Chapter 184: Chapter 184: Thunderstorm Magic Unleashed (Part 1)
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"Quick, get all the artisans to build temporary floating platforms!"
Retreating to the rear to observe the battle, Loki quickly realized something was amiss.
The Rainbow Bridge was narrow, allowing only six Asgardian soldiers to attack at a time, while the defenders also numbered six, creating a 6v6 standoff.
The real issue arose when the six Asgardian soldiers were defeated—rather than being sent plummeting into the starry abyss beneath the bridge, they were merely knocked down onto the ground.
The soldiers in the back couldn't possibly push their fallen comrades off the bridge, and in order to continue attacking, they had to move the injured soldiers back for treatment.
This delay provided the defenders with much-needed breathing room.
Each time the attackers were repelled, they could rest before the next wave, making the task feel effortless.
If this continued, the Asgardian soldiers—already lacking much enthusiasm—might eventually wear down.
Though Asgard had a population of fifty thousand, fewer than ten thousand were actual Asgardian soldiers.
Loki knew he couldn't let this situation drag on, so he ordered the artisans to build floating platforms. With these, the Asgardian soldiers could swarm the area, at least dozens of them attacking from different directions. He was eager to see how the defenders would cope.
Soon, the Asgardian artisans appeared, carrying strange golden instruments around the Rainbow Bridge.
As they activated the devices, beams of golden light connected the platforms, forming a massive floating platform that linked with the Rainbow Bridge, centered around the control room.
On this enormous platform, there was no longer any danger of falling due to battle, and the defenders no longer had to squeeze onto the narrow Rainbow Bridge.
"This is bad!"
Seeing the Asgardian soldiers surge from all directions, Steve and the others instantly recognized the gravity of the situation.
Indeed, with the appearance of the giant floating platforms, the attacking force of the Asgardian soldiers instantly multiplied, their strength more than tenfold. The pressure on the defenders increased significantly, and the defense line began to show signs of collapsing.
At this point, Steve no longer held back, using Mjolnir to summon lightning to assist in the battle.
But, unlike Thor, Steve lacked the bloodline of the Odin family. His power from Mjolnir was the only source of his lightning abilities, and while he could rely on his combat skills in close quarters, this specialized magic felt much weaker.
"Banner, it's your turn!"
Seeing the three Valkyries and Sif starting to take injuries, and Wolverine impaled by several weapons that he didn't have time to remove, Steve knew they could no longer wait. He called for Banner.
Banner, ever willing to risk life and limb to save others, didn't hesitate. He shouted and rushed forward, charging at the Asgardian soldiers.
Just as one of the soldiers instinctively lunged at him with a weapon, the Hulk emerged.
"HULK!"
The Hulk roared, swinging his massive arms and sending a large number of Asgardian soldiers flying.
"Hulk, help them!"
Seeing the Hulk in action, Betty immediately called out to him.
The Hulk turned to her, nodded, and joined the fray.
With the Hulk on their side, the situation quickly calmed down.
Loki, watching this, clenched his teeth in rage.
"Damn mortals, if that's how it is, then all of you shall die!"
He raised the Eternal Spear and began summoning the Guardian Destroyer from Odin's vault. Soon, a massive suit of magical armor, forged from Uru metal, landed before him.
"Go, deal with them!"
The Destroyer leapt forward and instantly fired a powerful high-temperature beam from its face, knocking the Hulk back.
This only enraged the Hulk further. He roared, stood up, and charged at the Destroyer, initiating a fierce brawl.
The Hulk's incredible defense and regenerative ability met the Destroyer's near-indestructibility, and the two clashed fiercely, unable to overcome each other.
However, without the Hulk's protection, the battle tilted back in favor of the Asgardian soldiers.
Steve realized that he couldn't hold out much longer on his own.
"Now, let's see what you do next!"
Loki stood behind the Asgardian soldiers, laughing maniacally. If things continued as they were, his plan would soon come to fruition.
But just as he gloated, dark clouds began to gather above the Rainbow Bridge control room, crackling with countless lightning bolts.
"What's going on?"
Loki turned toward Steve, noticing it wasn't Thor's thunder that was at play.
"Finally finished,"
At that moment, George opened his eyes, twirling his right index finger, and stepped out of the control room.
"It's time to show them the true power!"
The scene was chaotic as George raised his right hand to the sky, shouting:
"Ancient Magic: Thunderstorm Descends!"
Immediately, the dark clouds that had gathered above the Rainbow Bridge control room unleashed a torrent of lightning, cascading downward in a dense barrage.
The Asgardian soldiers struck by the bolts of lightning were instantly incapacitated, their bodies wracked with spasms. If not for the weapons they held, many would have fallen to the ground, unable to stand.
Although George's skill in ancient magic didn't compare to the one-eyed old man, his enchanted alloy ring amplified his magical abilities far better than a wand from Harry Potter's world.
As a result, the power of his magic exceeded even the strength of the spell the old one-eyed man had cast on the magical street in France.
However, the Asgardian soldiers' physical strength was formidable; even though lightning would turn a normal person into a crispy, charred mess with a single strike, these soldiers only experienced weakness and were unable to exert their full strength.
But that was enough.
With their bodies weakened and unable to fight, Steve and the others could now easily overpower them.
Soon, the Asgardian soldiers within the reach of the lightning were completely eliminated.
The soldiers outside the range of the storm were still fine for the moment, but anyone who ventured into the zone would be paralyzed by the lightning. They hesitated to approach further.
"Steve, go help Hulk. Use your Mjolnir to destroy that magic armor!"
Seeing the Asgardian soldiers under control, George immediately sent a mental command to Steve. Upon hearing this, Steve grabbed Mjolnir and charged toward the Destroyer.
His lightning magic was ineffective against the Destroyer, but defeating the armor would require Mjolnir's power.
Once the Destroyer was defeated, the Hulk could rejoin the battle, and with George's ancient magic, even an army of Asgardian soldiers wouldn't stand a chance.
Ancient magic worked by channeling the caster's inner magical power to connect with natural forces. The lightning generated consumed natural energy, not magic, and George's magic only served to maintain that connection.
As long as George's body could handle it, the thunderstorm could continue until Odin awoke tomorrow.
"Charge forward! Let's see how long his magic can hold out!"
Loki, seeing cracks begin to appear in the Destroyer's armor under the combined assault of Hulk and Steve, was taken aback. He immediately shouted to the remaining Asgardian soldiers.
(End of Chapter)