Chapter 168: A Hell Demon Points Out, Something Seems a Bit Wrong Here
The universe had been completely transformed.
This wasn't just a turn of phrase describing the change in the cosmic situation; it was a physical reality.
The entire Universe, impacted by the cataclysm of Du Wa's ascension to godhood, was beaten beyond recognition as several single-universe gods descended to engage in a brawl.
Entire galaxies were wiped out, reduced to the Ruins of the Universe.
Vast Domains suffered heavy damage, their rules becoming fragmented and their physical constants thrown into chaos.
There were also some who were either lucky or unlucky; their star systems had exploded, and they could only remain on their planets, watching as the shattered worlds they depended on for survival were propelled by the blast's shockwave, hurtling through the dark and broken cosmos.
After a major event of this magnitude, no one cared to pay attention to the fates of those poor wretches. To have survived such a great battle and lived a little longer—wasn't that the greatest fortune in itself?
They should be content.
In any case, the gods all had somewhat mixed feelings, but they wouldn't dare express emotions like greed. No one was willing to stick their neck out at this juncture to challenge Du Wa's authority. The consequences would be dire.
Look at the once-unbeatable dark lord Dormammu, now hiding in the Dark Dimension, refusing to show his face.
Then look at Kronos, the God of Time, a top-tier deity of the Universe. His grandson was dead, he himself had gained nothing, and now he was hiding in some unknown period of the Universe's timeline.
For the foreseeable future, unless another major event that swept the entire Universe were to erupt, the gods speculated they would likely never see Kronos again.
In any case, Kronos wouldn't jump out on his own initiative; that would be suicide.
It all depended on whether Du Wa, who controlled the Time Stone, would be willing to expend a massive amount of energy to brutally search through all of time across the entire Universe. Even for Du Wa, controlling the Time Stone for such a task would inevitably consume immense energy.
This was also the conclusion the gods reached in their whispers: Du Wa was indeed an undisputed concept god, on par with the Creator Gods. However, he was ultimately not a cosmic entity and couldn't manipulate the Universe itself at will. In this regard, Du Wa was far inferior to the Creator Gods.
But this didn't demonstrate Du Wa's weakness. On the contrary, it highlighted just how remarkable he was. As a human from Earth, achieving so much—to the point where even the cosmic entity Death had seemingly appeared to communicate with him—was an incredible feat.
Before his godhood, he could use various means to resist the attacks of several single-universe-level beings. Now that he was a concept god, if he were to truly go all out, would this Universe even be able to withstand his power?
Even if it did, it would likely be left in tatters, teetering on the brink of collapse. And the gods, who depended on this Universe for their very existence, would also perish in droves.
Consequently, the way everyone viewed the Xenomorphs also underwent an earth-shattering change. No matter how they looked at them, they felt that these creatures were extraordinary in every way.
As time passed, the scale of the Xenomorphs expanded wildly. They began to systematically slaughter some of the Universe's most famously powerful species. People throughout the Universe gradually came to understand what was happening.
Ordinary mortal life forms weren't aware of high-end information like concept gods, but they knew that a terrifying great battle had erupted around Midgard within the World Tree, leaving the entire World Tree shattered and inflicting severe damage on the entire Universe.
Some adventurers, while roaming the cosmos, could no longer do so as easily as before. They had to be constantly vigilant against the fractured and chaotic space-time.
If they were careless and got swept into a space-time vortex, plunging into the Void Zone, a place devoid of energy and matter, they would be finished.
Likewise, if they were struck by planetary fragments hurtling through the Universe, their bodies would be obliterated on the spot.
This Universe was truly more chaotic and dangerous than ever before. Even though it was in a state of self-repair and the Celestials were rushing about, they couldn't attend to every detail. Generally speaking, this group of Celestials didn't care much about the lives and deaths of mortals. With that time, they could simply create more new life.
Occasionally, someone would wonder: since all the Infinity Stones were in Du Wa's hands, why didn't he just use them to perform a Snap and restore the entire Universe to its original state?
They thought of it but dared not say it, only letting the thought flash through their minds before quickly casting it aside.
People's frequency of contact with the Xenomorphs grew ever higher. There were always people thinking about information related to Du Wa, only to inexplicably become Xenomorphs themselves. This transformation caused great anxiety among those who did not wish to become vassals.
The entire Universe was evolving at an unprecedented speed in a strange direction, and it was uncertain whether it was for better or for worse.
It was as if Du Wa's giant hand had grasped the black sphere of the Universe and was rewriting it into his own image, continuously pushing his concept into even the most remote regions.
"So, that's the situation. We hope you can help us deal with the threat of Mephisto. It would save our world."
Moon Knight stood before Du Wa, explaining earnestly.
Du Wa knew that Moon Knight had three personalities, but it seemed that Marc, the one skilled in combat, was currently in control of the body. The other two personalities remained hidden, not appearing unless necessary.
"No problem. You took the initiative to help me when I was in a bit of trouble. I am more than happy to repay the favor," Du Wa agreed with a smile.
In the Khonshu Era Universe, the biggest problem was facing the continuous invasion from Mephisto. According to prophecy, this universe would eventually be destroyed by Mephisto.
To rewrite a cosmic prophecy, the simplest and most direct method is to introduce a force powerful enough to shake the universe itself.
It was just like the prophecy of Ragnarok, which Du Wa altered by directly using a power strong enough to shake the World Tree.
Moon Knight Marc and the Moon God Khonshu placed their hopes on Du Wa, hoping this powerful deity could help them solve their problem.
Du Wa smiled and waved his hand, and several glasses of water appeared on the table. He picked one up and gestured to Marc. "I don't like to add anything to my water, but you can choose coffee or tea. Now then, let's continue our topic—in what way do you hope I will protect your world? For example, I could directly provide you with an army. The moment a new Mephisto invades, my army will kill it immediately. No matter how many Mephistos come, they will all die."
Marc and Khonshu had no doubt that Du Wa could do this.
They had personally witnessed the terrifying battle of Du Wa's promotion to a concept god. Du Wa himself hadn't moved, yet he had blocked the attacks of several Cosmic Gods. It seemed that even without the two of them, Du Wa had the ability to withstand a siege from even more gods.
They were not indispensable, but they had seized the opportunity to attack Mephisto and directly faced the true form of this great demon. This had greatly reduced the Moon God Khonshu's fear of Mephisto.
"But, if you'll forgive my bluntness, if you really dispatch an army to garrison our universe, how long can you protect us? A hundred years? A thousand? Mephisto's lifespan is practically endless. In theory, He can attack us forever," Marc said, worried.
Du Wa shook his head. "Mephisto may be able to attack you forever, but I can also protect you forever, until your universe perishes naturally or is instantly destroyed by some unstoppable, great disaster."
Mephisto could live for a very long time, that was true, but was Du Wa some short-lived weakling? He would definitely outlive Mephisto.
Even if the Multiverse were destroyed, Du Wa would endure. If he couldn't even do that, it would mean he had already been killed in some major event.
"Besides, I don't intend to solve the problem just by protecting your world. I can't just passively let demons come knocking again and again, can I? That's not my style." Du Wa blew lightly on his cup.
"You mean..."
"He means we take the initiative and take the fight to Hell."
Two figures pushed open the door and walked straight in. They both glanced at Du Wa first, and after confirming that he showed no signs of displeasure, they relaxed a little and sat down on the sofa.
In this luxurious reception room, the four of them conversed. An unknowing observer might think they were discussing a business deal, never imagining that the four people here were all "gods."
In a sense, it was indeed a huge business deal.
"Attack Hell? That's insane. I never thought... to proactively launch a war of invasion against Mephisto?" Khonshu was stunned, muttering under his breath, and also communicating worriedly with Marc via their thoughts.
Hell is a terrifying world, home to countless demons. Furthermore, various dimensional demon gods from across the Multiverse constantly pour into Hell, either because they lost a conflict or because they seek to carve out a place for themselves, indirectly bolstering Hell's power.
To this day, no one knows just how many Hell Lords there are in the entire system of Hell.
"We are not declaring war on all of Hell. That would be too much work and completely unnecessary. We only need to deal with the part of Hell that Mephisto rules, and we can ignore the others. Of course, if anyone dares to interfere with our operation, we'll just deal with them as well and drag them onto the battlefield," Du Wa said.
He spoke with a leisurely and relaxed demeanor.
Going to war with all of Hell would be troublesome. The biggest uncertainty would be Cyttorak, the most powerful demon of multiversal standing. Who knew how that guy would react.
But attacking just one part of Hell would be much simpler.
At this moment, Black Strange let out a sinister laugh. "There's one more thing. We are not attacking Mephisto's Hell with the mass of a single universe, but with at least three universes joining forces to attack one Hell. In terms of scale, we are larger. In terms of numbers, we have more. What I'm unsure of is how much power Mephisto can unleash while fighting on his home turf. So I propose we don't rush. There's no need to annihilate Mephisto in one go. Instead, let's first gather the power of our three universes and endlessly wear him down, constantly plundering his hell dimension and whittling away his power."
"A slow death. I like that..." Demon Strange's face was filled with savagery. When he opened his mouth, his sharp fangs were revealed. The demonic aura he emanated made Marc fidget uncomfortably.
If he hadn't seen these two Doctor Stranges—who looked like they were either gravely ill or something else entirely—vigorously besieging Dormammu and clearly being on Du Wa's side, he would have long since been unable to resist distancing himself from these two sinister-looking fellows.
"Strange, you possess Mephisto's bloodline and have devoured Blackheart and other demons. You must know where Mephisto's Hell is, right?" Du Wa looked at one of the Doctor Stranges.
Demon Strange stood up, his face twisted. "I know it all too well. I have been waiting for this moment. As long as I can kill Mephisto, I am willing to pay any price."
The meaning of his words was already crystal clear.
Du Wa waved his hand. "You've already paid, and I was very satisfied with the price. Move out."
Across the entire Universe, every god or human paying attention to Du Wa immediately noticed that the massive swarms of Xenomorphs covering the Universe were now beginning to assemble.
People subconsciously thought Du Wa was about to begin his conquest of the entire Universe. The ongoing hunt for opposing factions wasn't enough; he was finally making a big move.
But they soon realized something was wrong. An endless stream of teleportation portals was appearing all over the Universe, frantically transporting innumerable Xenomorphs.
By the time they processed what was happening, they saw a massive spatial vortex appear in the space beyond Earth, continuously swallowing the Alien Army.
"That guy is mobilizing such a huge army. Which world is he going to attack? The Dark Dimension? In any case, this doesn't look like an attempt to search every timeline."
"The good news is that Kronos has managed to save his own skin. The bad news is, someone's about to have a very bad day. Maybe Dormammu, maybe some other dimensional demon god."
Hell.
Mephisto quickly found out who was about to have a bad day. His expression was grim as he looked ahead at the endless, ocean-like flood of innumerable Xenomorphs pouring into the Hell he ruled, a tide that stretched beyond the horizon.
Mephisto had long been psychologically prepared for Du Wa's retaliation, but he never expected it to be in such a direct and unadorned manner.
"Good, very good. You become a concept god, and your first move isn't to deal with Kronos and that bunch of local trash, but to cross endless universes to deal with me?"
Mephisto grinned with a hint of excitement, but in truth, he was mad with rage.
It wasn't just Kronos who had gained nothing; Mephisto hadn't either.
Kronos had lost a grandson, and Mephisto's son had been killed long before Du Wa's godhood. After all that maneuvering, they had ended up with nothing.
Who would have thought that Moon Knight would jump out to stop him? Who would have thought that even in that situation, Du Wa would remain so calm and composed, seemingly still holding other powers in reserve?
(end of chapter)