Chapter 375: Chapter 375: The Battlefield Next to the Ice Box
As for the change in size of the frost giants at this moment, frankly, Peter Parker and the others didn't react too much, because they had just witnessed the battle between Robert and Raffi, where they saw monsters with even more terrifying heights!
Even when they saw Robert transform into a giant ape, both Tony Stark and Peter Parker couldn't help but exclaim. Despite Robert's previously demonstrated ability to transform to enhance his combat strength and change his appearance, such an instant transformation into a monster took everyone some time to get used to.
Indeed, having witnessed monsters like Robert and Raffi, which had a greater visual impact, Tony Stark and the others had raised their threshold for such surprises. Now, seeing these frost giants several meters tall didn't faze them as much.
Previously, the reason Tony Stark did not have his armor attack the frost giants while in mid-air was simple. He did not know the capabilities of Peter Parker and the others. Fearing that initiating the battle in mid-air might affect them, he decided it was better to wait until the frost giants had landed to start the fight.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
As the frost giants landed with their towering forms, neither side showed any intent to communicate; they simply launched into combat. The armors led the attack with palm repulsors aimed at the frost giants, showing no intention to spare or capture them for study.
However, the frost giants reacted quickly. Walls of ice formed in front of them, not only blocking the repulsor attacks but even reflecting them back!
"Boom!" Faced with such capabilities, neither Tony Stark nor JARVIS had any experience, and several armors were immediately knocked away. Though the repulsors were not strong enough to destroy the armors on the spot, they were sufficient to damage them.
Having powerful offensive capabilities but weak defenses was indeed a problem Tony Stark needed to address with his armors. He even felt relieved he hadn't attacked with his current suit; otherwise, it would not have withstood the reflected attacks!
"Disperse!" The leading frost giant, having deflected Tony Stark's attack, didn't initiate another attack but instead shouted loudly. One of the more vocal frost giants then led a group towards the Ice Box, while Tony Stark quickly realized their intention. He stopped controlling the armors to attack from a distance and instead had them rush towards the Ice Box for a close-quarters battle.
Seeing this, Peter Parker and the others could not just watch. Peter Parker exchanged glances with Johnny Storm and Barry Allen. A surge of thunderous power immediately emanated from the hammer of Thor, and Peter Parker instantly donned Thor's armor, leading with the shimmering hammer towards the lead frost giant.
Peter Parker could sense that this individual was the most powerful among the frost giants. Not knowing the full capabilities of Tony Stark's armors, Peter Parker decided to take on the strongest enemy himself, the scenario he had hoped for when the frost giants first arrived.
At that moment, Peter Parker did not unleash his thunderous power, knowing from seeing Tony Stark's repulsor blasts being deflected by ice walls that his thunderous power might also be deflected. He chose to engage in close combat first!
"Thor's hammer?!" But as Peter Parker swung Thor's hammer and leaped towards the lead frost giant, the giant's pupils shrank sharply because he recognized Thor's hammer. This was the first time he had spoken since confronting Peter Parker and the others.
There was no choice; Thor's hammer was too conspicuous. Not long ago, Thor had stormed into Jotunheim with it, killing many frost giants and nearly reigniting the war between the frost giants and Asgard!
Perhaps the war had already started, but neither the frost giants nor Asgard really wanted this fight, as they both lacked confidence...
The frost giants didn't need to say much; their chief Laufey wasn't even on par with a skyfather level powerhouse, and the entire frost giant clan lacked true top-tier combatants. Although they didn't lack in numbers capable of fighting, the disparity in top-tier combat strength deterred the frost giants from truly initiating battle!
As for Asgard, apart from King Odin, there were no significant fighters to speak of. It wasn't feasible to send Queen Frigga into battle. Besides the guards of the palace, the rest of Asgard's soldiers were not numerous...
Therefore, despite Thor's previous rampage and slaughter, a full-scale war between Asgard and the frost giants hadn't started, but this hatred was undoubtedly recorded once again in the history of the frost giants.
Now, seeing Thor's hammer, the lead frost giant was stunned on the spot. He even wondered if this was a plot by Asgard to lure the frost giants to Earth to annihilate them!
"Damned! You Asgardians are so despicable!" Thinking this, the lead frost giant roared, his form swiftly enlarging
. Already the tallest, his size ballooned further as he punched towards Peter Parker.
"Thud!" Thor's hammer collided with the leader's fist, and the next moment, the leader's body was flung backward, landing awkwardly on the ground. His rage couldn't compensate for the difference in strength. Although Peter Parker's original strength was far less than the leader's, with the enhancement from Thor's hammer, his power was even greater than Thor's when he invaded Jotunheim, making it not too difficult to handle this leader!
However, this leader's performance was already commendable, as not many frost giants had survived Thor's hammer in Jotunheim...
It was clear that Thor had mostly faced ordinary frost giants then, but those who had come to Earth now were elite warriors of the frost giant lineage. Unfortunately, even these elite warriors couldn't reverse the frost giants' defeat!
"Swish!" Seeing that he seemed to have an overwhelming advantage, Peter Parker paused and then threw Thor's hammer out. Of course, Peter Parker was not simply giving up the power granted by Thor's hammer. He was just creating space to use it against other approaching frost giants.
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
As Thor's hammer struck, the performance of these frost giants was naturally not as commendable as their leader's. Several were immediately shattered by the hammer, and even though they tried to block its path with ice walls, it was to no avail!
However, after several impacts, Thor's hammer didn't return to Peter Parker's hand but continued under his control, dealing with the frost giants around him. As for Peter Parker himself, he charged towards the leader again...
Yes, Peter Parker could enhance his strength with Thor's hammer, but he didn't want to rely solely on the artifact's power to overcome his opponents. After all, this was the opponent he had eagerly awaited, and it seemed unfair to suppress him with the power of a divine artifact.
"Arrogant! Are all you Asgardians this arrogant? Also, how many Thor's hammers do you Asgardians have?!" The leader shouted angrily at Peter Parker, who was rushing towards him unarmed, his eyes flashing with fury. He gathered a ball of frost light and blasted it towards Peter Parker!
The leader intended to distract Peter Parker with his words first, letting this arrogant Asgardian know the price of such arrogance!
Faced with the incoming frost light, Peter Parker's eyes showed no panic. Unlike Thor, who couldn't generate electricity without his hammer, Peter Parker had converted his own qi into thunderous power. Even without Thor's hammer in hand, he could still harness the thunderous power within it...
"Zzzz!" A glow of thunderous power condensed around Peter Parker, then burst forth explosively towards the leader.
"Boom!" A terrifying explosion sounded, louder than Peter Parker had anticipated, as if the two opposing powers of frost and thunder were inherently antagonistic.
In the explosion, Peter Parker was forced to retreat, and the leader didn't fare much better. His body was scorched, and bits of ice flaked off him, much like Laufey in the sky had been wounded. The injured leader's body also slightly shrank. Even without the physical oppression of Thor's hammer, Peter Parker's strength was still slightly superior to the leader's.
"Dammit!" Faced with this situation, the leader cursed under his breath. While Peter Parker hadn't yet launched another attack, the leader looked around the battlefield, but the situation elsewhere was also challenging.
First, there was Tony Stark's area. He had originally directed some armors to protect the Ice Box while he dealt with the remaining frost giants. However, Tony Stark hadn't expected Peter Parker to be so formidable, not only suppressing the tallest leader but also taking the time to eliminate many frost giants. This allowed Tony Stark to focus on the frost giants trying to steal the Ice Box.
Tony Stark knew without a doubt that while his people couldn't touch the Ice Box, it would certainly not reject the frost giants, given it was a frost giant treasure. Moreover, based on the power emanating from the Ice Box earlier, if it truly ended up in the hands of the frost giants, his group would likely be no match for them.
Therefore, to prevent any accidents, Tony Stark opted to deal with fewer frost giants himself to ensure the Ice Box didn't fall into their hands...
Under Tony Stark's control, the armors that chose to engage in close combat initially struggled, not only slowing down but also having parts of their limbs frozen. However, as the battle progressed, Tony Stark figured out how to deal with these frost giants. Using mid-range laser energy, he was able to solidify it sufficiently to threaten the frost giants. Even though he couldn't kill them outright, he could still inflict damage!
Besides Tony Stark's battlefield, there were two other individuals assisting with Thor's hammer against another group of frost giants. However, while it was said to
be two people, only Johnny Storm was truly effective.
It must be said, Johnny Storm's initial guess wasn't wrong. The relationship of suppression is relative, just as Robert's explosive flames could counteract the cold released from the Ice Box. Johnny Storm's explosive flames were effective against the weaker frost giants and even killed them faster than Tony Stark's energy-laden armors. Since explosive flames are inherently high-temperature and high-explosive, they were more effective than Tony Stark's condensed laser energy and weren't deflected by ice walls. Importantly, Johnny Storm's firepower was also more abundant than regular armor energy, and his fiery body was instinctively repelled by the frost giants, many of whom didn't even want to get close to Johnny Storm.
Besides Johnny Storm, the last, Barry Allen, didn't make much of a contribution in the fight. Unfortunately, speedsters do struggle against such opponents...
The ground where the frost giants stood was inherently icy, severely affecting Barry Allen's speed. Moreover, the bodies of the frost giants were made entirely of ice, and although Barry Allen's punches and kicks could damage the frost giants, their terrifying chill also hurt his fists and feet!
After a collision, if Barry Allen's speed hadn't been quick enough to realize this and promptly discard his gloves and shoes, he might have had to amputate to survive...
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