Chapter 865 - You Want To Steal My Job?
"Surtr!" William roared as he unleashed the most powerful lightning attack that he could unleash with the authority that Mjolnir had given him.
Since the Half-Elf wasn"t its rightful owner, he could only use half of its full power. Even so, this power was more than enough to contend against foes that were many times stronger than him.
The lightning bolt charged at the giant spatial crack in the sky, like a deadly serpent out for the kill.
A second later, a blinding light followed by a powerful explosion shook the entire world that sent Morax tumbling hundreds of meters in the air.
When the light receded, a gigantic, smoking hand appeared in the sky. The hand was so big that William estimated that it was around twenty meters long.
"Mjolnir?" The Flame Giant, Surtr, also known as the G.o.d of Destruction, that razed Asgard to the ground, said in a nostalgic voice.
The tear in the sky widened and the upper half of a Giant appeared.
"You look a little different, but I still remember who you are," Surtr said as he eyed William. "The last Einherjar whose pitiful last struggle gave us a form of entertainment. I see, so you are here in the Deadlands…"
Surtr"s gaze told William that the Giant had indeed recognized him, but that was all. For the G.o.d of Destruction, the Einherjar was just one of the countless beings that had tried to resist the Army of Destruction and failed miserably.
"If you were the true owner of that Hammer then perhaps you can even give me a scratch." Surtr laughed. "Even at your full strength, you can"t even tickle me."
Morax, who saw this scene, sneered at the Half-Elf that was giving him a hard time. In front of a True G.o.d, even if William had control over the Deadlands, he would still not have a chance against the G.o.d that had destroyed countless worlds.
"Secure the Black Tower first," Morax reminded Surtr. "We can proceed with the next phase of our plan after we have it."
"Right." Surtr agreed as he fixed his eyes at the Black Tower in the distance.
His hand extended towards the Black Tower with the intention to pull it out from the world, but its protective barrier stopped the Giant"s hand from doing what he wanted.
"Still resisting?" Morax laughed. "It"s no use. This farce is over!"
Morax didn"t want to resort to asking Surtr for help because he wanted to have the Black Tower for himself. However, right now, he didn"t have a choice.
William had already learned two of the Laws of the Deadlands. If given more time, he would learn them all, and by then, Morax would have no chance of defeating him.
This was why, even though he would be at a disadvantage in his agreement with Surtr, he still decided to ask his help to get the Black Tower. As long as he could wait for a hundred years or so, he would be able to regain his G.o.dhood and be on equal terms with the G.o.d of Destruction.
"I won"t let you!" William raised his fist and a gigantic hand made of Earth punched Surtr"s hand away.
He was using the Third Law of the Deadlands and that was World Manipulation. Now that he was the owner of the Deadlands, he could control the entire Domain as he pleased. He could even use it as a weapon against his enemies if he wished to.
Surtr clicked his tongue because he couldn"t use his full power through the spatial tear. He was very far away from the Deadlands and was merely using his strength as a G.o.d to brute force his way to crossing the boundaries of s.p.a.ce.
This was similar to what Morax had done when he created a spatial tear to escape to the Deadlands. Their powers were reduced in this Domain because no G.o.d could rule this place.
Even so, William was using everything he had to stop a single arm from the G.o.d of Destruction from getting to the Black Tower where his girls were currently hiding.
Seeing that things were getting out of hand, Morax attacked William, which forced the latter to divert his attention.
"Scram!" William roared as he threw Mjolnir towards the incoming Demonic Earl that sent the latter skidding hundreds of meters away.
This brief pause in concentration was something that Surtr didn"t pa.s.s up. Using his Divinity, he shattered the giant hand made of Earth and punched the barrier that protected the Black Tower, shattering it completely.
"This tower is mine!" Surtr declared as he grabbed the Black Tower and began to pull it off from the ground.
"Noooo!" William shouted as he smashed Mjolnir on the Giant"s hand, but it only created a shower of sparks.
It would take some time for him to summon the Earth Hand once again.
Time that he didn"t have right now.
The Black Tower creaked as the ground at its base started to crack.
With one mighty pull, Surtr managed to unearth it and started to pull it back to the Spatial Tear in the sky.
William gathered all his strength and the power of the Deadlands for an all out attack of desperation. He didn"t mind if the Black Tower was taken by the G.o.d of Destruction. However, Lilith, Raizel, and Cathy were still inside it.
He would not allow them to be taken away from him by the same G.o.d who had not only destroyed the Nine Realms, but also ended the life of his wives thousands of years ago.
"Let them go, Surtr!" William charged at the spatial tear with the intention of fighting to the death.
However, before he could unleash his attack, the hand that was holding the Black Tower was cut off completely.
William used the Laws of the World to catch the Black Tower and carried it away from the spatial tear.
"You overstepped your bounds, Surtr," an arrogant voice declared. "This place is not for the likes of you."
A cloaked person wielding a scythe hovered between the G.o.d of Destruction and William who was standing in front of the Black Tower.
"You are the G.o.d of Destruction, that is the role you have to play," the cloaked person said in a chilling tone. "Are you planning to change professions now? You want to steal my job?"
Surtr looked at his hand, which was lying on the ground, and snorted. A few seconds later, the hand turned into a blazing inferno and rose towards the sky. It then reattached itself to the giant"s arm as if the incident earlier hadn"t happened.
"What are you talking about, Death?" Surtr asked in a teasing voice. "I just came here to admire the Black Tower. Since I"ve already seen it with my own eyes, I will take my leave."
Surtr"s hand reached out to grab Morax who was looking at the Black Tower in regret. Now that the Master of Death had arrived, they could no longer take the tower under his watchful gaze.
This was his Domain.
In the face of Death, even the G.o.ds of h.e.l.l and Destruction knew that there were certain boundaries that they couldn"t cross.
"Einherjar, I smell the scent of a dying world in your bones," Surtr said as he glanced at the Half-Elf who was looking at him with hatred. "Sooner or later, our paths will cross again. I look forward to seeing the despair on your face when that time has come."
Morax was also looking at William with a sneer.
"This is not over." Morax laughed. "The next time we meet I will make you pay for all the losses I incurred here. I will torture your soul for all eternity! Just you wait!"
After saying his last words, the spatial tears in the Deadlands disappeared and the light of the moon slowly spilled out across the land as the darkness started to recede.
The cloaked figure then turned around to look at Wiliam.
The Half-Elf couldn"t see anything except darkness where the cloaked figure"s face would be, but he knew for certain that he was facing one of the most ancient G.o.ds that had power over Death.
"Since time immemorial, the Deadlands has been a place where those who have fought to escape death have gathered," the cloaked man said in a cold voice. "There are only two ways for people to leave this place."
"The first way is to die and enter the cycle of reincarnation."
"The second way is to die by my hands and enter the cycle of reincarnation. So, what choice are you going to make, boy?"
William unconsciously gulped as his body shuddered uncontrollably.
Although the cloaked figure was standing a good distance away from him, he felt as if his very soul was being held at the palm of that person"s hand.
He had no doubt in his mind that this being in front of him was stronger than Surtr.
A being that could easily end his life by simply looking a thim.
"So, boy, are you ready to enter the cycle of reincarnation?" the cloaked figure asked.
"Um, Sir, isn"t there a third option?" William inquired. "I"m still too young, and too handsome to die. I still haven"t had any babies with my wives yet. I can"t possibly die here, right?"
The cloaked figure raised his scythe high up in the air.
"Very funny," the cloaked figure replied. "Just be glad that I will be the one to personally send you off to the afterlife."
The cloaked figure mercilessly swung his scythe to end William"s life.
It was at this moment when a young lady with long red hair suddenly appeared in front of William and pushed him away.
William"s eyes widened in shock as he saw Raizel smile back at him just as the death scythe slashed her body.
"I love you, Papa. Take care of Mama for me."
Those were the last words that escaped Raizel"s lips before her body was sliced in half by the G.o.d of Death, who was well-known for not showing mercy to anyone.