Chapter: 219
Sing your wrath, O Goddess.
The day the paradise beyond death was invaded.
The day when the rude ones crossed the wall that should not be crossed.
The day when anger shook the world.
The day when anger shook the world.
They will be burned to ashes.
The blades of spears will rust and collapse, and the armor will decay and disappear.
Any slight resistance will vanish like bubbles swallowed by waves.
They will all disappear like snow under the sun.
Boom!
The sound of the giant’s horn shook the world.
The breath of those with scales and wings breaks everything down.
The land that was once paradise will become a battlefield and a place of execution.
Their names will be forgotten. No one will remember them.
All that will remain is the fact that such people existed.
Will turn to dust and disappear.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
“How terrifying.”
Hermes clicked his tongue briefly and gazed at paradise.
A place where only those who are permitted may enter.
Among the gods of Olympus, only he and…
“War… It is a bloody war…!”
“Calm down, Ares.”
“It’s not Ares! It’s me! It’s Mars!!”
Ares had changed bizarrely. No, only Mars was permitted here.
“What on earth did the wise man of the forest do… for God to change like this?”
Ares, who had most of his faith ripped away by the Sage of the Forest, regained his faith over the course of a decade and finally awakened his sense of self… but it seems there was a bit of a problem in the process, as he gained a different divinity than before.
Yet his essence as the god of war remained unchanged.
“Yes, Mars. What do you think of this war?”
“There will be, without a doubt, the miserable downfall of the Aesir!”
Even though things have changed since then, the God of War is still the God of War. He is an expert when it comes to war.
“This is a fight that will not be lost from the beginning. The heavens desire the defeat of the Aesir; the battlefield is a paradise created by the Goddess of Life, and the forces of those participating are incomparably stronger than the Aesir.”
Hermes nodded slightly.
“I didn’t know such terrifying beings existed in the afterlife.”
An army gathered to destroy the Aesir. The beings at the forefront were gigantic, lifeless entities.
Giant beings made of rock, fire, ice, and storm.
And there stood the black rock giant at the very front.
“Is that the giant from the underworld that I only heard about through rumors?”
The giant statue that the Goddess of Life carefully sculpted to protect the underworld held tremendous power.
Perhaps, just a tad less than the level of a god.
“How terrifying. The Goddess of Life can create something like that so effortlessly.”
If a being can create something like that, the Goddess of Life must be even more powerful than the other gods imagined.
Not being hostile to her was… the best choice.
“The fools of the Aesir are just pitiful.”
Hermes looked away from the black colossus, Talos, and scanned elsewhere.
His gaze turned past the armies of dead souls, beyond those governing the underworld, and landed on the giant, winged lizard-like beings.
“It’s a dragon…”
A transcendent creature that appears in the stories of heroes and is said to have some connection with the Goddess of Life. The dragon.
I knew that some dragons were worshipped as gods, but… this was my first time seeing a pure dragon.
Dozens of dragons, each with different scales, creatures so strong they could match the black giant Talos.
Perhaps… with just those dragons alone, they could stand against Olympus.
There were also giant wolf gods and giant gods, but… they weren’t quite important now, as the dragons, Talos, and the army of the dead were more than enough to obliterate the Aesir.
“In this situation, Ares and I…”
“Mars.”
“Ahem. Seeing as Mars was allowed to come… I guess it’s better to think of this as some kind of show of force.”
Zeus had sent Hermes and Mars to make a move on Odin’s eye when the chance arose. At this rate, neither he nor Mars would have time to act.
In that case… will the Goddess of Life grant a grace period?
It’s unknown. It would be great if Hermes could snatch Odin’s eye himself, but… whether that is feasible remains a mystery.
“My legs may not be fully operational yet… but I suppose I must give it a shot.”
If Hermes doesn’t seize Odin’s eye… Zeus will have no option but to offer up the piece of Baal he possesses.
At that moment.
Booooooom!!!
As a gigantic trumpet sound resonated, those gathered began to move.
Destination: the castle built in paradise.
A humble citadel that the Aesir gods named Valhalla.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
The Aesir will perish.
Freyja felt this truth acutely.
Even the army of the dead alone vastly outnumbered the Einherjar they had gathered.
Moreover, those dragons and the black rock giant were foes that even the famed warrior gods of the Aesir would find it difficult to foresee a victory against.
As if that wasn’t enough, the giant gods who clashed with the Aesir at every turn and the wolf god who had once been imprisoned by the Aesir were also participating in the fray.
To overcome such adversaries, the numbers of the Einherjar would need to be doubled, and more than double the Aesir gods would be necessary.
The victory acquired in this manner would be… a victory marked by everything being scorched to cinders, with barely any lives left to matter.
And above all… the Goddess of Life herself did not join that army.
Even without her involvement, the Aesir could not assure victory.
No, in truth, that army was virtually meaningless.
If the Goddess of Life so chose, the Aesir would vanish into a handful of dust in an instant.
That is why… that is precisely why, Freyja justified her choice.
“I’m not bad.”
An offer to spare her and the Valkyries who followed her.
No one could turn that offer down.
Thus, she must execute everything she commands to the letter.
Freyja let out a small sigh before approaching Odin, who was surveying the enemies from atop the citadel.
“What’s going on? Freyja.”
“Odin.”
The one-eyed old god. The god of wisdom lost in madness.
The god who ushered in the destruction of the Aesir.
“Does the Aesir have a chance?”
Odin said nothing in response to Freyja’s question.
He simply gazed at the enemy with his one remaining eye.
That silence alone was a sufficient reply.
“I get it, even without you answering. The Aesir are finished now.”
Odin slowly opened his mouth at Freyja’s words.
“I… what should I have done?”
“I don’t know. If the wisest god does not know, who would?”
“Are you saying I won’t survive even if I flee to another world? Are you implying the sage was lying to me…?”
“Lying?”
“I heard that if you travel to another world, there might be a chance to evade destruction…”
Freyja merely tilted her head at Odin’s words.
It was indeed a significant feat for Odin to open a path leading to other worlds, but… it hardly seemed sufficient to evade doom.
The world created by the Goddess of Life was connected to Odin’s pathway. Since it was a paradise beyond death, there was no escape from her dominion.
Even Odin himself knew exactly where this place lay, so it was hardly surprising that the Goddess of Life would be furious.
If that sage said something like that, wasn’t he practically suggesting to create a completely different world and escape there?
Had Odin grown so foolish that he didn’t see that?
The destruction of the Aesir was… only a matter of time.
“Well, I suppose it doesn’t really matter.”
Freyja sighed as she regarded Odin in this state and spoke.
“As promised, I’ve finished what I set out to do. I came here with the Valkyries, built the castle, and completed the foundation for Valhalla.”
“Indeed. You have done the job well enough.”
“Then, give me the price you promised.”
Odin nodded slightly at Freyja’s words.
“You asked that all the Valkyries be placed under your command, along with half of the Einherjar… Well, fine.”
Odin nodded lightly before making a casual gesture in the air.
Simultaneously, Freyja realized she was connected to countless beings.
It felt as though all the Valkyries and half of the Einherjar were now subordinate to her.
“I look forward to seeing you and your Valkyries making a splash in the final war.”
“Making a splash…?”
Freyja gave a small shake of her head.
“The Goddess of Life mentioned.”
“Hm?”
“That there are roles assigned to me and the Valkyries. She’ll be delegating tasks.”
“Freyja, you….”
“The other gods of the Aesir… will receive various fates, but Odin, she said she simply couldn’t let you be.”
Odin gazed at Freyja for a moment, silent.
“Have you betrayed me?”
“No. I merely accepted a more sensible proposition. I’m not even a god of Aesir origins.”
Isn’t it more prudent to survive than to perish?
“So, I will take half of the Valkyries and Einherjar as promised. Thank you for all you’ve done, Odin.”
“Freyja…!”
Odin reached toward Freyja, as if trying to say more, but his hand merely swept through empty air.
Freyja, who had just been conversing with Odin a moment ago, vanished suddenly as if she had never existed.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
The battle was one-sided.
Having lost Freyja, the Valkyries, and half of the Einherjar, the Aesir fell faster than anyone imagined.
Completely outnumbered by the army of the dead, completely outshone by the dragons, and the geographic advantage of the fortress was obliterated by a single blow from Talos’s colossal blade that shattered the walls.
The many gods of the Aesir, somewhat seasoned in battle, attempted to struggle against their numerous foes, but ultimately, they were overwhelmed, and it was natural for them to collapse.
Even Thor, one of the mightiest gods of the Aesir, couldn’t withstand the team-up of the wolf god Fenrir and the giant god, tumbling to the cold ground along with his hammer.
Odin could only lament his own foolishness.
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