Creatures of the night gather in front of the Nastrom Cathedral, preparing to invade the afterlife.
Walter Tye summoned the city's dark forces in the form of a great catastrophe to tear a hole in reality, his undead forming a large circle around the newly opened rift. Anne observed the ceremony attentively, while Lady Searle remained anxiously silent.
Oddly enough, Annie reacted quite well to Tai's disaster form. It seemed that she was more curious about the magic he used than his actual terrifying appearance. Meanwhile, Hagen is dizzy astride his phantom horse, his inner bandit lord enjoying his long-awaited revenge.
The Ghost Strings, Multi-Swarms, and Goblins are to stay behind to defend the city, and are ordered to use magic to notify Tai if Medlot takes advantage of the opportunity and attempts to attack. The Necromancer personally believes that the (death knights) will wait until the next rendezvous before attacking, but caution never kills anyone.
Linnorm Demilich will protect the cathedral in his absence; the maggots have no chance against Medlot, but they may be able to delay him for a few precious minutes.
"Are you scared, Annie?" Ty asked, sensing her fear.
"A little," the witch admitted, but she still put on a brave face. "I mean, it defeats the purpose of training me at the Academy. Our teachers are constantly training us on how to protect humanity and the kingdom of the gods from disasters and their armies."
"Helheim is not a happy country," Tai said deadpan, "nor is Hel a generous Æthel."
"This is still an act of war and sets a dangerous precedent," Lady Searle had exclaimed since she first drank a man's elixir. As usual, she advocates caution. "She could be an evil creature who helps maintain the balance of the universe; a disaster invading a sacred realm could upset the delicate status quo in a dangerous way."
"Possibly," Tai admitted, albeit contemptuously. But those who are unwilling to take risks cannot change the world. [Enhanced Tear Portal]!”
A circular chasm 40 feet in diameter appeared in front of Tai, spewing Helheim's poisonous mist.
Unlike the rift caused by aggregation, this ritual is intended to create a stable portal between the two realms. A door that can be opened and closed at will, serving as a basis for future raids.
Congratulations! By tearing apart Helheim with dark magic, you're in [Lo
emaste
] gained a level!
+20 sp, +2 i
t, +1 cha, +1 lack.
The class was once again mediocre in physics. Although in his current body, Tai is no longer afraid of direct confrontation. While other Scourges may dwarf him in terms of raw power, the Necromancer possesses powerful racial perks and extreme arcane potency.
"Back to Helheim after so long..." Hagen whispered, and the undead in the city looked at the portal uneasily. Many people have fled the kingdom, fearful of returning. “It feels a little nostalgic.”
"How?" Tai looked down at Mrs. Salter. "How did you escape the first time, Walter?"
"Ah, a lot of people are trying to figure it out," Tai replied, focusing back on the portal. "The truth is, I planned it from the beginning."
Anne understood immediately. "You intend to become immortal after your death and are prepared to do so."
"Extremely shrewd." Through a ritual, he changed his nature and underwent an immortal transformation after death; when an Earthling killed him and threw him into Helheim, Tai's soul accumulated from the Dark Realm The energy of necrosis is absorbed and released at the appropriate time. That moment is the last second of the last day of the year.
This kept him in Helheim for a year, but when the spell ended, it turned Tae's wayward soul into an [Anko]; an undead, and his [Death Coach] Pe
k allowed him to travel between Helheim and Midgard at will. This is a very unique thing because (Ankou) appeared spontaneously in the last person who died that year.
As far as Ty knew, she had never deduced his methods herself.
"Our goal is (G
ipahelli
)," Tai explained. "An ancient cave that served as Hel's private dungeon."
"Loki's prison." "His hound Gorm is locked at the door."
"Hel trapped her favorite 'guests' there, including Asclepius and the master of the Pale Serpent," explained the necromancer, who spent a short time there under Hel's tender care. . Hopefully cywylog is one of them. "Unfortunately, the Dark Queen's castle is up there, so we can expect heavy resistance. Hagen, have you upgraded recently?"
"Until sixty, Chief," Dullahan answered. "You get a lot of experience by killing boy kings and destroying cities."
"I see," Tai replied, happier than the mortals present. While the rest of his troops lag behind in level, their immortality makes up for their lack of firepower.
"So, what's the plan of attack?" Dullahan asked, eager for a fight.
"I'll clear a path ahead, you clear it," Tai ordered. "You need to escort Lady Thrall, as Balder's silence has severely weakened her spellcasting ability. But... maybe I can help."
"I will follow you into the rift, but I will not worship you, Walter," Mrs. Serenity replied firmly. "You are not my god."
"Worship is not the right word," Tai responded. "You just have to accept me as the source of your divine essence. This is a gift, not a deal, and Helheim is a dangerous place. Perks and spells may save you from an untimely death."
"And deny Balder?" The priestess shook her head. "No. I come to meet my God. I will never betray Him."
Hagen sighed, which was surprising since he had no lungs. Tae-yee was half tempted to imitate him as she made her journey more difficult, but he respected the priestess and didn't force himself on her. "Annie, do you have the [Jotunheim Horn]?" Calamity asked his apprentice.
"Yes." The witch nodded and showed him the cold horn that Tai had won when he participated in the Jotunheim Gathering.
"If you feel threatened, make a sound," the Necromancer said, preparing to step across the chasm like a giant walking toward battle. "I'll call you after I clear the road."
"Remember your promise."
"If Balder is in Helheim, he is either in Gnipacheril or in Hel's castle. We will ask him directly for the truth; and then you will know whether your confidence will be dashed .”
Then, without waiting for an answer, the Disaster walked into Helheim
The moment he passed through the portal, Tai felt his connection to Nastrang weaken and the scope of his abilities diminish significantly. His mind-reading range dropped from a few miles to over a hundred feet, and he could no longer change the city at his will.
He left his hometown and went to a place where he didn't belong.
When the giant undead enters Helheim, he discovers that the cursed afterlife is exactly as he remembers it. The Land of the Worthless Dead is a terrifying place; it's a cold, barren land covered in thick ice, much like its brother kingdom Niflheim. However, where cold winds and darkness reigned in Niflheim, Helheim traded them for poisonous purple mist. A poisonous mist enveloped the land, devouring the living and causing the dead to suffer. The smell of decay hung in the air. A strange, sun-like object in the sky provided some light, and the fog made it look like an ongoing solar eclipse.
This strange star is not a flaming object but a hole in reality; the souls of the dead fall from it like tiny meteors. Some never reach the surface, captured by gargoyles and monsters that were once priests and servants of Hel, but most fall down in rotting swamps, frozen wastelands, ashen mountains, or acidic lakes. Without food, water, or even the ability to feel joy, they live in a state of constant scarcity.
The blessed shadows of those worthless dead would linger over the misty expanse until Ragnarok; eternal sorrow and pain, but no further torment. Those who committed more serious crimes, such as heresy, murder, adultery, breach of oath, or witchcraft, were likely to be treated more harshly. Their shadows were gathered and imprisoned in dark dungeons across the land, where their tormentors inflicted upon them the harshest tortures known to Hell.
Sometimes, torturers grow tired of their victims and take pleasure in hunting innocent shadows. More often than not, they simply attack any group of shadows that grow too large and stable for Hel's liking. Sometimes they let these rallies grow and then crush them in an orgy of violence; building hope only to destroy it.
Over time, all learned to fear Hel's messengers. The respite never lasts, no place is safe. "Abandon all hope," a gargoyle once said to Tai's shadow after catching him in the swamp, "for in the arms of the Dark Queen you will know only despair."
He never listens.
Tai opened the gate as close as he could to Hel's Keep and took a moment to observe his surroundings. Hel's castle is a dark structure of ice and obsidian that overlooks the kingdom above the vast plateau; seen from below, it resembles a crown of black daggers, with hundreds of flying shapes surrounding the habitat . There is a huge cave beneath the plateau, the entrance of which is more than two hundred feet high. The Gjoll River flows over this rock formation, an ice bridge that allows outsiders to enter Hel's territory.
This place brought back terrible memories for him, but it also built expectations in Tai's heart. For decades he had dreamed of returning as a conqueror, and he did.
You have left Nastrom and entered Helheim. Your [Nastrom Dark Lord] Pe
k will be deactivated until you return to your lair.
[Power of Disaster (Era of the Dead)] is activated. Your presence will cause the undead to rise and become scavengers to thrive in the realm. The longer you stay in Helheim, the stronger this effect becomes.
No doubt Hale and her elite received similar warnings. It's time to attack.
"The clock stops."
The world froze.
The flow of time and cause and effect stopped for five seconds, leaving Walter Tye free to do what he wanted. He immediately casts a succession of devastating spells. "[Tectonic Pulse]," he said as he stomped the ground, the activation of his attack spell delayed; then he concentrated on training himself. "[Accelerating Simara's Shield], [Rune Reflector], [Accelerating Adamantkin]..."
The necromancer glanced angrily at Hel's castle.
"Meteor shower."
Time starts again and disaster begins.
The ground shook for miles, an earthquake centered on Walter spreading around him like a destructive pulse. The bridge over the Gjoll River collapsed, spilling poisonous water. All magic except Tai's own was destroyed, and half of the runic defenses folded like paper.
Tears rippled across the sky as hundreds of fiery stones fell from the sky in a cataclysmic rain. They attacked Hel's castle, destroying the obsidian towers and laying waste to the plateau. Many of the gargoyles guarding the rock formations were killed in an attack, and explosions devastated the countryside and the land soon became an endless smoking crater.
There's nothing better than a new casting layer.
This time, the defenders noticed Tai. Gargoyles and winged crows swarmed from the plateau, surrounding the massive undead and closing the portal.
These monsters were once mortal; his priests and inquisitors. Unlike those who pay lip service to the goddess in order to have an easier life after death, they are true fanatics, undead hunters, executioners and worshipers of death. Only true fanatics are admitted to Hale's church, and they have earned Walter Tye's scorn tenfold.
Their passion was rewarded in Helheim, where the goddess turned them into tormentors and tormentors instead of victims. Their souls are twisted into monsters to reflect the inherent cruelty that festers beneath their human skin. Some attempted to cast spells on Tai, but Tai's [God Killer] skill prevented their goddess from granting them a [Prayer]; most raised tridents and spears, trying to take out the casters in melee combat.
Their meager attacks bounced off his skin, and Walter swung Apophis like a club, hurling those who got too close. Between his massive racial resistance (which reduces damage taken by 70%) and his magic buffs, these attacks feel like fly bites. A cloak of fire protected him, burning the wings of these puny birds, and when they tried to shatter the [Necromancer's Stone] on his forehead, they were unable to harm the powerful artifact.
However, despite his height giving him reach, Tye's transformation didn't increase his strength as much as he'd hoped; while Disaster had incredible defense, his muscles didn't match it.
However, a swing of his staff killed these demons with ease. In addition to preventing clerics and divine power casters from gaining aid from their gods, [Godslayer] also makes Tai's spells and physical attacks super effective at dealing damage to the god's entity. The gods and their servants are particularly vulnerable to his touch.
No wonder the Catastrophe dyes the world red with the blood of Ethil at Ragnarok. This system gives them the tools and incentives to seek to fight them, and if Metro's theory is correct, they will always be one level above their competitors.
"[The inevitable end]," Tai activated some of his new disaster allowances. A necrotic aura forms around him, accelerating entropy and stealing the life force of those who attack him. "[Breath of Rot]."
Ty opened his reptilian mouth and breathed.
Instead of air, he released a cloud of green poison in a cone over a hundred feet long and wide. A supernatural venom that ignores [Resistance] to [Poison] and even reduces [Immunity] to that element; every attacker caught on the trail rots within seconds, their flesh being Eaten, leaving only the bones. Tai then breathed back the poisonous fumes, the souls, rotting flesh, and sins of his victims all absorbed into him.
[Si
-Eate
Pe
k activates! You recover all HP and SP! You learn all the victim's spells!
These men willingly gave their lives to Hel, torturing the living and the dead in service to a mad god. As he devoured them, he knew all their sins; every torture they inflicted, every execution they carried out, every plague they spread. A litany of bad things done in the name of an evil god.
The necromancer gave them to his belly without regret.
"[Meteor Shower]," the Disaster called out again, after having driven away the attackers, and resumed its destructive bombardment. Hunters dropped like flies, crushed by meteorites, or swallowed by his breath. "[Accelerate the meteor shower]. [Intensify the meteor shower]."
He learned this lesson from Avalon. Why engage in physical combat when you can bombard enemies from a safe distance? A caster's main weakness is their SP reserves, but with so many Sinful Corpses, his items, and his own perks, Tye can Continue casting spells until he has reduced Hel's territory to ruins.
So he did.
In total, Walter Tye bombarded Hull's territory for 20 minutes straight, until he reduced it to a smoking ruin and turned the landscape into a no-man's land. The destruction was so complete that most of Hel's servants fled in all directions; either seeking reinforcements or fleeing in terror. The bodies of their brothers lay scattered on the ground, mutilated by meteors and explosions.
Helheim has become a scene from Ragnarok.
"Disaster" wonders whether Haier was killed or even injured in the bombing. But looking at her broken fortress, I feel exquisite.
When it was certain that he had killed everything within a mile, Tai gave the signal and his followers and allies entered Helheim. Hagen went in first, expecting a fight, but was disappointed when he saw a mass grave; Mrs. Salter covered her mouth with her hands to avoid inhaling the poisonous fumes, but she soon realized that The elixir had protected her.
As for Anne…
"Unbelievable," the witch whistled, as an army of ghouls, vampires, and other undead creatures left Nastrom and invaded Hel's domain. "So this is what Helheim looks like...is there a sun beyond the haze?"
"No," Ty replied, amused by her curiosity. "Shadow calls it 'The Eye of Hell,' although I doubt she can see through it."
Tai would find a way to blind him if he could.
"Where does the light come from?" Anne asked, she was more concerned about the magical theory behind this field.
"You destroyed Hel's castle." Mrs. Salt whispered in horror as she looked at the smoking ruins on the plateau.
"Yes, boss, you've taken away all the fun," Hagen complained, glancing longingly at the ruins. "Can't you leave a few survivors?"
"No," Tai replied, before looking back at his undead army. "Spread across Helheim and capture as many souls as you can and take them to Midgard. If you encounter hunters, kill them all and bring the bodies back to Nastrom for me to enjoy. "
"It's disgusting," Anne complained, while Mrs. Salt looked sadly at the landscape.
"I never thought..." The priestess shook her head. "This...is worse than I thought."
Knowing is one thing. Understanding is another matter. "Now you understand, why half life is better than death?" the goddess of disaster asked Mrs. Salter.
"I..." the woman drawled, struggling to say what she wanted to say, but couldn't.
"Chief, you go rescue your own people, shall I lead the others?" Hagen asked.
"No, you stay with me," Tai ordered. "I've declared war on death, and she won't accept it gladly."
"I still can't believe you can say that and stand up for it." Anne shook her head. "Even in my wildest dreams..."
"I doubt Hale would be stupid enough to challenge you, Chief." Dullahan glanced at the [Necromancer's Stone] on his master's forehead and said. "Unless she wants to die."
"My concern is not with Hale, but with any shadow she recruits."
Especially the Earthlings she hired.
With these words, Tai walked toward the cave, followed by Hagen, Anne, and Mrs. Thrall. As the group moved, armies of the undead began to spread across the land. Swarms of bats fill the sky and hordes of ghouls prepare to cross the Gjoll River; they will seek out souls and smuggle them back to transform them into the undead or prepare them for rebirth. Tai wasn't sure if [Nagel's Method] could resurrect a person with only a soul, but he might be able to create empty physical vessels for those souls to inhabit.
Necromancers force everyone to accept immortality whether they like it or not.
Tai wiped out all the defenders and reached the entrance of the cave. He lived in the castle above for a short time and often saw it from a distance. Hel's fearsome pet Garm, guardian of the underworld and Loki's jailor, has always watched over [Nipahriel]. The necromancer only caught a few glimpses of the beast, a massive hellhound whose ferocity rivaled that of the Calamity Fe
i
Comparable.
The hound is gone.
However, the entrance to the cave is covered with traces of battle. Knife marks on the ice, arrow-shaped holes in the rocks, burn marks... Taiyi looked around and noticed that the chains used to imprison the whales and hounds were broken.
"Someone fought with Gemu here." Mrs. Se frowned, obviously very uneasy. Garm was supposed to die before Ragnarok, and he would have killed Tyr in battle. His absence is concerning. "outsider?"
"No." If it were something that could kill or harm Garm, then it would drive away Hel's hunters. Yet they remained there to stand guard. No, the ones fighting the hellhounds were Hel's men.
This is either a strategy or training.
"So?" Annie asked anxiously.
"Trap," Hagen said.
"Trap," Tai confirmed, although he didn't know which one. "But we went in anyway."
Tai couldn't back down. [The Necromancer's Stone] keeps beating, feeling the call of blood, and the necromantic bond between the Necromancer and the undead he raises grows stronger.
"Buff yourself up." Tai ordered as he walked into the cave, ready to cast [Accelerated Clock Stop] if there was any trouble. "Hagen, stop moving forward."
His iron confidence emboldened his companions, if only slightly.
Tai had never entered Genipahriel before. Within a minute, however, the place felt alarmingly familiar. Murals carved into the stone cover the walls, while wisps of light provide the light needed to read the murals.
Ragnarok mural.
As Metro suspected, he must have been aware of the cycle. Since Esil trapped Loki in this prison, many people must know about it. Mrs. Salt studied the frescoes, and Anne talked to herself, her eyes wide. "Well..." she followed, probably connecting the dots.
"I'm not sure," Tai admitted. He just had to study Medillo's theory, which he would rather confirm by asking others. Assumptions can prove fatal. "The complete truth is still waiting for us."
An overwhelming anger and paranoia filled his heart, and Ty immediately noticed attempts to change his mind.
You've entered the realm of Calamity Loki's Bloody Feud.
[Bloody Feud] was canceled by [Calamity Loki].
"Stop," Tai told his team. "Did you see it?"
"We're going into Loki's prison," Mrs. Soult announced, crossing her arms. Despite being given the elixir of life, she must have felt vulnerable without divine protection.
"It said he canceled the café," said Anne worriedly. She hid behind Ty as if he could protect her from danger.
"The cave behaves like Nastrom," Taichai. "This is a pocket dimension capable of containing Loki's catastrophic powers."
"If he cancels his Pe
k, that means he is aware of our existence," Hagen said, "and welcomes our arrival. "
"You two are a disaster," Mrs. Searle said sadly to Ty. "I'm not surprised."
Tai shrugged and kept walking.
The tunnels twist and turn, often diverging, but Tai listens to the call of the stone and lets it guide him. After a few minutes, they arrived at an underground temple the size of Naströn Cathedral. Scratch; it is a perfect replica of the cathedral, except that a huge rock replaces the spring of Igudrasi.
He was chained to the stone and waiting for them in the center.
The Necromancer froze when the goddess who had tortured him for many years looked back, her gorgeous clothes replaced with rags, and her hands and ankles bound by chains covered with runes. Unlike the last time they met, she and Tai were the same height in disaster form. A huge black snake with fangs spitting venom swam above her, giving the Necromancer a wary glance.
"Respectively?" Anne said, snapping the Necromancer out of his stunned trance. Yet she was speaking not to him, but to the chained god; he responded with a smirk.
"Tristan?" Mrs. Salt covered her mouth with her hand in surprise and gasped.
"Why is a giant chained to a rock?" Hagen asked, more amused than confused.
Tye noticed this immediately and used Thief of Mi
d" confirmed his suspicions.
You can't read [Calamity Loki].
Tai had heard some of the surviving undead describe his horrific visage when the Cataclysm briefly glimpsed through the rift during the convergence. However, being a god of trickery, Loki can put on a prettier face when he wishes.
"That joke isn't funny," Ty said telepathically, then glanced at the others in the room. He could have sworn he felt another, weaker spiritual presence.
"You can't blame me for having no love in your heart, Walter," the chained con man replied in Hale's voice. "If you don't show me that beautiful stone, I'll show you a cuter face."
Tai froze as he noticed a small prisoner, tied to the left side of the god.
"Walter?"
To Loki's obvious annoyance, Ty completely ignored him.
Instead, his eyes fell on a prisoner tied to the left side of the Disaster. A beautiful woman, wearing shiny diamond armor, was chained to the mural wall. She glanced at Ty's scepter with her remaining eye, her gaze hardening. She recognized the necromancer immediately, even though his appearance had changed.
Ty thought it was a hallucination or a shapeshifter, but his telepathy told him it was real.
Anne couldn't read minds and was breathless when she saw this scene.
"Gwen?"
