Story continues from JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #644.
The enraged Surtur pursues the fleeing Loki and Leah into a cave which he systematically breaks apart intending their destruction. As their position seems hopeless, Leah leans toward Loki for a tender goodbye kiss, but Loki is distracted—by the arrival of Thor leading the armies of Hel. As the Thunder God and his mounted warriors engage the giant Fire Demon, Loki teleports himself and Leah to Otherworld where they meet Wilson of the Manchester Gods. Loki explains to Wilson that as the Manchester Gods are Surtur’s means of destroying the Nine Worlds, Otherworld is also threatened. Wilson decides to sacrifice everything he and his people have striven for and casts a spell which destroys all of the Engel-Engines across the Nine Worlds. Seeing this, Surtur and his forces redouble their efforts against Thor’s army. As the Thunder God is hurled at Loki’s feet he demands to know what his brother has done. Loki then produces the shadow of Surtur’s sword and Thor combines it with Mjolnir to create a superweapon. The question of what happens to Surtur’s power when he is destroyed is still a pressing one—and Thor realizes it will mean the return of Odin, a thought which dismays, then oddly pleases him…. Disguised as Freyja, Loki and Leah (her atop his shoulders and dressed in the Queen’s helmet and cloak) trick Odin from exile. When Thor slays the Demon with his own shadowsword, unleashing all of his fire energy, Odin is there to drain it off harmlessly into another dimension. Later, the All-Mother scolds Thor and Loki for disturbing Odin in his exile, but they have a strong defense: Asgardia remains.
Epilogue: In Leah’s cave, Loki and Leah discover the injured Daimon Hellstrom ranting about Mephisto’s scheme to become King of All Hells. Since this builds on another scheme of Loki’s, he wonders why this came back to haunt him at the same time as the Surtur problem. He wonders where Ikol, his adult spirit in a raven’s body, has gone to; Leah informs him that the bird never existed outside his head. As Loki takes this all in, he excuses himself and leaves, "I may be gone for some time."