"Tch~!" Regarding the Red Skull's complaint, Artoria rolled her eyes in annoyance. Of course, she knew the probability of this method working was almost zero, but with so many memes from her past life, she always needed to try them out of curiosity! Otherwise, how would she know if they were useful? In an unknown situation, someone always needed to try it out. Seriously, her heart ached for that steak.
"The Infinity Stones have the ability to choose their Masters, so don't waste your effort. I once possessed one, but it abandoned me. Such little tricks of yours could never work."
Hearing Artoria's annoyed voice, the Red Skull closed his eyes. He didn't really want to look at this 'weirdo' anymore; her actions just now were too shattering to his worldview. Even now, he was feeling a bit heated, wanting to grab Artoria by the neck and ask her what on Earth was going on in her head. How could she come up with such an unreliable method? He had clearly said it required a soul, a beloved soul—why couldn't she understand that! What he said wasn't bird language, so why couldn't it get into her head!
"I know."
Artoria rolled her eyes at the Red Skull, completely destroying the ladylike image she had built up earlier, leaving nothing behind. Of course, she knew what the Red Skull was talking about—wasn't it just the Space Stone? It served you right for being abandoned by it! No, it should be said that you didn't have the protagonist's halo and weren't worthy of the infinite energy of the Space Stone. Wasn't that obvious?
"Ignoring me is a bit heartbreaking, but I have the Power Stone! Soul Stone, listen up, get into the bowl quickly, or else I'll make you regret it."
Ignoring the Red Skull's strange look, Artoria took out the Cosmic Orb and shouted loudly at the sky. And the result? There was still no movement in the sky. That glowing cloud-like object remained the same, as if it were quietly mocking Artoria. However, Artoria felt no irritation. She now had a very bold idea.
"You actually managed to obtain an Infinity Stone."
Watching as Artoria slowly opened the Cosmic Orb, a purple stone lay quietly inside. Seeing this, the Red Skull couldn't help but say in surprise. This was his first time seeing the actual Infinity Stone. The Space Stone had been made into the Cosmic Cube, and he didn't have the ability to destroy the Cosmic Cube to see the stone inside. Then there was the Soul Stone he was currently guarding; he had never seen the actual Soul Stone, let alone left this Planet to see other Infinity Stones. Artoria had satisfied a small wish of his this time: to see what an Infinity Stone looked like.
"Who could have imagined that such a small stone actually possesses the power to overturn the Universe."
Regarding the Infinity Stone in Artoria's hand, the Red Skull had no desire to snatch it now. He just watched the Power Stone quietly; he was already completely satisfied. Artoria didn't mind the Red Skull's gaze. After all, the temptation of an Infinity Stone was truly too great. Even if the Red Skull wanted to use force, Artoria had ways to deal with him. But it seemed he wasn't showing any malice, which could be considered a good outcome. However, that guy who once dominated World War II and almost nuked the world had become so Zen. It seemed time was truly a butcher's knife.
"A Knight Does Not Die with Bare Hands."
With the activation of Lancelot's Noble Phantasm, Artoria, under the Red Skull's surprised gaze, grasped the Power Stone with her bare hands. The property of this A++ Noble Phantasm instantly turned the Power Stone into a Noble Phantasm for Artoria to use. Artoria was completely unaffected by the Power Stone. The Power Stone was now as docile as a kitten in Artoria's hand, not at all violent.
"Get down here! Soul Stone."
Feeling the abundant and powerful energy coming from the Power Stone, Artoria raised it. A massive amount of energy surged outward, and a purple energy beam flew toward the sky. From a distance, it looked like a giant sword splitting heaven and Earth; it was extremely spectacular. The Red Skull, who was watching from the sidelines, was blown away by this energy wave. What Artoria was doing now was using the power of the Power Stone to force the Soul Stone out. If necessary, destroying this Planet was also an option.
"Boom~!"
The power of the Power Stone collided violently with the cloud-like glowing energy body in the sky. A huge sound echoed on Vormir, and the entire mountain began to crack and collapse. A massive circular shockwave spread from the sky in all directions; it was very spectacular, and the energy was also terrifying.
"Why do I get the feeling that I've mastered the Kamehameha?"
Relying on her intuition, Artoria knew she had hit the target, but the Soul Stone clearly wouldn't be subdued so easily. It seemed to be fighting against the Power Stone. The Soul Stone actually withstood the energy of the Power Stone. Artoria began to increase the energy output of the Power Stone. The energy beam, which was already thick enough, grew another circle. The confrontation between the two Infinity Stones illuminated the originally pitch-black Planet.
"Kamehameha."
She didn't expect the Soul Stone to withstand it again, which surprised Artoria, but it didn't matter—she could still hold on. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but be a bit chuunibyou. Shouting with great momentum, she released all the power of the Power Stone she could control. The massive energy surged toward the Soul Stone. The impact between the Soul Stone and the Power Stone turned the dark sky as bright as day, illuminating the entire Vormir for an instant.
"What is this?"
Just a moment ago, Artoria was still struggling with the Power Stone and the Soul Stone. In the next instant, the scenery around her completely changed. An unfamiliar landscape entered her eyes. Looking at the strange surroundings, Artoria was very confused. Where was she? Where was her Power Stone? She looked around and checked herself; the Power Stone was no longer with her, as if it had vanished into thin air. This was quite infuriating.
"To think you'd enter this place. Welcome, little girl."
Just as Artoria was fretting, a woman's voice suddenly rang out. Curiously, Artoria looked toward the source of the voice. A woman with a graceful figure, dressed in a black gown, stood quietly not far away. She just watched Artoria silently, but it made Artoria's skin crawl. The ahoge on her forehead shook wildly, as if encountering an extremely dangerous existence. Yet, Artoria could only feel that there was no one in front of her. Either her eyes were failing her, her intuition was off, or something was wrong with this woman.
"Who are you? Where am I?"
Suppressing the urge to flee, Artoria questioned the woman. To her surprise, upon hearing Artoria's words, a mysterious smile appeared on the woman's beautiful and seductive face. However, she didn't seem to intend to hide anything. She looked Artoria over carefully and spoke softly with lips that looked as if they were coated in black lipstick.
"This is the Realm of Death. You may call me God, or you can call me Death. Call me whatever you like."
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the story has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 chapters in advance over on my Patreon: patreon.com/TLHimejima1
Every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and let me know.