Sword of Victory

Outside, the battered and bruised Landao Tianwu lay on a withered branch protruding from the edge of the cliff. His injuries were so severe that he dared not even breathe properly.

"Damn it, I thought this was just a dying world... and there's that kind of monster here. That damned Dongni, he almost killed me. You better be dead, or I'll make you wish you were dead."

He muttered angrily, but soon his eyelids seemed exhausted, as if they were about to close. The injury was serious, but compared to that, he felt the mental damage he had suffered was even greater.

"No, why do I feel tired? I..."

His eyes were almost closed, and his breathing gradually became even, like someone who had been up for two consecutive nights. His brain was almost uncontrollably drifting into a deep sleep.

Didi--

"Brother Tianwu, what's wrong on your end?!"

A familiar voice jolted him awake like an electric shock. Completely soaked, Landao Tianwu reached out his hand. "Is it raining?"

No, it was sweat, cold sweat that soaked his suit, as if he had been caught in a downpour and then splashed with water by a car speeding by on the side of the road.

Qin Hong.

Qin Hong frowned instantly. He put down the communicator and turned to his secretary, saying:

"Prepare a passage connecting me to Northern Europe; call on everyone you can."

Based on this address and Landao Tianwu's somewhat weak voice, Qin Hong was certain that something had happened to his brother Tianwu. Just as he was preparing to rush there overnight, Landao Tianwu stopped him.

"Why?"

"Do you remember what I said before? This is my trial... And, haha, it's laughable, I can't remember anything about what happened or what I was subjected to."

Landao Tianwu chuckled self-deprecatingly, then turned his gaze to the sky, where Surtr had once been regarded as the sun, had vanished.

"I encountered a very strong opponent. They probably possessed some kind of memory Magecraft. Anyway, I can't remember anything. I only remember fighting with the Electric Eye, and then..."

It seems that I only managed to save my life by playing my trump card of liberating Surtr.

"Such a thing actually happened... Brother Tianwu, I'll bring people to pick you up right away."

"No, Qin Hong, you must promise me one thing: if something happens to me, you must persevere and carry on the banner of the Blue Dream. I will destroy this backup communication system. If Ruolan's dream is not realized a month later, you must destroy this Lostbelt first."

Landao Tianwu's words were very decisive. He activated his power and stood on the treetop. A cold wind blew by, and he looked over. There was Surtr, who had fallen to the ground, looking like a severely mentally ill patient.

It seems that Fenrir's consciousness has not yet been extinguished. Two souls are struggling within this body, but now there is no frost, only these cold winds. If nothing unexpected happens, Fenrir's consciousness will soon be completely destroyed.

"Since that woman failed, let's just go for it directly. Maybe I shouldn't have tried to take that shortcut in the first place. Heh, good, at least this way I won't need to use that damned woman's body."

In Jotunheim, atop a series of towering stone mountains, lies the body of Jormungandr.

After obtaining the Eye of Odin, Bai Mo and the others didn't spend much time before they saw a faint light in the distance. Ophelia breathed a deep sigh of relief; having been trapped in the darkness inside the serpent's belly, she could finally see a glimmer of light.

"Is Ortlinde still not awake?"

"Not yet. Odin was unconscious for quite a while before. Don't worry, he'll be fine. He's already checked everything."

Mimir said to Bai Mo that Ortlinde had previously given up one of her eyes in exchange for the Eye of Odin, and Bai Mo wanted to try to put that eye back in to see if it would work.

However, things didn't go as planned; the soul within the eye had vanished in the transaction. But the last drop of Well of Wisdom contained within the eye flowed into Ortlinde's body, was absorbed by her, and then she fainted.

Now, this eyeball is a switch that Odin has set up.

"I hope everything's alright." Bai Mo sighed, getting closer and closer to the exit. However, besides the approaching light, there was also a pungent smell of blood.

Bai Mo emerged with the group, and upon seeing the scene before him, he gasped in shock.

A severed section of the snake's body, its cut smooth and clean, dripping with blood. The surrounding area was littered with traces of battle and carnage; the other half of Jormungandr was nowhere to be found.

"What's going on... wait, where's Surtr?"

Ophelia was horrified. The sky had turned completely black, and even Surtr, the last remaining source of sunlight, had vanished. In the distance, a fiery furnace seemed to illuminate half the sky, turning it crimson.

"The seal has been broken. Was it Landao Tianwu?"

"He's the only one in all of Northern Europe who would do this, "Bai Mo frowned. "What's wrong with this old dog? Ophelia is still here. If Surtr comes down, he'll just chop him into ashes too."

In the distance, Surtr still seemed to be distorted by the influence of his thoughts, but now that the seal was gone, it was only a matter of time before he returned to normal.

Bai Mo quickly looked around and instructed Ophelia to take Ortlinde and prepare to return to Skadi's barrier immediately.

Mimir, however, kept examining Jormungandr's cuts, muttering to himself, "What on earth is going on? This can't be..."

"Mimir, it's time to go."

Bai Mo was prepared to take Mimir back with him, but he shook his head.

"No, leave me here. If Jormungandr has only lost a part of his body, he will return. I will wait for him here. You all go back, and give my regards to Skadi, and..."

"Bai Mo, look at this wound. I can assure you, it was inflicted by Freyr's Sword of Victory. Perhaps I can trace the person who wielded this sword through this wound."

The Sword of Victory, the weapon of Freyr, the Northern Europe god of fertility. In the battle of Ragnarok, Freyr was the god who fought against Surtr. However, because he gave the Sword of Victory as a betrothal gift, he was left to fight Surtr with only a wooden stick.

In the end, as expected, he was defeated and killed in battle. This sword, a treasure of the Æsir, is said to grant victory to whoever wields it.

Hearing Mimir's words, Bai Mo nodded, then quickly led them away into the distance. He wasn't in good shape right now; mental damage was no joke. Although he could still fight, it would likely affect his performance.

That experience was tough, and he desperately needs a rest to recover.

Bai Mo left the Helm of Hades behind and placed it in a relatively safe location for Mimir. Watching Bai Mo leave and the desolate sky, Mimir sighed deeply.

As he pondered, he seemed to sense something amiss, and then he looked around. On the Daichi, on the rocks, on the ironwood, the words of rebellion appeared— Rune Runes.

"The Runes that Bai Mo obtained? This... how is that possible?"

Like fireflies, these tiny Rune Runes shone brightly in Mimir's vision, like lights in the night, covering almost the entire Northern Europe.