Outside a mountain valley, Sarah Connor clasped her hands together in prayer, her voice filled with sincerity.
"Please… you have to succeed."
Inside the valley, Balder and the T-800 sat opposite each other.
Balder's expression was unreadable as he studied the machine before him.
"To defy the control of a higher-tier Terminator unit through sheer will and even evolve beyond your parameters… perhaps you're the perfect material I've been looking for."
Yes—material.
The next moment, Balder raised his hand, and a long-handled hammer appeared in his grasp.
His gaze fell upon it, the weight of its presence making even his divine eyes grow solemn.
Using the divine power sealed within this hammer—the Power of Fear—to awaken his own godly essence and ascend fully beyond the sub-Skyfather level…
That had always been his plan.
But Balder also knew the truth: this hammer was far more dangerous than any ordinary artifact.
Every being who had ever wielded it was consumed by darkness, proof enough that it carried the hidden taint of Cul, the God of Fear.
Taking a deep breath, Balder flicked his wrist, a wave of radiant light smashing the T-800 into the mountainside like a ragdoll.
The next instant, the light within him erupted—pure, holy, and burning bright.
His hands came together, and divine energy coalesced into the Flame of Light.
In an instant, the entire valley ignited.
The pure white fire devoured all around it, dissolving matter and banishing all negative energy.
Even the air shimmered from the impossible heat.
Within that fire, the hammer began to scream.
Dark smoke poured out of it—black, oily tendrils of condensed fear, twisting and writhing like living shadows.
And then it exploded.
BOOM!!!
The sky darkened.
An overwhelming sense of dread spread across the land, crushing everything beneath its weight.
From within the surge of darkness, a voice—ancient and wrathful—boomed through the air.
"Asgardian forging techniques… You're one of the new gods of Asgard!"
"No… not even that. You haven't reached the Skyfather rank. You're just an insect!"
Balder's eyes snapped open, filled with golden light. The warmth that once lingered in his expression was gone—replaced by the majesty and indifference of a god.
"So it's true. The touch of Cul, God of Fear, was upon this hammer all along."
"Since you know who I am, insect—who gave you the audacity to defy me?"
The voice reverberated through the void, and even reality itself rippled under its might.
Balder met that power with a steady gaze. There was no fear—only divine calm.
"A defeated remnant of the war with Odin… and this is the best you could do? Even sealed away, you still grasp at scraps."
"Do you think a mere fragment of your will can stop me?"
The moment he finished, divine light surged upward—pure brilliance clashing against endless black.
The forces of Light and Fear collided, annihilating everything around them. The air shattered, cracks spiderwebbing through space itself.
A faint murmur came from the void.
"Such a fragile world barrier… This isn't the Nine Realms."
Balder didn't answer. He simply summoned more light, the flames expanding outward to engulf the entire valley in radiant fire.
Then came the whisper—seductive and venomous.
"Let's make a deal, boy."
"You are the God of Light, born to oppose me. But you're weak—far too weak."
"I know your goal: to refine this hammer, to extract my divine power and use it to awaken your godhood."
"I can give it to you. In exchange… find me a new body."
Balder's expression didn't change. The light only grew brighter.
"Idiot. Why bargain when I can just kill you and take it all?"
A roar of fury erupted.
"You dare defy me? YOU DARE, MORTAL?!"
Even as the power of fear surged, pressing back the light, Balder remained calm.
Then, with a motion of his hand, a Divine Idol appeared before him—its translucent form glowing as it drew upon unseen power.
"Faith energy… you're a faith god as well?!"
"Correct," Balder said coolly. "But sadly—no reward for guessing."
A storm of golden light poured forth, merging with his divine flame.
The weakened brilliance of Light roared back to life, overwhelming the Fear that had begun to overtake it.
Though Fear was the higher-grade divinity, sheer quantity—bolstered by faith—tipped the scales.
Balder's power encased the hammer completely, forming a sphere of light so intense it resembled a newborn sun.
From within came the scream:
"No! I am the God of Fear! I am Asgard's true king! You are an Asgardian—you dare defy me?!"
Balder said nothing. The divine fire only burned hotter.
Once the refining was complete, this fragment of Cul's will would vanish forever.
The consciousness of the God of Fear began to panic. The light—pure, holy, antithetical to his very essence—was shredding him apart.
There was only one way to survive: find a host body.
And then he saw it—buried within the half-melted rock beside them—a massive, metallic body.
Cold, motionless.
But perfect.
Without hesitation, the fragment of Cul's will launched itself toward the dormant T-800 chassis.
Balder's eyes gleamed with divine light as he whispered—
"As expected."
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