Chapter 114: One of the Great Truths: The Concept of Hunger is Far Less Advanced Than the Concept of Death
Cul, having entered his serpent form, threw his head back and let out a terrifying roar that seemed to shake the entire world.
He was a colossal giant serpent. As the God of Fear, the divine power that erupted from him naturally spread terror, attempting to bring greater intimidation to this world. Cul hoped to harvest more Fear.
With so many humans on this planet, a little intimidation in this form should yield a massive harvest. Even if it couldn't compare to the Earth of the Main Universe, it should still be considerable, enough for him to take a few bites.
But a few short seconds later, astonishment and confusion appeared on Cul's enormous serpentine head.
He had indeed absorbed Fear from all over Earth, but not much.
"How can there be so little? The humans on this planet are no less numerous than the people of Midgard in Universe 616. Even if their quality is worse than that of the Main Universe's Midgard, it shouldn't be so little."
Cul, in his great serpent state, was dumbfounded, shaking his head in disbelief.
He used his Authority to perceive the countless emotions of fear.
"Did another guy with an unknown origin show up on Earth? It couldn't really be the Subterraneans this time, could it?"
"Feels like a monster from ancient mythology. Is that a snake or a lizard?"
"No matter how you look at it, it doesn't look like a god. What god would have such an ugly appearance?"
"But the scale of this is truly massive. It feels like all of Du Wa's heavy hitters have been deployed. This is the first time I've seen this... Don't tell me, Du Wa has set his sights on this giant serpent too."
All over the world, a large number of humans were engaged in discussion.
Even though these ordinary people could clearly feel the majesty emanating from Cul, they were more surprised and shocked than anything else. As for the emotion of Fear, the farther they were from the battlefield, the less they contributed.
This was because no matter the enemy, as long as Du Wa had not fallen, it was very difficult for them to inflict significant destruction upon the planet. This was a reputation Du Wa had built up over many major events in the past.
People only needed to see that Du Wa was still fighting, and half of their panic would dissipate. The other half was mainly them praying they wouldn't be too unlucky and die before the disaster subsided, becoming just another number in the casualty reports.
This discovery made Cul extremely frustrated. His immense body twisted frantically, and with a single strike of his giant tail, he obliterated countless Xenomorphs.
"Your anger only reveals your incompetence. I seem to be looking at a little lamb, ramming its fence in anger because it can't get the food from its master's gift. What do you think, respected God-King Cul?"
Du Wa was as omnipresent as a ghost, yet also like an observer from beyond the world, coldly watching the changes unfold.
A supremely noble God-King, even one from the Main Universe, could not elicit any additional respect from Du Wa.
Du Wa would look upon any person or god as an equal. If he showed extra politeness, it often meant one of two extreme outcomes: either they would certainly not be an enemy, or they were an enemy that must be eliminated as soon as possible.
In response, Cul sent the speaking Laufey Xenomorph flying with a sweep of his head.
"No one has ever dared to humiliate me like this, human. You are the first, and you will be the last. I will hang your corpse on my throne in the other universe."
"Is that so? And what will you rely on to achieve that? You, the God of Fear, who can't even obtain the emotion of fear?" Du Wa's voice emanated from the Laufey Xenomorph.
"You're lucky. I didn't bring my eight divine hammers with me. Otherwise, this world would have long been conquered by me."
Cul bared his fangs, about to crush the Laufey Xenomorph in a single bite.
To be honest, Cul was starting to have some regrets. He had long suspected Mephisto was up to no good, but he never expected to be plunged into such a perilous situation right after being summoned.
Just dealing with Reynolds and his ilk was enough to frustrate Cul. If he were at his peak, taking on several Skyfathers by himself wouldn't be a problem at all.
What truly infuriated Cul was the Laufey Xenomorph. He naturally recognized it; this creature was clearly another form of Laufey. If it were holding the Casket of Ancient Winters, it would be the spitting image of Laufey himself.
So, the Laufey of this universe had also become a Xenomorph? Cul's interest in the Xenomorphs soared to its peak. They could even steal the bloodline of the World Tree Divine Race—how remarkable.
But the more remarkable it was, the heavier the killing intent in his heart grew. Only a God-King like him was qualified to control such a dangerous species capable of stealing a divine race's bloodline. To let a Midgardian control such an ability was absolutely forbidden; it was a threat to him.
But if he could seize control of the Xenomorphs and take them to the Main Universe, that would be ideal.
"For a human like you to command the Xenomorphs is an utter waste! Only I am worthy of this race's loyalty!"
Cul grabbed Reynolds's fist, and his tail, moving at nearly the speed of light, viciously lashed across Reynolds's chest. The terrifyingly heavy blow instantly shattered the golden light protecting Reynolds's body.
This was only the beginning. He turned his head and opened his mouth, spitting out a blast of magic to clash with Ikaris's heat vision.
But the Hyperion Xenomorph immediately swooped in, slamming a fist into Cul's head and shouting, knocking the ridiculously large head slightly askew.
"Your head isn't as hard as you talk," Reynolds taunted, re-condensing his stellar energy.
A large group of Dracula Xenomorphs, Eternal Xenomorphs, and others seized the opportunity to attack, viciously assaulting Cul's massive body.
Facing the siege of so many enemies, Cul's energy was being consumed with every passing second.
For Cul, what he lacked most right now were sufficient energy reserves, and what he most wanted to avoid was consuming more energy.
Cul felt as if a large swarm of insects was buzzing around him, but he just couldn't manage to kill them all in one go.
The Midgard of this universe infuriated him to no end, leaving him with almost no Fear energy to consume. And these Xenomorphs, especially, showed not a single trace of Fear!
"This creature clearly possesses complete emotional fluctuations, yet it feels not the slightest bit of fear towards a god far superior to it? Very well. I don't know how you obtained the allegiance of these creatures, but these beings should belong to me!" Cul declared.
Just then, Odin arrived.
The World Tree would never experience strange vibrations. It was a massive entity that supported nine large worlds and sustained countless planets—both an incarnation of the rules and a tangible, physical substance.
In Odin's millions of years of memory, nothing like this had ever happened.
Odin mounted his eight-legged steed and activated the Rainbow Bridge to descend upon Earth.
This teleportation technology from Asgard was extremely conspicuous, and in an instant, it was perceived by many on Earth.
The Rainbow Bridge, stretching across the cosmos, could not be concealed.
"A disgusting fellow has arrived." Cul glanced over, utterly annoyed.
Even though this universe's Odin had no real enmity with him, the mere sight of Odin filled him with an anger that came from the depths of his being.
"Outsider, tell me your name." Odin, in full armor and mounted on his majestic warhorse, held the spear Gungnir, its tip aimed at Cul.
This was an act of challenge.
For Odin, whose days were numbered, he only wanted to use his remaining life to fight one last battle, to find out why a visitor from an otherworld would cause a stir in the World Tree.
This was crucial. He needed to use what little lifespan he had left to pave the way for Thor, to eliminate all uncertain factors.
More importantly, as the King of Asgard, it was necessary for him to participate in Du Wa's battle to assert Asgard's standing.
After all, for the past two years, Du Wa had been far too ferocious, repeatedly defeating gods and causing the fame of the Alien Species to begin resonating throughout the entire universe.
This reputation was built by stepping over one deity after another. It was also the result of Du Wa rapidly deploying Xenomorphs for reproduction across the universe, allowing more cosmic beings to come into contact with them and understand just how terrifying they were.
"Even the Odin of the Main Universe wouldn't dare take this posture with me. Good, very good. Many bold fellows have appeared in your unknown universe."
Cul opened his gaping maw. He felt that not a single prominent figure in this universe was any good. The weak refused to contribute Fear, while the powerful showed him no form of respect whatsoever.
"Hehe, Thompson, you think I have a chance to possess this big guy? You could retire then."
"'You think' is just an illusion. The boss would kill you. He handed you over to me, but not so you could find an opportunity to jump ship." Flash Thompson moved around the battlefield, communicating with Venom.
This human and symbiote pair stared intently at the newly arrived Odin.
They didn't feel much about Cul, but their feelings about Odin were overwhelming.
Odin carefully sensed it and his brow furrowed slightly. He felt a Bloodline connection to Cul, a very close one.
"It seems my existence is absent in this universe, allowing you to ascend to the throne without competition," Cul said coldly.
Odin had already raised Gungnir and thrust it forward.
"I don't know what our relationship is in your universe, and I don't care. There is only one thing I must do now, and that is to eliminate you, so you do not become a threat to this world."
The aged Odin finally made his move. He thrust his spear toward Cul, shattering his energy barrier, then viciously flicked it, sending the great serpent flying into outer space.
This action first surprised Du Wa, then sent him into a thoughtful state.
"You clearly don't have much longer to live, yet you insist on doing such a meaningless thing? Wouldn't it be better to live a little longer, to buy Asgard a bit more time? Thor needs time too," Du Wa said.
"Did you not perceive the change in the World Tree?"
"It is precisely because I perceived it that I am surprised by your actions. Perhaps you will fight to the very end only to discover that your efforts were meaningless—except to allow your short life to erupt one last time, to show everyone that you are still Odin, the King of the Gods," Du Wa said.
These simple words made Odin, who was already exerting himself, frown deeply. He glanced quizzically at the surrounding Xenomorphs out of the corner of his eye.
Even he hadn't figured out why the World Tree was changing. How could Du Wa know?
As far as he knew, Du Wa was not one to lie casually.
Cul and Odin launched an offensive against each other with divine power and magic.
The aged Odin completely disregarded the burden on his body, unleashing his accumulated divine power without restraint. Millions of years of accumulation, the Odin Force at its peak, now bloomed with its final light.
This was a powerful Skyfather, unleashing a final burst condensed from a lifetime of accumulation. Odin's casual attacks could trigger violent tremors in countless spaces, and one crack after another began to appear.
"You're about to die, yet you're still using your life to fight me? Is this your decision? Far more foolish than your Universe 616 counterpart."
Cul let out a roar that could cover the entire solar system, causing solar flares to erupt on the Sun. He could see that this universe's Odin could drop dead at any moment and was fighting with the mentality of trading his life for Cul's.
Cul didn't want that. He came to this universe to increase his strength, not to find enemies who would drain his energy.
At this moment, Xenomorphs and Xenomorph heroes capable of fighting in space transformed into streaks of light, flying out from Earth and forcibly inserting themselves into the battlefield of the two God-Kings.
The Laufey Xenomorph in particular, as the main vessel for Du Wa's consciousness in this battle, now fully unleashed its own reserved divine power. Waves of ice-based divine power erupted, causing the Laufey Xenomorph's connection with the World Tree to grow ever tighter.
The clash of three Skyfather-level beings, with trillions of divine power particles piercing through various dimensions, triggered a response from the entire World Tree.
Odin took a deep breath, dragging his excessively heavy body, feeling his strength failing him. He looked at the Xenomorphs that had joined the battle. If this were the past, he would have already teamed up with Cul to drive them from the fight. Until one of them fell, no third party would be allowed to interfere.
But not now. Odin had to figure some things out. He was about to die, and with Cul's help, Odin faintly perceived that there seemed to be a key element on the World Tree that he had previously overlooked.
And this key, Du Wa seemed to know something about.
"Du Wa, tell me, how much do you know?"
Odin smashed his spear into Cul, making the great Serpent of Fear howl. He asked, panting with exhaustion, genuinely worried he would collapse before he could finish Cul.
"I know a lot. After taking over the bloodlines of the many giants from Jotunheim, I learned even more," Du Wa replied.
He knew what Odin was asking. It seemed even Odin had noticed that something was amiss.
The ancient shadow gods, residing on the dark side of the World Tree, were its true masters. They hid behind the scenes, repeatedly instigating the coming of the Twilight of the Gods, obtaining doomsday energy from its great destruction to sustain their existence and enhance their power.
Du Wa had become aware of their existence the last time he intervened with the World Tree to acquire divine power.
He knew all too well that these beings were powerful and numerous. Before he possessed sufficient strength, it was best not to recklessly expose the shadow to the sunlight. That would only lead to a frantic counter-attack from the shadow side, potentially throwing the entire state of the World Tree into chaos.
"No wonder people hate surprises. They often lead to a passive deviation from the original plan."
Du Wa couldn't help but shake his head. If Odin hadn't joined the fight, and this battle had been allowed to develop, those ancient shadow gods would have made a move sooner or later.
Those beings would not pass up any opportunity to ignite the Twilight of the Gods. As long as they could ensure its success while concealing their own existence, they truly wouldn't mind using a god from an otherworld to advance the Twilight of the Gods in their own universe.
"Hunger. Even gods cannot be immune to this negative concept. What we can do is find an opportunity to send those beings to their Death. The concept of Death is far more advanced than the concept of Hunger," Du Wa said.
(end of chapter)