"It has been a long time since I last led my army into battle."
Odin watched the screen with calm eyes, waiting for the Blood Pool to reappear.
The last time he had commanded his forces in war was centuries ago.
He had believed such days were long behind him, that he would never again need to personally march into battle. But now, with the Blood Pool appearing, he had no choice but to remain vigilant.
The monstrous creatures shown on the screen—some over a hundred meters, even towering over a thousand—were a threat he could not ignore.
Odin himself could stand against such beasts, but the rest of Asgard's warriors? They might not be so fortunate.
"Loki, this will be your first time fighting alongside Asgard's army. Stay alert and use your cursed sword wisely."
Odin turned to Loki, his tone firm.
"Yes, Father."
Loki responded with a slight bow and a smile.
"Heh, this coward actually came along? We won't have to babysit him, will we?"
"Yeah, he only relies on that cursed sword for necromancy. At his core, he's still a coward. He better not slow us down."
The ones whispering were Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg, and Sif, Thor's closest comrades.
They had never respected Loki's cautious and cunning nature. Unlike the Asgardian ideal of direct combat, Loki's preference for deception and strategy made him an outcast among the warriors.
And the fact that he practiced necromancy—a magic far removed from Asgard's values—only made them look down on him more.
Loki, of course, heard everything. His expression flickered with annoyance.
But he did not retaliate. That was not his way.
Instead, he smiled coldly.
He would teach them a lesson when the time was right.
...
Thanos' Fleet
"My Lord, what shall we do?"
Corvus Glaive turned to Thanos, awaiting his command.
"Earth is too far away. We don't need to act… yet."
Thanos' gaze remained locked on the screen.
"A pity… But no matter how many creatures that Blood Pool produces, they would be nothing before the Power Stone. And with the Mind Stone, I could bend them to my will."
Thanos sighed slightly, somewhat regretful that the Blood Pool was not within his reach.
If it had appeared closer, he could have intervened immediately.
Perhaps, through this screen, he could even accelerate his collection of the Infinity Stones…
For now, like everyone else, he waited for the screen to reveal the next appearance of the Blood Pool.
But instead of providing a timeline, the screen displayed something unexpected.
...
SCP Foundation's Research on the Blood Pool
["The SCP Foundation once attempted to drain the Blood Pool completely, hoping to uncover what lay at its depths."]
["However, this proved impossible. As they siphoned more and more liquid, the process became exponentially difficult. The pipes would become clogged, and extraction devices would malfunction or break down. No matter how many times they replaced their equipment, the results remained the same."]
["Realizing the limitations of draining the pool, the Foundation made a bolder decision—to send a Special Task Force into the depths using a submersible."]
["Previous attempts to explore the Blood Pool's depths had ended in disaster. The deeper a submersible descended, the more viscous the liquid became. Eventually, submarines would get stuck, unable to move, until they were devoured by the creatures lurking below. This led to the suspension of the project."]
["However, after the recent revelation that the Blood Pool could release over ten million creatures at once, the Foundation's leadership decided they could not afford to remain ignorant any longer."]
["Thus, the SCP Foundation invested vast resources into developing a new type of submersible, capable of withstanding the extreme viscosity of the Blood Pool's depths. They handpicked their strongest Special Task Force members to pilot it, sending them on a mission to uncover the origins of the creatures."]
["With the entire Foundation watching, the Task Force boarded the submersible and began their descent."]
["At a depth of 3,000 meters, the team felt the crushing weight of the viscous fluid around them—like being trapped in molasses. Movement was nearly impossible."]
["However, their submersible had been designed to resist this pressure, allowing them to continue descending."]
["At 4,000 meters, the pressure became so extreme that no known human submersible could survive it. Even inside their specially-built vessel, the Task Force members felt an oppressive force, as if their very souls were being watched."]
["Despite their discomfort, they pushed forward. They descended past 7,000 meters… then 8,000 meters… then 9,000 meters… finally reaching 10,000 meters below the surface."]
["At this depth, the Blood Pool's viscosity reached an unimaginable extreme, making further movement nearly impossible."]
["But before they could take further action, something strange happened."]
["The overwhelming viscosity vanished—as if it had never existed."]
["Suddenly, their submersible began to rise—not because they commanded it to, but as if it were being ejected."]
["Within seconds, despite having descended over 10,000 meters, they found themselves back at the surface."]
["And the world around them had completely changed."]
["Everything was different. The surrounding landscape was barren and desolate, a wasteland stretching as far as the eye could see."]
["The sun above was blindingly bright and unbearably hot—just standing beneath it for a few moments caused the crew to sweat profusely."]
["The team decided to explore their surroundings before determining their next course of action."]
Expedition Log – Day 1:
["We are beginning to understand just how dangerous this place truly is. Everywhere we look, we see monsters engaged in battle, devouring each other. It seems like two different species are at war, constantly hunting one another."]
["More disturbingly… every creature we've seen so far has appeared in our own world before."]
["The deeper we go, the more familiar these creatures become. These are the same monsters that have invaded our world through the Blood Pool."]
["We have no choice but to proceed with extreme caution. If we are discovered, we won't just die—we will be completely erased, leaving not even a trace behind."]
Expedition Log – Day 2:
["This world's day and night cycle is abnormal. We expected nightfall after several hours, yet the sun remained in the sky. It was only after what felt like an eternity that it finally set, plunging the land into darkness."]
["During today's exploration, we made a startling discovery—a deserted tent camp that had been abandoned for some time."]
["The implications are chilling… Humans have been here before."]
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][www.p@treon.com/zaelum]
[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[Thank You For Your Support!]