Chapter 76: He Was Deeply Envied for the Race That Followed Him
Du Wa had been pondering a very interesting question: how exactly could he reach the Skyfather level?
A Skyfather-level powerhouse signified a world-altering leap in one's level of existence, especially for a god-king Skyfather within the domain of the World Tree.
The simplest and most brutal method was to use a Skyfather-level being to capture a Skyfather.
Du Wa's initial idea was to send Reynolds rushing into Jotunheim to capture Laufey, the King of the Frost Giants, in one fell swoop.
But after much thought, he judged the success rate of this approach to be very low. Even a complete Sentry, clad in the Destroyer Armor, would find it difficult to capture a veteran Skyfather who was already on guard.
Even if Laufey were defeated, he would have no problem escaping if he was determined to flee.
This was where Loki came in. This God of Mischief, who was extremely skilled in trickery, excelled at achieving his goals through risky actions when necessary.
"Aren't you afraid I'll take this opportunity to get rid of you too?" Loki sneered, taking out the divine artifact he had meticulously prepared—the Casket of Ancient Winters.
This item was originally Laufey's most powerful artifact, capable of maximizing the power of the Frost Giants' divine bloodline. However, Odin had seized it in a battle and sealed it away in his vault.
Now, Loki had brought it out.
Thor, who had not personally rushed to the front lines, couldn't help but say, "Loki, don't make such jokes at a time like this. We are allies, brothers who have fought and died on the same front line. Also, how could you bring the Casket of Ancient Winters to Jotunheim? If Laufey gets his hands on it, we're finished! With that thing, he would even dare to challenge Father in his prime!"
The smile on Loki's face grew even more cruel.
Du Wa looked at him with a calm expression. "How do you know that this is my true body here? Couldn't I have cloned a few bodies for myself as a precaution? The Xenomorphs are undying, and so am I. If I were you, I would weigh the consequences of acting rashly. They are not something you can bear."
Loki's gaze tightened. He couldn't even tell if Du Wa was telling the truth.
But this God of Mischief had already been watching the entire performance of Reynolds and Du Wa.
Laufey's confusion was also Loki's. The one who had forced Dormammu to retreat, Sentry, no matter how watered-down his strength was, shouldn't be so unremarkable now. That would be too much of an insult to Dormammu.
But Loki now truly understood the situation between Du Wa and Reynolds. He only needed to glance at the look of terror and anticipation in Reynolds's eyes and combine it with Du Wa's words to guess the truth with a high degree of accuracy.
"Very interesting. You have the ability to transfer your soul, don't you? A human body is just an optional shell for you? So this is your true power. But I imagine that even you can't transfer your soul so casually. This method must have significant drawbacks and a heavy price."
Loki held Gungnir in one hand and the Casket of Ancient Winters in the other. The man might actually be hesitating whether to take care of both Du Wa and Laufey in one go.
But meeting Du Wa's gaze, as cold and indifferent as the abyss, he ultimately decided against it.
"Hurry up and make your move. You are the King of Asgard; you can't just do nothing in this battle," Du Wa urged.
Loki no longer hesitated. He immediately used his own bloodline power to open the Casket of Ancient Winters. A terrifyingly low temperature, visible to the naked eye, instantly began to spread wildly, completely freezing and sealing everything around them.
Loki's methods were exceptionally vicious; he had truly initiated an indiscriminate attack.
At this moment, whether they were Frost Giants, Asgardians, or Xenomorphs, all were trapped in a terrifying deep freeze.
Jotunheim itself was already a bitterly cold world. The Frost Giants preferred sub-zero environments; in contrast, hot and sweltering weather would cause grievous harm to their bodies.
Yet now, it was as if time itself had frozen. Every microscopic particle had entered a state of stagnant ice, and all of Jotunheim fell into a deathly silence.
A trace of madness flashed in Loki's eyes. The people on the Frost Giants' side were no good, including his own father, Laufey.
But similarly, on Asgard's side, with the exception of Odin, everyone, including Thor, was just a bunch of consumables, filling Loki's heart with disgust and agitation.
Since he couldn't gain their approval, he didn't need to be overly concerned about whether they lived or died.
Having been the King of Asgard for a while, Loki had been provoked into a state of impatience.
The terrifying cold that enveloped everything covered the entire world, dragging it all into a long ice age. Everyone present was frozen within thick layers of ice.
Loki exhausted his divine power reserves in one go. Panting heavily, he surveyed his surroundings, a crazed smile appearing on his face.
It felt so good to be powerful, to be able to unleash one's strength wantonly and eliminate everyone he found annoying.
*Crack! Crack!*
Of course, the Casket of Ancient Winters couldn't kill everyone in one go. Soon, powerful individuals began to break out of the ice one after another.
"Well done, my son. I approve of you. What could be more delightful for the King of Asgard than luring all the Asgardians to our kingdom and then wiping them all out at once? Of course, these Xenomorphs will also become our spoils of war."
Laufey easily broke free from the ice and strode forward.
A cautious look appeared on Loki's face. Hearing the series of ice-breaking sounds, he felt no surprise. Driving the Casket of Ancient Winters with his own power alone couldn't last for too long.
"I have fulfilled my promise to you, helping you deal with these guys and proving that I am qualified to inherit your bloodline," Loki said in a low voice, clutching the Casket of Ancient Winters tightly.
A playful expression appeared on Laufey's face. "That's right, my son. I promise that you will rule Asgard forever. After all, its environment isn't quite suitable for Frost Giants to live in."
"Then at a time like this, you should bring out your reserve power and take care of the remaining troublesome fellows," Loki said.
Laufey looked at the sinister-faced Loki and let out a strange laugh.
In the next second, all sorts of giants began to appear across the vastness of Jotunheim.
Ice Giants, Frost Giants, Wind Giants... that's right, all these giants were residents of Jotunheim.
Of course, as the Skyfather of Jotunheim, Laufey primarily relied on the Frost Giants, and the main giant species the Asgardians fought against were also the Frost Giants.
"I must admit, you surprised me by bringing such a large army. But this is Jotunheim. My military force will only be greater. They will clear the battlefield, kill all the Asgardians, and capture all the Xenomorphs."
Laufey walked up to Loki, looking down at the little dwarf before him.
"I am willing to offer you the Casket of Ancient Winters. This was always your weapon, was it not?"
Loki slowly lowered his head, raising his hands respectfully to present the Casket of Ancient Winters.
Laufey instinctively felt that something was not quite right. From what he knew, Loki was no well-behaved child. But he still reached out to grab it.
At worst, he was still a Skyfather. Could he really be outsmarted by Loki?
*Swish!*
In the next moment, his hand passed through the Casket of Ancient Winters, and through Loki as well.
"An illusion? You had better reconsider, performing such a ridiculous trick on your own father!"
Laufey immediately knew he had been tricked.
Loki's illusion magic was truly something else, perfectly realistic.
Loki's true form had already raised Gungnir with a ferocious expression, stabbing viciously toward Laufey's chest. Laufey retreated abruptly and was only stabbed in the abdomen.
This powerful divine artifact, Odin's most beloved, suddenly erupted with a terrifying sharpness, frantically destroying Laufey's body and killing every cell within him.
"Trick? Anyone has the right to say that to me, but not you," Loki said grimly. "If you hadn't abandoned me back then, the one standing by your side should have been me!"
"But you still stood with Asgard. Odin is dead. Even with the weapon he left behind, you cannot kill me in one move." Laufey found Loki's actions absurd. He immediately endured the intense pain, trying to expel Gungnir from his body and subsequently gain control of the divine artifact.
Trying to take out a Skyfather with a single powerful artifact?
"A pity. This Laufey is a bit stronger and more cunning than I expected. This is likely a deviation of this universe."
Du Wa, bathed in surging lightning, shattered the ice with his divine power, feeling a slight sense of regret.
How did the Laufeys in other universes die? This question was very interesting because, in the vast majority of cases, Laufey was killed by his own son, Loki.
Loki was no match for Laufey, that was true, but Loki was very good at deception. He would eventually backstab Laufey with Gungnir, achieving the feat of a first kill on a Skyfather and pulling off an underdog victory.
"Failure was within the expectations we discussed beforehand," Loki said.
"But that doesn't change the reality of your failure. It seems I should seriously consider dealing with you as well."
To this, Loki just chuckled lowly. His figure flickered rapidly, creating dozens of false phantoms that were dazzling to the eye.
"Isn't this what you chose? It would have been easier to just kill him directly, but you insisted on capturing him alive. You already saw him as your host before the war even began, didn't you? You're the real madman."
As for Loki's true form, it was likely no longer among them.
Laufey lifted his foot and stomped toward Du Wa.
He had no fondness for this master of the Xenomorphs, the one who wielded Mjolnir.
"Looks like it's time to bring out some of the prepared plans..."
Du Wa's expression didn't change at all. In the next second, Sentry had already charged forward, instantly standing before Du Wa, motionless, blocking Laufey with the golden energy floating on the surface of his body.
Of course, this wasn't Reynolds's own action, but one Du Wa controlled him to make.
"Is it starting? Just like last time?" Reynolds's body grew hot. He could gain the fame of defeating a Skyfather without actually having to do anything. At most, he might have to lie down for a while after the battle to recuperate.
For someone like Reynolds, who detested risk but loved to take advantage of situations and didn't want to take risks himself, he would only become more excited once Du Wa made a decision.
Laufey, for his part, understood at least one thing: this Du Wa fellow actually wanted to capture him and make him a host for a Xenomorph?
Even Odin wouldn't dare to speak such nonsense about capturing him alive. At most, he had meticulously prepared and seized his Casket of Ancient Winters in one battle.
"Capturing a Skyfather alive is difficult, but not impossible. You are injured now, pierced through the abdomen by the weapon left by Odin. That doesn't feel good, does it?"
In the next second, Du Wa swung Mjolnir, looking as if he was about to charge. In Laufey's field of vision, a Praetorian Xenomorph came running at high speed, scooped up Du Wa, and ran toward the edge of the world.
Laufey first frowned, then looked bewildered, and then he understood.
"It seems your method of soul transfer has a distance limit. You're worried that from Midgard, you can't accurately transfer your soul to this Midgardian called Sentry." Laufey instantly figured it all out and was about to charge forward to kill Du Wa.
But Reynolds also flew over quickly. Under Du Wa's precise control, he began to increase his power.
"Ahhhhh!!!"
Reynolds threw his head back, and the energy in his body surged violently. Du Wa's consciousness instantly descended upon him.
If it were just this, it wouldn't be enough to deal with the injured Laufey. Of course, Du Wa had made more meticulous preparations.
The Destroyer Armor broke out of the ice from within the Alien Army and flew over with a roar, cladding itself onto Reynolds.
"I see. So this is the you who challenged Dormammu back then. To think such a method exists in this world—the body decays, but the soul lives on?"
Laufey could naturally see that Du Wa had already transferred his mind and consciousness and was now piloting Reynolds's body to fight.
But it wasn't over yet.
Du Wa reached into his own chest, pulling out the Xenomorph larva that possessed Thor's genes. He then piloted Reynolds's body, hollowing out its chest and swapping its contents for the Xenomorph larva he had just removed from his own body.
For a moment, Laufey didn't understand.
But Loki, holding the Casket of Ancient Winters and hiding in the distance, understood completely, a look of astonishment on his face.
"It can be done like this? This guy actually uses this method to gain more power!"
Loki knew very well that the main reason Du Wa could control Mjolnir was because of that Xenomorph larva with Thor's bloodline.
Now that this Xenomorph larva had entered Reynolds's body, it meant...
*Whoosh!!*
Mjolnir, which had been closely following Du Wa, abruptly changed direction. Sparks flew as it charged with electricity, shooting straight toward Reynolds. With a *smack*, Reynolds caught it firmly in his hand.
Immense lightning descended from the sky, as if heralding the birth of a new generation's God of Thunder.
Sentry + Destroyer Armor + Mjolnir. At this moment, Sentry not only wielded the power of a million exploding suns within him but also had a vast and continuous supply of divine power.
The two types of power collided madly within his body, erupting with an even more astonishing destructive might. This obviously placed a greater burden on his body.
But it didn't matter, as long as he was strong enough.
"Defeating a Skyfather might be difficult, and killing one is even harder, but the most difficult of all is undoubtedly capturing one alive. Your Excellency Laufey, I think you are very honored to be the first Skyfather within the World Tree to be captured alive by me."
Reynolds's long hair flew about wildly, his eyes had long since turned a boundless gold, but the words he spoke were Du Wa's.
"So you are Du Wa now. I see."
Laufey completely understood, looking at the man before him in shock, his eyes filled with intense disbelief.
Was this the true way to use Xenomorphs? His past understanding of them was wrong, one-sided?
This was the man who had fought Dormammu. No, perhaps he was even stronger than back then. As far as Laufey knew, Du Wa had not used Mjolnir at that time.
"You even held back against a Demon God like Dormammu?" Laufey looked at him in disbelief.
"Of course. My favorite thing is to make various plans and then be filled with curiosity about anything that goes beyond those plans. In my plan, you either get beaten to death by me, or you become a part of me. It's that simple."
Laufey's face darkened as he tried to locate Loki. As long as he got the Casket of Ancient Winters, he would become the Laufey who once dared to confront Odin at his peak. Unfortunately, Loki was hidden very well.
*Boom!*
Du Wa drove Reynolds's body to attack brazenly. It could be said that at this moment, he was at his most powerful state in history.
To take down the Skyfather Laufey, Du Wa was giving it his all. He hadn't fought this hard even when dealing with Dormammu.
"You should be proud of this, Your Excellency Laufey. Dormammu might even be gratified if he knew."
As Du Wa spoke, his attacks were exceptionally ferocious. He swung Mjolnir, spinning it at high speed, and then suddenly threw it at Laufey.
Laufey, bare-handed, slapped Mjolnir away from the side, but in the next second, Du Wa, clad in the Destroyer Armor, had already closed in, landing a flying kick on Laufey's chest.
Mjolnir followed, making a large arc, and flew back again, accompanied by violent thunder that struck the earth, frantically spreading terrifyingly high temperatures that melted large amounts of ice and snow around them.
Of course, Laufey couldn't be defeated by an attack of this level. He used his absurdly large palm to grab one of Du Wa's legs, and with a reverse throw, he slammed him dozens of meters into the ground with a deafening crash.
It was a good thing this was in Jotunheim. If it were an ordinary planet, a heavy blow of this magnitude would have been enough to slam Du Wa into the planet's core.
Du Wa nonchalantly burst out from underground and headbutted Laufey up into the sky.
Endless golden light ravaged the icy world, and majestic divine power swept across the infinite deep space.
The two figures flickered throughout the world, causing endless might to spread wildly, carving one terrifying ravine after another into the land of Jotunheim.
Even after many years, this place would surely be filled with the lingering aftershocks of their battle, which would not dissipate for a long time.
Just how strong was a Skyfather? To put it simply, even a being at the sub-Skyfather level, going all out, could destroy a planet—a planet-shattering level. So what about a Skyfather, who was above the sub-Skyfather level?
This was a terrifying being capable of shaking an entire galaxy.
Take Odin for example. A peak Odin, if he disregarded the consequences, could even interfere with the timeline of the entire Milky Way Galaxy, pushing the entire vast galaxy into the abyss.
Du Wa wasn't sure if he could fight Odin right now, but he wanted to concentrate all his energy on dealing with Laufey, the King of the Frost Giants.
The battle between the two was extremely brutal. Neither of them relied on high-tech equipment to maintain their Skyfather-level strength; they relied on their own absolute power.
Every confrontation shook space and slowed time. Every collision was a heavy blow to the World Tree.
Majestic divine power soared into the sky, and endless great power spread across the land.
This battle began with a world-shaking earthquake, volcanic eruptions, and cracking icebergs, but this was by no means the end. The transmission of divine power, spreading along the endless branches and shaking all directions, was merely the beginning.
Everyone knew that a battle between Skyfathers would be exceptionally dangerous, but every person who observed this great battle couldn't help but show a look of astonishment on their face.
If one only perceived the surging fluctuations of divine power, they would think it was two Skyfathers engaged in a fierce, bloody war.
Unfortunately, it was not.
"One of them is the king of Jotunheim. The other guy... he has the divine power of the Asgardians, yet he also wields this power as brilliant as a star. So it's that guy. And if I'm not mistaken, he seems even stronger than he was a short while ago."
"Didn't he just team up with Midgard's Sorcerer Supreme? They barely managed to force Dormammu to withdraw from the World Tree. How is he fighting Laufey now... No, I should say, why did they start fighting so soon? But there's no Sorcerer Supreme to help this time."
"So interesting. It took me a lot of effort to find out what's been happening on Midgard recently. That Odin fellow actually banished Thor to Midgard in secret! And as a result, Mjolnir was taken by this powerful individual from Midgard using some unknown method. Hilarious!"
"Thor, the God of Thunder, doesn't even have his Mjolnir. I heard that in the recent war with Jotunheim, he has been fighting as a Xenomorph commander and never steps onto the front lines of the battlefield."
"But Midgard has always been considered a world of mortals. How could such a formidable guy appear there?"
"The point isn't how formidable or how good at fighting he is. What's truly eye-catching is that this guy actually came to other worlds within the World Tree to fight."
Throughout the World Tree, countless consciousnesses communicated. Don't think that the God Race are all brutes who only speak with their fists. They also develop technology and even use divine power to develop divine technology. Therefore, even some who were not particularly strong could vaguely monitor the course of this war through technological means.
Du Wa's activities had attracted a lot of attention.
Following Dormammu's retreat, Du Wa's name had already begun to circulate widely within the World Tree. Even if they didn't know his name, as soon as they saw information and images of the Xenomorphs, they immediately knew who these species, born only for battle, belonged to.
The alliance of Asgard and the Xenomorphs against Jotunheim was no longer a secret throughout the World Tree. Not only were the Nine Realms fully aware of it, but even other divine factions outside the Nine Realms but still within the World Tree's domain, such as Olympus and the Great Luo Heaven, were paying attention.
Such an active and powerful Midgardian surprised them, forcing them to adopt a cautious attitude.
Similarly, such a powerful Alien species, which had not been in existence for a very long time, shocked them even more.
War was the main theme of the World Tree. No matter which universe, no matter which era, from the birth of the creator of all, the Demiurge, to the cruel civil war between the four great ancient gods of the second generation of gods and the other second-generation deities, and now to the mass-produced third-generation God Race spread across the Multiverse, war never went out of style.
Naturally, some intelligent people were already pondering how to contact Du Wa. At the very least, they would be more than happy, like the Asgardians, to borrow a large Alien Army of a very respectable average standard.
At the very least, this time the Alien Army was even able to invade Jotunheim and fight against various giants led by the Frost Giants. Coupled with their leader, Du Wa, generously sending out calling cards to everyone, some would naturally respond.
After all, who could refuse the Xenomorphs? Not even the God Race.
"Loki? How did I get here? What have you done? You froze everyone! Don't use the Casket of Ancient Winters recklessly! Where are the others? Wait, is that Reynolds and Laufey in the distance..."
The ice on Thor's body was gradually thawing. To be honest, if Loki hadn't barely controlled the power of the Casket of Ancient Winters, Thor, without the empowerment of divine power, would have been frozen to death long ago.
"Shut up. I saved your life, not to listen to you complain. And that's not Reynolds. That's Du Wa now," Loki said, extremely agitated.
Although he and Thor had retreated to the edge of Jotunheim, they were both still watching the fierce battle at the center of the world.
Everyone knew that with the war having reached this stage, it was at its final moments.
If Du Wa could win, then naturally, the best result would be to capture Laufey alive and turn him into his spoil of war. This would mean the power Du Wa controlled would further expand, welcoming a remarkable increase.
Although, Loki was skeptical about how much of Laufey's power the Xenomorph that would chestburst from him could inherit, because Laufey's divine power was obtained through countless years of training, not entirely from the power carried by his genes.
But regardless, with the formidable feat of hunting a Skyfather, he would be enough to become one of the most prominent figures within the World Tree, with an absolute status established through means of war.
Most importantly, Du Wa was not a lone wolf. He had an entire race as his support and backing.
The major divine factions of the World Tree could calmly face a solitary Skyfather, but most would dread a race full of strong individuals led by a Skyfather.
Even if Laufey won in the end, and Du Wa was defeated, fled, or even died, Laufey's fate wouldn't be much better. At most, he would only return to square one, because Odin was surely watching everything here.
"If I'm not mistaken, that guy Du Wa's goal isn't just to simply obtain a powerful Xenomorph subordinate." Loki frowned, worried. He was still thinking as a king, getting a headache over how Asgard should deal with this guy in the future.
But Loki quickly came to his senses, looking at Thor beside him with a complicated expression, and let out a self-deprecating, cold laugh.
Right. He had no future. No matter how hearty and unceremonious the Asgardians were, how could they possibly let a Frost Giant lead the Asgardians?
Even the divine power they cultivated was different, and their bloodlines and genes were completely distinct.
Regardless of the outcome of this battle, Loki felt he had no future to speak of. Not just in Asgard, but in the entire World Tree, there wasn't a single planet that was his territory.
"We should help Du Wa. Don't you still have Gungnir? You can give it to him as a handy weapon..." Thor was single-mindedly trying to help his good brother.
Loki felt like he was about to crack. "He's already using your Mjolnir, and now you want me to give him Gungnir? If I were Father, I might have run you through with it first."
"What nonsense are you talking about? Father is dead! You are the one leading Asgard now. Defeating Laufey and conquering Jotunheim should be your top priority! As long as you accomplish this, you can definitely return to Asgard as king. Every Asgardian will respect and adore you!"
Thor also knew Loki's current situation. He was sincerely and earnestly trying to scheme for Loki, although this crude plan made Loki feel utterly disgusted.
Loki felt like he was discussing how to use wisdom to trap an enemy with an ape that had gained some, but not much, intelligence.
"After this battle, I will leave Asgard, leave the World Tree. If I'm still alive then."
Loki raised Gungnir, creating a protective energy net that blocked an incoming divine power shockwave, and suddenly said, "This is the best outcome for both of us. You should be able to imagine what would happen if we don't do this. You don't want to be killed by me or kill me one day, do you?"
Since it was destined that he could find no place for himself in the World Tree, then he would enter the vaster, wider universe. With his divine power and magic, he could at least secure his own territory.
Then, he would also recruit some followers and expand his power—just like what Du Wa was doing on Earth.
Sometimes, while Loki was annoyed with Du Wa, he was also filled with deep envy and jealousy for him.
Because Du Wa's strength was only one aspect. More importantly, Du Wa was never a lone wolf...
To have an entire loyal and powerful race following him without reservation—this was definitely something that even a God of Mischief would envy.
If Loki had such a race loyally following him, would he still be so passive? Would he still be tormented, caring whether all the Asgardians were disgusted with him?
"Xenomorphs, Xenomorphs... this species clearly didn't start off high, but Du Wa brought them to this level in such a short time. I will definitely have a loyal and powerful race following me, one stronger than the Xenomorphs!"
Loki gritted his teeth, so jealous he nearly shattered them.
But where could he find such followers? Should he start from scratch, conquer a living planet, and then cultivate a species from the beginning?
"There must be one. The universe is so vast, the World Tree is just an insignificant corner. There must be a more powerful species."
(end of chapter)