"Have you heard?"
"Of the two sorcerers who attended Prince Thor's coronation two days ago, the male one, what was his name… Lucas."
"He defeated Laufey, the King of the Frost Giants."
"I did hear such news, is it true? They say Lucas is only in his twenties, still just a child."
"How could he possibly defeat the Frost Giant King, who once contended with the All-Father?"
"Your news is too outdated. Queen Frigga has already issued an order, preparing for a victory celebration. This is absolutely true."
These were the discussions at an Asgardian banquet.
News like this was spreading rapidly, covering most of Asgard.
Not far away, a group of guards on duty were also discussing this topic.
"It's insane. Laufey wasn't just defeated, he couldn't even take a single move."
"No way, are you sure this news is true?
"The mighty Frost Giant King, defeated in one move? That's too fantastical."
"There's no mistake. I have a friend who's on duty in the infirmary. When Fandral, one of The Warriors Three, was being treated for his injuries, my friend heard Fandral say it himself."
"That's too terrifying. What is the background of this sorcerer, to be able to defeat the Frost Giant King in one move?"
Saying this, the guard lowered his voice.
"How many moves do you think the All-Father would need to defeat the Frost Giant King?"
"Watch your tongue."
The leading guard captain immediately sternly reprimanded the ignorant guard who dared to speak ill of the All-Father.
After a while, someone whispered, "He should also be able to defeat Laufey in one move."
"I heard that the Frost Giants lost the casket of ancient winters in the Battle of Tønsberg a thousand years ago."
"Since then, Laufey's power has been continuously weakening."
"That makes sense."
"That makes sense."
The guards whispered to each other, nodding in agreement.
Who was Laufey?
He once contended with Odin on Midgard, and Odin paid the price of one eye to defeat him.
If he were in his prime, how could he be defeated in one move?
Hesitantly, the ignorant guard who had been reprimanded spoke again, "But I heard from a friend that what Lucas did in Jotunheim was far more than just defeating Laufey."
...
An Asgardian man couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, questioning the person dressed as a bard in front of him, "What? Lucas actually defeated Laufey with one punch, sending him flying three thousand meters and spitting five hundred liters of blood! Is that true?"
The bard raised his hand to quiet him, signaling the man to speak softly, and then lowered his voice, saying, "I have special channels for information, but I can't say. Those who know, know. Those who don't, shouldn't ask. Hehehe."
"Keep going, keep going." The people around urged.
Currently, news about Lucas was flying all over Asgard. It was rare to encounter someone with inside information, and they didn't want to miss out.
The bard smiled and continued, "Lucas cast a single spell, and tens of thousands of Frost Giants all fell to the ground, unconscious."
"How is that possible!"
Hearing the news that Lucas, a single sorcerer, wiped out tens of thousands of Frost Giant warriors, the surrounding Asgardians became agitated again.
"Why is it impossible?" The bard's eyes widened.
"Prince Thor and the others have returned. Volstagg and Fandral are in the infirmary recovering."
"You just need to ask one of them, would I lie to you?"
The people around looked at each other, no longer shouting loudly.
At this moment, someone muttered, "Prince Loki is also a sorcerer, why can't he do that?"
At the mention of Loki, a hint of mockery flashed across many faces.
"Loki's magic is only good for deceiving people or amusing children."
"Hahahahaha."
The surrounding Asgardians burst into laughter—except for one Frost Giant.
The bard's lips curved slightly upward.
Waiting for the laughter to subside, he continued, "This isn't the most terrifying or explosive part. Lucas comes from Kamar-Taj on Midgard."
"Kamar-Taj is supported by the Vishanti, Agamotto and two other ancient beings."
"The Vishanti is the origin of all white magic in the world."
"Stop with all this irrelevant talk. Quickly tell us what other explosive things Lucas did."
Listening to the bard's rambling, getting off-topic about Kamar-Taj and the Vishanti, the people around immediately stopped him, telling him to get back to the main point.
"Alright."
The bard shook his head helplessly and returned to the main topic.
"Lucas opened ten giant portals in the sky. You know what portals are, right?"
As the bard spoke, his gaze fell on one person in the corner.
"Yes, yes, hurry up and tell us." Everyone urged.
Seeing that person nod, the bard continued, "On the other side of the portals were ten stars. Lucas drew the light and heat from these ten stars. Through the portals, he released them onto Jotunheim."
"The scene, tsk, tsk... ten stars in the sky."
"The Frost Giants were so scorched they didn't dare to come out."
"Finally, Laufey cried and begged for surrender, which made Lucas stop."
"Hiss..."
The onlookers gasped, imagining ten stars appearing in the sky, feeling an unbearable heat.
After a while, someone reacted and exclaimed, "Wait, Laufey surrendered? How is that possible?!"
A king being defeated, or even instantly killed, was merely a rare event, still possible.
But Laufey surrendering?
The Asgardians had never heard or seen such a thing.
The bard retorted, "Why is it impossible? Tell me, is a king's dignity more important, or the survival of the kingdom?"
Everyone fell silent.
In the hearts of many of them, the answer was naturally that the survival of the kingdom was more important. But such words were best kept to oneself and not spoken lightly.
"Is there any other news?"
The bard shook his head. "There's no more explosive news, but there are a few fun tidbits. For example…"
Everyone: "?"
"Ice beasts are afraid of ice. Lucas froze an ice beast as tall as a small hill into an ice sculpture with one palm."
"Huh?!"
Seeing that the crowd didn't believe him, the bard repeated, "If you don't believe me, go ask the others who returned."
"Okay, we believe you, what else?"
"And also..."
As time passed, the bard could no longer come up with anything new.
The surrounding Asgardians gradually left, leaving only one person.