Chapter 341: Scatter, Senbonzakura
"Buddy, that's not how you play with new toys... Also,"
"What kind of bizarre aesthetic does your boss have? How could he design such ugly work uniforms?"
Hearing the relaxed and lazy complaint from in front of him, the stevedore who had been waiting for death cautiously opened his eyes.
The moment he saw the person in front of him, he felt as if he had experienced a roller coaster ride from hell to heaven.
"The... The Arbiter! Thank God, you've finally come to save me."
Peter signaled for the lucky man to hide somewhere safe.
Then he turned back, applying a bit of force with his hand, causing Kuurth to stagger back two steps.
"Who are you?" Kuurth's mask covered his entire head like a pot lid, leaving only a large mouth visible and three small holes for his eyes, making him look exceptionally ridiculous.
"A superhero for fun? A passing kamen rider? Eh, something like that anyway..."
"Interesting." Kuurth grinned, revealing a mouthful of forest-white teeth. "But do you think you can stop me?"
"I am Kuurth the Breaker of Stone! I am... unstoppable!"
As he spoke, large patches of heavy rock eerily emerged from the ground. These rocks covered Kuurth's body, arming him into a super-sized version of The Thing.
On the other hand, they spread toward Peter, petrifying his feet in the blink of an eye.
Screech screech screech!
Like a bull seeing a red cloth, Kuurth rubbed his right foot against the ground repeatedly.
With every scrape, the momentum within him surged.
Clearly, he intended to crush Peter to death in one go!
Facing Kuurth's charged-up charge, Peter showed no sign of nervousness.
"This way of fighting is really..."
Peter looked at the dusty-looking Kuurth with obvious disdain in his voice.
"So inelegant!"
As he spoke, a flash of light appeared in his hand, and a snow-white katana appeared out of thin air.
Under the afternoon sun at the port, the blade reflected a cold light.
"Scatter, Senbonzakura."
Peter's voice was soft and devoid of emotion, yet it sounded like a whisper from the depths of the soul, clearly reaching everyone's ears.
In the next moment, under the incredibly shocked gazes of the dockworkers, the blade in Peter's hand... vanished!
As a sea breeze blew past, the blade in Peter's hand disintegrated and dispersed into fragments.
In its place, cherry blossom petals swirled around Peter.
The gorgeous wave of cherry blossoms surrounded Peter; while its beauty was intoxicating, it also exuded an eerie danger.
"The... the blade is gone?"
"What is that? Such beautiful flowers!"
The workers, who were just immersed in the fear of death, were now staring in a daze.
They had never seen such a fantastical and beautiful sight, and for a moment, they even forgot where they were and that Peter was still facing that terrifying monster.
"Playing tricks!"
Kuurth, having finished charging, let out a deafening roar. He discovered that the "food" he intended to sacrifice to Lord Cul had been snatched away!
Unforgivable!
With that thought, he stomped hard, creating a deep pit in the ground. He lunged forward like a cannonball toward Peter, raising the Breaker of Stone warhammer high, creating a whistling sound as it tore through the air!
Facing this menacing charge, Peter didn't even bother to lift an eyelid, simply waving his hand casually.
As if shooing away an annoying fly.
The next second, the tens of thousands of cherry blossom petals, like a swarm of bees receiving a command, instantly condensed into a pink torrent and swept toward Kuurth.
Initially, Kuurth didn't take these seemingly fragile petals seriously; to him, they were nothing more than flashy tricks.
He didn't even bother to parry, intending to use his indestructible rock body to crush these "tricks" along with that eyesore of a man!
However, the moment the pink torrent made contact with his body—
Chii! Chii! Chii! Chii!
A dense, tooth-gritting cutting sound suddenly rang out!
Only at this moment did Kuurth discover to his horror that the edges of every seemingly soft cherry blossom petal glinted with a light sharper than a scalpel!
Those petals easily tore through his rock armor—condensed from divine power and strong enough to withstand cannon fire—making a piercing grinding sound and sending sparks flying.
More petals, like living venomous snakes, crawled through the gaps in his khaki-colored armor, frantically burrowing into his body!
"Aaaaaah!"
Intense pain struck, and Kuurth let out a roar of agony.
Blood and cherry blossoms intertwined and scattered in the air.
The scene was like a painting from hell, with the dancing cherry blossoms as the background and hot blood as the ink—beautiful yet cruel, so eerie it made the soul tremble.
Kuurth still wanted to fight back desperately, mobilizing all the power in his body to try and force out the "insects" that had crawled inside him.
But at that moment, a playful voice sounded behind him without warning.
"If you think this is the extent of my abilities, you are dead wrong!"
The moment the words fell, the color of the pink cherry blossoms in the air suddenly changed!
A layer of deep, ink-like black quickly covered the surface of every petal, making them look as if they were carved from obsidian, exuding an indestructible texture.
Armament Hardening!
With the enhancement of Armament Haki, Senbonzakura's destructive power increased exponentially!
If the Senbonzakura from before were sharp scalpels, then the Senbonzakura after the change were like ten thousand impact drills!
The swirling petals delved deep into the gaps of the armor, weakening the seemingly indestructible suit from the inside out.
Under the impact of the black petals, Kuurth's khaki-colored armor let out an overloaded groan like fragile porcelain and then shattered!
"No!"
Kuurth let out a desperate roar; the intense pain made it impossible for him to grip his weapon any longer.
Clang!
The ancient-looking Breaker of Stone warhammer flew out of his hand and slammed heavily onto the ground.
At that very moment, Peter's pupils constricted slightly.
He saw it... deep within Bill Foster's body, a struggling, twisted shadow filled with a will of tyranny and fear was becoming illusory as the warhammer left his hand, seemingly trying to flee into the distance.
This was... the remnant soul of a god!
Judging by the strength it displayed, this fellow at his peak was at least as strong as Heimdall!
"Good stuff!"
Peter's eyes lit up instantly, and he immediately activated his storage ring.
The next second, a pitch-black banner engraved with profound runes and exuding a thick, sinister aura appeared in Peter's hand.
It was exactly the magical treasure he had just redeemed from the System Mall—the Ten Thousand Soul Banner!
Chapter 342: God of Fear? A Treasure-delivery Boy!
As soon as the Ten Thousand Soul Banner appeared, the cloudless sky instantly became overcast.
A cold wind howled, causing the surrounding stevedores watching the commotion to shiver involuntarily.
The pitch-black Ten Thousand Soul Banner also sensed something "delicious" at this moment.
Countless profound runes seemed to come to life, shifting frantically to create a terrifying suction force.
Kuurth's divine soul, which had just left Bill Foster's body and was preparing to flee back to Cul to report, had no room to struggle against this terrifying suction and was forcibly dragged over.
The shadow emitted a silent shriek—a mental wail filled with resentment and terror.
It twisted into various shapes, attempting to break free from the banner's constraints, but it was all in vain.
The Ten Thousand Soul Banner was originally a supreme Yin treasure meant for collecting and refining souls.
Although Kuurth's remnant divine soul was pure, without Bill as a host, it was ultimately like a floating weed without roots. How could it contend with such a malevolent artifact?
The shadow was pulled into the banner bit by bit. Its tyrannical aura was visibly worn away and purified, finally transforming into a wisp of extremely pure Yin energy that flowed into Peter's body through the banner's pole.
Hiss~
Peter felt a surge of cool, refreshing, and strange energy rush straight to his head, as if he had downed an entire bottle of ice-cold soda in the middle of summer. His whole spirit was invigorated.
An indescribable comfort emanated from the depths of his soul, making Peter clearly feel that his divine soul had grown a bit stronger.
Additionally, as expected, with the enhancement of his soul, his speed of absorbing divine power from the Nine Realms and his maximum capacity had both increased significantly.
This divine power entered his body and immediately turned into top-tier nourishment, fully nurturing every corner of his physique.
This caused Peter's already superhuman physical attributes to continue growing at an astonishing rate.
His perception and control both became a bit clearer and more acute.
"Good treasure, what a truly good treasure!"
Peter praised, unable to resist shaking the Ten Thousand Soul Banner in his hand.
The banner moved without wind, seemingly responding to its Master's praise.
Within the banner's space, Kuurth's soul was bound by countless tiny runic chains, letting out indignant roars, yet it could only watch helplessly as it was refined bit by bit into nourishment for Peter.
Before long, the malevolent energy within him would be completely drained by Peter, turning him into Peter's Soul Servant with no connection left to Cul.
After dealing with Kuurth's soul, Peter's gaze fell upon the Breaker of Stone hammer on the ground.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
The hammer also seemed to sense the total demise of the soul. Its body vibrated violently as if guided by something, preparing to flee the scene immediately.
"Hmph~ trying to run?"
Peter curled his lip and then unhurriedly twisted the Omnitrix on his wrist.
Dual God Resonance, activate!
Golden inscriptions covered The Arbiter's Battle Suit, causing Peter's control over divine power to skyrocket.
He reached out toward the hammer that was about to fly away.
"Come back to me!"
His word was law!
The Breaker of Stone hammer seemed to be grabbed by the throat by an invisible giant hand. The divine power runes originally flowing on the hammer's body melted and disintegrated rapidly under Peter's power, like winter snow meeting a scorching sun.
Losing the support of divine power, all its supernatural abilities failed instantly. With a 'thud,' it fell from mid-air and was finally pulled by an invisible force to fly obediently back into Peter's hand.
"Tsk tsk, it really is ugly."
While complaining about the hammer's bizarre design, he tapped the face of the hammer with his finger, producing a crisp metallic 'clang.'
"But the materials are indeed solid! With such a large piece of uru metal, if it were used to forge sword-type artifacts, I could probably make four or five of them."
As if to confirm his thoughts, the system prompt sounded at just the right time.
[Detected golden God-level item available for sacrifice: Hammer of the Stone Breaker]
[Item Description: One of the eight divine hammers forged by Cul, the'Serpent' and God of Fear, using a large amount of uru metal for his 'Worthy.' The wielder receives a massive strength boost and gains divine power to control the Earth element.]
[Sacrifice can yield: 20,000 points. Sacrifice now?]
As expected, this incident was indeed related to Asgard.
No wonder even the Bifrost Bridge was closed.
The God of Fear, Cul the "Serpent"...
Peter searched his memory for the name and recalled seeing information about this guy in his past life.
This guy was apparently Odin's older brother and a former God-King of Asgard.
He was later overthrown by Odin for being too tyrannical and sealed in the depths of Earth's oceans.
Hiss~ thinking about it this way... that old fellow Odin isn't very loyal!
What happened to the alliance we agreed on!
When his own mess backfires, he just shuts the Bifrost Bridge and ignores whether Earth lives or dies?
Damn it, once this incident is over, I'll definitely go to Asgard and extort a hefty sum out of him.
As for this Cul the "Serpent."
The corners of Peter's mouth curled into a dangerous arc.
He didn't take this so-called "God of Fear" seriously at all.
Just an old antique who had been locked up for thousands or tens of thousands of years. Odin himself was nearly in the grave; even if his sealed brother escaped, how much power could he have left?
If he still had his peak combat power from back then, he would have stormed Asgard long ago.
Would he need to stage this drama of descending hammers and cause destruction all over Earth?
From the information provided by the soul of Kuurth he just absorbed, these so-called "Worthy" were essentially just power banks for Cul.
They were causing destruction everywhere on Earth just to spread fear and recharge Cul, helping him recover his former strength.
Looking at it this way,
A crisis?
What crisis!
I only see a kindhearted old Grandpa wanting to send me a warm inheritance!
Eight divine hammers forged from uru metal mean a minimum of 160,000 sacrifice points.
Add to that the divine remnant souls within the eight Worthy, plus the life savings of the big boss Cul himself...
Hiss! This wave is really going to be a fortune!
But business is business.
"System, don't you think such a large piece of uru metal... selling for only 20,000 is a bit of a loss?"
"Can we negotiate? Raise the price a bit. The material cost alone is worth more than that!"
The system did not respond for a long time, acting as if it didn't care whether he sold it or not.
"Stingy system!"
"Since you're being unfair, don't blame me for being unscrupulous!"
As Peter spoke, his storage ring flashed, and he directly stored the Breaker of Stone inside.
In any case, he wasn't short on sacrifice points at this stage. After the last shopping spree, he still had exactly 300,000 sacrifice points left!
Why be in such a hurry to sacrifice the hammer to this dog system?
Such a large piece of uru metal, and there were eight of them in total!
If the system didn't give a fair price, he might as well find time to bring back that Dwarven smith who forged Stormbreaker for Thor!
Then he could melt down all the hammers to forge other artifacts.
At that time, every one of the Superheroes under him would have a divine artifact!
Even looking at the entire Universe, Earthlings would be able to walk tall!
Chapter 343 Cul: Having you is my blessing!
Just as Peter was calculating how to arrange his loot, Tony's holographic projection popped up:
"Peter, we have a problem!"
"There is something wrong with those seven hammers. Once someone lifts one, they immediately turn into a monster and start wreaking havoc everywhere."
"Right now, places like Paris, Brazil, and South Africa... are all in complete chaos!"
"It seems we can't delay any longer. We must immediately arrange for people to go and provide rescue!"
Facing Tony's serious proposal, Peter chose to refuse directly:
"No need for such trouble."
"Besides, you are no match for them."
"As far as I know, these people are all Asgard deities who died thousands of years ago. You are simply no match for them."
"If you want to help, just have Freddy send over a few nano spiders to act as cameras, and then have my father-in-law set up a global live stream for me!"
"Huh?" Tony was stunned on the other end of the phone.
"Are you addicted to showing off? Do you think you don't have enough confidantes around you?"
"Get lost! If I really wanted to show off, would I still be acting in my Battle Suit?"
Speaking of which, Peter suddenly paused.
Because he suddenly realized a problem.
That is... the reason he had been acting in a Battle Suitbefore was to prevent anyone from retaliating against Uncle Ben and Aunt May.
But now... the villains in America have almost all been killed by him. Uncle Ben and Aunt May are now working at the Parker Foundation, so there's no need to worry about their personal safety.
Having gone through two nationwide live streams and one global live stream, he had almost become synonymous with the guardian of the World.
In this situation, it seems there really is no need to hide his identity and appearance anymore!
It just so happens that he is tired of wearing his metal Battle Suit, and besides... using Senbonzakura while wearing an Iron Man Suit is such a jarring sight!
So, it seems he really can take this opportunity to reveal his true appearance to the World?
However, this matter still needs to be discussed with Gwen and the others first...
After all, if he exposes his identity now, Gwen and the others will inevitably be affected. As a man, he must consider them.
"I want to start a live stream because I have already discovered their secret!
The reason these guys are causing destruction everywhere is actually to collect 'fear' emotions! Their master, the'Serpent' Cul, relies on this to restore his strength!"
After Peter explained it this way, Tony immediately reacted and chuckled:
"I get it!"
"Buddy, I will not only help you turn on the global live stream in a moment, but I will also temporarily remove all horror movies from the entire network...
No, I'll just make all horror movie links redirect to a certain hub, and make all paid videos free for a limited time.
In short... leave it to me, and let that little snake worry!"
Good grief!
Tony's supplementary suggestion made Peter exclaim "good grief."
Having you is truly Cul's blessing!
...
About half a minute later, a few nano spiders, almost invisible to the naked eye, silently crawled near Peter and then quickly combined to form a small drone.
The next second, countless screens around the World—whether it was outdoor billboards, home televisions, or live streaming apps on mobile phones—switched screens without warning.
In a certain community in America, Tom, who had just started college, had finally managed to invite his girlfriend over, and the two were preparing to find a horror movie to watch to build their relationship.
But as Tom clicked on the link for a recently popular horror movie, the next second, the screen suddenly jumped to a certain hub.
Looking at the explicit, large-scale images on it, Tom was instantly stunned.
His girlfriend was stunned at first, then immediately backhanded a slap across Tom's face:
"Pervert!"
Watching his girlfriend's angry retreating figure, Tomlooked aggrieved:
The link redirected itself, it wasn't me who opened it! Who did I offend?
He instinctively wanted to chase after her, but his butt had only left the gaming chair by three centimeters before he sat back down.
A girlfriend can be coaxed anytime, but such a good thing as all VIP videos on a certain hub being free for a limited time is not something that happens every day!
Angela White, Skye Blue, Sweetie Fox, Melody Marks...
This round, this round is the ace pilot applying for battle!
At the same time that countless Toms were opening the door to a New World.
In the global live stream, the bullet comments were also scrolling frantically:
"Holy crap? The Arbiter is live streaming again?"
"What's going on? How long has it been since the last Skrull war, and he's here again?"
"Could the Mayan prophecy be true? Is this little planet doomed?"
"It must be those hammer monsters that are being reported all over the World, right? I thought those were just coincidences before, but now it seems things aren't that simple!"
Peter scanned the bullet comments casually, then said:
"It seems that many viewers have already guessed it. That's right, I am here today to deal with those hammer-wielding monsters that have mysteriously appeared on Earth..."
As he spoke, his fingers brushed over the Eye of Aurora, and he said with a calm expression:
"Take me to Rio de Janeiro!"
The moment the words fell, Peter's figure instantly disappeared.
...
On the streets of Rio, Bruce Banner was wantonly destroying everything within his sight.
Come to think of it, Banner was unlucky. He had finally been released from Gravik's underground Base and intended to come to Rio to find Betty, who was working as a volunteer Doctor, to vent about the grievances he had suffered during these days.
As a result, while walking halfway there, he was hit on the head by the Hammer of Nul.
This strike instantly enraged the Hulk within him. Hulk, having transformed into the Hulk, was prepared to smash the hammer that had attacked him, but as soon as his large foot touched the Hammer of Nul, he was possessed by the remnant soul of Nul contained within it.
"Roar~!"
Compared to the other members of The Worthy controlled by the hammers, Nul was obviously more manic.
Because, although Nul possessed the Hulk's body, as the second personality, Hulk's consciousness was not completely stripped away.
Therefore, he could see the wariness and fear in the eyes of the people around him looking at him.
These strange gazes made Hulk almost go crazy, because he completely realized one thing—he would never be able to live in peace with humans in this life!
They would never treat him as one of their own!
While he was holding such thoughts and crazily smashing everything around him.
A ray of light suddenly flashed in mid-air, and the next second, Peter's figure appeared in front of everyone present!
"It's The Arbiter!"
"The Arbiter has come to save us!"
"Long live The Arbiter!"
"Quick, kill that damn monster!"
Listening to the people around him expressing their gratitude to Peter, and feeling this obvious disparity in treatment.
Although Hulk had long been beaten into submission by Peter, at this moment, under the influence of Nul's remnant soul, he still let out an angry battle roar at Peter.
Why does he get to receive everyone's praise, while he is only shunned by everyone and looked at with strange gazes!
Hulk/Nul is unhappy! Hulk/Nul wants to smash you!
Chapter 344: True Damage? Well, I'm wide awake now!
"Hey, Hulk, calm down."
Peter's voice, relaxed and tinged with a hint of teasing, came through his Battle Suit:
"Put down that ugly hammer in your hand, remember? You told me before that you hate hammers, and some self-righteous blond guy... so, there's no need for us to imitate him, right?"
Peter tried to reason with Hulk, using both emotion and logic to get him to drop the hammer.
But Hulk's response was his hammer.
Hulk leaped high into the air, and the stone hammer in his hand—which looked even more plain than the Breaker of Stone hammer, as if it were crafted entirely from stone—erupted with blinding light as he smashed it down toward Peter's head.
At that moment, a dense flood of comments streamed by:
"Holy crap, you've got to be kidding me? The Hulkdefected?"
"What's going on? Didn't The Arbiter just save his life a few days ago?"
"Maybe he's being controlled by the hammer? After all, his appearance has changed; he's gone from dark green to ink-green. He doesn't look like he has any sanity left at all."
Facing this thunderous strike, Peter didn't even change his stance.
He simply raised his left hand and snapped his fingers lightly.
Hum~
An invisible ripple spread through the air, and a transparent spherical shield instantly formed in front of him.
It was the Telekinetic Shield he had copied from Invisible Woman Susan.
Peter had originally thought that using this shield to block the hammer would be a piece of cake.
After all, before this, his shield had been strong enough to withstand three full-power punches from Laufey without breaking!
Not to mention that his strength had increased significantly since his battle with Laufey!
In his mind, blocking this strike from Hulk would be effortless.
However, at the very instant before the hammer was about to make contact with the shield.
A palpitation originating from the depths of his soul made the hairs on his entire body stand on end!
It was his Observation Haki giving a frantic warning; his body had reacted even before his brain could process the information.
Rip!
That indestructible Telekinetic Shield, the moment it made contact with the World Breaker hammer, became more fragile than window paper. It didn't even make a sound before it was torn apart and pierced through!
Fortunately, Peter's Observation Haki was powerful enough; the moment the shield shattered, he slid several meters backward, narrowly dodging the blow.
Boom!
The hammer smashed into empty space, and the hard asphalt road exploded like a rotten watermelon. A terrifying deep pit appeared, with spiderweb-like cracks spreading in all directions.
Even Peter couldn't help but click his tongue in surprise at this.
If that had landed squarely on his head, although it might not have killed him on the spot, without using the Horse Talisman, it would have at least made him suffer for a good long while, right?
In the global live stream, the comments exploded like a geyser:
"My god! What just happened? The shield just shattered?"
"What kind of hammer is that? The Arbiter's defense was actually broken?"
"This... this isn't scientific!"
"Yeah, the Hulk has actually become this strong!"
"It's over. One hammer is already so troublesome, and there are reportedly five more similar hammers!"
Back at the scene in Rio, Peter, having regained his composure, had eyes that were brighter than ever before.
Interesting!
This hammer... is much stronger than the last one!
He had originally thought that all eight of Cul's hammers were just ordinary goods like the Breaker of Stone, capable only of manipulating elements.
He never expected that among them, there would actually be good stuff like the World Breaker hammer in front of him!
If he wasn't mistaken, this World Breaker hammer was likely a conceptual-level weapon!
The divine power blessing attached to this hammer was "Ignore Defense"!
In other words, every attack made with this hammer was 100% True Damage!
Although the design of this hammer was even harder to describe than the last one, Peter had already stamped it with the "Peter Exclusive" seal in his heart.
This kind of ability is simply... too radiant!
If he encountered some old monster with super-defensive capabilities in the future, one hammer smash, combined with the internal destruction of Busoshoku Coating and the power-generating method of the Six King Gun... it would guarantee to make them question their life on the spot!
"Hey, Hulk, let's discuss something." Peter spoke again, his tone carrying a bit of seriousness,
"You give me the hammer, and I'll not only help you get rid of that guy in your brain, but I'll also consider helping Bettyobtain similar power in the future, so the two of you can be together completely without any worries. How about that?"
"Roar!"
His answer was still a roar devoid of any rationality and another heavy, powerful sweep.
"Unfortunately, wrong answer~" Peter shook his head, his face turning to reveal a helpless yet "nuclear-friendly" smile:
"It seems I can only use physical methods to calm you down."
The moment his words fell, he instantly recalled Tony's Hulkbuster armor in his mind.
Very well! I'll just use a similar method to knock some sense into this guy!
With that thought, he twisted the Omnitrix on his wrist, directly switching his ability to Flora Colossus.
The moment he pressed the Omnitrix, he slammed his hands together violently.
"Wood Release: Sage Art Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands!"
Rumble rumble rumble!
The next second, the entire city of Rio de Janeiro—no, the global audience—witnessed a scene they would never forget for the rest of their lives.
A wooden Buddha statue of unimaginable size rose from the ground of Rio!
Its height even surpassed the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio. Behind the Buddha, thousands of giant wooden arms unfolded like a peacock's tail, blocking out the sky and casting a vast shadow.
The previously arrogant Hulk/Nul, who had descended like a demon god, looked as tiny as a newborn baby in front of this great Buddha.
The comments in the global live stream froze for a full ten seconds at this moment.
Immediately afterward, it was a flood of screen-covering comments.
"???????"
"I... what the hell did I just see?"
"This is a special effect, right? This has to be a movie special effect, right?"
"No... how much advertising money did Buddhism pay The Arbiter? I, Christianity, am willing to pay double. Next time, can The Arbiter conjure up a super-sized Virgin Mary?"
Facing this miraculous scene, even Nul was visibly stunned. For the first time, an emotion called "bewilderment" appeared in his brain, which had previously been filled only with rage.
But Peter wouldn't give him time to think.
"Well then... good night."
As Peter's indifferent voice rang out, the thousands of arms behind the great Buddha moved!
Boom boom boom~!
Thousands of heavy punches, each with the power comparable to a missile and carrying the whistling sound of tearing air, smashed down toward the green figure below like a violent storm!
The previously ferocious World Breaker realized at this moment what true despair was.
Although he struggled to swing the World Breaker hammer in his hand to fight back.
But after all, two fists are no match for four hands, not to mention that he was facing thousands of hands with a single hammer!
After barely managing to shatter a dozen or so arms, Nul completely lost the ability to fight back.
He was completely submerged by countless heavy punches, just like a punk cornered in a small alley by a dozen burly men, left with nothing to do but cover his head and take the beating...
Chapter 345: Cul: What? This is impossible!
At this moment, Nul/Hulk was like a bull trapped in quicksand.
No matter how much he raged or struggled, he could only watch as he was slowly submerged by the relentless fists.
On this day, Hulk finally recalled the fear of being dominated.
As Hulk gradually snapped out of his rage, Banner's consciousness began to regain the upper hand.
At this moment, three distinct souls—Nul, Hulk, and Banner—were locked in a grueling tug-of-war within a single body.
"An opening!"
Standing atop the head of the True Several Thousand Hands, Peter had gained a deeper understanding of the mysterious nature of souls, perhaps due to activating his Zanpakuto and obtaining the Ten Thousand Soul Banner.
This allowed him to keenly capture Hulk's currently chaotic situation.
He knew his opportunity had arrived.
"Retract!"
With a thought from Peter, the thousands of arms instantly ceased their assault. Instead, like living vines, they tightly bound Hulk from all directions, rendering him immobile.
Hundreds of those arms precisely wrapped around the breaker of worlds hammer and began to pull outward.
"Roar!"
Hulknul let out an angry roar, using all his strength to grip the hammer's handle, refusing to let Peter take it away no matter what.
This terrifying test of strength even caused the ground beneath Hulk's feet to collapse for hundreds of meters around him.
The audience in the global live stream didn't even dare to breathe as they stared intently at the screen, watching this struggle that was beyond mortal imagination.
While everyone was waiting for the outcome of this contest, Peter had already grown tired of this meaningless game.
There were still five more hammers waiting in line; he really couldn't waste too much time here.
With that thought, Peter, sitting atop the Great Buddha, slowly stood up and then appeared before Hulk in a flash.
He really wanted to imitate the Ancient One from the movies and perform the divine feat of knocking Nul's soul out of Hulk's body with a single palm strike.
Unfortunately, he had not yet mastered such a skill.
Fortunately, he had other tricks up his sleeve.
"Banner, give me some help! Don't let me down!"
As he spoke, Peter's finger lightly touched Hulk's forehead, and the magic of the Tiger Talisman within him instantly activated.
Originally, the situation inside Banner's body was Nul and Hulk teaming up to suppress Banner.
But now, with the assistance of the Tiger Talisman, the three forces shifted from a clear imbalance of power to a standard tripartite standoff.
Once the three parties lost their balance, a "change of the guard" naturally occurred.
"Peter, hurry up and take this damn hammer away!"
Taking advantage of the moment Banner barely managed to seize control, Peter grabbed the breaker of worlds hammer with his right hand, which was inscribed with Divine Power Runes, and snatched it away.
The moment the hammer left his hand, Nul's soul also instantly separated from Hulk's body.
Peter had been waiting for exactly this moment.
Hum!
The moment Nul's soul flew out of Hulk's body, the Ten Thousand Soul Banner emerged. Its black surface unfurled in the wind, and a cold suction appeared out of thin air, precisely drawing Nul's remnant soul inside.
Just like Kuurth before him, no matter how Nul struggled, he could not escape the fate of being sucked into the Banner.
Another surge of pure soul energy flowed into Peter's body, causing him to narrow his eyes in satisfaction.
At the same time, the breaker of worlds hammer, having lost its core soul, became a masterless object. With a wave of Peter's hand, it was stored inside his storage ring.
"Done. Mission accomplished."
After casually dismissing the True Several Thousand Hands and using the Horse Talisman to restore Hulk and the damaged streets to their original state, Peter stretched. Following Tony's guidance in the team channel, he spoke to the Eye of Aurora:
"Take me to South Africa!"
...
Meanwhile, deep in the Mariana Trench.
Cul, "The Serpent," who had just broken free from his seal, was comfortably closing his eyes, feeling the continuous stream of fear energy gathering from all over the World.
Every shred of fear nourished his soul, which had been parched for ten thousand years, allowing his weakened power to recover bit by bit.
"This is the feeling... Fear is the most primal and beautiful power in the Universe!"
"Odin, my dear brother, just you wait. Soon... very soon, I will make you and your ridiculous Asgard experience the taste of being dominated by fear once again!"
Just as he was immersed in his dream of revenge and the smile on his face was becoming increasingly twisted,
Suddenly... Cul sensed something!
He froze for a moment, and then the smugness on his face was instantly replaced by shock and fury.
Because just a moment ago, he clearly felt that the soul of his capable general, Kuurth, had vanished. Even the Breaker of Stone hammer had disconnected from him!
"How is this possible!"
Cul could not help but let out such an exclamation.
In the next second, something even more shocking and infuriating happened.
The fear energy that had been pouring into his body like a vast ocean from all over the World was now vanishing at an incredible speed!
In just a few short minutes, the "food" he craved was completely gone, as if the supply channel had been totally cut off.
Then, not only did the "food" disappear, but even Nul's connection was severed!
Something like this... even the Odin of the past couldn't have achieved!
"What on earth happened?"
Cul opened his clouded eyes, which were clearly burning with a raging fire.
But hidden behind that anger was a worry he was unwilling and afraid to let others discover.
Having finally regained his freedom after ten thousand years, he did not want his revenge plan to suffer any setbacks.
With that thought, he couldn't help but turn his gaze toward Skadi, the "Breaker of Worlds," who was still holding her war hammer high.
The current situation had completely exceeded his expectations.
He needed more useful intelligence; he needed someone who could help him strategize.
Right now, the only being who could provide the information he wanted seemed to be her!
Cul then reached out a withered finger and touched Skadi's forehead.
But this time, he wasn't sending a command; instead, he was signaling Skadi to relinquish control of the body.
In the next second, the hollowness and indifference of an ancient deity on Skadi's face melted away like snow, revealing the shrewdness and cunning of a human.
"Sin," Cynthia Schmidt, was back.
Feeling the reality of being back in control of her body, she looked at the decrepit old bag of bones before her. A calculating smile spread across Sin's face:
"It seems the great God of Fear has run into some trouble?"
Before she could finish, an invisible, terrifying pressure forced her to her knees, making it impossible for her to even lift her head.
"Lowly mortal, giving you the right to speak does not mean you can be insolent in my presence!"
Chapter 346: Sin's Poisonous Scheme
Facing Cul's threat, Sin, realizing the gap in their strength, didn't immediately show a subservient manner.
As Red Skull's daughter, she knew how to assess the situation.
She also knew clearly that a fellow like Cul would always value worth over loyalty.
Thus, even though her life was hanging by a thread at this moment, she still had a smile on her face:
"You can't kill me!"
"Kill me, and you will completely lose your ears and eyes. All your ambitions and plans will be buried in the grave with me."
Cul's expression became increasingly unsightly.
He truly felt what it meant to be like a tiger in the plains bullied by a dog.
Such an ant-like Midgardian actually dared to negotiate terms with him!
But... reason told him that he really couldn't kill her.
Once he killed her, he would indeed completely lose the channel to understand his opponents.
"What arrogance!"
Cul gave a cold snort, but eventually withdrew his pressure:
"I'll give you one minute to show me your worth! If you can't satisfy me, I guarantee I'll make you experience a fear that transcends death!"
Facing Cul's threat, Sin laughed.
She smiled like a cat that had just stolen some cream:
"Let me guess, your subordinates are disappearing one by one,"
"while the speed at which you absorb fear is also slowing down bit by bit. You can't even draw feelings of fear from Earthlings anymore, can you..."
Cul's pupils shrank suddenly.
But he didn't show any fear, nor did he admit to anything Sin said. With a casual wave, he condensed black mist into a sharp blade and pressed it against Sin's throat:
"Midgardian, my patience is limited."
"You have been asleep for ten thousand years and have no idea how much progress Earthlings have made in that time."
Sin explained patiently, then spoke:
"Do you mind sending me above sea level? I'll show you the power of Earthlings."
Cul snorted coldly but didn't refuse Sin's request.
Sin felt her vision blur, and the next second, she found herself on the surface of the sea.
"Very good!" Sin said, taking a phone out from her clothes under her armor. A moment later, she showed a video to Cul.
The content of the video was exactly how Peter used Senbonzakura and Shinsu Senju to easily defeat Kuurthand Nul!
"This is a live broadcast. The scene of The Arbiterdefeating your Worthy is currently being watched by over five billion people worldwide!"
"Knowing they will definitely be saved, how many people do you think will still feel fear because of the existence of The Worthy?"
Looking at the clear images in the video, Cul fell into a long silence.
Damn it!
He truly hadn't expected those ignorant, backward, and fragile Earthlings in his memory to develop a technological civilization that even Asgard didn't possess!
They could actually use this method to easily prevent him from continuing to consume fear.
Sensing Cul's emotional fluctuations, Sin immediately seized the opportunity to speak:
"O Great God of Fear, why don't we make a deal?"
Without waiting for Cul to respond, Sin immediately followed up:
"As long as you let me fully possess Skadi's power, instead of being a puppet who can be replaced at any time."
"And let me become your agent on Earth in the future, I will help you reclaim your 'granary'... Not saying you can fully restore your strength, but I can at least accelerate your recovery speed by a thousand times!"
Cul's murky eyes stared intently at Sin, as if trying to see through every thought deep within her soul.
After a long time, his withered lips parted into a grim smile:
"A good dog should know how to secure the greatest benefits for its Master."
The moment he spoke, his finger touched the center of Sin's brow again.
A cold and domineering force poured in, crudely retracting most of the soul restrictions belonging to Skadi, the 'Goddess of Winter.'
Sin groaned, her face turning pale, but her eyes grew brighter and brighter, frighteningly so.
She could feel that Skadi's soul still resided in her body, but it had stopped controlling her physical form.
Furthermore, the power of the 'Hammer of the World Breaker' now completely belonged to her.
At this moment, not only had her physical constitution soared, but she had also gained various abilities, including cryokinesis, releasing large-scale energy blasts, flight, high-speed movement, and short-distance teleportation!
"Now, tell me your plan!" Cul's cold voice rang out again, snapping Sin back from the euphoria of obtaining power.
She bowed respectfully to Cul and then held up three fingers as she spoke:
"My plan is divided into three steps!"
"Step one: immediately recall the remaining Worthy to stand by!
The Arbiter has already locked onto their current locations, and he himself possesses abilities like long-distance teleportation.
Letting them stay scattered outside is just giving that monster a chance to defeat them one by one!
Furthermore, a more important point is that once he can't lock onto our specific location, the situation will instantly reverse—we will be in the shadows while the enemy is in the light!
We can use the time gap while he searches for us to do more things that can help you restore your strength!"
Cul's eyes flickered slightly; this woman was indeed a good dog!
"Step two: open a new 'granary.'
Since the humans on land are temporarily 'protected' by him, why don't we move to the sea!
My father once told me the exact location of the Lost Kingdom, Atlantis!
A large number of underwater-dwelling human tribes unknown to Earthlings live there!
To us, these people are not just a delicious meal, but also a surprise force that can be used to contend with The Arbiterand the others!
As long as we can take them as a vanguard, we can then launch the tactic my father's generation loved most!"
"What tactic?" Now even Cul was a bit curious.
"Blitzkrieg!" A bloodthirsty smile appeared on Sin's face:
"Using the Atlanteans as the vanguard, we launch a surprise attack on the coastal countries of the land. With absolutely cruel and bloody slaughter, we will directly stir up fear of you in the neighboring countries.
Believe me, this is definitely the fastest way to help you restore your strength!"
"Once your strength has recovered to a certain level, I think we can start the third step of the plan!"
Cul's breathing became heavy at this moment.
He had to admit that this Midgardian woman was indeed both clever and vicious.
Shifting the target from the land to the unknown seabed and using these undersea people as a fulcrum to pry out more fear.
It could efficiently harvest fear and expand military power—killing two birds with one stone.
"Then, what about the third step?" There was a hint of imperceptible approval in Cul's voice.
Facing Cul's inquiry, Sin smiled and pointed to the sky:
"Of course, it's to give them a taste of their own medicine!"
Chapter 347: Susanoo, Arrow of Amaterasu
At the same time Sin and Cul were plotting their evil schemes.
Johannesburg, South Africa.
A tall white woman, dressed in a tight purple leather outfit with a neckline plunging straight to her navel, was currently brandishing a war hammer, wantonly slaughtering the terrified crowds on the street.
This woman's original name was "Titania," and she was a well-known local gang leader.
But now, she was completely controlled by the "Hammer of Skirn" in her hand, becoming "The Breaker of Men," Skirn!
"Oh God! Save me!"
"When exactly is The Arbiter My Lord going to get here!"
"No! My house!"
Around Skirn, the cries of the masses were like a field of wailing birds.
Everyone was praying for The Arbiter's arrival, praying that the monster before them would stop.
Perhaps someone truly did hear their prayers.
Skirn suddenly stopped her movements.
Immediately following, a complex and eerie magic circle lit up beneath her feet without warning.
It was an inverted pentagram, with pitch-black light flowing through it, emitting dense dark energy.
"What's going on?!"
Just as everyone was confused, and the formation beneath Skirn's feet grew brighter, looking as if it were about to send her away, Peter, who had been teleported to South Africa by the Eye of Aurora, finally arrived on the scene.
Looking at Skirn not far away, who was clearly about to complete her teleportation, Peter couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
"Is she... channeling a Recall?"
Realizing this, Peter slapped his thigh hard.
It seems that "God of Fear" isn't a fool after all!
Seeing that being single-handed meant they couldn't possibly be his opponent, they planned to start a mass teleportation to concentrate all their power together!
Although solving all the trouble in one go suited Peter's appetite.
But... Peter was clearly not the type of person who would watch an enemy slip away from under his nose just to increase the game's difficulty.
Only... he didn't have any space-locking abilities, so how was he supposed to keep the opponent there?
Directly rushing over to interrupt the opponent's Recall was clearly too late.
In this situation, it seemed there was only one way.
At this thought, Peter's heart stirred.
In that case, I choose you!
The moment the thought surfaced, Peter's eyes turned blood-red, and the Eternal Mangekyo pattern, resembling a hexagram combined with a triangular shuriken, spun wildly.
Susanoo!
Boom!
With a dull roar, a massive purple energy skeleton, seven or eight meters tall, rose from the ground, instantly enveloping Peter's entire body.
And this was only the beginning!
Under the shocked and surprised gazes of the global audience, meridians and flesh visibly grew onto that energy skeleton.
In the blink of an eye, it formed an image resembling a half-bodied specter.
The second stage of Susanoo, arriving!
The moment this nearly ten-meter-tall purple god of war appeared, its terrifying prestige even caused the wind to stand still!
In the global live broadcast room, the audience, who had just recovered from the shock of the True Several Thousand Hands, had their worldviews refreshed once again.
"Holy crap! Another form change? This time it's a flame monster?!"
"A giant formed of purple flames! This is way too cool!"
"What's that in the giant's hand... a bow and arrow? Hawkeye's going to watch the stream and cry himself to sleep in the bathroom!"
The power of the Susanoo's arrow alone probably wasn't enough to achieve his goal.
In that case...
A black flame ignited somewhat abruptly on the arrowhead of the bow in the Susanoo giant's hand.
That cluster of black flames seemed to feed on the purple flames upon the arrow; in just a blink, it dyed the entire arrow pitch-black.
It was exactly the combination of Sasuke's Mangekyoocular technique Amaterasu + Kagutsuchi to form the Arrow of Amaterasu!
Terrifying heat radiated wildly in all directions, even causing the air to distort frantically.
And then... Peter's mind shifted slightly, and the next second, an imperceptible golden thread slowly merged into the Arrow of Amaterasu from between Peter's fingers...
The moment the arrow took shape, the black light of the teleportation circle also reached its peak, and Skirn's figure became visibly ethereal.
Now!
The Susanoo drew the bow and notched the arrow, firing a single shot at Skirn, who was about to disappear in the teleportation array.
Whoosh~!
That pitch-black arrow, condensed with inextinguishable fire, turned into a black stream of light that pierced heaven and earth as it left the string!
Wherever the arrow passed, space itself seemed to be scorched into a pitch-black crack, and the ground was plowed into a long trench by the terrifying momentum.
There was no earth-shattering explosion, no world-destroying spectacle, only an extreme, pure aura of destruction!
Inside the teleportation array, Skirn's figure had become ethereal to the extreme; on her face, there was even a trace of a contemptuous smile, like a god looking down on an ant.
It was as if she were mocking Peter, that all his efforts were nothing but a waste of time.
As a Worthy under the God of Fear, she didn't believe a mere mortal could kill her, much less that the arrow could interrupt her teleportation.
But at that very moment.
The black flames descended!
Chiss!
The Arrow of Amaterasu hit its target with a muffled sound.
But the moment they saw where the arrow landed, the audience across the entire network couldn't help but be dumbfounded.
???
"Are you kidding? Such a cool arrow... and it missed?"
"Hawkeye, who was crying in the bathroom, crawled out and opened a bottle of champagne!"
"As expected, everyone has their specialty; it looks like The Arbiter My Lord isn't good at long-range attacks."
"Good shot, don't ever shoot again."
The audience across the network expressed their disappointment at Peter's "missed arrow."
Even the smile on Skirn's face became increasingly mocking.
She had thought the opponent was someone worth fighting, but it turned out to be just this... he could even miss a shot!
Skirn was complaining like this in her heart, preparing to return to Cul's side and tell him that the Earthling he was wary of was not worth worrying about at all.
But her smile suddenly froze!
At this very moment!
The sound of an object shattering, a "ping," echoed from everywhere in the void.
And then, under the disbelieving gazes of Skirn and the global audience.
Those black flames... actually swallowed even the light!
The teleportation light that originally enveloped Skirn was now being devoured by those pitch-black flames!
As the teleportation light was devoured by the flames, the teleportation array beneath her feet... actually failed!
Skirn looked down in disbelief, only to find that at some point, the inverted pentagram array beneath her feet had been completely consumed by black flames.
Those flames were even spreading bit by bit toward her feet!
Skirn was startled by this eerie sight; she instinctively swung the giant hammer in her hand to kick up a gust of wind, attempting to blow away the strange flames this way.
But to her surprise, the pitch-black flames were completely unaffected by the strong wind, as if they had taken root, firmly nailed to the ground, and were even continuously spreading in her direction!
In just the short moment she was dazed, the flames had already coiled around her feet!
Chapter 348: The Might of Amaterasu, Playing 4D Chess
The black flames climbed rapidly up Skirn's feet, like vipers imbued with life, spreading up along her calves, knees, and thighs.
Unable to be teleported to Cul's side, Skirn finally panicked.
She hurriedly jumped out of the magic circle, which had already been engulfed by the black flames.
No longer caring about her dignity as a deity, she rolled on the ground in a sorry state, attempting to extinguish the flames clinging to her body in this way.
However... it was still to no avail!
The terrifying black flames burned wherever they landed, and no matter how Skirn struggled, there was no sign of them extinguishing.
"No, this is impossible. Even the flames of a deity cannot be eternal, and it is even more impossible for them to shatter the magic circle of the Midgard Serpent!"
While screaming in pain, Skirn let out angry shouts, seemingly trying to strengthen her faith in this way.
Facing Skirn's struggle, Peter just smiled silently:
"You are right. Even flames that never extinguish cannot burn something as intangible as teleportation magic...
But... what if I added the purest Asgard divine power into my flames of Amaterasu to serve as a bridge?"
Hearing this, Skirn froze, unable to help but look back at the Amaterasu arrow still pinned to the ground.
Only then did she discover that, at some unknown point, streaks of golden divine inscriptions had been engraved into that arrow!
"Impossible!" Skirn screamed once again, completely devoid of any divine image:
"You are clearly just a lowly mortal of Midgard, how could you possibly master the purest Asgard divine power, which even we cannot master?"
Hearing their conversation, the billions of viewers across the globe couldn't help but gasp in unison.
The comment feed was scrolling wildly:
"666... So, you're saying The Arbiter missed on purpose?"
"How can you call that missing? He was aiming for the teleportation circle all along!"
"Where are the idiots who were mocking The Arbiterearlier? Come out and get beaten!"
"The Arbiter: Do you think I'm weak and pathetic this time? But actually, you only saw the second layer. You thought I was on the first layer, but I was actually on the fifth layer!"
Peter naturally didn't know that the comment feed was already wildly making memes.
At this moment, he was just observing Skirn as if she were prey that had fallen into a trap:
"That sort of thing is not for an idiot like you to worry about~"
As he spoke, he slowly controlled Susanoo to draw the bow and nock an arrow once more, condensing another Amaterasu arrow and aiming it at Skirn!
"Instead of dwelling on that, you'd be better off thinking about how to break free from my flames."
Hearing Peter's confident and assured tone, Skirn's face turned pale.
After a moment, she finally made up her mind.
She raised the Breaker of Souls' hammer in her hand high and aimed it at her own legs.
Snap!
Accompanying two teeth-gritting sounds of bones breaking.
The ancient goddess actually chose to sever her legs to survive, much like a gecko trapped in a desperate situation.
"Damn mortal!"
Because she had lost her legs and could only crawl on the ground, the goddess let out a cry more shrill than that of a vengeful spirit:
"Do you think this will make the great goddess Skirn submit?"
"You mere mortal, you mere ant, even without legs, I can still kill you!"
As she spoke, Skirn supported herself with one hand, using it as a pivot, and hopped towards Peter, inching closer:
"As long as I touch you once, this goddess will let you know what true..."
Whoosh! Splorch!
Before she could finish speaking, Skirn suddenly froze.
She looked down at her chest in astonishment.
There, the second pitch-black Amaterasu arrow had already pierced through her chest!
She opened her mouth, wanting to continue saying something.
But before a sound could come out, the black flames had already climbed onto her chest, then her neck, and her face.
"What are you gibbering about?"
Peter casually dispelled the Susanoo behind him, crossed his arms with a calm expression, and looked down from above at the "goddess" whose face was filled with disbelief:
"Go say whatever you want to my Amaterasu arrow. This time, if you can still survive, I'll wash my neck clean and let you chop it off!"
"Damn..."
Skirn still wanted to make a final struggle.
But, it was obviously too late.
The pitch-black flames charred the host's heart, then rapidly spread to the entire body.
Such an injury could not be repaired, even for a goddess!
With a dull thud, the Breaker of Souls' hammer fell heavily to the ground.
The host, Titania, was completely burned into a withered skeleton!
Amidst the black flames, a spirit body burning with flames rose into the air.
This spirit looked at Peter with venomous eyes, then transformed into a stream of light and flew towards Peterrecklessly.
As the Breaker of Souls appointed by Cul, Skirn possessed the means to control the wills and even souls of others.
Therefore, her divine soul was also the most special among the eight The Worthy.
When she decided to burn her own divine soul, even without the hammer as a carrier, she could launch a powerful soul attack to perish together with her opponent.
If it were anyone else, they really wouldn't have a good way to deal with this "mutual destruction" move of Skirn's, and would most likely have to take the hit.
But Peter... as the dignified holder of the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, could he really be injured by such a soul attack?
"You're courting death!"
Hum!
Following his cold snort, the Ten Thousand Soul Bannerappeared in response.
The familiar, chilling suction force descended once more.
The expression of Skirn's remnant soul changed drastically. She tried her best to struggle, but this struggle was nothing more than a joke in front of Peter.
Finally, Skirn's divine soul was sucked into the Ten Thousand Soul Banner.
Peter couldn't help but shiver with pleasure at this moment.
Should I say, as expected of the Breaker of Souls?
The yin energy provided after refining this divine soul is truly invigorating!
After enjoying the "growth happiness" for a while, Peterslowly opened his eyes.
He first casually dispelled the Amaterasu flames that were still burning on the ground, then picked up the Breaker of Souls' hammer and stored it in his storage ring.
"Tony, where is the next target... or rather, can you find where they were teleported to as a group?"
There was silence in the channel for two seconds, followed by Tony's somewhat helpless voice:
"No way, the satellites simply cannot capture their tracks!"
"I have already had Jarvis connect to the global surveillance system to conduct a wide-range search, but still found nothing.
I estimate that it will be very difficult to find their tracks in the short term!"
"Is that so..."
After putting away the hammer with some helplessness, Peter was not discouraged, but just casually closed the global live stream, and then said to Tony:
"Since that's the case, the task of tracking them down will be left to you and Daisy."
"And you? Don't tell me you're planning to go back to accompany your group of little girlfriends again." Tonycouldn't help but make a joke.
"I'm not that heartless!" Peter first retorted, then said seriously:
"I'm planning to take Sif and make a trip to Asgard."
Chapter 349: Aquaman Caught in the Crossfire
Upon hearing Peter's answer, the channel fell into a three-second silence.
After a moment, Tony couldn't help but ask tentatively,
"You're going to find Odin?"
"More or less. That Cul is Odin's brother, and he was the one who sealed him away back then. I'm planning to go ask if there's a more efficient way to defeat Cul."
"Besides, I'm going there to claim some compensation while I'm at it!"
"I'm working myself to death over his family's mess, while he's sitting in his Heavenly Palace holding his wife and enjoying the show. There's no such good deal in this world!"
After ending the call with Tony, Peter didn't hesitate. He immediately returned to Sif's residence and boarded the destiny with her.
The two of them headed straight for Asgard.
...
At the same time Peter and Sif set off for Asgard.
On an island in the North Pacific Ocean.
Pitch-black inverted pentagram formations lit up one by one.
Angrir Breaker of Souls, Nerkkod Breaker of Oceans, Greithoth Destroyer, and Mokk Breaker of Faith stepped out one after another.
Cul looked at his familiar followers with satisfaction.
His gaze subconsciously fell on the final teleportation array.
But after waiting for a moment, the teleportation array shattered strangely.
This scene shocked everyone present.
They had truly never encountered such a situation before!
On today's Earth, someone could actually manage to directly interrupt My Lord Cul's spatial teleportation—this was simply unbelievable!
Cul's eyes also widened suddenly, an almost uncontrollable rage burning within his murky pupils.
Skirn.
Following Kuurth and Nul, another loyal servant had vanished forever in such a short amount of time.
It seemed that girl Sin was right; this Midgardian named Peter Parker really couldn't be judged by common logic!
At this thought, he subconsciously looked toward Sin.
Sin gave him a respectful bow and then spoke.
"My Lord Cul, time is pressing. I think we should set off immediately!"
"I have confirmed the specific location of Atlantis; it is at the deepest part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge."
"This nation has now changed its name to Talokan. It is inhabited by hundreds of thousands of underwater humans who have their own kingdom and army, yet remain ignorant of everything happening on the surface."
"Their king is named Namo, a proud and short-tempered hybrid half-breed."
Listening to Sin's incredibly detailed account, Cul nodded with satisfaction and then raised the serpent staff in his hand.
The serpent staff caused the inverted pentagram magicteleportation array to appear beneath everyone's feet once more.
In the blink of an eye, it allowed the group to complete the leap from the Pacific to the Atlantic.
Ten minutes later.
The kingdom sleeping in the deep sea welcomed the most severe catastrophe in its history.
Cul sat atop a shattered coral throne.
Behind him, five members of The Worthy stood respectfully in attendance.
As for those elite undersea guards of the palace, they were now either dead or wounded, a scene of widespread mourning and misery.
Not far from them, their king—Aquaman Namo—was currently being stepped on the head by Sin in a lowly manner, forced into a kowtowing position on the ground.
His forehead was pressed against the cold floor, blood constantly seeping from a wound on his brow and diffusing into a thin red mist in the seawater.
Those eyes that once looked down upon the entire ocean could now only stare fixedly at the cracks in the ground before him.
This was the only way he could hide the humiliation and resentment deep within his pupils.
"Namo."
Cul's voice echoed through the deep sea, carrying an ancient majesty that made all living things tremble.
"I give you two choices."
He gave Sin a look, and she immediately lifted her foot, grabbed Namo by the hair, and forced him to look Cul in the eye.
"Submit to me and become the new Breaker of Oceans!"
"Or... watch your people die before you one by one."
Creak, creak~
Namo's teeth ground together audibly, his nails digging deep into his palms.
Puchi~!
Before he could make a decision, Cul flicked his finger. A wisp of black mist caused one of Namo's handmaidens to rapidly lose her life force, transforming from a beautiful undersea woman into a skeletal corpse that looked like a 'Forbidden Hag' in an instant.
"You!" Namo instinctively wanted to lash out in anger.
But before he could move, Sin raised her hand and slapped him across the face, the force so great it even knocked out one of his teeth.
"You are in no position to bargain with the God of Fear. Either obey, or die!"
Namo gave Sin a look of pure hatred, but his gaze involuntarily drifted past her to those Talokan soldiers bound in chains by The Worthy.
His soldiers, his people.
If he chose to refuse, his country would vanish into nothingness in the blink of an eye.
Silence.
After a long silence, Namo's back, which had been held straight, finally slumped.
He closed his eyes in agony and squeezed the words through his teeth:
"I choose... to submit."
The moment those words fell, every Talokan person present heard the sound of their king's pride shattering.
Cul straightened up with satisfaction.
He raised a hand and beckoned.
The sixth Heavenly Hammer—the hammer of nerkkod—saw its original host rapidly age until death. The hammer then ignored the resistance of the water and landed precisely in front of Namo.
"Pick it up."
Namo stared at the war hammer emitting an ominous aura, his fingers trembling slightly in the seawater.
He knew that once he grasped this hammer, he would fall from being the King of Talokan to being Cul's dog!
But he had no choice.
He could only reach out and was forced to pick up that war hammer.
Buzz!
The moment his fingers touched the handle, a cold, dark power instantly surged into his body.
Nerkkod was transferred into his body, but did not directly take over his consciousness; instead, it allowed him to retain a certain degree of autonomy, just like Sin.
Sin watched all this, her lips curling into a confident smirk.
"Now." She stepped forward and spoke to Namo, "It is time for Talokan to declare war on the surface."
Namo looked up at this human woman, the hatred in his eyes almost tangible.
"What do you want me to do?"
"It's simple." Sin pointed a finger toward the sky separated by ten thousand meters of seawater.
"Take your army up there."
"At the fastest speed possible, let the seawater directly submerge the coast of North Africa and all coastal nations of the European continent."
Namo looked at this woman who was willing to be a god's dog and would slaughter her own kind for power. Though his eyes were full of rage, he was helpless.
Looking at his people still kneeling inside and outside the palace, and feeling the fear and despair radiating from their bodies.
Namo's fists clenched and loosened repeatedly.
Finally, he could only look at his army and speak.
"Warriors of Talokan!"
"Follow me into battle!"
Namo led his clansmen from the ocean back to the land.
At the same time, Peter successfully arrived at Asgardusing the destiny's spatial jump capability and met Heimdall, the Guardian!