1. Gods of Fear

Time passed to 2012.

At the beginning of the year, there were various rumors about the "end of the world", the most famous of which was that some folk scientists quoted the prophecies left by the mysterious Mayan civilization.

The fifth solar period is coming to an end.

The end of the world will come on the winter solstice in 2012, when the entire world will be destroyed by a climate change-induced flood.

They not only dug up this ancient language from the pile of old papers, but even produced a variety of data and unclear numerical models to demonstrate.

Anyway, no matter what the method is, there is only one result.

That is, the earth will usher in the end!

No one can be saved!

This prophecy was reposted by the melon-eaters who watched the excitement and didn't think it was a big deal, causing public opinion to be restless for a while, and even some sincere believers fell into panic because of this, and were deceived by unscrupulous scammers.

Officials don't care much about that.

Prophecy, it's always like this.

At the end of the 20th century, some people used the language of the great prophet Nostradamus, saying that 1999 would be the end of the world, but everyone survived safely?

Let the rumors go, as long as it doesn't affect social order, it's fine.

Putting aside those unfounded rumors among the people, is 2012 really the end of the world?

yes!

It really is.

At least in this cast of stars it is.

However, this end of the world is not the same as the great flood that people know. According to the repeated calculations of Merlin Riley, the lord of hell, the evolution of this group of stars will be completely completed on the winter solstice in 2012.

On that day, the blockade of the stars will also be lifted, and the cosmic furnace will be ignited on that day, and the flame ignited by the energy injected from the outside will burst out from the center of the cosmic circle with scorching light.

Completely destroy the false era that currently exists.

The Supreme God and the giant beast, which represent the two sides of the will of the universe, will serve as the basis for the existence of the real world. After their doomed death, their bodies will turn into stairs leading to the real world.

The first era in the true sense of the stars will come, and everything that exists, like a waking dream, will completely perish in the changing era.

That's a sign of a universe alive.

It is also the end of the "trial run" phase.

It's like a bunch of messy data will be completely deleted from the database, leaving a complete system that has been tested and ready for the real work.

There is no doubt that it will be a new world full of sunshine and warmth.

But it will no longer have anything to do with this dying age.

That was truly the end of the world.

It is close at hand.

"ding dong"

In the early morning, in a bar in New York, the door of the store was pushed open, and the bell hanging on the door was dialed to tell the clerks that a customer was coming.

Mephisto, who was wearing a windbreaker, was holding a roll of newspapers, reading the lace news in the newspaper with relish.

Just flicking his burning tail like that, he walked towards the bar.

The old devil with the most gorgeous beard sat down on the high chair, his eyes still resting on the newspaper in his hand.

Like countless ordinary office workers, it reached out and tapped on the bar with its sharp claws, and said without raising its head:

"A glass of wine on ice, a plate of pretzels, and, oh, yes, a glass of wine for my two friends... My treat!"

The young bartender at the bar nodded like a marionette.

His eyes were dark, his movements were stiff, and it was obvious that his soul had been sucked out.

And it wasn't Mephisto.

The old devil does not like this kind of rough behavior, it prefers to play with its prey, and then take away the soul full of despair in return for the game.

The real perpetrator is the guy sitting on the left of the old devil.

An old man in a strange black dress, holding a cane carved with a snake's head in his hand.

Gray-haired, but hale and hearty, his old face looks resolute, but if you look closely, the outline of the glasses is somewhat similar to that of the old god king Odin.

Kool.

big snake.

Almighty god of fear.

And on the right of Mephisto, sat another extremely evil guy.

It appeared as a middle-aged man, wrapped in a green overcoat, quite thin, with an abnormal paleness on his cheeks, a pair of pure black eyes, and messy black hair.

It looks unkempt.

Its hem is jagged, and there are ragged holes, it looks like a homeless man.

It stinks badly, not from overnight booze, but worse...fear.

nightmare.

Nightmare spirit.

It didn't even look at Mephistopheles, and in its hand was an oddly shaped staff, rusty like a medieval key, with curved gauntlets wrapped around the trunk.

The thing stinks of fear like a nightmare.

After a while, three glasses of blood-red wine with ice cubes were placed in front of the three old guys on the bar counter, like an early morning gathering among old guys.

Often the next step is to complain about each other's damn life.

After getting drunk, the old men might meet up to play croquet or something.

"I said, I bought you a drink, didn't you say anything?"

Mephisto finally finished reading the interesting side news in the newspaper. Those boring economic and sports sections did not suit the appetite of the old devil, so he casually threw the newspaper into the trash can at his feet.

It picked up the wine glass, took a sip of the cold wine, and then let out a pleasant moan.

It looked left and right, and said to the two silent fear gods beside it:

"Isn't that impolite?"

The tramp-like nightmare glanced at the wine glass in disgust, and it bared its teeth at the old devil.

It suspects that this guy is mocking it.

After all, Nightmare's body was destroyed by Odin.

It exists in the form of a spirit body, it can't enjoy the fine wine of this material, it simply does not see and is not disturbed, and sweeps the wine glass to the ground.

With the sharp sound of glass breaking, the overflowing wine was spilled everywhere.

It answered with a voice as harsh as steel rubbing:

"What is politeness? Can I eat it? I have rejected your proposal many times, Mephisto, you annoying guy, I am not interested in your Hell King battle!"

"I have my own things to do, the king of hell, I still don't like it!"

"Oh my, look at your terrible lie."

Mephisto made a vomiting motion, tilted his head, and said with a sarcasm:

"Since you're not interested, then don't hold on to the power of fear in this world, like a greedy idiot. Don't think you are so powerful, Mr. Nightmare, there are so many people in hell who can enter the dreamland and arrest you."

"The reason why my companions haven't done it yet is because they are all waiting for an upcoming opportunity."

"I'm serious, if you continue to be so greedy, I'm afraid the first thing the hell lords will do when they enter this world is to rush into the dream world and tear you apart."

Holding the wine glass, the old devil glanced at the silent big snake beside him, and said:

"Of course, the same is true of Your Excellency Kule."

"You feed on fear, just like I was born to chase evil. This is my nature, and there is nothing wrong with it. On weekdays, no one would pay attention to your clinging to the world to eat and drink, but it is different now."

"I have emphasized to you many times that you are entrapping fear and strengthening yourself. This is digging the corners of all hell lords."

"With you here, the battle for the King of Hell will become a joke, but do you think you are taking advantage? Don't be stupid."

Mephisto drank the boiling wine in his hand, and chewed the ice cubes in his mouth.

It threw the cup with ugly fingerprints on it back on the bar, flicked its fingers at the frustrated bartender, leaned back on the chair, and said to the two fearful gods beside it:

"Stop it, my last advice. Stop it before the angry hell lords join forces to kill you two."

Nightmare and Orochi did not respond to this very blunt "persuasion".

Guys who have been able to reach the present on the road of strength will not be easily intimidated. The combination of hell lords is indeed terrifying, but whether it is a nightmare or a big snake, they all have their own goals.

In other words, obsession.

Nothing can stop them from doing what they set their minds to do.

"Thank you for the wine."

Orochi raised his head, drank the wine in the glass, and put the glass back on the bar.

It threw out two Asgardian gold coins, then stood up, said something to Mephisto, and then turned and left with a cane.

That's the answer.

The Nightmare sneered and turned into smoke, it viciously raised the middle finger at the old devil, wanting to go back to the dream world.

Negotiations broke down again.

These two guys don't intend to follow the rules of hell at all, they still choose to go their own way and continue to absorb the fear of this world.

"etc."

The old devil was not surprised by this result.

The previous contacts all ended in such a situation. These two guys who have seen the big world are completely uninvolved guys.

"I said the previous words on behalf of the Twilight Council."

Mephistopheles sat cross-legged on the lit chair, and in the blaze of that burning hellfire, it said:

"Next, I want to talk about some of my personal 'suggestions' to the two of you. Anyway, you are all here, why don't you listen to it? Maybe you can find a way to get the best of both worlds from the wisdom of old Mephisto ?”

The big snake that had already reached the door of the bar stopped in its tracks.

The nightmares that escaped themselves and entered the dreamland also stayed in place in the form of entangled black smoke. They stared at the big devil with great interest, and the latter straightened his collar in a leisurely manner.

It said to the two dread gods:

"I have a suggestion. You also join the hell system and participate in this battle for supremacy as the lord of hell. Control your desire to devour, only use the fear you create, and don't touch other people's cakes."

"Everyone has their own skills and competes fairly. Whoever can create the most fear in this world will be king in hell... Fair enough, right?"

"puff"

The old devil's whimsical words made Nightmare sneer, it didn't bother to talk to Mephisto any more, and the big snake shook its head.

Mephisto's suggestion made no sense.

This is to let Orochi and Nightmare cut off their own arms, give up their greatest advantage, tie their hands, blind their eyes, and compete with those powerful hell lords.

No guy with any sense would pick this up.

"Don't worry, I haven't finished yet."

The old devil didn't care about the sarcasm of the big snake and the nightmare, it snapped its fingers and continued:

"I won't let you do it for nothing, I will pay you..."

"Raven, Merlin Riley, I will help you trap him, I will help you kill him, I will erase this black hole of fate that interferes with everything, and let everything go on the right track."

"Before that guy appeared, everything was so beautiful, but after he appeared, things took a turn for the worse."

The old devil stretched out a finger, stroking his beard, and said with nostalgia in his eyes:

"Yes, you can also feel it, the three of us have something in common."

"We all hated Merlin, we've all had him interfere with the big things we wanted to do, we've all had humiliating failures from him, we've all been used by him...he's been the hindrance, the biggest thing we've ever wanted to accomplish. Obstacle!"

"Without Merlin, Zatana Zatara's dream world would be vulnerable. Lord Nightmare can easily return to his own nightmare dimension, regain his power, and become a real dream tyrant."

The old devil said in a low voice:

"Without Merlin, everyone in New Asgard will lose their umbrella."

"Your Excellency the Big Snake can enter the house, return to his own home, fight recklessly with his rebellious brother, take away Odin's head, come to Asgard as king, and accomplish the great cause of the Almighty Heavenly Father."

"Without Merlin, old Mephisto doesn't need to worry anymore, and doesn't need to worry that a group of little wolf cubs will rush into the house while he is sleeping and cut off his head..."

"I can play my tricks with time to my will, and tempt wretched souls to fall."

Speaking of this, the old devil suddenly felt a feeling of nostalgia and loneliness. It shook its head regretfully, as if the most fun things in life suddenly became meaningless.

A gloomy mood enveloped it, the old devil shrugged, it said:

"In short, as I said, without Merlin, everything will be as beautiful as before."

It raised its head and blinked at the big snake and the nightmare. In the flames burning in its eyes, it folded its hands and asked sincerely:

"I will deal with Merlin, and I will come up with a solution. You can watch first, and make a decision after confirming that Merlin is trapped by me. Personally, I hope that the battle of the king of hell will be held fairly. This is My biggest expectation right now."

"So, just do me a favor, fellas."

"Accept my suggestion, let's make this peerless game a little fairer."