In his Serpent form, Cul unleashed a terrifying roar that shook the world.
As the God of Fear, the colossal serpent's divine power surged, radiating dread to cow the planet and harvest more terror. Cul hoped to reap a bountiful yield.
With so many humans on this Earth, a display of his might should yield substantial fear, perhaps not as rich as Earth-616's Midgard, but enough to sate him for a time.
Yet seconds later, his massive serpentine head betrayed shock and confusion.
He had absorbed fear from across the globe, but it was scant.
"How is it so little?" Cul muttered, thrashing his head in disbelief. "This planet's humans rival Earth-616's Midgard in number. Even if their quality is lesser, it shouldn't be this sparse."
Using his divine authority, he sensed the world's fear.
"Another unknown entity hitting Earth? Not mole people this time, right?"
"Feels like a beast from ancient myth. Snake or lizard?"
"No way that's a god. What god looks this ugly?"
"The spectacle's huge, though. Looks like Adam's whole roster is out. First time I've seen this… Is Adam targeting this serpent too?"
Across the world, humans buzzed with discussion.
Despite feeling Cul's imposing aura, their reactions leaned toward surprise and curiosity. Fear dwindled the farther from the battlefield, where Adam's unyielding presence reassured them.
No matter the foe, as long as Adam stood, catastrophic damage to the planet was unlikely, a trust forged through countless past crises.
This realization infuriated Cul. His massive form writhed, his tail lashing out, obliterating countless Xenomorphs in a single strike.
"Your rage only exposes your impotence." Adam taunted, his voice omnipresent like a specter or an observer beyond the world, coldly watching the chaos. "I see a lamb ramming the fence in fury, denied its master's scraps. What do you think, esteemed God-King Cul?"
No god-king, even from the main universe, commanded Adam's deference.
Adam regarded all, man or god, as equals. Any courtesy he showed signaled one of two extremes: either an ally or a foe to be swiftly eliminated.
In response, Cul hurled the speaking Laufey Xenomorph aside.
"No one has ever dared insult me thus." Cul snarled. "You're the first, human, and you'll be the last. I'll hang your corpse on my throne in another universe."
"Will you?" Adam's voice echoed from the Laufey Xenomorph. "With what? Your title as God of Fear, when you can't even harvest fear?"
"You're lucky I didn't bring my Eight Hammers." Cul hissed, baring his fangs to crush the Laufey Xenomorph. "This world would already be mine."
Truth be told, Cul regretted coming. He'd known Mephisto's summons hid ulterior motives, but he hadn't anticipated such a perilous trap from the start.
Foes like Reynolds were irritating enough. At his peak, Cul could have handled multiple Skyfathers with ease.
What truly enraged him was the Laufey Xenomorph. He recognized it, a variant of Laufey himself. With the Casket of Ancient Winters, it would be Laufey incarnate.
So, this universe's Laufey had become a Xenomorph too? Cul's fascination with Xenomorphs peaked. A species capable of usurping Yggdrasil divine bloodlines was extraordinary.
But the more remarkable they were, the stronger his urge to destroy them. Only a god-king like him deserved to wield such a dangerous race. A Midgardian controlling them was an intolerable threat.
Better yet, if he could seize the Xenomorphs and take them to the main universe.
"Letting a human like you command Xenomorphs is a waste!" Cul roared. "Only I am worthy of their loyalty!"
He caught Reynolds' fist, his near-lightspeed tail slamming into Reynolds' chest, shattering the golden aura cloaking him.
That was just the start. Cul turned, spewing a magical blast to counter Ikaris' heat vision.
But Hyperion Xenomorph charged, landing a punch that tilted Cul's massive head slightly.
"Your skull's not as tough as your words." Reynolds mocked, rekindling his stellar energy.
Dracula Xenomorphs, Eternals Xenomorphs, and others seized the moment, relentlessly assaulting Cul's enormous form.
Under such a barrage, every second drained Cul's reserves.
Energy was what he lacked most, and prolonged expenditure was his greatest taboo.
To Cul, it felt like a swarm of buzzing insects he couldn't swat away.
This universe's Midgard infuriated him. It offered scant fear energy, and these Xenomorphs showed not a trace of dread!
"Creatures with full emotional capacity, yet no fear of a god far beyond them?" Cul growled. "Fine. I don't know how you earned their loyalty, but they should belong to me!"
At that moment, Odin arrived.
The Yggdrasil never trembled without cause. It underpinned nine vast realms, sustaining countless worlds, a manifestation of both cosmic law and tangible matter.
In Odin's millions of years of memory, such an event had never occurred.
Mounted on his eight-legged steed Sleipnir, Odin activated the Bifrost, descending to Earth.
Asgard's teleportation technology was unmistakable, instantly noticed by many on Earth.
The rainbow bridge spanning the cosmos was impossible to conceal.
"Another nuisance arrives." Cul muttered, his irritation palpable.
Though this universe's Odin bore him no grudge, the mere sight of his brother sparked visceral rage.
"Outsider, state your name." Odin declared, fully armored, astride his majestic warhorse, brandishing Gungnir, its tip aimed at Cul.
This was a challenge.
For Odin, whose days were numbered, this final battle was to uncover why an otherworldly intruder stirred the Yggdrasil.
It was critical. He needed to pave the way for Thor, eliminating all uncertainties.
More crucially, as Asgard's king, he had to join Adam's fight, asserting Asgard's prominence.
In recent years, Adam's ferocity, vanquishing gods and elevating the Xenomorphs' infamy across the cosmos, had been undeniable.
His reputation was forged by toppling deities, rapidly spreading Xenomorph colonies, and exposing countless cosmic beings to their terror.
"You dare confront me with such audacity, when even Earth-616's Odin wouldn't?" Cul sneered, his maw gaping. "This obscure universe breeds bold fools."
He found no one of note in this universe redeemable, the weak offered no fear, the strong showed no respect.
"Hey, Thompson, think I could bond with this big guy? Then you could retire." Venom teased.
"'Think' is an illusion." Flash Thompson replied, weaving through the battlefield. "The boss would crush you. He gave you to me, not for you to job-hop."
The man-and-symbiote duo fixated on the newly arrived Odin.
Cul left them indifferent, but Odin stirred strong feelings.
Odin's brow furrowed as he sensed a blood connection with Cul, strikingly close.
"So, this universe lacks my counterpart, letting you claim the throne unopposed." Cul said coldly.
Odin thrust Gungnir, piercing Cul's energy barrier and flinging the serpent into outer space.
Adam, initially surprised, grew pensive.
"You're near death, yet you waste your final moments on this?" Adam said. "Wouldn't living longer, securing Asgard's future, serve Thor better?"
"You felt the Yggdrasil's shift?" Odin asked.
"Exactly why your intervention surprises me." Adam replied. "You may fight to the end only to find your efforts futile, save for one last blaze of glory, proving you're still Odin, Allfather."
The simple words made Odin frown, his peripheral vision scanning the Xenomorphs.
Even he hadn't grasped why the Yggdrasil stirred. How did Adam know?
From what he knew, Adam wasn't one to lie idly.
Cul and Odin clashed, divine power and magic colliding.
The aged Odin, heedless of his body's strain, unleashed millions of years of amassed Odinforce in a final radiant burst.
As a high-tier Skyfather, his lifetime's power triggered cataclysmic spatial tremors, cracks splintering reality.
"You're dying, yet you burn your life to face me?" Cul roared, his voice enveloping the solar system, igniting solar flares. "You're even dumber than Earth-616's Odin."
He saw Odin's imminent collapse, fighting with a suicidal resolve to take Cul down with him.
Cul wanted no part of it. He came to this universe to grow stronger, not to waste energy on a foe.
Xenomorphs and heroes capable of space combat streaked from Earth, forcibly joining the god-kings' battle.
The Laufey Xenomorph, Adam's primary consciousness vessel, unleashed its stored divine ice power, deepening its Yggdrasil connection.
The clash of three Skyfather-level beings sent billions of divine particles piercing dimensions, eliciting a response from the Yggdrasil.
Odin drew a heavy breath, his weary frame faltering. He eyed the Xenomorphs. In his prime, he'd have joined Cul to expel them, barring third parties until one of them fell.
But now, he needed answers. Nearing death, Cul's presence hinted at a critical element of the Yggdrasil he'd overlooked.
And Adam seemed to know something.
"Adam, what do you know?" Odin demanded, slamming Gungnir into Cul, eliciting a pained howl from the serpent.
Gasping, exhausted, he feared collapsing before defeating Cul.
"I know much." Adam replied. "After absorbing Jotunheim's giant bloodlines, I learned more."
He understood Odin's query and sensed the Allfather's unease.
The Shadow Elder Gods, lurking on the Yggdrasil's dark side, were its true masters. Hidden, they orchestrated Ragnaroks, harvesting apocalyptic energy from each cycle to sustain and empower themselves.
Adam had sensed their presence when last tapping the Yggdrasil's power.
He knew their strength and numbers. Without sufficient power, exposing them would provoke a devastating counterstrike, potentially destabilizing the entire Yggdrasil.
"No wonder people hate surprises." Adam mused, shaking his head. "They derail plans."
Without Odin's intervention, the battle's escalation would have eventually drawn the Shadow Elder Gods' attention.
They'd seize any chance to trigger Ragnarok, using an otherworldly god to ignite this universe's apocalypse while concealing their role.
"Hunger, even gods can't escape it." Adam said. "All we can do is find the chance to send them to their deaths. The concept of death far surpasses hunger."
Hey guys! If you're a fan of Marvel and looking for an interesting story to read, don't hesitate to check out this new fanfic:
[The New Asgardian (Marvel × WoW)]
Synopsis:
A man reincarnated as a Paladin from World of Warcraft to Asgard long before humans could even think of creating fire.
What else could possibly go wrong?
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