Laufey continued walking forward without the slightest urgency.
Only when Frigga's blade was about to pierce him did he move.
The ice spear swung upward.
Steel met ice.
Clang!
A tremendous force exploded through Frigga's sword.
Pain shot through her hand.
Her arm was thrown upward, and the weapon nearly flew from her grasp.
Before the vibrations could even settle, Laufey stepped forward.
His left hand shot out.
His fingers wrapped around her throat.
Frigga gasped.
The pressure tightened instantly.
Her sword slipped from numb fingers and clattered to the floor.
Slowly, mercilessly, Laufey lifted her off the ground.
First her heels rose.
Then her toes.
Finally, she hung completely suspended in the air, her face twisted in pain as she struggled for breath.
Laufey turned toward Odin's bed.
"You'll lie there and watch your queen die before your eyes. The gods of Asgard wi..."
The sentence never finished.
The massive doors of the chamber suddenly moved.
Boom!
They slammed shut, separating Laufey from the Frost Giant warriors waiting outside.
The abrupt change startled him.
A side door opened.
Loki stepped into the room, Gungnir held firmly in his hand.
Before Laufey could react, Loki raised the spear.
A thin beam of energy erupted from its tip.
The attack sliced through Laufey's left arm with terrifying ease.
The severed limb fell away.
Frigga dropped to the floor.
A second beam struck the Frost Giant King's chest.
Sparks exploded outward.
The impact launched him backward into a stone pillar.
Before he could even slide down, Loki suddenly appeared directly in front of him.
The tip of Gungnir plunged into the wound already blasted open in his chest.
"Loki?!"
Shock filled Laufey's face.
He had expected betrayal.
What he hadn't expected was for Loki to strike before Odin was dead.
Loki's lips never moved.
Yet Laufey heard his voice clearly in his mind.
"If I kill the King of the Frost Giants and destroy Jotunheim afterward, that achievement alone could make me King of Asgard. Why gamble on your promise of silence? Why trust that you wouldn't reveal my role in plotting the death of the Allfather?"
Laufey opened his mouth.
Perhaps he intended to swear he would never betray the secret.
Loki gave him no opportunity.
The instant he finished speaking, he unleashed the full power stored within Gungnir.
Energy surged through the spear.
A blinding explosion consumed Laufey.
The Frost Giant King was torn apart instantly.
His body shattered into fragments.
The remaining energy blasted onward without slowing.
It punched through the palace wall, tore apart layers of defensive enchantments, and carved a massive hole through the structure.
Through the opening, the distant ocean could be seen.
Far beyond it stretched the long bridge leading to the Bifrost.
At that exact moment, the Rainbow Bridge activated.
On Earth, all anyone saw was a cascade of multicolored light descending from the sky.
Then the Destroyer Armor appeared inside the military base.
Loki intended to eliminate Thor at the same time.
Once Thor was dead, the throne of Asgard would be his.
"Not again!"
The soldiers opened fire immediately.
Bullets rained toward the towering metallic figure.
Unfortunately, ammunition that couldn't even penetrate elite Frost Giant armor had no chance against the Destroyer.
The armor didn't even bother dodging.
Its faceplate unfolded.
Energy gathered within.
A single blast erupted.
One soldier vanished in the explosion.
Thor's holding cell was caught in the collateral damage.
The blast shattered part of the structure.
Thor rolled out through the wreckage, smashing against debris and splitting his forehead open before finally looking up.
The moment he recognized the towering figure, his expression froze.
"The Destroyer?!"
Disbelief filled his voice.
"How is that possible?"
Why would the Destroyer Armor be here?
Before he could process it further, two enormous figures charged forward.
Blonsky.
And Wolverine.
Through the Destroyer, Loki observed them both.
The instant he saw the pair, an inexplicable sense of unease surfaced in his mind.
Without hesitation, he issued a command.
Kill them.
"Boom!"
Blonsky's fist crashed into the Destroyer.
The impact launched the armor across the base.
It slammed into the ground before rising again almost immediately.
This time, Loki adjusted the armor's output.
When Blonsky attacked again, the Destroyer caught the incoming punch.
Meanwhile, Wolverine rushed in from the side.
His indestructible adamantium claws scraped across the Destroyer's armor.
A shower of sparks erupted.
The screeching grind of metal against metal echoed across the battlefield.
The sound was so awful that even Blonsky visibly winced.
Then the Destroyer turned its head.
At point-blank range, a beam of energy erupted directly into Wolverine's face.