Loki’s Successor System

Dean walked, staggering on his feet until he stumbled across ... a clone approaching Mr. Karsia. He paused. Recognition dawned on his face. Maybe they hadn't lost the war yet. After all, winning meant Great Rendell alive even if all others were lost in the process—a bold sacrifice that was necessary. Soldiers had sacrifice etched behind their minds since they've joined the army. Soldiers—

"were born to die." Dean dropped the canteen, and shouted, "Hey, you, ugly! Over here!"

The clone continued to go after Mr. Karsia.

Dean furrowed his brows, raised a hand, and fired a speckle of sharp ice from his palm. The speckle penetrated the clone's back and went through its abdomen. The clone staggered on its feet, but quickly steadied ... then stopped. Alas, it turned around, tilting its head while peering at Dean.

Dean smirked. "What are you deaf? Horns messing with your hearing? So old you're going senile? Well, I think long lifespans are a bit cliched, don't you think?"

The clone darted toward Dean. "Silence, human!"

"Oh goodie! He talks," said Dean, an ice bat manifesting in his palm. He took aim as the clone closed in on him.

When the figure was a meter away, he swung, hitting the clone to its head. The clone pitched in the direction of the blow. Its entire body started to freezing, starting at the head.

Dean smirked at the frozen figure. Then, he looked up at Mr. Karsia, smiling. Karsia was looking right back at him. Dean jerked a thumb forward. Karsia smiled, but quickly ... that smile began to fall. Karsia widened his eyes and pointed behind Dean.

Dean grimaced, muttering "Huh?" He heard a sinister sound behind him. He quickly spun around, only to see a figure conjuring. Supposedly, the figure had used teleportation. It was Hel. It wasn't just any clone. Dean could sense a more powerful presence to this one—he knew what he was dealing with.

He raised his hand and jerked it toward Hel. Hel was too fast, he quickly grabbed the palm before it could touch him. Ice speckles ran up Hel's arm, yet he neglected it. He quickly girded a hand around Dean's neck, and began to squeeze.

Dean—somehow—managed to smile despite all the agony he had been enduring. His windpipe was being crushed. He couldn't breathe. His face began to tinge.

Hel finished him off by destroying his neck, blood splattered all over the ground. Hel grinned widely, dropped Dean's body. Dean collapsed. Quietus.

Hel turned to Karsia and started walking toward him.

***

Karsia continued to grit his teeth. Why was he sacrificing himself when he clearly had a family? How would his daughters feel when he leaves them again?

He frowned as blood escaped his ears, and nostrils. The Great Rendell's magic destroys those who doesn't have magic themselves. It was only a matter of time before Karsia kissed Earth goodbye. If, of course, he didn't get killed by one Hel's clone, or Hel himself.

Hel was approaching him. He looked over his shoulder as his heartbeat quickened. Blood came trickling down from his eyes.

"Initializing, 78%"

"Come on, almost there!"

Hel smirked as he walked. "Mr. Karsia, funny meeting you here. I thought you were home to your dear family by now. It surprises me that you haven't taken my sparing of your life as I expected."

"Initializing, 84%"

Hel's eyes darkened. "Humans are complicated indeed …" he drawled his tone.

"Initializing, 92%"

Hel suddenly teleported to Karsia.

"Initializing, 96%"

"Initializing, 100%. Initiative complete. Are you sure you want to use the building's entire 1,000,000 volts?"

"Ye—" Karsia received to fist to his fist. He immediately collapsed, blood oozing out from his burst head.

"Die!" Hel snapped, about to stomp on Karsia's chest.

"Sorry, I didn't quite get that," said the AI voice, "Can you try again?"

The foot knocked the air out of Karsia, crushing his lungs. His eyes bulged. Quietus.

Hel grinned widely. His ponytail hovering. "See you in hell, Mr. Karsia. Maybe only then we can talk business.

"Oh, Yes! How I love everything to do with death, it's—"

"Creating Red Dome now …" uttered the AI.

"Phase one: absorb voltage."

"20%"

"36%"

Hel grimaced. "Huh?" recognition began to dawn on his face. "Fuck!" he snapped. "Human technology is just fucking frustrating! Oh … this is how you use swear words. I think I finally understand how. I get the gist."

"78%"

Hel quickly clenched his fist, his his arms higher than his head, and hammered his hand into the machine in light of destroying it.

The machine was electrified, and crushed into facets.

"Phase 2: Dome forming…"

"20%"

"Fuck!" Hel snapped again. He turned around to get visual of the Great Rendell. A red dome was appearing around the Great Rendell. Hel suddenly vanished, and reappeared amidst the red dome.

The dome was completely formed. Hel stood amid the dome, looking down at the Great Rendell, smirking. At long last, he would finally get to slaughter the Great Rendell.

"Hello, Hel. Phenomenal battle just now. But I do think it was a bit one sided." said Rendell.

"Why would you say that?" asked Hel.

"It was fair for the meta soldiers. Demons are superior after all. Nonetheless, it was fun to watch. Haven't seen a battle in centuries," he turned to Hel, "Your parents would be proud of you."

"I have a new father. New parents. Those parents you took from the first life me didn't worth anything."

"You say that, but I know you still feel it for them," Rendell smirked, "That's why you're here. You volunteered to kill me. Once you do; the citizens will all regain magic.

"Once that happens, you'll reveal the existence of the systems to the world. Then, the system users would be at risk. And alas, you demons would attack once the world is already in chaos. I wish I could see the apocalypse. But I suppose my time ends here."

Hel gritted his teeth, scowling at Rendell. He always dreamt of seeing Rendell beg for his life, not seeing him calmly accept death and asked to be killed. Hel essentially wanted to enjoy killing his foes—he always had. And that is what he did for years.

Now that he had enjoyed killing all his greatest enemies and had finally made it to the final one, this final one didn't have the slightest bit of fear for him.

"You're supposed to be on your knees, begging for me to spare you." Hel growled.

Rendell laughed, "Oh, Ho, Ho. I would give you that kind of stuff, but as old as this vessel is … there's no kneeling for me. I wouldn't stress my lungs with all the crying either."

Hel furrowed his brows.

"Come on, kill me. It's pathetic that you have waited your entire life for this and have become reluctant. If you don't do it, I'll finish off myself. I want to join the Gods—I've given this world everything I've had. Now, it's time I get rewarded for once."

Those words made Hel's blood boil. Anger festered aggressively within him. He quickly powered up, and thrust his fist into Rendell's forehead. The fist penetrated his head, and burst through it.

Hel pulled his fist out of the head; and grinned widely. Rendell collapsed. Hel began to laugh antagonistically. "If I didn't enjoy killing you, then maybe killing the world ought to be more fun! Fighting a world where almost everyone possesses magic!"

Suddenly, a blue shockwave left Rendell's body. It spanned across the room and continued to widen. It stretched across the entire city in no time. Everyone it came in contact with glowed. This outburst of energy would span across the entire globe.

Hel began to float. "The End of the world begins!"