Chapter 89: Chapter 89: The Cursed Warrior Kur’ze
The black plains stretched endlessly, their vastness shrouded in eternal darkness. Without the rise and fall of stars to guide him, Garus had no idea how long he had been wandering here.
The terrain was dominated by an unbroken expanse of jagged, black mountains. He had not encountered a single soul, nor had he seen any trace of the elusive, fluid-like aether particles he sought.
Legends spoke of this place as the ancient battlefield where Asgard clashed with the Dark Elves thousands of years ago. Yet, the passage of time seemed to have erased all signs of life—even lingering souls were absent from this desolate land.
Suddenly, a thunderous rumble broke the oppressive silence. On the horizon, a massive T-shaped warship, hundreds of meters long, materialized from its cloaked state. Tiny black figures disembarked, scattering across the plains as if searching for something.
"Dark Elves?" Garus murmured in surprise.
After years of hiding, their sudden emergence could only mean one thing: they, too, were after the aether particles.
From aboard their warship, the Dark Elves spotted Garus riding his deathly steed below.
"Report, my lord. An Asgardian has been sighted below," a scout informed Malekith, the leader of the Dark Elves.
Malekith, clad in his alien armor, waved dismissively. "Send a squad to eliminate him. We must remain undetected by Odin."
"Yes, my lord."
Several blade-shaped fighter crafts veered in Garus' direction. Seeing the approaching threat, he unsheathed his weapons. With a combination of Death Grip and the sharp edge of Frostmourne, he yanked the crafts from the sky. Their weak armor proved no match for his might; he brought each one crashing down with a single strike.
"Interesting," Malekith mused as he observed the swift destruction of his forces. His interest in this lone warrior piqued, he approached the warship's control console. Manipulating the holographic interface, he revealed a three-dimensional projection of the surrounding terrain and his ship.
With precise commands, the ship's external armor parted, exposing the barrel of its main cannon. A radiant energy began to coalesce, signaling an imminent blast.
Sensing the danger above, Garus acted quickly. Before the attack could be unleashed, he summoned dozens of gargoyles to shield him. Taking cover in a nearby cave, he braced for impact.
The cannon's blast struck with devastating force, fracturing the rocky overhead. However, the gargoyles absorbed much of the blow, leaving the cave intact. Outside, the ground where Garus had stood was reduced to a smoldering crater, the surface crystallized into glassy obsidian from the intense heat.
"Target eliminated," a crew member reported.
Without the biological signs of life, Garus's death-infused existence rendered him invisible to the ship's life-detection systems. Believing their target destroyed, Malekith resumed his search for the aether particles.
However, Garus had no intention of letting the Dark Elves leave unscathed. Knowing their goal aligned with his, he resolved to thwart them. Yet, the colossal size of the warship made it a daunting target, even for his considerable power.
A sudden surge of frosty energy heralded the arrival of Sindragosa, the frost wyrm. The massive undead dragon descended, its claws gripping the warship's hull as it unleashed an icy breath. A bone-chilling wind swept through the ship, causing even the Dark Elves to shiver.
"Frost? A frost giant?" Malekith muttered in disbelief. The sight of Sindragosa left him bewildered. Why would such a creature appear on this chaotic battlefield?
"Attack! Bring it down!" he roared in frustration.
Amid the ensuing chaos, Garus seized his chance. Creating an opening in the warship's hull, he slipped inside. The Dark Elves within froze momentarily in shock before scrambling to confront him with their energy weapons.
Observing the commotion from the command deck, Malekith turned to one of his warriors. "Kur'ze, take a squad and deal with the intruder."
Kur'ze, a towering warrior, nodded grimly and descended to the lower levels. Meanwhile, Sindragosa's relentless assault caused explosions to erupt across the warship, further destabilizing its systems. Malekith, visibly agitated, realized that his ship was nearing its breaking point.
Inside, Garus carved a bloody path through the Dark Elves. While their laser weapons posed some threat, he skillfully evaded their black-hole grenades, which had limited blast radii.
"Clang!" The clash of weapons halted Garus's advance. Before him stood Kur'ze, his immense strength deflecting Frostmourne with a single blow. Garus retaliated with Frost Shock, encasing Kur'ze in icy rime and slowing his movements. Taking advantage of the opening, Garus slashed his opponent's abdomen, leaving a gaping wound that froze instantly.
"Hold him off!" Kur'ze bellowed, retreating while ordering his subordinates to cover him.
Gripping a black stone, Kur'ze activated its molten power. His body transformed, fiery red energy coursing through him as his wounds healed in an instant. Roaring in pain and fury, he became a cursed warrior, his strength rivaling that of Thor himself.
Kur'ze's newfound power allowed him to parry Garus's blade barehanded. He countered with a fiery punch that sent Garus reeling. Undeterred, Garus summoned the souls bound to Frostmourne. Ghostly apparitions, including those of Baron Zemo and Apocalypse, materialized to aid him.
The spectral minions overwhelmed the Dark Elves, transforming the ship's metallic walls into suffocating dust. Even Kur'ze's legs were ensnared. Despite his immense power, he succumbed after an intense battle, Frostmourne piercing his chest and devouring his soul.
The warship shuddered violently from Sindragosa's continued onslaught. With a deafening screech, a massive section of the ship's hull was torn away, sending dozens of Dark Elves plummeting to their deaths.
"Lord Malekith, Kur'ze is dead!"
"Retreat!" Malekith commanded, his voice filled with bitter frustration. This catastrophic defeat forced him back into hiding, nursing his losses and plotting his next move.
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