Those time travelers that year

But at this moment, seeing those burning dark golden eyes and the dark, destructive magical aura emanating from the Ciel, Loki finally snapped out of his arrogance and rage. The person before him was probably not a human living on Midgar, but rather someone from a realm beyond Midgar, just like himself.

"Who are you?!"

"Charles!" The twilight firelight shone brightly, darkness rolled at Charles's feet, and the raging flames seemed to have brought hell down to earth.

Hooray! We're going to try and finish before dawn today!

178. Ice and Fire

The raging flames spread outwards from the center of the fire, engulfing everything in their path that could burn. However, the unstoppable force brought by the high temperature of thousands of degrees was abruptly cut off after traveling dozens of meters.

On the other side, the deathly cold extinguished the flames, and the spreading frost robbed the high temperature in the air, hindering the rapidly expanding flames and even beginning to gradually erode the territory covered by the flames.

"I've never heard of any Asgardian being so skilled in ice power..." Watching the sea of ​​fire surrounding him gradually being eroded by the frost spreading from Loki's direction dozens of meters away, the Shire, his eyes burning with the colors of dusk, watched the spreading frost with intense interest through his extrasensory senses. "This reminds me of the ice giants of Jotunheim, not Asgard..."

"Shut up!" Loki shouted, interrupting the Shire. The next moment, the spreading frost transformed into a raging wind and blizzard. "You are provoking the King of Asgard! Kneel down now and beg for your pitiful life!" In the howling blizzard, countless ice spikes hurtled towards the Shire at supersonic speed. Each ice spike was like a spear, and these ultra-low-temperature ice spikes, carried by the blizzard, surged towards the Shire like an ancient army throwing javelins at the same time, blotting out the sky.

Facing Loki's frost magic, the Shire did not back down. The flames around him suddenly turned an ominous dark green, then rolled and converged, sending all the expanded territory into the howling blizzard. However, the converged flames transformed into a swirling fire tornado, effectively blocking the ice spikes and spears carried by the blizzard.

"Explode!!" As soon as Charles finished speaking, the fire tornado exploded. The flames, which had been gathered and compressed, were like a runaway horse and an arrow released from a bow, pushing back against the blizzard with even greater ferocity.

Ice and fire clashed, locked in a fierce struggle, followed by a violent explosion. The clash of these two opposing energies, constantly canceling and colliding with each other, unleashed a deafening shockwave that swept outwards in all directions.

A massive explosion erupted in the desert.

……

S.H.I.E.L.D. camp.

After the Shire and Loki clashed, the flames and blizzards that shot into the sky from afar shocked every human in the camp. It was a natural disaster: on one side, raging fire tore through the darkness; on the other, a blizzard that annihilated everything. The explosions from their collision roared through the camp, followed by violent earthquakes and the fierce winds that followed.

It was as if we had walked right into the zone of a Category 11 typhoon. Cars parked on the dunes were overturned, and tents erected in the sand were blown away. The gale-force winds whipped up countless grains of sand, which pounded against buildings and people with a deafening roar.

"Be careful! Everyone outside, drop what you're doing and get back inside!" At this moment, Coulson displayed the qualities of a competent commander, shouting into the pager, "Repeat! All personnel outside, immediately drop what you're doing and get out of the storm..."

"Is this really... a world war about to break out?" Hawkeye, who had managed to escape in time and return early, hadn't suffered the double attack of the storm and sandstorm like the agents outside. However, looking out through the tempered glass was still extremely terrifying. What appeared before him was a horrific natural disaster: the shockwave whipped up a fierce wind, carrying sand from the desert, turning it into a catastrophic sandstorm.

This was merely the aftermath of a battle between two monsters.

"Fuck, has everyone come back? Each squad, report your situation, repeat each squad report your situation..." Coulson glanced at the scene outside, cursed under his breath, and hurriedly urged the agents and other S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel still outside the building to rush into the building that had been hastily constructed for the research of Thor's hammer. Fortunately, although it was a temporary construction, the materials and technology used were the best in the world, and it wouldn't collapse in a strong wind like those shoddy projects.

After confirming that all the agents had returned to the building, Coulson and Hawkeye looked silently at the chaotic scene outside through the tempered glass. For the first time, Coulson felt that the world was no longer the one he knew, and was beyond the control of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Similarly, another person here was stunned by this sudden conflict: Thor, the former God of Thunder, who had lost all his divine power. Although he had lost all his power and become a mortal, his perception and awareness honed through countless battles, along with his past experience, allowed Thor to immediately sense the anomaly outside. Moreover, the hurried footsteps in the corridor outside his locked room told him just how terrible the situation was.

“That’s… the aura of the ice giants of Jotunheim…” Thor, dejected from his recent setbacks, felt the aura carried on the wind and his face showed terror. There was no mistake; he had just been to Jotunheim not long ago, met Laufey, the king of the ice giants, and even fought him. And now, that familiar, chilling aura undoubtedly originated from the power of Jotunheim. “How is this possible? How did the ice giants of Jotunheim get to Midgard? How did they cross the Kinggalon Gap?”

"Wait... Jane's still outside!!!!"

……

Just as Thor was worried about the safety of his new girlfriend, on the other side of the battlefield, the clash between ice and fire finally came to an end, with both sides evenly matched this time.

On one side is ancient frost gushing from the Ice Box, an artifact created during Jotunheim's most glorious era, the source of power for the entire Ice Giant race. Over a thousand years ago in the Norwegian city of Tunschberg, the invading Laufe used the Ice Box to unleash a winter that engulfed all of Europe. Once the Ice Box is fully opened, it will unleash a realm of death, plunging a world into eternal darkness, icy cold, a world devoid of time and temperature—this is the absolute zero that matter reaches when the kinetic energy of particles drops to the lowest point of quantum mechanics.

On the other side, a power called fel energy was poured into the flames, forming a demonic fire capable of devouring life and spreading destruction, thus consuming all life on the planet.

This clash is a draw, with one side unable to fully utilize the power of the divine artifacts and the other relying solely on their own strength.

"Cosmic desolation!" Shire stared intently at Loki, a look of surprise on his face. "So that's it. No wonder even Odin, the Allfather of Asgard, had to pay a considerable price to win against Laufey and his army... and after the victory, he directly seized and sealed away the artifact that was the source of the Ice Giants' power. So that's it, the power of the Casket of Ice embodies the simulation of cosmic desolation—this is the real deal, a power that shakes the entire universe."

"Hmph!" Loki snorted coldly, his face grim, and glared at Shire. It was truly unbelievable that even the Ice Box couldn't subdue this 'wizard.' Especially that destructive power he'd never seen before, capable of countering the Ice Box's divine power.

"How interesting that a guy who calls himself the king of Asgard is actually using an artifact from Jotunheim!"

"Enough! The game is over, wizard!" Loki roared. "Now, I will show you the true power of the ruler of Asgard!"

“I’m looking forward to it!” Charles spread his hands and shrugged. “But…”

Seeing the strange smile on Ciel's face, Loki suddenly felt uneasy.

A crimson light flashed in the sky, and a halo hundreds of meters long appeared out of thin air, followed by a surge of violent magic power descending from the heavens.

"I'm afraid you won't have another chance!"

The Sacrifice of Chaos

Second update

179. Phantom Army

A mushroom cloud bloomed in the desert sky under the night sky. All the humans who could see the mushroom cloud lost their voices at that moment. The rumbling sound echoed in the sky, and the fiery red light tore through the darkness and spread endless light.

The next moment, all the humans who could see the mushroom cloud panicked. After all, in human history, the moment a mushroom cloud rose meant the use of the ultimate weapon on this planet, capable of destroying an entire ecosystem dozens of times over.

The earthquake and hurricane finally arrived long after the mushroom clouds rose into the sky, leaving the already chaotic S.H.I.E.L.D. camp in even worse shape. However, the building materials used by S.H.I.E.L.D. were remarkably sturdy, and even now, facing the hurricane, they only experienced minor damage. But for those inside, however, this was no small matter. While the building itself offered some radiation protection, no one naively believed it could withstand the radiation from a nuclear explosion.

Fortunately, it wasn't a nuclear bomb, so there was no radiation. However, for the S.H.I.E.L.D. team, who were unaware of this, a series of chaotic situations unfolded without their knowledge.

And place it where the mushroom cloud rises.

This sandy area was completely sunken, and the intense heat of the flames turned it into a fiery red lava field. The scorching air was enough to kill any human being instantly, and every inch of this land contained a temperature high enough to melt steel.

Yet, even in this desolate place where life is forbidden, some people still survive.

Standing on temperatures high enough to incinerate flesh and blood, Charles showed absolutely no discomfort. Neither the intense heat and sulfurous odor in the air, nor the lava-covered ground, could cause him the slightest harm. Even his clothes remained undamaged.

Similarly, opposite him, a crackling sound rang out, and ice that shouldn't exist in this area formed a large block opposite Xia Er. Now, this block of ice was breaking apart and falling to the ground, revealing the figure inside.

"That's a refrigerator!" Looking at Loki, who had survived the meteor bombardment by conjuring a massive block of ice, and emerging from it, Sharl cursed under his breath, "Damn it, Blizzard's influence is just too much..." The three mage skills—Polymorph, Blink, and the invulnerable Ice Block—no matter the version, Blizzard always manages to make mages... well, let's just say they're not exactly mages, and then turn around and stab warlocks in the back. "Why don't you guys go learn from Riot Games and stab Irelia?!"

However, while Ciel was bewildered by the opponent's invincible refrigerator, Loki himself was also suffering. Although he had managed to survive the meteor impact thanks to the power of the Ice Box artifact, he was still in considerable pain.

Loki, who had just escaped from the ice, stared intently at the Shire ahead of him, looking somewhat disheveled, his face extremely gloomy.

"Damn wizard, your little tricks are all over!" Loki said in a gloomy tone. "Well then, now it's my turn!" The next moment, a faint golden light shone, and then, one, two, three... countless phantoms emerged from Loki's body. In just a dozen breaths, dozens or even hundreds of identical 'Loki's', with the same expressions and clothes, formed a small army opposite the Shire.

“A real mirror image…” Sharl stared in astonishment at the scene before him. He had seen mirror images before; on Azeroth, a mage's mirror image could continuously cast Frostbolts. But no matter what, a mirror image was still just a mirror image. Yet now, the large group of 'Loki' in front of Sharl was all real.

Even with his extrasensory perception activated, there was no difference in aura, temperature, appearance, or texture of existence. All the 'Loki's' appearing before Ciel were real and authentic.

Unintelligible, unanalyzable... Even with a super-sensory field of vision capable of calculating even the number of atoms, it's impossible to distinguish which of the dozens or hundreds of 'Loki' figures before you is real and which are illusions.

“It’s all real!” Charles narrowed his eyes. “How is that possible? Even a clone couldn’t be exactly the same as the original!”

Seeing Shire's surprise, the Lokis simultaneously sneered and asked at the same time, "What's wrong? Wizard, can you tell which parts of this are real and which are illusions?"

"Of course, as the King of Asgard, I will mercifully tell you that every one of me here truly exists. How many of me can you handle? Hahaha, hahahahaha!"

"You can try it, God of Deception!" Charles smirked. While it was impossible for him to face dozens or even hundreds of 'Lokis' in the current situation, Charles didn't believe they were all real. At most, they would be like shadow clones; no matter how similar they were, they would always be vastly different from the original.

"Then we'll look forward to seeing you kneeling on the ground, weeping and begging for mercy!"

As soon as the words were spoken, a weapon appeared in the hands of hundreds of 'Loki's': some were longswords, some were hand axes, some were spears, and there were also bows and arrows, javelins, long swords, and so on. The next moment, all the 'Loki's' moved and charged towards the Shire. The forest of weapons and blades made it feel as if one had entered a battlefield of cold weapons.

The line between reality and illusion blurred at this moment; reality was illusion, and conversely, illusion was reality. These 'Loki's', wielding their sharp blades and spears with murderous intent, surrounded Ciel like layers of phantoms, and then countless swords and blades, carrying a chilling killing intent, mercilessly slashed down at Ciel.

"What's that saying again?" Faced with the onslaught of swords wielded by hundreds of 'Loki's', Ciel didn't do what he used to do: use Apparition to create distance and then unleash a fireball. Instead, he calmly and interestingly faced the incoming swords.

With a swift movement of his hands, he grasped two semi-transparent blue longswords, one on the left and one on the right.

"A mage who can't fight in melee is not a good mage!"

With twin swords in hand, Charles's aura instantly changed, transforming him into a sharp blade drawn from its sheath, charging directly towards the Loki army.

Loki, charging at the forefront, swung his spear at Ciel. Faced with this attack, faster than a bullet, Ciel's pupils contracted, and the twilight flames in his eyes suddenly blazed. His extrasensory vision instantly changed, countless lines and afterimages appearing in Ciel's eyes.

Then, facing the spear's thrust, Charles shifted his body slightly, narrowly avoiding the attack. He then bent down, turned, and sidestepped, dodging the longsword swinging from behind. Next, he tilted his head to the left, avoiding a thrown javelin, and with his sword-wielding hands horizontally, he delivered a horizontal slash that sliced ​​the two 'Loki's' beside him in half at the waist.

It's past midnight!

180. Giving up treatment

With a horizontal slash, he killed both 'Loki's'. However, the 'Loki's' body, cut in half at the waist, did not splatter blood as is expected. Instead, the severed body twisted in mid-air and vanished in a flash.

However, the two Loki were merely a tiny fraction of the Loki army. After Ciel swung his sword and cut down the two Loki mirror images, the remaining Loki who surrounded him also ruthlessly swung their weapons at Ciel.

A rapier thrust in from the other side. In Loki's hands, this narrow-bladed slender sword moved like a living thing, darting up and down like a nimble fish. In an instant, dozens of flashes of light struck various parts of the Shire's body, including vital organs such as the eyes, throat, and heart. Loki's exquisite swordsmanship, the streaks of light he unleashed, demonstrated his exceptional combat skills.

This is understandable, as many people may not consider Loki famous for hand-to-hand combat. In Asgard, when people mention incredibly brave warriors, they generally think of Thor, the god of thunder; Tyr, the god of war; or Brunhilde, the Valkyrie who commands Valhalla—all gods known for their valor and fearlessness on the battlefield. In Earth's mythology, Loki is more often seen as the god of mischief, a 'clown' who plays tricks and schemes.

However, if you think about it, as one of the gods of Asgard, and a brother of Thor who grew up together, and even fought alongside Thor, how could he not be skilled in close combat?! Perhaps he can't surpass Thor or Tyr... but he is by no means inferior.

This swordsmanship, even in the era of cold weapons, would make him a renowned swordsman of his time. In addition, Loki is also skilled in the use of magic, and in terms of strategy and talent, he is no less than Thor.

If it were someone else, they might have been killed by this god of fraud.

However, Ciel's awakened extrasensory perception is like having a cheat code. Future vision, something completely inexplicable by science, resides within Ciel's extrasensory perception. In essence, future vision simply reveals the greatest possibility among various possibilities, and for someone with extrasensory perception who can calculate even atomic arrangements and spatial structures with a mere thought, calculating future possibilities is a piece of cake.

In fact, Charles was also puzzled by this. He wondered why his brain could withstand such a terrifying amount of information without being overwhelmed. He couldn't understand it, but that didn't stop him from using it.

Facing the dozens of sword beams unleashed by 'Loki', his extrasensory perception revealed the trajectory of each beam and its single, obvious weakness. Then, a sword in one hand thrust forward, tearing the beams apart. Following this, another blade slashed horizontally. The blade vibrated in mid-air before striking 'Loki' with his rapier, creating a semi-transparent ripple that spread outwards.

With a thud, the illusion of 'Loki' attacking with a rapier shattered, and at the same time, other illusions behind it that were affected by the translucent ripple also burst and disappeared like popped bubbles.

The [Mighty Swing] skill comes from the Dota world of [Wandering Swordsman].

The soul left behind by the [Wandering Swordsman] has been corrupted by the abyss, turning him into a wandering spirit. Similarly, his power and skills have theoretically merged with Ciel's Reality Boundary. Skills and techniques that Ciel couldn't use before that night, became usable after gaining extrasensory perception.

In just two breaths, Loki lost over ten illusions. However, this didn't stop Loki's actions; the remaining illusions continued to relentlessly attack Shire with their weapons. And every weapon—sword, blade, spear, or battle axe—was wielded with incredible skill by Loki. A thousand years is enough time for someone initially unskilled in martial arts to become a master if they are willing to learn, let alone a god.

However, facing the attacks of 'Loki' and his allies, thanks to his superhuman futuristic vision, none of the weapons swung at him could even touch a fraction of Ciel's body. Parrying, dodging, counterattacking—it was like a stage play. Ciel's two longswords flashed with streaks of azure light: spinning slashes, dual-blade slashes after a spin, cross-cutting downward slashes followed by upward slashes, thrusting attacks, and then downward slashes…

Each sword beam could directly sever an illusion of 'Loki', while at the same time, the skill effect of [Great Strength Swing] created ripples that spread outwards, strangling and killing other 'Loki's'.

From the start of the battle to the slaying of the last 'Loki', in just a short time, a total of sixteen sword lights directly killed off the illusions of over a hundred 'Loki's'.

However, none of these are real; they are all illusions.

"Tsk..." After cutting down all the 'Loki' illusions, Ciel dispelled the magic sword in his hand.

“I think I should change my perception of you…” Loki’s arrogant voice rang out from the other side. Ciel turned around and saw a completely unharmed new Loki standing dozens of meters away, holding a scepter and looking at Ciel with disdain. “You are not only a wizard with powerful magic, but also a swordsman of sufficient skill.”

"Should I be pleased with your praise, God of Asgard?" Sharl looked at Loki with a half-smile, his eyes filled with wariness. Sharl couldn't analyze or understand the illusion spell Loki used from beginning to end. The subtle, perfectly replicated illusions were beyond Sharl's previous understanding. Compared to that, the mages of Azeroth who only knew how to fire simple ice arrows were utterly pathetic!

Even the illusions created by spellcasters with the status of archmages or grand mages cannot compare to Loki's trick. How can I put it? He truly deserves to be called the god of deception in Norse mythology.

It's on a completely different level from the comical 'clown' in the movies.

Only then can one have the demeanor of a god of deception.

"If you surrender now, kneel before me, and swear allegiance to me, the King of Asgard, then I will forgive your disrespect!"