Wood ignored him and swung his sword again, striking the blade that was prying Fenrir's mouth open.
Hold on! It will be over soon!
[I can endure it..]
We will also help Papa—
Stop! Stop this instant!
Hela's response and Tyr's roar rang out together, the air thick with the scent of war.
Loki! It is not too late to stop now. Do not let a moment of impulse cause irreparable consequences!
Odin, restrained by Hela and unable to act rashly, sternly warned Wood.
High above, Tyr was even more—
Cease your self-righteousness, or I shall lead the Valkyries and the Warriors of Valhalla in a full-scale offensive against you and your monster offspring!
Kill Him! Kill Him!
“Kill these Asgard Traitors!”
Shameful Monster! Kill them!
They have defiled Asgard!
“..”
The Valkyries roared in fury, their glowing faces filled with dissatisfaction and resentment toward Wood and the others!
Immediately—
Is that so?
Jormungand looked up, glaring at Tyr, who was leading the Valkyries.
[You once told Papa that you loved Fenrir and that you felt guilty for the deception of those years, that your heart ached every time you saw Fenrir stripped of his freedom—but now that we are determined to liberate Fenrir, you have taken the initiative to lead the Valkyries to besiege us! You are demanding our surrender!]
Guilt toward Fenrir and loyalty to Odin and Asgard are not contradictory!
Tyr argued, "As the God of War of Asgard, it is my duty to protect Asgard and drive away Monsters."
[But none of this would have happened! If Odin hadn't stolen us from Papa back then! If he hadn't imprisoned us separately! Odin is the source of the Cataclysm! His brutality and greed brought about Ragnarok!]
Jormungand grew more and more indignant, opening the Abyss Mouth to spew a poisonous black mist.
Die, all of you! Odin's Valkyries!
We—ah!
Just as the Valkyries were about to struggle, they were struck by a sudden surge of poisonous mist that made it impossible to keep their eyes open, their bodies—
Flap! Flap!
Like sparrows hitting an electric net, they fell one after another toward Earth.
This..
A look of obvious surprise flashed across Tyr's face: "How could this be.."
As expected of the third son of the Monster destined to bring Ragnarok to the World!
Odin laughed loudly, his laughter overflowing with the brutality of slaughter.
What a pity.. what a pity..
What is a pity?
Realizing that Odin's tone was unusual, Wood paused his longsword's hacking and cutting into Fenrir's mouth, turning around warily to question Odin, "What are you planning now?"
What am I planning?
Odin grinned, the smile at the corners of his mouth like a demon's crescent moon.
I plan to keep you all here forever, so that Ragnarok will never come!
“—What did you say?”
Wood shuddered all over and blurted out.
“What are you going to do to us?”
“Without my tacit consent, how could you have smuggled your children into Asgard so smoothly! Yes, the whole thing has been my scheme from the very beginning. My plan is simple—use Fenrir as bait to capture you and all your children, sacrifice them all to Cthulhu Lifeform—and then, I will obtain energy from Cthulhu Lifeform to achieve immortality!”
But Cthulhu Lifeform—are you certain you can obtain the benefits you desire from a deal with Cthulhu Lifeform?
Wood looked at Odin mockingly, "Those things possess an intense hunger for all things in the world! They want nothing more than to cover the entire world; how could they possibly allow you to extract energy from it?"
What you say makes a lot of sense, but I have already found a solution.
Splash—
The World Tree swayed gently.
Standing beneath the World Tree, Odin's body wobbled like jelly.
Wood's heart trembled instantly. "You—you have already merged with the Cthulhu Lifeform?"
Not just me, but the whole of Asgard is part of the Cthulhu Lifeform.. Now, it is your turn and your children's to merge into the Cthulhu Lifeform!
What about the World Tree? The World Tree and the Nine Worlds it supports—
As long as it completely devours you and your children, the Cthulhu Lifeform will smoothly assimilate the World Tree, then, following the branches of the World Tree, it will enter all the Nine Worlds.. When that time comes, whether it is the Jotunheim of the Giants, the Niflheim of the Land of Mist, or the desperate Nidhogg who continuously gnaws at the roots of the World Tree.. all will become part of the Cthulhu Lifeform. All life—be it Gods, humans, or Bacteria—will all merge into one, returning to the primordial..
Odin spoke while lost in vision, his face, which wobbled slightly like agar jelly, wearing an expression of intoxication.
The Gods of Asgard have long since merged into it; what you see now are merely mimics created by Cthulhu Lifeforms by reading their residual Consciousness.. I must remind you, Cthulhu Lifeforms are not the low, ugly, incomprehensible beings you imagine; in fact, we are lifeforms far more advanced and intelligent than you. Hundreds of billions of years ago, we pierced through the Truth of the Universe and embarked upon the most correct evolutionary path—a path that is utterly incomprehensible to the primitive, primary stage of life on Earth..
This is not the correct evolution! This is a deviation! A complete deviation!
Wood shouted in exasperation, "This is a path that simply cannot be taken! You are dead wrong!"
No, we are right!
Correct!
We are right!
Correct! Correct!
Correct—
“..”
Countless voices rose from all directions, nearly shattering Wood's mind.
Join us, become a part of us! Only when you sink into our ocean of thought will you understand how exquisite and magnificent the Cthulhu Lifeform is! It is the highest form of Life's evolution! It is the ultimate means for Life to combat Death!
Cthulhu Lifeform—the only perfect lifeform in the universe capable of conquering Death!
Cthulhu! Cthulhu! We call your name!
Join us! Join us! Evolve into a higher form!
Loki! No, Wood! ***! **! You have possessed countless names and have experienced death countless times; you know the terror of death and the warmth of life more clearly than all the life in Asgard! Come! Merge with us! Let us transform this world full of deception, strife, slaughter, brutality, bloodshed into a primitive state of eternal warmth and peace!
Dear~ believe me, merging with Cthulhu is the only way to achieve peace and eternal life in the Universe~
“..”
Tens of thousands of voices spoke on without end.
Sweet voices, charming seductions, the perfect future They promised descended like a dense spring drizzle, capable of attracting any slightly weakened will into the labyrinth of Consciousness.
Come here~ Come here~
You've been standing on your own for so many years, you must be very tired~
Dear, do you really think humans still have a future?
We are the ultimate and most perfect form of life evolution~
Loki.. Wood.. regardless of which name, you want Humans to achieve Happiness, don't you?
Dear~ Dear~ Dea—
“..”
Shut up! All of you, shut up!
Wood shouted angrily, "I don't want to hear it! And I have no interest in listening to your nonsense! It's all lies! Lies! Lies—"
As soon as the words fell, as if in response to the resistance, the World Tree shook gently, shedding golden powder.
Immediately after, the surrounding air began to churn violently like boiling soup. One after another, familiar Norse Gods appeared before Wood, some with beaming smiles and others with raging fury, yet all of them possessed a longing for Wood so intense it could not be ignored.
Then, they began to mutter incessantly around Wood.
We need your power~
Let's create a beautiful future together!
My blonde hair! My beautiful blonde hair! Give it back to me! Give it back to me!
Why! Why! Why frame me!
What exactly did I do wrong? You're going to order my brother to kill me?
“Loki, you deceived us~ You are a liar, you must pay for your actions—”
[—Shut up!]
Jormungand let out a great roar, the black mist he exhaled dyed the surrounding Norse Gods pitch black.
[Papa! Don't let Them distract you, hurry and rescue Fenrir!]
I understand.
Wood took a deep breath and gripped the longsword, which had been nearly severed by the Holy Sword—
Fenrir! Hold on!
[Papa—ah—]
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Author's Note: Thank you to readers "Suisui Wei Jun Ge", "Qing Yun", "Shi Yi", "＿Lan Wu＿", "Naibi Wo Shi Shupian", "kiki", "Bu Haoshu Du Shu Jiu Jin Chang Dagong", "Ye Yuan", "Riyue Taosan Huan", "Yu Tu Paopao Tang", "Yuan Zhong Ren De Yi Yu Zhong Li", "Dianji Jike Kenshao Chaoji Meinu", "Huanle Song Huanle", "Lan Mei Xiao Yang", "Yang Liu", "Mu", "Liang Yan Yi Bi Yi Jue Bu Qi", "Yi Tuo Da Yan", "Xing Ye" for providing Irrigation Nutrient Solution.