Just call me Thor

Chapter 566  Who are you?

When the mystery unraveled, everything became clear. Nathan was Morpheus. Morpheus was Nathan! Looking back now, Mike could recall the day he first encountered Shadow Nine. From that very moment, the old trickster had been deceiving him! Or rather, they had been deceiving everyone for nearly three centuries. Nathan's death was an open secret among the highest echelons of humanity. But only *those* at the very top knew. And by "the top," it meant a level so high that even someone like Joseph, a Nine-Star Lord, couldn't reach it. During the darkest days of the Blood War, when the abyssal forces blanketed the earth and humanity teetered on the brink of extinction, humanity needed a Supreme Being more than ever. Morpheus… couldn't die. Humanity needed the Supreme Being Morpheus to remain alive. At first, the news of Morpheus's death was kept secret to preserve morale. His influence as a symbol was simply too immense. If the world learned of his death, it could have shattered the war effort, plunging everything into chaos and despair. They had no choice but to fabricate the illusion that Morpheus was still alive. During that time, Shadow Nine played the role of Morpheus. Cedric played the role of Morpheus. Even Calderon played the role of Morpheus… until his foul mouth got him kicked out of the "Morpheus Impersonation Squad." It wasn't until Ares emerged that humanity finally breathed a sigh of relief. When the Blood War ended, and humanity, under Ares's leadership, gained the upper hand against the abyss, the question of whether to reveal Morpheus's death resurfaced. Some argued for disclosure. Others insisted on continued secrecy. Ares hadn't even had the chance to weigh in when Shadow Nine stepped forward. He invoked the Supreme Being's veto power and insisted on keeping the secret. The reason was simple: Shadow Nine had been planning to resurrect Nathan from the very beginning. In fact, in some twisted way, Shadow Nine had always believed Nathan wasn't truly dead. He was just… tired. He needed a long rest. And so, 297 years after Nathan's death, humanity's fourth potential Supreme Being, Thor, emerged. In Thor, Shadow Nine saw hope for Nathan's resurrection. Without hesitation, Shadow Nine plunged into the Supreme Abyssal to set his final plan into motion. Before leaving, Shadow Nine told Mike a lie. He only admitted to being Nathan's shadow, claiming the real Nathan was dead and that he wanted to bring him back. In Mike's subconscious, Morpheus was alive, Nathan was dead, and thus, they were naturally two different people. It wasn't until today that Mike finally understood the half-truth Shadow Nine had left unsaid. In hindsight, the signs had always been there. Mike just hadn't noticed—or perhaps he had, but he'd been subconsciously denying the possibility all along. When he first met Shadow Nine, the Eye of Truth had said that Shadow Nine and Morpheus had been childhood friends. That statement alone explained everything! Shadow Nine was Morpheus's shadow! During their trials, Shadow Nine had been obsessed with collecting Morpheus's embarrassing past but had never once mentioned Nathan's. Why didn't Shadow Nine know about the words Morpheus had carved into the walls? Why did he need Mike to collect those embarrassing moments? Because he was a shadow. He could only see the ceiling, not the walls! In the Forest of Truth, Mike had found Nightmare's Breeze. *Nightmare's Breeze* was Morpheus's SSS-grade equipment, yet it had been abandoned in the Forest of Truth, broken beyond repair. The meaning behind this was already obvious. In the Forest of Truth, on the Monument of Faith, Morpheus had left behind some words.

He was truly dead. Even after Mike completed the poem, Shadow Nine had shamelessly added his own name to it. Even the bizarre "Godfather" drama surrounding Maxen now made sense. From the very beginning, Maxen had been the Supreme Son. As Morpheus's biological son, Maxen had received the highest privileges, including being placed in cryostasis to await the arrival of the next potential Supreme Being. Nathan. Ares. Maxen had only one biological father and one godfather. Looking back now, the cracks in Shadow Nine's story were glaringly obvious. Deep down, Mike had always believed two things: 1. Humanity's Supreme Being was invincible. 2. Morpheus was still alive. With these two beliefs, Mike had subconsciously ignored the possibility of anything else. All the contradictions had been buried under these assumptions. Now that he understood the truth, Mike felt the weight on his shoulders grow heavier. Among humanity's three generations of Supreme Beings: The first had already fallen. Mike's face turned pale as a thought struck him. His body swayed slightly. In the Forest of Truth, he had taken Nightmare's Breeze.

And he had taken something else… Mike lowered his head, staring at the Thunderclap Hammer at his waist, speechless. "Thor, what's wrong with you?" Maxen noticed Mike's strange behavior and frowned. "Did you eat something expired?" Something had been off about him for a while now. "No." Mike took a deep breath and explained, "The Supreme Demon God is coming. I'm a little scared." "Don't be!" Maxen's gaze shifted forward, his eyes brimming with confidence. They had known Apollo was coming for a while now. With humanity's Supreme Being Apollo here, what was there to fear? Mike forced a smile, tugging at the corners of his mouth, but said nothing more. The two of them moved forward, ignoring the Fifth Demon God nearby. The Fifth Demon God, understanding the situation, wisely chose to remain silent. He wanted to die, not be tortured. He knew better than anyone when to provoke and when to stay quiet. Besides, he was far more curious about how Thor would react now that he knew the truth. Unlike the Fifth Demon God, Thor was genuinely afraid of death. And now that Thor knew humanity's Supreme Beings could indeed fall, what would he choose? The Fifth Demon God was eager to find out. So eager, in fact, that he was willing to live a few seconds longer just to see it. Mike glanced at the butterfly. His Adam's apple bobbed as he tried to speak but hesitated. "My second bro, he…" "He's still alive." Mike never expected Apollo to interrupt him. The butterfly flapped its wings once, then added thoughtfully, "At least for now." … Ares was injured. Mike had known this for a while. Surviving a battle with the Supreme Demon God was already a miracle. In terms of actual combat records, Ares was the only one to have ever survived a fight with the Supreme Demon God. At least that was some good news. Mike didn't ask any further questions. He had mostly figured out the truth about Morpheus. As for Ares, he would go to the abyss himself and ask him directly. Now, the group stood in a line, silently watching the sky, waiting for what was to come. Everyone knew what was hidden behind the dark curtain above. Everyone was waiting—for it to arrive. The butterfly flew off Michael's shoulder and landed on Maxen's. Mike gave Maxen a sympathetic look. Maxen: ??? What's with that look? As for why the butterfly had chosen his shoulder, Maxen had no idea. But Mike knew. It meant that in the upcoming battle, Maxen was the most likely to die. Poor kid. Michael, who had finally managed to be a good person in this life, wore an expression like a crumpled piece of paper—wrinkled, torn between laughter and tears, utterly absurd. This was a scene he had never witnessed in this life or the last. He wanted to whisper to Thor that he had truly been a good person this time. But after thinking about it, he didn't dare speak. Mike glanced at him and sighed helplessly. "At least change your pants. Why are they wet?" "Ah, my bad. Sorry about that." With Thor's words, Michael finally dared to move. He quietly hid behind the big shots, trying his best to become invisible. "Wait, there's something I need to clarify," the Fifth Demon God suddenly said, his tone unusually serious. "I didn't open the Supreme Abyssal." Maxen looked surprised. "I know. I never said I was going to blame you for it." The Fifth Demon God ignored Maxen and instead looked past him, directly at Thor. This was meant for Thor. "Oh." Mike nodded, analyzing the situation seriously. "You saw the Archdemon open the Supreme Abyssal and didn't stop him. That makes you partially responsible, doesn't it?" The Fifth Demon God: ??? "Just curious," Mike said casually. "Why are you the Fifth Demon God and not the Sixth or Fourth?" He couldn't shake the feeling that there was some significance to it. The Fifth Demon God, surprisingly cooperative, seemed more willing to talk now. In truth, he could afford to ignore Ares. He could afford to ignore Shadow Nine. But he couldn't afford to ignore Apollo. "Let me think…" The Fifth Demon God fell into deep thought. He remembered. Back when the abyss first opened and there were no rankings yet, a young man had accidentally stumbled into the abyss, clueless and naive. At first, everyone thought Morpheus's first foray into the abyss would be a bloodbath. But to everyone's surprise, the Fifth Demon God hadn't attacked Morpheus. Instead, he had hosted a banquet in his honor. Their first meeting had been a drunken affair, with Nathan slapping the Demon God on the shoulder and saying: "Bro, let me tell you something. Never aim to be the top villain." The Demon God, equally drunk, had slurred, "Hic—why not?" Nathan had explained seriously, "The top spot is always a figurehead. It's risky, low-reward, and you'll never make it to the finale."

The Demon God had nodded thoughtfully. "Good point, good point… Hey, son, come here and—wait, where's my son?" A messenger burst into the hall, shouting, "The prince has run away again!" "…" That memory was so absurd it felt unreal. The Fifth Demon God, snapping out of his recollection, wondered if Nathan had planted that memory in his mind. After all, when it came to soul manipulation, Nathan was a true master. Whether the memory was real or not, the Fifth Demon God would never tell anyone. He straightened his face and coldly said, "None of your damn business." Mike looked at him and asked another question. "How did you end up like this?" The Fifth Demon God sneered. "Why don't you ask his father?" The Fifth Demon God's tone dripped with disdain. The culprit behind his downfall? Surely Mike already knew. Back when the abyss first opened, the Fifth Abyss had been relatively insignificant, practically a bystander. In fact, during the early days of the Blood War, many abyssal forces had been passive. The Second Demon God had shut himself away to sleep. The Fifth Demon God had deliberately slacked off. The Thirteenth Demon God had been the most ridiculous of all… At that time, the Fifth Demon God had even maintained a private relationship with humanity's Supreme Being, Morpheus, occasionally lending a hand. Until one day, Morpheus had been invited to help the Fifth Demon God with a "medical issue." And that was when everything went wrong. The Fifth Demon God's psychological scars suddenly flared up as he recalled the past. "What was the question again…" Veins bulged on his forehead, his eyes turned bloodshot, and he teetered on the edge of a breakdown. "No, wait. I asked him a question… He said he had a theory… He said he'd confirm it in the Supreme Abyssal and tell me when he got back…" "What was the question? What was it?" The Fifth Demon God hadn't gone mad overnight. In truth, it had taken decades after Nathan's death for the Fifth Demon God to be driven completely insane, becoming the wreck he was now. Apollo, who had been silently listening all this time, suddenly moved. He didn't look at the Supreme Demon God descending from the sky. Instead, he turned to the Fifth Demon God and asked: "Who are you?"