—Loki!
Thor was infuriated, raised Mjolnir, smashed it down!
What greeted him was—
Stop!
Clang!
The Sound of Sword Unsheathing and Odin's roar rang out simultaneously. Immediately after, the space shook, Wood found that he had arrived in Asgard.
Thor gripped Mjolnir, staring at him with a cold expression, while the one-eyed and cunning Odin stood by his side.
Loki, do you still remember that we were once best brothers?
Of course I remember.
Wood straightened his back, his fingers gripping the Holy Sword tightly.
We once—
Don't repeat those brotherhood oaths to me, oaths you never kept and never believed in! We are not brothers! We—
Wood impatiently interrupted Odin, his gaze shifting toward the World Tree that supported the heavens and the earth in the distance.
Seeing this, Odin smiled broadly and invited him, "Shall we go to the base of the World Tree to drink mead together?"
With Fenrir's painful roars as background music?
Wood shot a jab at Odin.
Odin, showing no sign of shame, stated, "Fenrir is very happy to see Papa again."
“..”
Wood froze, it took a long time before he could utter the second half of his sentence: "You are even more shameless now than in my memories."
For the survival of my clan, I must resort to any means necessary, doing things I never wanted to do.
.. Are you blaming me? Do you truly believe that all your filth stems from my coercion!
Wood mocked Odin.
Odin smiled and strode toward the flourishing World Tree.
Wood followed without a second thought.
..
..
According to the Norse epic Edda, the World Tree has three roots: one in the realm of the Gods, Asgard; one in the land of the Giants, Jotunheim; and the last in the land of Mist, Niflheim. The desperate Nidhogg resides here, leading a swarm of serpents to dwell at the roots of the World Tree, constantly gnawing at it.
When the roots of the World Tree are gnawed away completely, the World originating from the World Tree will begin its march toward Death, Ragnarok will officially arrive.
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Author's Note: Thank you to readers "Anun", "Qing Yun", "Er Jiao", "Lan Wu", "Yuan Zhong Ren De Yi Yu Zhong Li", "", "Yi Tuo Da Yan", "Lei Zhuang", "Xing Ye", "kiki", "Li Yu", "Bu Hao Du Shu Jiu Jin Chang Da Gong", "Shi Yi", "Fish Blowing Bubblegum", "Liang Yan Yi Bi Yi Jue Bu Qi", "Ye Yuan", "Mu", "Nai Pi Nai Pi Wo Shi Chao Pian", "Lan Mei Xiao Yang", "Yang Liu", "Dian Ji Ke Yi Kan Dao Chao Ji Mei Nv" for the Irrigation Nutrient Solution.
Chapter 87 Odin and the World Tree (9)
Standing side by side with Odin before the roots of the World Tree in Asgard, looking at the thick trunk that was as wide as a palace or a mountain range and the lush canopy that was mostly hidden deep within the clouds, Wood inexplicably saw images of the World Tree withering and collapsing flash before his eyes.
That was—
Odin.
Huh?
Have you ever wondered why?
Why? What do you mean, why?
Odin retorted to Wood—Thor had been sent by him to bring Fenrir, who was currently wailing in agony while circling the World Tree, would return shortly.
You are not an ignorant fool; you know that Ragnarok is an irreversible inevitability. Why, then, do you still do so many meaningless things to oppose Ragnarok? Have you not realized that every single thing you do only accelerates the arrival of Ragnarok?
I know.
Then..
I am not resigned to this.
Odin reached out, stroking the thick trunk: "Every time I touch the World Tree, I can clearly feel its heartbeat. It is a living creature, the very key to the existence of the Asgard gods—I will never allow any power to destroy my world and end my rule! I am the God King; I deserve eternal, undying life!"
However, all living things must die. Even if their lifespan reaches trillions or quadrillions of years—or rather, all life, including the Universe, will eventually age, decay, vanish into nothingness.
Yes. All living things must die! But it shouldn't be this brief, this rapid!
Odin roared, "Earth has existed for four and a half billion years, the Solar System was formed ten billion years ago! Compared to these grand and magnificent celestial bodies, the verifiable history of Human Civilization in the Current Era is barely ten thousand years! And this ten-thousand-year history is pieced together by countless tiny individuals, as insignificant as ants, whose average lifespans can never exceed one hundred years, who possess intense material desires and violent instincts that are destined to remain unfulfilled! Don't you think this is something both tragic and great!"
Tragic? Great?
Countless bewildered Lifeforms move in disorder like molecules, forming a breathtaking history, yet they remain entirely ignorant of it.
What exactly are you trying to say?
Wood interrupted Odin impatiently.
He did not want to listen to Odin's nonsense; he feared that Loki, residing deep within the Soul, would be persuaded by Odin once again.
“I want to say—Ragnarok is unavoidable, but we can cooperate with the humans living on this planet to ensure that the humans of Earth can find a new and more suitable planet to inhabit before Ragnarok arrives—when the Cataclysm of Ragnarok sweeps across the world and destroys everything on Earth, the humans of Earth will have already moved to a better planet and secured a better life.”
As he spoke these words, Odin's single eye shone brightly.
Loki—you are my best brother and my most important ally. We have once been inseparable and accomplished countless great things together! Now, join hands with me once again, let us fight together for a better future for humanity!
“..”
I am sorry about Fenrir, but in order to delay Ragnarok, I had to imprison him.
“..”
Wood looked at Odin speechlessly.
You are even more shameless than I expected.
But everything I am saying right now is the truth!
Odin argued, "As long as you join hands with me, all difficult problems will be perfectly resolved, including Fenrir."
Are you—sure?
Wood blurted out.
He wanted to know what kind of sophistry Odin could come up with now.
You imprisoned him on the grounds that Fenrir would cause Ragnarok, you have refused to release him to this day. Why do you say now that Fenrir's matter can be resolved as long as we work together?
Because—
[Papa!]
Fenrir's Voice suddenly rang out in his mind.
Wood looked up and saw Fenrir, whose massive form loomed like a small mountain—his mouth was pierced by a sharp sword, his neck was bound with a cursed rope.
Fenrir?
Papa!
Fenrir blinked his eyes, tears fell silently.
Immediately after, it shook its body, its mountain-like stature instantly shrinking to the size of a common large pet dog, its large head enthusiastically nuzzling into Wood's arms.
[Papa! Papa! Papa! Papa!]
Fenrir shouted excitedly.
The joy of their long-awaited reunion rushed through his mind, to the point that this clumsy little fur-ball couldn't even organize his thoughts for a moment, only repeatedly crying out "Papa."
I know you missed me very much, I have missed you all along, especially knowing that you are still being held captive by Them..
At this, Wood's eyes ignited with fire once more as he glared furiously at Odin and Thor standing behind him.
I will never forgive you! It is even more impossible that I would cooperate with you!
Refusing to cooperate to my face?
Odin gave a cold, sinister laugh.
Thor understood. He suddenly tightened his grip on the segment of cursed rope in his hands—
Come back! You beast!
[—Ah!]
Fenrir let out a silent scream.
Unwilling to leave his Father's warm embrace, it struggled so violently that the cursed rope around its neck cut through its skin and into the flesh once more, warm blood flowed out along the rope and through its fur!
“Do you even have the right to choose! You are our prisoner! You are our slave! You are—"
[On the day of Ragnarok, I will definitely kill you! I will devour you whole!]
Fenrir roared with a voice torn by desperation.
But in the end, he could not withstand the divine power of Thor and the excruciating pain of the cursed ropes; his massive body was dragged backward continuously, his claws grinding against the diamond-hard floor, creating sparks and deep grooves.
Let him go!
Wood shouted sharply, "If you still want to negotiate with me, start being nicer to Fenrir from now on!"
Fenrir is an disobedient child; we usually deal with disobedient children with a whip.
Odin was arrogant.
Wood was instantly consumed by rage, he had to take a deep breath to suppress the Fire within him: "To you, he might be a disobedient bad boy, but in my eyes, he will always be that silly Little Puppy! I won't allow you to abuse him."
“No one is mistreating him; he simply refuses to obey us, so he must endure some bitter lessons.”
Thor echoed Odin's words, showing no remorse for his abusive behavior, even clenched his fists in an attempt to strike Fenrir.
—Stop!