Beginning Of Multiverse Saga

Chapter 288: Fall Of God Of Conquest, Phobos’ Warning

Yet this immortality, once a blessing, now became a curse—for with every cycle of burning and freezing, his body endured endless suffering without respite.

Skarn’s muscles spasmed as the heat of the flames clashed with the bitter cold of the ice, causing his body to burn, freeze, and regenerate in an unrelenting cycle.

He screamed in pain.

"This... this can’t be happening!"

His once-proud form trembled as his armor continued to crumble, unable to protect him from the dual torment. His body began to show signs of breaking, each moment stretching into what felt like an eternity.

Each time he healed, the flames burned him anew. Every regeneration was immediately followed by the ice freezing his very soul, only to burn once again in a cruel loop.

"Enough! Stop! I cannot bear this!"

As Astrid’s fire and ice subsided, Skarn collapsed to the ground, steam rising from his battered form. His armor was shattered, his body was healed, but from the torment of burned and frozen in equal measure.

He lay motionless, defeated by the sheer, unrelenting power of Sharky’s daughter.

Astrid, unaware of what she had done, turned back to her father with a wide smile, clapping her hands together.

"Did I do good, Daddy?"

Sharky knelt down, his smirk softening into a proud smile.

"You did more than good, my little Valor. You showed him what true power looks like."

Skarn, barely able to move, groaned as he lifted his head after hearing this, he said in a weak and trembling tone.

"I... I am a god... Your daughter can give me pain like this... But again, I can’t die."

Sharky, standing with Astrid in his arms, turned back toward Skarn. His expression was cold, his eyes unwavering. There was no pity in his gaze—only the certainty that Skarn’s reign of terror had come to an end.

"This suffering is just payback for you holding my daughter with your disgusting hands."

"But now, the god will fall, and people will remember this for eternity. Valors can slay gods."

Sharky raised his hand, the power of the Cosmic Nexus radiating from him. He closed his eyes for a moment, focusing, and then uttered the command that would seal Skarn’s fate.

"Activate command, stop his godly powers."

With a wave of his hand, the Cosmic Nexus responded. Skarn, still writhing on the ground, felt the change, an overwhelming sense of emptiness, as if his very god essence were slipping away. His connection to the divine forces that once made him a god began to unravel.

His eyes widening in shock, "No... What have you done?!"

The god of conquest, once unchallenged, could feel his immortality was stripping from inside of his body, no matter how he tried, he wasn’t able to stop it.

His once-unbreakable will faltered, and for the first time, he felt vulnerable, helpless.

"I... I was a god. You can’t... you can’t do this to me..."

But there was no escape. Sharky’s powers were absolute, and Skarn, the once-immortal god, was now just a being stripped of its divine might.

Astrid, still cradled in her father’s arms, observed the god of conquest with innocent curiosity. But this time, the light in her eyes was different.

Sharky, standing behind her, whispered in a soft and gentle tone.

"Again, Astrid. Let him feel the weight of your power."

With a small nod, Astrid raised both her hands, this time more deliberate, her energy focused.

Flames ignited from her right hand and cold mist rose from her left. The Wrath of Fire and Ice surged forward once again, enveloped at the helpless Skarn.

Skarn groaned as the flames seared his flesh and the ice froze his very soul. The fire burned his body away, while the ice froze his core.

He could only scream in agony as he writhed.

"No! I can’t... I can’t... not like this!"

His body continued to burn and freeze, the truth became clear: Skarn was no longer a god. He was simply a broken being.

But just as it seemed Skarn’s end was inevitable, a new presence emerged from the shadows.

From the shadows, Phobos, the God of Fear, materialized, his glowing eyes burning with malicious intent.

"I won’t allow this to happen. Not today."

He stepped forward, his aura radiating fear and dread, and with a flick of his hand, the Wrath of Fire and Ice seemed to slow.

The flames and frost recoiled slightly, and for a moment, Skarn was given a breath of respite.

And a tendril of darkness shot forward, wrapping around Skarn’s body, shielding him from the full force of Astrid’s power. The flames dimmed and the ice shattered, but only partially. Skarn’s form, charred and frozen in parts, remained.

"Who are you?"

Sharky asked, looking at the Phobos.

Odin, observing from a distance, widened in shock as he recognized the figure before them.

He had heard of Phobos, the god of fear, but never thought he would appear here.

He was also confused. Why did he appear here?

Phobos stood with Skarn now in his grasp.

His gaze shifted toward Sharky, whose anger was still palpable.

"Who the hell are you?" Sharky shouted at him.

"I am the one who prevents chaos from spilling over into the realms. And right now, if Skarn dies here, the fall of a god would shake the very foundations of Olympus. I cannot allow that."

Phobos’ voice was cold, with an air of amusement beneath it.

Sharky’s fists clenched as he took a step forward.

"So you’re protecting him? Why? He was going to kill my daughter!"

Phobos’ eyes gleamed with dark amusement as he explained.

"Skarn is useful... in his own way. His survival is necessary to maintain the balance of power among the gods. Without him, a ripple of fear will spread across Olympus, and that... would not be ideal for any of us."

Odin also said in a grave tone, seeing Phobos’ appeared here, "Although, I don’t want to."

"But Phobos is right about one thing. The fall of a god would cause a panic among the Olympians. Fear would spread through their ranks like wildfire."

Thomas asked looking at Odin, "So, we let him live?"

Frigga looking at the Phobos became angry, afterall, he was the reason for her son’s death. But knowing that Odin will not avenge her son’s death, she didn’t whisper any words.

Odin nodded, "Yes, this is the only thing we can do, since Phobos’ is involved here. But we must ensure Skarn is dealt with properly."

Phobos, hearing their conversation, chuckled softly.

"Allfather, I apologize, but Skarn was one of my companions. I need to bring him back."

However, his statement was met with silence, before he heard the angry tone of Sharky.

"No one can stop me, Phobos. Not even you."

He turned his furious gaze toward Skarn, who lay broken and defenseless at the mercy of his daughter’s wrath.

"If Skarn had just attacked Asgard, I might have forgiven him. But threatening my daughter? That’s something I cannot—WILL NOT—TOLERATE."

"No one can save him. Not even you, Phobos. If anyone dares stand in my way, they will die, just like Skarn."

Sharky’s voice was laced with an intensity that left no room for negotiation. Without hesitation, Astrid, still in her father’s arms, raised both hands once again.

Her hands glowed with fire and frost.

Guided by Sharky’s gesture, she activated her Wrath of Fire and Ice once more. This time, the flames roared, hot enough to incinerate, while the ice spread, freezing the air itself. The combination was overwhelming, and the elements converged on Skarn, who could no longer escape their power.

He was barely clinging to life, could do nothing but scream in pain as the fire seared through his weakened form and the ice froze his core.

"No! I can’t... I won’t die like this!"

But his words were drowned out by the sound of crackling fire and the freezing hiss of the ice.

Phobos stepped forward, his dark presence growing more intense. His voice rang out, a sharp command aimed at stopping Sharky’s daughter.

"Stop! Sharky, you cannot—"

But his words were cut off as Sharky raised his hand. Astrid’s elemental fury intensified, and before Phobos could act, Skarn’s body was consumed by the flames and ice, his screams silenced by the overpowering forces.

And his once-mighty form disintegrated, his godly essence finally extinguished by the combined powers of Astrid’s wrath.

Phobos’ anger started rising at the loss of a god under Sharky’s hands. He had attempted to warn Sharky, but the destruction of Skarn, despite Phobos’ best efforts, had been inevitable.

"You could have spared him, Sharky. He was an ally—one who had value."

But Sharky, with unyielding resolve and a fierce protectiveness toward his family, was unmoved.

"No one threatens my daughter and lives to see another day."

Enraged by Sharky’s actions, Phobos’ form rippled with dark energy. The god of fear could not tolerate the death of a god, let alone after his warning.

His eyes burned with fury as he stepped forward. The ground trembled as Phobos raised his hand, summoning fear in its most primal form.

"You’ve crossed a line, Sharky. You think you’re immune to the consequences of this? Skarn was mine to command!"

Sharky also stepped forward, and the suffocating wave of Phobos’ was nothing for him.

"Your games end here, Phobos."

In a single motion, Sharky unleashed a wave of cosmic energy, shattering the darkness that Phobos had summoned. The fear that Phobos relied on faltered, unable to withstand the force of Sharky’s power. Phobos staggered, his grip on the battlefield weakening.

Phobos growled in frustration.

"No! This cannot be...!"

But the more he tried to assert his control, the more his powers seemed to break apart under Sharky’s cosmic authority.

Realizing the fight was slipping away from him, Phobos’ rage reached its peak. The god of fear knew that facing Sharky in this state would only lead to his defeat.

With a sharp motion, he began to withdraw, taking the rest of the Shadowforge Army, who were still alive, before shouting at Sharky.

"This is far from over, Sharky. You may have won today, but you have made an enemy of me. You cannot escape what fear brings."

With that, Phobos disappeared into the shadows, his form melting away as he retreated from the battlefield.

"Then let it come, Phobos. But know this—your fear will need to pass from me, and then the world will see the fall of another god."

Sharky replied looking at the Phobos retreating, his gaze never wavering as he held Astrid close to him. If he wants, he can stop the escape of Phobos, but for now, he doesn’t want to.

But he will soon realize that it was his biggest mistake.

Odin and the rest of the Asgardians, who were present here. After witnessing the battle they were left in stunned silence, their eyes shifting from the retreating god of fear to the figure of Sharky, who stood resolute, with Astrid still in his arms.

Seeing that Phobos was running away, Frigga became more joyful than anyone. And she started liking Sharky more.

Although Phobos have taken the important force of Shadowforge Army, still few of them were present there.