Chapter 10)

Asgard. A few months later.

Within the royal bedroom, Frigga assisted her husband Odin in removing his battle armor. Once resplendent with golden hues and adorned with intricate runes, the armor provided magical protection and appeared indestructible on its own, until a certain threshold of damage was reached.

"The Ice Giants have mobilized their battalions. It seems they seek to instigate another war because Hela is no longer a threat."

"Lafaye wishes to eliminate you before you sire another powerful heir. However, he is not alone in his desire. The Queen of the Light Elves also seeks revenge for what Hela inflicted upon her heir."

Odin's thoughts immediately turned to Anorsel, the daughter of the sun and a formidable sorceress who had swiftly attained immense power, rivaling Hela herself. Anorsel possessed a vast array of magic, rendering her an incredibly deadly adversary. Her battle against Hela had waged on for several months, culminating in Hela's triumph, although Anorsel's remains were never found. The Elf Queen accused Hela of desecrating and obliterating her enemy's corpse.

Hela dismissed the accusations with contempt, even offering to replicate her grandfather's feat and annihilate the entire elven race. Eventually, the elf kingdom surrendered and withdrew from the conflict, but the enmity endured.

"Do the Bathers also wish for my demise?" Odin inquired.

"They fear that your future heir may possess the same formidable strength as Hela. Thus, they are preparing for a potential war in the days to come," Frigga responded.

Odin found himself bereft of words. His life had been marked by war since his childhood. His father, Bor, had harbored ambitions of ruling the nine realms, and Odin and his brothers had been embroiled in every battle. In the end, all his brothers perished, and even his father succumbed to injuries that curtailed his vast lifespan.

Ultimately, Odin fulfilled his father's dream, ascending as the ruler of the nine realms. But at what cost? He sealed his own daughter's fate, seeking to halt the escalating conflicts and make amends for past grievances. However, some perceived this as a sign of weakness, capitalizing on Asgard's temporary vulnerability, while others remained fearful of Odin's unyielding ruthlessness and prepared for a fresh war. Still, others harbored resentment that Hela had only been sealed away and thirsted for revenge.

The throne had brought Odin naught but strife, ceaseless perils, and grievances aplenty.

"Whether they fear us or yearn for war, I shall grant them their desires. A century should suffice for our strength to recover, and then I shall demonstrate that Asgard has not faltered, reaffirming my reign over the nine realms, earned through conquest," Odin declared.

Frigga offered no words in response, quietly tending to her husband, helping him remove his armor and tending to the multitude of wounds that adorned his weary body.

Midgard. The cave where the Goddess of Death was summoned.

August traversed endless corridors until he finally arrived at his desired destination.

"That wily old man, as cunning as a rat and elusive as a professional thief. It took me months to find this place. I hope he left at least a clue to his new hiding spot."

Entering the ritual room, August surveyed the magic circles adorning the floor and walls. His attention shifted to the objects strewn about the room. Among them was a pitch-black sword emanating a deathly aura, accompanied by bones, one of which bore faint cracks and was inscribed with black runes.

As his gaze fell upon the bone, he found himself unable to avert his eyes. It felt as if the object beckoned to him, whispering in a gentle voice, promising the power of the goddess of death herself. August slowly advanced, carefully navigating around obstacles such as tattered robes and scattered debris. His focus remained solely on his objective—the bones that would grant him the strength to serve the Goddess of Death, bringing demise to all dark sorcerers who wielded the power of the dark dimension and any other malevolent deities and demons.

Approaching the bone, he tenderly caressed it. In an instant, the runes gleamed with an inky black light, while a miasma of death permeated his being. The bone crumbled to dust, which scattered throughout the room, but instead of dissipating, it permeated his body.

His skin turned ashen, his eyes shimmered with a violet radiance, and the runes etched themselves into his very bones.

"Aaaaaaaaaaa!"

August writhed on the floor, overwhelmed by excruciating agony. He could swear that death itself was reshaping his body to carry its power.

After about ten agonizing minutes, the pain subsided, and the deathly miasma dissipated from his form. Only a tall man with unnaturally pale skin, long black hair, and purple eyes remained. His heartbeat was feeble, and his veins scarcely pulsed with blood. His hands and feet sported blackened nails, exuding the energy of death.

Gradually and uncertainly, August rose to his feet. Surveying his new physique, he immediately discerned the severance of his connection to all dimensions. However, he could sense an immense, intensely dark, and chilling force coursing through him, offering a soothing and tranquil aura.

August didn't linger for long. Swiftly acclimating to his newfound form, he donned an old robe strewn across the floor, as his previous attire had crumbled to dust due to its age. Approaching the black blade, he examined it and then picked it up. Instantly, the power of death surged within him, but he did not attempt to shield himself from it. No, he embraced the potency bestowed upon him by the blade.

After a few more minutes of attuning to the blade's power, he deftly swung it, unleashing a surge of pure death energy that obliterated everything in its path, rapidly aging the affected objects.

"Here it is—the power that many sorcerers and wizards have only dreamed of. With this, I shall safeguard this world against demons and dark mages seeking to deliver our realm to the lords of dimensions."

Augustus emerged from the cavern, growing more accustomed to his newfound might with every step.

"Humanity is mortal and cannot defend their world alone. We require the aid of gods, but not those hypocritical deities who demand worship and endless adoration, offering only meager blessings. We do need the assistance of a god who is righteous and selfless. What could be more just than death itself? What could be more selfless than death, which bestows itself without asking for anything in return?"

August stepped out into the daylight, gazing at the rising sun with a smile. "Goddess Hela, in gratitude for the opportunity you have granted me, I shall present the souls of our enemies who threaten Earth, allowing them to experience the bliss of death."

With this oath, the Necrosword subtly shifted, fitting comfortably in August's hand, forever binding him to Hela and becoming a permanent conduit for souls to journey to the realm of death, Helheim.