Chapter 185
Heenng-!
Flap-.
Dozens of Sky Horses took flight. Their once peaceful abode had turned into a battlefield.
Boom-!
Crackle-!
Lightning fell from the sky as thunder roared and burst forth beneath the clouds. Dozens of lightning strikes enveloped Loki’s body without a gap.
Crash-!
Sizzle-.
The lightning did not touch Loki’s body.
The problem was the transparent barrier surrounding him. It was so solid that even the numerous lightning bolts failed to put a scratch on it.
“If the barrier isn’t a one-time spell, it could be troublesome.”
With one round of attacks over, it was now the other side’s turn. Sure enough, a teal magic circle emerged beneath Loki’s feet.
“Devour.”
Growl-!
Two gigantic wolves, summoned from the magic circle, leaped towards Lee Suhyuk. Ordinary wolves would be easy to handle, but these were monstrous beings summoned by Loki.
Sharp teeth bit into Suhyuk’s shoulder. At the same time, another wolf aimed for his head, but Suhyuk drew his sword.
Flash-!
Slice-.
A lightning-imbued strike slashed the two wolves. Although he intended to cut down Loki too, it was too much to hope for.
Suhyuk, experiencing the fight, admitted his thoughts candidly.
“You are strong.”
The opponent was Loki.
Even though Suhyuk wielded the Lightning Lord, it was still challenging to confront a named god.
Unlike himself, who strained his body with every sprint, Loki was still merely testing the waters.
He was strong.
Suhyuk never expected to encounter such a formidable opponent on the seventh floor.
“The Tower must be broken. Why is it difficult like this?”
He knew the reason for the adjusted difficulty.
Showing thunder in Asgard was inviting trouble. Thunder was the symbol of Thor, powerful enough to threaten gods. An increase in difficulty was inevitable.
However, ‘No matter how you look at it….’
Chzz-.
Suhyuk blocked the energy shot from the tip of Loki’s staff with his sword. He felt his fingers go numb, and sweat began to trickle down his forehead.
‘This is a bit much, isn’t it?’
Clang-!
Eventually, he was overpowered and flung backward.
To the opponent, it might have been a light use of magic, but for Suhyuk, it was hard even to block.
Sizzle-.
Suhyuk steadied himself by grasping the cloud-covered ground. Before he knew it, Loki appeared right in front of him.
“Honestly, I am surprised.”
Loki glanced at the corpses of the summoned beasts that Suhyuk had slain.
“I wondered how well a human could wield thunder. To think it would be this level.”
Loki remained consistently relaxed. It was as if he was enjoying observing how a human handled thunder.
“You belittle me, thinking you’re better than him, right?”
“Don’t be arrogant. You are far from matching my brother.”
Hearing Loki’s words, Suhyuk grew curious. Just how formidable was Thor in his sane state?
“Of course, I am stronger, too.”
Crackle-!
Electric currents flowed from the staff in Loki’s hand. They were as powerful as the lightning Suhyuk emitted.
Hurriedly, Suhyuk launched a lightning strike to neutralize the two energies. While being gradually overpowered, Viola flew in on a Sky Horse.
“What on Earth are you doing?”
“Valkyrie?”
Whistle-.
A whistle escaped Loki’s lips. A bubble-like water barrier engulfed Viola and the Sky Horse she rode.
Viola instinctively drew her sword and swung, but it was futile.
Loki’s magic remained unbroken. Trapped in the water bubble, Viola struggled.
“Stay put. Well, I don’t intend to let you out….”
Flash-!
At that moment, Loki’s vision flashed brightly.
With a thunderous noise, Loki’s cheek was singed.
Had he not reflexively deployed his magic, it would have been a much more dangerous blow.
It was a bolt of lightning fired by Lee Suhyuk while Loki was distracted by Viola.
“… This was quite good.”
“You blocked it.”
Suhyuk wore a perplexed expression behind his mask.
‘This won’t work.’
The opportunity Viola had created just before was the last one.
Having missed that chance, there was no other way to narrow the gap in their abilities.
There was an insurmountable difference in power between himself and Loki, no matter how many scenarios he considered.
‘From the start, this wasn’t an opponent meant to be overcome. Was revealing thunder from the beginning a mistake?’
Even while recalling the past tests in his mind, Loki’s spells flew toward him.
A giant ice spear shot up from the clouds aiming for his heart, flames wrapped around his body, and a gigantic hand, like that of a giant’s, descended from above.
‘There’s only one thing I can hope for.’
Every moment was a crisis, but Suhyuk’s gaze did not waver.
In response to Suhyuk’s determined eyes, Loki scoffed.
“Do you believe Tyr will help you?”
For the first time, Suhyuk’s eyes wavered at those words.
Perhaps noticing his words had hit the mark, Loki continued.
“He won’t come.”
“…How can you be so sure?”
“Because Heimdall is watching over him.”
“Heimdall?”
“Yes. Those far-seeing eyes of his are watching both father and Tyr. Right now, the two of them are in a place far, far away from Asgard.”
Tap, tap—
As he spoke, Loki tapped his eyes with his fingers.
“Did you think I would move without any insurance? ‘We’ are certain.”
We.
Indeed, Loki was alone and yet not alone.
The source of the initial sense of discomfort.
“…So, Heimdall is meddling.”
“You’re sharp as always. Yes, Heimdall chose me, not my brother. My brother couldn’t overcome the thunder, but if it were me….”
As he continued, Loki squinted.
Pfft, suppressing laughter was Suhyuk’s reaction. Though clearly cornered, he was laughing instead.
“What’s so funny?”
“Ah, now I somewhat understand.”
“Understand?”
“I wondered why you’re going around in such a complicated way, and it was because of Heimdall.”
Tyr and Odin.
There was a reason why those two couldn’t help him.
If he suspected Heimdall from the start, he would certainly act when Tyr and Odin couldn’t interfere.
According to Loki, Heimdall had a special ability.
No matter how far away, his two eyes could simultaneously watch Odin and Tyr.
Ssss—
As expected.
“You.”
Slowly, the surroundings changed as a new cutscene began.
“Missed someone, you idiot.”
* * *
An empty garden.
Heimdall, with his eyes closed, was watering the flowers.
It was a peaceful time, but internally, he was fighting an unseen war.
Having tended to his garden himself, he lifted his head. Soon, his eyes, which had been closed for over a thousand years, opened.
“…You are here.”
The dimly opened eyes of Heimdall were completely devoid of light.
Though they were far-sighted eyes, he had the power to see farther than anyone.
Crack-!
Soon, the sound of thunder echoed in the clear sky.
The garden that lightning struck burned black in an instant. Despite his carefully tended garden being ruined, Heimdall did not show any sign of displeasure.
No.
He even showed respect towards the man who appeared with the thunder.
“Congratulations on your return.”
“I won’t accept any greetings.”
A handsome man with blonde hair and blue radiance in his eyes.
Fallen from the dry sky, he was Thor, the first Lightning Lord and the son of the great Odin.
“You know why I’m here, don’t you?”
“Why have you discarded the thunder and gathered such residue?”
“Is that what you’re curious about now?”
“That’s not the only thing I’m curious about.”
What Heimdall asked was just one of the many questions that came to his mind.
“How did you regain your senses? Where did the thunder go? How did you know about me….”
Odin and Tyr. He thought he only needed to watch out for the two of them.
That’s why, the moment he decided to act, Heimdall monitored only their movements.
It was as tough a task as a life-and-death battle. Even for Heimdall, observing Odin and Tyr without being noticed was challenging.
“I thought losing my sight allowed me to see everything in this world, but now I feel blind again.”
“Why were you so obsessed with the thunder? You weren’t really trying to give it to that idiot Loki, were you?”
“Perhaps I know better what that item is.”
It was the power that made Heimdall lose his sight. Hence, Heimdall coveted thunder more than anyone else.
“Is it a desire for power?”
“Quite the opposite.”
Heimdall, who was tending the garden, put down the watering can he was holding and stretched out his hand.
“That is an object that must disappear from this world.”
Zzzt-.
A long, pure white sword was drawn from thin air into Heimdall’s outstretched hand. It was Heimdall’s weapon, unseen for a very long time.
Thor wanted to converse more with him.
But it was impossible. By the time they both gripped their weapons, the battle had already begun.
“…I shall hear the details after I’ve knocked you down.”
At that moment, boom-!
Thor’s hammer exploded above Heimdall’s head.
The battle between two of the highest gods representing Asgard had begun.
* * *
Zzzt-.
Loki’s eyes began to lose color just after the cutscene ended.
“Ugh… Ahhh!”
Loki clutched his eyes and screamed in pain.
The power of Heimdall, which had been nestled in his eyes, started to escape.
Boom-!
Suhyuk was not one to miss such a brief opportunity.
Clasping his hands together, he focused the lightning, creating a spear.
A spear combining lightning and thunder, it was the most powerful spear Suhyuk could unleash.
With a thunderous roar, the spear formed in his hands shot towards Loki.
Zzzt-!
“……!!!”
Loki, who had been writhing in pain just moments ago, opened his eyes wide.
In the split second when Heimdall’s power within him was severed, he was struck with a powerful blow.
Thwack-.
Loki’s body, along with the spear, flew far beyond Suhyuk’s sight.
It was a critical strike. Perhaps, this brief moment was the only chance given to Suhyuk to test the mindless enemy known as Loki.
“Aaaaaah-!”
In the distance, Loki’s scream echoed.
A sound blending pain and rage. Soon, he floated high into the sky with a large wound on his chest.
“How dare you… this insignificant creature…!”
Loki glared downward at Suhyuk in rage.
The wound on his chest had been scorched by the lightning and half-pierced, with the blood coagulated. It seemed he was furious about receiving such a grave injury from a human.
Planning to pierce his heart in one hit, Suhyuk clicked his tongue in disappointment.
“Ah, he’s not dead.”
And then, finding his composure, he spoke.
“From now on, I’ll be catching Loki. Anyone want to give me a mission?”