By the time Odin arrived, there were no living souls left in the palace hall. Whether Dark Elf or Asgardian, both sides had fought to the very last man.
Odin strode forward. Suddenly, a Dark Elf who was not quite dead yet struggled to his feet and attempted to attack him.
A streak of golden light flashed past. Gungnir, the Spear of Eternity, released a brilliant beam that instantly annihilated the Dark Elf. Under the searing golden radiance, even the corpse was reduced to ash.
Odin surveyed the battlefield, his expression unreadable as he looked upon the fallen Asgardian soldiers. Then, as if a thought struck him, his face changed.
"Frigga!"
He immediately led his guards at speed toward Frigga's chambers.
Meanwhile, Malekith had already arrived alone at the entrance to Frigga's quarters. He pushed open the door effortlessly. With the palace barrier destroyed, the protective enchantments around Frigga's chambers had vanished as well.
Frigga stood motionless before Jane, a short blade in hand, shielding her with her body. She knew Malekith had come for Jane—or rather, for the Aether within her. That power could never be allowed to fall into the hands of the Dark Elves, or the Nine Realms would be plunged into catastrophe and endless darkness.
"Leave this place, Dark Elf," Frigga said calmly. "I may yet spare your life."
She showed no fear. In her youth, she had been a formidable sorceress, once fighting alongside Odin in the conquest of the Nine Realms.
"My life is far too resilient for you to take," Malekith replied coldly as he advanced.
"Your name, Dark Elf," Frigga demanded.
This was an Asgardian tradition—before a duel, one asked the opponent's name.
"Malekith," he answered, turning his gaze toward Jane. "I have come to reclaim what rightfully belongs to the Dark Elves."
He could clearly sense the Aether within Jane's body. It was the Aether itself that had guided him here.
Frigga ran her hand along the blade. A blue glow spread across its edge. In the next instant, she lunged at Malekith.
Malekith drew his curved blade, and the two clashed.
Though known primarily as a sorceress, Frigga was no stranger to close combat. In this world, mages who could not fight at close range rarely survived—Loki himself favored daggers over a staff, and the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj were masters of both magic and martial skill.
Frigga's strikes were precise and lethal. Her enchanted blade was razor-sharp, and within moments she severed Malekith's curved weapon cleanly in two.
Without hesitation, Malekith discarded the broken blade and swung a punch at her. But Frigga had once fought across the Nine Realms at Odin's side. Though she had not fought in many years, her experience and technique far surpassed that of Malekith, who had been exiled for millennia.
In just a few exchanges, Malekith was driven back against the wall, weaponless, Frigga's blade pressed against his throat.
Before she could speak, a massive figure smashed through the wall and stormed in.
The creature was towering, horned, and covered in jagged spikes—the Dark Elf monster that had destroyed Asgard's defensive core.
It seized Frigga by the throat and lifted her into the air, finally giving Malekith room to breathe.
Rubbing his neck, Malekith turned his attention toward Jane, who was hiding nearby.
"You took something from me, human," he said coldly. "It is time to return it."
He stepped toward Jane. Frozen with fear, she trembled in place, unable even to flee.
Malekith reached out, intending to draw the Aether from her body—but his hand passed straight through her.
A flash of green light erupted, and Jane vanished from before his eyes.
"Witch!" Malekith roared as he spun around.
Only then did he remember that Frigga had once been the greatest sorceress of Asgard. Creating an illusionary duplicate was effortless for her.
As the most powerful mage of the Vanir, Frigga's mastery of magic had once been unrivaled. Even Loki's skills had been taught by her own hand.
The monster holding Frigga suddenly tightened its grip, pressing a short blade against her lower back.
"Where is the Aether, witch?" Malekith demanded, his black eyes fixed on her.
"You will never know," Frigga said hoarsely, struggling for breath.
"I believe you," Malekith replied calmly.
He gestured, and the monster raised its blade, preparing to strike.
Boom!
A gunshot rang out. A blue magical projectile slammed into the monster's arm with pinpoint accuracy, breaking its grip on Frigga.
"RAAAH—!"
The creature roared in pain, hurling the short blade toward the source of the attack.
At that instant, purple lightning tore through the air, shattering the blade and striking the monster head-on. The immense force sent it crashing into a nearby wall.
A red cloak and a suit of gold-and-red armor flew in through the shattered opening.
Karl and Tony had arrived.
"So that's Malekith?" Tony scoffed as his faceplate retracted. "Doesn't look like much."
To be honest, the Dark Elves were nothing like the elegant image of elves in Tony's imagination. To him, elves were supposed to be tall, graceful, sharp-eared, and beautiful. This one was just plain ugly.
Frigga looked at Karl and Tony, instantly recognizing them as Midgardians. From Karl in particular, she sensed a wild, untamed magic—raw, primal, and unrefined, the very essence of magic in its original form.
"You've come for the girl from Earth?" Frigga asked.
Karl helped her to her feet. "You could say that."
He did not say they had come to save her. If Frigga believed they were here for Jane, that was close enough.
"Humans," Malekith snarled. "Lowly creatures, wielding weapons so primitive."
"Primitive?" Tony snapped. "You're calling my tech primitive?"
That was the fastest way to provoke him.
The floating cannons behind Tony unfolded instantly, firing two brilliant blue beams straight at Malekith.
Malekith sprinted toward the balcony as a transparent barrier flared to life behind him, blocking the blasts—but shattering in the process.
Karl unleashed a bolt of lightning. The purple arc slammed directly into Malekith's face with ferocious force.
A scream rang out.
Half of Malekith's face was charred black, the flesh melted away to reveal stark white bone beneath.
Howling in agony, Malekith tumbled over the balcony.
The monster burst out after him, leaping down as well and grabbing hold of Malekith, carrying him away in its arms.
Tony immediately took to the air, pursuing them and raining fire down relentlessly. Yet the creature shielded Malekith with its own body, and the floating cannons could barely pierce its hide.
Suddenly, a hammer wreathed in blue lightning streaked past Tony at blinding speed, slamming into the monster's body.
The impact sent it flying even faster.
At that moment, a sword-shaped vessel materialized out of thin air. A red beam shot out, pulling both the monster and Malekith into the ship's interior. The vessel vanished instantly.
Mjolnir, having lost its target, arced back through the sky and returned to Thor's waiting hand.
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