Life vs Death part 2

William's spear cleaved through the air with brutal precision, each swing sending another wave of undead tumbling to the ground. Their bodies were nothing more than withered shells, yet they swarmed relentlessly, a never-ending tide of rotting flesh. The scent of decay mixed with the acrid smell of burnt flesh as William's weapon struck again and again, carving through their ranks with the skill of a seasoned warrior. His breath was steady, his movements calculated, until—

A sudden golden screen flickered into existence beside him.

The unexpected interruption was enough to throw him off for a split second. His spear missed the zombie's neck, the tip slicing through the air where its throat had been a moment before. But William's instincts kicked in before the opening could be exploited. With a swift twist of his wrist, he spun the spear around, reversing the grip and driving the opposite end straight through the skull of the creature with a sickening crack.

"GUGU!" The monstrous deathly flames in its eyes sputtered out, leaving nothing but hollow sockets in their wake. The zombie crumpled to the ground with a final, lifeless thud.

A moment of calm washed over William, the chaos of the battle momentarily quieting as the stillness settled in. He took a deep breath and let his senses stretch outward, feeling the tension in his muscles, the hum of his aura, and, what was this? His gaze snapped back to the golden screen beside him, its message gleaming against the madness of the battlefield.

[Ding - Hidden Quest - Fatherhood - You have now become a father. Congratulations.]

William's heart skipped a beat. The words hit him like a bolt of lightning, stunning him. But there was no time to lose. He continued reading, each line unraveling something beyond comprehension.

[Reward - "Heart of a Father" Unlocked]

[Your mind, body, and soul have subtly evolved, reinforcing your instincts as a protector.]

[Grants an innate bond with your children, allowing you to sense their emotions and well-being, no matter the distance.]

His world seemed to tilt for a moment, the surge of information coursing through him like an electric shock. Before he could fully process the revelation, the screen shifted again.

*[Ding - Hidden Quest - Fathering a Pantheon - Your children were born with divinity and do not belong to a preexisting pantheon. Please name the new pantheon!]

His eyes widened in disbelief, his pulse hammering in his chest. Fatherhood. A pantheon. He was, he was a father? The magnitude of it struck him with such force that his very being trembled, a whirlpool of emotions flooding his mind. Joy. Fear. Awe. Responsibility. But above all, love. A love he had never known was now blossoming inside him, stronger than any emotion he had ever felt before.

The air around him shimmered, and before he could fully grasp the enormity of it, his aura erupted. It flared outward in a violent explosion, a surge of energy so intense that the ground beneath him quaked and split. His eyes, wide with shock and elation, blazed with a burning, untamable force.

"BOOM!"

The wave of his power crashed into the sea of undead, turning the horde into little more than piles of ash and charred bones. His battle instincts, now enhanced by his newfound bond to his children, sent a pulse of protective energy through him, unleashing a fury he had never known.

"HAAAAAAA, I'M A DAD!" His voice reverberated through the very heavens, echoing across the vast expanse of Asgard. The undead in the vicinity faltered, as though the sheer force of his declaration had stunned them, but the scream did more than just rattle the creatures, it summoned something else.

His aura writhed with an electric crackle as it collided with the ever-growing tide of corpses. But amidst the destruction, there was a growing sense of clarity.

He floated in the air, his form glowing with divine light, temporarily distanced from the chaos below. The screech of undead filled the air once more, but now, there was a deeper sense of urgency.

William took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to center himself. No time for distractions. His fingers clenched around the spear as he glanced down at the battlefield, the weight of the moment settling over him.

"I'll name it later. First, I need to save Asgard!" His voice was steady now, but there was an undeniable edge to it. A burning sense of determination. He wasn't just fighting for his own survival anymore. He was fighting for his family, his children, and his legacy.

In the grand and solemn palace of Asgard, a heavy silence hung in the air. The walls, adorned with ancient tapestries and divine relics, seemed to tremble with the tension that thickened the atmosphere. At the center of the throne room, Thor sat, his gaze unwavering, while Odin and Frigga stood beside him, equally poised, but their eyes betrayed a shared sense of foreboding.

"She is here!" Odin's voice thundered through the hall, breaking the silence like a clap of thunder. The words themselves seemed to shake the very foundations of the palace, causing a palpable wave of dread to wash over everyone in the room.

Before anyone could fully react, the massive doors to the throne room exploded inward with a deafening crash. The hinges snapped like brittle twigs, and the doors themselves flew off their frames, splintering into jagged pieces as they clattered to the floor.

A figure emerged from the smoke and debris, Hela.

She strode forward with a predator's grace, her every movement deliberate and poised as though the very air parted for her. Clad in tight black leather, her long, flowing hair framed a face of cold, unrelenting beauty. Her legs seemed to stretch endlessly beneath her, her form radiating an otherworldly elegance. As she approached the throne, two necroswords materialized in her hands with an unsettling hiss, their dark, cursed blades shimmering in the dim light of the room.

Hela's sharp, piercing green eyes skimmed over the room's occupants, a slight furrow of confusion crossing her face as she briefly glanced at Thor sitting on the throne, holding the mighty Gungnir. But then, her gaze shifted, a flicker of recognition in her eyes, as she laid eyes on Odin, standing beside the throne.

A fire ignited behind her emerald irises. Fury. Pure, unfiltered rage.

Without warning, she lunged forward, her movement a blur as she disregarded the presence of Thor and Frigga entirely. Her eyes locked onto Odin, and the room seemed to pulse with her murderous intent.

"CLANG!"

The sound of metal meeting metal rang through the hall like a thunderclap. In an instant, Thor moved with blinding speed, Gungnir raised in defense, catching the edges of Hela's necroswords before they could slice into Odin. The sheer force of the clash reverberated through the air, shaking the marble columns that surrounded them.

With a growl of exertion, Thor pushed back, using his immense strength to shove Hela away, sending her careening through the air. She crashed into the far wall with a violent slam, the stone cracking under the impact as dust and debris rained down around her.

Before she could rise, Frigga extended her hands toward Hela, her fingers glowing with radiant magic. Thick, gleaming chains of arcane energy materialized in the air, wrapping around Hela's arms and legs, binding her to the stone wall. The chains tightened, their magical force pressing her down with an unnatural weight.

Yet, Hela barely seemed to notice. Her eyes were dark, unwavering, her expression unbothered as if the chains were nothing more than a mere inconvenience.

Then came the crack.

With a chilling, almost dismissive gesture, Hela's aura surged violently, expanding outwards like a black storm. The chains holding her began to writhe, decaying at an alarming rate, as though time itself was being twisted around them. They snapped like twigs, falling to the floor in disintegrating heaps.

A dark energy surged from Hela's core, her godly presence magnifying exponentially, suffusing the room with an oppressive, malevolent force. The braziers lining the hall flickered violently before they erupted in eerie green flames, their light casting long shadows that seemed to dance on the walls.

"BBZZTT!"

Thor's blood boiled as he raised Gungnir high above his head. Lightning crackled through the air, swirling around him as he poured his newfound power into the weapon, a devastating surge of godly energy. With a fierce cry, he thrust Gungnir toward Hela, unleashing a bolt of concentrated divine lightning.

Hela, with inhuman reflexes, weaved to the side, her form a blur as she effortlessly dodged the beam. In a single fluid motion, she conjured a barrage of small necroswords, hurling them at Thor with deadly precision. Each sword was a streak of black energy, aiming to tear through him.

Thor barely managed to leap back, his heart racing, but one of the blades found its mark. It struck his eye, embedding itself deep with a sickening crack. He gasped in pain, his good eye flashing with brilliant, electric fury.

"RUMBLE!"

A massive thunderclap filled the room as Thor unleashed his own fury. A colossal thunderbolt crashed down from the heavens, striking Hela directly. The force of the impact sent shockwaves through the entire palace, the room shuddering as Hela was engulfed in the blinding light of divine wrath.

Yet, when the storm cleared, Hela remained standing. Her body was scorched, her black attire smoking from the intense energy, but there was no trace of fear on her face. Instead, she roared, not in pain, but in fury.

"AAAAHHHHH!" Her scream was a guttural howl of rage as she threw herself forward, her power only intensifying, her resolve hardening.

Thor stood firm, Gungnir crackling with energy, but Odin's face darkened with concern. The air in the hall was thick with the weight of the battle, and Hela's growing strength was undeniable. She was drawing power from Asgard itself, its very heart, and the thought of that sent a cold chill down Odin's spine.

Seeing the tides of battle shifting in Hela's favor, Odin made a decision. He knew what had to be done.

Stealthily, he turned, his robes sweeping across the stone floor as he moved toward the vault, a place few dared enter. Inside, hidden among relics of immense power, there lay a skull, a skull that still radiated a faint heat, along with a remnant of the fire he had stolen from Surtr's very being.

With swift hands, Odin placed the skull into the eternal flames, the embers rising as they enveloped the ancient relic. The heat within the flames surged, and Odin felt its power flood through the room.

He had no choice. The time for subtlety was over.

As Odin completed the ritual, the distant sound of thunder cracked through the palace once more, Hela, with a growl of triumph, had thrown Thor over the balcony. He could see her, her form silhouetted against the vast open sky as she launched herself after him, sword in hand, a lethal predator in pursuit of her prey.

The clash of golden Uru against Necrosteel rang out through the air as Thor parried Hela's vicious strike with Gungnir, the mighty spear singing as it met the force of her blow. The impact reverberated through him, threatening to knock him off balance. But with a surge of raw strength, he used the momentum of her attack to pivot and force himself upright, slamming his boots into the cracked stone of the palace floor. The ground beneath him splintered, sending spiderweb cracks racing outward from his landing point, a testament to the immense power at play.

Hela skidded to a graceful stop, her eyes never leaving Thor as she circled him with predatory confidence. Her every movement was calculated, as though she were savoring the moment.

"You never really knew Odin like I did, did you?" Her voice was cold, dripping with venom. "I was there when he drowned entire civilizations in blood. I was there when he slew men, women, and children without a second thought. And you... you think to challenge me?" Her piercing green eyes scanned him, her smirk growing wider as she took in his every movement, every breath. "You, who can't even fully control your own power?"

The words struck Thor like a physical blow, but he refused to show weakness. Hela's laugh, dark and mocking, echoed in the air as she lunged forward again. Her blade, gleaming black with necrotic energy, sliced downward toward Thor's neck with the speed and precision of a serpent. She aimed to sever him in half, her fury palpable in every stroke.

But just as the blade descended, two daggers flew from the shadows, cutting through the air with deadly precision. Hela's strike faltered as she looked up, her eyes narrowing in irritation, only to be met by the familiar, raven-haired form of Loki, clad in full battle gear, his mischievous smile as sharp as ever.

"If anyone's going to kill my brother," Loki's voice rang out with dangerous confidence, "it's going to be me!"

Hela paused, clearly annoyed, before replying with a sneer. "And who exactly are you?"

Loki's voice wavered, faltering as his true body, hidden from view, slipped into place, daggers in hand, moving stealthily behind Hela. But before he could make his move, the goddess of death's eyes flicked toward him, her smirk growing.

In an instant, Hela spun on her heel, faster than the eye could follow, and with a terrifying swiftness, she swung her fist at Loki's face. The blow landed with brutal force, sending him flying through the air. His body crashed into a nearby building, the impact sending shockwaves through the stone structure. Loki crumpled to the ground, disoriented, his vision swimming in a haze of pain.

Thor, watching his brother in agony, couldn't suppress a rueful chuckle. His expression was one of both embarrassment and amusement as he wiped a streak of blood from his lip.

"He was adopted!" Thor's voice rang out, his words echoing in the hall with a strange, bittersweet humor.

Hela's eyes flicked to him, a knowing nod of recognition crossing her face. "Ah. I see." Her voice was low, dripping with dark amusement.

With a swift and brutal motion, Hela turned her attention back to Thor, her fury reigniting as she summoned her massive, two-handed necrosword. The blade, forged from pure darkness and destruction, hummed with unholy energy as she swung it toward Thor with terrifying force.

"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!" The sound of Gungnir meeting Hela's sword rang out in rapid succession, the battle between the two gods escalating. Every clash sent tremors through the air, their strikes so powerful they could have been mistaken for a dance, a deadly, graceful dance of gods locked in eternal struggle.

Thor parried and struck with Gungnir, each motion more precise than the last, but Hela was relentless. She pressed forward, her necrosword crackling with energy as it met Thor's spear. The room seemed to vibrate with the sheer force of their battle, the very stone beneath their feet beginning to tremble with the intensity of their blows.

But suddenly, the ground began to quake uncontrollably beneath them, the air humming with an ominous vibration that caused both of them to stop mid-fight. The palace seemed to shudder, as if the very bones of Asgard were being shaken.

"BOOM!"

An explosion of flame erupted from the top of the palace, a towering pillar of fire that spiraled into the heavens. The entire sky seemed to tremble in response. As the flames twisted and roared, a massive figure emerged from the inferno, a giant made of living flame, his form towering above Asgard like a dark god of old.

The giant's roar was deafening, splitting the air as he stood to his full height, his fiery body blotting out the sun. The very clouds parted beneath the force of his voice, and the heavens themselves seemed to quake.

"ROOOOAAAAAAARRRRRRRR!" The ground trembled with the force of Surtur's announcement. His voice was a deep, earth-shaking bellow that echoed across the realms. "TREMBLE BEFORE ME, ASGARD!"

Hela's expression faltered for the briefest moment. Her fiery green eyes widened in realization, and for the first time, a flicker of genuine fear flashed across her face. She had connected her power directly to Asgard's lifeblood, its very essence. And now, it seemed, the fire she had long feared had returned to claim what was once its own.

The ground beneath them cracked open, the heat from Surtur's arrival sending waves of oppressive, burning air toward the battle below. The realization struck Hela like a physical blow, her connection to Asgard was in jeopardy.

She clenched her fists, her aura flaring, but the fear lingered, gnawing at her core. The very flames that had once given her power were now a force she could not control. And the war she had begun... was about to take a darker turn.