176 The Filthiest God

'This bastard...'

Scathach tightly gripped her spear, her exquisite face frozen cold. The numbness that had gradually set in over the long years was now replaced by an overwhelming rage.

"...What demands?" Scathach asked with an emotionless tone.

"First, stop this castle." Loki grinned, holding up two fingers. "Second, accept my seal."

"Do you think I'm a three-year-old, Loki?" Scathach's expression was cold.

Accept his seal?

If she agreed, she would be handing over the only leverage against him. Her and Cu Chulainn's fates would be completely in the hands of this notorious god.

From how this man backstabbed his allies without hesitation, it was clear he was a naturally ruthless individual. If she fell into his hands, would there be any good outcome?

Such absurdity, how could she possibly agree?

"Oh? Looks like you're still stubborn, huh?"

*Pu-chi!*

Loki's palm instantly pierced through Cu Chulainn's heart, thick blood dripping like a stream.

Intense pain jolted Cu Chulainn awake. His face twisted in agony while his mouth made painful voices.

"You!" Scathach, resembling a dragon whose reverse scale has been touched, had her wise eyes filled with rage. A vast magical energy fluctuation swept in all directions and her deep purple hair danced like a group of snakes.

"Relax~ For a ghost like him, the heart is not a fatal injury. You should know that better than me, yeah?" Loki, with an innocent smile, pointed at his temple. "Only here is the fatal one."

"If you dare to kill him, be prepared to be detained in the bottom of the Land of Shadows for the rest of your life—a dungeon forever in darkness, without air, without life, without time, nothing but a complete void. How long do you think you can endure in such an environment?"

Scathach's voice carried bone-chilling coldness. Clearly, she was enraged by Loki's actions.

"Wowow~ you make it sound terrifying! The bottom of the Land of Shadows, huh? Just the sound of it gives me shivers!" Loki looked at Scathach with a peculiar smile on his face. "I'm quite curious to see what it's like down there..."

"You..." Scathach tightly gripped her spear and gritted her teeth. The 'Wisdom of Dun Scaith' was telling her that this man was not bluffing!

This lunatic wasn't afraid of her threats at all!

"It seems you don't know me very well, Queen of the Land of Shadows. I am a participant and one of the causes of Ragnarok. Do you truly believe that someone capable of such deeds can still be labeled a 'normal' god?"

Loki revealed a manic smile, with madness flickering in his crimson eyes. His hand rhythmically plunged in and out of Cu Chulainn's chest, squeezing out large amounts of blood.

"C'mon, let's make a bet. I'll kill this ghost, and you will kill me. It should be a very profitable deal for you, yeah? After all, no matter what, I am a god. Exchanging my life for a mere ghost, you would be making a big profit."

"C'mon, hurry up, what are you waiting for? There's nothing worth hesitating about. You've lived for so long, surely you haven't kept those ridiculous human emotions, right? Doing something as foolish as sacrificing yourself for a mere ghost, only the dumbest fool in the world would do such a thing."

"I'm an evil god, y'know~ If you fall into my hands, your fate will be very miserable, very, very miserable~ C'mon, raise your spear, vent your anger, slaughter me, torture me, do whatever you want!"

"Shut up!" Scathach shouted coldly, her crimson eyes disdainfully fixed on Loki. "You're the dirtiest god I've ever seen—no, I should say living being. The stench your soul emits is worse than a corpse, I've never seen anyone more filthy than you."

"Hahaha! Thanks for the compliment~" Loki smirked.

"I'll give you one last chance. Let him go, and in the name of the Queen of the Land of Shadows, I can guarantee your safe exit from this realm with a Geis oath." Scathach said calmly with an indifferent tone.

For someone of her caliber, she had always been serious about the oath made with 'Geis'. If she made such an oath, she had to abide by it, or the Geis would unleash a cruel punishment.

"Hehehe... Hahahahahahaha!" Loki suddenly burst into maniacal laughter and gasping for breath. "What the heck! How can there be someone like you in this world? You talk about me being filthy, but aren't you a twisted soul beyond redemption too? Seriously, it's so disgusting! I feel like throwing up!"

His mad laughter abruptly ceased, replaced by a calm voice as serene as a tranquil lake.

"So, let me correct your mistake." Loki coldly raised another hand without hesitation, thrusting it toward Cu Chulainn's head.

"Stop!"

The vortex in the sky instantly vanished, and the inverted castle, like a phantom in water, gradually dissipated. Gae Bolg also fell from midair, piercing the ground straight through.

"Let him go, and I... will agree to your demands."

Loki looked expressionlessly at Scathach, waved his hand, and a rune shot out, merging with her body, severing her connection with the Land of Shadows completely. She did not attempt to resist, only lowering her head with her expression hidden.

"Tch, tch, having such immense power, experiencing countless ages, yet unable to let go of worldly attachments. Preferring to twist and seal one's own heart rather than facing those dark thoughts..."

Loki murmured with his disheveled hair covering his eyes.

"Hahahaha!"

He suddenly burst into laughter with a contorted and grotesque face. His greedy eyes licked every inch of Scathach's skin like a hungry beast as if wanting to devour her whole.

"Fantastic! Scathach! You're the most perfect specimen I've ever seen! Willing to endure hardships for the one you cherish, even if misunderstood. Relying on human willpower to resist the burdens accumulated by time, even if realizing you're slipping towards the abyss, still contemplating self-destruction to end it all!"

"So twisted, so decayed! You could have everything if you just let go and achieve freedom by submitting to your desires! Ahh~ I really want to see it! Watch you release your desires, discard all conscience, and witness you plunge into the abyss amid despair! Just imagining that scene, I feel like I'm about to die of ecstasy!"

Loki shouted like a lunatic and his face flushed with excitement.

However, at that moment, a cold voice suddenly emerged behind him.

"Are you asking for death?"