{Chapter: 382 Dark Red Energy Ball}
High above the ruined island, the last wisps of Algrim's essence were fully consumed—his body reduced to swirling strands of dark red energy, funneled violently into the warship's core like smoke into a burning engine. The ship pulsed, veins of crimson surging along its metallic surface like arteries—alive, angry, and awakening.
William narrowed his eyes as he hovered in mid-air, arms folded, his golden cape fluttering in the wind. He glanced sideways at the now empty sky where Algrim once floated. "So that's what he meant… That damn energy wasn't for a weapon. They were feeding it to the ship... no, to Malekith. They were trying to bring him back to his true form."
A soft descent echoed beside him. The White Queen landed lightly on the scorched terrain, her coat flaring out behind her like a gothic flag. "Seems like the ship was designed for resurrection. Algrim's death was the last push... but they were just a little too late."
"Too late," William echoed with a smirk, "because Malekith's already compost."
White Queen rolled her eyes. "Honestly, you killed him too fast. It was just getting fun."
"I can't help it if the villains are made of paper these days," William said, stretching his arms like he just finished a morning jog. "I was expecting at least a Final Boss tier fight. All I got was recycled mid-tier."
White Queen pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're so dramatic."
"You call that dramatic?" William looked mock-offended. "I'm a humble man, Queen. You should know that better than anyone."
White Queen scoffed, folding her arms. "You? Humble? I used to be an elegant, soft-spoken girl with no romantic ideals... until I spent a week near a beast. Now I drink black coffee and throw grenades at people for fun."
William placed a hand on his chest and dramatically sighed. "Ah, so I've corrupted you. What can I say? Excellence is contagious."
White Queen deadpanned, "Yeah. Like the flu."
William covered his face with his hands, "Why? Why can't you see the good points in me? Why?"
"Because your handsomeness covers everything." White Queen looked sarcastic.
William touched his face with his hands, "You just need to know that I am handsome. Don't say it out loud. Others will be jealous of me."
"I can't stand it. I want to vomit." White Queen looked sick.
Before their banter could continue, Alice landed nearby, her boots cracking the brittle ground. She nodded toward the sky. "You two done? Because that thing is changing."
All eyes turned upward.
The dark warship began to rumble, not mechanically—but organically, as though something within it had awakened. Crimson lines pulsed violently across the hull. Then, from its center, a swirling dark energy sphere began to form, rapidly expanding, rotating in erratic patterns like a dark neutron star. It reached ten meters in diameter in seconds, glowing ominously above the island like a false moon.
William's smirk faded, replaced by a frown. "Now that's new."
"What is it?" White Queen asked, her voice sharpening.
Alice's psychic senses rippled outward. Her eyes widened. "It's... not a weapon. It's not just energy. It's a mind. Something's in there. It's alive."
"Malekith is dead, what's the use of this ball of energy?" Ada asked in confusion.
William looked at Malekith's body, "Death is certain, so it's interesting."
On the beach below, Jane and Sif shielded their eyes, staring up at the crimson sphere now crackling with raw power.
"That thing…" Jane whispered, "I don't like it."
Pepper frowned. "It's more than a weapon. That energy… it feels like it's thinking."
"What's the matter with that ball of energy that makes people feel creepy?"
Sif nodded slowly, her hand drifting to the sword at her hip. "Dark energy that dense... compressed at a single point? It's not natural. It's trying to break through something. Something is pushing to be born."
Back in the sky, William stared at the swirling mass with growing interest. "Looks like Malekith had a backup plan. Maybe even a backup version of himself?"
Then it happened.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Without warning, four beams of roaring dark red energy surged from the unstable energy sphere in the sky—thick as towers, pulsing with crackling void-light, and faster than lightning. They shot downward like the wrath of a cosmic god, targeting William, the White Queen, Alice… and even the smoldering remains of Malekith.
William's golden eyes gleamed with reflexive calculation. "Incoming!" he barked.
"Scatter!" Alice shouted, voice sharp with urgency.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
All three figures teleported in unison, blinking out of space just before the beams slammed into the island.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Each strike detonated with the force of a tactical nuke. Trees were vaporized, stone shattered, and shockwaves erupted outward like rings from a dying star. Dust and debris shot over dozens of meters into the sky, the entire island trembling beneath the assault as though it might split and sink beneath the weight of fury.
Hovering high above the chaos, Ada's voice rang out in concern, "Are you okay?"
In a flash, the trio reappeared beside her—though their clothes were charred and dusted, their expressions were unharmed… mostly.
William smirked, brushing soot off his shoulder with exaggerated flair. "Do we look dead to you? Still prettier than ever."
Pepper let out a shaky breath from the shoreline. Jane looked visibly shaken. Only Sif kept her expression composed—though her clenched jaw and brief glance upward betrayed a flicker of relief. But she quickly caught herself. No, she thought stubbornly, I wasn't worried. He's an arrogant beast anyway.
Back in the air, Alice squinted down at the scorched crater below. "Three beams detonated. That much is clear. But what about the fourth…?"
White Queen, eyes glowing faintly violet, responded coolly, "It didn't explode."
"What?" Alice's brow furrowed.
White Queen nodded. "That last beam... it shielded Malekith's corpse. It wasn't an attack. It was… protective."
A hushed moment passed.
Then, like a rebirth from ash, a ball of dark red energy emerged from the crater—smoke trailing off its form like a cloak. Inside, Malekith's lifeless body hung suspended, as if even death couldn't sever him from his ambition.
Ada frowned, floating lower. "He's dead. Why go through this trouble?"
William's eyes narrowed. "This isn't resurrection. It's absorption. That thing's trying to return Malekith to the source." His tone dropped into something colder. "We can't let that happen."
Without another word, William disappeared in a blink, teleporting directly in front of the orb, barring its path.
He clenched his fist. Fire gathered, forming a massive molten sphere in his palm. "Not today—!"
But before he could strike—
"William! Look out!" both Alice and Ada screamed.
He turned—just in time to see a cannon-thick beam of dark energy roar toward him like the judgment of the gods.
BOOM!!!
The blast struck him head-on, engulfing him in a crimson inferno. It didn't stop there—the beam drove into the earth, shattering the rock beneath him. The impact sent ripples through the island, and a mushroom cloud of dust rose from the ground.
"WILLIAM!" Pepper, Jane, Sif, Alice, Ada, and even White Queen shouted in horror.
The blast was so powerful that the entire island shook again—trees were uprooted, hills collapsed, and half the island's edge cracked and slid into the ocean.
Sif didn't hesitate. She grabbed Jane, leapt off the collapsing ledge, and sprinted toward the sea. "Hold on!"
Pepper took one glance at the incoming shockwave and dove straight into the water without hesitation.
Just moments after they hit the waves, a tidal shockwave rushed through, disintegrating the beach and throwing walls of water dozens of meters high into the air, scattering sand, stone, and debris.
In the sky, Alice, Ada, and White Queen darted toward the crater, anxiety etched across their faces.
Smoke churned, flames still licking at shattered stone.
Then it happened.
The dark red orb containing Malekith's corpse floated upward—undeterred—rising into the air like a cursed messiah. It drifted toward the monstrous dark energy sphere above… and merged.
The moment it touched the sphere, the skies exploded in color. The sphere began to warp and pulse violently, no longer stable. Bursts of dark crimson light shot out like solar flares.
Back on the ground, what was left of the island had fallen eerily quiet. Chunks of charred rock floated in pools of water that hadn't existed before. The island's shape was changed. William's dream of taking it intact? Shattered.
From the ocean's surface, three drenched figures emerged—Jane, Pepper, and Sif, coughing and gasping for breath.
Sif, hair plastered to her face, scowled but couldn't hide her worry. "William…?" she said under her breath.
Jane wiped water from her eyes. "He... he was right in the middle of it..."
Pepper clutched Jane's shoulder. "He's not dead. He can't be. He promised..."
The three women turned toward the smoke-filled sky, waiting… hoping...