Those time travelers that year

However, it doesn't seem to make much of a difference. There was no dark elf warship landing, no dark elves dying recklessly without a significant advantage, and no superhero with a protagonist's halo who was actually a human form of misfortune present. This accident was truly a rare and harmless one.

As the sky gradually unfolded, a ring of semi-transparent silver ripples, like an inverted mirror or screen, reflected various scenes. The first scene was a dense forest surrounding mountains; then, a second semi-transparent silver ring appeared a little higher, followed by a third, a fourth, a fifth…

Similarly, the reflections within the translucent silver circles began to change. Beyond the forests and mountains lay a scorching sea of ​​lava, followed by an ancient, frozen world, then a golden realm surrounded by stars, and finally, a somber, lightless gray expanse…

Eight different worlds are reflected in this sky.

Thousands of years later, on this day, nine different worlds converged at this moment...

Of course, while ordinary people saw the anomaly in the sky and took photos to upload to the internet, the mages in the London sanctuary also naturally saw it. This made these mages feel very hurt. The last time something like this happened was in New York, and the time before that was in the Middle East... Is Earth just a toilet now?! It's some alien thing that can just wander around on Earth.

And just like the previous two times, the violent spatial anomaly directly affected the use of spatial magic, rendering the mages' method of drawing circles to open teleportation portals completely useless.

"Damn it, what's happening to Earth? Why are these alien things trying to come here all the time!" A furious roar echoed from the sanctuary in London. "Go and inform the Sorcerer Supreme..."

"Just like the previous two times, the portal is unusable..." a calm voice replied. "Also, just like the previous two times, I just made an international call to the Sorcerer Supreme..."

...What a group of monks who keep up with the times!

Meanwhile, S.H.I.E.L.D., with its global network of informants, also received the news of the anomaly over London immediately. When the video was transmitted to the airship, everyone's first thought was of the portal opened during the Battle of New York. Then, coincidentally, Shire and Loki, whom S.H.I.E.L.D. had been searching for, appeared openly on the lawn of Greenwich University, directly below the anomaly.

So the Avengers, fresh from their trip to Antarctica and barely able to catch their breath or have a proper meal, were forced to rush back to London. Unlike the US, which was constantly plagued by supervillains, the British army was essentially crippled. No one expected much from the current fighting capacity of the Bulls, just as no one expected Italy's Spaghetti Monster to have avoided hindering the Führer during World War II.

……

Meanwhile, Shire and Loki, standing out from the crowd on the lawn of Greenwich University, were both gazing up at the sky. Some students nearby recognized Loki and, as if chased by bees, hurriedly ran behind buildings, promptly pulling out their phones to snap photos of the two looking up at the sky.

"That place that looks like lava could fall at any moment, that's Muspelheim, right?!" Ciel asked Loki, who was standing next to him.

“Yes, that’s right. That frozen world is Jotunheim, and the fiery red world next to it is Muspelheim, the land of the fire giants,” Loki replied. “That is, the place where Surtr is staying…”

"God Father!" Charles muttered, his whole body trembling slightly as if stimulated. "I feel like we're really going crazy, actually challenging a 'monster' who can blow up a planet at the drop of a hat!"

"Are you afraid?" Loki retorted.

"No, Loki..." His dark golden eyes reflected the magnificent sight of the nine realms converging in the sky, and tiny flames of twilight began to burn within his pupils. "I'm excited..."

"I really want to see what it would be like to unleash my full power while simultaneously controlling the Aether and the Mind Scepter. Similarly, I have an extremely, extremely, extremely strong desire to... devour the soul of a Heavenly Father."

"Then, let's go!" Loki's face wore his ever-present wicked smile. Behind him, a golden light flashed, and the Destroyer Armor appeared out of thin air. The Destroyer crouched down. "Happy hunt!" Loki said, jumping onto the Destroyer's arm. Then, the Destroyer carried Loki a few steps forward before shattering the ground beneath its feet and soaring into the sky.

"Happy hunt~" Charles chuckled softly, then black smoke enveloped him, and a cluster of black wings unfurled behind him. The grass beneath his feet instantly turned to withered grass, its life force eroded by the shadow power unconsciously emanating from Charles. Accompanying this were the black wings on his back, the chaotic black mist around him, and eyes burning with the colors of dusk.

At that moment, to the ordinary people around, it was as if Satan had descended to earth. In fact, the terrifying atmosphere that spread out caused all the students who were still snapping photos to scream and run away in a chaotic frenzy. Moreover, Charles was unaware that the insignificant power he was emanating had already begun to infect the students who were watching him.

In the days that followed, the students who had stared directly at Ciel that day had nightmares for a long time. Some of them, during this period of nightmares, strangely awakened superpowers. However, all of them developed severe mental illnesses. Then, they all joined a supervillain group that spread chaos and destroyed the world.

Of course, Shire didn't know, because he had already left the Marvel multiverse at that time. And now he knew even less, simply spreading his demon wings, taking to the sky, and rushing towards the passage leading to Muspelheim.

Second update!

254. Muspelheim

Muspelheim, in Norse mythology, means "Flameland" and also "Home of Desolation." It is a land of fire, the complete opposite of Jotunheim. If Jotunheim is a frozen world, then Muspelheim, perpetually ablaze, is a furnace of fire. Here, temperatures high enough to kill ordinary people are constantly present.

In Earth's mythology, Odin once used the flames of Muspelheim to create the stars that orbit the heavens, with the two largest flames becoming the sun and the moon. Of course, we all know this is pure fantasy, but the myth mentions that this was the realm of fire giants, ruled by the fire giant Surt, an enemy of the Asgardian gods. Prophecy foretold that at Ragnarok, Surt would cross the Rainbow Bridge to attack the Asgardian gods. Ultimately, it's true that he wielded a flaming sword and burned the World Tree to ashes after the final battle.

Muspelheim is indeed Sirte's territory.

Getting to this kingdom of fire is actually quite simple now; all you need to do is fly into the sky and pass through the portal...

Passing through a portal that resembled a viscous liquid, Ciel and Loki arrived directly in Muspelheim, the land of fire. The two, who had been plunging straight down from the sky, readjusted their flight path mid-air, hovering there as they surveyed this fiery world for the first time.

As far as the eye could see, a vast expanse of crimson stretched out before them: crimson rocks, crimson flames, and a sky stained red by the firelight. Everything was crimson, and the air was thick with the pungent smell of sulfur, as if one were inside the crater of an active volcano. And indeed, this was an active volcano, for lava was constantly flowing here.

"...This is Muspelheim!?" Looking at this fiery red world, Ciel took a deep breath. The smell of sulfur in the air filled his mouth. The temperature, constantly hovering at tens of degrees Celsius, would easily cause an ordinary person to dehydrate and die here. Only extraordinary life forms like Ciel and Loki could remain unharmed in this world without any protection.

“That’s right, this is Muspelheim, the land of fire and desolation.” Seated on the arm of the Destroyer Armor, Loki looked up at this land he had only known of in records. “Of the nine realms, it’s the home of the fire giants, Asgard’s greatest enemy. And on the edge of this world, Tyr, the God of War, has led his army in defending it for countless years, guarding against the fire giants’ invasions. Of course, they are also wary of its ruler—the Heavenly Father—the King of the Fire Giants—Surth…”

“But it seems that we must be on guard now…” Loki cast his gaze down at the ground below. “The inhabitants here don’t seem to be friendly at all!”

On the land, on that barren and crimson earth, beside those rivers flowing with lava, stood giants, their bodies as solid as indestructible rocks, towering in stature. Giants… fire giants. If the ice giants of Jotunheim had bodies forged from ice, then the bodies of the fire giants were forged from steel by flames.

These fire giants look similar to humans, yet none of them average four or five meters in height, and similarly, none of them are ordinary people capable of stepping into lava. These fire giants fight and battle each other on the earth, constantly engaged in combat. The victors throw the defeated into rivers of lava, which serve not only as incinerators for the fire giants to dispose of their opponents' corpses but also as forging grounds for their weapons.

Looking down from the sky, both Shire and Loki could see that along the lava river, many fire giants were using the lava to melt and forge various ores into warhammers, giant axes, and more...

"How many fire giants are there?" Seeing the fire giants visible as far as the eye could see on the ground below, Sharl asked Loki curiously.

“I don’t know…” Loki replied, “Muspelheim gave birth to the bodies of the fire giants, while brutality, combat, and savagery formed their souls… Some Asgardian scholars speculate that the fire giants of Muspelheim are not actually made of flesh and blood, but rather, like the ice giants of Jotunheim, were born from this world.”

"So, they're like elemental beings?!" Charles said. "But their bodies probably aren't just made of fire elements!"

“Yes, but they are far more powerful than elemental creatures.” Loki nodded. “However, Muspelheim is not without fire elemental creatures. On the contrary, there is only one fire elemental creature in Muspelheim, and that is the ruler of this world, the Heavenly Father - Surt, the King of Fire Giants.”

“Looks like we don’t need to waste time looking for Surte…” Charles looked up at the large group of figures approaching them from the sky. “Our ‘guide’ has arrived…”

"But these pathetic creatures don't seem to want this at all. But who cares about them!" Loki sneered, watching the 'monsters' flying towards them. "...By the way, we should only need one 'guide,' right?"

"certainly……"

……

Flying towards the two were a group of humanoid creatures with red skin, wings on their backs, and curved goat horns on their heads. These creatures looked very much like the legendary 'demons'.

The Flame Demons are a group of monsters controlled by Surtur. They are not native to Muspelheim, but rather creatures from Hell. Naturally, under Surtur's immense power, these monsters have also pledged their loyalty to him, just as their brethren in the Hell of Evil Spirits have served the Demon Lord, choosing to attach themselves to the strong and become the ruler's henchmen.

Surtr is far more powerful and terrifying than most demon lords. Even Mephistos, the king of the evil spirits of hell, dares not face Surtr's Twilight Sword.

"Outsiders, you have trespassed into the territory of the Great Fire King." These fire demons flew to Ciel and Loki's side, circling them. Their undisguised bloodlust filled the air as they sized up the two intruders in Muspelheim. "You will pay for this… the price of death!"

"Kill them, tear their bodies apart..."

"Eat their entrails, let their souls wail in the flames..."

……

"Hey! They're robbing you!" Loki said to the Shire.

“Perhaps!” Charles pointed at the fire demons surrounding the two of them and replied, “So, I’m going to teach these guys a lesson on manners.”

"Since this is a world of fire, let me use a grand fireworks display to sculpt the sky. And how can a world of fire be without fiery rain!"

"? ?? ??? ??? ? ??? ?? (Flames fall from the sky, destruction follows like a shadow)"

Rain of Flames

It's past midnight!!!

255. Greetings from a visitor!

Rain of Fire is a destructive spell within the Warlock class, an area-of-effect spell. Its specific role is similar to Blizzard in the Mage class's Frost spells. It's a useful, simple, quick, and easy spell. It's perfect for clearing out mobs; its exact range depends on the caster's skill level. If the Warlock is skilled enough, Rain of Fire can be upgraded to Rain of Chaos, summoning a swarm of Hellfire for orbital bombardment.

However, that requires you to upgrade to become a lackey of the Burning Legion first.

However, Sharl had no intention of becoming a lackey of the Burning Legion, nor did he intend to be a visionary and far-sighted guide with a heart for the world. Therefore, upgrading [Rain of Fire] to [Rain of Chaos] was out of the question. But that didn't mean [Rain of Fire] was limited in Sharl's abilities! After all, it was a spell that depended on the caster's skill. With Sharl's current skill level, or rather, his energy reserves, how far could a single [Rain of Fire] cover? Moreover, the Aether particles and the Mind Scepter were significantly increasing the destructive power and range of Sharl's spell at this moment… Wherever the eye could see, justice would fall from the sky!

Fire rained down from the sky, carrying scorching heat and destructive power, tearing the sky above Muspelheim apart. Although these flying fire demons possessed considerable agility, and although the creatures living in Muspelheim were born with strong fire resistance... all of this was utterly useless.

The seemingly absurd reality of using ice to freeze ice and fire to extinguish fire is now playing out in the sky and on the earth, absurd yet real.

The first to suffer were the fire demons that had surrounded Ciel and Loki in the sky. These red-skinned, winged monsters plummeted from the heavens with mournful howls as the dense rain of fire easily ignited their bodies, mercilessly devouring their flesh. Fire resistance and magic resistance became a joke, almost entirely replaced by cries of pain and despair as they fell from the sky.

However, some of the fire demons were rather 'clever.' Seeing that Ciel and Loki were suspended in the air, seemingly unharmed amidst the rain of fire, they pounced directly on them. Judging from their ferocious and brutal appearance, they probably wanted to take them down with them... a rather clever 'tactic' (a suicidal move)!

As for these fire demons, who moved with the devilish gait of a Qin king, rushing towards him madly, Xia Er gave them a positive attitude. Since they were so enthusiastic, then a mere [Rain of Flames] probably couldn't express his excitement at arriving in Muspelheim, nor the warm welcome from the hospitable residents of Muspelheim... Just like the simple and honest town of Yharnam, when faced with residents who wanted to chat about the N ways to barbecue and chop people, you couldn't express your gratitude without rushing up and smearing them in the face.

So, faced with the hospitable residents of Muspelheim, Charles decided to add fuel to the fire...

Watching the fire demons, bathed in the 'passionate' rain of fire and charging towards him with excited (mad) expressions, Charles smiled and extended his right hand, pressing it towards the direction of the fire demons.

[Shadow of Destruction]

A circle of darkness appeared in the middle of the fire demons that were swooping down on Shire. The next moment, all the fire demons that were enveloped by that circle of darkness were directly squeezed through by an invisible force—unfortunately, they did not have the ability to recover after being beaten into a carpet like Tom and Jack.

So they collapsed.

He pressed down on the fire demons three times in succession, creating three circles of darkness at different distances that enveloped most of the fire demons. He then crushed them into minced meat, which fell from the sky and eventually turned into charred remains.

The fire demons fell in a very pitiful state, and the giants of Muspelheim below fared no better! After all, the [Rain of Fire] fell to the ground, and the fire demons were merely brushed against, mostly dying from the spatial compression of the [Shadow of Destruction]. However, below, facing the torrential rain of flames, these giants, who were normally incredibly resilient and had ridiculously high vitality, all roared and screamed in agony.

Admittedly, these giants are born with incredible fire resistance and tenacious vitality. However, these terrifying flames don't just burn their bodies; they directly incinerate their souls. Pain, wailing, brutality, and other negative emotions and states become fuel for the flames, making the flames clinging to their bodies burn even more joyfully.

However, before the giants below could slowly die under the rain of fire, Charles's expression shifted, as if he had thought of something, and he pushed the giants once again toward the abyss of death.

“??? ??, ?? ?? ? (This is the first one, never to be repeated)”

?? ?? ??, ? ??? ? ?? ??? ? ?? (Your souls will eventually belong to me)

Your suffering is none of my joy or sorrow.

(I use destruction to herald the prelude to death)

(I let the assembled undead sing a lament for the soul.)

??? ??? ??? ? (The demon king always descends without a sound)

?? ?? ??? ? ?? ??? ??? (In this deadly silence, I will end you)

(If you are fortunate enough to remember me on your journey to the underworld)

Please remember my sacred and supreme name.

Elegy for the Soul

Pain, wails, curses, anger, fear, coldness, indifference… countless voices began to resound in this world, chanting and praying, accompanied by songs of unknown origin, spreading outwards. Darkness, shadows, the grand chorus of the dead, black shadows carrying countless faces of anger, fear, or pain, all tilted towards the ground below.

A torrent of death, falling flames, hell on earth...

Those giants that were enough to give Asgardian soldiers a headache, those monsters that could cause a lot of trouble if placed on Earth, faced with the rain of fire that filled every inch of space and every inch of land, and faced with the black torrent of death.

Unable to resist, unable to withstand, even the so-called giants were nothing more than ants before such power. Their bodies were burned to ashes, their souls torn apart. In the end, everything turned to deathly silence, the rain of fire finally vanished, and the great chorus of souls that brought death returned to the sky with the black torrent, disappearing into Ciel's body.

And when the [Elegy of the Soul] annihilated the last remaining life within sight, sweeping away their souls along with it, the twilight flames within the dark golden pupils suddenly surged, the power emanating from the authority operating wildly at that moment.

"Looks like you've had a great haul!" Loki remarked upon witnessing this scene.

“Ah! That’s right. I originally thought this authority was only good for killing grunts, but I didn’t expect to find some unexpected benefits here!” Charles replied, “...This is really beyond my expectations! I didn’t expect that the Aether Particle and the Mind Scepter could amplify the effect of my authority at the same time.”

"Looking at it this way... perhaps..." A bright smile appeared on his face, "that letting go completely might bring unexpected convenience!"

Fourth watch!