{Chapter: 346 The Power of the Mangog}
Odin narrowed his eyes at Jane, his voice sharp and cold. "You are just a mortal woman. Do you truly believe you can make gods regret their actions?"
Jane stood firm, fire in her eyes. Her voice didn't waver. "You may be a god, but you're still wrong. I don't care how powerful you think you are—one day, you'll regret everything you've done to him. Just wait and see."
Odin scoffed but said nothing more, dismissing her defiance as childish arrogance.
Inside the colossal fighting arena, the golden light above pulsed like a second sun. William stood beneath it, wind blowing his raven-black hair back as he looked up, unfazed by the overwhelming power radiating from above.
He smirked slightly. "So much energy condensed into one being... this is fascinating. World Tree or not, I'm looking forward to this."
The blinding light began to condense, swirling tighter and tighter until it exploded outward with a pulse of golden fury. When it cleared, a monstrous warrior hovered in the air. Clad in radiant golden armor, standing nearly eight meters tall, the being held an axe the size of a horse cart. Its helmet glowed like it contained the light of a dying star.
With a deafening roar that echoed like the cries of thousands, the creature—Mangog—let loose its voice.
The shockwave split the ground in spiderweb cracks beneath it, sending debris flying into the air. The very earth trembled. Even the energy barrier surrounding the arena rippled like disturbed water, though it held firm.
The force slammed into William with unrelenting fury. His boots skidded against the stone floor before he was finally launched backward. Layers of his clothing were stripped away by the pressure, shredded like paper in a storm. Only a tight, dark underlayer clung to his frame.
Outside, Jane gasped, clutching the barrier as she cried out, "William!"
Thor frowned but remained silent, his brows furrowed. Sif, watching intently, clenched her fists—half hoping for William's downfall, half aching with a guilt she didn't understand. A storm of emotions raged in her—hatred, jealousy, and something far more dangerous: longing.
William pushed himself off the shattered ground, blood trailing from the corner of his lips. He wiped it away, then gave a breathless laugh.
"Alright… that one actually hurt," he said with a grin, brushing dust from his arms. "Now I'm getting excited."
Mangog's voice boomed like a chorus of war cries. "William, your sins are many. The crimes you've committed against Asgard and its people are unforgivable. I am the judgment of the gods. I am Mangog. And today, I bring your end!"
William cracked his neck and gave an amused smirk. "That voice… you sound like a choir of angry gym bros. Who named you, anyway? Mangog? Really? You're supposed to inspire terror, not chuckles."
Mangog didn't respond. It simply vanished.
BOOM!
The collision was explosive. William's body was hurled through the air like a ragdoll, smashing into the barrier wall with bone-crunching force. Blood splattered across the ground where he had once stood. The golden axe of Mangog had cleaved through the air where William had been, still sizzling with divine energy.
"Oof…" William groaned as he staggered to his feet, more blood dripping from his mouth. "Yep. Definitely powerful."
Outside, the crowd of Asgardians erupted into cheers. "Kill him! Kill him! For Asgard!"
Odin stood tall and proud, his face glowing with smug satisfaction. "Magnificent. Even I did not expect Mangog to be this powerful. His strength… it surpasses even my own."
Thor blinked, visibly shocked. "He's stronger than you, Father? That's… that's not possible."
"I cannot even measure the depths of his power," Odin replied, eyes never leaving the arena. "Mangog is the will of vengeance made flesh. The fury of ten thousand warriors bound in one. William cannot hope to survive this."
Volstagg laughed heartily. "Then it's finally over. That arrogant bastard will fall today."
Fandral, ever more cautious, spoke up. "But the Tesseract… William still has it. If he escapes—"
"He won't," Odin interrupted coldly. "This barrier is shaped by the roots of the World Tree itself. Not even the Tesseract can breach it. William is trapped, and his fate is sealed."
Inside the arena, William wiped blood from his brow and narrowed his eyes. His body was already bruised and bleeding, his chest rising and falling with every breath. He turned his gaze toward Jane, who stood beyond the barrier with eyes full of sorrow and unwavering love.
Their eyes met.
He gave her a wink, then mouthed: For you.
Jane's hands trembled. Her voice broke as she whispered, "Come back to me... please..."
Thor heard her and turned away, ashamed. He could see it now—Jane's heart belonged to William completely. There was no denying it.
Sif caught Jane's look, and her heart twisted. Her jaw clenched. Why him? she asked herself. He was dangerous, unpredictable, defiant… but gods help her, there had been a time she'd wondered what it would be like to be the one he looked at like that. It had always been easier to hate him than face the truth—that somewhere, buried deep, she had once felt the pull of his wild fire.
Back in the arena, Mangog charged again, swinging his golden axe with terrifying speed. William summoned a sword from thin air, its blade crackling with thunder. The weapons collided, shaking the air with an ear-splitting clang. Sparks and blood sprayed as Mangog landed a partial strike to William's side, slicing open his ribs.
William let out a grunt of pain but slashed back with brutal precision, carving a line across Mangog's golden armor. The titanic warrior didn't flinch but reeled back for a second swing.
They clashed again. The ground cracked beneath their feet. Blood painted the arena floor.
Every strike now felt like the end of the world.
As Mangog raised his axe high, William ducked low and drove his burning blade straight into the titan's stomach. The golden armor didn't even crack.
Mangog roared, his fist slamming down and crushing part of William's shoulder. Bone cracked. William was sent flying.
But he didn't fall.
He stood.
Glaring through blood and pain, he growled, "Come on, show me what you got."
And then, William's body ignited with blazing light—not from the Tesseract, but something less, something raw and ancient within him.
Odin narrowed his eyes. "What is this…?"
Jane clutched her heart, tears welling. Sif watched in silence, breath held tight in her chest.
Thor whispered, "He's… still standing."
Odin raised the Spear of Eternity, the weight of centuries etched into the hard lines of his face. Determination sparked in his one good eye. "When the moment comes, I shall enter the arena myself... and together with the Mangog, I will destroy William." He slammed the spear's butt against the stone floor with a ringing crack, like thunder heralding a storm.
From outside the barrier, Jane Foster clenched her fists and stepped forward, her voice laced with anger and desperation. "You're the All-Father, right? A so-called god. And this is your plan? Ganging up on one man with a monster you barely understand? Do you even hear yourself?"
Her eyes were full of fire, but beneath it, pain trembled. "You're not a king. You're a coward hiding behind power and numbers."
Odin's expression did not waver. "To eliminate evil, one must not hesitate. Justice does not always wear a noble face."
"But he's not evil!" Jane snapped, tears brimming in her eyes. "He's—he's William. He's mine…"
She choked back the rest, whispering under her breath like a plea to the cosmos, like a prayer cast into the void. Please don't die. You said we'd see the stars together. You promised…
Behind her, Lady Sif watched silently, jaw clenched, her arms crossed. Her posture was rigid, but her eyes betrayed her storm. It wasn't just fury. No… there was something deeper. She had fought beside William, seen the defiant courage in his eyes, the madness that danced alongside brilliance. And somewhere in the cracks of her loyalty to Asgard, something tender had grown—something she hated herself for.
He was supposed to die a traitor. So why does part of me want him to survive?
Inside the shimmering barrier formed by the World Tree's power, the Mangog moved. Every step the giant took shook the arena with the weight of vengeance. Though slow, each stride collapsed distance like it was folding time itself—every footfall leaping a hundred meters forward.
In only ten steps, the Mangog stood before William like a living mountain of divine wrath. His golden armor glowed with divine rage, the great axe in his hand radiating a power that scorched the air around it.
A thousand voices surged from the Mangog's chest, as if every fallen warrior of Asgard spoke as one. "William… today you will be erased. Your sins will be cleansed with blood. There is no escape."
William, battered but upright, smiled faintly. As his wounds disappeared. His voice carried its usual irreverent charm. "Wait a second."
The Mangog raised its axe, massive hands gripping the hilt like it could slice the sky itself. "Last words?"
William's smirk deepened. "You're really serious about this whole 'judgment day' thing, huh?"
"You will die today."
"Yeah, yeah. Heard that one before." He adjusted his posture and cracked his neck. "Let me guess—this whole thing's Odin's brilliant plan? Have to admit, the old man is good. Hide behind a monster, create a barrier no one can escape from. Real chessmaster move. Shame I didn't see it sooner."
"You realize this too late."
"Maybe," William said, flexing his fingers as sparks of energy danced across his skin. "This barrier… unbreakable even with the Tesseract, huh? Guess the All-Father didn't leave many exits open. Smart. And here I thought I had a chance to walk away."
The Mangog sneered, his massive eyes narrowing. "You compare yourself to the All-Father? You are nothing. He is a Godking older than your whole pathetic race. You are a parasite with stolen toys."
William laughed. "Flattery from a stolen name of a cheap copy? Didn't expect that today."
Mangog took another step forward. "This delay is pointless."
"Is it?" William's tone shifted. Deformed elemental particles surged around him, patching torn flesh, knitting muscle over bone with unnatural speed. "You think I'm buying time?"
The golden axe cleaved through the air in a blinding arc. Space warped around it, dragging the arena's energy into its path.
But William was gone in a blink—vanishing like smoke.
He reappeared behind the Mangog, black sword already swinging down in a precise arc toward the creature's plated spine.
Sparks burst out as the blade screeched along golden armor, leaving only a thin white line.
"No damage even at the back." William muttered, twisting midair.
The Mangog roared—a sound like a planet screaming. It whirled, its axe swinging wide.
Boom!
The impact was titanic. A crisp collision sound was heard, sending him hurtling back through the air like a broken comet. He crashed into the ground with a grunt.
Outside the barrier, Jane screamed, "WILLIAM!"
Sif's breath caught. She didn't say his name—but her fingers twitched, a tremble betraying the part of her that felt it.
Within the barrier, William coughed blood and stood up. He grinned. "That's all you got? That tickled."
The Mangog scowled. "You should be dead."
"You can't kill me." William rose, steady, eyes glowing with a manic joy. "You pissed me off instead."
"Impossible." The Mangog roared. According to his idea, one axe could almost smash William into a meat paste.
William waved the shield in his hand, "It's thanks to you, Mangog, you've completely excited me."
Mangog looked at the shield in William's hand, "There is also this kind of metal shield, I underestimated you. You should regret that I didn't kill you with just one blow, because I only used one layer of power."
"Really?" William said with a smile. He raised his arm. The shield shimmered in his grasp—then melted into silver liquid, reforming into a large syringe filled with glowing green fluid.
Mangog frowned. "A weapon?"
William winked. "You used a monster. I use science. Let's make this interesting."
He jammed the syringe into his own neck.
A hiss of steam. A pulse of energy. William's skin cracked with glowing veins as the formula surged through him, as raw force erupted from his body in waves.
He met Mangog's eyes.