Chapter 73: The Steadfast Loki of the Multiverse
At Kamar-Taj...
The Ancient One, the Sorcerer Supreme and Guardian of Earth, sat quietly sipping a cup of tea. Across from her sat an elderly, one-eyed man with snow-white hair and an eye patch.
These two were none other than the Ancient One and Odin, the All-Father, who together could sweep through the entire universe.
"You've gone too far with this matter involving Laufey," the Ancient One softly admonished.
She was always calm and gentle, her tone forever indifferent as if she had transcended everything, caring little for the world.
Odin sighed bitterly. "I'm dying. I have to pave the way for peace across the Nine Realms."
"So you've chosen to bring the battle to Midgard?" The Ancient One placed her tea cup down gently.
Odin, knowing well the terrifying power of the person before him, quickly clarified, "No, more accurately, the battle is confined to the Arctic. I can assure you, Laufey and his forces will not leave that continent."
The Ancient One, unexpectedly, did not pursue the matter further. She only offered a mild warning, "Let this be the last time."
Seeing that the subject was dropped, Odin took the opportunity to joke, "However, with such a capable individual emerging from Midgard, are you sure you can retire peacefully?"
Odin tested the waters, "How about the two of us teaming up to eliminate this unstable element?"
"If you've come here for that, you may leave now," the Ancient One said firmly, effectively dismissing Odin.
If you want to die, don't drag me down with you!
When Ethan first appeared in this world, the Ancient One had considered whether to eliminate him. After all, no matter which future timeline she observed, Ethan was always a person who didn't follow conventional rules. However, in the infinite possible futures, she could only glimpse fragments of his existence and two likely outcomes.
In the first scenario, if she intervened, the entire world would be destroyed, and the multiverse would begin to collapse. Most frustratingly, Ethan would cause havoc and then simply slip away, continuing his chaos in another universe. He truly embodied the Foundation's motto: "We secure, we contain, we protect... and we lose control."
In the second scenario, she did nothing, allowed him to grow, and ultimately retired in peace. But by then, Ethan would have evolved into something even she could not predict—The Warden of the Uncountable, The Walking Containment Vault, The Unifier of Worlds, The Source of All Evil...
Although not titles of honor, at least the world would still exist.
Between the lesser of two evils, the Ancient One knew which to choose.
Odin, confused, stared at the Ancient One. She was letting this unpredictable figure roam free. Had the dark forces of the Dark Dimension corrupted her mind?
The Ancient One, with a serious expression, advised Odin, "For the sake of our centuries of friendship, I offer you this advice: do not provoke him. Otherwise, he will be the end of the gods—the fall of Asgard."
Knowing that the Ancient One possessed the Time Stone and could foresee the future, Odin asked, puzzled, "What makes this man so dangerous in your eyes?"
"I cannot say! All I can reveal is that even now, he has the power to drag Asgard into the grave with him. Oh, and by the way, he might not even die—because even I don't know how many lives he has."
Taking her words seriously, Odin, ever the wise king, nodded, "I understand."
He vanished in a beam of light from the Bifrost, disappearing from the room.
Watching him leave, the Ancient One shook her head. "Still as rude as ever," she murmured. In the various timelines she had seen, Odin's fate was never pleasant—either he was devoured by a giant lizard or met bizarre deaths like choking on a pizza. No matter what, Ethan seemed to have the god king at his mercy.
Out of kindness, she had offered a friendly warning. Whether Odin heeded it or not was his own decision.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic...
Fury had regrouped, leading an army of twenty thousand to assault the Frost Giant camp. As a prudent director, he valued his own life and chose to command from a distance, preferring the comfort of an air-conditioned office over the battlefield.
Within the Frost Giant camp, after completing a prophecy, the Grand Priest collapsed at the altar, drained of energy. Laufey rushed to his side in concern, demanding, "Well? Did you locate the thief who stole the Casket of Ancient Winters?"
"He's in the sky above this continent... but I couldn't find the Casket. Moreover, I foresee the fall of the Frost Giants. King, we must return to Jotunheim. I have seen..."
Snap!
Laufey, his hand tightening around the Grand Priest's throat, snapped his neck without hesitation.
The priest, shocked, looked at his king in disbelief. "I... I am your uncle!"
"You talk too much, Uncle," Laufey whispered coldly. "We have no path of retreat now."
Laying the priest down, Laufey gazed up at the sky with deep intensity. "So you're hiding up there, are you? Too bad I couldn't bring the frost dragons through the portal... but no matter, I also know space magic!"
A messenger interrupted him, "King! S.H.I.E.L.D. forces have returned, and they've sent ground troops charging toward us!"
"They dare approach us again?" Laufey mused, surprised that fragile humans would launch an attack against giants several times their strength. Was this a death wish?
"Prepare our forces! Let's give those weaklings a lesson they'll never forget!" Laufey commanded, and thus began the land war between the Frost Giants and the U.S. military.
In the blizzard-swept Arctic, most of the U.S. forces were infantry, with only a single tank battalion and no air support. As the Frost Giants charged, they were met with artillery fire.
Despite the storm rendering long-range artillery ineffective, short-range rocket launchers and tank shells were still operational. The Frost Giants, closing within 2,000 meters of the U.S. forces, suffered their first casualties. The explosions claimed many of the smaller giants, but the larger ones, using their bloodline powers to form icy armor, weathered the assault.
Within moments, the giants closed the gap, bringing the two sides into brutal close combat.
From his command center aboard a flying fortress, Ethan watched the carnage below with disinterest, shaking his head. "What kind of idiot would engage Frost Giants in close combat?"
Ah, they were forced into it. That explains it.
Meanwhile, Laufey, standing at the rear of his forces, closed his eyes, feeling the blizzard's response to his magic. He wasn't concerned with the battle below—his focus was on locating Ethan.
As far as Laufey was concerned, nothing else mattered, not even his Frost Giant warriors or their enemies. Only the Casket of Ancient Winters mattered.
"I've found you," Laufey whispered, his eyes locking onto a distant point in the sky.
A flash of icy blue light flickered in the sky.
In his command center, Ethan suddenly paused. His instincts told him something was wrong. Turning around, he saw Laufey stepping out of the shadows.
Alarms blared. "Warning! Unknown enemy detected!"
Ethan looked at Laufey, not particularly surprised, but still a little disappointed.
"You shouldn't have come," Ethan sighed.
Laufey, with manic determination, declared, "But I have! Hand over the Casket of Ancient Winters, and I'll spare your life!"
"Why can't you understand?" Ethan replied calmly. "I didn't want you to come because I was trying to protect you."
Ethan's eyes turned an icy blue, and he raised his hand. A wave of cold energy—absolute zero—rushed towards Laufey, catching him off guard.
Laufey hadn't expected such a sudden attack, especially not before they had even exchanged many words. "How is this possible?" Laufey stared in horror at the frost energy approaching him. This was the power of the Casket of Ancient Winters.
How was this man controlling it? Did he have the blood of the Frost Giants?
But that couldn't be right! Even with Frost Giant blood, no one could fully control the Casket like this.
As his world was turned upside down, Laufey realized that coming here had indeed been a fatal mistake.
In an instant, Laufey was frozen into an ice sculpture by the power of the Casket of Ancient Winters.
With a wry smile, Ethan stepped closer and sealed the frozen Laufey within a containment space.
Ding! Congratulations, you have successfully contained: SCP-MC-166—Laufey, King of the Frost Giants!
Ding! You have gained the power of Extreme Cold (Greatly enhanced strength while in Jotunheim).
Ding! You have gained the power to control ice and weather (limited to cold climates).
Ding! You have gained mastery of the Law of Ice (Superior to ice magic).
Listening to the system's notifications, Ethan couldn't help but smile in satisfaction. "Not bad. The Frost Giant King didn't disappoint."
Though Laufey's intrusion had been unexpected, Ethan was pleased with the results. Especially the power of extreme cold, which granted him near invincibility while in Jotunheim—enough to dominate anyone below the cosmic scale.
"But why does every realm have its unique power—like Asgard's strength and Jotunheim's extreme cold—yet Midgard has none?" Ethan wondered.
Tony Stark hurried into the command center, feeling the chilling atmosphere as soon as he entered. Wrapping his arms around himself, he asked, "What happened? Was there some sudden cold front?"
Shrugging off Stark's question, Ethan merely smiled, "No big deal, just a slight breeze."
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