Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Abacus
In less than ten seconds —
Laufey, King of the Frost Giants, had been smashed into helplessness.
The entire battlefield seemed frozen in time.
The impact of Bella's power was not just physical — it was psychological.
The proud warriors of Asgard, battered and bloodied, stared wide-eyed.
Even those hardened by centuries of war could barely process what they were seeing.
To them — Bella was not just strong.
She was unstoppable.
She was like a walking cataclysm.
An entire army could fall before her — and she would not so much as blink.
The Frost Giants — for the first time — began to falter.
Their roars and battle cries dimmed.
Fear spread like poison in their ranks.
Their morale crumbled.
Their once-mighty king lay broken against the palace wall.
And at the center of it all, Bella stood like an immovable force.
She bent slightly, reaching down to pick up the fallen Casket of Ancient Winters.
The moment her slender fingers touched it—
Crack!
A thick frost instantly raced up her hand, forming a brittle shell of ice.
The power of the Casket was still active, desperate to freeze all it touched.
Bella simply squeezed her fingers.
BOOM.
The ice shattered like glass against her palm.
She studied the artifact thoughtfully.
Even just touching it, she could feel the vast, ancient power pulsing within.
The Casket was no mere weapon — it was a relic that could freeze entire worlds.
It was alive in its own cold, alien way.
"A shame," Bella thought, a small sigh escaping her lips.
"Without Frost Giant blood, it's useless to me."
After a moment's thought, she made a decision.
She tossed the artifact lightly — like a tossed coin — toward Loki.
The trickster, still a bit dazed from the chaos, fumbled and nearly dropped it before clutching it awkwardly to his chest.
He stared at Bella, wide-eyed.
"This...?"
Bella simply shrugged.
"It doesn't suit me," she said casually, as if discarding a minor trinket instead of one of the universe's most terrifying relics.
Thor and Loki exchanged glances — both stunned.
Even for Asgardians, the Casket of Ancient Winters was a legend.
A weapon worthy of kings.
And she had just... given it away.
Thor's chest swelled with admiration.
"What a noble and righteous soul!" he thought, practically glowing.
Loki, meanwhile, narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"No one gives away a treasure like this without wanting something."
He clutched the Casket tighter.
But even he couldn't deny that Bella's gesture had earned her enormous goodwill — not just from them, but from all of Asgard.
What they didn't know was that Bella had already calculated everything perfectly.
She didn't need the Casket.
What she needed —
was the favor of Asgard.
The right to request the services of the Dwarven King.
The right to study Asgard's enchanting magic.
The right to freely walk this golden realm and seize greater opportunities in the future.
Her abacus clicked and clattered neatly in her mind.
A perfect trade.
At that moment, Thor stepped forward, lifting Mjolnir high into the air.
His deep, booming voice rolled across the field.
"Brave and fearless warriors of Asgard!" Thor roared.
"The hour has come to show our glory once more!"
"Fight! For Asgard!"
"ROOOAAARR!"
The warriors exploded into fresh cheers.
Their morale, already reignited by Bella's victory, now blazed into an inferno.
With shields raised and blades gleaming, the armies of Asgard surged forward once more.
The remaining Frost Giants, demoralized and leaderless, were quickly overwhelmed.
The battle had turned.
But Bella...
Bella frowned.
Because as she watched the Asgardian warriors charge forward —
and the Frost Giants break ranks in terror —
she realized something horrifying.
"That's MY experience."
Bella's eye twitched slightly.
The experience points — the hard-earned rewards for defeating these enemies —
were being stolen right from under her nose.
"Oh no you don't."
BOOM!
Before anyone could react, Bella blurred into motion again — a streak of black leather and golden light.
She launched herself across the battlefield, weaving between stunned Asgardian warriors.
To their eyes, it was like a storm had been unleashed.
One second a Frost Giant was swinging a club —
the next second, he was lying crumpled on the ground, a smoking crater where his chest used to be.
Everywhere Bella passed, the Frost Giants fell like wheat before a scythe.
One by one, two by two, ten by ten —
Crushed.
Broken.
Defeated.
Thor, who had been running forward eagerly to join the battle, suddenly found himself slowing to a stop.
He blinked.
Then looked around.
The Frost Giants were falling.
Rapidly.
And not from Asgardian blades —
but from a black blur moving through their ranks at terrifying speed.
Thor raised Mjolnir uncertainly.
Loki, standing beside him, grimaced.
"Uh..."
The two brothers exchanged a helpless glance.
Thor slowly — almost sheepishly — lowered his hammer back to his side.
"I... guess she's got it handled," Thor muttered, scratching the back of his head.
Loki snorted.
"You think?"
Boom after boom echoed through the battlefield.
In less than a few minutes, thousands of Frost Giants were annihilated.
Entire squads vanished without a single Asgardian blade touching them.
At last, Bella's figure descended from the sky —
crashing into the ground before Thor and Loki with a thunderous impact.
The earth cracked beneath her boots.
Both brothers took an involuntary step back.
Because something had changed.
Bella was glowing.
Not figuratively.
Literally.
Golden light shimmered around her like a living aura.
Noble and fierce, like a goddess descending from battle.
Her eyes shone with a terrifying, inhuman brilliance.
Thor gulped audibly.
Loki instinctively slid behind Thor's larger frame, peeking around cautiously like a nervous cat.
Because even though they had fought side by side only moments ago...
Now, looking at Bella —
Even Thor, son of Odin,
even Loki, the God of Mischief —
felt a shiver of primal fear.
Because they realized:
This woman wasn't just strong.
She was something else entirely.
Bella barely noticed them.
She was busy opening her system panel, eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
[Catherine Isa Bella]
Strength: B+
Stamina: B+
Agility: A-
Magic Release: A-
Mental Power: B
Luck: C+
Noble Phantasms: Bloody Rose (False), Goddess of War (False)
Riding: B+
Intuition: B+
Charisma: A
Two major breakthroughs.
Her agility had finally broken into the A- rank — allowing her supersonic speed, instantaneous movement, and near-perfect reflexes.
And her magic output had quintupled, flooding her body with overwhelming power.
Bella clenched her fists experimentally.
The air around her rippled.
She could feel it.
Her very existence now radiated force.
Even a casual blow would now carry devastating, reality-warping power.
She smiled faintly.
This trip to Asgard had been more profitable than she ever imagined.
Meanwhile...
Loki, still peeking nervously from behind Thor's shoulder, muttered quietly:
"She was happier killing ten thousand Frost Giants than receiving the Casket of Ancient Winters..."
"That's not a normal person's reaction, right?"
Thor patted him on the shoulder with a wry grin.
"Brother... best not to think too hard about it."
Far above the broken battlefield —
the sun finally pierced the heavy clouds.
And Asgard's golden spires gleamed once again in the light.
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