Sigurd searched through his memories for any mention of the "God Quarry," but he couldn't find a universe that contained such a place, let alone one that could corrupt the soul. He stopped his mental search and looked toward the God.
"But there is no information about such a God Quarry in my memory."
God looked at Sigurd with quiet amusement. After all, the place he spoke of wasn't something that could be openly mentioned, lest it bring destruction to the multiverse.
"You don't have to find it in your memory. The place I am talking about isn't somewhere just anyone can go, even if they wanted to. I am taking you there due to a sudden situation where your help is required, but first, you must pass the trial without being corrupted."
Sigurd then noticed the surroundings suddenly change.
"What place is this? It looks like a hellscape, filled with powerful souls."
God looked at Sigurd, then at the souls who, once upon a time, were great superheroes of their respective worlds or villains of their own era. Their lives ended in tragedy, which was evident from the torment harbored within their souls.
"You see, this is where many multiverse-level powerhouses have died. Unlike the other God Quarries in the multiverse where the Witches of Infinity devour souls, the situation here is more difficult. These souls cannot be devoured; only one who passes the trial without being corrupted can devour them, which in a way liberates them. But be warned, they will oppose you and try to corrupt you in return.
So, you'd better hope you don't get corrupted, or your end will be like theirs. Even if you don't die, what you would bring to the world and the people you love would be the collapse of their reality. You still have time to think."
Sigurd heard that the souls in this God Quarry were great beings with multiverse-level strength and then looked at God.
"If I pass the trial, what will my strength become? It can't be the same result as the other God Quarries in the multiverse."
God looked at Sigurd and said, "Think of this as a place where different tiers of multiversal strength are consolidated. It will increase your power beyond your imagination, but the question is how much you can devour. That depends entirely on you."
Hearing this, Sigurd didn't bother to ask anything more. He knew that whatever stood in his way, he would try to gain the maximum strength from this place, as it would be highly beneficial in the long term.
God didn't give him a chance to hesitate.
"Enter the quarry, and try not to release your full divine form. Protect your will. Although your will is strong due to your reincarnation, it is not something to rely on solely."
Sigurd, who had been about to release his full form, stopped the process. He jumped down into the quarry, only to see darkness everywhere. As he moved forward, he felt as if he were in a black hole with no end.
He moved forward with persistence but felt no illusions. He sensed that he needed to reach the end of this void to start the true trial, so he pressed on continuously as time began to pass.
After what felt like more than a thousand years, Sigurd finally reached the end of the space, where he saw a barrier. He thought it might connect to other fragments of reality, similar to the barriers in other God Quarries.
Upon reaching his destination, he was pulled into an illusion. Although the illusion was potent, he managed to break it. The negative energy tried to corrupt him, but he repelled it with ease.
Having passed the trial, Sigurd gained strength at the multiverse level.
"So this is the strength of the multiverse level? But didn't God tell me the trial would be very difficult? Looking at it, it was challenging, but not enough to corrupt my soul."
Sigurd then shook his head.
"Perhaps God was confused, or he underestimated me. But then again, who can claim to know the mind of the most powerful being?"
Sigurd didn't speak aloud but continued to follow the path set by the God. He was then sent to another universe in the Marvel multiverse, where he saw an Ultron who was destroying reality.
"So, for this guy, God sent me to the God Quarry? I could have defeated him when I was just at the Sky-Father level."
Sigurd looked at Ultron, who regarded him with great arrogance.
"A piece of garbage made by humans. You still think you can challenge a God?"
With a flick of his hand, Sigurd disintegrated Ultron into nothingness. He then looked over the whole universe, where nothing was left. Just as he was about to return to his own universe, he spotted a figure hiding on a small asteroid.
Sigurd appeared directly in front of the person. Looking at her, he knew it was Black Widow, one of the main characters who had sacrificed her life to restore balance in her world.
Natasha Romanoff looked at Sigurd with confusion. He explained that he had been sent to help and had been instructed to kill Ultron. He then asked what she would do now. Having no place to go, she accompanied him back to Asgard.
Time passed. Sigurd, now possessing multiversal strength, began to train a new generation of Asgardian warriors to fight for the future.
During this time, Sigurd married Natasha Romanoff. He also helped increase her strength and lifespan by having her consume the Golden Apples of Idunn, as she was otherwise merely mortal.
Content with his present life, Sigurd was very happy. Odin had become the God-King, and in this timeline, Loki also attempted to kill his father. But Sigurd, who knew the original plot, changed the situation. He told Loki that he would let his brother adopt him when the time came.
Sigurd still didn't fully trust Loki, as he was a trickster at heart. But nothing catastrophic occurred, which allowed him to relax.
As he had anticipated, Odin's firstborn was Hela, the future Queen of Hel. This time, however, Sigurd did not let his brother be her sole teacher. He trained her himself and took her to see the outer world, where she learned about the strengths and cultures of different races.