Jotunheim, the realm of the Frost Giants.
Eternal cold winds howled, sweeping up ice and snow across the sky.
Glaciers, like ferocious fangs, pierced the gloomy sky.
Frost Giant King Laufey sat upon his throne, coldly observing the army gathered below.
Frost Giant Laufey
Tens of thousands of Frost Giant warriors, armed with ice blades and battle-axes, stood in neat formation, their murderous aura lowering the temperature of the ice plain even further.
"The Asgardians are already vulnerable!" Laufey's voice was grating.
"Odin is old, and his sons are nothing but cowards! Today, we shall bring the Nine Realms back under the shroud of winter!"
"Roar!!!"
The Frost Giants let out earth-shattering roars, the sound waves making the glaciers tremble.
Just then, the gloomy sky suddenly brightened.
At first, it was just a speck of golden light, but in an instant, that light illuminated all of Jotunheim like the Sun.
"What is that?!" Laufey suddenly stood up, squinting as he looked towards the sky.
A golden figure floated high above, clad in golden armor, a cape gently fluttering behind him. The light and heat emanating from him began to melt this World of ice and snow.
Sun God Leon
Water droplets fell from the surface of the glaciers, and the accumulated snow on the ground turned into steam. The Frost Giants instinctively felt a wave of discomfort and panic.
Leon spread his arms, like a god looking down upon an army of ants below.
He did not speak, but slowly raised his right hand.
With his movement, the temperature of all Jotunheim began to rise sharply at a terrifying speed.
The glaciers melted at a visible rate, turning into raging floods.
The ice armor, which the Frost Giants prided themselves on, began to vaporize, their skin sizzling as it was scorched.
"No! This is impossible!"
Laufey watched all this in horror, trying to gather the power of ice to resist, but that power was no match for the absolute light and heat.
The throne collapsed in the flood, and the army wailed in the steam.
Leon remained expressionless. He simply snapped his fingers gently.
In an instant, the light intensified, and Jotunheim seemed to have been thrown into the core of a star.
When the light dissipated, the former World of ice and snow had become a vast ocean, with only a few of the highest mountain peaks stubbornly emerging from the Water.
The surviving Frost Giants huddled miserably on the mountaintops, staring in terror at the god-like figure in the sky.
Leon slowly descended before Laufey, his golden pupils devoid of any emotion.
"My brothers wanted to flatten this place," his voice echoed in the steaming air.
"But I am more merciful."
He extended a finger, on which immense energy condensed.
"Now, take your people and crawl back into your caves. If I ever see any Frost Giant step out of Jotunheim again..."
Leon smiled faintly, though his smile was very cold.
"I will turn this place into the Nine Realms' largest hot spring."
With that, he no longer paid attention to Laufey, who was scared out of his wits, turned into a golden light, and instantly vanished, leaving behind a realm of Frost Giants trembling in warm water.
Heavenly Palace, Valhalla.
Less than five minutes had passed since Leon left.
Thor and Loki were still arguing about whether Leon could defeat Laufey.
"He definitely can!"
"He's just a lazy bum, I bet he'll be back in five minutes at most!"
Just then, a golden light descended from the sky, and Leon's figure reappeared in the center of the great hall, holding a steaming hot spring egg.
"Done," he said, taking a bite of the hot spring egg, his words muffled.
"The hot spring water there is good, so I boiled an egg while I was at it."
Thor, Loki, Odin: "..."
Valhalla fell into a long silence.
After the silence, Thor burst into cheers.
He rushed forward, slapping Leon heavily on the shoulder.
"I knew it! Leon! You are my strongest brother!" Thor roared excitedly, Mjolnir humming in his hand, as if also cheering for Leon's victory.
"Easy, Thor," Leon dodged his bear hug with a look of distaste, protecting the hot spring egg in his hand.
"This is a unique 'Laufey's Wrath' brand hot spring egg from the Nine Realms, you can't afford to spill it."
Loki walked forward elegantly, his eyes complex.
He looked at Leon, a subtle smile playing on his lips: "Congratulations, brother. It seems your strength has improved considerably; even Laufey is no match for you."
His words, seemingly praise, were like an invisible needle, quietly pricking Thor's proud heart.
Sure enough, the smile on Thor's face stiffened slightly.
He glanced at Leon, then at mjolnir in his own hand, a hint of unwillingness flashing in his eyes.
As Odin's son, he had always lived under the dazzling halo of his elder brother Leon.
The throne naturally belonged to Leon, and he had no objection to this, but he longed to prove himself.
He longed to one day become Leon's most valiant general, not just a younger brother who only followed behind to clean up messes.
He wanted to prove to his father that he was not an expendable backup.
Leon was too lazy to bother with the undercurrents between his two brothers. He finished the hot spring egg in a few bites, stretched comfortably, then slowly sauntered over to Odin's throne.
"Father, the trouble is solved," his tone was flat.
"Those ice lumps promise not to step out of Jotunheim for a few hundred years. Now, can I go back to sleep?"
Odin's single eye gazed deeply at him. This son always eluded his understanding.
His power seemed limitless, yet his demeanor was too lazy for a god.
"Go," Odin's voice carried a hint of weariness.
"But Thor, Loki, you stay."
Leon smiled faintly, instantly feeling as if a great burden had been lifted. His figure flickered, turning into golden particles once more and vanishing, as if he had never appeared.
Inside the great hall, the atmosphere became subtle once again.
Odin looked at Thor and said in a deep voice, "Thor, do you see? True strength is not born of recklessness and anger, but from absolute control over power."
"I understand, Father," Thor replied, lowering his head, but the fingers tightly gripping Mjolnir's handle betrayed his displeasure.
He didn't understand.
He only saw Leon solving the problem with greater power and a more overbearing method.
In his view, this was not control, but a stronger form of violence.
He craved that power, and he envied that power.
Loki stood by, taking in Thor's expression, the smile on his lips deepening.
Late that night, Thor paced restlessly in his chambers.
Leon's effortless victory weighed on his heart like a boulder.
He swung Mjolnir again and again, lightning raging within the palace, yet unable to dispel the anxiety in his heart.
"Still bothered by the day's battle, brother?"
Loki appeared silently behind him, holding two cups of mead.
"Don't bother me, Loki!" Thor roared without turning his head.
"Oh? It seems even Thunder God Thor has moments of helplessness." Loki handed him a cup of wine, his tone carrying just the right amount of sympathy.
"I can understand how you feel. Brother Leon is indeed too powerful, so powerful that it makes us younger brothers seem somewhat redundant."
These words struck a raw nerve in Thor. He spun around abruptly, snatched the wine cup, and drained it.
"I don't feel helpless!" he insisted, forcing the words out.
"I just... I just think Laufey was defeated too easily! We didn't even have a real battle!"
"Of course," Loki smiled and nodded, playing along with his words.
"Brother Leon directly turned Jotunheim into a sauna, and Laufey didn't even put up a decent fight. Is this a war? This is simply a unilateral Carnage. The dignity of Asgard was not displayed in the battle."
"Exactly!" Thor exclaimed, as if he had found a kindred spirit, slamming his fist on the table.
"I should have led the warriors to crush them on the battlefield! To make them tremble beneath Mjolnir! Not like this, listening to Leon's stories about hot spring eggs!"
"So..." Loki leaned in closer, his voice dropping even lower, laced with temptation.
"Don't you want to know the true strength of the Frost Giants? Don't you want to prove that even without Leon, you, Thunder God Thor, can still guard the glory of Asgard?"
Thor's breathing grew heavy, and the fighting spirit in his eyes was rekindled.
"What are you trying to say, Loki?"
Loki smiled, knowing his plan had succeeded.
"I heard that although Laufey was defeated, he did not directly surrender, and even a few Frost Giant leaders are dissatisfied with Brother Leon's actions and are secretly gathering. Father and Leon both believe the crisis is over, which is our best chance to prove ourselves."
He paused, watching Thor's emotions, which he had completely stirred up, then threw out the final bait.
"Think about it, brother. When we solve the problem and bring those unyielding leaders back to the Heavenly Palace, what kind of look will everyone, including Father and Leon, give you?"
The image instantly appeared in Thor's mind.
He stood in the center of Valhalla, receiving universal reverence, even Leon casting an approving glance his way.
"Good!"
He slammed the wine cup to the ground, shattering it instantly.
"That's what we'll do! We'll find Sif and The Warriors Three, and we'll set off tonight!"
"This is the spirit befitting Asgard's future general." Loki bowed elegantly, a triumphant glee deep in his eyes.
He knew he had succeeded.
Thor, this chess piece, had landed firmly in the position he desired.
And all of this was just the first step of his plan.