At this moment, Artoria's gaze crossed the chaotic battlefield and landed on the scepter in Laufey's hand, which was constantly emitting ice magic, and the magic nodes beneath his feet that were continuously spreading and reinforcing the ice surface.
Under the analytical perspective of the Herrscher of Truth (she had not fully switched, only utilizing its basic "understanding" trait), the flow of magic between the scepter and the ice, the distribution of nodes, and the energy conversion efficiency all revealed a clear structure.
Resisting purely with strength, she, in her current poor state, could hardly influence Laufey.
But if she used skill to overcome strength...
"Minerva," she quickly transmitted information via their mental link, "three inches below the connection between the ice crystal at the tip of Laufey's scepter and the staff body, there is a tiny crack inside. It is a critical redundant structure for magic transmission and also a structural weakness. The magic convergence nodes on the ice beneath his feet, seven steps to his front-left and five steps to his rear-right, are the main anchors for his domain's expansion. Interfere with them—no need to destroy them, just a momentary, intense energy impact or structural damage should be able to briefly disrupt the stability of his domain and create an opportunity for Thor."
As she transmitted the information, Artoria took a deep breath, forcibly squeezing out the last bit of controllable magic within her, and highly compressed and condensed it at the tip of the Asgardian longsword in her hand.
She did not infuse the power of Rune characters, but instead simulated this magic into an extremely sharp, high-frequency energy dart with weak "analysis" and "interference" traits.
This was not enough to cause much damage, but if it hit a key node...
Minerva received the information without any hesitation.
She suddenly threw the somewhat damaged ice battle-axe in her hand at a blocking giant, forcing it back, while her figure darted out like a cheetah.
Surprisingly, she slid across the ice surface with exceptional speed and agility, heading straight for the magic node to Laufey's front-left!
Her right hand's fingers were pressed together, and a tiny dot of deep blue energy, compressed to the extreme, gathered at her fingertips—not frost magic, but a high-frequency excited state of her own mechanical body energy, optimized specifically for destroying energy structures.
Most of Laufey's attention was on Thor, and he initially didn't care about the sneak attack from this "little thing," Minerva, dismissing her as just another overconfident ant.
It wasn't until Minerva approached the node that he sensed the terrifyingly condensed energy fluctuation.
He frowned, moved his scepter slightly, and an ice wall instantly rose in front of Minerva.
However, Minerva was faster!
The moment the ice wall rose, she had already changed direction. With a tap of her toes on the ice wall, she used the force to pivot and lunged in another direction—not toward the original node, but after executing a feint, her true target was Laufey himself!
No, to be precise, it was his right wrist holding the scepter!
A flash of anger at being toyed with crossed Laufey's eyes.
He flicked his wrist, and the scepter swept horizontally, bringing with it a biting icy wind, intending to crush Minerva.
With her speed, Minerva could have easily avoided it, but she didn't dodge or evade.
Instead, she accelerated forward, and the deep blue dot of light on her right hand accurately met the sweeping scepter—the target was exactly what Artoria had pointed out: the tiny, invisible crack three inches below the connection between the ice crystal at the tip of the scepter and the staff body!
"You're seeking death!" Laufey snorted coldly, putting more force into his sweep.
Just as the scepter was about to strike Minerva, her right hand tilted slightly at an incredible angle and speed, avoiding the direct impact of the staff's body.
The deep blue dot of light at her fingertips, like the stinger of a poisonous bee, fiercely "stung" that crack!
"Ding—!"
A crisp sound so faint it was almost drowned out by the noise of the battlefield.
Laufey's whole body jolted violently!
He felt an extremely brief but unusually sharp magical backlash and structural tremor coming from the scepter in his hand!
Under this highly condensed point attack targeted at the energy structure, that tiny crack had actually been instantly widened by a fraction!
The light of the ice crystal at the tip of the scepter flickered and disordered for an extremely brief moment, less than 0.1 seconds!
It was this disturbance of less than 0.1 seconds!
The extreme cold domain that Laufey was constantly expanding beneath his feet experienced a synchronized, imperceptible stagnation due to the momentary instability in the scepter's magic output.
A discordant ripple appeared in the flow of magic on the ice.
Meanwhile, Artoria, who had been hiding in the crowd and gathering her strength, saw a flash of brilliance in her eyes!
"Now!"
The longsword in her hand, condensed with a special magic dart, flew out like an arrow released from a bow!
The target was not Laufey, but the ice surface beneath his feet, five steps to his rear-right, the slightly unstable magic node that had been briefly exposed due to the stagnation of the domain!
The sword was extremely fast and the angle tricky. Taking advantage of the moment the domain stagnated and Laufey's attention was drawn by Minerva, it struck precisely!
"Pfft!"
The longsword did not pierce the ice, but the highly compressed magic dart at the sword's tip erupted the moment it touched the node!
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a sharp energy pulse with "analysis" and "interference" traits that fiercely rushed into that fragile magic node!
"Hum—!"
A low, buzzing sound like glass shattering came from beneath the ice.
Centered on that node, the ice within a few meters instantly lost its deep blue luster, turning gray and fragile, and even developing spiderweb-like cracks!
Laufey's extreme cold domain experienced a brief, localized "failure" and "vulnerability" in this small area!
Although the range was small and the time extremely short, for Thor, who had been looking for an opportunity, it was enough!
"Laufey!!!"
Thor roared, seizing this fleeting opening!
He no longer paid attention to the giant leader he was fighting, pouring all his divine power into mjolnir without reservation.
He and the warhammer merged into one, transforming into an unprecedented golden thunderbolt that seemed ready to split the World.
Following that briefly failed ice area, he tore through the air at a speed exceeding any previous attempt, fiercely crashing into Laufey, who had revealed a tiny opening due to the scepter's momentary disturbance and the vulnerability in his domain!
This strike contained all of Thor's rage upon his return, his determination to protect his mother, and his monstrous killing intent toward the invaders!
It was the true wrath of Thor!
Laufey's expression finally changed.
He hurriedly raised his scepter to block, simultaneously driving all his frost magic to condense into a thick, massive ice shield in front of him.
"Boom—!!!!!"
An explosion even more terrifying than the one when fighting the Destroyer on the Bifrost occurred!
The Golden Palace plaza seemed to tremble under this impact!
Blinding golden light and the deep blue cold tide crazily clashed, annihilated, and exploded!
The terrifying energy storm fiercely blew away the surrounding giants, soldiers, and even building debris!
When the light and smoke cleared slightly, it was seen that Laufey's massive ice shield had been completely shattered, and the frost scepter in his hand had developed more cracks.
He himself had been blasted back repeatedly, plowing two deep trenches into the ice surface, and a trace of pale blue blood spilled from the corner of his mouth; he was clearly severely injured.
In his crystal-like eyes, for the first time, a look of shock, anger, and disbelief appeared.
As for Thor, although he also retreated a few steps due to the counter-shock force and was panting, he still stood firmly on the field, the lightning on mjolnir undiminished, his momentum like a rainbow!
He stared fixedly at Laufey, his eyes burning with fighting spirit.
The outcome seemed to have been decided.
As Laufey was injured, the extreme cold domain he maintained also fluctuated violently, its power greatly reduced.
The pressure on the Asgardian soldiers lightened, and their morale soared again.
"Laufey is injured! Follow Your Highness and kill!" The Elder general guarding the gate waved his sword and roared.
The battle situation, due to that "game-breaking" strike by Artoria and Minerva that was precise to the millimeter, had turned around once again!
Clutching his chest, Laufey looked at Thor with resentment, then cast a deep glance at Artoria in the distance, who was panting slightly from exhaustion and being supported by Minerva, as well as the silver-haired woman who had damaged his scepter.
His eyes were filled with unwillingness and killing intent.
But he knew that today's matter could not be continued.
Thor had returned, and with these two strange helpers, the Golden Palace could not be taken after a long siege.
Although Odin was in a deep sleep, no one knew when he would wake up...
"Retreat!" Laufey roared unwillingly, stomped his scepter, and a deep blue teleportation light enveloped him.
At the same time, the remaining Frost Giants on the battlefield began to retreat like a receding tide, quickly disappearing in the teleportation light.
The invasion seemed to have been temporarily repelled.
In front of the Golden Palace gate, it was a mess, but cheers of victory finally rang out.
Thor walked quickly to Frigga's side, hugged his mother tightly, and then turned toward the direction of Artoria and Minerva, striding over.
He arrived in front of the two, looking at Artoria, who was pale and being supported by Minerva, and then at Minerva, who had a calm expression but whose gaze never left Artoria.
His eyes were filled with sincere gratitude.
"Thank you!" Thor said heavily, placing one hand on his chest and bowing deeply.
"Without you, the consequences of today's battle would have been unthinkable. Asgard owes you a debt of gratitude that cannot be repaid."
Artoria managed a smile and shook her head, her voice somewhat weak: "We are friends, Thor. Between friends, there is no need for this."
Frigga also walked over. This noble and wise Queen of the Gods now had a gentle and grateful smile on her face, slightly nodding to Artoria and Minerva: "Guests from afar, thank you for extending a helping hand in our time of crisis. Your wisdom and courage are astonishing. Please enter the Golden Palace to rest; Asgard will surely treat you with the highest courtesy."
Artoria did not decline; she indeed needed to rest.
With Minerva's support, she, along with Thor and Frigga, walked toward the Golden Palace gate, which, despite having been through the fires of war, remained majestic and sacred, under the respectful gazes of the Asgardian soldiers.
However, just as they were about to step through the gate, Artoria seemed to sense something.
She turned back and glanced at the empty plaza after the Frost Giants had retreated, and then looked toward a certain direction deep within the Golden Palace, feeling vaguely in her heart that this storm might be far from over.
Loki had not yet appeared.
And Odin's deep sleep did not seem entirely without anomaly.
But for now, she just wanted to get a good night's sleep first.
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