"...Yes."
Loki adjusted Odin's weight on his back, pulling him closer.
He lowered his head and met Frigga's furious gaze directly. "But we are not homeless fugitives. We are preserving our strength, avoiding the enemy while he holds the advantage, and waiting for the right opportunity to strike back!"
"We are not fugitives! We're not!"
Loki's eyes widened, and his voice abruptly rose. When Frigga fell silent, he closed his eyes and softened his tone.
"I'm sorry, Mother. Please trust me and come with me..."
Without giving Frigga a chance to object, Loki pushed the sword into her hand, secured Odin on his back, and rushed toward the door with Gungnir supporting his steps.
"Hurry. We may never have another chance like this. We cannot hesitate any longer!"
He slowly opened the door a crack and carefully extended his senses into the corridor. Finding the palace halls as empty and silent as before, he quickly beckoned to Frigga.
Frigga hesitated beside the bed. Faced with Loki's urging, she gritted her teeth and ultimately followed close behind him.
Loki effortlessly tore open a gap in the illusion concealing the doorway, allowing the three of them to slip out of the chamber. Frigga gently waved her hand, releasing a surge of divine power. Identical illusions of the three immediately appeared inside the room, each one even more lifelike than Loki's creations.
"This may buy us a little more time..."
Frigga sighed softly and waved her hand again. Divine light swept over her, Loki, and Odin, completely concealing them from view.
"Let's go, Loki. I hope everything unfolds as you say..."
"It will, Mother."
Feeling Odin's warm breath against his back, Loki continued forward without slowing, his voice carrying an unprecedented resolve.
Thanks to his intimate knowledge of the palace, Loki soon led Odin and Frigga out through the side farthest from the battlefield.
Several more minutes passed, but the slaughter outside continued unabated.
More and more Asgardian warriors and civilians were dragged from the ruins by the Frost Giant army, then forcibly transformed into lifelike ice sculptures.
Laufey had also dispatched nearly thirty percent of his Frost Giants to the place where Thor had fallen. They were searching every inch of the area for him.
"Whether he is alive or dead, I want him found. If the God of Thunder disappears, none of us will ever know peace."
Thor might have been easily defeated by Laufey, but against ordinary Frost Giants, he was an overwhelmingly superior force. They could never accept allowing such a threat to remain at large.
"Search! Dig three feet beneath the ground if you have to, but find him!"
The coarse roar carried across Asgard on the bitter wind. The once-glorious realm had already become a frozen continent.
"My son..."
Frigga stiffened and instinctively tried to turn around.
"Mother, Thor and I made arrangements beforehand. Once I have taken you and Father somewhere safe, I will return for him and bring him to meet us."
Loki seized Frigga's arm and desperately pulled her forward.
Laufey was still watching silently from the sky. With his overwhelming strength, even Frigga's formidable illusion magic might not be enough to conceal them if they made the slightest mistake.
They had no room for error. One wrong step would send them plunging into the abyss. Now that they had chosen their objective, they could not allow themselves to waver.
Loki sprinted as hard as he could in the opposite direction.
They were close.
Closer still.
His heart pounded violently inside his chest, and sweat poured from his palms and forehead.
Hearing his assurance, Frigga suppressed her pain and quickened her pace, following close behind him.
Yet her instinctive concern still compelled her to look back at the horrific battlefield.
Countless lifelike ice sculptures now stood throughout the ruined city of Asgard.
They were all that remained of Asgard's former pride and glory.
Occasionally, one or two warships rose from the ground. Some launched one final attack against the Frost Giants, while others attempted to flee into the distance.
Under Laufey's suppression, however, all resistance had become meaningless. Every ship was effortlessly destroyed.
Frigga's gaze shifted. Amid the area with the greatest concentration of Frost Giants, she detected a familiar presence.
They were about to find Thor.
"Thor... My son!"
Thor's presence had weakened to its absolute limit. He was barely clinging to life. The instant Frigga sensed him, she could no longer restrain herself, and large tears spilled from her eyes.
Considering Thor's current condition, the consequences of his discovery were obvious.
The Frost Giants' savagery far exceeded anything ordinary people could imagine. Frigga hardly dared to picture what they might do to him.
"Mother, stop wasting time! We have to go!"
Loki grabbed Frigga's hand. Clenching his teeth, he dragged both her and Odin toward the distance with all his strength.
"Going back now would be walking straight into their trap. Calm down! You must remain calm!"
As Frigga's emotions surged, the illusion surrounding them began to ripple, nearly exposing their presence.
Fortunately, Loki reacted immediately. He swiftly stabilized the spell, narrowly preventing their discovery.
Frigga drew one deep breath after another. Her chest heaved violently, and her knuckles turned a frightening shade of white around the hilt of her sword.
"We're leaving!"
Her bloodshot eyes could not conceal the hatred burning within them. Frigga clenched her teeth, forcing the words through them.
"Loki, that warrior from Midgard is still alive."
"When we return for Thor, I am coming with you. Together, we will save both him and Thor!"
"What?! How could he possibly still be alive?"
Loki's heart skipped a beat. He glanced back and saw the enormous, ice-entombed figure of Fenris barely visible in the distance.
A sudden burst of wild joy immediately followed.
Fenris might have wanted nothing more than to kill Loki, but if he was still alive, then Asgard...
"I was a child raised by witches. I can clearly sense the power now taking shape inside him."
Frigga's emotions finally steadied somewhat, and she nodded.
"It is a vibrant power of extreme cold, hidden deep within the ice. It is completely different from Laufey's deathly power. In fact, they are perfect opposites."
"That power originated from the Casket of Ancient Winters, yet its fundamental nature far surpasses the Casket itself. With him on our side, our chances of victory will rise beyond measure."
"That's wonderful!"
The news struck Loki like an unexpected gift from the heavens, instantly giving him far greater confidence in his plans for the future.
"Then we need to move faster!"
In the depths of despair, even the faintest glimmer of hope could become infinitely precious.
A trace of lightness returned to both their steps.
"Loki, we..."
Frigga opened her mouth to continue, only to suddenly sense an extraordinarily pure killing intent erupt in the distance. It approached them at terrifying speed.
"Watch out!"
Frigga swallowed the words she had been about to say.
Her eyes widened. She thrust out her hand and violently shoved Loki away.
"Bang!"
A freezing gale swept over them, followed by an amused voice.
"Well, what an unexpected prize."
"Your Majesty, if you have such wonderful news, why not share it so I can celebrate with you?"
(End of Chapter)
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