Sebastian had never doubted Loki’s strength, but he hadn’t anticipated the sheer power of Loki’s magic. The blast of green flame Loki unleashed so effortlessly was no mere illusion—it was the work of a master sorcerer. Sebastian had always known this world differed from the tales he recalled, but the gap was staggering. Loki, a trickster in stories, was no petty thief here. He was a formidable mage.

Still, Sebastian felt no fear. He might struggle against unearthly foes, but against humans or creatures of any kind, he’d never been outmatched.

Gripping his dragon heartstring wand, Sebastian faced Loki. “I’d heard Loki was just a prankster, a liar,” he said. “But rumors can’t be trusted, it seems.”

Loki sneered. “Not your fault. Most creatures judge by appearances. You lowly humans are no different.”

Loki raised his hand, a ball of green flame swirling in his palm. With a sharp wave, he hurled it into the ground. The flames spread like ripples on water, and from the earth rose puppets of stone and soil, clad in Asgardian armor, clutching spears. They formed ranks, advancing toward Sebastian with menacing steps.

“Come on, human wizard,” Loki taunted. “Show me what you’re worth. How dare you stalk the great Loki!”

With a flick of his wrist, Loki sent the stone soldiers charging, their spears gleaming as they rushed Sebastian.

Sebastian flicked his wand, casting Confringo. Red rays burst forth, striking the front wave of puppets. A deafening explosion shattered them into dust and rubble in an instant.

Then, Sebastian dissolved into black smoke with a Disillusionment Charm, darting among the towering soldiers at blinding speed. Each puppet touched by the smoke erupted in a blast from Bombarda, crumbling into scattered earth and stone.

Loki watched Sebastian carve through his creations, unhindered, a wicked smile curling his lips. His eyes glowed green, and he vanished from sight. His mocking voice echoed across the wilderness.

“Ha, human, you can’t even destroy these feeble earth puppets swiftly. I overestimated you.”

Loki’s taunts rang out, but Sebastian stayed calm, scanning for the trickster’s location. Loki’s illusions were clever, but not perfect—especially with his constant chatter giving him away.

Sebastian raised his wand, casting Incendio. Blue flames billowed out like a stormy mist, sweeping across the area. An explosion roared, and Loki’s form flickered into view, his coat’s hem singed black, his face twisted in irritation.

A wave of green energy pulsed from Loki, transforming him. Gone was the gentleman’s coat; now he wore Asgardian robes, crowned with a horned helmet. He raised both hands, green flames flaring brightly. With a fierce gesture, the flames morphed into a swarm of green bats, screeching as they chased Sebastian.

Sebastian eyed the bats, sensing danger. Their magic felt volatile, deadly.

Without pause, he shifted back into black smoke, weaving through the remaining stone puppets. The bats, unable to maneuver, slammed into the puppets. Green flames erupted in a violent blaze, consuming everything nearby with terrifying force.

Explosions echoed as the green bats smashed into the last stone soldier puppets, both shattering in fiery bursts. The few remaining bats, three or four, flared in mid-air. Sebastian waved his dragon heartstring wand, casting Evanesco, and they vanished into nothingness.

With the bats and puppets gone, Sebastian’s eyes snapped to Loki. He knew the puppets and bats were distractions, giving Loki time to prepare a stronger spell. Loki was plotting a single, decisive strike.

Sure enough, Loki stood wreathed in brilliant green flames, chanting as the fire surged upward. Above his head, a slit like a glowing eye cracked open in the sky. A massive, scaly claw burst through, gripping the rift’s edge and tearing it wider.

From the portal slithered a monstrous black serpent, its sleek, powerful body studded with over a dozen clawed limbs. Its eyes blazed with green fire, clearly under Loki’s command.

“Human,” Loki sneered, “you’ll have the honor of feeding my pet!”

Loki’s form flickered like a bursting bubble, and with a flash of green light, he reappeared atop the serpent’s head, laughing as he urged the beast toward Sebastian.

Sebastian faced the charging serpent and grinned. “If you’d summoned a stone puppet or something lifeless, I might’ve struggled,” he said. “But a living creature? That’s perfect for me.”

Loki’s smirk faltered, sensing trouble, but it was too late. Sebastian’s eyes glowed with dark green light as he cast Crucio. The serpent roared, wracked by agony that seemed to sear its very soul.

In its torment, the massive snake thrashed wildly, shaking the ground like an earthquake. Loki, caught off guard, was flung from its head, tumbling to the earth.

Dark green bolts crackled from Sebastian’s wand, striking the serpent relentlessly with Crucio’s torturous magic.

Loki, scrambling to his feet, glared at Sebastian, who had nearly subdued the beast. Gritting his teeth, Loki summoned a square, icy-glowing artifact, set in a metal frame with handles. As he gripped it, his skin turned blue, his form shifting to resemble a frost giant. He raised the artifact, aiming it at Sebastian.

The Casket of Ancient Winters, a sacred relic of the Frost Giants, held nearly limitless frost magic. When unleashed, it could freeze an entire world. Once guarded in Asgard’s vaults, it now rested in Loki’s hands, his most fearsome weapon.

Within the casket’s blue-white glow, a dark shadow spun wildly around its core. Under Loki’s command, it released a surge of frost magic toward Sebastian and the monstrous serpent. In an instant, a freezing blizzard roared forth, its icy winds swallowing everything.

The frost magic froze all in its path. The giant serpent, still writhing, had no chance to resist. It turned into a lifeless ice sculpture, slain by the very Loki who summoned it.

The wilderness around Puente Antiguo, once barren and dusty, became a frozen expanse infused with frost magic. It would take years to thaw.

Loki eased his grip on the Casket, gazing at the icy wasteland with a victor’s smile.

But then, a faint flicker of fire caught his eye near the serpent’s frozen form. Loki squinted, cautious. Instead of approaching, he raised the Casket again, unleashing another blast of frost toward the flame.

The blizzard roared anew, but the fire didn’t fade. It grew brighter, and through the ice, Loki glimpsed Sebastian.

A thunderous boom shook the air. Black and red flames, like crashing waves, surged skyward, spreading outward. Unfazed by the blizzard or the frost’s bitter cold, they devoured the frozen ground, rushing toward Loki.

“Hellfire?” Loki gasped. “How do you wield hellfire? Are you tied to Mephisto?”

Sebastian ignored him, breaking free of the ice with the hellfire’s aid. He waved his dragon heartstring wand, casting Incendio, shaping the flames into fiery snakes that lunged at Loki.

Loki reacted fast, aiming the Casket at the fire snakes. Frost magic poured out, clashing with the hellfire. The opposing forces met silently, canceling each other out, vanishing into nothing.

But the hellfire pressed on, overwhelming Loki’s defenses. He saw Sebastian standing untouched within the flames, commanding them with a mere wave of his wand. Only one truth made sense.

“You… you’ve mastered a piece of hellfire’s power!” Loki said, stunned.

Power like that—authority—was the universe’s deepest mystery. Loki, self-proclaimed god, and Thor, called God of Thunder, held none. In Asgard, only Odin, Frigga, and Heimdall wielded such gifts. Frigga had a sliver of magical authority, Heimdall a fraction of insight, neither boosting their combat might. Odin’s power, as Asgard’s king, remained a secret even to Loki.

With the Casket, Loki thought he could challenge anyone. But now, on Earth, he faced Sebastian, a human wizard with a shard of hellfire’s authority. Envy and fear stirred in him, urging retreat.

Loki’s scarlet eyes narrowed. He poured more strength into the Casket, its frost magic surging to weaken the hellfire. He readied to stow the Casket and flee to Asgard.

But space twisted, and Sebastian appeared before him with Apparition. He seized the Casket’s handle, channeling hellfire’s heat to counter its icy chill. With his wand, he directed the flames to engulf Loki.

Surrender the Casket or burn.

Loki, bold in crisis, made his choice. He released the priceless Casket, his form flickering like a bursting bubble. He vanished, escaping Sebastian’s grasp.

Sebastian searched for Loki, but as he’d guessed, catching the trickster was nearly impossible when Loki chose to flee. Few in the world could stop him. Unless Loki lingered to taunt him, as he had before, Sebastian’s power wasn’t enough to trap the elusive god.

But Sebastian had a more pressing task: finding a way to contain the Casket of Ancient Winters, which resisted his grasp.

He set the Casket on the ground. Instantly, a layer of ice spread outward from it, freezing the earth. Sebastian waved his dragon heartstring wand, casting Incendio. A ring of hellfire blazed to life, encircling the Casket, holding back the spreading ice and its chilling cold.

Standing there, Sebastian pondered. After a moment, he devised a plan to store the Casket safely for now.

He pulled a pile of materials from his charmed storage bag. Using hellfire, he melted them quickly, mixing in other substances to create a magical alloy. While the alloy was still liquid, he waved his wand, shaping it with Transfiguration Charm into a rectangular, safe-like container. He placed the Casket inside, then swiftly carved magical patterns and ancient runes onto the safe’s surface, sealing its power. At last, the Casket was secure.

Sebastian drew the hellfire back, absorbing it. He tapped the safe lightly with his wand, casting Reducio. The safe shrank and slipped into his storage bag, tucked safely in a corner of its enchanted space. With that done, Sebastian exhaled, relieved. The sky was brightening. He turned, twisted his wand, and vanished in a spiraling vortex of Apparition.

The land around Puente Antiguo, scarred by the clash of Sebastian’s hellfire and Loki’s frost, later became a strange attraction for visitors. But that was a tale for another time.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep