"It seems my 'little pets' aren't interesting enough after all."
Her gaze slightly darkened, a hint of regret in her tone.
"But, no matter, this farce is far from over."
She gently turned around, her eyes falling upon another, even more secluded door behind her.
This door was even more hidden than the previous culture chamber, the runes more complex, and the door frame was even entwined with several dark red energy threads that pulsed like blood vessels.
Behind this door lay the fruits of her research over the years, her most prized creation in her own eyes.
Im's smile deepened at this moment, and she gently raised her hand, a faint light emerging in her palm, sliding down towards the door.
The entwined energy threads seemed to come alive, twitching rapidly, the runes lighting up in an instant, the dark red light flowing like blood, gradually covering the entire door.
"Since I haven't been this happy in so long, let's make this farce even more exciting."
Im's tone revealed a hint of excitement and anticipation.
"It's time to release all the research results of these past years."
Accompanied by her words, the door slowly opened. A low rumble came from behind the door, as if some abyss had been opened, releasing the power that had long slumbered within.
A chilling aura swept over, a coldness that wasn't a drop in temperature, but a soul-piercing chill that made people tremble from the inside out.
Beyond the door, a vast space appeared, even wider than the previous culture chamber, with neatly arranged culture pods almost filling the entire room, each containing a creature of various shapes and forms.
Some creatures were as large as mountains, their limbs as thick as pillars;
Some creatures were slender and graceful, every part of their bodies exuding a deadly beauty;
Still, some creatures had no discernible form at all, seemingly composed of pure energy, each fluctuation carrying a palpitating power.
Im slowly walked into this space, her gaze sweeping over these culture pods one by one, her eyes revealing a sense of appreciation and satisfaction.
These creatures were the culmination of her centuries of effort, the "perfect life forms" she had finally created after countless experimental failures.
They were stronger, more deadly, and more difficult to deal with than the previous "little pets."
"Go."
Im stood in the center of the culture pods, her voice low but carrying an irresistible authority.
"Tear them apart, make the ending of this game more interesting."
As soon as she finished speaking, cracks began to appear on the glass of the culture pods.
Then, with a "crack", the glass shattered.
Culture fluid poured down like a waterfall, and the creatures slowly opened their eyes.
Pairs of eyes flickered with eerie light in the darkness, red, purple, blue, each color containing infinite killing intent.
They didn't make any sound, but all turned their heads towards the direction of the door, the direction of the battlefield.
Then, they stepped out of the culture pods, walking towards the door step by step, their footsteps heavy but carrying an unparalleled sense of oppression.
Im stood behind them, the smile on her lips still not fading.
Her gaze pierced through everything, as if she could already see how Jin An and the others on the battlefield would deal with these new enemies.
"Jin An... let me see how long your blade can last."
She said softly, her tone filled with infinite anticipation.
"Let me see how much more fun you can bring me."
On the battlefield, smoke and blood intertwined, the smoke of gunpowder hadn't dissipated, but the air was filled with an eerie silence, as if all sounds had been swallowed by some kind of oppression.
Loki, carrying his warhammer, stood on a piece of rubble, his eyes sweeping over the new enemies that were constantly pouring out from the depths of Pangu City.
He clicked his tongue, his brow furrowed, a look of impatience on his face.
"Will this ever end?"
He murmured, his tone revealing undisguised annoyance.
He carried the warhammer on his shoulder, looking down at his weapon, as if he was weighing something, then sighed deeply.
These creatures pouring out from the depths of Pangu City were endless, each more deadly than the last.
Their actions were uniform, but with a cold killing intent, as if they were pressing down on everyone on the battlefield without end.
Loki glanced at those enemies, then raised his head, as if complaining to the sky:
"How boring, these brainless guys really don't excite me."
As soon as he finished speaking, a huge creature had already approached him.
Its claws tore through the air, carrying fierce destructive power, heading straight for Loki's face.
However, Loki just glanced at it coldly, lazily raised his warhammer, and casually blocked it.
"Bang!"
The claws collided with the warhammer, sparking a burst of sparks.
Loki remained motionless, but the ground beneath his feet cracked due to the enormous force.
However, there was no tension in his eyes, but a deep disdain.
"You guys, all you can do is attack, without even a shred of tactics."
Loki said in a low voice, his voice revealing a dangerous chill.
"Too bad, my opponent shouldn't be this kind of brainless thing."
He slowly lowered the warhammer, raised his head, revealing a strange smile.
His fingers gently stroked his chest, as if sensing some hidden power.
Then, he said in a low voice, his tone calm and cold:
"I am the Dragon King who brings destruction to the world—Nidhogg."
The moment these words came out of his mouth, there seemed to be a slight tremor in the air.
The smoke of gunpowder on the battlefield seemed to be disturbed by some invisible force, and began to slowly dissipate around.
And Loki's body was undergoing an astonishing change at this moment.
Patches of jet-black scales began to appear on the surface of Loki's body.
Those scales seemed to grow out of his skin, each emitting a cold luster, as indestructible as the rocks in the abyss.
His fingers became more slender and sharp, and razor-like claws grew out of his fingertips, tearing a sharp sound through the air with a slight wave.
"Chi—"
"What... is that?"
Whitebeard's eyes narrowed in the distance, his pupils slightly constricted.
He felt a completely different aura from before, emanating from Loki—a pure, suffocating aura of destruction.
Jin An also stopped the blade in his hand, turned his head to look at Loki, his eyes as sharp as knives, and muttered in a low voice:
"This guy... is getting serious."
Loki's body continued to change, black scales covered his entire body, and huge wing membranes faintly appeared behind him, like a black sky slowly unfolding.
His eyes gradually lost their original appearance, turning into golden vertical pupils, full of endless majesty and coldness.
The corners of his mouth raised slightly, revealing fangs as sharp as daggers, the fangs flashing with cold light, as if they could devour everything with a single opening.
"Rumble—"
Loki stepped on the ground, and the earth suddenly exploded, with rubble and dust flying.
His figure began to swell, and the original human outline was completely replaced, his body turning into a huge black dragon.
The black dragon's body was covered with hard scales, its wings covering the sky and the sun when spread, and its tail swept across the ground like a long whip, leaving deep ravines.
"Nidhogg..."
Loki's voice came from the dragon's mouth, carrying a low and terrible vibration, each word seemed to be able to trigger resonance between heaven and earth.
"The symbol of destruction, the incarnation of calamity, the beginning of Ragnarok."
As his voice sounded, the ground beneath his feet began to crack, the surrounding air became hot and turbulent, and even those powerful creatures stopped their movements, as if they were suppressed by some force.
