700

The Origin of Fear: The Return of Cul

The entourage looked at the transformed Cynthia in disbelief. "Schmidt, you..."

Cynthia, now Skadi, paid them no attention. She swung the warhammer into the sky, flew away, and disappeared in a blink.

Leaving the snowy area, she headed southeast. The warhammer allowed her to fly at high speed, soon reaching the Pacific Ocean.

**Mariana Trench**

Skadi dived into the sea without hesitation, moving towards the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean. The sea gradually darkened, and enormous pressure poured in from all directions.

As she descended, unknown creatures appeared, resembling aliens but were native to Earth. Humans cannot survive here, not even Cynthia with her super soldier physique. But Skadi, empowered by the warhammer, remained unharmed.

Suddenly, an undercurrent struck. Skadi clenched her warhammer and looked in a certain direction.

"Roar—" A deep-sea giant beast, reminiscent of the legendary Leviathan, attacked.

The beast's sharp teeth, longer than Skadi's body, threatened to swallow her whole. But Skadi swung the warhammer, releasing a green light that streaked like a meteor and struck the beast's head.

"Boom!"

The beast's head shrank, howling in pain. Skadi struck again, and the beast fell silent. Blood spilled from its head, spreading through the water.

The bloody scent intensified the undercurrents, and more roars echoed in the darkness.

"Come on, use your blood to pave the way for Father!" Skadi said, meeting the gathering deep-sea beasts with her warhammer.

The sea beasts, ranging from tens to hundreds of meters in length, were the overlords of the deep sea. But Skadi's warhammer, glowing with bright green light, inflicted severe damage with every strike.

In minutes, sea beast corpses floated around her, and the bloody water kept new beasts at bay.

Skadi continued to dive, soon reaching a sunken circular stone temple at the trench's bottom. The stone hall, sealed with no entrance, appeared ancient, perhaps two thousand years old, and had merged with the seabed over time.

She approached the stone hall, holding the warhammer high, illuminating the dark seabed. Shouting, she slammed the warhammer into the stone wall.

"Boom!"

The impact cracked the stone hall. Despite its unusual material and thick walls, Skadi's repeated strikes weakened it.

"Father Supreme!" she shouted, raising the warhammer again.

"Boom!"

Finally, the solid stone hall broke, revealing a black-haired, middle-aged man in a green robe, sitting quietly with eyes closed. Despite appearing asleep, his majesty radiated, and the ocean seemed to submit to him.

"Supreme Father Cul," Skadi knelt.

The man slowly opened his eyes. "My daughter..."

"Father," Skadi responded.

Cul, Odin's brother and former king of Asgard, known as the Serpent, got up and walked out of the broken stone hall. The deep sea pressure didn't affect him.

"Let's go. It's been more than two thousand years. It's time for Odin to pay the price."

After Odin usurped the throne, Cul was sealed in the Mariana Trench for over two thousand years. Now, he was back to reclaim everything and make Odin pay.

"Yes," Skadi replied.

The father and daughter rose to the sea. Along the way, a sea beast appeared but did not attack. The beast became their transport, taking them to the surface quickly.

Though air meant nothing to Cul, the feel of air and sunlight stirred emotions. For over two thousand years, Odin had enjoyed this world, while Cul had been forgotten. But he had not aged, thanks to the time gem that sealed him.

"Father, what should we do?" Skadi asked.

"Wait," Cul said, looking at the sky. "My warriors are coming back..."

**North American Space Defense Command**

In a room displaying real-time conditions in outer space, the staff stared at the huge display daily.

"Drip-drip-drip-"

Alarms broke the calm atmosphere, causing staff expressions to change drastically.

"What happened?" someone asked quickly.

"Sir, it's a UFO... There are seven UFOs approaching the Earth!"