Chapter 66 — The Theater of False Gods
From this point onward, the story continued under a cold and detached gaze. There was no flow of time in this place. No clear "before" or "after." Each moment felt isolated and unstable, and yet nothing was truly frozen. Everything seemed active, in constant motion, without any real movement. It was a space that defied all ordinary logic.
In the middle of this chaotic theater, Loki appeared.
No portal opened. No crack formed in space. One moment he wasn't there, and the next he was simply present as if he had been placed directly into the scene after crossing the final door.
His body reacted instinctively. His feet touched the ground, knees slightly bent. He crouched calmly, not in a fighting stance, but like someone carefully analyzing his surroundings. His fingers hovered just above the ground without touching it, testing the space. After a few moments, he stood up.
— "Back in this place again…"
His voice sounded normal, strangely calm, but it faded almost instantly into the void. Even sound refused to follow the usual rules here.
The silence that followed was heavy with anticipation.
Then the light appeared.
It didn't turn on or arrive it simply became visible. And with it, a voice exploded throughout the entire space.
— "LOKI!!!"
The voice came from everywhere at once, impossible to locate.
Loki didn't flinch. He simply raised his eyes.
— "…Dominus."
The pink light contracted and slowly took shape. A woman appeared elegant, extremely attractive, and unnaturally perfect. Every detail of her body and every movement was flawless. Yet that very perfection felt false, as if it hid something deeper.
— "You're late, you know," she said in a light, almost amused tone, as if it were a simple appointment.
Loki shrugged slightly.
— "I took my time."
His tone was calm and detached.
Dominus crossed her arms, tilting her head with a faint smile.
— "As always… you have a talent for arriving late."
She stepped closer without hesitation, analyzing him with cold interest.
— "I was wondering if you'd come. With everything going on, I thought you might stay in your corner as usual."
Loki looked away slightly.
— "Not this time."
— "Or rather, because you had nothing better to do, my bunny."
A short silence followed.
Loki exhaled lightly through his nose.
— "Both."
Dominus let out a small laugh, almost sincere this time.
— "At least you're honest…"
She turned, observing the thousands of floating doors around them.
— "Seriously… haven't you noticed anything?"
Loki followed her gaze for a moment, then replied flatly:
— "No. It's still as shitty as ever."
This time, she smiled fully.
But before she could respond, another voice cut through the space slow, heavy, and viscous.
— "Did you bring anything?"
Loki closed his eyes for a second, as if he already knew what was coming.
— "Bam…"
A hunched old man emerged silently from the shadows. His posture was slow and bent, but what disturbed most was his face: an unnaturally wide, fixed smile that never changed, and eyes filled with a constant, palpable hunger.
— "I was hungry," he said simply.
Loki sighed.
— "You're always hungry… old man."
Bam shrugged slowly.
— "So? Is that a problem, my little Lili? Oops — Lucy… damn, I forgot your name again. You grow so fast."
He tilted his head, staring at Loki with unsettling intensity.
— "You don't have anything for me?"
— "No."
— "What a shame…"
His smile widened even further.
At that exact moment, Loki felt another presence behind him — less disturbing than Bam's, but far too powerful to ignore.
A hand rested lightly on his shoulder.
— "Always last… and always the weakest."
Loki didn't move a muscle.
— "Baku…"
A young man with orange hair appeared behind him, a stretched smile on his face and dangerous energy in his eyes.
— "You look like shit, you know that? And your skin is as white as an ass. You should tan a bit more, Loki…"
— "And you still look as useless as ever…"
An awkward silence fell.
Then Baku burst into loud, genuine but unhealthy laughter.
— "Ah… that's good."
He removed his hand and slowly circled Loki.
— "At least you haven't changed."
— "Neither have you."
Meanwhile, in another part of this impossible space, something far more serious was unfolding. Ivar was heading toward the chamber when a memory suddenly flashed in his mind:
(Memory)
Ivar stood before Suo.
The Pandemonium itself seemed to recede. The floating doors and shifting symbols became secondary. The entire universe focused on this single confrontation.
Ivar observed Suo in silence. The latter was anchored at the center of a strange structure — not physically chained, but held there conceptually.
— "You're still alive… you surprise me, Demon Hunter."
Ivar's voice was calm. Too calm.
— "After everything we did to you… you survived. I'm starting to think you're immortal… even though only we, the incarnated ones, can truly claim that title."
He took a step forward, then another, never taking his eyes off Suo.
— "I should be impressed."
His tone grew colder.
— "Or disgusted…"
Suo slowly raised his head. His eyes were tired but not empty.
— "Ivar… that's your name, right?"
His voice was weak but stable.
— "Hm? I thought I had cut out your tongue. How are you speaking?"
Ivar frowned slightly, with cold interest.
— "Explain to me how you're doing this."
Suo gave a faint, sad smile.
— "You still see things as if they can be broken… but I can say with certainty that you are far from powerful enough to defeat us."
— "And that… you cannot change."
Ivar tilted his head.
— "And you think you're one of them?"
Suo didn't answer directly. He simply asked:
— "Oh yes… tell me Ivar… do you really want to know where the heart of Britannia is? That's what you've been asking me for, isn't it…"
Ivar remained motionless.
— "Yes."
Suo looked at him for a long moment, then replied calmly:
— "Look in your asshole."
Ivar's expression changed. He stepped forward, the air growing heavier around him.
— "The heart of Britannia is a source. An origin. Something I can destroy if necessary."
He stopped.
— "Tell me where it is. This is the last time I'll ask."
Suo remained silent.
Ivar raised his hand, gathering his power to strike Suo down.
But the moment his attack was about to land, Suo's body flickered. Ivar's eyes widened.
The figure before him dissolved into shadows and vanished completely. It had only been a clone — a shadow clone.
Ivar froze, his hand still raised. For the first time, genuine confusion crossed his face. He couldn't understand how he had been deceived so perfectly. All this time, the person he had been speaking to, threatening, and trying to break… had only been a clone.
— "…How?"
The word escaped him in a low, dangerous whisper. The truth settled heavily: he had been talking to an illusion while the real Suo was somewhere else.
To be continued….