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Chapter: 220

The army of the undead marches forward.

The army of those already dead marches forward.

The army without a physical body marches forward.

Leading the way is a giant black statue.

The giants who do not breathe lead the way.

They topple the walls and countless soldiers standing in their way.

The world ignites.

The breath of those with scales and wings sets the world ablaze.

The bodies of the reckless are turned into firewood, and the world burns.

Destruction approaches.

The twilight of the gods is coming.

Ragnarok is near.

— A tale passed down among the giants.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

The gods called Valhalla a paradise.

And he, as an Einherjar who stepped foot in Valhalla, also considered this place a paradise.

Not a land filled with snow and ice, but a world always warmed by a gentle heat.

A storm laden with snow does not rage, and ice blocks bigger than a fist do not rain down; it’s always clear and sunny.

Not a land frozen solid by cold and snow, but a soft, tender earth where seeds sprout quickly, allowing one to harvest grains within a day in this miraculous land.

If this isn’t paradise, then what is?

He, as an Einherjar, took pride in being chosen by the gods.

The honor of being able to step foot in such paradise must have been unparalleled.

In that place, he enjoyed meat and drink every day, honed his skills through endless fights, and even if he died, he would resurrect to enjoy bliss again in paradise.

But that happiness didn’t last long.

Buuuuuuuuuuuuuum!!!

A huge trumpet sound resonates.

At the tremor shaking the paradise, numerous Einherjar begin to stir.

And they all sense one undeniable truth.

The reason the gods were gathering the Einherjar.

The reason the gods were amassing an army to prevent their demise.

The gods’ downfall was approaching.

The Einherjar of paradise quickly gathered, collecting their weapons and armor.

He, too, picking up his round wooden shield and heavy axe, was just like the others.

Yet, in the hall of Valhalla where they all gathered, for some reason, there were many empty spaces.

Half. The gathered Einherjar amounted to about half of their total.

And the Valkyries, who always soared above the Einherjar, were also absent.

Such a situation gave rise to an unsettling feeling.

In the midst of this, a giant deity appeared in the hall.

A blonde god holding a heavy hammer.

The god of thunder, Thor.

“Warriors of the Aesir! Einherjar who protect Valhalla!!!”

Thor exclaimed with a thunderous voice that shook the entire hall.

“At last, the day has come! The day of destruction that ends it all is upon us!!”

It wasn’t just Thor.

The prominent gods of the Aesir were all revealing themselves.

Each holding their weapons, reminding themselves of their powers.

The gods, wishing to resist the impending doom, appeared.

Except for two gods.

Excluding Odin and Freyja.

“We may not overcome this destruction! We might suffer a terrible defeat and reduce everything of the Aesir to ashes!”

Thor expressed despair.

“But that fact doesn’t justify giving up and dropping our hands! We will fight as we always have! Just as we survived the harsh winter! Just as we slaughtered enemies and plundered wealth! We will always fight!”

Yet, at the same time, he spoke of hope.

“Life is a struggle! Life is resistance! Faced with an inevitable destruction, everything may be in vain! But that is not a reason to lay down our hands and give up!! Therefore, we must resist with all our might! That must be the reason for our existence!”

Thor lifted his hammer, Mjölnir, and shouted.

“Arise! Warriors of Valhalla! Face the destruction! Fight! Resist! Etch your existence into this world!!!”

As soon as his cry ended, the one-armed god, Tyr, standing beside Thor, grabbed the horn hanging at his waist and blew into it with all his might.

Buuuuuuuuuuuuuum!!!

The sound of the horn gathering the Einherjar echoed once more, and the gates of Valhalla swung wide open.

Simultaneously, the Einherjar surged forth onto the battlefield.

To wield their weapons against the inevitable destruction.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

From the sky, fear pours down.

The Einherjar fervently wielded their weapons, holding onto their hearts that felt like they might break at any moment.

Puhak!

An enemy’s head flies off in one blow. Yet, even if the head flies off, the enemy does not falter.

Having already died, their physical bodies vanished. A standard axe blow couldn’t do anything to them.

The Einherjar clicked their tongues and knocked the armored body down with their shields, immobilizing their limbs with their axes.

Even though they were also mere spirits like these, and they were the chosen warriors of the gods.

It was frustrating to be grappling with the dead souls.

Even if they severed limbs, before long, they would return to their original forms and charge again.

Without weapons, they were just pathetic beings rushing in with nothing but teeth and claws… yet, no matter how many times they were cut down, their regeneration and overwhelming numbers crushed the Einherjar.

And it wasn’t just them.

Kwaang!!!

Once more, the walls of Valhalla crumble.

As the giant black figure swung its massive greatsword, countless Einherjar scattered like dust.

Even the strong gods could not halt that greatsword, charging toward the behemoth.

That wasn’t the only black behemoth.

The behemoth of flames was burning everything, while the behemoth of ice was freezing everything.

The behemoth of storms was tearing everything apart, and the behemoth of rocks was… smashing everything to bits.

The Einherjar looked up at the sky with despairing faces.

The always-clear sky had transformed into a battlefield.

Lizard-like creatures with colorful wings, dragons that seemed straight out of legends flew through the sky, wreaking havoc on the ground.

With each breath they unleashed, hundreds of Einherjar vanished. Dozens of dragons soared through the skies.

The gods capable of flight tried to take down those dragons, but they were unable to stop them.

A giant-shaped god swept over the battlefield, and the wolf god devoured other gods.

Numerous gods had already vanished. The number of Einherjar was rapidly dwindling as well.

Yet, they did not cease their resistance.

Even as the energy of death melted the axe blades and corroded their armor, the warriors did not surrender.

If weapons disintegrated, they fought barehanded, if arms were lost, they fought with legs, and if those were lost, they fought with their teeth.

Thus, up until the moment their heads flew off, the Einherjar continued to fight.

They did not stop resisting against destruction.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

“Odin.”

“O Goddess of Life….”

I looked down from the top of Valhalla at the old man who appeared lost.

The face of a god who had given up everything. The one-eyed god.

The god of wisdom, but consumed by madness.

“Why, why has this happened….”

“Why, you ask.”

If asked why, what could I possibly say?

Did you dislike the ones resisting your self-proclaimed king of the gods?

Were you annoyed by the pieces of Baal that shattered and the ones who pranced around with them?

Did you resent those who trespassed into the paradise I created without permission?

Well, there could be numerous reasons.

But in the end…

“I simply despise parasites.”

“Parasites?”

I merely found them distasteful.

No matter what explanation was given, it would ultimately lead to one conclusion.

I just did not like the gods.

Gods that could exist by parasitizing other lives.

And yet, they acted haughty as if they were superior beings.

I simply found them repugnant.

At least a few gods who did not act haughty towards me were acceptable. Yet, those were few and far between.

Therefore…

“Turn your eyes to Baal.”

I reached out to Odin.

The one-eyed Odin. Odin holding the eye imbued with Baal’s wisdom.

Seeing is recognizing. Recognizing is knowing.

Thus, it would surely be natural for Baal’s wisdom to reside in that eye.

I sought to reclaim Baal’s eye.

“Grrk!”

The two ravens perched on Odin’s shoulders lunged at me, but they burst at a light flick of my hand, leaving nothing but feathers behind.

Seizing the moment, Odin swung the spear Gungnir he held, and perhaps due to the shard of Baal, the spear infused with the power of lightning shot towards me in an instant.

But.

“Hmph. Are you thinking of resisting?”

The sharp tip of Gungnir, shot like lightning, was caught between my left hand.

Stuck between my index and middle fingers, the spear tip was rendered immobile; while lightning surged from it, scattering into the surroundings, it couldn’t burn my fingers even a bit.

Furthermore, not only Gungnir but Odin himself was rendered completely still.

As if time had come to a halt. Not a single move was made.

Ultimately, this was it.

The gods who swaggered about were merely this.

Compared to me, they were infinitely small.

I let out a small sigh and reached out my hand.

Slowly, my hand penetrated to Odin’s eye, unable to move like the Gungnir in my hand.

Odin screamed. My fingers delved into his motionless eye, and a scream filled with agony echoed.

Thus, I reclaimed Baal’s eye.

 

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