Chapter 117: The Hall That Defies Death
"The Main Universe is truly a wonderful place. Despite being the most chaotic center, it is still so vibrant, a place where order and chaos coexist."
Du Wa withdrew his gaze, sighing with emotion.
He had yet to see through the power of time and fate, but as a being already considered Skyfather-level, his observation and perception of the universe's rules had, more or less, reached an introductory level.
Even observing it through a spatial tunnel from a distance of billions of light-years away, Du Wa was still amazed by the uniqueness of the Main Universe.
Unfortunately, now was not the time for a large-scale entry into the Main Universe.
For now, the main purpose was to use Cul to send a greeting to the Main Universe.
Through this operation, Du Wa also successfully sent a Xenomorph into the Main Universe to serve as a foothold.
That's right, the Xenomorph that seemed extremely unlucky, sliced in half by a spatial rift. Its upper body, which fell into the Main Universe, quickly regenerated. It had now burrowed into the oceans of the Main Universe's Earth and gone into hiding.
But Du Wa had no intention of transferring his consciousness to that Xenomorph in the Main Universe. Such an action was currently too risky.
Looking across the entire Multiverse, how many deities who should have possessed endless power were brought down by some trivial detail?
When facing the various superheroes and supervillains of each universe, even a deity, once a weakness was exposed, would be targeted and suffer humiliation.
As numerous Xenomorphs returned, dragging the battered and broken Cul with them.
The panting Odin had been waiting for a long time. He felt that every second that passed was as long as hundreds or even thousands of years.
"You're in bad shape. I can even see a large number of epidermal cells on your body dying rapidly. Are you really not going to try to save yourself?" Du Wa said.
"There's no need. I've lived long enough. Without becoming a cosmic god, even the strongest Skyfather has their limits. Not every Skyfather has a long lifespan like those Elders of the Universe, but living like them is simply a form of torture."
Odin leaned on the Eternal Spear, which was stained with the Serpent's blood. This divine artifact was the only thing holding him up.
But his tone was still filled with disdain for the Elders of the Universe.
Every single one of those Skyfather-level Elders of the Universe had to rely on a fanatical hobby to keep their soul from collapsing over the long eons of time. But relying on these so-called "hobbies," even at the lowest cost, would still alter their very being, making them no longer who they once were.
Odin, in his pride, would never approve of a Skyfather extending their life in such a way.
"You went to that Serpent's world. Where does he come from?" Odin asked Du Wa, looking at Cul, who was held down firmly by a large group of Xenomorphs.
Cul was truly in a miserable state. Not only was he missing limbs, but every muscle on his body had been pierced and held apart by Xenomorph claws.
"It's a place called Universe 616. Luckily, I also met the 'you' in that universe. He's in much better shape than you are, not looking like he's at the end of his life at all. Of course, his strength also far surpasses yours," Du Wa said.
Odin remained noncommittal.
To be blood-related to a guy like Cul, it would be strange if the Odin of that universe was weak.
As for his health being far better than his own... to be honest, if this were a few years ago, he might have investigated the reason and looked for some effective methods, but now there was no longer a need.
"Where is Thor? I haven't seen him on the battlefield at all. That's not normal," Du Wa changed the subject.
"I cast an enchantment on his Stormbreaker. Without my permission, or until I die, that spell will prevent him from opening the Rainbow Bridge."
As expected of Odin. Although not as bloodthirsty and brutal as the Odin of the Main Universe, he was still perfectly qualified as the God-King of this universe.
In fact, to be more precise, there really weren't many Odins in any universe who could be as ferocious as the Odin from the Main Universe.
"I will take Cul back to Earth. Your Excellency Odin, you won't fight me for the spoils of war, will you? Although you risked your life to help me defeat Cul... I imagine you will try to have me repay you in other ways."
Du Wa's gaze was conveyed through the many Xenomorphs and Xenomorph heroes present.
Odin raised his head with a weary expression. "You are very clever. You excel at exchanging limited resources, using things of little value to you to obtain things of great significance."
"Then it seems we have a bargain. You won't regret it, and I won't deceive you with false intelligence... In any universe, information is the most crucial thing. I can give you the information you need most."
Of course, Du Wa knew what Odin wanted. "The World Tree has never been just what is seen on the surface. Beyond the radiance of the worlds, there are countless shadows. It seems those beings wanted to achieve something through Cul, but they haven't done so yet, perhaps because the timing isn't right."
"What timing?"
"You know."
Odin fell silent. There were dangerous beings in the shadows of the World Tree? And they were plotting something nefarious?
Based on past experience, Odin would have thought this was nonsense. He had fought within the World Tree for millions of years. While he hadn't traveled to every planet, he at least had some understanding of every world. The shadows of the World Tree? What was that?
But when he considered that Du Wa was the one who said it, and that the World Tree had indeed experienced unusual tremors... The things in the shadows... who could they be?
"Now that Cul has fallen into your hands, what will they do?" Odin asked.
"Either they start an all-out war, or they'll wait for an opportunity. After all, I didn't kill Cul, did I? To them, time is never the problem. The problem is the timing," Du Wa said.
Odin immediately thought of Ragnarok. This was the most terrifying prophecy in the entirety of the World Tree.
Once a prophecy rises to a certain level, it becomes the established fate of the universe.
If one views a universe as a grand story, flipping ahead many pages reveals that certain plot points are already destined to happen. As long as you are still within this story, you can only face it, not escape it.
Du Wa observed the Odin before him from the perspective of many Xenomorphs. Although the vast majority of cells in his body were already dead, he still exuded the fierce aura of an aging lion.
Du Wa knew very well that despite Odin looking like he was on his last breath, this old fox was definitely ready to strike. If Du Wa showed any dangerous tendencies, Odin would use his last breath to try and take a group of Xenomorphs with him.
In the end, Du Wa did not make a move on Odin but left with Cul, which made Odin breathe a sigh of relief.
Immediately after, the dying God-King began to mock himself. How long had it been, and he was already feeling such intense dread of Du Wa? If this had been two years ago, he wouldn't have given Du Wa a second glance.
"The times have changed. The era of the young has arrived. An old man like me should leave this world forever."
But before that, there was one more crucial thing to do.
Odin returned to Asgard and saw at a glance that Thor was constantly agitating Stormbreaker, attempting to open the Rainbow Bridge.
"Father! That's great, you're all right... But your body..." Thor strode forward to meet him.
"This is a king's destiny. To meet death in war is infinitely better than dying in bed. Child, you should be happy for your father. What gratifies me most is that I have trained you before my death. You are only one final step away from being a true king."
Thor already realized what Odin was about to do. He watched with his own eyes as Odin's body began to rapidly emaciate, as if time was accelerating around him.
Under Odin's control, immense divine power began to gather and transfer into Thor's body.
Thor's eyes were bloodshot. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, to do something, but words were pale and powerless. He could do nothing.
Only the surging Odinforce rapidly filled his strong body.
"Use this power well. Although it wasn't entirely cultivated by you, and it's not guaranteed to make you a powerful God-King, it can at least help you through some crises."
"You must pay close attention to Du Wa. I haven't figured out what this young man truly wants to do yet. At first, I thought he wanted to conquer the Nine Realms and enslave countless species, to become a God-King like I was in my youth. But now it seems that's not the case. His mind is not on the World Tree at all; he's just using everything at present as a springboard."
"He had the ability to strike at me just now, but he didn't. Perhaps it was out of pity, or perhaps from his perspective, a decaying Skyfather is of no consequence."
"Thor, you can learn from Du Wa, but you must not become him. You are completely different from him... Your people and his people are also completely different, following entirely different paths of development."
"You must bring your younger brother back. I don't believe Loki would truly submit to Knull. He must be constantly calculating how to undermine Knull."
"Finally, when you communicate with the World Tree in the future, you must be careful of the shadows beneath it. There may be some dangerous things hidden within... Maintain contact with Du Wa. He seems to be plotting against whatever those damned things in the shadows are."
Odin rambled on, having probably never spoken so many words to Thor at once in his entire life. As he spoke, his body began to disappear.
When the last word fell, amidst Thor's bitter weeping, the powerful Skyfather vanished into thin air.
Countless points of light, like fireflies in the night sky, floated gently into deep space, seemingly flying towards all of Asgard, yet also seeming to cover the vast World Tree.
At this moment, the Skyfathers on the various branches of the World Tree all sensed it.
The death of a Skyfather wielding divine power could not be hidden from others of their kind. They all relied on the World Tree to maintain their power. How could they not investigate when they suddenly found a section missing from the chain of divine power?
"It seems Odin is dead. That old fellow lived for millions of years and is finally dead."
"If Odin were still alive, would you dare say such a thing publicly? But you're right. That old relic waged wars everywhere in his youth. Countless races hated him to the bone. Some of the young people today think Odin is so benevolent. When that guy was on his brutal rampages, he was a nightmare for countless worlds."
"Why did Odin go to deal with that otherworldy Skyfather before he died? Du Wa had already made a move. I don't believe Du Wa would lose with his strength."
Some were greatly perplexed by this, completely unable to understand the meaning behind it. Was he trying to die faster? His body was already in such a poor state, yet he insisted on fighting a battle with the Eternal Spear.
"Perhaps he reached some kind of agreement with Du Wa, or maybe it was deliberate, using war to send himself to his death. After all, he was the strongest Skyfather of the World Tree, the King of Gods."
The entire World Tree began to fall into silence. Whether they respected Odin or cursed him madly, without exception, they all acknowledged Odin's strength.
The fortunate thing was that Odin was dead. The unfortunate thing was that in the mortal world of Midgard, a race had risen that was not of the gods, yet seemed even more dangerous than them.
No one knew what thoughts the leader of this race, Du Wa, held. Would he be like the Odin of old, leading a grand army to conquer all corners, establishing the supreme status of his own species by conquering formidable enemies?
A race that had actually conquered Jotunheim—the Xenomorphs—was secretly and deeply dreaded by the rulers of several other worlds.
They were also afraid that one day, Du Wa would attack their worlds just as he had invaded Jotunheim.
After all, under Du Wa's command, there were several Skyfather-level beings and even more at the sub-Skyfather level. If a great war to conquer the Nine Realms were to be launched, a single world would not necessarily be able to withstand it.
Unless it was Muspelheim at its peak, with the father-daughter pair of Surtur and Queen Sindr at the helm. With two Skyfathers leading the Fire Giants, Rock Giants, and a host of other species, they might be able to contend with Du Wa.
From the various worlds, emissaries were continuously sent to Asgard to mourn.
Du Wa, of course, also had an emissary. He only needed to pick a Xenomorph and let his consciousness descend upon it.
"You're becoming more and more skilled with your spiritual projection. Sometimes I really can't tell which one is the real you. Is the Xenomorph speaking on your behalf carrying your soul, or is it just a medium you're controlling to speak through?"
Thor forced a smile, conversing with the Xenomorph beside him. The strain in his voice was obvious.
"In your 1,500 years of life, everything you are experiencing now is just the beginning of your contact with this universe. Compared to your long lifespan, it is so insignificant. In the future, you will witness many more cosmic wonders, carrying your father's legacy with you."
Du Wa did not offer any bouquet for Odin, who had left no body behind. Instead, he placed a finger there.
It was Cul's finger, which he had personally cut off.
"Let me guess, did Odin's soul enter Valhalla?" Du Wa asked.
"Valhalla? Everyone says such a place exists, a hall for heroic souls, but I've never seen it," Thor said, hesitating.
"It should exist. However, Odin's level was too high. In the end, he could only return to Death itself, not Valhalla..."
Du Wa decided to search for this place. In fact, if he could just deconstruct Valhalla's structure of existence, he might be able to build a Valhalla that belonged exclusively to the Xenomorph race.
One had to know that every Xenomorph and Xenomorph hero was his vassal on the level of soul and consciousness, forming a natural bulwark around him.
Du Wa believed that he could build a special zone between reality and illusion. He just needed to transform the abyss of consciousness within his own mind.
(end of chapter)