In a pitch-black laboratory built of cold stone with only dim lighting, a white-haired man wearing God Warrior armor with strange horns on both shoulders stared at experimental data in his hands with a crazed expression.
"Almost done, almost done. Lord Andreas, your plan will soon come to fruition. Before long, we'll have collected enough life energy." Behind this white-haired God Warrior stood countless green crystals the size of normal humans, and within each crystal were children, boys, and girls embedded inside.
Utterly inhuman—this white-haired God Warrior was Fafner, one of the seven new Asgard God Warriors. If the other six God Warriors had been deceived by Andreas, who was possessed by Loki, then Fafner was willingly doing all of this.
The only truly evil one among the God Warriors.
"Among the girls captured today, one has an exceptionally high-quality soul." Fafner rubbed his chin as he looked up and down at a girl whose hands and feet were bound. "I believe your name is Helena? Parents dead, several younger siblings at home. And most of those siblings aren't even related to you by blood. Tsk tsk, what a kind little girl. Such nauseating kindness." The girl stared at Fafner in terror, but with her mouth gagged she could not make a sound. Her eyes showed helplessness and worry—even now, she worried about her siblings.
"Yes, that expression—it brings such unbearable pleasure." Fafner's face flushed with sickly color. "Don't worry, you'll soon offer everything to Lord Andreas. Don't you admire him? What's wrong with sacrificing yourself for him? Hehe, hahahaha."
For some reason, on a whim, Fafner began describing Andreas's plan to Helena unprompted. The girl's eyes shifted from initial terror to shock.
How could Lord Andreas… He seemed like such a good person, yet…
"All right, time to send you off." After his excitement passed, Fafner extended his evil, sin-stained arm toward Helena and pressed her body toward a massive green crystal nearby.
Helena struggled constantly, but her meager strength was no match for Fafner, a God Warrior. Even a strongman would be like an infant before him.
When the green crystal touched Helena's body, an astonishing change occurred. Like jelly, the crystal began covering Helena's body bit by bit.
"My strength… draining away… So sleepy. Just want to sleep… Just want… to see him one more time." Helena's eyelids grew heavier and heavier, slowly closing.
"BOOM!" At that moment, the entire laboratory began shaking violently like an earthquake.
"Someone come here! Damn it, don't you know not to disturb me during experiments?" Fafner shouted furiously toward the outside. "These damned foot soldiers can't do the smallest thing right. So annoying—I'll turn you all into fertilizer for the World Tree."
"My deepest apologies, Lord Fafner—we're under attack!" A panicked soldier ran into Fafner's laboratory.
However, when he saw the boys and girls embedded in crystals all around, a whip-shadow flashed across his body, and it suddenly split in two.
"I already told you never to enter my lab. Damn it, you've dirtied the floor." Fafner showed not the slightest discomfort at killing his own subordinate; instead, he complained.
Suddenly, a sharp sound cut through the air. Fafner felt a strange pang in his heart and, without a word, released Helena and leapt aside.
When he looked back at where he'd been standing, a pitch-black object now occupied that spot.
"A rose?"
"So this is how Asgard operates?" In this dark, damp laboratory, rose petals were somehow floating through the air.
A breathtakingly beautiful man with sky-blue hair, clad in gleaming golden armor, emerged from the dancing petals.
Pisces Aphrodite.
"You've killed so many innocent people, and you call yourself a God Warrior sworn to protect this northern land? Aren't the people trapped in these crystals the very ones you should be protecting?" Anger actually showed on Aphrodite's face.
Though Aphrodite also believed in the principle that might makes right, his ultimate goal was still to protect the earth and uphold justice. Seeing Fafner's cruelty, even he rarely displayed anger.
"A Saint? Why would someone who should be far away in the Sanctuary be here?" Fafner did not answer Aphrodite's question. In his eyes, these were all trivial matters. I'm doing you a favor by killing you; sacrificing your lives for my wish is worthwhile.
The lives of these commoners were worth nothing—because the weak have no rights.
"Helena, where are you?" CRASH! The laboratory door burst open again, but this time it could never be used again.
The entire doorframe had been smashed to pieces.
Also clad in gleaming Gold Cloth, Cancer Deathmask rushed in, his face full of anxiety. Behind him, the guards who had been stationed at the entrance lay scattered on the ground.
When Deathmask saw Helena's barely breathing form, his eyes turned completely red.
"I'll kill you!"
Yet Fafner seemed utterly unconcerned about facing two enraged Gold Saints at once. His tone was dismissive as he said, "Another one? This is getting ridiculous. What a pain—I'll just eliminate two Saints at once."
Fafner dared speak this way because he had confidence. His confidence came from the World Tree; within its range, all non-God Warriors' Cosmos would be suppressed.
Just two Saints with suppressed Cosmos—even if two more came, it would be the same before him.
"Hey, dead rose, take care of Helena for me." Deathmask gently took Helena into his arms, then handed her to Aphrodite.
"This guy is mine—I'll tear him to pieces!"
"This is my battle, Deathmask's battle!"
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