Chapter 397 — Disturbing Laughter and Pikachu Overheating
Mister Mind tapped his temple.
— Father…
You really made a contract with the End of Oaths.
You've got some nerve.
I hope you're prepared for every eventuality.
Samael slowly turned his head toward him, a calm smile on his lips.
— Don't worry about that, my son.
I'm not foolish enough to trust that one.
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
— Do you doubt your father?
Behind his mask, a smile spread across Mister Mind's face.
— No.
I was just thinking it would be too simple if you'd been tricked like that.
Samael let out a soft laugh.
— They don't call me the Angel of Death for nothing.
Mister Mind tilted his head.
— And they don't call him the End of Oaths for nothing either.
They stared at each other.
Then began to laugh.
A calm laugh.
Too calm.
Mira watched the scene, slightly tense.
— Do they usually do that?
It's… weird.
Nightmare crossed his arms.
— Don't worry.
You'll get used to it.
Haya raised an eyebrow.
— What do you know about it?
You were born a few hours before Mira.
And now you're playing the wise elder with experience.
Nightmare remained still.
— Experience is relative.
Bloodweaver stepped behind him and ruffled his hair.
— Don't listen to her.
She's always been like that.
No filter.
She says whatever comes to mind.
Mira looked at the exchanges, shocked.
— …Are you all like this?
Bloodweaver patted her shoulder.
— Yes.
But me, I'm lucid.
And maybe Brakk too.
Brakk raised his hand.
— Thank you.
Finally someone recognizes my mental balance.
Mister Mind, in the background:
— That remains to be proven.
A little further away, Zahkariel smiled.
— I came out of this well.
Elvis slowly nodded.
— I think it's time for us to leave.
The lightning around Evans immediately crackled more fiercely.
— Leave?
When I'm not finished with you?
You want to run?
Zahkariel raised an eyebrow.
— Me? Run?
Why would I?
I've obtained something precious.
I can leave peacefully, can't I?
Brakk coughed.
— I'm the "something precious," aren't I?
— In part, Zahkariel replied calmly.
Evans clenched his fists.
— Absolutely not!
I'm not satisfied.
Liora sighed.
— Let it go, Evans.
You'll surely have another chance to fight him.
Evans growled.
The electricity around him intensified.
The sand began to melt beneath his feet.
Lya raised her hand.
— Calm down, Pikachu.
Silence.
Lightning exploded briefly.
— I AM NOT PIKACHU.
Nova tried to keep a straight face.
— Calm down.
Maybe you could ask for a fight against a hunter.
Evans' eyes lit up.
— I can choose?
Valor nodded.
— He's too obsessed with fighting.
Ryn added calmly:
— It's an addiction.
Elvis blew a cold breeze.
— He should seek counseling.
Evans pointed at everyone.
— You're all jealous.
Lya raised an eyebrow.
— Jealous of what?
— Of my motivation.
Nova stifled a laugh.
— Yes, of course.
Mira discreetly approached Nightmare.
— Is he always like this?
Nightmare answered without hesitation:
— No.
Pause.
— Sometimes it's worse.
Zahkariel began to walk away.
— We're leaving.
Evans stepped forward.
— We're not finished!
Zahkariel turned his head slightly.
— We haven't even started.
Brakk raised his hand once more.
— Can someone explain why I feel like my life just turned into a series with too many seasons?
Mister Mind replied calmly:
— Because it has.
The narrator concluded:
— In this ruined desert,
pacts were sealed,
artifacts stored,
alliances fragile…
But the real danger remained the same:
A certain electric hunter
desperate for combat.
Chapter 398 — Recruitment, Equations, and Electric Mouse
Mister Mind adjusted his mask slightly.
— I think it's time for us to return.
In his shadow, a smile appeared.
But in Samael's shadow too.
The two shadows seemed to look at each other… and smile.
Haya sighed.
— We're not out of the woods yet.
Bloodweaver shrugged.
— Why? They're just lunatics.
— Not as much as you.
Mira timidly raised her hand.
— I thought Mister Bloodweaver was the most lucid… like he told me?
Haya burst out laughing.
— Of course that's false. The most sane one here is me.
She pointed at Bloodweaver.
— Him, he's a specialist in poisons and human anatomy.
He does macabre experiments in his free time.
Bloodweaver paled.
— Stop ruining my reputation!
— What reputation? asked Haya innocently.
Bloodweaver turned to Mira.
— Don't listen to her. In this group, only I am sane. Even Nightmare can testify.
Mira blinked.
— But… Nightmare is only a few hours older than me. How can he be a credible witness?
Silence.
Nightmare crossed his arms, solemn.
— Age is not a matter of duration… but of maturity.
Haya stared at him.
— You said that because you read an inspiring scroll ten minutes ago.
Brakk raised his hand.
— If it helps, me and Bloodweaver are the only sane ones here.
Everyone turned toward him.
— Exactly, he continued proudly.
Who, besides us two, can calmly discuss while people stop time, manipulate cosmic pacts, and open portals?
Haya raised an eyebrow.
— Innocent doesn't mean sane.
— I'm not innocent!
— You signed a pact without reading the fine print.
— IT WAS WRITTEN SMALL!
Samael raised his hand.
— My children. Let's return to the guild.
In Haya's mind, complex equations began to form.
Arcane symbols spun around her like a cosmic blackboard.
Her aura released slightly.
The pressure became crushing.
Brakk stepped back.
— What's she doing now?
Bloodweaver observed calmly.
— She's casting a spell.
Haya raised a hand.
A simple mudra.
A sign.
Space bent.
A dimensional portal opened.
Brakk blinked.
— Wait… She didn't use a mudra when she brought us here.
Mister Mind replied calmly:
— It depends on the caster's level of mastery.
She uses Arcane magic.
Brakk frowned.
— I don't remember seeing Valor make signs or chant.
Samael smiled.
— It depends on the level of mastery.
And besides… making signs is stylish.
Pause.
— And when she stopped time for two seconds, she made a sign. You just didn't notice.
Brakk froze.
— Now that you mention it…
Haya walked past him.
— Don't get ideas.
It's just for style.
— So you could do without it?
— Yes.
— Then why do you—
— For. The. Style.
Brakk nodded.
— Respect.
---
**Hunters' Side**
Liora sighed.
— Let's go home too.
Evans raised his hand.
— Fine. I'll go first.
He vanished in an explosion of lightning.
Silence.
Nova calmly packed his instruments.
— He's going to blow something up again.
— Probably an innocent landscape, replied Lya.
An ozone blast filled the air.
A lightning bolt struck the ground.
Evans appeared, unstable golden aura.
— Valentine, we're moving.
Valentine, sitting on a crate, looked up.
— Ah. He's back.
— Zahkariel fled. Samael made a pact. Everything's a mess.
Lya arrived behind him.
— He forgets to mention he has a new codename.
Evans froze.
— Lya. Don't. Say. Anything.
— It's cute though.
She leaned toward Valentine.
— We call him Pikachu.
Silence.
The lightning shifted from yellow to pure white.
— I'M GOING TO VAPORIZE YOU ALL!
Valentine sighed.
— Pikachu, huh? That explains why you need a Cheri berry.
— EVEN YOU?!
Delta intervened.
— Stop yelling.
Xander stifled a laugh.
— Honestly, I get why he's yelling. How can you call a guy like that Pikachu?
Lya shrugged.
— He crackles, he jumps around, he has anger fits…
The comparison was inevitable.
Evans pointed a trembling finger at her.
— I AM A GOD OF THUNDER!
Valentine crossed her arms.
— Yes. Plush version.
Nova whispered to Liora:
— He's going to blow up a mountain.
In the distance.
BOOM.
— Too late.
---
**Sanctuary of Whispers**
Brakk paced nervously.
Mister Mind placed a scroll on a table.
— Sign here.
— What is it?
— Your membership form for Samael's Assassin Guild.
Brakk paled.
— I didn't agree!
Haya gave him a light smack on the back of the head.
— Dad paid an SSS-rank debt for you, mosquito.
Sign before I test my new curses.
Mira approached.
— Can't we just absorb him?
Nightmare intervened.
— No.
We don't eat colleagues.
At least… not before the trial period ends.
Mister Mind nodded.
— We have ethics.
Brakk trembled.
— What's the trial period?
Haya drew a dark dagger.
— If you're still alive in ten minutes, you get the job.
Bloodweaver raised a finger.
— Job benefits:
• Dynamic atmosphere
• Dimensional travel
• Variable survival chances
— Life insurance? asked Brakk.
— No.
— Vacation?
— Neither.
— Meal vouchers?
— You are the voucher.
Silence.
Brakk signed.
Very quickly.
Very, very quickly.
In the distance, Evans blew up a second hill.
The narrator concluded:
Diplomacy was over.
Recruitment had begun.
And somewhere in the Omniverse,
a god of thunder was still trying to convince the world
he wasn't an electric mouse.
Chapter 399 — God of Thunder, Updated
Evans no longer shouted.
He no longer moved.
The air around him vibrated at such a low frequency that the windows of the remaining buildings shattered one after another.
The yellow lightning vanished.
A crown of blue electric plasma rose around him, forming a pillar linking the ground to the clouds.
Valentine stepped back.
Her mocking smile had just gone on vacation.
— Evans… calm down. We were joking.
He slowly turned his head.
His eyes were no longer eyes.
Two slits of blinding light.
When he spoke, it was not a sound.
It was a pressure in their ribs.
— Laugh while you can.
The desert fell silent.
— But never forget why lightning always strikes the mountain's peak.
He raised a finger toward the sky.
Total silence.
Even the wind decided it wasn't its day.
His aura distorted the air.
Time itself seemed hesitant to keep functioning.
Delta fell to his knees.
— It's… heavy…
Xander snapped his grimoire shut.
— Okay.
We stop the jokes. Definitely.
No more Pokémon.
The narrator, very serious:
— You can laugh at a sleeping lion…
But when it wakes, you remember why it is King.
Nova looked at his watch.
Tapped the dial.
— Done? Or do you want five more dramatic minutes?
Silence.
The plasma pillar flickered.
Evans stayed still for a second.
Then blinked.
The pressure dropped.
The blue lightning retracted into his skin, leaving faint smoke drifting from his shoulders.
He took a deep breath.
Stretched.
— Feels good… doesn't it?
A shocked silence answered him.
Lya put a hand on her hip.
— Oh, he's fine.
After nearly folding the multiverse like a towel…
Mister says it feels good.
Valor raised a solemn finger.
— Only the Great Valor has the right to use Aura Release to flex.
You don't have administrative authorization.
Evans blinked.
— You need authorization?
Ryn nodded.
— Form A-38.
Three signatures.
Official seal.
Delta, still on the ground:
— And collateral damage insurance…
Xander raised his hand.
— By the way… you had way too much aura.
Evans straightened his shoulders, proud.
— Thanks for the compliment.
— That wasn't a compliment.
— I'll take it anyway.
Valentine put away her light bow.
She approached and patted his shoulder.
A bit too hard.
A small spark shot out reflexively.
— We know, Evans. We follow you.
Even when you throw your "God-King" tantrum every two hours.
Delta picked up his shield.
— I'm going to start billing for auditory trauma.
Nova looked at the still-smoking sky.
— Seriously, you made the weather tremble.
Lya crossed her arms.
— Wait until I tell Liora.
Evans froze.
— You won't tell her anything.
— Oh yes.
— Lya.
— Yes?
— Don't forget I can call down lightning.
She shrugged.
— And I can call down your reputation.
Silence.
Xander whispered to Delta:
— She won.
Delta nodded.
— Definitely.
Evans sighed.
— Fine… sorry about all that.
I got a little carried away.
Valentine tilted her head.
— A little?
Nova raised three fingers.
— Cosmic threat level: 8.5 out of 10.
Ryn corrected.
— 9.
He made my weapon vibrate.
Valor struck a dramatic pose.
— Next time you want to impress someone…
Just do an artistic lightning bolt.
— An artistic lightning bolt?
— Yes.
Aim at the sky, make a classy little sound, everyone applauds.
Xander added:
— No need to announce the Apocalypse at every joke.
Evans ran a hand through his hair.
— You're exaggerating.
In the distance, a mountain slowly collapsed.
Everyone turned their heads.
Nova:
— What was that?
Evans looked away.
— The wind.
Silence.
Valentine narrowed her eyes.
— Wind doesn't melt rock.
— It was motivated wind.
The narrator concluded:
He was no longer the electric mouse.
He was no longer the walking tantrum.
He was a God of Thunder.
…
Who needed a short timeout after every existential crisis.
And somewhere, in another dimension,
Haya sneezed.
— Someone just did another huge cosmic blunder.
Mister Mind looked up from his scroll.
— Evans?
— Evans.
Brakk sighed.
— I feel like my trial period is going to be more dangerous than expected.
Chapter 400 — Trial Period (Non-refundable)
**Sanctuary of Whispers.**
Brakk still held the quill above the shadow parchment.
The quill smoked.
The parchment whispered.
Literally.
— Sign… sign… sign…
Brakk swallowed hard.
— Why is the contract talking to me?
Mister Mind adjusted his mask.
— It's a feature.
Built-in motivation.
Haya crossed her arms.
— It's mostly because it's hungry.
— The contract is hungry?!
— It consumes hesitation, Samael explained calmly.
And you hesitate a lot.
The parchment swallowed a small gray cloud that escaped Brakk's head.
— Hey! That was an important thought!
Nightmare looked over his shoulder.
— No.
It was "what if I jumped out the window."
Brakk stiffened.
— HOW DID YOU—
— I'm the incarnation of nightmares.
I do this to relax.
Mira innocently raised her hand.
— Can we keep him if he's funny?
Bloodweaver sighed.
— Mira, he's not a hamster.
— Can we still give him a wheel?
Brakk:
— I'M RIGHT HERE.
Samael approached.
Calm. Elegant. Smiling.
The kind of smile that signs pacts before breakfast.
— Brakk, my boy.
It's just a formality.
— A formality that could cost me my soul!
Mister Mind tilted his head.
— Oh no.
Your soul is in Annex B.
Brakk turned pale.
Haya cracked her fingers.
— Sign.
Dad paid an SSS-rank debt for you.
— I didn't ask you for anything!
— Exactly, Bloodweaver replied.
That's what makes it generous.
---
**Meanwhile… in the still-smoking desert.**
Evans stared at the sky.
Valentine chewed something.
— What's that?
— A Cheri berry.
Silence.
— Seriously?
— You never know.
If you reboot in "Apocalypse Pillar" mode, I'll throw it at you.
Delta nodded.
— Solid plan.
Xander raised his grimoire.
— I added a note:
"Don't provoke Evans after 6 PM."
Ryn observed the vitrified ground.
— He still melted two kilometers of sand.
Valor put his hands on his hips.
— Hmph.
Acceptable performance.
Evans raised an eyebrow.
— Acceptable?
— Yes.
The Great Valor would have done three kilometers.
— You want to test that?
Valor stepped back.
— It's not a competition.
It's… a technical evaluation.
---
**Back at the Sanctuary.**
Brakk trembled.
— What exactly is the trial period?
Haya answered without hesitation:
— If you survive ten missions.
— TEN?!
Mister Mind corrected:
— Technically eight.
Two are educational.
— EDUCATIONAL?!
Nightmare patted Brakk's shoulder.
— The first, you observe.
The second, you scream.
The third, you run.
Mira tilted her head.
— And the fourth?
Bloodweaver replied calmly:
— We improvise.
Brakk looked at Samael.
— You're all insane.
Samael placed a hand on his shoulder.
Warm. Worrying.
— No, Brakk.
He smiled.
— We are organized.
Silence.
The parchment whispered louder.
— Sign sign sign sign…
Haya released a micro-pressure of aura.
Brakk felt his knees shake.
— OK OK OK!
He signed.
Instantly, the parchment absorbed the ink… then glowed.
A mark appeared on Brakk's hand.
A small rune.
Mira clapped.
— He got a tattoo!
Nightmare studied the rune.
— Congratulations.
You are officially in permanent danger.
Brakk looked at his hand.
— I already regret this.
---
**At the same time. In the desert.**
A miniature lightning bolt struck Evans' head.
Zap.
Everyone froze.
Evans blinked.
— … Why did I hit myself?
Xander checked his grimoire.
— Karmic backlash.
Valentine burst out laughing.
— The mountain got revenge.
Ryn added:
— Or the multiverse pressed "reminder."
Evans crossed his arms.
— Very funny.
A second mini-bolt.
Zap.
Delta couldn't hold back.
— Okay, that one was deserved.
---
**Sanctuary.**
Mister Mind noticed a subtle vibration in the air.
His shadow smiled.
— Interesting…
Samael felt the same.
— He pushed too far again.
Haya sighed.
— He's going to end up cracking something important.
Bloodweaver shrugged.
— As long as it's not our dimension.
A microscopic fissure appeared in the ceiling.
Everyone looked up.
Silence.
The fissure vanished.
Mira:
— What was that?
Nightmare:
— Probably Evans.
Brakk looked around.
— Can I still cancel?
The whole group:
— No.
---
**The narrator concluded:**
Chapter 400.
A contract signed.
A God of Thunder under surveillance.
A Guild recruiting.
And somewhere…
The multiverse had just opened a file.
File name:
"Evans — To be monitored."