199. The Burning Yggdrasil (3)
– Kugugugung—!!
In the midst of their sprint, an earthquake struck, causing Kirhas and Fernandez to stagger and momentarily regain their balance. The demons chasing them couldn’t maintain their speed and tumbled over in a chaotic heap.
They had bought some time, but Fernandez couldn’t run anymore. Something felt ominous. His instincts were screaming warnings like mad.
No, it wasn’t just his instincts—it was the divine blood of Diemonica flowing through his veins, sounding the alarm. It felt as if it was screaming in terror.
Thump, thump. His heart raced. Fernandez swallowed hard as he glared at the epicenter, Yggdrasil. Just as the earthquake seemed to subside, a trumpet sound tore through the sky.
– Booooo—!!
A deafening roar echoed across the heavens. Hearing this, Botan, who was tied to Fernandez’s waist, spoke softly.
[That’s Gjallarhorn.]
“Is that the name of the monster making that sound?”
[Monster? No, it’s a trumpet. The trumpet Heimdall carries. It’s only blown when the entire Aesir faces a crisis. In all of history, it’s never been sounded before.]
A crisis for all of Aesir. If the threat was so great that it reached even those who had fled to a safe dimension through Bifrost, there was only one explanation.
This was a sign of Ragnarok. But they hadn’t reached Yggdrasil yet. If Loft had made the first move, it was because they were too late.
Time—always the most precious and irreplaceable resource.
– Kugugugung!!
Once again, an earthquake swept across the land. Simultaneously, the sky, covered in dark clouds, split open, and light began to pour down.
Over the vast plains facing Yggdrasil, over the destroyed and burning land, sunlight began to shine. Along with the earthquake, it illuminated the earth—
[Bifrost is opening.]
And beneath the light, a legion revealed itself.
* * *
The dagger that had cleanly severed Karadphelin’s neck smoothly turned and touched Heimdall’s throat. Heimdall, without a hint of panic, stared down at Loft.
The earthquake caused the bridge leading to the sanctuary to collapse. Mercury bubbled and boiled, and the once-blue sky began to glow with the light of sunset.
[What is this?]
“That’s not enough. Open all the gates. Every single one. Every dimensional gateway Bifrost can reach.”
Loft glared at Heimdall with burning eyes. Heimdall silently looked back at Loft. Soon, he spoke in a grave voice.
[Botan and you had a different plan.]
“Of course, my friend.”
[Your goal is the destruction of this world?]
“Destruction? Ha, hardly. Who would want that? If everyone just died, the boredom afterward would be enough to make me want to kill myself just thinking about it.”
Loft laughed, clacking his jaw. Heimdall frowned and turned his gaze to Thor, who stood beside him.
[Why are you silent? Are you satisfied with this, brother?]
[I don’t know.]
Thor scratched his head and sighed. He clicked his tongue and took a step back from Loki and Heimdall.
[We were living well, and suddenly Ragnarok happens. Father turns his back and summons demons, causing chaos, and my brothers all lose their minds and head to Midgard. What am I supposed to believe, brother? Were you ever honest with me? No one ever told me that the dragon’s heart was the seal of Jormungand.]
[I… did it for everyone!]
[How sad, brother. The fact that your ‘everyone’ didn’t include me. Well, it’s fine. I made a promise to fulfill just one thing. The rest doesn’t matter anymore.]
Thor shrugged. Loft chuckled at his words.
“Just one thing? What is it, brother?”
[Before falling to Hell, Father left me with one command.]
“Oh, Botan. What was it?”
[Kill Jormungand.]
Loft burst into laughter. The last piece of uncertainty had vanished.
Killing Botan’s children in front of Thor was an extremely dangerous move. The royal family of Aesir was generally close-knit.
But even rocks are eventually worn down by rain. Loft had spent a long time driving a wedge between them.
As a result, Thor no longer tried to stop him from killing his own brother.
Loft whispered to the panicked Heimdall.
“I’ll take the key to Bifrost.”
[Thor!! This is a misunderstanding—!]
– Sssk.
Before Heimdall could finish, Loft thrust a dagger into the gap in his armor. A jolt of energy surged through his body. Blue sparks crackled and rose from his entire being.
Loft hummed as he pulled out the dagger. Heimdall’s body twitched and trembled.
“What a harmonious family. Just as the gods have always been.”
“Once upon a time, it was really a ‘harmonious’ family.”
“I don’t care about your giants’ secret history, Jotun. What are you going to do now?”
-Kugugugugung!!
Another earthquake swept through the sanctuary. The walls of the sanctuary crumbled and fell into Mercury Lake below. Standing on the ground that seemed ready to collapse at any moment, Loft smiled faintly without moving a muscle.
“We need to buy time. The other legions haven’t arrived yet. It’s not Ragnarok until all the actors are here.”
As he spoke, the god of theater burst into laughter. Abel frowned and looked up at the sky. The celestial sphere, filled with an ominous sunset glow, was blazing.
The red sun embedded in the sky was like an eye. It looked like the gaze of some powerful being watching over them.
The Aesir and the Jotun, and the other races sacrificed in the Aesir’s conquest war. Sadarkelisa, used to prevent Ragnarok. Loft and Botan, who brought about the end while trying to prevent it.
And the countless lives lost in between. The sun shimmered as if mocking them. Foolish. This whole farce.
Abel turned her gaze to the shattered remains of Karadpelin. The remains crumbled and flowed into Mercury Lake.
My brother. A guardian of admirable conviction. A symbol of nobility. ‘Heavenly Dragon’…….
Abel sighed and closed her eyes.
“Loki. This is the last time I’ll play along with your games.”
“Do we even have a next time?”
“I hope not. Because then I’ll definitely kill you.”
Abel opened her eyes as she spoke. Beneath her blue eyes, a fierce blue flame seemed to burn. She spoke slowly, growling lowly.
“I’ll buy the time. You do your part.”
“Haha, Lindworm. As you command.”
Loft bowed exaggeratedly and slapped Thor’s back. The two soon opened the Bifrost gateway and disappeared. Abel sighed deeply once more and took a step forward.
Her foot slowly rose above the mercury-filled lake. And then—
-Kugugugugung!!!
A dragon flew across the sky.
* * *
-Kugugugung.
The clouds tore apart, revealing a bright red sky beyond. Like a red wound beneath black skin. The sky was burning.
Fernandez ran towards Yggdrasil, trying to calm his ragged breath.
As the presence of the demons grew stronger, his heart beat more violently, making it harder to breathe.
-Impressive. The demons are almost completely destroyed.
‘These guys here are like recruits compared to Sadarkelisa’s main force in the abyss. They’re no match.’
Faijashi looked around and marveled. The giant troops that had crossed the Bifrost gateway were spread across the plain, crushing the resisting demons.
The legions of Jotun and Helheim. The elite forces of a race that had dreamed of nothing but revenge for a thousand years could not be stopped by the newly born demons being sent to the abyss.
They had managed to buy some time to catch their breath. Now that they had arrived here, as long as they made contact with Loft, things would proceed as planned.
Loft and Botan’s plan was to gather as many forces from other worlds as possible to Yggdrasil, and this battle depended entirely on their abilities.
Fernandez finally relaxed his shoulders. They had barely made it in time. His condition wasn’t perfect, but he had been through worse situations countless times before.
“Kirhas.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
Kirhas smiled with a clearly exhausted face. He reached out to stroke her hair.
At that moment, a chill ran down his spine, and his back stiffened.
‘What is this?’
Fernandez quickly turned his head. There was no sound, no sign… only his senses were screaming a warning. He shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t stay here…
“Kirhas. Do you feel it?”
Kirhas was the person he trusted most in the realm of instinct. He believed in her innate sense for victory. As he turned his head to speak.
Kirhas was still looking at the plain with tired eyes, smiling.
“Kirhas?”
There was no sound, no sign. Yet, the tension was so intense that his neck stiffened and goosebumps rose.
“Kirhas.”
No sound, no sign. No sound of winter wind, no noise of the battlefield, no rustling of leaves. Not even the presence of Kirhas right beside him.
And then, like glass cracking. His vision began to blur. A black haze shimmered, and a slow distortion began to creep into everything he saw.
The vast plain, the distant battlefield. Even the massive Yggdrasil.
‘Damn it.’
-Petrifying gaze…
The eyes of the Demidrako possess a petrifying gaze. Not true petrification, but like a snake staring at its prey. It stiffens the opponent’s body.
And Sadarkelisa is the mother of all Demidrako. Her eyes…
Could even petrify time itself.
In the frozen time, Fernandez stiffly turned his head to look at the tree.
The massive Yggdrasil, more like a background than a still life. At the end of this enormous tree that divided the horizon—
-Xhiii—
A massive red eye, burning like embers, was staring down at him.
“Sadar…kelisa…”
As he groaned, Yggdrasil began to burn. Without heat, without wind, it burned on its own. From the tips of its branches stretching beyond the horizon to the base of the tree near his feet.
Yggdrasil is more like a background than a still life. Because of that, the scene looked as if the world itself was burning.
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