Chapter 768: Muspelheim
The Nine Realms were a group of universes comprising a Universe Cluster, all connected by the Cosmic Nexus that was Yggdrasil.
’Not that they know it’s a Cosmic Nexus.’
These universes were ruled by four dominant races: the gods, the Dwarves, the Elves, and the Giants.
Among them, the gods and the Giants stood at the peak of power, their might surpassing even that of the Elves, despite the Elves also ruling over two universes.
Asgard and Vanaheim belonged to the Aesir and Vanir gods, while Jotunheim and Muspelheim were ruled by the Frost and Fire Giants, respectively.
Lucifer’s destination, Muspelheim, also known as the Kingdom of Fire, was a ’fiery universe’ in the south of the Asgard Cluster, opposite the Kingdom of Ice, Niflheim.
From the direction Lucifer approached, he had to arc around the edge of the cluster, steering clear of Svartalfheim and Nidavellir, before finally entering Muspelheim from the side.
Upon arrival, he landed on a random uninhabitable planet scorched by solar radiation and buffeted by constant stellar winds, choosing it as his waiting post.
As with his entrance into Kriwon, Lucifer made no attempt whatsoever to mask his presence. Given that, it was inevitable that the universe of Muspelheim itself would detect his arrival, and just as certain that Surtr, the Fire Giant King who ruled the universe, would sense him as well.
That, of course, was precisely the point. Lucifer’s intention was to lure Surtr out.
"But that old pile of lava-baked rocks might take too long for my liking," he mused.
After a few moments of deliberation, he decided, "Maybe I should provoke him a little."
Cosmic energy began to flow into his tongue as he prepared to unleash a barrage of insults aimed directly at Surtr, the kind that would send the Fire Giant King charging toward him in a fit of fury.
However, just before he could utter a word, Lucifer inadvertently glanced in a certain direction of the atmosphereless sky, his eyes widening in surprise as he caught sight of something through the fabric of space.
"Oh? That snake is sleeping here. If that’s the case... then I can bait Surtr into moving faster."
A knowing grin spread across his face as he floated upward and flew toward the distant location.
No sooner had he moved than a domineering fiery aura swept across space-time, probing every corner of the surrounding region. The instant it brushed against Lucifer, an immense presence began rushing toward him at faster-than-light speed.
Lucifer, grinning evilly, folded space and jumped into another galaxy, and the moment he entered it, the speed of the advancing presence suddenly tripled.
Noticing the change, Lucifer laughed loudly.
"He took the bait."
Of course, he had.
Initially, Surtr had planned to prepare a series of defensive measures en route to Lucifer’s location.
However, the instant he realized which galaxy Lucifer was heading toward, he abandoned most of those preparations, focusing instead on accelerating his advance, determined to reach Lucifer before he could do anything reckless.
Lucifer, fully aware of this, continued streaking through the void of the Gunnthro Galaxy, heading straight for an Apex Planet that blazed so brightly it could easily be mistaken for a star.
However, just as he entered the planet’s vicinity, space distorted violently, and a colossal fist erupted from the distortion, hurtling toward him at blinding speed.
Still laughing, Lucifer came to a sudden halt and casually raised his hand, effortlessly catching the fist of the forty-meter-tall entity that had seemingly materialized from nothing.
The moment Lucifer’s palm met the colossal fist, there was a blinding burst of light, mirroring the brilliant death throes of a collapsing star. A nova-like explosion erupted outward, flooding the region with untamed waves of cosmic energy that crackled and rippled through the fabric of space.
|Haha! You’ve gotten stronger, Surtr!|
Lucifer shouted with a grin, and at the sound of his voice, the being who had just punched him fully materialized, his eyes widening in disbelief.
|...Lucifer Fuckingstar?! You’re supposed to be dead!|
|Death liked me so much, it sent me back to the world of the living!|
|Bullshit!|
Surtr retorted immediately, prompting another fit of laughter from Lucifer.
While Lucifer laughed, the Fire Giant King scrutinized him closely, using all his Authorities and powers to verify if what he was seeing was truly real.
The results? He was!
’That crazy bastard is actually alive? The entire multiverse has been fooled!’
Multiverse—he had thought. Not Universal Sea, as it was more commonly known in this part of the Cosmos.
But that was a matter for another time.
Surtr reduced his towering forty-metre form down to a more compact two-meter height. Though his body appeared to be made from rock and fire, it retained an oddly organic quality, emphasized by the unmistakable crunch of shifting flesh as he shrank.
His horned crown shimmered briefly before fading from view, and with a cautious gaze still fixed on Lucifer, he finally opened his mouth to speak.
Yet before he could utter a word, Lucifer spoke first.
|Oh, it’s a secret that I’m still alive. Don’t tell anyone.|
Surtr’s flaming brows twitched in irritation.
|You just alerted every single Fire Giant Lord of your existence, and you say it’s a secret?!|
Surtr wasn’t the only one who had sensed Lucifer’s arrival in Muspelheim. He was simply the strongest and fastest among them.
The other Giant Lords had undoubtedly sensed Lucifer’s presence, and more than a dozen were already en route.
|Just tell them to back off. You’re their King, aren’t you?|
|...|
Surtr stared at Lucifer in silence, his twitching fingers betraying how close he was to swinging another punch at the man.
But the memory of Lucifer casually stopping his earlier punch without a scratch made him hesitate.
With a heavy sigh, his crown appeared up once more, and he sent a command to the approaching Fire Giants.
But just as his attention shifted to the task, Lucifer abruptly turned and dashed toward the distant Apex Planet, prompting a furious curse from Surtr.
|This bastard!|
Surtr roared and gave chase, but that single second of distraction gave Lucifer just enough of a lead to land first, descending upon a massive ’mountain’ that stretched across the planet’s glowing surface.
|Wake up, big snake!|
With those words, Lucifer slammed his palm onto the ’mountain,’ sending cosmic energy permeating deep into it.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then, the entire planet trembled, and something shot toward Lucifer at light speed.
However, the man casually raised his hand and caught the enormous spiked object without effort.
Following that, the ground quaked again, and the ’mountain’ began to roll forward.
From the north, a colossal serpentine head emerged, green energy building in its gaping maw, ready to fire—until the serpent’s eyes landed on Lucifer’s face.
|...??|
It froze mid-attack, blinking in stunned silence.
Then, it reabsorbed the gathered energy and stared at Lucifer again, blinking in confusion.
Still trying to process what he was seeing, the serpent turned to the more familiar figure nearby.
|...Surtr. What sort of illusion is this? It looks incredibly real.|
Surtr, completely understanding that reaction, sighed and shook his head.
|It’s no illusion, Jormungand. That’s really Fuckingstar.|
At that, the giant serpent—Jormungand—turned back to the laughing Lucifer and echoed Surtr’s earlier words.
|You’re supposed to be dead!|
|Death liked me so much that it gave me a second life.|
|Bullshit!|
Jormungand snapped an instant retort, just like Surtr had, prompting Lucifer to burst into even louder laughter.
"Hahahaha!! It’s been a while since I laughed this hard."
Lucifer switched to his normal voice, dropping onto a nearby rock as he slapped his thigh, still laughing.
Seeing this, Surtr shook his head and clicked his tongue before finally asking the question he’d meant to ask earlier before Lucifer had cut him off.
"What the hell are you here for?"
"Haha... right. I had something to do."
Lucifer took a breath, then looked up at Surtr and said,
"I came because I want you to call that squirrel for me."
To any Ruling Existence in the Nine Realms, the word squirrel didn’t bring to mind a seed-hoarding rodent, but rather an enigmatic existence whose origins were still a puzzle.
Ratatoskr.
The only entity capable of freely traversing the full length of Yggdrasil.
"...why?"
Surtr’s expression darkened, not just because Ratatoskr was a pain to deal with, but because he had only a limited number of chances to force its cooperation.
It was a little-known secret that Ratatoskr owed Surtr a few favours. Leashes, essentially, that Surtr could tug on to compel obedience.
Lucifer was aware of this, and for his plan, he needed Ratatoskr summoned to Muspelheim.
However...
"You wouldn’t be the one forcing it to do anything. Just call it. That won’t use up a favour, will it?"
That much was true. But Surtr still wasn’t having it.
"Give me your reasons."
The Fire Giant King spoke with arms crossed, and at that, Lucifer sighed before answering.
"I want to get Odin out of Asgard for a bit."
At those words, both Surtr and Jormungand shot Lucifer suspicious looks. But he ignored them and continued.
"I need Ratatoskr to pass a message to Nidhoggr, so they will draw Odin’s attention. More importantly, Heimdall’s."
Because in truth, Muspelheim wasn’t Lucifer’s real destination. It was Asgard.
