Sparking Soul: Ch.23

The skies of Asgard that were once teeming with colour had now turned an ominous violet. Hundreds of Dark Elf warships blotted out the sky and from the largest ship at the centre came a low hum that echoed with malevolent energy.

“Thor? Thor, can you hear my call, son?”, Odin asked as he called out to Thor, frowning as all he got was static from the other side and stared at the energy exuding from the largest ship descending.

'The energy from its core is most likely the reason why I can't connect my energy to Thor's. Hmm, it appears our foe has prepared thoroughly for this.'

“Sound the horn. Asgard is under siege.”

“At your command, All-Father”, Heimdall spoke through the telepathic link before the horn of Gjallarhorn on top of Himinbjorg began to bellow, its call shaking the very ground of Asgard itself.

As the horn continued echoing across the celestial landscape, the Einherjar donned their armour with practiced efficiency as their golden helmets snapped into place while the ships of Asgard slowly floated up.

Raising Gungnir to the sky once more, the majestic neigh of Sleipnir made the very sky rumble as it descended down towards Odin. The All-Father mounted his steed with ease and held its reigns as he slowly lowered his spear at the largest ship.

“Attack”, One simple and quick command unleashed mayhem itself as the ships opened fire, the first volley from the Dark Elf Warships coming down like a meteor storm as Asgard's shields flickered to life.

The ancient runes around the landscape glowed as they reflected the first attack and battle cries echoed from the Einherjar as thousands of Dark Elves were soon teleported down onto the ground itself.

“Do not fear! Do not yield for Valhalla is open to all who give their life to ensure his fellow Asgards live to see another day!”, Odin declared as he rode through the sky.

Gungnir shimmered as the Odinforce flowed through it before the All-Father levelled it at the nearest cruiser, a beam of golden energy shooting from Gungnir's tip and slicing not only the one cruiser but every ship behind it in two.

“As All-Father of Asgard and protector of its people, I am Odin Borson!”, Odin bellowed as his Odinforce lit up the sky and caught sight of a glaring Malekith slowly descending along with his main attack army.

“And you are not welcome here.”

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“Darcy!”, Darcy blinked as the doors were kicked open, Sif lowering her leg as a concerned Frigga ran in with the Warrior Three, Hulk, Emil in his Abomination form and Bruce walked in.

“Are we under attack?!”

“Yes, and your room won't do this time. Warrior Three, Sif and Thor's Midgardian friends, I need you all to make a pathway to the vault in the lower section of the Royal Palace. Odin had built a safehouse in case someone like this may happen and we need to get Darcy there.”

“Wait, what?! No, I'm not going. I can fight.”

“Darcy. It's not a case of whether or not you can fight. We all know you can. We just don't want anything to happen to you because we do not know what Thor might do if he found you hurt”, Sif explained and Darcy let out a frustrated sigh before Emil spoke up.

“Darcy, I've lived with you two the longest and we both know if something happened to you, Thor's not stopping until the person who did it and their entire race is gone. You do not want that to happen, right?”

“…Hah, right. Fine. Okay, where's this safehouse?”, She asked and Frigga gave a pleased smile before Hulk jumped in front of the two right as a blast of crimson energy impacted his body.

Despite the powerful explosion that came from it and sent the green beast flying overhead, Hulk just growled as he rolled to his feet while everyone glared at the regiment of Darl Elves coming through the rooftop.

“Sif, Dr. Banner, you two come with me! The rest of you, cover our backs!”

“As you wish, Lady Frigga!”, Fandral declared as he unsheathed his sword, the others readying their weapons while both Hulk and Abomination glared at the two large Elves that dropped down behind the others.

“Oh, Odin's beard. Those are Kursed”, Volstagg muttered and Emil frowned as he heard the slight nervousness in the warrior's voice.

“What should we know?”

“They're very strong, durable and one is enough to go toe to toe with ten of our elite Einherjar.”

“In other words, Hulk…smash”, Emil spoke and Hulk grinned as he launched himself forward, one of the Kursed leaping at him and the two beasts clashed in the centre of the throne hall with challenging roars.

The other Kurse rushed past his team as Emil did the same, sliding under the Kurse's attempt to grab at him before wrapping his arms around the elf's side and throwing them through a wall and to the outside.

The Warrior Three gave out battle roars as they charged at the elves, Hogun and Fandral sliding and weaving around the Dark Elves' blasts while Volstagg swatted them to the sides.

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Sif led the party with her shield gripped tightly as they ran through the winding golden corridors of the Royal Palace, its defensive runes lighting up their path.

“You missing that Hulk form yet?”, Darcy asked, breathing a bit heavy from the running and Bruce just gave a tight smile before nodding.

“A little bit, yeah.”

“Halt!”, Sif's call knocked them from their discussion as everyone stopped, Frigga frowning as Sif scanned the empty hallway in front of them. It would have been fine except none of them could hear the battles outside and Darcy held her hand to Mjolnir as the silence was deafening.

“Reveal yourself”, Frigga whispered in Asgardian and the hallway shimmered before the illusion shattered, Sif glaring at the smirking Lorelei standing in between a group of Dark Elves holding their blades at the ready.

“Lady Frigga?”

“We'll go the other way.”

“I'll do my best to keep them”, Sif said as she unsheathed her sword and Frigga nodded before gesturing for Darcy and Bruce to follow after her.

“You are still blindly loyal to the crown that would gladly let you die if it meant they all lived on.”

“I serve the people of Asgard unlike you, who would sell your kin for power”, Sif retorted as she stepped forward with her eyes locked on Lorelei, who glared as the air around her crackled.

“Is it my fault that my voice was alluring? I was banished and feared, left to rot in a prison while you pranced around as the golden warrior. Malekith offered what Odin never would.”

“Destruction?”

“Freedom, Lorelei. Freedom. He doesn't fear my magic. He respects it and when Asgard falls, I'll stand at the centre of my new order.”

“Then you'll fall with him”, Sif declared as she shifted into a battle stance, the elves doing the same as Lorelei gave a sadistic smile before flicking her wrist at her foe.

“Try then, sister.”

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Frigga moved with grace and purpose as she rushed through labyrinth of corridors, Darcy trailing behind her with Mjolnir in her hands while Bruce took up the back and constantly glanced back in case more enemies appeared.

“Are we there yet? Because I'm three freak-outs away from a meltdown and two steps from collapsing. Turns out being Asgardian doesn't stop one from feeling sore while carrying triplets.”

“Don't worry, Darcy. We're close. It's just through here. The entrance is hidden beneath the starlight basin as Odin had built it when I told him of Loki after he fell into space.”

“Was that before or after the New York thing?”, Darcy asked and Frigga gave a ghost of a smile before she answered.

“Before. Odin always had his concerns”, Turning the corner, they reached a hallway that had only one door at the end of it, Frigga waving her hand and making the surface of the door shimmer before it opened slowly.

“Go. Quickly.”

“What about you?”, Darcy asked and Frigga just turned her head as she felt dark energy flaring behind her.

“I'm the only one that can seal the entrance behind and stall whoever follows.”

“I'm not taking that.”

“Darcy…”

“Just as mad as Thor would be if something happened to me, he'd be just as mad if the same happened to you. You're not staying here alone”, Darcy said firmly and Bruce wanted to let them continue, but he turned as footsteps drew near.

“Uh, I really want to escape, but I also would feel like crap if I let you guys fight. Anyone got a weapon for…me…?”, He blinked at the energy staff that was held out to him as Frigga made the same one for her, the goddess looking to Darcy who held Mjolnir with shaky hands.

“No time to feel afraid, my dear. It's time to fight.”

“Indeed it is, Frigga”, A new sultry voice echoed in the corridor and Frigga glared at the Dark Elf female that walked around the corner with a smile on her face.

“Alflyse”, Frigga growled as she pointed her staff at the Dark Elf, who smirked as she unsheathed a shortsword from her hip while dark red energy gathered around her free hand.

Without wasting a second, Alflyse rushed in and Frigga matched her, her golden staff blocking the slash aimed at her head. Pushing the blade back, Frigga swung at her head and Alflyse ducked under the attack, creating a shield to her side that blocked the follow-up attack from the side.

Dozens of Frigga illusions soon blocked out the hallway as Frigga hopped back, dismissing her staff and forming runes around both hands before shooting searing beams at the Dark Elf.

Alflyse countered with corrupt energy shooting from her own hands and vanished in the clones, another teleportation carrying her past the clones and right in front of Frigga.

With a grunt, she swung down with her blade and the Queen of Asgard blocked the attack, the Dark Elf growling as she tried to push down only to let out a shocked shout as she was pushed back with a burst of power.

“You will not harm then, Alflyse. Not while I draw breath”, Frigga warned as she stood in front of Bruce and Darcy and Alflyse grinned as she slowly stood up.

“Then, let's test that claim.”

“A queen should always know when she's being replaced”, Frigga's eyes widened at the voice that whispered in her ears as pain stabbed into her back, slowly turning her head to see a smiling Lorelei standing behind her.

“So predictable”, Alflyse spoke as she swung and cut through Frigga's armour, the witch collapsing to the floor as her magic flickered and Bruce panicked as his weapon vanished.

“O-Okay, no biggie. I can take two bitches”, Darcy spoke as she held Mjolnir in her grasp and Lorelei just looked amused before she turned to Bruce.

“Punch her.”

“Wha-!” Bruce wanted to stop himself, but he could only watch in horror as he swung and hit Darcy across the jaw, who looked just as surprised and thankful at the fact that she was an Asgardian now.

“Bruce! Bruce, stop yourself!”

“It's kind of hard!”, Bruce gritted out as his body was shaking, Lorelei raising an eyebrow while Darcy frowned at the man struggling to force his body to stop.

“Hmm, it appears you have quite the willpower”, Lorelei admitted as she walked closer and Darcy frowned as she swung Mjolnir at the woman only for Alflyse to block the attack.

“Oh? You're not just a regular human, are you?” The elf asked, but Darcy didn't answer as she kicked outwards and stomped the elf away.

'Okay, hammer. Are you going to work with me here or not?' The woman asked as she looked at Mjolnir and grinned as it sparked with electricity, pushing the shaking Bruce back while Lorelei flipped her dagger with a smirk.

“You are quite powerful, but there's one thing I possess that you don't.”

“Oh, yeah and what's…that…?” Darcy trailed off as she felt a cold sensation flowing through her body, looking down at her chest to see Alflyse's blade stabbed into her heart.

Lorelei just smirked as Darcy swung at her, dodging the attack before the sorceress sliced her neck open with a soft whisper and walked past her.

“Experience.”

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“Odin, son of the bastard that sealed me away,” Malekith snarled as he landed on the Rainbow Bridge, his guards rushing towards the Einherjar charging at them while Odin sat atop Sleipnir who touched down.

“Have care for how you say my father's name, elf. It was not him that hid in the shadows after he lost the war he started”, Odin spoke with a frown as he climbed off of his steed, Gungnir banging on the bridge with each step as he walked towards the elf.

“You're too old to win this war, Borson. The age of gods end today.”

“You mistake age for weakness, Accursed. My father and I have ruled and turned the Nine Realms into prosperous realms while you and your kind cowered in the darkness in fear of our name”, With that declaration, Malekith's body shimmered with a scarlet energy right as Odin lowered Gungnir at him.

A beam of golden energy struck the dark elf across the chest and sent him careening through the air before he rolled across the bridge with a harsh impact.

Despite the cheerful roars from the Einherjar as they continued fighting, Odin didn't look as happy as he watched the elf let out a groan before frowning as Malekith stood up while smirking at him.

“Hmm, I quite like that. Have it back”, To the All-Father's surprise, the air in front of Malekith cracked before his blast returned back to him, parrying it to the side and through a Dark Elf warship.

'The Mystic Arts', Odin thought with a frown as he watched the air ripple, the air cracking and opening up before the Mirror Dimension formed around the two.

“Come now, All-Father. Did you expect me to come here without some contingency?”

“No, I did not…but I expected them to be better”, Odin declared as he thrust Gungnir to the sky and Malekith growled as the Odinforce shattered the dimension around them.

“Now, then…” The All-Father began as he lowered his weapon at the elf, who had unsheathed twin shortswords from his hips as the Asgardian raised an eyebrow.

“Shall we try this again?”

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I grunted as I swung Jarnbjorn downwards, marvelling at how light it was despite the fact that it was almost three times the size of Mjolnir. The axe was humming in my hands as I held it and the Infinity Stones themselves seemed to be resonating with it given how their energy was slowly wrapping around the weapon.

“Beautiful. Simply beautiful.”

“It is indeed. However, unlike with Mjolnir, anyone can use this to hit you.”

“No, they can't”, I said with a smirk as the Reality Stone glowed and Eitri chuckled as I added a new rule to the axe.

Only I, Thor Odinson, am allowed to pick you up and use you to your full power.

The axe hummed as the energy from the Reality Stone flowed down my arm and into the weapon before fading away, making me smile as I held it out to Brokkr.

“Try and lift it.”

“What did you do?”, He asked even as he stood up, making me smile as I shrugged while he grabbed it.

“Just a little something”, I answered and he rolled his eyes as he went to lift his hand only for his eyes to widen as the axe didn't lift a single inch.

He tried again and this time, I snickered as his face turned red from exerting himself before he let go with a gasp, glaring at Jarnbjorn as it was still resting in my hands as if undisturbed.

“You ready to give up?”, I asked and he rolled his eyes as he sat back down before I turned to Eitri as he spoke up.

“How do you feel?”

“As good as I can be. I don't feel any difference between using it and when I used Mjolnir before I gathered the stones.”

“Good. That means the enchantments are working.”

“King Eitri!” I turned along with Eitri as one of the dwarves was running up to us, Brokkr stopping himself from taking a sip as we noticed the panicked look on his face.

“A-Asgard…we…we lost contact with them…two minutes ago…”

“Thor.”

“Father? Darcy? Mother? Is anyone there?” I called out through my telepathy, frowning as I heard nothing but silence on the other side.

Activating the Space Stone with a thought, I vanished and appeared right besides Heimdall as the man swung down, easily dodging around his slice before my eyes widened as he sliced the Dark Elf that he was fighting in two.

“Thor! Is that you?”, He asked with a wary frown and I just pointed at the Infinity Stones on my chest, making him relax as I stared at the mayhem that was Asgard's Einherjar facing off against the Dark Elves.

'Fuck! Malekith's attack already started a while ago.'

“Heimdall, where's everyone?!”

“I am unable to see anything as Malekith's ship is exuding some kind of energy that stop my abilities from working!”, The man informed me as we ran across the Rainbow Bridge and I frowned as I saw Father sending the Dark Elf in question flying through the air.

“Father!”

“I am glad to see you here, but do not worry for me! I cannot feel your mother's energy so go to her!” He called out as he rushed after Malekith and I just nodded as I leapt into the air, the Power Stone dyeing the world violet as I lifted Jarnbjorn above my head.

“Begone!” With a roar and swing of the axe, a storm of purple lightning raged outwards and wiped out every Dark Elf warship above us, the ones on the ground stopping their attack for a brief moment to look up before the Einherjar continued their assault.

'Good. That should help Father in not having to worry about them. Now, for Mother and Darcy', With a thought, space opened in front of me and carried me through to where I could feel them, but my eyes widened and I felt my heart drop at the sight in front of me.

“I…I tried. I tried my best, but…”, Bruce was trying to apologize, but his words sounded as if he was far in the distance as I stared at the still forms of Darcy and Mother lying on the floor.

'No…No…No! NO! NO! NO! NO! MALEKITH!!!”

A/N: And like I said, I'm going to be changing the poll. Now instead of one, we got two~~

That's enough trauma for a god to feel and to show Thor that just because he's all-powerful with his stones doesn't mean everyone is.

Also, I've been going through the Unworthy Thor comics. I fucked up by not doing those at the start of the story, but maybe one day when I do this story, I'll do those.

Another also, the quick cuts in this chapter was me trying to show how everyone was fighting and I'll show what happened for Lorelei to be there in the next chapter.

A final also, if you guys want me to expand the Darcy fight to make her be stronger before her unfortunate demise, we can do that.

Next chapter: Wrath of the Kings

As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…

Ba-Bye~!!