Sacrifice

A chilly spring breeze blew by, Ortlinde shivered. When she opened her eyes, she saw a familiar scene: lush green grass filled with the fragrance of flowers, and a light drizzle in the air. In the distance, she could see the majestic palace.

That was the palace where Odin, the king of the gods, resided, and behind him was a magnificent hall. The roof was covered with golden shields, the beams were made of giant spears, and it had five hundred and forty doors. Around it were all sorts of training equipment and glittering spoils of war.

"Valhalla... How did I get here? Am I under an illusion?"

Ortlinde raised her hand and pinched her cheek hard. Nothing around her had changed, and she began to worry. If even she, with her divine nature, had fallen into such an illusion, it was enough to demonstrate the extraordinary skill of whoever created this illusion.

"Stay calm. Illusions that can be maintained for a long time all have a core. The battle is still going on outside. I need to get out of here as soon as possible."

As Ortlinde prepared to fly towards the distant temple, a familiar voice rang in her ears, sounding incredibly distant.

No need to search, I am right here.

"Father God?"

Ortlinde looked around. In the vast Asgard, she felt like she was the only Valkyrie. Somewhat belatedly, she touched her right eye. Where there should have been an empty socket, there was now an eyeball lying there.

"This is the only way I can tell you. As you can see, my soul should still be inside Fenrir, that is, Surtr's stomach. I also can't be sure whether my soul will remain conscious after being stuffed in that guy's stomach for who knows how many years."

Therefore, I chose to leave this crucial matter concerning the survival of our world in the safest place I could think of—at the bottom of the Well of Wisdom.

"The key? Me?"

"Yes, child."

As Odin finished speaking, the image in Ortlinde's right eye began to distort invisibly. Her left eye showed the peaceful and serene Asgard, while her other eye showed a dark and desolate scene.

The dragon's roar, which shook even the soul, echoed between heaven and earth. The ground was covered with ghastly skeletons, as well as snake bones that were exaggerated beyond belief.

Nidhogg trampled a giant eagle under its foot, tearing and gnawing at it. Seemingly noticing Ortlinde, it raised its head, its scarlet eyes staring straight at her, a terrifying pressure emanating from it.

Her blood vessels almost froze. The evil dragon spread its wings, and countless familiar souls twisted and wailed within them. Ortlinde recognized them; they were the familiar Aesir Gods.

The scene didn't last long. Ortlinde took deep breaths, feeling her heart pounding in her throat.

"This is the future I see, how tragic. The continuation of life has been completely severed, and all souls are tormented for eternity within Nidhogg's wings."

Odin's words carried a hint of desolation, along with a deep sense of indignation.

"I... I don't understand, why are you telling me this? I'm just a Valkyrie. Shouldn't this kind of information be given to Lady Skadi?"

"No, no life form in the Northern Europe can tell you that Nidhogg can easily read their minds, possess Helheim and devour souls, and even pry open the secrets of taking the dead to their graves."

Therefore, the Ragnarok prophecy I told you about does not include this evil dragon; otherwise, all the plans would be impossible to execute, as it would know them directly.

Odin was right. Even Mimir, who had been advising him, had revealed almost nothing about Nidhogg. As for Skadi, she knew nothing about Nidhogg from the very beginning.

The mind-reading ability of Magnetic Field Power, combined with Nidhogg's ability to devour souls and obtain all the information about the target, makes it almost impossible for any conspiracy or scheme to escape the notice of this evil dragon.

Even Odin had no choice but to stay inside Fenrir's belly to avoid falling into Nidhogg's mouth in Helheim.

Upon hearing Odin's words, Ortlinde's eyes lit up. She had been extremely anxious, knowing that a fierce battle was still raging outside. But knowing that Odin had foreseen this outcome and made a plan, Ortlinde suddenly felt a sense of security.

Odin spoke slowly, revealing his entire plan.

"Through extensive research, I discovered that souls that gain power possess a peculiar characteristic. Even after being devoured by Nidhogg, their souls still exist."

Strong fortifications are often breached from within.

At this moment, the souls of the gods and the souls of the warriors are all within the body of that evil dragon. Nidhogg rendered them powerless with despair, but I had already prepared the key to unleash them.

"As expected of Father God, then the key is what I see—this eye that belongs to you, isn't it?"

Ortlinde was immediately overjoyed; the joy of seeing the dawn of victory after weathering the storm was truly moving. But then, Odin slowly uttered a single word:

"No."

"Huh? What... what is that?"

"Nidhogg is also well-versed in the study of the soul. A single soul-based method will not work; it will only be countered. The only way is to use one soul to stimulate another."

Hearing Odin's words, a strange sense of unease rose in Ortlinde's heart. In an instant, she seemed to connect all the clues.

At the same time, she had an answer in her heart: why didn't the Valkyrie, who was once fearless in the face of death, die on the battlefield of Ragnarok, but instead appeared like refugees in various corners of other Lostbelt?

Ortlinde fell silent. Odin sighed deeply and said to Ortlinde earnestly:

"My child, my proud daughter, fate did not give us a way to live, but in the end, as life, we could not stand by and watch the world become that tragic thing."

Any living being could unhesitatingly deny the tragic future Nidhogg created, even in Ragnarok, a spark of hope remained.

A surge of shared feelings washed over Ortlinde, and connections formed in her mind. The Valkyrie ' shared experience transmitted these words to their minds at this moment, and whether they were conscious or not, whether they were fully recovered or not, they all heard the declaration from their great god, their father.

"My daughters, I have buried the Runes of the Well of Wisdom within your souls. After a long and arduous journey, you have finally returned here to fulfill your former duties."

Your souls will awaken the slumbering souls of the Aesir Gods, and thus, the evil dragon will inevitably fall. This is the only chance.

This is cruel for you who are returning home, but your arrival is the hope for this world.

One by one, the Valkyrie appeared here, listening to Odin's final declaration. Finally, Odin handed over the command and switch to complete all of this to Valkyrie, the Ortlinde whose eyes were located there.

Ortlinde's eyes trembled as she looked up at her sisters. After listening to Odin's plan, they, as creations of the gods, had not resisted their destiny.

"For the glory of Valhalla."

They all turned their gaze to Ortlinde, looking at their sister, who was the only Valkyrie qualified to approach Nidhogg.