The System Awakens: Rise of the Champion

The women saw their husband standing still, observing the basketball-sized, see-through, metallic-looking dodecahedron hovering at the center.

It seemed to be surrounded by some sort of wired energy.

Others could not see it, but Amelia and Lenora, as goddesses, could clearly see with their godly vision that whatever this thing was, it was steadily siphoning the life force of everyone nearby.

Even they, who had just entered its range, started to feel weakened.

While Amelia and Lenora were having a crisis over learning what that thing was doing to them, Arlen saw his big sister looking pale and lifeless.

It struck him like thunder.

"My sister…" Arlen shakily ran to her as Damian took a deep breath and lowered her so Arlen could check on her.

"What happened… is she…" Tears began to form in the corners of his eyes.

"No. Not yet, and not ever… but her life force is severely drained. Any more, and she will die," Damian said as he gently rubbed her face.

"Her [Holy Essence] reserves are completely depleted, and her cultivation is almost nonexistent," Maria said.

As someone who also cultivated [Holy Essence], she could clearly see and feel the changes within Elfie.

"It's like her cultivation reverted back to the beginning…" Maria muttered with wide eyes. "How did this happen?"

"It's all because of that… this thing is somehow absorbing life essence and turning it into laws," Lenora said with a serious expression.

"An artifact capable of using life force to feed laws… this feels illegal even for gods," Amelia added.

"No wonder the Norse were collecting so many talented mortals. They were using their life forces to feed law comprehension, and once their life force was drained, they were thrown away like garbage," Lenora snorted.

"So much for high and mighty gods. If they don't even have what it takes to increase their power without using poor mortals, then they shouldn't even be gods. They aren't worthy of being gods…"

"Makes you wonder where it could have come from. I know damn well the Norse aren't capable of creating something like this."

"Do you think it could come from another universe? I've lived for more than fifteen years, but I've never even heard of something like this… it looks way too advanced for our universe," Amaya added.

"What do you think about this, darling?" they turned to their husband for answers, only to see him just standing there in deep thought while gently rubbing Elfie's head.

Damian kept silent for a few seconds before speaking. "I did it… I created it… the Law Forger."

"Darling… I knew you created a lot of weird stuff, but I didn't know you created something like this…" Amelia said with a bewildered expression.

"When did you create this, darling?" Lenora asked.

"To be honest, I don't even remember creating something like this until I saw it here. I made it a few days before I regressed. I was so caught up in everything happening back then that I forgot to tell my wives about it, and I didn't have time to test it. I guess it works, huh," Damian said, snapping his fingers.

In the next second, the metallic-looking dodecahedron known as the [Law Forger] began to shrink before its structure broke apart into liquid metal, which wrapped itself around his wrist like a metal band.

"How did it end up in the hands of the Norse?" Lillian asked.

"I don't know yet, but I do have a theory," Damian sighed, narrowing his eyes as he sensed something happening.

"We have dirty pigs to slaughter," he muttered before his figure disappeared in the next instant, leaving the women bewildered.

"The Norse gods… they're here," Amelia muttered, her expression turning serious.

Just then, they felt monstrous thunder strike out of nowhere as a huge lightning bolt landed in front of the building structures, not far from where Damian was now floating in the air.

From the lightning emerged a very burly and tall man with long blonde hair.

His head and face were hidden behind a tightly fitted silvery armored helmet that revealed only his piercing blue eyes, burning with a desire to kill Damian.

His entire body was covered in armor, a red cape fluttering behind him, and in his hand was a hammer etched with intricate patterns, crackling with lightning.

"Thor? I was wondering which Norse god would be so power-obsessed that they'd depend on mortals… a new low, even for a pig like you," Damian muttered, his figure releasing a strange blood-red aura as his eyes glowed with intense energy.

"Identify yourself, worm!" Thor, son of Odin, the god of war, storms, protection, and lightning, one of the strongest gods to ever exist, roared in a tone that sent chills down the spines of the women watching from the building.

"Do pigs ask the name of their slaughterer before getting slaughtered?" Damian asked with a grin, though veins were popping on his forehead.

"You insolent mortal!" Thor gritted his teeth.

If it were any other mortal, he would have charged in and destroyed them without letting them speak.

But he couldn't do that here, not with this one.

This… thing felt anything but mortal.

The strength and presence Damian radiated made Thor question if he was even human or a monster from another universe.

"Why am I even talking to you?" Damian snorted.

In the next second, he transformed into a golden bolt of lightning.

The bolt flashed toward Thor at insane speeds, so fast that even the god of storms himself found it hard to follow.

By the time Thor managed to glimpse his movement, it was too late.

The golden lightning struck him in the chest, resulting in an explosion that sent the god flying backward.

But the bolt didn't stop, it pursued the god in another arc of blinding light.

As soon as the lightning reappeared near the falling god, a fist made of golden lightning burst out from it and rammed into Thor's stomach.

The moment it connected, Thor's armor shattered instantly.

The blow dug into his chest, breaking bones inside as another explosion sent him hurtling even faster.

In the next instant, his body crashed kilometers away from where they had been.

The lightning faded, and Damian's body reformed, revealing his furious expression and eyes glowing with a myriad of constantly shifting colors, like a kaleidoscope.

Looking down at the god lying on the ground, his armor in pieces and a gaping hole in his chest already regenerating, Damian coldly muttered, "Don't prolong your suffering… just let yourself be devoured…"

Thor growled between ragged breaths, golden blood dripping from his orifices as though his insides had burst.

Just as the energy of predation began to seep from Damian's fingers, Thor's shocked and pained expression began to change.

The need to live, the need to survive, the anger at the realization that he, one of the strongest god-king-level beings, was being helplessly thrashed by a mere mortal…

It all began to boil within him.

"Hm?" Damian narrowed his eyes as he sensed the changes happening within the god.

Kilometers away, Damian's wives were watching him through the system's streaming function.

"Damn, darling has become too powerful," Amelia muttered.

"Thor is one of the strongest god-king-level gods, and he couldn't even follow his movements…" Lenora added. "I underestimated darling. If he goes all out, he might already be on par with the top-level gods of the entire universe."

"Shouldn't we get closer?" Lillian asked.

"We might only get in his way… not to mention, when darling kills Thor, it will incur the wrath of the entire Norse pantheon. Every god loyal to Thor and his father will swarm here," Amelia said.

"Wait… aren't two-thirds of the Norse under Odin's rule?" Amaya asked, narrowing her eyes.

Just then, a figure appeared out of nowhere, a tall woman with long, straight black hair accented with crimson streaks, long bangs, and a ponytail.

Her blood-red eyes gleamed as she wore a flowing gothic attire.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm the system administrator. No need to act all shocked," Eden said before they could react.

Ignoring the women, Eden glanced toward the brewing god-killing storm.

Her gaze shifted to the mortal exuding a calm yet terrifying aura that overshadowed even the Norse god. Her frown melted into a warm smile, which only grew wider the longer she watched him.

"What's with her creepy smile?" Kathryne asked.

"She gets like that whenever she's in his presence. Just ignore her, she's harmless," Lenora said with a nod.

"Eden!" Amelia called out.

"What? Oh." Eden returned to her usual calm demeanor before continuing. "You guys should leave Alfheim. The entire Norse pantheon is about to come here. I've already informed the family about everything… the Norse will not be missed."

Eden's smile widened. "I know he wants to conquer Heaven next. Once it's complete… tell him that the family, the High Order, and the entirety of the Upper Plane are ready to welcome His Majesty."

"The preparations are complete. All the pantheon leaders of the upper plane and lower plane will be gathering in three days in Nevalia," Eden said with an excited smile.

"Finally," Amelia sighed, taking a deep breath.

Eden looked at the woman beside Lenora and Amelia, analyzing her with her super brain, and narrowed her eyes. "I guess it can't be helped… three women are not enough for him. Three was already annoying enough."

"You guys will be introduced to the family. Be ready," Eden said, then turned her attention toward Lenora, Amelia, and Lilith. "I want you three to take the lead to speed up the process of conquering the Norse pantheon. Among all the godly pantheons of the lower plane, the Norse have the largest territory to cover. It will take a long time to take control, so do your jobs as queens properly and don't fool around."

Eden continued, "I'm sure most of the goddesses of the Norse would be more than willing to submit to him. Talk to Freya, she will prove herself useful."

Then she disappeared.

"We should leave Alfheim…" Just as Lilith said that, a sound, a giant explosion, was followed by waves of intense wind blasts, manifesting from kilometers away and rushing toward them like an armageddon of death.

But just before it reached them, they vanished from the spot.