The Beginning of Ragnarok

"It seemed my little pets really weren't interesting enough."

Her gaze darkened slightly, and there was a hint of regret in her voice.

"But it doesn't matter. This farce is far from over."

She turned gently and looked toward another, more hidden door behind her.

That door was even more concealed than the cultivation chamber from before. Its runes were more intricate, and several dark-red strands of energy pulsed around its frame like blood vessels.

Behind this door lay the results of her many years of research, the creation she considered her proudest achievement.

Imu's smile deepened at that moment. She raised a hand gently, and a faint glow emerged from her palm, flowing from her hand toward the door.

The entwined strands of energy seemed to come alive, twitching rapidly as the runes lit up in an instant. Dark-red light flowed like blood, gradually covering the entire door.

"Since I haven't been this happy in a long time, let's make this farce even more entertaining."

Excitement and anticipation filled Imu's voice.

"The results of all these years of research are finally ready to be unleashed."

As her words fell, the door slowly opened. A deep rumble came from beyond it, as though some abyss had been opened and released the power that had slumbered within for countless years.

An icy presence rushed out. It was not a drop in temperature, but a chill that struck directly at the soul, making one tremble from the inside out.

Beyond the door was a vast space, even broader than the previous cultivation chamber. Neatly arranged cultivation pods nearly filled the entire room, and a creature of a different form floated within each one.

Some were as immense as mountains, their limbs as thick as pillars.

Others were slender and elongated, every part