The thousand-meter-long serpent body coiled atop the shattered earth, its sky-obscuring shadow covering an area of several kilometers.
Every scale shimmered with a metallic, dark green, eerie light. The serpent's head rose high into the clouds, and the will of destruction churning within those vertical pupils made people feel breathless, even through the global projection.
"Humble Midgardians, you have successfully angered me!"
"I originally intended to play with you all a bit longer, letting most of you survive to become my sustenance."
"But since you are so ungrateful, then you have only yourselves to blame!"
Cul's voice changed; it was no longer the deep, majestic tone of a God King. When the giant serpent spoke, the sound waves themselves transformed into a tangible shockwave, blasting away all the rubble within a hundred-meter radius.
"I, Cul, the God of Fear, declare that from this day forth, Midgard shall be annihilated!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a golden figure rose into the sky:
"Don't count on it!"
"I, Thor Odinson, the future Lord of the Nine Realms, will never allow anyone to destroy the peace of the Nine Realms!"
As he spoke, Thor raised Mjolnir high, bringing it down with the force of a thunderbolt toward Cul's massive serpent head.
BOOM!!!
Lightning exploded, illuminating half the sky.
But the next second, everyone's pupils constricted.
Because Thor's all-out strike had only managed to shatter a single scale of Cul's.
Although a visible crack appeared on that scale, such a wound was merely a drop in the ocean compared to Cul's current sky-obscuring form!
"Oh? So you are my good-for-nothing nephew?"
"You are truly as worthless as your foolish father!"
Cul sneered disdainfully, then shuddered his body, not even needing to whip his tail.
With just a twitch of his muscles, the terrifying power sent Thor flying on the spot.
Thor's figure was like a meteor, smashing through the ruins of over a dozen buildings in mid-air before finally embedding himself into a rock wall, spitting out a large mouthful of blood.
"Thor!"
Seeing that Thor had no strength left to fight back, Cul still did not intend to let him go.
Captain America did not hesitate to block Cul's path.
The light on the Shield of the Benevolent King flashed wildly, converting Captain America's entire will into combat power. This boosted combat power, along with Celestial Energy, was infused into Captain America's body, causing him to visibly swell, almost faintly condensing a phantom image resembling a godhood.
At the same time, Tony's energy cannon fired from the air.
Hawkeye's wind-element arrows were fired in a massive volley.
Felicia quietly flashed behind Cul and thrust out her sharp claws.
Natasha amplified the ice power within her to the extreme.
Daisy's Quake punch was unleashed without reservation.
Everyone attacked almost at the same time.
But facing everyone's all-out assault, the World Serpent remained dismissive.
The energy cannon hit the snake scales, leaving an imperceptible white mark before dissipating.
The freezing power only delayed the massive body for a split second.
Before the wind-element arrows could touch the serpent's body, they were directly annihilated by the divine power overflowing from between the scales.
Daisy's shockwaves and Felicia's claws did make the giant serpent's body tremble slightly—but that was all.
It was like trying to punch a mountain.
It wasn't a technical issue; it was a difference in scale.
Just then, the serpent's tail swept across.
Before the tail even struck, the shockwave generated by the divine power it carried formed a kinetic force more violent than a tsunami.
Gwen, Natasha, Felicia, Harry, Hawkeye... Everyone turned pale at this moment, almost seeing the phantom of the Grim Reaper on that serpent's tail.
At the critical moment, a translucent barrier appeared out of thin air in front of them—it was the energy shield Peter released using the Invisible Woman Susan's ability.
Despite the dual protection of the shield and Celestial Energy, the aftermath of the tail strike still knocked everyone back over a hundred meters. Densely packed cracks appeared on the shield, and everyone spat out blood in unison.
Cul did not deign to waste words with these ants.
His massive vertical pupils locked onto Peter, filled with condescension and mockery:
"The Arbiter."
Cul's serpent eyes churned with insane rage and twisted arrogance:
"Do you think that by relying on the artifact my foolish brother gave you to take away my spirit cavalry in one go, you can change anything?"
The serpent's head lowered. That massive maw, dozens of meters wide, was less than a hundred meters from Peter, and the breath it exhaled carried a corrosive green light.
"I alone am enough to dominate this World!"
"All artifacts, coordination, and tricks... in the face of absolute power, they are nothing more than the antics of clowns!"
These words made the hearts of global viewers hang in the balance once again.
The previous round of engagement had already proven that Cul's words were by no means empty—the entire Avengers, after being strengthened by The Arbiter, could not even scratch this giant serpent.
This God of Fear was simply not on the same level as those previous members of The Worthy!
And Peter, what was his reaction?
He merely tilted his head.
"Given to me by Odin?"
He repeated Cul's words, his tone carrying a hint of suppressed laughter.
"No, no, no~ that was just my own collection."
"I have quite a few more collections like this, for example..."
As he spoke, the storage ring on Peter's right hand flashed, and a beautifully crafted longsword appeared in his hand.
"Scatter, Senbonzakura."
The moment his words fell, the blade shattered.
Senbonzakura transformed into thousands of tiny fragments. Those fragments flipped and scattered in mid-air, and under the influence of Peter's Armament Haki, they turned into jet-black cherry blossom petals dancing across the sky.
Ten thousand cherry blossoms flew against the wind, sweeping toward Cul's charge.
In front of the global projection, countless people instantly jumped up in excitement.
"It's that move! That move!"
"I remember! Staten Island! He used this move to instantly kill a member of The Worthy!"
"Senbonzakura, what a beautiful name."
Viewers who had witnessed that battle with their own eyes frantically patted those around them, incoherent with excitement.
Everyone watched with anticipation as the ten thousand jet-black cherry blossoms, carrying sharp edges, fell upon the giant serpent's body like a blanket covering the sky.
Petals and snake scales collided madly, the resulting sound like pearls falling onto a jade plate. The sparks splashed by their frantic collision almost lit up the dim sky.
Ding ding ding ding ding—
The sound of metal colliding was so dense it merged into one.
But...
Cul's wild laughter erupted from the serpent's mouth:
"Is that it? Midgardian, is this your confident attack? Are you planning to tickle me to death?"
Cul's arrogant laughter echoed between heaven and earth. His serpent tail lashed out, scattering all the cherry blossoms still dancing in the air.
Seeing this, the hearts of global viewers immediately sank.
That move that once killed Kuurth in one strike, hitting Cul was actually... like a mosquito bite?
What made them feel even more anxious was—their guardian deity was silent.
Facing Cul's mockery, Peter did not speak.
The next second, a complete sword reappeared in his hand.
Following that, Peter did something no one had expected.
He flipped the blade, pointing the edge downward.
Then, he loosened his five fingers... letting the sword fall straight from in front of him.
"What is he doing?!"
"Giving up?!"
"No way..."
The hearts of billions of people around the World jumped into their throats at this moment.
***************************
Thoughts on where the plot is heading? Let me know in the comments! If you're enjoying the ride, please leave a quick review and toss a few Power Stones my way. Every bit of support means the world! 🙌