Those time travelers that year

256. Soult

At the heart of Muspelheim lies a massive active volcano. Active volcanoes are commonplace in this fiery land, nothing unusual. But if you add to that, at the very center of this volcano, a red figure sits atop a colossal rock throne, then it's more than just an ordinary active volcano.

The rocky throne he sat upon was comparable in height to skyscrapers on Earth, standing over a hundred meters tall. A human atop it would be nothing more than an ant, and the red figure seated there was unimaginably a colossal giant!

It could even be said that the power he unconsciously emanated simply from sitting on the rock throne caused the volcano beneath him to erupt lava constantly.

In Muspelheim, only one person is qualified to sit on the throne of fire and rock: the ruler of Muspelheim, the monster destined to bring about the end of the Norse gods and burn the World Tree—Surtur, the King of Fire Giants and the ruler of Muspelheim.

He has many nicknames: Fire Giant, Fire Troll, Flame Giant. He is the god of doom and end, a monster capable of destroying the entire Asgard. Odin is his mortal enemy, and for thousands of years, more than half of Asgard's army has been devoted to fighting against Muspelheim. War and slaughter have been endlessly unfolding between Asgard and Muspelheim for thousands of years, seemingly without end.

However, everyone knew that the giants of Muspelheim were not a significant threat. In fact, with Asgard's army and its light energy technology and rune technology, it was entirely possible to defeat all the giants in Muspelheim that threatened Asgard's rule, just as it had done with the Dark Elves and the ice giants of Jotunheim.

But that's impossible.

No matter how many times your giants in Muspelheim have clashed with Asgard, it's all in vain. The reason Asgard, and even the mighty Father God Odin, have been helpless against Muspelheim all these years is simply this: Surt is still alive and resides right in the heart of Muspelheim.

As long as Surtur lives, the threat of Muspelheim will never be eliminated. Therefore, even if Tyr, the god of war, leads his invincible army in a protracted war against the Muspelheim giants, the ever-victorious god of war will face destruction whenever Surtur decides to personally intervene.

However, that day will be the twilight of the gods...

This was also the inevitable end for the Aesir gods, a fate destined for them. Even though Odin created Valhalla, summoning the spirits of the bravest warriors who fell on the battlefield to fight against the final battle, the outcome was still defeat. When everything came to an end, Surtr would burn the World Tree, plunging the Nine Realms into destruction.

Of course, no one likes fate. So some people are hostile to so-called fate, especially fate that is predetermined but never ends, trapped in an endless cycle.

For example, Loki learned about this reality from Thanos and confirmed the so-called cruel reality at the Well of Wisdom... and the Shire, who planned to take advantage of Loki's immortal villainous aura to make one last fortune before leaving.

So they boldly came to Muspelheim, their target being the giant who sat on a throne of fire and rock—Surth.

Now, the giant who had always sat on the throne opened his eyes, which burned with flames; one could even say that his head was perpetually ablaze with golden-red flames. The first thing this enormous 'monster' did upon awakening was to turn its gaze eastward.

Surtr is the Father of the Universe, and perhaps he is not one of those cosmic gods who disregard the rules of the universe and arbitrarily alter them. But he is also a god at the pinnacle of the Father of the Universe, just like Odin, the king of the gods of Asgard. And he, Surtr, is more powerful than Odin, and closer to the level of a cosmic god than Odin.

"Ah!? Nine worlds overlap at this moment, what does this remind me of? The end of the world? Or Ragnarok! Hahahahahaha..." Thunderous laughter erupted from the giant's mouth. Accompanied by the mad laughter of the ruler of Muspelheim, violent earthquakes began to shake the entire world, centered on the volcano. Then, the lava underground was compressed and burst through the surface, gushing into the sky.

"Oh! And two little mice, who entered my kingdom while I slept! How amusing, how amusing..." Through the fiery eye, the giant's gaze traversed countless miles in an instant, landing on another part of Muspelheim. Above this world, nine spatial gates connecting different realms had opened, and within them, two outsiders entered this world. "Then, my servants, go and greet them!"

With the giant's call, the fire demons that had submitted to him swarmed towards the two outsiders who had entered Muspelheim. In an instant, the fire demons covered the sky, surrounding the two lone figures, and then swooped down on the two 'poor wretches' in a frenzy.

Seeing that the two outsiders were about to be torn apart by the fire demons, even the giant initially thought so. After all, there were tens of thousands of these fire demons; even a planetary god could be overwhelmed by their sheer numbers. However, an unexpected event occurred in the next moment.

A rain of fire fell from the sky, the dense flames directly knocking the fire demons down from the air. Fire demons being burned to death by fire was no laughing matter, but the apocalyptic scene and atmosphere of the rain of fire, striking the sky and even bombarding the ground, was something even the giant, who had just awakened from his slumber, couldn't help but admire.

However, the necromancer's song that brought death unleashed a torrent of carnage that engulfed everything, even piquing the giant's interest. In his long history, this was the first time anyone had dared to wreak havoc in Muspelheim. Previously, even Tyr, the Asgardian god of war, had only stationed his army on the outskirts of Muspelheim.

"Destruction? What amusing little brats!" With a thunderous roar, the giant slammed his hand on the armrest of the throne, and instantly, an even more violent earthquake erupted, accompanied by spurting lava. The red-skinned giant rose from the throne. The colossal figure, 1000 feet (305 meters) tall, stood upright, and then grasped the massive sword—the Twilight Sword—that was planted beside the throne, a sword befitting its enormous size.

"But did you come here to die?! Hahahaha..."

The giant, Surtur, let out a maniacal laugh, then raised the Twilight Sword in his hand and slashed it down at the two outsiders from a distance.

"Life in my hands becomes death, and the struggle of the living is nothing but self-destruction!"

The fifth watch is here! Lolita lovers, give your votes!!!

257. The Attack of Surt

"Convenience? What kind of convenience?" Loki asked curiously, seeing Ciel's surprised expression.

“My authority: [Nightmare Gaze]…” Charles took a deep breath, the sulfurous smell in the air stimulating his sense of smell. If he hadn't now achieved a tangible soul body, transcending the mortal realm, even with immense magical power, he still wouldn't be able to survive in this place without spells. Now, he was merely experiencing some discomfort. With a smile, Charles replied, “Power only reaches its full effect when it possesses a sufficient amount of negative emotions and undead. The more souls captured from dead beings, the stronger the power becomes.”

"...You mean the deaths of those giants and the fire demons just now greatly helped you?" Loki pondered for a moment and then said, "Then, to what extent can this power reach?"

“The death of a city is enough for me to create an alternate world that overlaps with reality and illusion. In the end, that alternate world will return to the original world I created, and everything within the scope of that alternate world…” Charles said, “…will be devoured by me.”

"What if it were a world or a planet?!"

“Same!” Charles said with certainty. “As long as my authority and power spread without limit, if it directly covers a planet, it will eventually swallow that planet whole.”

"Everything will be devoured, including God the Father?"

"include!"

“…Alright! The original plan is pretty much set.” Loki said, “Anyway, if we fight Surt here, I don’t think innocent people will escape unscathed. It’s just that the residents of Muspelheim will be the ones who suffer.”

“By the way! Loki…” Ciel asked, “Where are we going…” Before he could even utter the words ‘find Surtr,’ an aura of danger and death enveloped the two of them.

Scorching heat, rage, madness, destruction—that was the aura of death brought about by naked killing intent. And the source of that killing intent, that surging, terrifying power, was like a sun rising into the sky, radiating rolling heat waves and a sacred and inviolable majesty.

The two had witnessed that power once before in Asgard, when it came from Odin, the Father. And not long after, they felt it again in Muspelheim. If, last time, Odin's target was merely a dark elf warship, then as bystanders, while they could sense the immense power of Odin's attack, without experiencing it firsthand, they could only make rough estimates and guesses.

Just how powerful God the Father truly is, both the Ciel and Loki have their own rough estimate of what they believe to be the correct threshold. This is why they dared to come to Muspelheim and provoke Surtr. The Aether, the Mind Scepter, the Destroyer Armor, and the Casket of Ice are all artifacts capable of directly threatening God the Father. It is precisely for this reason that they decisively came to Muspelheim, targeting the Lord of Fire.

Now, Soult has launched an attack.

When the two truly faced the attack of the Heavenly Father, they immediately realized that all their previous plans and confidence were utterly worthless. Even though they possessed divine artifacts capable of threatening Surtr's life, it didn't mean they were qualified to face Surtr's wrath unscathed.

The sky has cracked open!

Starting from the side where the killing intent was directed at the two, a massive crack tore through the dark red sky, heading straight towards where the two were hovering. Then, in the torn sky, a blackish-red light replaced the original crimson, and that blackish-red radiance slashed down towards where Ciel and Loki were.

That wasn't light at all; it was a massive blade of energy descending from the sky, carrying the immense power to destroy everything and incinerate the world.

Without a doubt, this attack is comparable to Odin's attack that shot down the Dark Elf warship not long ago. This time, the power to destroy planets is heading towards the two visitors who have come to Muspelheim.

At this moment, atop Muspelheim, neither Ciel nor Loki would be willing to confront this attack head-on. It would be utterly foolish; wasting their energy and stamina before even encountering the main culprit would be completely pointless.

Therefore, in their immediate reactions, both of them chose to dodge the attack. At least until the attack landed...

The Destroyer armor disintegrated and disassembled in an instant, turning into countless parts and scales. The automatically disassembled armor then enveloped Loki completely. Soon, the parts and scales reformed into the Destroyer, and Loki's figure vanished within it. Immediately afterward, golden and blue flames began to flicker on the Destroyer armor. The divine blessing, or rather, curse, originating from the armor itself, along with the icy divine power inherent in the Casket of Ice, were simultaneously unleashed by Loki, who now wore the armor.

However, Loki, who was wielding the power of two artifacts simultaneously, did not confront Surtr's attack head-on, as that would be neither wise nor worthwhile. Even with the Destroyer Armor on his back and the power of the Casket of Ice, Loki did not intend to charge in recklessly. Instead, he decisively chose to evade, aiming to minimize his own losses even if he could not completely avoid the attack's range.

On the other hand, while Loki's method of dealing with the Heavenly Father's attack from the sky was to use the power of the two artifacts to dodge, Ciel simply stood still and waited for the attack to come.

Specks of eerie green light appeared around him, then formed a swirling nebula behind Charles. The distances and dimensions of space began to distort and stretch within the nebula. The instant Surtr's attack struck, Charles's body flickered, disappearing directly into the nebula behind him.

Just as the Shire completely disappeared into that nebula, and Loki, clad in the Destroyer Armor, sped away into the distance, Surtur's attack finally landed.

A black and red flame formed a massive slash that reached from the heavens to the earth, crashing down. The sky was torn apart, the earth cleaved open, and a deafening roar echoed through the heavens. Below, the surface of Muspelheim was shattered by the ten-thousand-foot-long light sword, creating a vast canyon that stretched as far as the eye could see. Moreover, as the slash struck, immense energy poured out, forming a scorching firestorm that spread wildly in all directions. The aftershocks alone far exceeded the range of Xia Er's previous [Rain of Flames] and [Soul Elegy]. The destructive power it brought far surpassed Xia Er's spells; everything tangible within the firestorm's range was instantly molecularly pulverized, and then the high-temperature storm blew all the molecules away.

In other words, Muspelheim, like Asgard, is a strange, alternate dimension. Its area far exceeds that of Earth by many times, and it is even connected to Hell and other alternate dimensions, forming a single dimension that allowed it to withstand Surtr's attacks.

Even so, the entire Muspelheim trembled and shook for a moment. If this sword were to fall on Earth, it might not cleave the planet in two like cutting a watermelon, but it would be enough to pulverize the entire American continent. Even Avengers, superheroes, and supervillains would be nothing more than ants destroyed alongside mortals in the face of this attack. It might even cleave the entire planet's surface, penetrate deep into its core, and explode the entire planet.

P.S.: This is the female version of the main character that you gentlemen have been asking for.

258. Sirte's Greeting

Mortal - Hero - Demigod - Planetary God - Heavenly Father. With each rise in rank, even a nobody can possess incredible superhuman power. Mortals, through effort or external factors, can reach or even transcend the limitations of their physical bodies. Legendary heroes and demigods, recorded in mythology, can turn the impossible into reality, like those legendary figures in mythology who accomplished feats impossible for mortals. And for demigods, the passage of time has little effect on their bodies; immortality becomes a reality.

While planetary gods cannot achieve immortality, the fundamental transformation of their souls allows them to potentially revive even after their physical bodies are destroyed. Therefore, while planetary gods may not be stronger than demigods, they are certainly far more difficult to kill. Even if you destroy a planetary god's body, you may not be able to destroy their soul.

Of course, a certain unfortunate Dark Elf King is an exception; that guy is utterly defeated. After all, his combat power was so low it was unbelievable for a planetary god. He was instantly killed, and his soul was burned as firewood. Unless some seemingly all-powerful cosmic god intervenes and pulls him back from the river of time, even the Heavenly Father cannot revive him.

At the level of a Celestial Father, there's no longer the possibility of being defeated by someone of lower rank. This only applies if the opponent has GM privileges and a large group of behind-the-scenes manipulators constantly stabbing them in the back. Celestial Fathers and Planetary Gods are two different levels; reaching the level of a Celestial Father is equivalent to reaching the end of the path of life's evolution. Each Celestial Father possesses the power to single-handedly confront an entire civilization. If a Planetary God targets life on a single planet, then a Celestial Father directly targets an entire planetary system, or even a race or civilization that has ventured beyond its home planet into the galaxy.

At the level of a Celestial Father, destroying a planet is no longer an impossible task. Like Surt's sword strike from a distance, this was a genuine planet-destroying strike. Smaller planets would likely be shattered instantly. And this wasn't even Surt's full-force attack, merely a 'greeting gift' or 'greeting'! One wonders what S.H.I.E.L.D. and the World Security Council behind them on Earth would think if they knew that these beings were constantly vying for power, causing chaos in their own little corner of the world—a place that super-lifeforms could easily crush.

In fact, if it weren't for the sheer number of entanglements on Earth, it would seem as if all the dangers and disasters of the universe had converged there. Otherwise, in the eyes of other races in this universe, especially those civilizations that already possessed warp technology, Earth would be nothing more than a rural village. The Heavenly Father, Surt himself, possessed the immense power to annihilate all resistance forces on Earth today.

……

The aftershocks of the cataclysmic attack finally subsided. This attack was Surt's greeting, a mockery of the outsiders who had come from other countries. Of course, in Surt's own eyes, it was just a way of 'greeting', but it was enough to kill people.

Especially for the visitors, who weren't monsters on the same level as Surtr. However, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's not about raw power, but who has the bigger cheat codes. In other words, it's a competition of who has the higher GM privileges. Of course, the Marvel Cinematic Universe that Ciel is currently in isn't the era depicted in the comics. That is to say, in this era, GM privileges are rare, and it hasn't reached the point where privileges are as common as dogs and cheat codes are everywhere.

So even when facing the Star Destroyer's Blade, both Ciel and Loki survived thanks to this 'friendly greeting from their master,' instead of being instantly annihilated into nothingness.

The rotating nebula, existing like a virtual phantom, remained suspended in the air even after the aftershocks of Surt's attack dissipated, seemingly unaffected by the real world. It was an alternate dimension stretched to the concept of 'infinity,' where even the Heavenly Father's attack was stretched and completely consumed within the 'infinite' spatial distance after entering this space.

This can be described as an 'invincible' ability. Unless it's a cosmic god-level being using a GM cheat, even if the Heavenly Father God unleashed the power to destroy a planet, he still couldn't touch this man-made nebula.

Using the strange effect of [Astral Imprisonment], Ciel escaped unscathed from a deadly attack by a Celestial Father. After the nebula disintegrated into a sky full of starlight, Ciel's figure returned to the real world under the starlight.

"Indeed, witnessing the Father's attack and facing his power directly are completely different experiences!" Glancing at the horrific scene around him, and seeing the [Nightmare Gaze] continuously drawing in and absorbing the souls of the unfortunate victims caught in the attack, Charles couldn't help but sigh. His [Rain of Flames] and [Soul Elegy], two spells capable of annihilating armies and destroying cities on Earth, had killed fewer Muspelheim giants than the world's master had just used to 'greet' visitors. "It sounds strange, but I have to admit, it was truly a great 'assist'!"

The power of the Nightmare Gaze was flowing continuously, and the number of souls suddenly increased was beyond even Charles's count. On Earth, such a vast number of souls would be impossible to obtain without directly slaughtering those world metropolises with populations of millions. Even the demon lords and grand dukes would covet such a number of souls and might even fight amongst themselves.

These are not the souls of those who die a normal life of birth, aging, sickness, and death, but rather the souls of innocent, unfortunate victims who died tragically. This type of soul is even more attractive.

A golden streak of light shot into the sky from the cleaved canyon below, flying to Ciel's side. It was the Destroyer, controlled and manipulated by Loki. Thanks to the power of the Destroyer Armor and the Ice Casket, it had survived Surtr's attack. However, compared to the unscathed Ciel, the Destroyer was in a much worse state. Its silver-gray body was covered in cracks, like a fragile piece of porcelain. Several places showed signs of melting. Although it hadn't been directly hit, an attack from a Heavenly Father was not so easy to dodge.

However, the Destroyer Armor itself had begun to expel the remaining divine power of Surtr. Where the Destroyer Armor was broken, a brilliant golden light flickered, and with this golden radiance, the wounds on the Destroyer Armor rapidly healed. Even the shells that had been melted by the high temperature seemed to regrow as if they were alive.

"You're not dead, are you?" Charles asked.

"It's alright! At least I'm not dead yet, and I don't want to die." Loki's voice came from the Destroyer armor. "Fortunately, the Destroyer is powerful enough, and with the power of the Ice Box, I managed to block the attack of that Fire King... Through that 'Your Excellency's' hand, the Destroyer's power was reignited and became even stronger."

"Is that so! Then that King of Flames is truly a kind and compassionate person!"

“He’s naturally hot…” Loki interjected, “Looks like we need to hurry. Since our master has personally ‘greeted’ us, how can we, as guests, not ‘return the favor’?”

"But we're unwelcome guests!"

"Who cares!?"

two more

259. war

If you were to ask what Charles's first thought was of Surtur, it would be that it was huge, incredibly huge. Even when he and Loki were flying hundreds of meters in the air, they were still barely face-to-face with Surtur.

This Flame King's enormous body was a fiery crimson, with golden flames burning on his face. Just approaching Surtur was enough to feel a wave of oppressive heat wash over you. In other words, ordinary humans couldn't even get close to Surtur; at least the mortals in the Avengers couldn't even get within ten kilometers of him. Charles counted them up: in the current Avengers, Captain America was cannon fodder, Black Widow was cannon fodder, Hawkeye was cannon fodder, Iron Man was slightly worse, and only the Hulk and Thor had the ability and the qualifications to face Surtur.

Of course, it's only a matter of facing them. Xia Erke doesn't believe that Thor, with his current power level and the unpredictable Hulk, can truly stand up to Surtur. In fact, before they've fully unleashed their powers, they'd be instantly killed by Surtur. As for others, the X-Men are out of the question unless Dark Phoenix completely breaks free of her limitations. The Brotherhood of Mutants are also out of the question; even if Magneto suddenly becomes the superhuman master from the comics who can control the magnetic field of a planet, he could simply unleash a planet-destroying attack.

As for the two perverts in red bodysuits seen on the New York battlefield.

Spiders are afraid of fire, and the other one, unless he enters the Honkai world and enters the massacre universe template, is no match for Surtr. Of course, Surtr can't kill this guy either.

Both in terms of size and strength, Surtr is the most powerful enemy Ciel has ever faced. Even in the Skyrim universe, the black dragon they encountered, most likely Alduin, was far smaller than Surtr now standing before Ciel. As for strength, Akatosh in his full form, the dragon god with GM-level privileges in that universe, would probably be more than capable of dealing with Surtr. After all, in the Marvel universe, while the Heavenly Father is powerful, he doesn't have GM-level privileges; those who can have such privileges are either cheaters or cosmic beings.

As for other holy spirits and demons in the Elder Scrolls world, they are probably no match for Surtr himself. And now, if it weren't for carrying two Infinity Stones and having an unfair advantage, Ciel wouldn't dare to come here and try to take advantage of Surtr.

……

When the Shire and Loki arrived before Surtur, he too noticed the two outsiders. This slightly surprised Surtur, the ruler of Muspelheim and the Lord of Fire. The two figures flying in the air, facing him, were not of the level of a Celestial Father. The small figure encased in silver-gray steel armor was a planetary god, possessing the divine aura of both Asgard and Jotunheim's ice giants—two distinct forces that should have been mortal enemies.

A hybrid of Asgardian and ice giant? Surtr wondered. Having lived for countless years, as the ruler of Muspelheim, he had dealt with both Jotunheim and Asgard. Even a thousand years ago, before Laufey invaded Midgard and went to war with the Asgardian army, Laufey had sent envoys hoping to join forces with him against Odin. Of course, Surtr, confident in his own abilities, naturally rejected Laufey's offer.