Chapter 187: A MILLION WAY TO KILL YOU
"I’m here to request your pledge of loyalty. Serve me, alongside your people, and I offer benefits so great you’ll never wish to betray me," Aaron declared, his voice carrying the weight of absolute certainty, his eyes locking onto Iron Jaw’s with unyielding intensity.
Iron Jaw studied Aaron’s face, searching for any hint of deception, his massive frame still as he weighed the offer. Submitting to Havoc was inevitable, a bitter pill he loathed. If there was another path, another master worth serving, he was willing to consider it. "What are the benefits?" he asked, his tone cautious but open, entertaining the possibility.
"For starters, immortality. The ability to never die. Second, protection, living in a dimension no one can invade, ensuring your family thrives without fear of war. And third, the enhancement of your strength through bloodlines so powerful others would kill to possess," Aaron explained, his voice steady, each word delivered with unshakable confidence.
"How laughable. Immortality? Bloodlines? A new dimension? Do you really look down on me so much as to offer such flimsy, impossible promises?" Iron Jaw’s mood shifted abruptly, his tone turning hostile as he gripped his ice-encased club tightly, the weapon humming with latent power, the air around him growing colder as his anger flared.
"Look down on you? I’ve always looked down on you. Everyone is beneath me, and that will never change. In heaven and on earth, I alone am the honored one," Aaron said calmly, his face expressionless, his eyes devoid of fear as he stared down the towering troll, his shadow throne pulsing with dark energy.
"You may be Eternal rank, but you should know the special abilities of the strongest god on every planet. Do you really want to aggravate me?" Iron Jaw growled, rising to his feet, his presence towering like a glacier, the ice shards on his body glinting menacingly as the temperature plummeted further.
"I have a thousand, no, millions of ways to kill you in an instant. I’ll show you a few to shatter that flicker of confidence you still cling to," Aaron replied, his voice laced with a chilling curiosity, as if eager to demonstrate his dominance, his lips curling into a faint, predatory smile.
Iron Jaw smirked, closing his eyes for a brief moment. When he opened them, his strength skyrocketed, temporarily breaking through God rank into the elusive Eternal rank. The air crackled with power as the planet’s will resonated with him, a special connection granted to the strongest native of any world. Known as Resonance, this bond allowed Iron Jaw to wield the planet’s might within its domain, his icy armor thickening, his muscles bulging as the ice shards compacted into an even denser, diamond-like shell. The ground trembled, frost spreading outward in a crystalline wave.
Resonance wasn’t limited to worlds. Solar systems, galaxies, and even universes could resonate with their strongest natives, though higher scopes allowed more flexibility in choosing their champions. The universe, for instance, had once chosen the Primordial Dragon over Dracula, despite the latter’s supremacy, due to its own inscrutable will. But for worlds, the connection was automatic, binding the strongest to the planet’s essence.
"Are you done?" Aaron asked, utterly unmoved by Iron Jaw’s transformation, his voice as calm as a frozen lake, his shadow throne unshaken by the troll’s newfound power.
"You’ll regret your arrogance when I’m done with you!" Iron Jaw roared, swinging his massive club toward Aaron with devastating force. The air constricted, pushed aside to form a temporary vacuum as the strike descended, the club’s icy ego amplifying its destructive potential.
"Hell Flames," Aaron said softly, snapping his fingers. A small spark of crimson-black fire ignited, flickering innocently in the air.
"What in the—" Iron Jaw’s eyes widened in horror as his instincts screamed a warning. He tried to dodge, his massive frame lurching to the side, but the spark expanded into a roaring inferno, engulfing him completely. The hell flames consumed his icy armor, melting it like wax and reducing the mighty troll to a pile of smoldering ash in moments, the air thick with the acrid scent of charred frost.
Garganth, standing behind Aaron, trembled violently, his glowing eyes wide with disbelief. Iron Jaw, the strongest troll of their planet, annihilated with a single spark. It was beyond comprehension, a testament to Aaron’s monstrous power.
"He’s an absolute monster," Garganth thought, his mind reeling, his massive frame quaking in awe and fear.
As if to shatter Garganth’s already fractured composure, Aaron didn’t stop. "Origin Point," he said calmly, his voice steady as time itself rewound. The ashes reformed, the flames receded, and Iron Jaw stood whole again, his eyes wide with confusion, the memory of his death flashing vividly in his mind.
"What...? I died? Just what...?" Iron Jaw muttered, his voice trembling as he struggled to grasp reality, his brain wrestling with the visceral recollection of being burned alive, yet standing unharmed once more.
"I told you I have several ways to kill you. I’ll show you a few, then we’ll continue our conversation," Aaron said, his tone almost bored, as if demonstrating his power was a mere formality.
Opening his mouth, Aaron unleashed a  inaudible to all but Iron Jaw. The sound pierced the troll’s mind and soul, a sonic assault that shredded his very essence.
"Urghhh!" Iron Jaw screamed, clutching his head as his body convulsed, blood seeping from his eyes and ears before he exploded into a mist of crimson, his icy armor shattering like glass.
"Origin Point," Aaron intoned, rewinding time once more, restoring Iron Jaw to life, the troll’s expression a mix of horror and disbelief.
"Blood Bullet." A single drop of Aaron’s blood shot forward, piercing Iron Jaw’s chest and detonating within, reducing him to a pulpy mess.
"Origin Point."
"Eclipse Sever." A blade of pure darkness sliced through Iron Jaw, cleaving him in two with surgical precision.
"Origin Point."
The cycle continued, each death more instantaneous and brutal than the last, Aaron’s arsenal of lethal abilities unfolding with relentless efficiency. Iron Jaw’s mind frayed with each resurrection, the memories of his repeated demises stacking like a nightmare he couldn’t escape.
"My lord, you have my undisputed loyalty," Iron Jaw finally gasped, collapsing to his knees after the thousandth death, his icy armor cracked and dull, his spirit broken. The troll’s voice was hoarse, his glowing eyes dim with submission, the weight of Aaron’s power undeniable.
"Huh? That’s just the thousandth time. I can still keep going," Aaron said casually, his words sending shivers through both Iron Jaw and Garganth, their massive forms quaking at the thought of enduring more.