That's right! Rather than being saved, Fenrir would likely hope more for Papa to gain his freedom.
Hela agreed.
Even Fenrir—
Papa! Don't worry about me! Don't let these bastards blackmail you just to save me! They have no intention of negotiating; they only want to use me as a tool to extort Papa!
But you, right now—
I've gotten used to it.
Fenrir's voice, which rang out directly in his mind, was filled with sadness and melancholy.
[I only regret that I was so naive back then, so naive as to believe They would keep their promise! And the result was—]
We have a fair agreement; since you failed to break free from the chains, you naturally deserve to be bound by them for a long time!
"A certain Norse God shouted.
Awoo—!
Fenrir let out an unwilling howl, his mountain-like body shaking violently, causing even the trunk of the World Tree to tremble slightly from his rage.
A raging fire also burned in Wood's heart.
“Odin—”
Finally decided to accept my invitation?
I can accept your invitation, but you must release Fenrir first!
Oh?
Odin looked at Wood with a cold sneer: "You were once the God of Sophistry and the God of Lies; what could possibly make me certain that you would keep your promise after I release Fenrir?"
Whether it be the God of Lies or the God of Sophistry, they are all just rumors spread by you and your Asgard Gods. You know my true character better than anyone!
“The real you indeed was neither skilled at sophistry nor at lying, but—”
Odin paused for a moment: "All the characteristics of the Gods of the Current Era originate from the Collective Imagination of humanity, including their appearance, abilities, personalities. Nowadays, due to the widespread dissemination of Norse Mythology, the public's imagination of Loki has been fixed as the God of Lies and the God of Sophistry. How could I dare to believe that you, who was once Loki, still retain the sincerity and simplicity of those years?"
—What exactly do you want me to do!
It's simple, give me everything you have!
Odin stated bluntly, "Only you have the ability to stop Ragnarok, only you can make the Asgard Gods break the limits of their lifespan—I admit our demands are excessive and greedy, but life itself is greedy, the Norse Mythology led by Asgard is the one closest to true human nature among the mainstream mythology systems on Earth."
So I must be continuously exploited by you? Because during that time when I lost my memory, I took you for my best brother?
You swore under the World Tree to—
After the judgment, we are no longer brothers!
Wood interrupted Odin impatiently: "Release Fenrir immediately!"
What if we don't release him?
I will find you, even if you hide at the ends of the world!
Wood raised his hand, the Holy Sword flowed from his palm: "I will sever the cursed chains that torture Fenrir, pull out the sword stuck in his mouth, ensure that all the Asgard Gods involved in this conspiracy receive the punishment they deserve! Just like the prophecy of Ragnarok—the doom of the Gods, the twilight of the World!"
“Even if the Cataclysm expands to sweep across the entire World? Destroy the current Human Civilization?”
Odin reminded him in a chilling tone, "You said you were willing to do anything just to better protect the current Human Civilization, yet now you intend to break your oath for the sake of a stupid dog—I understand your love for Fenrir, I understand your anger in this moment, but—to think such a noble and great Soul would destroy his own Divine oath for a dog.. don't you think you look like a clown compared to when you made that vow?"
—You have accepted Cthulhu's assimilation, haven't you?
Wood asked back coldly.
Every word from Odin made him feel so annoyed that he had no desire to listen to his nonsense.
“I—”
Life will do anything to survive, merging with a Cthulhu Lifeform is one of those paths.
Cain spoke up unexpectedly, joining the dispute between Wood and Odin.
“Although in the eyes of humans on Earth, Cthulhu is an extremely twisted lifeform, from a purely biological perspective, Cthulhu is an extremely pure and perfect lifeform—They have discarded good and evil, right and wrong, all morality; the only thing They are obsessed with is life itself, thus They continuously devour, reproduce, expand until they cover the entire world.”
You recognize the Cthulhu Lifeform?
Odin glared at Cain angrily, "They are currently planning—"
Suddenly, he realized he had let it slip, so he hurriedly pretended to say it nonchalantly, "Well then, this visit ends here. I hope when you visit next time, you will still hold to your principle of never compromising."
As the words fell, the Gods of Asgard and the World Tree dissipated together, leaving only Fenrir's pained howl lingering in the ears, refusing to fade for a long time.
Wood took a breath and looked coldly at Cain: "They have all cleared out, how much longer do you intend to stay?"
I will be leaving soon.
Cain smiled as he looked at Wood and the Jormungand, Anubis, Hela behind him. "Darling, if I were you, I would never meet Odin and the others again—he and his Asgard gods are an eternal, bottomless Abyss."
This matter—I have known about it for a thousand years.
No! You don't know!
Cain sneered and emphasized, "You think you have seen through Odin's true face, but in reality, you know nothing! Over a thousand years ago, a group of nomadic and pirate peoples replaced the natives to become the Masters of Norse. They neither farmed nor herded; they were cruel, combative, bloodthirsty. That is why the Norse Mythology they created glorifies bloodshed and plunder while despising diligence and steadiness—they are the chosen ones of Cthulhu, they recognize Cthulhu from the bottom of their hearts—they are beyond salvation!"
Shut up! Get out of here right now!
Wood shouted, unable to bear it any longer.
Well then—goodbye!
Cain bowed politely, after apologizing, turned and left.
..
As soon as Cain left, Wood ran to the adjacent storage room, grabbed over a dozen cloves of garlic, hung them on the windowsill, shouted indignantly, "Just whose side is That Guy on! Why does he jump to the humans' side one moment and then, why is he so self-righteous about everything he does! He doesn't even think he looks like a bat at all."
In folklore, Vampires can transform into Bats, so he is indeed a Bat.
Hela commented leisurely, his eyes staring intently at Wood: "Papa—"
Hmm?
Wood instinctively responded, then—
I.. I.. I don't think I am qualified to be your Papa.
“But you truly are our Papa.”
Hela reached out, expressing his deep affection, "I have been searching for you, my dear Papa. When I learned from Cain that you had escaped, I formed a temporary alliance with Cain."
You, you did it all for—
“Yes, everything I have done so far has been to see Papa again.”
Hela said with a sob.
Beside him, the Jormungand Cat nodded vigorously, the whiskers at the corners of his mouth trembling incessantly.
“Papa! Papa!”
Papa—
I want to call Papa too~
The Anubis Dog leaned in with his head.
[If I cannot get Fingel back to Papa's side through conventional means, I can use the methods of death. After all, I am the Supervisor among the Ennead—]
Wait a minute!
Wood suddenly interrupted Anubis, his gaze turning toward the corner of the wall with vigilance.
Come out!
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thanks to readers "Qing Yun", "Yuan Zhong Ren De Yi Yu Zhong Li Ga", "Er Jiao", "Courage is Lifelong Reliance ing", "Bu Hao Du Shu Jiu Jin Chang Da Gong", "Shi Yi", "Li Yu", "Mu", "Fish Blowing Bubblegum", "Riyue Taosan Huan", "Lan Wu", "Yang Liu", "Meng Li Jian", "Yi Tuo Da Yan", "Huan Le Song Huan Le", "Xing Ye", "kiki", "Dian Ji Ke Yi Kan Dao Chao Ji Mei Nu", "Ye Yuan" for providing Irrigation Nutrient Solution.
Chapter 84 Odin and the World Tree (6)
I am sorry—
A one-armed Black Shadow slowly emerged from the corner, coalescing into Tyr, the God of Justice from Norse Mythology.
“I am Tyr.”
I know you are Tyr. Why have you come to see me in private?
Wood asked Tyr back in a curt tone, "Are you here to fulfill your duties as the God of Justice to mediate the conflict between Odin and me, to apologize to me regarding Fenrir, or—for that account in the Edda?"
I.. regarding the matter of Fenrir, I am sorry—
Tyr sighed. "Back then, Odin brought him back to Asgard, I was responsible for looking after him, feeding him, grooming him. It was also out of trust in me that he was bound by the cursed ropes and had his jaws pried open by a sharp blade, forced to wait helplessly for the arrival of Ragnarok—even though I paid the price of a severed hand for it, every time I pass the World Tree and see him in pain and bleeding, a strong sense of guilt still surges in my heart, the wound on my right hand still aches faintly."
And what else? What else do you want to say?
Wood retorted to Tyr, "If you truly feel shame and remorse, why not find an opportunity to secretly release him? Why do you shed tears of regret for your own deception while standing by and watching him be bound? I almost forgot that shortly after he was bound, you moved to Valhalla—as long as you can't see him, his sorrow and hatred do not truly exist! You only need to shed a few tears whenever you occasionally see or think of him to satisfy your conscience!"
“Loki—”
Tyr looked at Wood with shame.
Wood gave a cold smile.
Tyr looked toward Jormungand and Hela again, they both turned their heads away in unison.
Finally, Tyr looked at Anubis: "We are all Gods of Judgment, also—"
I am different from you.
Anubis said without hesitation.
I have never done anything that goes against my nature and conscience. Right is right, wrong is wrong! I will never cover up their crimes just because I and those bastards who made mistakes both belong to the Asgard gods!
“But—”
Tyr, or rather, Tiuse, I understand your hardships and your helplessness.
Hela walked up to Tyr and looked up at the one-armed Norse God.