Just call me Thor

Chapter 584:  Are you asking me to be your son?

"Do you really think this will work?" Afterskin looked at Shadow Nine, his eyes filled with doubt. If Nathan had said this, Afterskin would have believed it without question. But Shadow Nine? He lacked the credibility to inspire confidence. "Why would I lie to you?" Shadow Nine rolled his eyes, speaking with absolute conviction. "What could possibly go wrong in the river of time? You think the Supreme Demon God is going to pop out and eat you or something?" He paused for dramatic effect, then added, "And honestly, ask yourself—would the Supreme Demon God even want to eat someone as unlucky as you?" "..." Their banter made Calderon pause. He suddenly recalled the truth from years ago. Back then, during that fateful battle, Nathan had died, and the Supreme Demon God had been gravely injured. But even in his weakened state, the Supreme Demon God could have easily killed both Shadow Nine and Afterskin. The only reason they escaped the Supreme Abyssal alive was because the Supreme Demon God didn't want to eat Afterskin. In other words, even the Supreme Demon God found him too unlucky to bother with. This was one of the reasons Afterskin had always been so bold. "You know... that actually makes a lot of sense," Afterskin muttered, still hesitant. Calderon patted him on the shoulder and said earnestly, "If you really do get eaten by the Supreme Demon God, don't worry. Once we kill that bastard, I'll make sure to honor your sacrifice. I'll visit your grave every year!" With no better options, Afterskin reluctantly decided to take Shadow Nine's advice and take his chances in the river of time. "One more thing," Shadow Nine said seriously. "The time distortions in the river of time might mess with your perception. When you come out, only a few seconds might have passed—or it could be decades. Either way, it's better than staying in this hellhole." Afterskin nodded. "Got it." If they left him behind in the Supreme Abyssal, he'd be as good as dead once the fighting started. Taking a gamble in the river of time at least gave him a slim chance of survival. With the decision made, Shadow Nine wasted no time helping Afterskin prepare to leave. "When you're in the river of time, try to find something connected to you. It'll act like an anchor and help you stabilize yourself," Shadow Nine advised. His experience was extensive—after all, he had followed Ares into the river of time more than once. "The closer the connection, the stronger the anchor. It'll keep you from getting completely lost." Afterskin carefully memorized Shadow Nine's instructions. Taking a deep breath, he leapt forward with Shadow Nine's help, plunging into the chaotic currents of the river of time. The moment he entered, his sense of direction vanished. The world spun violently, folding and twisting around him as if he were being crumpled like paper. He had no ability to resist. Just as Afterskin thought he was about to lose himself completely, he sensed a faint, familiar presence in the river of time. There was no mistaking it—he recognized the source of this aura immediately. "My life-saving tree!" It was his life-saving tree! Relief washed over him. This was exactly what he needed. The aura was so vivid, it felt as though the tree truly existed within the river of time. Of course, Afterskin knew that was impossible. His life-saving tree didn't have legs. How could it have wandered into the river of time? Surely no one was crazy enough to carry a tree around all day, right? Afterskin focused on the aura, using it to stabilize himself. ---

In the dream... Mike stared at the child in front of him, lost in thought. What should he do next? "Sir, are we still playing?" The child asked again, his tone tinged with impatience. "Of course!" Mike replied. Since he was already here, what was there to be afraid of? As he picked up a stick, he made a deal with the child. "You won the last round, so I'll reward you with another game. Sound fair?" The child tilted his head, thinking for a moment, then nodded. It seemed reasonable enough. Mike's tone shifted as he added, "But this time, we can't use the same solution as before. No more brute force." He carefully set the rules of the game, leaving no loopholes. The child agreed, eager to have someone to play with. Together, they began rebuilding the stick structure, turning it into a cage once more. Just as the cage was about to take shape, a figure suddenly appeared inside it. The newcomer looked around curiously and muttered, "So this is the river of time? Where's the Supreme Abyssal? How am I supposed to find a white horse here..." It didn't take long for him to realize something was wrong. Afterskin stared at the two figures outside the cage—one large, one small. He recognized the larger one. It was Thor. But who was the kid? Afterskin's mind raced as he recalled Shadow Nine's warning: his subjective experience might only last a few seconds, but years could have passed in the outside world.

Looking at the child, Afterskin jumped to a wild conclusion. Thor had a kid now?! "Thor," Afterskin blurted out, "how old is your son?" Under normal circumstances, this would have been a ridiculous misunderstanding. Mike cleared his throat awkwardly, glancing at the child before introducing him. "Afterskin, let me introduce you. This is a Supreme Being... uh, not a human one... uh..." Mike was trying to be as tactful as possible. Whether Afterskin understood or not was up to him. Afterskin: ??? Not a human Supreme Being? Then who could it be? The moment Afterskin appeared, the child took a few steps back, his face full of disdain. He even hid behind Mike, peeking out cautiously. It was this reaction that had led Afterskin to mistake the child for Mike's son in the first place. When the truth finally dawned on him, Afterskin was utterly horrified. He would've been better off staying in the Supreme Abyssal to die! Afterskin was completely paralyzed with fear. Meanwhile, Mike had to figure out how to handle the situation. He turned to the child, who had retreated even further, clearly disgusted by Afterskin. Mike crouched down in front of the child, studying his reaction. The child's eyes were filled with confusion as he asked curiously, "What does 'son' mean?" "Uh..." Mike scratched his head, trying to explain. "A son, in human terms, refers to a close blood relationship... but don't take it seriously." "Blood relationship?" The child raised a hand, and two phantoms appeared in front of him—one of Maxen, the other of Ares. He repeated Mike's words. "Blood relationship?" By the child's understanding, these two didn't share a blood relationship. So why was Maxen considered Ares' son? Mike: ... For a moment, he had no idea how to explain Maxen's peculiar situation to the Supreme Demon God. Taking a deep breath, Mike patiently clarified, "They don't have a blood relationship, so Maxen isn't Ares' biological son. He's a godson. A godfather and godson don't need to be related by blood." Even as he spoke, the mental pressure of explaining this to the Supreme Demon God was overwhelming. "So..." The child tilted his head, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. "Are you asking me to be your son?" Mike: ... Afterskin was completely dumbfounded. He was already racking his brain, trying to figure out how to prevent Mike from becoming the Supreme Demon God's godfather. That would be the joke of the century. But when Afterskin tried to move, he realized the cage around him wasn't ordinary. With his strength, there was no way to escape. Unless something unexpected happened, he was likely going to spend the rest of his life trapped here—with the Supreme Demon God as his only companion. "Let's not talk about sons for now," Mike said, trying to steer the conversation away. He pointed at the cage. "How about we keep playing?" The child shook his head and said seriously, "Unlucky." Judging by his tone, Afterskin's unluckiness had been officially recognized by the Supreme Demon God. Even the Supreme Demon God didn't want to deal with him. Without the child's help, Mike had no chance of breaking the cage on his own. He kicked the cage twice, but it didn't budge. The child had been able to destroy it with a single slap because he was strong enough to brute-force his way through. At Thor's current level, that was impossible. He'd need to reach level 1000 to even have a chance. Mike turned to Afterskin and said seriously, "If you have any last words, now's the time to say them." Trapped in the cage, Afterskin would remain stuck in this dream. Whether he survived the next encounter with the Supreme Demon God was anyone's guess. Afterskin sighed and said helplessly, "I want to find a tree that once saved my life. If you happen to see it near the river of time, please bring it back for me..." Mike finally understood why Afterskin had ended up here. Sighing, Mike stepped forward and said, "We still have some time. Let me see if I can figure out how to break this cage. You should try to think of something too." Both men knew there was no point in wasting words. They immediately got to work, studying the cage for a solution. The child, meanwhile, squatted in the distance, refusing to even look at Afterskin. He clearly found him too unlucky to bother with. Mike examined the cage from every angle but couldn't make any progress. Even the Supreme Demon God hadn't been able to break it without brute force. This cage was a fusion of Ares' 100,000 sword energies, Morpheus' Dream Come True, and Thor's overactive imagination. In other words, it was a combination of three Supreme Beings' powers. "Impressive," a new voice suddenly echoed through the space. Mike froze, his expression turning strange. Was this dream getting a little too crowded? Why were more and more people showing up? n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

And that voice, that tone, that style... Could it be—?! Mike turned around and saw a familiar swordsman. The moment Ares' phantom appeared, the child shrank into a corner, his face full of apprehension.