Just call me Thor - Chapter 497

Chapter 497: What’s the big deal about losing? Just win it back!
The moment the battle truly began, Poseidon knew he’d made a mistake. A huge one! These guys looked ordinary, but when they attacked, each one was more ruthless than the last!

Vladimir, manipulating a puppet radiating divine aura, madly devoured Poseidon’s source, strengthening himself.

The Nature Elf Envoy stood in the distance, drawing her bow and arrow, taking her time with each shot. But every arrow severely wounded Poseidon, tracing a brilliant arc of light across the sky. These were her spoils, collected by Bilbo for their 70/30 split later. The bow and arrow, crafted from the source of a top-tier elven envoy, were comparable to SSS-grade equipment.

The Nature Elf Envoy followed Master Fool; he was her only lifeline. In truth, Master Fool’s temper wasn’t exactly pleasant, even bordering on volatile. The Nature Elf Envoy knew this was a rare opportunity to prove her worth to Master Fool. If she didn’t perform well, such chances would be hard to come by in the future…

Bilbo didn’t directly participate in the fight. As a goblin, he wasn’t known for his combat prowess. However, Bilbo had the sharpest eye among them. Under his scrutiny, Poseidon had no secrets.

Bilbo constantly called out weak points, directing the others to attack vital areas and plunder the most valuable resources, saving Mike a lot of trouble.

Mike could achieve the same effect with the Eye of Truth, but directing a gang-up on an elderly god felt a bit unethical. Mike was above such things!

The one who truly pressured Poseidon was the two-winged black angel, Gabriel!

*BOOM!*

Gabriel’s heavy blows sent Poseidon’s massive body flying, streams of shimmering light spilling forth. The results of each of Gabriel’s attacks were several times greater than the others combined!

“When did the angel race produce such a powerful being?!” Poseidon exclaimed, his voice laced with shock. “If you were to enter the Temple of Truth, you would surely have a place among the mountain peaks!”

Gabriel remained impassive.

*BOOM!*

He spread his wings, accelerating to his maximum speed, and unleashed another devastating punch.

“So much chatter,” Gabriel muttered, uninterested in Poseidon’s talk of temples and mountain peaks.

Due to their prior agreement, Poseidon could only endure the beating, unable to retaliate. Even so, he ignored the others’ attacks, fixated on Gabriel, utterly perplexed. Poseidon wanted an answer: why had such a powerful being like Gabriel become like this?

Not all questions have answers. Meeting a wall with Gabriel, Poseidon turned his gaze to Thor.

Having pocketed 50,000 Lord merits worth of materials from Poseidon, Mike gave him a new lesson: how to take the money and run. “Sorry, I deeply respect Gabriel’s personal wishes. If he doesn’t want to talk, I can’t force him!” Mike declared, his voice righteous and unwavering.

Vladimir and Dracula exchanged bewildered glances. *When have you ever respected the blood clan?* So unfair! Thor could be shameless, but Gabriel couldn’t.

Since Thor had taken Poseidon’s money, Gabriel felt obligated to provide an answer. He followed Thor for two reasons:

1. To repay the angel race’s debt. To be fair, of the countless enemies who crossed Thor, the angel race on the 32nd floor got off the easiest. Gabriel deserved at least half the credit for that.

2. Following Thor gave Gabriel a chance to see that swordsman (Sword Saint) again. He wanted to know what had become of him after his battle with the Supreme Demon God.

Gabriel stared at Poseidon, finally speaking, “You’re not a potential Supreme Being, you wouldn’t understand.”

A potential Supreme Being represented a race’s greatest hope of achieving Supreme Being status. Once on that path, there was no turning back. Only victory was allowed, not defeat! On the path to Supreme Being, it was winner takes all. What kind of Supreme Being loses?

After losing to Ares, Gabriel’s path to Supreme Being was severed. He could continue to grow stronger, break through to Quasi-God, even God. Even with a large realm difference, killing Poseidon wasn’t difficult for Gabriel. Within the same tier, Gabriel was already among the most powerful. Excluding the human Supreme Being, he was practically invincible. But he’d run into Ares.

“That… is true,” Mike nodded, acknowledging Gabriel’s perspective. Since Thor’s appearance, he’d fought hundreds of battles, big and small, without a single defeat!

When Gabriel met Ares’ projection again, Ares hadn’t even looked at him. The Supreme Being Ares no longer saw the former potential Supreme Being of the angel race.

The reason was simple: licking one’s wounds, striving for improvement, waiting for a chance to rise again… In Ares’ eyes, that wasn’t the way of a true hero!

If you meet an enemy, just slash them with your sword! If you can’t win, slash them again in a couple of days! Cowering and hiding, what kind of potential Supreme Being was that? What kind of Supreme Being at all?!

Back then, Ares spared Gabriel’s life to keep an interesting opponent. If he’d known Gabriel would spend so many years in a daze, he might as well have given him a quick death.

“My second bro has a move called Fate’s Reversal,” Mike suddenly said. All the powerful beings present stopped, listening intently.

Vladimir even took out a notebook and started taking notes! Dracula glared at Vladimir with disgust. Such blatant sycophancy, a disgrace to the blood clan!

Dracula decided that upon his return, he would convene a secret elder meeting and expel Vladimir from the blood clan.

Gabriel also paused, watching Thor quietly. He’d never seen that man use Fate’s Reversal.

“Do you know what Fate’s Reversal does?” Mike asked, noticing Gabriel’s confusion.

Simply put, it was a cheat code for invincibility. Gabriel’s confusion deepened. What did Fate’s Reversal have to do with him? What was Thor trying to say?

“What I mean is simple,” Mike said earnestly. “Even Ares, during his growth, was once forced into a desperate situation, compelled to create Fate’s Reversal.” Without a near-death experience, Ares wouldn’t have needed to create such a move.

Gabriel seemed to understand. A holy spotlight seemed to fall on Mike, making him appear even more imposing.

“On the path to Supreme Being, you must dare to win, but also dare to lose. A Supreme Being who has never faced adversity, even at level 1000, is still weak,” Mike declared coldly. “What’s the big deal about losing? Just win it back!”

His words resonated with power and conviction, blurring Thor’s image in everyone’s eyes.

“Well said,” Gabriel nodded slowly. Clearly, Thor’s words had touched his heart.

As Mike finished speaking, the spotlight faded, the aura dissipated.

“Next time, don’t use light elemental magic for the spotlight, it’s a bit too warm,” Mike instructed Vladimir. “If you do, combine it with ice elemental magic to cool things down.”

Vladimir nodded, diligently taking notes.

The spotlight had been artificially created.

Everyone else was speechless. Dracula rolled his eyes. A blood clan member learning light elemental magic? Vladimir wasn’t just rebellious anymore; he was sprinting down the path of betraying the Blood Ancestor.

After this brief interlude, the battle resumed. Although Poseidon couldn’t fight back, it wasn’t easy to wrest valuable items from him.

Fortunately, everyone present possessed unique skills. Bilbo kept track of the accounts for Mike, providing real-time updates as the battle progressed.

“Boss, at this rate, by the time he reaches level 990…” Bilbo reported a series of numbers. “Dracula will have collected about 1,050,000 worth of materials, Vladimir 650,000, Nature Elf Envoy 700,000, and Gabriel 2,100,000.”

According to Mike’s prior agreements, he’d take 1,000,000 from Dracula, then split the remaining 50,000 70/30, leaving Dracula with 15,000.

Vladimir’s situation was special; theoretically, all those materials belonged to Mike. However, Vladimir’s Blood Sea Puppet immediately devoured any materials taken from Poseidon! That account would need to be settled with Vladimir later.

Of the Nature Elf Envoy’s 700,000, 30% went to Master Fool, leaving Mike with 490,000.

Gabriel’s 2,100,000, needless to say, belonged entirely to Mike.

“A bountiful harvest!” Mike calculated. This was a truly massive haul! The 5,600,000 previously extorted from Poseidon, plus all these odds and ends, totaled 9,855,020 Lord merits! Nearly ten million!

“Gods are loaded!” Mike exclaimed, his future expenses secured. Thanks to Poseidon, he’d taken a significant step towards becoming the richest man in the human race!

Also, judging by his exploitation of Poseidon, a god’s net worth seemed to be around ten million Lord merits! Older gods like Poseidon had greater savings. Quasi-Gods like Pecker had thinner wallets, their most valuable asset being the Shadow Source. And even that was swindled by Shadow Nine.

Flush with nearly ten million Lord merits, Mike was in high spirits, turning his attention back to the battle. After a series of arduous fights, the level 997 Poseidon had plummeted to the brink of level 990! One more hit, and he would fall below 990, no longer the God of the Sea!

At this crucial moment, everyone tacitly stopped, withdrawing from the battlefield. Thor, wielding the Thunderclap Hammer, had already fully charged his attack.

“Thunderclap Strike!”

A bolt of lightning ended it all!

*BOOM!*

The Thunderclap Strike landed, shattering Poseidon’s godhood, extinguishing his divine fire, and destroying his divine body! The Temple of Truth also underwent a change; a sea stone detached from the foot of the mountains! Poseidon was officially removed from the Temple of Truth!

Having fallen to level 989, Poseidon revealed his true form for the first time.

A… sea cucumber?!

Everyone was stunned. Poseidon was a sea cucumber that had cultivated into a god! The contrast was simply too great!

Mike, with his Eye of Truth, wasn’t surprised. The charred sea cucumber, without a moment’s hesitation, tore through space, forcibly leaving the 34th floor.

For Poseidon, having fallen to level 989, he’d lost his godhood and his greatest protection! Every second wasted increased the danger! He had to act quickly to escape!

…

As he fled, Poseidon transformed back into his preferred form: a middle-aged woman with breasts the size of pumpkins. He was pulling out all the stops to survive.

Poseidon had plenty of enemies, and he was at his weakest! Moreover, he’d collaborated with the human race to become a demon god in the abyss. Many gods coveted this position and were eager to interfere.

“The meeting place should be here,” Poseidon, in his middle-aged woman disguise, muttered, scanning the Core City of Truth for his contact.

Soon, a burly man carrying a flail approached.

“Just you?” Poseidon asked, displeased. He’d expected the contact to be at least an Ultimate Lord! Even an Ultimate Lord would be above level 990, wouldn’t they? Who would have thought they’d send a level 989 nobody?

Maxen, seeing Poseidon’s state, knew he’d been thoroughly fleeced by Thor, feeling a pang of sympathy. He puffed out his chest reassuringly, “Don’t worry, I’m a big deal in the abyss. Nobody disrespects me!”

That… made sense. A Supreme Son might not be much, but a Supreme Being’s face carried weight.

“Then let’s go,” Poseidon urged impatiently. He didn’t want to stay in this wretched place a minute longer.

“Hold on, there’s one last procedure,” Maxen said, producing a prepared document. “Sign this IOU, and I’ll send you to the Eighth Abyss. I can even guarantee you’ll likely become the eighth demon god.”

An IOU?!

“I tolerated you making me deal with Thor!” Poseidon roared indignantly. “Now I’ve paid the money, lost levels, and you’re raising the price?!” Was there a single honest person left in the human race?!

“Don’t misunderstand,” Maxen explained patiently. “You can review the contents of the IOU and its activation conditions first.”

Poseidon took the document and scanned it. The content was simple: Poseidon owed 10,000,000 Lord merits, with a daily interest rate of 3.6%, no upper limit, payable with his life if he defaulted. And this IOU was quite interesting. It only required Poseidon’s signature, no oaths or enforcement mechanisms!

In other words, if Poseidon was bold enough, he could sign it, renege, and face no consequences! The only catch: the lender was Thor!

“This is a safeguard to ensure our sincere cooperation,” Maxen explained. “I’ll hold onto this IOU.”

*Not giving it to Thor?* Poseidon wondered. If he signed the IOU and the human race didn’t give it to Thor, what was the point of all this?

Maxen smiled guilelessly. “If you violate our agreement and harm the human race, this IOU will be handed over to Thor.”

Poseidon felt a chill run down his spine. Owing Thor 10,000,000 Lord merits with a 3.6% daily interest… Knowing Thor, even if Poseidon ascended to the Heavenly Realm, he’d still be hounded for the debt!

Poseidon’s face went blank, utterly numb.

Maxen patted his shoulder consolingly. “The human race promises not to use Thor for debt collection… first.”