{Chapter: 348 The Invincible Cockroach}
William and the Mangog clashed like titans within the celestial fighting arena, each blow reverberating like thunder across the realm. Golden light flared with every strike, and shockwaves tore through the air.
Boom!
With a savage bellow, the Mangog's massive axe cleaved into William's shimmering golden shoulder, forcing the armored giant to stumble back several steps. Each step cratered the arena floor beneath him.
"Alpaca!" William roared, not just in fury but with defiant mirth. His right leg—glistening in radiant earth-gold—slammed into the ground.
The earth convulsed.
The very floor of the arena twisted and surged, pulsing as if alive. Then—
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Jagged golden rock spikes erupted skyward like a forest of spears.
One of them—a monstrous spike—pierced directly into the Mangog's groin.
"ARRRGHHH!" The Mangog let out a scream that echoed across the sky, his behemoth frame thrown upward by the sheer force of the hit.
From behind the shielded viewing barrier, Jane Foster gasped, her hand flying to her lips. Her heart thundered. "William..."
Lady Sif, standing nearby, clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles paled. She couldn't tear her eyes away—burning with fury... and something else she dared not name. A storm brewed behind her cold exterior.
Up in the sky, William flashed a cocky smile. "I'm going to blow your dick up!" His voice was thunder itself, laced with raw power—and a flicker of mischievous charm.
He vanished in a blink, reappearing before the stunned Mangog midair. With a mighty spin, his platinum left leg arced like a meteor and slammed directly into the demon's crotch once more.
CRACK.
The Mangog howled, a sound caught between rage and agony. He grabbed William's leg mid-strike. "William! You think you can just destroy me like this?! DREAM ON!"
"DREAM ON!" William shouted back, mocking his words. A dazzling burst of platinum ice burst from his leg—transforming it into a massive ice cone that extended brutally into the Mangog's most vulnerable spot.
BOOOOOOM!
The impact launched the Mangog downward, trailing golden sparks. He smashed into the earth like a meteorite.
KRAK-BOOM!
The earth quaked. Stone exploded in all directions. Dust climbed skyward. A crater the size of a warship marred the arena floor.
Jane gripped the barrier, breathless. "WILLIAM! YOU'RE INCREDIBLE!" Her voice trembled, tears of joy brimming in her eyes.
Thor stood beside her, visibly impressed. "By the Nine Realms… He's stronger than last time."
Odin's eyes narrowed, his tone grave. "Stronger, yes—but not invincible. His body won't sustain this much longer. Just like last time... he'll burn out."
"No," Jane said firmly, her eyes never leaving William. "He won't fail me. He promised."
Her words weren't mere hope. They were belief.
Odin sneered subtly. "Love clouds judgment. Asgard cannot afford misplaced faith."
Sif remained silent beside them, her face unreadable. But deep within, a mix of resentment and sorrow churned. He once looked at me like he looks at her... didn't he? Her gaze hardened. And yet...
Back in the arena, the Mangog clambered out of the crater, one hand still clutching his battered crotch. His face was twisted in fury and shame.
"You despicable bastard!" he howled. "You attacked my penis!"
William floated down slowly, golden energy radiating from him like the sun. "Is there some divine rule against attacking your precious junk?" he asked mockingly. "Is your cock made of Uru metal or something?"
The Mangog's body trembled with rage. "I'll kill you!" he bellowed and charged forward.
William's eyes flashed gold—lit not just with power, but intent. "You can try."
A burst of pure telekinesis exploded from his gaze—an invisible, crushing force that slammed into the charging Mangog.
BOOM!
The Mangog stumbled, his charge halted. He slid backward, golden boots grinding deep ruts in the stone as he was forced back a hundred meters.
Yet still, the Mangog laughed—a crazed, echoing cackle that made the air itself hum. "You cannot win! I was born of rage, forged in the hate of a million souls! You can't break me!"
William's smile dimmed. His breathing was heavier now, slower. But his stance remained firm.
"You're wrong," he said softly.
"William, it's useless! You can't hurt me!" Mangog's voice boomed like rolling thunder, his laughter echoing through the shattered remains of the arena. "Hahaha… HAHAHA—"
But William raised his golden machete with a defiant glint in his eyes. His breathing was heavy, his shirt torn—but his stance remained unbroken, iron-willed.
"Then how about this?" he growled, his voice ragged but thunderous. "Let you, a goddamned mongrel, pretend in front of me? Go back to your grandma, you discount Mangog!"
The golden machete in William's hand shimmered violently—then elongated with a flash, transforming into a cleaver, nearly a thousand meters long, glowing with white-hot rage and elemental wrath as thunder danced around it. It tore through the air with a celestial roar, descending like divine judgment.
Mangog looked up—and for the first time, there was fear in his eyes.
The blade was coming.
He instinctively reached for the ancient runes etched across his torso and prepared to teleport away—until he realized something.
He couldn't move.
Space itself was sealed.
His limbs trembled, bound by an invisible force—telekinesis woven with his body and the space around it.
"Haaaaaah!" Mangog roared, struggling against it, veins bulging, cosmic energy flaring. With a desperate surge, he shattered the psionic grip around him—but it was too late.
"Too slow." William's voice cut through the chaos.
The colossal blade howled like a hurricane, warped the space around it, and then—
CRACK-BOOOOOOM!
It cleaved down with a shattering explosion. Lightning coiled around the edges of the blade, roaring through the atmosphere. The impact ripped apart the battlefield, carving through Mangog's skull and plunging downward—through bone, flesh, spine, and finally—
Right through the groin.
"AAAAAAAAARGH!!" Mangog's scream shattered the sound barrier, echoing across the arena as his body was torn from crown to crotch. Blood—thick, molten, golden ichor—sprayed into the air in fountains.
The machete didn't stop.
It slammed into the ground with cataclysmic force, cleaving the battlefield in half. Stone cracked, divine runes shattered, and the arena itself was split wide open. A ravine more than a thousand meters deep and fifty wide gaped like the mouth of a dying god.
Smoke and glowing debris filled the air. The twin halves of Mangog's torn body fell into the abyss.
"How… how can this be?" Mangog's voice—now fragmented—gurgled from the split remains. "My… body was actually… split—"
A moment later, silence.
The towering golden blade began to shrink and shimmer, collapsing back into a more manageable hundred-meter-long form. William gripped it with one hand and exhaled raggedly. "Whoosh… whoosh…"
His knees buckled slightly, and golden deformed particles fell from his shoulders like crumbling stardust.
"Damn… I'm burning out," he muttered, using the blade like a crutch. His skin glistened with sweat, and lines of blood traced the corners of his mouth.
From the stands, Jane cried out, her hands trembling with emotion, "William!!" Her eyes shimmered with tears of love and awe. "You did it! You're the strongest! Odin! Did you see that, you senile old warmonger?! You couldn't beat him in your prime!"
Thor clenched his fists, speechless with shock, while Sif looked away, her teeth grinding.
"That damn idiot... he actually—" she whispered to herself, hands trembling. She felt a knot in her chest—part anger, part disbelief… and something deeper she refused to name.
Fandral exhaled. "I have to say it… That man's not just powerful. He's terrifying."
Volstagg looked like he'd seen a ghost. "He cut Mangog in half…"
But Odin only smiled, dark and calculating. "Do you truly believe this is over?" he murmured with disdain. "Have you forgotten what Mangog is?"
Then—
"Look!" Volstagg suddenly shouted, pointing at the battlefield.
From the depths of the abyssal crevice, two massive spheres of golden light slowly rose, humming with energy.
"No…" Jane whispered, backing away. "No, no, no…"
William narrowed his eyes, lifting his head. "So he still has that trick…" he murmured.
Within moments, the two spheres began merging, fusing together with crackling arcs of power. From the swirling golden vortex, Mangog's body reformed, towering and whole once more.
"WILLIAM!" a thousand voices roared in unison from the new Mangog. "I. AM. IMMORTAL! YOU CANNOT KILL ME!"
William raised his head, calm even as blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. "I didn't expect to kill you with just that," he said softly. "You're not just brute strength. You're hate made manifest. Violence has only escalated."
Mangog roared, stomping the ground, "And I will show you eternal pain!"
From above, the crowd was torn between hope and horror. The Asgardians began to chant Mangog's name in desperation.
Jane, defiant, shouted at them, "Shut up, all of you! William will finish this! I believe in him!" She looked down at him, her eyes brimming with emotion. "Please come back to me, William…"
Sif's eyes flickered with conflict. "That bastard…" she muttered. "Why do you make it so hard…?"
William raised his golden blade once more and pointed it at Mangog.
"I warned you. You provoke me… William… then you provoke annihilation."
He stepped forward. Blood dripped from his lips. His aura grew unstable—but that only made the winds howl and the lightning tremble.
"This time… I'll show you a storm that even gods fear."