{Chapter: 352 The Dark Elves Attack}
A ten-meter-tall green-gold Transformer levitated silently, suspended three meters above the scarred battlefield. Its presence was a visual embodiment of rage and destruction—every line, every jagged edge on its frame exuded raw, uncontrollable energy. Twin horns jutted from its head like a demonic crown, while vicious iron spikes protruded from its shoulders, elbows, spine, and knees. Every inch of the machine looked like a weapon.
It didn't simply stand—it loomed, like a wrathful lion ready to pounce, like a storm trapped inside metal skin. Its surface pulsed with shifting green and gold energies, flickering like lightning trapped under glass.
William gazed down at himself, wide-eyed and triumphant. His voice was a twisted blend of awe and madness. "This… this is the new form. Transformer X: Burst Form." He let out a thunderous laugh. "Hahahaha! I am the evolution—no… I am the extinction!"
Unlike the Singlet, Doublet, Triplet, or Quartet states of Transformium forms—each progressive form denoting the merging of more elemental components—this new form was something different entirely. It wasn't the next step in a sequence. It was a rupture. A divergence.
The Burst Form was not a product of merger before—it was a mutation, a new apex born from anger.
Even the Shining versions—Shining Singlet, Shining Doublet, and beyond—were considered enhanced states of the original levels. But this? This was a standalone monstrosity. An uncharted synthesis of the shape-shifting Transformium Elemental Particles and volatile X-Cells. It was the unnatural child of destruction and creation.
And now, William had two test subjects to demonstrate it on: Odin, the All-Father, and the ever-raging embodiment of hatred itself—the Mangog.
Mangog's body twitched with fury. His molten gold eyes narrowed into slits, and his monstrous mouth curled into a sneer.
"Enough of your theatrics!" he bellowed. "You dare challenge the might of Asgard? You think this twisted form makes you worthy? I'll cleave you in half and scatter your ashes into the Nine Realms!"
The massive beast gripped his massive golden axe and surged forward, tearing up the ground beneath him with every pounding step. His entire body lit up with golden energy, radiating with pure wrath. The weapon crackled with divine force, and as he leapt into the air, the air itself split.
"GO TO HELL!" he roared.
William didn't move. Not at first. His eyes locked onto the incoming behemoth, unblinking.
"You came... perfectly," he muttered, voice cold, steady—measured.
Then, he moved.
"Explode." His voice rang out like a war drum.
With an earth-shaking roar, William's colossal arm shot forward, his fist crashing into the descending axe.
BOOM!
The sound was not a sound—it was a cataclysm. A 360-degree shockwave erupted from the impact point, obliterating the ground beneath them. Dust, stone, and debris were hurled into the air like toys in a typhoon. The ground cratered instantly, a pit forming dozens of meters deep, rippling out like a ripple on an ocean of ruin.
A strange sound echoed in the aftermath—a sharp, crystalline shatter.
Everyone watching held their breath.
Was it William's arm? Was it the golden axe?
Then, the truth revealed itself.
CRACK! CRASH!
The mighty golden axe shattered into fragments, bursting like glass under unbearable pressure. Shards of divine metal flew in all directions, lodging into the arena's walls and bouncing off the trembling energy barrier. Each fragment struck with enough force to leave miniature craters, a testament to the sheer violence of the blow.
The Mangog was thrown back like a cannonball, roaring in disbelief as blood spewed from his mouth. His massive body struck the arena floor with earth-splitting force, carving out a massive crater on impact.
Odin's eyes went wide with shock and disbelief. "No… this power—it shouldn't be possible. Not from a mortal. Not even from a god."
The entire Asgardian audience stared in stunned silence. Mouths hung open. Eyes were filled with confusion, fear, awe.
Was this the end of Asgard's golden age?
Jane Foster, clutching the edge of her seat, gasped. Her heart raced, her mind torn between fear and thrill. "Oh my god… So powerful. So cool. He's—he's unstoppable." Her cheeks flushed with excitement. "I… I love it."
Beside her, Sif watched in silence, her expression caught between horror and admiration. She didn't want William to fall. Some part of her, deeply buried, wanted him to survive. But another part, loyal to Asgard, knew the price of that survival might be far too high.
She clenched her fists. "He… he's becoming something else entirely."
Thor, gripping Mjolnir tightly, took a step toward the edge of the barrier. His voice was low, conflicted. "This isn't power meant for one man… It's chaos incarnate. William is no longer the man we knew."
But Jane shot him a glare. "If protecting your 'order' means trying to kill him again, then you are the villain in this story."
Thor didn't respond. His jaw tightened. There were no easy answers anymore.
Thor took a step back, eyes wide with disbelief as he gripped Mjölnir tightly. "By the Nine Realms… it's getting stronger!" he shouted over the roaring energy in the air.
Fandral, ever the voice of reason despite the chaos, looked on grimly and muttered, "Are we even doing the right thing here? If this keeps up... Asgard might not survive this day."
Volstagg, his usually booming voice reduced to a grave whisper, spoke up from behind his friends. "I don't think William ever meant to kill us…"
Thor turned on him sharply, his anger flashing like thunder across his face. "And what does that matter now?! Intentions mean nothing when the entire realm trembles beneath his feet!"
On the battle-scarred arena floor, the colossal Mangog—still drawing on the strength of a thousand Asgardian souls—staggered back up, his form flickering with instability. "No… this cannot be… I hold the strength of tens of thousands of warriors! I am the wrath of Asgard itself! I cannot fall!"
Hovering in midair, his new form gleaming with wild, kinetic energy, William looked at his own hands—still glowing from the last impact. His voice was half-laughter, half-madness. "This power... It's nearly double that of the Transformers Shining Quadruple Form. And the more rage I feel, the stronger I get! Hahahaha… This is perfection!"
High above, Odin raised Gungnir, his one eye filled with stormy fury. "I won't allow this madness to continue," he bellowed. "This ends now!"
A concentrated beam of pure divine energy shot forth from Gungnir like a lance of light.
William's expression hardened. "ODIN!!" he roared—and with a primal yell, he hurled his fist into the incoming blast.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rippled through the sky as William's punch collided with the divine energy. The attack shattered apart into fragments of fading gold.
Odin's eye widened in disbelief. "He… dispersed it with a single punch?"
"You want me to surrender?" William said, his voice dripping with mockery. "Asgard, invincible? Odin… you're clinging to a broken myth. If you raise your hand against me, I'll burn this golden realm to the ground!"
He threw his arms wide open and screamed into the heavens, "Whoever dares to defy William—no matter how far they run—I will annihilate them!"
A tense silence fell—until the skies darkened, not with clouds, but with shadows.
Suddenly, enormous black warships pierced through the sky like silent phantoms. The Asgardian crowd gasped and pointed upward.
"What in the Nine Realms is that?" someone cried.
Veteran warriors, their voices tinged with horror, shouted, "Dark Elves! But that's impossible—they were wiped out more than a thousand years ago!"
Odin's expression turned from rage to disbelief. "No… that can't be. The Dark Elves are extinct!"
William grinned like a madman. "Oh, Odin, you poor, blind fool. Malekith lives. A fraction of the Dark Elves survived… and now the Aether has awakened them. They've returned to reclaim vengeance. And they bring about Asgard's final day!"
Odin's jaw clenched. "The Aether? That's impossible. It was sealed away."
William chuckled darkly. "Oh, I forgot to mention… The Aether resides within Jane Foster."
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Odin snapped his gaze toward the viewing platform. "Jane...?"
Jane stood, her eyes filled with fury. "So now you believe me?" she shouted.
Thor stormed forward. "Jane, what are you saying?!"
Jane's voice was trembling but defiant. "I told you—you'd regret turning on William. The Aether is in me. That's why they're here. I'm the reason the Dark Elves have come."
Thor's face contorted with rage and grief. "Jane… you've changed."
"No, Thor. You changed first," she snapped back. "You tried to use me. You all did."
He turned to the guards. "Seize her!"
Jane narrowed her eyes. "You can try."
The guards rushed in—but just as they reached her, a crimson stream of raw, etheric energy blasted out from her body, sending the warriors flying like ragdolls. They crashed into pillars and walls, groaning.
Jane staggered a little, clutching her head. "The Aether… it's protecting itself. You can't touch me."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The black warships above opened fire. Bolts of searing energy bombarded the golden towers of Asgard, sending flames and debris into the sky.
Panic broke out. Civilians screamed and scattered. Warriors rushed to their stations. The golden realm shook beneath the assault.
Thor looked up at the sky, jaw tight. "By the gods… it's a war."
Odin turned toward William, his voice deep as a mountain rumble. "You've made a terrible mistake."
William floated higher, flames flickering around him, the shattered sky reflected in his molten eyes. "No, Odin… I've made a choice. I will burn your heaven to ashes."
As the heavens lit with fire and dark warships swarmed like locusts, the battle for Asgard had truly begun.