The King's Bedchamber – Asgard
Arthur and Laufey faced each other across the frozen expanse of the throne room.
The Frost Giant King stood nine feet tall, ice-armor forming across his body like a second skin. His crimson eyes burned with a hatred older than human civilization, and the temperature dropped with every passing second.
"You have spirit, little mage," Laufey said, his voice like grinding glaciers. "But spirit does not stop the winter. It only makes it colder when the warmth finally leaves your body."
Arthur tilted his head. "You know, for the King of a realm made entirely of ice, I expected something more impressive. More... crystalline. Majestic. You just look like a very large, very blue man with anger issues."
Laufey's crimson eyes narrowed. "Insolence."
The Frost Giant King slammed his foot down.
The temperature in the room didn't just drop - it plummeted. An absolute zero flash-freeze that had nothing to do with natural cold and everything to do with ancient Jötunn magic. Ice crystals bloomed across the walls, the ceiling, the golden pillars. The air itself turned to white mist as moisture flash-froze.
Arthur's warming charm held, keeping the biting cold at bay, but his attention went immediately to the sleeping figure behind him.
The Allfather lay vulnerable in his golden cocoon, and frost was already creeping across the protective barrier.
He couldn't fight here. Not with Odin in the crossfire.
Time to relocate.
Arthur stamped his foot and pushed.
Heat erupted from him in a spherical wave. Not fire but pure thermal energy. The frost covering the throne room flash-evaporated, filling the chamber with dense, swirling fog.
Laufey sneered, sensing Arthur's heat signature through the mist. "Hiding in the fog? Coward."
He prepared to lunge, stepping forward—
And fell.
"What—?"
The floor was gone. A glowing orange portal had opened directly beneath his massive feet, and Laufey plunged through it into darkness.
"Enjoy the trip," Arthur called after him.
He'd created the same infinite falling loop he'd used on Loki. Father and son, experiencing identical humiliation.
There was a certain poetry to it.
Arthur waved his hand, dispersing the fog with a cleaning charm. The throne room was damaged but intact. Odin remained safe, his golden barrier unmarred.
Just then the doors burst open.
Frigga stood in the entrance, her face pale with worry, her hands blazing with defensive magic. She took in the scene. The lingering frost, the fading fog, her husband still sleeping peacefully, and her gaze locked onto Arthur.
"Where is the Frost Giant?" she demanded, ready for battle. "Where is my son?"
"Queen Frigga." Arthur inclined his head respectfully. "Loki fled toward the Bifrost. Thor pursues him. As for Laufey..." He gestured vaguely. "Temporarily indisposed. But not for long."
Frigga's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"
"A friend of your son's." Arthur was already moving toward the balcony. "I'll explain everything later. Right now, I have a king to finish."
He vanished before she could respond.
—
Outside the Palace
Arthur Apparated to a courtyard beyond the palace walls, his magical senses already screaming warnings.
The pocket dimension was destabilizing.
Laufey was far more powerful than Loki. The Frost Giant King wasn't simply falling through the infinite loop, he was actively tearing at the dimensional walls, using brute magical force to shatter what should have been an inescapable prison.
And he was succeeding.
Arthur's expression hardened. If the dimension collapsed on its own, there was no telling where Laufey might emerge. Near Odin. Near civilians. Near the Bifrost, where Thor was already fighting Loki.
He needed to control the exit point.
Another Apparition carried him to an open plaza far from the palace. Gardens surrounded him on three sides, beautiful but empty. The fourth side opened onto a view of the Bifrost, the rainbow bridge stretching toward the distant Observatory.
Open ground, no civilians and room to maneuver.
Perfect.
"Eve," Arthur said. "Battle mode."
Metal began flowing from his ordinary-looking bracelet. Black nanites spread across his skin like liquid mercury, covering his body with a sleek, black vibranium-weave suit.
The faceplate came last, sliding down to seal him in completely. The HUD flickered to life, painting the world in streams of blue data.
"Systems online," Eve's voice sounded in his ear. "Warning: Connection to main servers lost. Scanning environment..."
She paused for a microsecond, processing the impossible architecture and the ambient energy readings.
"Accessing offline archives. Cross-referencing visual data with Earth databases... Match found. Location: Asgard."
Another pause.
"Hostile entity matches descriptions of Jötunn, Laufey, King of Frost Giants. Strategic Recommendation: Send target directly to Coordinates X-99 in the Andromeda dead zone. The target possesses no spatial travel abilities. Survival probability: 0%. Victory certainty: 100%."
Arthur smiled behind the mask. "Excellent recommendation, Eve. Now can you guess what I'm going to do instead?"
"Processing..." Eve sounded almost resigned. "Master's facial features and heart rate indicate elevated excitement. Specifically, excitement for combat. This suggests risk-taking behavior."
"You know me well." Arthur's grin widened. "It's been years since I've had a real fight. Sparring with Carol and the Ancient One isn't satisfying anymore. They know all my tricks, and I know all of theirs. I want to stretch my legs. I want to have some fun. And who better than the King of Frost Giants? The being who battled Odin across millennia?"
"Risk assessment indicates a non-zero chance of serious injury. Lack of combat data on this opponent suggests elevated danger."
"Exactly. We need the data for future battles against truly powerful beings. Consider this a field test."
"Data acquisition is a valid priority," Eve conceded. The HUD shifted from navigation mode to combat analysis. "And there is a reliable fallback plan if engagement proves unfavorable. Very well. Combat protocols engaged. Recording initiated."
"Let's set the stage then."
Arthur didn't release Laufey yet. Instead, nanites detached from the back of his suit and floated around him, spreading out to form a complex lattice structure. Runes etched into the metal flared with golden light.
HUMMM.
A golden energy shield materialized between the lattice points, forming a protective dome around Arthur's position.
"Shield matrix established," Eve reported. "Barrier integrity at 100%. Estimated durability: seven to ten direct strikes from a being of Laufey's estimated power level. Ready for engagement."
"Showtime."
Arthur flicked his wrist toward the open plaza floor outside his dome.
A portal tore open in the air.
Laufey, King of the Frost Giants, shot out of it like a blue comet. He slammed into the stone pavement with enough force to shatter the granite slabs, sending dust and debris billowing into the air.
The Frost Giant rose from the crater instantly, shaking off the impact like it was nothing. Ice armor crackled and formed over his massive frame, his crimson eyes burning with humiliated rage.
"You..." Laufey's voice was a growl that shook the air. "You dare—"
"I dare quite a lot, actually," Arthur's synthesized voice cut him off.
Laufey's gaze found the mortal encased in the glowing energy dome. Hiding. His lip curled.
"A barrier," he growled. "You believe this can protect you from me? You believe wrong."
He roared, summoning a massive double-bladed axe made of black ice.
"I will freeze the marrow in your bones!"
Laufey charged. He covered the distance in a blur, bringing the axe down with enough force to cleave a mountain.
CRASH.
The axe slammed into the shield. The energy rippled like water, converting the kinetic force into harmless light, but the barrier didn't even crack.
Arthur stood calmly inside the dome, arms crossed, watching his HUD as the giant roared and struck again.
"Barrier integrity at 94%," Eve reported. "Functioning within expected parameters."
"Good. The shield can withstand sustained assault. Now let's begin Phase One: Spell testing."
Golden sparks appeared around one of his hands, and soon the area around Laufey was covered in small golden portals. The portals moved in unpredictable patterns, circling the Frost Giant like predatory fish.
Laufey tensed, preparing to defend against whatever the mage was planning. He did not intend to fall into that endless void again.
Then Arthur, with his free hand, started casting a chain of spells.
'Stupefy.'
Jets of red light passed into a small portal in front of Arthur and emerged from the portals outside, streaking toward their target. Laufey dodged the first two, but the third caught him square in the chest. The next three hit him in rapid succession.
The giant who had been braced for pain... laughed. He hadn't felt anything.
"I overestimated you, mortal." Laufey's voice dripped with contempt. "This is child's play."
Arthur ignored him. All of this was expected. If beginner Hogwarts spells could take down Laufey, then Arthur would have started doubting reality itself. This was just for Eve to record proper baseline data.
He cast the next series of spells.
'Incarcerous.'
Conjured ropes wrapped around Laufey's arm. The Frost Giant didn't even strain to break them, they snapped like wet paper against his strength. He laughed louder.
Then came the next set of spells in Arthur's testing chain. Prank spells. Color charms. Transfiguration hexes. They hit the unbothered Laufey and should have transformed him into a ridiculous multicolored clown giant.
But nothing happened. The spells simply... faded against his skin.
"Standard hexes ineffective," Eve noted. "Target magical resistance: Exceptionally high. Recommend escalation to combat-grade spellwork."
Arthur agreed. Escalating steadily, he sent a series of Bombardas and Reductos through the portals.
Red bolts of energy shot out, striking Laufey in the chest. They shattered against his ice armor, but not uselessly. Arthur saw dents forming where the spells had impacted, and the explosive force caused Laufey to take one step back.
"Pathetic!" Laufey roared, summoning a blizzard that hammered against Arthur's shield, turning the energy barrier white with frost. "Asgard's trainee mages strike harder than this! It is time to end your game!"
Arthur ignored the posturing and escalated further.
'Bombarda Maxima.'
He thrust his hand forward. A massive white explosion engulfed the Frost Giant. The shockwave blew out the windows of surrounding buildings and sent a pressure wave rolling across the plaza.
When the smoke cleared, Laufey was standing in a crater. He grunted, ice chips flying from his armor. Bruises were visible in places not covered by ice.
And he wasn't laughing anymore.
"Combat-grade spells showing effect," Eve reported. "Target damage threshold identified. Bombarda Maxima classified as minimum effective force. Recommend continued escalation."
"You..." Laufey growled, something dangerous entering his voice. "You are testing me. You treat this battle as some kind of experiment."
Arthur finally replied. "Data calibration. Nothing personal."
Laufey roared in fury and raised his hands. The ground erupted around the dome. Massive pillars of ice shot up from below and all sides, trying to crush Arthur's shield through sheer pressure.
"Warning," Eve stated. "Shield integrity at 67%. Magical density of hostile attacks is increasing significantly."
"Next level it is," Arthur said, his eyes narrowing.
He raised his hand. The air grew heavy with dark intent.
'Fiendfyre.'
Cursed fire erupted from his wandless hand - a living, screaming torrent of magma-colored flames that took the shape of a phoenix. It passed through the portals and lunged at Laufey with predatory hunger.
Laufey responded with a wall of ice three feet thick.
The phoenix hit the wall… and ate through it. The cursed flames didn't just melt the ice; they consumed it, growing larger and stronger with each inch devoured.
Laufey's eyes widened. For the first time, something approaching concern crossed his ancient features. He threw himself sideways just in time. The phoenix's claws passed inches from his face, close enough to singe blue skin black.
Arthur conjured more Fiendfyre. A serpent of dark flame. A wolf made of living fire. Each construct moved with predatory intelligence, coordinating their attacks, herding Laufey toward the center of the plaza.
The Frost Giant King fought back with everything he had. Waves of absolute cold that would have extinguished normal flames. Blades of ice that cut through the constructs only for them to reform moments later. Storms of frozen shrapnel that the Fiendfyre simply consumed and converted into more fuel.
"Target is exhibiting genuine evasive behavior," Eve noted. "Stress indicators elevated. Cursed fire classified as high-threat countermeasure. Recommend maintaining pressure."
Arthur smiled grimly. The magical testing was proceeding well.
He had other spells in his repertoire, some stronger than Fiendfyre, but they weren't needed here. Perhaps not even suitable for this particular battle. Besides, he didn't want to kill Laufey yet. There were other tests to conduct.
Still, he couldn't help a moment of frustration. There was one spell he desperately wanted to test against a being of Laufey's caliber.
The Killing Curse. Avada Kedavra. It could potentially end the battle in a single instant. He wanted to know if it was as absolute against beings like Laufey as it was against mortals.
But he couldn't cast it. Not in this battle. Perhaps not ever.
And it wasn't because he had moral reservations against the Unforgivables. That internal debate had been resolved after his conversations with the Ancient One long ago. The problem was simpler and far more frustrating.
He simply couldn't cast it at will.
The Killing Curse required specific emotional and intent requirements. There must be genuine hatred—not anger, but pure, unadulterated hate and the absolute desire to extinguish the target's existence.
And Arthur had no reason to hate Laufey.
He found the Frost Giant King repulsive, certainly. He saw him as a threat to be removed. But hatred? True, murderous malice?
None.
And manufactured hatred wouldn't work. He had tried many times over the years. The Avada Kedavra remained the only spell Arthur had never successfully mastered.
Years of Occlumency had given Arthur perfect emotional control. Meditation techniques from Kamar-Taj had taught him to maintain calm in any situation. His mind was a fortress of discipline and clarity.
And because of that, he had an extraordinarily high threshold for negative emotion. It was genuinely difficult for anyone or anything to anger Arthur to the point of hatred.
Thus, he had never cast a successful Avada Kedavra in training. Ever.
The most overpowered spell in the wizarding world, and it was beyond his reach. Frustrating didn't begin to cover it. Though he suspected the curse carried serious side effects - he'd observed progressive soul damage in dark wizards who used it frequently - he couldn't confirm anything without personal experience.
Meanwhile, while Arthur processed his frustration, Laufey had managed with great difficulty to destroy the three Fiendfyre constructs. He had also reduced the shield integrity with repeated strikes during the assault. He was in full power mode now, and absolutely furious.
But he was not afraid. Mages were known to be physically weak. Once the shield fell, he would end this battle quickly.
He leaped into the sky and slammed down on Arthur's dome with both fists.
The barrier shuddered violently.
"Alert," Eve cut in. "Shield integrity critical at 12%. Next impact will cause complete structural failure."
Laufey, standing atop the barrier, summoned a massive hammer of black ice and brought it down with all his strength.
CRASH.
The barrier shattered.
Golden shards of energy rained down like glass. And through the falling debris, Laufey descended, a grin of savage triumph on his face, his massive fist aiming directly for Arthur's head.