Intermission

"No..."

Kudryash roared in despair.

When the great serpent Jormungandr struck the Kirov, the entire cruiser shook violently. Its immense strength sent the Kirov Cruiser skidding sideways across the water.

For the first time, those aboard learned that a living creature, not just the forces of nature, could toss their cruiser about like a lone boat at sea. Despair and helplessness rose in every heart.

But it wasn't over...

Jormungandr plunged into the water and passed beneath the cruiser from one side to the other.

Before everyone's stunned eyes, the impossibly huge serpent wrapped its body around the Kirov Cruiser.

Realizing what it was doing, Kudryash roared, his eyes nearly bulging from their sockets: "All hands, abandon ship!"

Splash, splash...

The Kirov's crew leaped into the sea one after another.

Jormungandr paid no attention to the little ants jumping overboard. It tightened its coils, and scales as thick as hills pressed down on the Kirov Cruiser with a roar louder than thunder.

The cruiser, a pinnacle of human technology, warped and split under the crushing pressure. Countless fragments burst from the gaps between the serpent's coils. Explosions boomed, and fire flared across the sea.

After crushing the cruiser in just a few moments, Jormungandr raised its head toward the sun and roared with the satisfaction of having taken revenge.

Then it left the wreckage of the Kirov Cruiser behind, plunged into the ocean, and swam toward deeper waters.

News of what had happened in Reykjavik soon spread across Blue Star through the internet.

Although everyone had closed their eyes when it happened, whether willingly or otherwise, machines made by human technology had faithfully recorded it all.

Once footage of Jormungandr battling the sun chariot pulled by celestial steeds appeared online, it drew hundreds of thousands of comments in less than half a day and quickly became the day's hottest topic.

"Is this real? Don't tell me it's another The Blair Witch. I hate it when film companies and the media treat me like an idiot."

"I sent it to my geek friend. He said no effects studio could make footage this low-resolution look this real."

"Jormungandr, the Sun God Sól, and her Heavenly Steeds... Wait, why is Sól a man in the video? Isn't Sól a goddess?"

"There's something they're not telling us. I demand the truth! I want scientists to tell me if this is real. Has science been lying to me all this time?"

The modern internet could spread anything with unprecedented speed. Once a topic caught fire, it could cause an uproar across society, and countless people began digging for answers.

Within an hour, people had unearthed footage of a divine blessing at the Gion Festival in the Eastern Isles and a monster in Eastern Heijō-kyō. Those two videos joined the Reykjavik footage as the top three trending topics.

Three hours later, word that Jormungandr had destroyed the Kirov Cruiser surfaced, sending the uproar to a peak.

"Holy shit! The Kirov Cruiser was an active-duty warship, and Jormungandr destroyed it? I'm questioning everything. Was atheism made up to fool us?"

"Could this be a rogue god? Is there a hidden world behind ours?"

"Science is dead; mythology shall rise. I've long been the most devout believer of my lord Amenominakanushi."

"Science became part of our daily lives, but mythology never went away. How many things do we still not know about this seemingly ordinary world? I don't want the truth hidden from me. Release it!"

Debate raged online, but the people in power had no time for it.

They were in meetings, discussing what the incident meant for their countries.

Meanwhile, Rear Admiral Fyodorovich of the Bear Nation's navy, who had encountered Jormungandr firsthand, gathered Norse mythology experts and scientific researchers to discuss how to capture it.

"Everyone, our intelligence officers gathered this information from public and classified sources. You must not leak it."

After showing them the intelligence, Fyodorovich cleared his throat. "And the reason we've called you here is to discuss how to capture Jormungandr!"

"Capture Jormungandr?"

The researchers looked at one another. If the intelligence was accurate, that was simply impossible.

One researcher spoke up. "Vice Admiral, if the descriptions in your intelligence are true, capturing Jormungandr is impossible. With its strength, it could easily crush an aircraft carrier. No material we can manufacture could withstand that kind of force."

"He's right, Vice Admiral. The intelligence also suggests that Jormungandr has astonishing defenses. Our department's independently developed spatial nuclear-test detection system registered an enormous energy release resembling a nuclear test in Reykjavik, Iceland."

A scientist continued, "Based on your intelligence, the Sun Chariot's collision with Jormungandr must have released that energy. Yet Jormungandr escaped the explosion with only injuries. That means its body may be able to withstand a nuclear blast. I don't think we can capture a creature like that."

"In fact, I'm not sure we could even kill Jormungandr."

Fyodorovich frowned as he listened. That was not the answer he wanted, so he turned to the Norse mythology experts.

Seeing that Fyodorovich was plainly unhappy, the mythology experts found themselves in a difficult position.

Capture Jormungandr? How could he even suggest it? In the myths, Jormungandr grew large enough to swallow Blue Star during Ragnarök. Even if it hadn't reached that size yet, mortals like us couldn't capture it.

The problem was that Fyodorovich clearly wanted to hear how they could capture Jormungandr, not that they couldn't.

The scientists and researchers had enough standing to ignore a rear admiral's displeasure. They did not. Despite sharing the title of "expert," Norse mythology experts ranked among the lowest in status.

If they offended a rear admiral, they might even be detained here.

Everyone turned to Yevgeny Nabokhov, the best-known Norse mythology expert in the room. You're the senior expert. You go first.