Chapter Summaries

Ortlinde awoke after a vision of Odin and returned to her home, then found her sisters with Bai Mo and the others preparing weapons for the coming battle against Surtr. Watching the Valkyries gather around Brynhildr and Sigurd, she felt that she had returned to Valhalla, the place that felt like home.

• Ortlinde dreamed of Odin, who told her it was not yet time, then woke with Odin’s eye preserved beside her bed and covered her empty right eye socket with an eyepatch.
• Ortlinde groomed Gullfaxi and saw Brynhildr and the other Valkyries flying toward the valley where Bai Mo, Skadi, Ophelia, and Sigurd were working.
• Bai Mo and Sigurd helped Skadi forge replacement spears and test them as the group prepared for Surtr’s possible awakening and the coming battle.
• Skadi complained about the heat while Bai Mo adjusted the weapons and Sigurd hammered runes into the spears.
• Brynhildr greeted Sigurd, then impaled him with her spear as the surrounding Valkyries looked on in anger and Ophelia was splattered with blood.
• Ortlinde watched the disorderly gathering and felt that she had returned to the warmth of Valhalla and home.

Bai Mo worked with Sigurd and Ortlinde on refining False Gungnir’s Runes, while Sigurd urged him to consider his future with Ortlinde after the crisis. When Ortlinde successfully inscribed a powerful Rune, Bai Mo grew alarmed and examined her soul, finding no sign that it had been replaced.

• Bai Mo and Sigurd discussed Sigurd’s responsibility to Brynhildr, and Sigurd suggested Bai Mo think about what he would do after the crisis.
• Bai Mo asked Ortlinde to help measure her sisters for weapons and discussed finding a way to restore her missing eye.
• Ortlinde inscribed an intricate Rune on False Gungnir, transforming the spear and creating enough power to construct a barrier.
• Bai Mo reacted with alarm and used detection tools, including the Thread of Fate, to investigate Ortlinde’s soul.
• Bai Mo found no evidence of a soul replacement and noted that Odin’s soul should still be inside Surtr.

Bai Mo examined Ortlinde for signs that Odin was manipulating her and warned the god not to use her as a pawn. After helping make custom False Gungnirs for the Valkyries, Ortlinde joined her sisters for a banquet and recounted how she had met Bai Mo.

• Bai Mo thoroughly examined Ortlinde, then warned Odin that he would face a terrible future if he schemed against her.
• Ortlinde helped Bai Mo and the others produce False Gungnirs, while Sigurd and Ophelia wondered about Bai Mo’s hostility toward deities.
• Bai Mo gave the Valkyries individually adjusted False Gungnirs, and Ortlinde questioned why her sisters accepted their weapons so readily.
• Hildr and the other Valkyries invited Ortlinde to a banquet and pressed her about Gullfaxi, her damaged synchronization, and her recent experiences.
• Bai Mo declined the invitation and left, so Ortlinde joined the banquet and began telling her sisters how she had met him.

Bai Mo met Sion to prepare for the coming battle with Surtr, learning Partitioning Thought and discovering that Gungnir was inside Surtr while strange Runes had appeared across Northern Europe. After the group settled on a battle plan, Sigurd forged Gram as Bai Mo returned home; Surtr then roared Ophelia’s name within Skadi’s barrier.

• Sion gave Bai Mo the Atlas Institute magecraft Partitioning Thought, which helped him create blurred figures but did not fully support Hell God of War.
• Sion showed Bai Mo that Gungnir was inside Surtr, where it remained unrefined as the two appeared to fight with their Primordial Spirits.
• Sion and Ophelia reported that they could not learn more about the Sword of Victory wielder or investigate farther into Helheim, so Bai Mo directed them to prepare the battlefield.
• Sion revealed that Rune Runes had appeared in ruins across Northern Europe, and the group settled on a battle plan.
• Sigurd hammered Gram in the valley, telling Skadi he was forging a sword not meant for him to wield in battle.
• Bai Mo carried the drunken Ortlinde to bed, and Surtr’s roar echoed through Skadi’s barrier as he called for Ophelia.

Surtr emerged to destroy the world and called for Ophelia, forcing Skadi’s group to leave their barrier and fight. Bai Mo brought Ophelia to face Surtr, who finally turned his attention to him.

• Surtr called out to Ophelia and announced that he would take her to witness the planet’s extinction.
• Skadi ordered Ophelia to leave the barrier while she blessed the others and prepared to cover their retreat.
• The Valkyries and others flew out to establish barriers across Northern Europe and defend them from giants and Fafnirs.
• Bai Mo asked Ortlinde about Odin’s eye, then told her to trust her judgment as she remained on standby.
• Bai Mo brought Ophelia to a hill and shattered Surtr’s attack aimed at her.
• Surtr noticed Bai Mo, and three crimson streaks appeared above Bai Mo’s head.

Bai Mo fought Surtr while Ortlinde and her allies watched, and Dongni arrived with a plan to help defeat the fire giant. Surtr revealed that Odin and Fenrir’s souls remained within him, then prepared to destroy the world with Laevateinn.

• Bai Mo freed Ophelia from Surtr’s magnetic pull and challenged him to fight on a distant dried seabed.
• Surtr unleashed Fenrir’s freezing power alongside his flames, and Bai Mo and the Oga War God attacked the giant together.
• Dongni appeared beside Ophelia and Sigurd, confirmed he was an ally, and asked for help with a plan to deal with Surtr.
• Bai Mo struck Surtr with a doubled Orca Tyrant Fist and realized Fenrir’s soul had not been fully absorbed.
• Surtr revealed that Odin’s soul also remained within him and declared that the world’s destruction was his ordained fate.
• Surtr raised Laevateinn and invoked Outshine the Sun, Sword of Flame to return the planet to ash.

Bai Mo, Skadi, Ophelia, and the Valkyries delayed Surtr’s attempt to destroy the world and struck his divine core. Surtr then used his connection to Ophelia to seize her, leaving Bai Mo to protect her and Ortlinde from his attack.

• Skadi, Bai Mo, and the Valkyries combined their powers to interrupt Surtr as he prepared to plunge Laevateinn into the earth.
• Bai Mo struck Surtr’s forehead with Orca Tyrant Fist, damaging his head, while Ophelia used her Mystic Eye to delay him.
• Surtr questioned Ophelia about her attack, then used his power to pull her toward him and transport himself to her hill.
• Ortlinde tried to carry Ophelia away, but Ophelia’s Mystic Eye delayed her, and Surtr drew Ophelia onto his shoulder.
• Surtr swung Laevateinn at Ortlinde, and Bai Mo arrived in time to block the strike and restore Ortlinde, Gullfaxi, and himself.

Electric Eye used Odin’s Runes and a lantern to draw Landao Tianwu’s soul out of Surtr, creating an opening during the fight. Surtr was left dazed as the fused souls began to separate.

• Surtr tried to persuade Ophelia to join him, while Bai Mo and Electric Eye recognized that his control over her was distorting her will.
• Bai Mo and Electric Eye agreed to act together, and Bai Mo drew Surtr’s attention while Electric Eye prepared a soul-related spell.
• Ortlinde carried Electric Eye toward Surtr as Bai Mo fought through the monster’s attacks.
• Bai Mo used the Illusory Demon Art to keep Ophelia from activating her Mystic Eyes, and Electric Eye struck Surtr with the lantern infused with Odin’s Runes.
• The lantern opened a gateway that pulled several figures, including Landao Tianwu, from Surtr’s body, leaving Surtr briefly dazed.

Electric Eye watched Landao Tianwu's soul emerge in Helheim as Bai Mo and Surtr fought their final battle. Bai Mo and Surtr struck each other with their strongest attacks, leaving Surtr's divine core shattered and Bai Mo pierced through the heart.

• Odin's Rune helped Electric Eye draw Landao Tianwu's soul from Surtr, and Landao Tianwu remained fixated on his dream despite Electric Eye's taunts.
• Surtr and Landao Tianwu's clashing souls opened Surtr's defenses, giving Bai Mo and the Oga War God a chance to attack.
• Bai Mo merged with the Oga War God while Great Saber charged toward Surtr and the Great Blade Martial God guarded Ophelia.
• Surtr unleashed Laevateinn as Bai Mo used Limitless Tremor Zen to strike Surtr's divine core, and their clash tore away the black mist over Northern Europe.
• The Great Blade Martial God cleared away the residual force, revealing Surtr's cracked divine core and Bai Mo pierced through the heart.

Nidhogg emerged from beneath the earth as Helheim collapsed, revealing itself as the mastermind behind the Scandinavian Lostbelt. Chaldea learned that Bai Mo had suspected the truth, while Nidhogg’s arrival left the gathered forces trembling before the coming Ragnarok.

• Electric Eye and Landao Tianwu saw the celestial signs change as Surtr’s star dimmed and another star shone brightly above it.
• Helheim collapsed, and Nidhogg surged from underground in an emerald pillar of light as the Fafnirs gathered around it.
• Chaldea’s instruments failed as Olga Marie and Goredolf demanded that Sherlock Holmes explain what had happened.
• Sherlock Holmes explained that the Fafnirs’ crimes pointed to the destruction of the world and said Bai Mo had already guessed the mastermind’s identity.
• Nidhogg landed on Jotunheim’s highest peak, and Sherlock Holmes identified it as the evil dragon that gnawed at the World Tree and helped bring about Ragnarok.

Nidhogg revealed itself as the Scandinavian Lostbelt’s most dangerous power wielder, wielding 990,000 horsepower and an innate ability to devour souls. It struck Surtr and scattered the battlefield, leaving Bai Mo facing Nidhogg’s mastery of the Primordial Spirit.

• Nidhogg attacked Landao Tianwu, but Electric Eye held him with chains as Surtr was bitten and badly wounded.
• Bai Mo used the power left from separating the Oga War God to save Dongni, then reclaimed part of the Underworld’s authority from Electric Eye.
• Bai Mo warned Electric Eye not to risk his life for revenge, and Tiandao reacted with relief from within the Martial God Space.
• Nidhogg swallowed part of Surtr, unleashed a wave that blasted everyone away, and caused the Valkyries to fall from the sky.
• Gullfaxi carried the wounded Ortlinde to Bai Mo, while the others faced Nidhogg’s 990,000-horsepower power.
• Bai Mo recognized that Nidhogg’s soul-devouring ability let it master the Primordial Spirit without ordinary cultivation.

Sherlock Holmes explained that Nidhogg had devoured the dead of Ragnarok and taken over Helheim. As Nidhogg attacked Bai Mo and his allies, Surtr joined the battle, and Bai Mo used the mark of Avici Uninterrupted to strip away Nidhogg’s protection and make it feel pain for the first time in thousands of years.

• Sherlock Holmes deduced that Nidhogg had killed Hela, occupied Helheim, and consumed the souls of the dead gods.
• Nidhogg’s despair-inducing mist incapacitated Gullfaxi, Ortlinde, Electric Eye, and the others, but it had no effect on Bai Mo.
• Bai Mo fought Nidhogg and learned that the weapons beneath its wings were formed from the souls of gods it had devoured.
• Surtr attacked Bai Mo and Nidhogg with Laevateinn, but Nidhogg drew the Sword of Victory from its tail and struck both opponents.
• Bai Mo used the mark of Avici Uninterrupted on Nidhogg, causing its protective power to vanish and making it feel pain.

Bai Mo and Nidhogg analyzed each other’s powers while fighting, then joined forces to disarm Surtr and take Laevateinn. After the uneasy alliance wounded all three, Bai Mo accused Nidhogg of pretending to care about the planet and challenged it to fight him.

• Nidhogg survived Bai Mo’s Avici Uninterrupted and discovered that its Sword of Victory returned to its tail to repair itself.
• Bai Mo healed his sword wounds and judged Nidhogg’s disintegrating power dangerous but limited, while Nidhogg considered the risks of fighting him.
• Nidhogg proposed that they eliminate Surtr before their fight destroyed the planet, and Bai Mo agreed to target Laevateinn.
• Bai Mo and Nidhogg attacked Surtr together, forcing him to drop Laevateinn, while the Great Blade Martial God rescued Ophelia and brought her near Electric Eye.
• Surtr was driven back, but Nidhogg and Bai Mo were wounded; Bai Mo healed himself and accused Nidhogg of playing games before challenging it to fight.

Bai Mo and Nidhogg fought while Surtr’s obsession with Ophelia kept him attacking wildly. With Electric Eye’s help, Ophelia confronted Surtr and used her Mystic Eyes of Postponement to sever their connection, choosing to reject the powerless self she had been.

• Nidhogg tore Bai Mo apart and destroyed the Iron Forest with his breath, but Bai Mo reconstructed his brain and heart and struck back with Avici Uninterrupted.
• Ophelia appeared beside Electric Eye, and Surtr abandoned Bai Mo to run toward her, demanding that she return to his side.
• Electric Eye revealed that he had installed his brain computer in Ophelia, blocking Surtr from controlling her thoughts with Magnetic Field Power.
• Ophelia told Surtr she had had enough and resolved to lose her Mystic Eyes rather than return to a life in which she could not refuse others.
• Ophelia’s Mystic Eyes of Postponement struck Surtr with pain and blurred his senses as Nidhogg tried to intervene, but Bai Mo and two War God figures blocked him.

Fran freed Skadi from Nidhogg’s mental curse and enlisted her help to turn the fight against the black dragon. Skadi temporarily restored Ophelia, Electric Eye, and Sigurd, and Ophelia faced Surtr as Fran prepared to watch what happened next.

• Nidhogg’s black mist trapped Skadi in her barrier, and she realized that the dragon had repeatedly killed heroes who came to resolve the Lostbelt’s crisis.
• Fran entered Skadi’s palace in a swan Mystic Code and used a piece of her own flesh to trick Skadi’s mind into believing she had recovered.
• Fran explained that the effect was temporary and offered to help because Nidhogg’s victory would make the world unbearably dull.
• Skadi supplied magical energy, and Fran’s spell temporarily freed Ophelia, Electric Eye, and Sigurd from the black mist, though Ortlinde remained motionless.
• Ophelia activated Sirius Light and challenged Surtr, while Fran watched from behind her.

Bai Mo and Nidhogg fought while Surtr, devastated by Ophelia’s betrayal, prepared to destroy himself. Electric Eye tried to contain Surtr, but Third War God appeared and stopped the eruption, reuniting with Dongni.

• Ophelia’s Mystic Eyes and the torment of Nidhogg’s Bite overwhelmed Surtr, leaving him sealed and unable to perceive the battle.
• Bai Mo and Nidhogg fought in the sky as Surtr lamented Ophelia’s betrayal and began compressing his power to destroy his divine core.
• Electric Eye placed Skadi’s grand magecraft over himself and Surtr, intending to contain the self-destruction and give Bai Mo a chance to win.
• Bai Mo rejected Electric Eye’s sacrifice, but Nidhogg exploited the distraction and attacked as the Sword of Victory blazed.
• Third War God appeared, struck Surtr with the God-Severing Way and Decapitation Way, and dispersed the power he had gathered.
• Third War God greeted the tearful Dongni and said he had finally made it back.

Tiandao, Electric Eye, and Jormungandr stopped Surtr from releasing his remaining power while Electric Eye worked to keep Ophelia alive. As Bai Mo fought Nidhogg, Mimir prayed for Odin’s promised contingency, and Ortlinde stirred at a familiar voice.

• Tiandao and Electric Eye joined forces against Surtr as his two souls fought for control of his body.
• Surtr tried to release his stored energy, but Electric Eye and Tiandao attacked and his divine core shattered.
• Jormungandr emerged from the earth, crushed Surtr in its coils, and demanded the return of Fenrir.
• Mimir warned that Nidhogg was the mastermind as Bai Mo fought the dragon with support from Double War God and Avici Uninterrupted.
• Tiandao left Dongni to protect Ophelia and raced to aid Bai Mo, while Electric Eye used Cellular Regeneration to keep Ophelia alive.
• Mimir called on Odin for help as Ortlinde stirred and heard a voice say, “Ortlinde, my child...”

Bai Mo fought Nidhogg with the Triple War God’s support until Shiki explained that the dragon’s power and nature were tied to despair, and that he needed to hold on until hope arrived. The battle continued as Gullfaxi noticed that the missing eyeball had reappeared beneath Ortlinde’s eyepatch.

• Bai Mo and the Triple War God struck Nidhogg together, badly wounding him, but Nidhogg pierced Bai Mo’s head with the Sword of Victory and escaped their attack.
• Bai Wunan told Bai Mo that Nidhogg’s immense power came from a flawed cultivation method that fused Primordial Spirits, then directed him to ask Shiki about the cost.
• Shiki explained that Nidhogg’s absorbed souls should have driven him mad, but its symbolic connection to despair kept it lucid; she urged Bai Mo to wait for hope to arrive.
• Bai Mo renewed his resolve to hold on until hope appeared, while Shiki warned him that Nidhogg’s Sword of Victory could not be relied on at a crucial moment.
• Gullfaxi noticed that the eyeball missing from its container had reappeared as a slight bulge beneath Ortlinde’s eyepatch.

Odin revealed to Ortlinde that Nidhogg would consume the gods and torment their souls, and that the Valkyries’ souls were the key to awakening them from within the dragon. He entrusted Ortlinde with the command to begin the plan, leaving her facing the sacrifice with her sisters’ support.

• Ortlinde awoke in Valhalla and heard Odin explain that his soul remained inside Fenrir, which was inside Surtr.
• Odin showed Ortlinde his vision of Nidhogg devouring the gods and trapping their souls in its wings.
• Odin explained that the Valkyries’ souls, carrying the Runes of the Well of Wisdom, could awaken the sleeping Aesir Gods inside Nidhogg.
• Odin entrusted Ortlinde with the command and trigger for the plan, and the Valkyries accepted their fate.
• The Valkyries declared, “For the glory of Valhalla,” and looked to Ortlinde, the only one qualified to approach Nidhogg.

Ortlinde learned that Odin’s plan required her to use the Rune in her eye to awaken the Valkyries at the cost of their lives, and Skadi freed her to choose for herself. As Ortlinde prepared to act, Sigurd sacrificed part of his Spirit Origin to give Bai Mo a dragon-slaying weapon, creating an opening in Nidhogg’s defenses.

• Skadi told Ortlinde to contact Bai Mo and granted her freedom to do what she believed was right.
• Bai Mo showed Ortlinde an image of the Valkyries reunited and promised to support her choice.
• Ortlinde mounted Gullfaxi and resolved to create an opening in the battle between Bai Mo and Nidhogg.
• Sigurd stabbed himself with Gram, sacrificing part of his Spirit Origin to pass its dragon-slaying power to Bai Mo.
• Bai Mo took Nidhogg’s attack without dodging, and the Great Blade Martial God struck the dragon’s neck with the Selfless Demon Blade.