A tragedy of fate
Within that destructive pillar of light, a dragon, dragging its tattered body, broke free. Covered in blood, with only the skeleton of one wing remaining, it still soared.
The power dissipated, and the figure of the Triple War God vanished. Bai Mo, struck by the Sword of Victory, fell from the sky. Nidhogg, high in the air, laughed. It was a bitter victory, but still a victory.
At this moment, the influence of the black mist was no longer needed. Soaring high in the sky, it was the best manifestation of despair, and the powerful figures of the Aesir Gods gradually disappeared. It cast its gaze down at the falling Bai Mo, and for a moment, it felt a mix of emotions, but more than anything, a sense of exhilarating joy.
The joy of victory is sweeter than any fine wine; the victor possesses the power of life and death. Even though I am now very weak, I still have strength.
Magnetic Field Rotation -- Cellular Regeneration.
"Oh, what's going on? What's wrong with your look?"
Nidhogg stared at the Bai Mo in the sky, those eyes still fixed on him. He saw no trace of the despair that belonged to him.
The Sword of Victory withdrew, leaving the deadly poison of the Hvergelmir Spring within Bai Mo's body. It wanted to watch and savor the moment when this man's resolute gaze shattered amidst the excruciating pain of having his bones torn out.
"What's wrong? What are you still hoping for? This is my victory. Have you gone completely mad? What else can you expect? The goddess trembling in the barrier, or Jormungandr below, whose body I've chopped in half?"
Answer me, outsider, what are you still expecting?
"Hoping for my comrade-in-arms, Poison Dragon."
Upon hearing Bai Mo's words, Nidhogg's pupils suddenly contracted. It sensed a vortex-like force absorbing the remaining power of the Aesir Gods from Bai Mo Bai Mo's body, and Magnetic Field Power surged forth from him once more.
This time, it saw that at Bai Mo's wound, there was a completely transparent stream of water amidst the deadly poison of the Hvergelmir Spring, indicating that the venom had been diluted.
"You don't think you've hidden it well, do you? Your identity was already exposed in the Underworld. I made quite a few preparations for you."
To extract the Spirit Origin and transfer the dragon slayer's characteristics to Gram, the demonic sword needs to be modified a second time. While Bai Mo was reforging the pseudo-God's Declaration, Sigurd had already summoned Skadi to begin the operation.
Considering Nidhogg's toxicity, Bai Mo also retrieved the purifying substance left by Enki. Combining it with his own power, although the Hvergelmir Spring was difficult to purify, this level of dilution was sufficient, at least for the short term.
The Ryougi Lataib frantically devoured the dissipating energy around it, constantly replenishing its power. Seeing this, Nidhogg's eyes flashed with intense resentment and unwillingness. Reason told it that it should leave, but its intuition told it that now, it should draw its sword and kill him completely.
Whether it's an outsider or a human, the threat level far exceeds its expectations. The next time they meet, it will likely not be a stalemate. It must consider whether this is its only chance.
At that moment, a dazzling light emerged from the sphere shrouded in black mist.
The loyal mount snorted disdainfully as a powerless Valkyrie tore through the black mist, charging towards him while brandishing a false declaration of divine power.
Nidhogg finally looked the Valkyrie eye and saw her right eye, which was Odin's eye.
Mimir, of course, saw it too. The old man stared at Ortlinde in the air, speechless for a moment. She was like a knight charging towards a dragon, destined only to be reduced to ashes.
Beams of light surged forth, and countless Valkyrie soared toward Nidhogg, their eyes filled with resolute determination. This was their only chance to get close to this evil dragon.
"Ortlinde, don't worry about yourself."
"Yes, at least in the end, we're together. It's much better than being separated like this, isn't it?"
The encouraging words of her two sisters Thrud and Hildr, rang in her ears. Ortlinde looked at her two sisters and showed a familiar smile, tinged with tears.
The older sister tried to reach out and wipe it away, but couldn't reach it.
Just as Mimir was watching this scene, hoping for Odin's backup plan, Jormungandr suddenly let out a strange shriek.
As an enemy, it knew all too well what Odin had done. Jormungandr had always scoffed at fate, especially after acquiring the Magnetic Field Power. With variables that didn't exist before now present, wouldn't it be foolish to still believe in fate?
This made it deeply disapproving of Odin's unwavering faith in fate, and now, everyone's hopes were pinned on a guy already lying inside Fenrir's belly, who hadn't uttered a sound all this time and seemed utterly clueless about his own fate?
Just thinking about it Jormungandr with despair.
"Valkyrie, listen, you'd better have your own plans. Don't trust Odin!"
You might think I'm talking nonsense, but I can tell you with certainty that when my brothers and I came to Asgard, we hoped that Odin would forgive us for our father's sake!
Do you remember Fenrir's words before he was bound? Odin could have won our friendship, but that one-eyed fool's mind has been violated by the so-called prophecy!
That tragic end is inextricably linked to the Aesir Gods' unwavering belief in fate! No one is more qualified than me to say this: do not believe him!
In the sky, Nidhogg burst into loud laughter.
"Hahaha, at this crucial moment, you're still fighting amongst yourselves, little Valkyrie. Perhaps you should listen to him, but you're just a machine of Odin, aren't you?"
"Don't let them affect you, Ortlinde! Complete the task given to you by the Father."
Thrud spoke, but then, Ortlinde's choice surprised everyone. She slowly reached for her right eye, and with a screech of flesh and blood, she gouged out the Eye of Odin.
The entire room was shocked; everyone stared at her, including Nidhogg, who was astonished by her choice. But then, when the Eye of Odin was removed, Nidhogg's first action was to analyze the eyeball.
The result sent a chill down its spine; those eyes held only the Runes that tugged at Valkyrie's soul, and no means of escaping the black mist of despair.
Previously, Skadi, with Fran's help, made the others forget "despair," but that was because the battle between Bai Mo and Nidhogg dispersed the black mist. However, the black mist just now was so thick that it was almost liquid, making it impossible to forget.
So, how did she manage to break through?
Ortlinde held the eyeball in her hand and spoke slowly into it:
I have experienced despair.
Losing my identity, losing my honor, losing my comrades... even my own consciousness was controlled. I dragged my body, shattered by lightning, across the snow-covered plains. I felt I'd probably become food for wild beasts, or a puppet of that thing in my head.
Ortlinde remembers clearly how pathetic she once was, but in the end, someone still reached out a hand to her when she was trapped in despair.
He led me to bury my dead sisters and handed me a new gun. He never looked down on me for being weak and guided me step by step to this place.
Father, forgive me for disobeying your command, but at this moment, I am first and foremost myself, and then a Valkyrie.
White smoke rose from Nidhogg's body, accompanied by its painful howls. Everyone was puzzled: was it an injury inflicted by Bai Mo earlier, or had Odin's methods taken effect?