Chapter: 215
Rychlen, growing day by day under various mentors, accumulated knowledge and wisdom while learning to handle clubs and bows, as well as how to interact with others and lead them.
“By the way, Zeus must be pretty annoyed. He went through the trouble of blessing that kid so abundantly, but now he can’t get out of the Divine Hall and has to watch helplessly while sucking his thumb,” I quipped.
“Well, all he can do now is bestow revelations or blessings through his followers,” came the reply.
It was a scheme to leverage the child who was prophesied to become the king of the gods to benefit them, but now it seemed impossible.
Well, revelations or blessings could still be effective if used wisely, but I hardly believed that Zeus had that kind of brain.
“Indra was the one who wanted the gods of the Divine Hall to be restrained, right? Did he expect it to turn out this way?”
“I’m not sure what he was thinking by making that request. But isn’t it good for us?”
I was already not particularly fond of Zeus, but it did provide some entertainment.
“Still, at this rate, isn’t there a chance that ten years, which we promised before the kid becomes an adult, might just fly by?”
“Hmm. Has that much time passed already?”
“Yes, ten years seems like nothing.”
I hadn’t even noticed time slipping by while observing the kid’s growth.
“Indra sacrificed his heart about 19 years ago, and Rychlen was born three years later… which means next year marks the tenth anniversary of that war.”
About nine years of turmoil among the gods were finally getting suitably organized.
The Ennead had declined to a point where most of the surviving gods could no longer maintain their divinity, and the suddenly joined Lokapala had been decimated.
Olympus, the winning faction of the war, wasn’t in great shape either… but let’s just gloss over that. It probably wasn’t the right time for that discussion.
“Now it boils down to the fragments of Baal still held by Odin and Zeus. What do you think will happen?”
“Who knows.”
It felt like it was about time for those guys to start moving. Hmm…
There’s a limit to how long you can just sit back and wait; if you wait until you dry up, you’ll only end up in ruin.
But, hey, there’s still a year left. Let’s just wait and see.
If they really do nothing… well, then I’ll just have to step in.
You’ve got to know when to pick your battles; if you wait too long, you’ll just get blasted away in the fallout.
“Let’s observe until next year.”
Whether Zeus moves or Odin does, something should definitely stir by then.
And the following year, the Aesir took action.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Odin, known for his wisdom, had a hard time accepting the prophecy of certain doom.
Having quickly figured out the sage’s position, Odin engaged in many conversations with him, eventually realizing that the end of the gods was approaching.
It was only natural for him to react intensely to such a grim reality.
“No, that can’t be! It’s impossible! Surely there must be a way to avoid annihilation.”
First stage: denial.
The one-eyed wise god vehemently denied the sage’s words, rejecting the predetermined future of the gods’ demise.
Naturally! Who would enjoy the thought of unavoidable death?
“How unexpected of you, wise Odin. Doesn’t the wisdom in your eye reveal the truth?”
“Ugh… My eye says that word is true. But is it not too ridiculous? How could the majority of gods be destined for ruin?”
At Odin’s words, I replied softly.
“Once the king of the gods disappears, hope vanishes for all gods. You must know this, wise one?”
“That… that’s…”
Odin faltered. His wisdom-laden eye shielded the truth, and he finally grasped that my words held all the truth.
And so, the only thing left for him to do was…
“You! How dare you try to deceive me with such absurd words! Your prophecy is merely words that catch a bit of attention! How could you try to trick me like this? I cannot let you live!”
Second stage: anger.
Odin’s frustration boiled over as he began to unleash his wrath. Like a volcano ready to erupt, he spewed forth his raging anger.
He gripped Gungnir tightly, the famous spear, forged by excellent dwarves and blessed by gods, now aimed at the sage.
However, the sage, standing before Odin with the spear’s blade inches away, didn’t flinch at all.
His body was merely that of a golem he created. There was no reason to fear.
Even if I weren’t a golem but my actual self, could that spear even leave a scratch on my skin?
“Recant your foolish words while you still can. Admit your words were lies, or my spear will pierce you.”
Third stage: negotiation.
Despite the threatening words, a faint tremor and fear lurked in his voice.
Perhaps the ridiculous words of an unknown entity felt burdensome to him.
The leader of the Aesir, the wisest god, was now engaging in a negotiation disguised as a plea with a mere oracle who foresaw the future.
“If you recant, the scheduled events won’t just disappear. A wise one like you must know this well.”
Odin could do nothing as the sage’s quiet words silenced him.
He merely dropped Gungnir from his hand.
“How… how can this be? How can it be that gods must perish? Were we born to be destroyed?”
Fourth stage: depression.
Tears began to flow from Odin’s single eye.
Seeing an old, one-eyed deity weeping was a sight hard to bear… but how could it be any other way? It’s only natural to want to weep in the face of unavoidable fate, even for a god.
If he so despised that fate to the point of wanting to cry, he should have performed better when Baal was around. Tsk.
All regrets come after the fact.
“Then, if this is what the world desires… I must accept it. If it’s an unavoidable fate, I can do nothing but comply.”
Fifth stage: acceptance.
With tears still streaming, Odin began to speak as if he had given up entirely.
He was already aware of what resisting this inevitable fate would bring.
At this rate… Odin was poised to surrender everything.
Or perhaps he might try to kill other gods in a bid to escape from the painful doom.
It wouldn’t matter much if the gods that served their death deserved it, but it would be an issue if those that didn’t deserve to die were killed.
Thus, I decided to throw in one final word.
“If this world desires destruction, what about another world?”
“Another world…?”
“Yes. If it were a completely different realm, wouldn’t there be a chance to avoid that destruction?”
It was a blatant lie. Even if I mentioned another world, it would still be a space connected to this one.
Even if they manage to create another world and hide, if there’s still a connection to this world, they cannot escape the coming doom.
Unless, of course, they could create a wholly isolated world without any connections.
“Another world… are you saying we must create a world separate from the Divine Hall? But how?”
“I can’t assist with that. But I believe it is not an impossible task.”
Just like I created an infinitely expanding pocket, other gods could surely manage to make some small space if they put in the effort.
It wouldn’t be an easy task, though… but if Odin could pull that off, he might just preserve his life.
Although I’d take his eye.
Odin nodded slightly at my words.
“Very well. Surely there must be a way. If I cannot find a way… it means doom. But if I do find it… then I shall become the savior of all gods!”
Odin muttered those words in a faint voice filled with hope. However, his single eye was distorted by despair and consumed by madness.
All that remained was merely a foolish old man.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Having changed like this, Odin spent decades in his domain and ended up producing results contrary to my expectations.
“Goddess of life!!! It’s a dire situation!!!”
It all started with Keres, a dragon-born deity, now one of the reapers of the underworld, engulfed by the aura of death.
“Hmm? How unusual. To come all the way here from the afterlife.”
“Well, unlike the others, I often roam around on my day off! I frequent the Divine Hall too! But more importantly, it’s a big deal!”
A big deal? What could be so significant that the god of death and judge of the underworld was in such a flurry?
“Paradise! Paradise is being invaded by some other beings! It’s a HUGE problem!!!”
“What?”
Could I be misunderstanding? Paradise is being invaded? The afterlife I created is under attack? What sort of nonsense is this?
“Who could possibly invade Paradise? I thought the only way there is through the afterlife?”
“Let’s go! You’ll understand better once you see it for yourself!”
Seriously, what on earth could have happened in Paradise to provoke such a reaction? I had no clue.
Besides, just as I was becoming a little suspicious, the Aesir, who I thought would start moving soon, seemed strangely quiet. Tsk.
So, I headed to Paradise alongside Keres.
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