Crack!
The sharp blade sliced into the trunk, and a brilliant surge of seven-colored energy burst forth from the wound!
"No!!!"
The Shadow Ancient Gods could no longer remain calm—their eyes turned bloodshot with rage.
But they couldn't stop it. As the World Tree groaned and collapsed, its seven-colored energy poured into Russell's body like a roaring tide!
At the same time, the spiritual Kingdom that had descended upon the Shadow Lands shone with dazzling brilliance.
The seven-colored energy was the final gift of the World Tree. In that instant, Russell's divine power soared madly, climbing higher and higher!
And then—the three Norn Sisters, the Goddesses of Fate who had appeared before, revealed themselves again. They sat before a great spinning wheel, smiling as they looked at Russell… and then they burned away together with the wheel.
So too did the World Tree begin to burn.
Its shadow, like a vast curtain of fire, twisted, writhed, and struggled to maintain form!
A blinding white light burst from the body of the God of Deception, who roared:
"The flames of this world are extinguished—they shall never exist!"
For a moment, the red flames flickered, seeming about to be snuffed out.
But then—the bells of the Silver City tolled once more, exposing the lie!
The sea of fire raged higher, completely engulfing the World Tree until it was reduced to ash. And with its end, its shadow vanished as well.
The Shadow Land trembled violently, its suffocating blackness fading away. In an instant, the twisted realm formed by connecting the lower dimensions of countless timelines collapsed back into pure, empty space.
And the Shadow Ancient Gods themselves began to change!
Their forms—once outlined in white lines, clad in ornate armor, with hollow void beneath—shifted. Their armor dulled, their bodies reshaped, and flesh and blood took the place of formless shadow.
The strange, alien structure of their existence dissolved. They had become real bodies once more!
More importantly—their aura was plummeting rapidly. From beings of multidimensional reduction, they fell all the way down to the peak of a single-bodied form.
Russell's eyes widened with sudden realization:
"So that's why you never dared leave the Shadow Land! You were only ever able to draw strength by feeding on the flames—and by forcing endless Ragnaröks upon the people of Asgard!"
In the real dimension, Supreme Tony was speechless.
He had thought these Shadow Ancient Gods were like Mephisto or Dormammu, who relied on their pocket dimensions for power.
But no—this was something far simpler, and far more pathetic.
No wonder they had such twisted power… and no wonder they never dared to invade reality!
On the side, Thor's face lit with wild joy, his excitement nearly driving him mad.
He didn't understand the mysteries of dimensions—but he knew this much: the Shadow Ancient Gods without their dimensional reduction were no match for Russell. And now that they'd been forced down to mere single-bodied forms, their defeat was certain.
This reversal was something Thor had never even dared to imagine!
Within the collapsing lower dimension—
Russell stood tall, gazing at the five figures who now stood revealed in flesh and blood. His lips curled into a smile.
"Why so quiet? Weren't you the ones who said you could resurrect forever?"
The God of War trembled with rage and shock.
This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Fate wasn't meant to change. Ragnarök had repeated hundreds of times—how could there be an accident now?!
"I am the Ancient God of War—Tarix! I will never admit defeat!"
He roared, his aura flaring violently. Even as a mere single body, his rage drove him to the brink of another dimensional ascension.
The angrier he grew, the stronger he became.
Like a monstrous, corrupted echo of the Hulk, his power swelled with his fury. He raised his hands to the void, and two massive battle axes formed in his grip!
But before he could strike, the God of Deception grabbed his arm and hissed:
"Don't be reckless! Only if the five of us fight together do we still have a chance to win!"
But Tarix ignored him, straining to break free—
And then his expression changed.
Because he, the God of War, who drew strength as his very essence… could not break free.
His eyes snapped to the side, and what he saw drained the blood from his face: a smile—strange, twisted, and utterly wrong.
From the shadows, the God of Storms bellowed:
"Ulobus! What are you doing?!"
The God of Deception—Ulobus—only smiled wider, his voice dripping with mockery.
"What am I doing? Why, ensuring our survival, of course.
It just requires… your cooperation."
As soon as his voice fell, his aura shifted. The false shell shattered, revealing the true power of multiple forces!
Looking at his shocked companions, he sneered:
**"Do you know why I didn't stop him from cutting down the World Tree?
Because I have already transcended. I have become truly multiversal, enduring countless cycles of reincarnation. And now—at last—I have the chance to devour you all!"**
He could not defeat the four multiversal Shadow Ancient Gods directly.
But four single-bodied peaks? Those, he could consume.
Their original forces, once swallowed, would become his again—fourfold, reforged under the dominion of his lies!
What was the point of hiding forever in shadows, feeding on the endless energy of Ragnarök's repetition?
That path would never lead to true power.
This—this was his true purpose.
The God of Deception, Ulobus, opened his mouth wide.
Instantly, the divine essence of his companions was torn from their bodies. The Gods of Knowledge, Storm, the Mother Goddess, and even the God of War were reduced to four streams of light—each a different color—ripped helplessly into his maw!
In a single breath, time and space convulsed. A terrifying new aura erupted from Ulobus.
At that moment, he alone held the five original divine powers of the multiverse.
And this was not mere addition.
It was far stronger than when those powers had been scattered across five beings within the Shadow Land.
"Shadow."
The God of Deception spoke softly, and at once the lower dimension darkened again, smothered in shadows so thick it was as if time itself was flowing backward.
From on high, he looked down at Russell with pride.
"You should have killed the others the moment you destroyed the World Tree. That was your only chance."
A smug smile curled across his lips.
**"But you wasted it. You obsessed over the mystery of our resurrection, and you never saw through my disguise.
You lost!"**
His confidence was absolute. Surely, the mortal below would finally show despair.
But instead, Russell only smiled faintly, tilting his head with quiet amusement.
**"Are you so sure I didn't notice your disguise?
My light exists to pierce all falsehoods and lies."**
His eyes burned with steady resolve.
"So now—why don't you guess why I let you devour them?"
The God of Deception's brow furrowed.
**"My gift is language itself. Your words cannot sway my mind.
Die in regret!"**
Cracks split across his face as his pure-white eyes began to blaze. He was about to unleash the forbidden Information Interference of the God of Knowledge—bolstered with the divine lightning of the Storm, a strike that would shred both body and mind.
But before the power could be unleashed, Russell's calm voice cut through the chaos.
"I said… there will be a miracle."
And in that instant—
The blazing eyes of the God of Deception snapped shut. His body spasmed, and from his neck, fresh flesh and blood began to sprout uncontrollably, twisting into something new.
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