"You have passed the trial!" he declared. He eyed the rubble and asked, "But what was that?"
I looked at my arms. The feeling that I felt before was gone for now. The Phoenix blood in me was already healing the damage caused by that last defensive maneuver. Whatever that ghostly figure was, it probably represented the epitome of my physical prowess without Pangu.
"That was bloody fantastic!" Pangu replied excitedly.
"This isn't an answer," Farbauti grumbled.
"Well, as far as I can tell, that was Orion reaching the extreme limits of his physical powers. I would even say that he was nearing that stage below the Lord of Chaos."
"How is that even possible?" I asked, not quite believing what he just said.
"Is it possible for him to do that again?" Farbauti asked the question that was on my mind.
"Not whenever he wants, I don't think so," Pangu replied after some thought. "This was achieved under extreme pressure. It would take him some time and more power for you to access it properly. Plus, it would really damage him if he could."
His simple explanation made sense. In any case, I wasn't fighting people at this high a level. Suddenly, I told them both, "Some might take chances to kill me, despite my status, to avoid having another powerhouse. Please keep the news of this between the four of us."
The fourth one was Richard. I wasn't counting on him spreading the news anyway.
The three of them nodded in agreement. I thanked Farbauti for his time and said, "It is a pleasure as always, Senior Brother. I shall see you at the next test."
"I should remind you that there are no more shards in Midgard. One is in Helheim, the other is in Muspelheim, and the last is on Earth. I suggest going through the latter first."
I was about to leave when I suddenly remembered, "Wait, how am I supposed to travel between realms?"
"Use the Bifrost in Norway. It will allow you to travel about the branches of Yggdrasil."
He handed me the blade shard before Richard told me that he was going to perform a teleport. I blinked and found myself in front of a vast lake surrounded by a mountain range on all sides. There was a belt of blue trees surrounding the lake, almost looking like a formation.
I felt something appear in my hand as I looked, and saw a stone key. Richard informed me that Tulip and Zi were teleported back to the Mansion, and they weren't allowed to join me.
I looked at the lake once again. At first glance, it looked like any normal lake, but if one looked closely, they would see a temple in the middle. There was a path decorated with archways leading to the door of the temple.
I walked on the pathway and soon reached the door. The key that I possessed went into the hole in the door, and it opened to the inside. The room was completely empty and was smaller than I expected. There was no roof above me. Just as I was wondering about how to activate the Bifrost, Pangu offered the answer, "Just think about your destination."
I nodded and thought, "Muspelheim!"
A blinding column of multi-colored light descended from the sky and engulfed the room and me within it. I felt my body floating and was immediately sent away from Earth and Midgard.
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Updated on 27/3/2026