Kapitel 198: Burned
After the corpse of the Shiba Inu Thor was absorbed by little Groot, it transformed into specks of starlight and disappeared entirely, leaving behind only a collar with a recording on it.
Old Loki explained that this was the Asgardian gods' way of giving back to the universe.
"They come from the universe, and after their powers fade following death, they must return to it."
At little Groot's insistence, they dug a small pit in the refuge and buried the collar there. Groot himself drew a dog's head on the makeshift gravestone.
Little Groot, whose potential was already extraordinarily strong, belonged to a race that could ultimately evolve into something as miraculous as the World Tree. However, the chances of this happening were astronomically low. It was uncertain how much he could grow after absorbing Thor's power.
Blake was very curious about this. Although little Groot's appearance hadn't changed, his essence must have grown significantly stronger, raising his potential ceiling for the future.
One had absorbed Thor's power, another held the fire god essence of Asgard, and the third—Loki—though of Frost Giant blood, derived his godly status and magical power from Asgard as well.
This bond created a peculiar sense of closeness and trust among the three of them.
Unfortunately, Old Loki's body was already at its limit.
He barely lasted ten more days before finally succumbing.
Before his death, Old Loki held the hands of Blake and Groot and said:
"I'm lucky. My whole life, I was either running away or causing destruction. In the end, I finally mustered the courage to fight back. And in my final moments, I got to meet you two. You made me feel what it's like to have a family. This is good—this is really good."
"So this is what I've been longing for all along, ever since I was a child!"
"I don't know if the other two Lokis succeeded, but you two can't spend your whole lives here. Find a way out. Go to the red cloud and see what's really there. Find out which damned fool is hiding inside."
"Father, Mother… Thor… I wish I could return to Asgard and see you all one last time…"
This time, the gravestone was written by Blake. He inscribed Loki's name on it, then thought for a moment and added the word "Old" at the end.
"Don't worry, Loki. If I ever meet your younger self, I'll give him a good beating—even if we're not from the same universe," Blake said as he stood before the gravestone.
"I… will too!"
The little guy standing nearby chimed in softly.
"Groot? Since when could you say anything besides that one phrase?" Blake asked, genuinely surprised. Until now, there hadn't been the slightest hint that Groot could speak differently.
"I don't know. After absorbing… everything, I just can. It's just… I'm not used to it yet," Groot replied slowly. Some words seemed to require him to mentally process them before speaking, but at least he could communicate normally now.
Anyone who had ever tried to learn Groot-speak knew how hard it was. Using "I am Groot" to convey thousands of different meanings was maddeningly difficult. Even after Old Loki had taught Blake for days, he still had to rely on Groot's expressions and gestures to guess what he meant.
Had this ability to speak come from absorbing the Shiba Inu Thor? Blake found it perplexing. Based on the functions of the collar, it didn't seem like that Shiba Inu Thor could talk either.
But why did Groot, who had a speech impediment, suddenly start speaking normally after absorbing it? What is this—two negatives making a positive?
Unable to dwell on this seemingly unanswerable question, Blake turned to the little guy and said:
"Groot, in a few days, I'll have a way to leave this place, but I might not be able to take you with me. That old guy said he hoped you'd find your own life outside of here. The only way for that to happen is to go into that red cloud and see what's inside."
"Do you want to leave this place? I can help you. We can explore the cloud together."
Little Groot glanced at Blake with reluctance, then turned back to Old Loki's grave. After a moment of hesitation, he firmly nodded.
---
The Void, Wilderness, Coordinates Unknown
Blake stood on a small hill. On this side, everything appeared normal—just the ever-gray, misty sky that was characteristic of the Void.
But in the distance, directly ahead of him, a massive, glowing red cloud stretched across the entire horizon, slowly advancing in a breathtakingly ominous manner.
At the edge of the cloud, Alioth manifested grotesque beastly heads, each more terrifying than the last, a representation of its essence: the ability to devour all.
As Alioth drew closer, the heads began to emit thunderous roars aimed directly at Blake, as though angered by his solitary defiance atop the hill.
Blake stood motionless, his stance deliberate and defiant, though he was far from confident about his ability to face this all-consuming entity.
His decision to come alone, leaving little Groot behind, betrayed his doubt. If things went south, he could rely only on his superior speed to escape.
His one source of reassurance was Old Loki's experience with Alioth. According to him, Alioth couldn't directly consume all the energy within a person. He had once conjured an illusion of Asgard with his magic, holding Alioth at bay for a time, helping the Loki couple buy some precious moments.
This bit of knowledge gave Blake the courage to investigate. Worst case, he'd turn tail and run.
As Blake's thoughts raced, the red cloud advanced, closing to within a dozen meters. The roiling mass of crimson light suddenly morphed into a massive, menacing skull, which lunged at him with a vicious bite.
Blake had been prepared to step into the cloud to investigate, but this sudden attack felt more like a charged strike. Instinctively, he raised his hand and unleashed a jet of flame at Alioth.
The moment he acted, Blake regretted it. Why feed it energy? He should've let it try to consume him and see what happened.
Still, regret was pointless now—the attack was already launched, and it wasn't like he was running low on energy.
What happened next, however, was entirely unexpected.
The moment the flames touched the red cloud, they ignited it like fuel, spreading rapidly as though a lighter had been set to a corner of a massive cotton ball.
In the blink of an eye, the fire not only consumed the skull but also spread dozens of meters across the cloud.
And it didn't stop. The flames surged wildly, engulfing more of the cloud with each passing moment.
Alioth's thunderous roars vanished, replaced by a deep, muffled sound—a low, sorrowful groan, as if a grown man were sobbing under a blanket.
"Holy crap! I had no idea my flames were this powerful!"
Blake stared at his hands, murmuring to himself in disbelief.
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Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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