I was worried about how Asgard would transport such a large army and fleet, but then a brilliant light erupted from the Bifrost, tearing open a massive portal in the sky, and the ships began passing through.
'Well, to move an army of this scale, you'd need technology like this.'
Banner, being a scientist, observed the scene intently with an interested expression.
"Such a large wormhole..."
Then Volstagg, a member of the Warriors Three, spoke to us.
"Now it's our turn. The fight might start as soon as we arrive, so stay sharp."
Pietro seemed nervous, stretching and lightly jogging in place.
"Everyone, if we make it through this, I'm treating you all to a full one-week Disney World package. So don't you dare die!"
Hearing that, Captain America said, surprisingly happy.
"I know! Disney World is the most famous amusement park in the world, right? We didn't have anything like that back in my day. I really want to go. Let's make sure we survive!"
At the Captain's words, everyone laughed and steeled their resolve. It wasn't anything special, but seeing how his words helped the whole team relax and reaffirm their determination reminded me why he's the leader.
Soon, it was our turn. Heimdall wished us luck.
"Friends, may fortune be with you."
The Captain nodded at Heimdall's words and stepped onto the Bifrost. We followed him via the Bifrost to Svartalfheim. Svartalfheim was still a desolate land with a gloomy atmosphere.
As soon as we arrived, a battle was already in full swing. Fortunately, thanks to Heimdall's consideration, our landing spot was slightly behind the front lines. Thor was already fighting hard ahead, and not just on the ground—many ships were engaged in fierce combat in the air as well.
"Let's join in."
At the Captain's command, we immediately rushed out to join the fray. I deployed a magic shield to block lasers flying toward us, while Wanda used her telekinesis to deflect incoming small black hole grenades as we advanced.
Pietro moved swiftly on his own, taking down Dark Elves one by one—his speed made him almost invisible.
"Steve! Cassian! Everyone!"
"Thor!"
As we ran to the front lines where Thor was, he cleared the enemies ahead with Mjolnir and greeted us with a bright smile. After a quick greeting, we focused on the fight.
The Captain blocked enemy attacks with his shield as he advanced, then subdued Dark Elves one by one with punches and kicks. Banner piloted the Hulk Striker, using its massive frame to smash enemies and firing repulsor guns. Wanda shielded us from incoming grenades and assisted by gathering and releasing energy. Jessi also used the martial arts she'd trained in to quickly close in and subdue the Dark Elves.
Jessi was different now. Seeing her defeat enemies with systematic and powerful moves, it was clear she'd trained hard on her own. I focused on flying through the air, using my [Energy Bomb] ability to shoot down ships.
The Dark Elves seemed to have fewer troops this time, likely because they'd suffered heavy losses before. It looked like we'd clean up quickly, but suddenly, a shout came from the Dark Elf ranks.
"Everyone, use the stones! Push the army here and destroy Asgard!"
It seemed Malekith was finally going to use the Cursed Stone. Despite its powerful ability, the fact that he hadn't used it earlier suggested significant side effects. That's probably why he hesitated. I couldn't know what those side effects were, but one thing was clear: Malekith and the Dark Elves had staked everything on this war.
The Dark Elves hesitated briefly, then pulled small stones from their pockets, clenched them, and red light erupted from their bodies, sending shockwaves around them. They began growing enormous in size. From then on, the Dark Elves abandoned firearms and charged with swords or spears.
"Here they come!"
At Thor's shout, Asgard's soldiers and all of us tensed up, bracing for the impact. Each Dark Elf transformed into a Kurse looked quite threatening. Asgard's soldiers raised their spears to block the Kursed, but the Kursed smashed through the spears and started grabbing soldiers one by one. Pietro tried to stop them using his speed to attack multiple times, but the Kursed ignored his strikes and kept advancing.
"Damn it! My attacks aren't working!"
Pietro returned with a troubled expression, and at that moment, Banner started a struggle of strength with a Kurse using the Hulk Striker. Even the Hulk Striker seemed strained, with metal groaning in protest.
Creak! Creak!
"I'll hold it down, everyone attack!"
Following Banner's signal, the members pooled their strength and attacked, finally managing to take down the first Kurse with difficulty.
"Huff... huff... I don't know how much longer we can keep this up..."
Jessi looked visibly tired. Looking around, I could see many more Kursed still fighting Asgard's army. Asgard's forces weren't faring well either, with only Thor and the Warriors Three barely holding their own against the Kursed.
"No time for this! We're being pushed back. Let's take down as many as we can the same way!"
The Captain encouraged the team. From above, I watched and thought this wouldn't work, so I threw a sword made of vibranium from my inventory to Pietro.
"Pietro!"
"Huh? What's this?"
"Use that to quickly slash at the Dark Elves' ankles. It's a sword made from the same material as Cap's shield. With your speed, it should cut through, so just aim for the ankles!"
"Got it! I'll give it a shot."
I descended from the air, drew an orichalcum staff-sword, and charged at the Kursed, focusing on slashing their ankles. Fortunately, since the Dark Elves had a body structure similar to humans, the Kursed started toppling or stumbling when hit in the ankles.
"Now's the time!"
At my signal, everyone began attacking the fallen Kursed. Pietro not only slashed the ankles of Kursed on our side but also quickly cut those attached to Asgard's forces. The training from the back mountain was paying off here. However, since Pietro had never handled a sword before, his slashes were somewhat shallow. So, many Kursed kept moving even after being hit, but even so, it didn't seem to hinder our efforts to turn the tide.
Asgard's soldiers also gathered and started stabbing the fallen Kursed with spears, taking them down one by one. Pietro was really pulling his weight. I began dealing with the Kursed too, taking them out one or two at a time.
Then, Malekith ordered something to a subordinate Kurse beside him, and the subordinate suddenly rushed forward and jumped high. From the position, it seemed to be targeting Pietro's expected path. I urgently warned Pietro.
"Pietro!!"
Thud!
"Argh!"
Crash!
Pietro barely avoided a direct hit at my shout, but got caught in the shockwave and tumbled across the ground. The Kurse that attacked Pietro was different from the others; from the horn shape on its head in the original, it seemed to be Algrim transformed into a Kurse.
Algrim approached the fallen Pietro to attack, but I rushed in and threw an Energy Bomb card to distract him. In that moment, everyone including Wanda ran over to protect Pietro.
Fortunately, Pietro regained consciousness and stood up, so he didn't seem seriously injured. In the original, he died and triggered Wanda's breakdown, but I couldn't let that happen here. I was determined to prevent Wanda from going berserk.
Algrim seemed to decide that his opponent wasn't Pietro but me, fixing his gaze on me as he charged, raising both arms and bringing them down.
Smash!!!
"Huff!"
I naturally blocked instead of dodging, confident in my strength. But I was surprised by the force transmitted through my arms—it was no joke. This guy was definitely stronger than Thor, almost on par with the Hulk. I couldn't understand what the Cursed Stone was to make a living being this powerful.
Normal Dark Elves had much greater strength than humans but were inferior to enhanced soldiers. Yet, with just one stone, such a sudden transformation made no sense. It was like a human turning into the Hulk overnight. If the war ended, I had to get one and study it.
Anyway, Algrim also seemed a bit surprised that I blocked his attack. Perhaps out of stubbornness, he tried to overpower me with brute force. Then, Thor's Mjolnir flew in, struck Algrim, and returned to Thor, who caught it and jumped, bringing it down on Algrim with lightning.
Boom!!!
But unfortunately, Algrim noticed and dodged to the side, so Thor only ended up hitting the innocent ground.
With Thor joining the fight, I had a moment to look around and saw that most of the Kursed were being dealt with. Thor urged Algrim to surrender.
"It's over. Give up."
At Thor's words, Algrim said without hesitation.
"After using the Cursed Stone, our race's future is already over. Even if it ends like this, I'll take Asgard with me!!"
Algrim shouted that and charged at us. I took a stance and started deflecting Algrim's attacks. Whenever an opening appeared, Thor swung Mjolnir to strike Algrim. I was deliberately creating those opportunities, and Thor and I had good synergy.
Smack! Thwack!
"Grah!"
As this continued, Algrim accumulated injuries and gradually tired. Suddenly, a loud explosion came from the Dark Elf formation, and as a massive figure fell toward us, Thor and I quickly retreated backward.
"Boom!!!"
Dirt, dust, and rocks scattered everywhere, obscuring our vision for a moment. As it began to settle, a Kurse larger than Algrim stood up in the spot where Algrim and we were fighting.
"My king!"
Seeing Algrim address him as king, it seemed Malekith had also used the Cursed Stone and joined the fight. Malekith's aura after using the stone was no joke. I hadn't fought him yet, so I wasn't sure, but he was definitely going to be much stronger than Algrim. The Cursed Stone's power increased with the user's potential.
"This looks dangerous, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, tell me about it."
Thor seemed tense too, sweating nervously beside me. With a Kurse that looked stronger than Algrim appearing, he must have felt the situation was quite perilous.
"I'll hold off that guy. Finish him (Algrim) quickly and help me."
When I laid out my plan, Thor seemed to have no better ideas and simply accepted it.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I'll just buy some time."
"Alright! Let's do this."
I tried to move away to fight, but Malekith seemed to notice and followed.
"Thanks, I could have just fought here."
"You don't seem to be an Asgardian. Why are you helping Asgard?"
"I'm from Midgard. Many people died in your sneak attack."
"So you came for revenge? But as I recall, Midgardians were just a weak race."
"You attacked innocent civilians in a sneak attack and ran without facing warriors. How can you judge strength? You made a mistake. You created too many enemies!"
"I see. I admit it. Having such powerful warriors on Midgard was a miscalculation. But now that I've decided to become Kurse, all that is meaningless!"
Thump thump thump!
As soon as Malekith finished speaking, he charged quickly and threw a punch at my side. I decided to block first to gauge his strength.
Smash!!
"Ugh!"
I was pushed sideways by the impact. This guy was definitely stronger than the Hulk. At this level, taking a direct hit would injure even me. I don't know how strong Thanos is, but judging from the original where he fought the Hulk, this guy might be even stronger in terms of pure strength.
And the problem was, his movements were clearly systematic. He wasn't just relying on brute force. With his long life, he knew how to use his power properly.
As I was pushed back, I glanced at Thor's situation. Captain and Jessi were supporting Thor in my place, fighting well. With Thor and me having drawn their attention, they should be able to handle it. So, I decided to ignore that side for now.
"Huff... I guess I need to get serious too."
"This guy! You were hiding your strength!"
Like Algrim, Malekith seemed to have tried to finish it with that one blow, but when I held on, he looked a bit flustered.
"Then, it's my turn to attack."