Laufey
Owen dashed forward with a speed no ordinary human could match, gliding like a living shadow toward the center of the battlefield. At his side, Hulk roared as he charged, a green hurricane of contained fury. Without slowing down, he rammed into the first frost giant in his path, lifting the massive creature like a ragdoll and slamming it into the ground with such force that the impact carved a crater into the earth. Every punch Hulk unleashed shook the ground, pounding the giant deeper and deeper until it was crushed—lifeless. Without wasting a second, Hulk launched himself at his next target.
Meanwhile, Owen came face to face with another colossus. The Jotun was three times his size, a living tower of muscle and ice-bound magic. Its arm shifted into a blade of ice and swung to slice Owen in half—but he dodged with feline agility, leaping aside while hurling a dagger attached to a steel wire. In a smooth motion, the blade whipped around the giant's neck and returned toward him. Owen, now on the ground, used the momentum and launched a powerful kick, driving the blade partway into the giant's neck.
It wasn't deep enough. The wound was shallow. The giant growled... still standing.
But Owen didn't stop.
He gripped the cord with both hands. Veins bulged across his arms, revealing the full might of his enhanced super soldier body. With a contained roar, he yanked the cord. The dagger, pulled by centrifugal force, spun like a maddened scythe, cutting deeper with each rotation. The steel cable itself helped slice through flesh and bone. And then... the Jotun's head dropped to the ground with a heavy thud. Owen retrieved his knife with a sharp pull and was already on the move toward his next enemy.
Hulk, meanwhile, was swinging one giant like a baseball bat, smashing another in a brutal attempt at a home run. Around him, the ground erupted in explosions—Nicolas, firing from an elevated vantage point, unleashed precise railgun shots that obliterated any Jotun that strayed too close to Owen or Hulk.
From above, Tony Stark rained down a barrage of micro-missiles, detonating across the rear lines of the enemy, engulfing several giants in searing flames.
Then Thor stepped onto the battlefield.
He could no longer bear to watch as the humans—those who had helped him—died while facing a threat that was ultimately his responsibility. He picked up a fallen ice sword from the ground, gripping it firmly. His now-mortal body struggled to keep pace, but even so, he stood tall against a damn frost giant.
One heavy strike forced him back—but he didn't fall.
"Thor!" a voice called out, and Lady Sif appeared beside him, cleaving the giant's head from its shoulders in a single, elegant slash.
"I'm glad to see you alive," she said, offering him a quick smile.
"My friends… I'm glad you're here. I need your help," Thor replied gravely. "We can't let the Jotuns destroy the humans."
"Of course," the four warriors replied calmly before diving into the fray.
But there was no time to rest. A rain of icy spears showered down upon them, forcing them to sprint across the battlefield. Thor's eyes widened as he saw several human soldiers fail to escape—pierced through, screaming, blood staining the snow. Rage began to build in his chest, swelling like a coming storm.
A few meters away, Owen crouched to pick up an ice sword from a fallen enemy and drove it into the chest of another giant. But instinct screamed at him—he leapt just in time. From the frost-covered ground, razor-sharp spikes shot upward, grazing his arm and leaving a bleeding gash. The wound bled... but slowly began to close on its own.
And then Owen saw him.
A different giant.
Taller. More imposing. And walking through the battlefield with wild arrogance.
"So... you're the boss," Owen muttered.
The giant—Laufey—locked eyes with him, his fury rising as he recognized the man who had just slain one of his soldiers. With a thunderous roar, he began to charge, each step shaking the ground.
"Tony, I need a lift," Owen said calmly, never taking his eyes off the charging monster.
"I'm a little busy," replied Tony, firing twin laser beams at two approaching giants.
"Rhodey?" Owen asked, his voice tense but steady.
"On my way," War Machine responded through the comms.
Laufey raised his hand, and from the earth surged a tidal wave of jagged ice spikes, racing toward Owen like a razor-edged death.
"Jump!" Rhodey shouted.
Owen obeyed. He fired his grappling line, hooking onto Rhodey's armor as the suit soared overhead. He was yanked skyward just as the deadly wave tore through where he'd stood.
And then… lightning cracked across the sky.
A rain of lightning descended upon the battlefield, incinerating the wave of icy spikes. Owen looked down… and saw him.
Thor stood tall, Mjolnir in hand, surrounded by the soldiers he was protecting. Lightning wrapped around him, the power of the gods coursing through his body, and his eyes burned with the gaze of a true warrior.
"Looks like he finally did it," Owen muttered with a grin as he released the cable and landed gracefully, ready to face the king of the giants.
The real battle was just beginning.
Owen waited for it.
He was breathing hard, his body covered in sweat, dirt, and blood. In his hands, his daggers spun quickly, tied to the steel wires dangling from his bracers. His gaze didn't waver.
"A human with potential… but in the end, you're still just that: a human," Laufey growled, his voice deep, his breath freezing the air around him.
Owen tilted his head with a smirk. "I think by now, I've moved a little past 'just human.'"
The daggers traced metallic spirals through the air as Owen spun his wrists. The slicing whistle of steel dancing answered for him.
"Hmph… just another fool refusing to die," Laufey said, and with a simple motion of his hand, he forged a spear of pure ice. He gripped it with a finesse that betrayed his massive size—then lunged.
The spear shot toward Owen like a bolt of frozen lightning, but Owen twisted his torso, narrowly dodging. In the same motion, he flung one of his daggers with surgical precision, aiming for the frost king's eye. Laufey turned his head at the last second, and the blade only grazed his cheek.
Just a scratch on his skin… but enough to make him frown.
"You know," Owen panted, "I've got a friend who uses some amazing moisturizers. I could ask for a recommendation."
Laufey's growl rumbled like thunder.
He charged again, furious. Owen rolled across the ground, dodging the icy blade by inches. His instincts flared—he pushed off the ground and leapt back three times with superhuman agility. Each spot he'd stepped on exploded with jagged ice spikes, stabbing up like living spears trying to skewer him.
Still, Owen remained standing.
He knew what he was doing. Buying time. With Thor's arrival, the four Asgardian warriors, and his team's coordinated fire, the giants were being picked off one by one. Even the soldiers were starting to retreat from the kill zone that was Laufey.
But every second cost him. Owen was pushing his enhanced body beyond its limits. His muscles burned, and Laufey's attacks were becoming faster… and deadlier.
An ice spear nearly pierced his side—he barely twisted to deflect it with a dagger. One of his wires snapped from the strain. He had no more room for error.
"Nicolas!" Owen shouted, gasping for air.
From the railgun, Nicolas responded, "I got you!"
A thunderous blast split the air. A beam of pure energy tore across the field at lightspeed. Laufey managed to twist his spear just in time to block, but the blast struck his side, sending him crashing backward, smoke and frost billowing from the explosion.
"Is that all you've got, miserable human?!" Laufey roared, rising with a gaping wound in his abdomen. His skin was already regenerating, cold energy mending his flesh.
Owen exhaled sharply, trying to catch his breath.
And then… the sky trembled.
A strange, metallic hum echoed across the battlefield. Everyone turned as the sound chilled their blood. The clouds darkened. A portal of fire opened in the sky… and from it descended a colossal figure, black and burning, with a soulless face and a crown of flame atop its head.
The Destroyer.
A living weapon of absolute destruction, sent by Asgard to eliminate any threat… or perhaps by someone else.
Owen looked up, eyes wide. Even Laufey took a step back, recognizing what stood before him.
The Destroyer stared directly down at the battlefield.
Laufey spoke calmly, as if his victory was still inevitable.
"I see why you fight. Why you resist. But no matter how hard you struggle…"
Laufey raised his spear, ready to deliver the final blow.
But before he could move, a hellish roar split the air.
From the Destroyer's head, a blazing beam of pure fire exploded violently, sweeping across the battlefield and reducing several frost giants to ash in an instant. Their bodies burst into frozen fragments, not even given time to scream.
Laufey spun around, eyes wide with shock and contained fury. His breath grew uneven, teeth clenched.
"LOKI! This isn't what you promised!" he bellowed, his voice booming like thunder.
The Destroyer gave no reply. It simply tilted its head slightly… and turned its burning mask back toward Laufey as a fresh charge of energy began to glow within its core.
Owen saw the light and cursed under his breath. He leapt with everything he had left, rolling across the dirt and rubble.
The second laser beam exploded against Laufey, engulfing him in a storm of divine fire.
"What a pain in the ass…" Owen muttered hoarsely, lying in the mud, coated in dust, staring at the mechanical god marching forward like a divine executioner.
He turned his head toward Thor, panting.
"Thor… you deal with your relatives yourself."