Washington D.C.
Even though it’s the middle of the night, nothing can dampen the enthusiasm of the crowds filling the streets, celebrating Thor’s achievements. Those remaining on Earth look up at the sky, their faces alight with hope and excitement.
In the excitement, a Battle Chief even prepares to cast a forbidden spell to set off a grand fireworks display to boost the spirits. Fortunately, the city defense department intervenes in time to prevent this reckless act.
In Washington D.C., within a castle rumored to bury a Battle Lord, a man in black enters hurriedly, triggering a mechanism. The ground slowly splits open, and a mysterious black coffin rises once again from beneath the earth. The voice of an old man, weathered and slightly angry, emanates from within.
“What is it now? Why disturb me again?”
“I can only remain conscious for so long. Waking me so frequently, do you wish for my death to come sooner?”
Just two days ago, when Thor achieved an SSSS-level clearance on the first level, bringing buffs to global participants, this man in black had already awakened the old man once. For the elder, his condition is dire, requiring the black coffin’s state of suspended animation to barely maintain brief moments of lucidity.
“Great ancestor, I dare not. It’s just that something urgent has happened, and I must inform you!” The man in black speaks quickly, “Yesterday, Thor cleared the second level with an SSSS rating, granting powerful buffs to all of humanity. Today he…”
“Wait!” the voice from the coffin interrupts urgently, “You said again? Thor has achieved SSSS-level clearance twice in a row?”
“Yes!” the man in black confirms heavily.
“How long has it been since I was last awakened?”
“Less than 48 hours.” fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
Silence falls over the coffin, a deathly stillness. The man in black dares not breathe too loudly, sweat beads forming on his forehead, his legs tense, his entire body strung tight with tension.
After what seems like an eternity, a burst of mad laughter erupts from the coffin, so loud and violent that the man in black bleeds from all orifices and collapses to one knee. This man possesses the strength of a Battle Lord, yet under the terrifying laughter, he has no strength to retaliate, surviving only because the elder in the coffin deliberately holds back.
With the laughter, the coffin shakes violently.
Thump—
A soft sound strikes the man in black right in the heart, sapping his strength.
He looks forward incredulously, unable to believe what he just saw.
The lid of the coffin… it bounced!
The lid, sealed by supreme beings, struggles to contain the elder’s excited emotions.
This is bad!
The lid can’t hold much longer!!
The shaking of the coffin exceeds all previous instances, the lid even jumping slightly. At the top of the coffin, a barely noticeable sword mark seems to come to life. In an instant, sword energy envelops the entire coffin, suppressing the evil aura within.
The lid is nailed shut tightly, leaving not even a crack.
The laughter stops abruptly, and the world returns to silence, save for the heavy breathing of the man in black.
After a moment, the voice of the elder in the coffin speaks again, filled with immeasurable weakness, “I apologize, I got a bit carried away just now… almost lost control…”
Those few words bring immense psychological pressure to the man in black, who is still shaken by the events that just unfolded.
If the elder in the coffin were to lose control, it could bring incalculable damage to humanity, even affecting the battle lines on the Abyssal Plane.
This coffin, while a life-preserving artifact for the ancestor, also serves as an indestructible seal.
“You had more to say, continue.”
With the sword energy suppressing him, the elder, though weakened, is more lucid.
“Oh, right!”
The man in black hurriedly continues, “Thor has entered the third level today!”
The elder in the coffin blurts out, “What, has he cleared it with an SSSS rating again?”
“Not yet.”
“Phew—”
The elder actually breathes a sigh of relief.
Thor’s overwhelming strength paradoxically adds immense pressure on him.
This pressure stems from considerations of the bigger picture.
The elder in the coffin, Calderon Sunsworn, a legendary figure in human history and one of the top combatants aside from the supreme beings, views issues from a perspective far beyond others.
The standoff between humanity and the Abyssal Plane is a fragile balance.
In terms of overall strength, humanity is far weaker than the Abyssal Plane.
However, the demon gods of the Abyssal Plane are disunited, constantly scheming against each other, leading to severe infighting.
It’s like two people fighting: humanity, united and able to exert 100 or even 110% of their strength, versus the demon race with 1000 units of strength but each limb acting independently, sometimes even striking themselves, ultimately achieving only 100% effectiveness.
This is why the current stalemate exists, each side pulling against the other, neither able to gain the upper hand.
Thor’s emergence undoubtedly changes the dynamics.
In the long run, having Thor will steadily increase humanity’s strength, which is beneficial. However, analyzing the current situation, Thor’s emergence could alert the demon gods of the Abyssal Plane, possibly uniting them against the threat he poses.
This has happened more than once in history!
“The third level? It’s been a long time since I remembered… Now that I think about it, that woman Morgana deceived us… Sorry, I’m old and tend to reminisce, continue.”
Whenever a supreme being arises among humanity, the unity index of the demon race spikes until the supreme being grows step by step to reach the pinnacle of power, settling the dust, and both sides fall into a new stalemate.
“Cough cough… If Thor becomes too powerful, those demon gods might set aside their past hatreds and disputes, uniting unprecedentedly, which… would not bode well for our race…”
Calderon Sunsworn speaks intermittently.
In fact, signs of this are already appearing.
Maxen Stoneheart and Shadow Nine have mentioned more than once to Mike that the battle lines for humanity are stretched thin, with Battle Lord-level warriors spread too thin, rushing to provide aid everywhere.
Calderon Sunsworn’s concerns are gradually becoming reality,
“Continue.”
With Calderon Sunsworn’s permission, the man in black speaks again, “Thor entered the third level today, reaching the 20th square 21 minutes ago.”
“The third level? It’s been a long time since I remembered… Now that I think about it, that woman Morgana deceived us… Sorry, I’m old and tend to reminisce, continue.”
“Thor killed the Mine Python in 0.01 seconds!”
This is the most significant news the man in black brings on this visit!
Yesterday, when Thor cleared with an SSSS rating, he did not wake Calderon Sunsworn as instructed.
As Calderon Sunsworn said, frequent awakenings would only hasten his death.
But the man in black felt the 0.01-second clearance was too important not to report immediately.
Unexpectedly, Calderon Sunsworn reacts indifferently upon hearing the news.
“This only shows that Thor has extreme burst damage, possibly from a buff, a skill, or even a talent. Our race already has an unbeatable sword; another one won’t cut through this quagmire.”
Calderon Sunsworn’s analysis is incisive, and he continues, “Regardless, let’s initiate the Dawn Plan ahead of schedule.”
Initiate the Dawn Plan?!
The man in black stiffens.
Wasn’t this plan supposed to start only when Thor at least had the strength of a Battle Chief?!
Does this mean, in Calderon Sunsworn’s heart, Thor already possesses strength comparable to a Battle Chief?!
Impossible! The name Thor has only been known for four days!
Not daring to think further, a chill runs down the man in black’s spine as he nods in agreement.
“As you command!”
As is well known, it is darkest before the dawn.
Thus, the Dawn Plan is also a plan for the darkest times.
“In the short term, don’t wake me again. I still want to live a few hundred more years. With just this bit of life left, being disturbed by you every day…”
The coffin slowly sinks.
This meeting is over.
The man in black bows again, moves backward silently, and departs.
Half a minute later, he returns, disregarding all etiquette, shouting at the still descending coffin, “Great ancestor, Thor just passed the 80th square and left a message!”
The coffin trembles slightly, then sinks abruptly, causing the entire castle to shake, and with it, Washington D.C. begins to tremble like a boat in a stormy sea.
Once again, the voice of the elder emanates from the coffin.
“It’s truly astonishing…”
Afterward, he falls back into endless darkness and slumber.