Several months later, news spread throughout the Nine Worlds: the god of light Balder had been slain by the god of darkness Hodr. Loki, the god of fire and mischief who had instigated Hodr, was banished from Asgard by the wrathful gods, while the god of darkness Hodr was plunged into profound unease.
The gods sought to demand the soul of the god of light Balder from Hel, the goddess of death, but Hel bluntly refused their request, declaring that "the living have the order of the living, and the dead have the order of the dead". Even though the gods were enraged to the point of their hair standing on end, they were powerless against Hel, who dwelled in the realm of the deceased.
In the eyes of many, this was Hel's fierce retribution against the gods for her being half-exiled to the world of death, but none could fathom what truly lay in Hel's mind.
According to Norse traditions, the death of a close kinsman was already an unspeakable sorrow, and being slain by one's own kin compounded the tragedy.
A family member killing another was the greatest misfortune. No act could undo it. Even slaying the murderous kin could not heal the trauma, yet one also couldn't allow someone outside the family to kill a family member, as that would only invite greater calamity. Therefore, the most one could do was banish the offending kin.
Originally, the gods already felt profound grief over this, but the all-father Odin did something astonishing. He coupled with a giantess named Rind and sired a new god named Vali. Vali grew at an extraordinary pace, reaching adulthood in less than a day.
As he was newly born and had not yet been cleansed, he was considered both kin and not kin. Thus, less than a day after his birth, he heeded his father's command, grasped spear and shield, and slew the god of darkness Hodr…
None knew why Odin acted with such resolve, but after the initial shock, they could only accept the all-father's judgment.
Upon that lofty divine throne, only the all-father Odin silently gazed down upon the Nine Worlds beneath him. His inscrutable visage made it impossible to discern what thoughts stirred within this divine ruler's mind.
…
However, all of this had little bearing on the Great Serpent. At this moment, it was preoccupied with preparations for the "Ragnarok" that might soon be at hand.
Although it wasn't entirely certain when exactly Ragnarok would come, both its hazy recollections and dreams led it to realize: Ragnarok was likely imminent. To this end, it also commenced its final war preparations.
Ten thousand years had not been squandered, after all.
Not to mention the serpent folk, even the human world had already progressed from crude and primitive semi-tribal clans to a mature feudal system. Weapons had fully transitioned from the stone, bone, and partial iron implements of ten millennia past to the age of steel. Cities had long since evolved from low earthen ramparts to sturdy and towering stone walls. The level of civilization and development in human society far exceeded what could have been envisioned back then.
The ancient heroic age, where one could stride onto the battlefield clad in naught but a lion's pelt and wielding a massive club, rampaging with unbridled might, had passed. In its place stood heavily armored soldiers encased in thick steel plate from head to toe, armed to the teeth - the era of the "tin cans".
In this age, any qualified warrior was inevitably garbed in dense and weighty armor, brandishing war hammers specifically designed to pierce those thick armors that ordinary blades could not penetrate. They were sheathed in armor from head to heel without a single gap. Even human archers and crossbowmen, who did not rely on close combat, inevitably donned light scale mail and chain mail.
Faced with such an army, the ancient era where one could charge into battle wearing just a robe and grasping a blade was no longer feasible. Even if it did occur, the only outcome would be getting ground to dust by these elite warriors.
Although it was still the age of cold weapons, the application of cold weaponry in human society in this world far surpassed the late medieval period in the Great Serpent's previous life memories.
At the very least, in the human society of the Great Serpent's prior life recollections, even in the late 15th century, humans absolutely could not have possessed such abundant iron and steel production and reserves to equip every soldier with a full set of body armor to an astonishing extent.
But in this world suffused with deities and myriad races, it was indeed achievable.
Humans acquired a wealth of magical knowledge and forging techniques from the elves (light elves) and dwarves (dark elves). The mystical lore of the elves was second only to the divine, while the dwarves could even forge godly armaments for the deities. By continuously learning from both, even if they only grasped some superficial understanding, it was enough to bring about earth-shattering transformations in the entire human world.
Before a grand battle, they would first consult the stars and divine portents, offer prayers and sacrifices to the gods, and then imbue their weapons with simple runic magic.
Alternatively, weapons would be directly engraved with runic symbols, metals refined through sorcery, and so forth, all demonstrating the pervasive presence of divinities and magic in the human world.
Deities and magic became intimately intertwined with the human world, just as science had in the Great Serpent's previous life.
In the Great Serpent's perspective, compared to the medieval society of its prior existence, the humans of this world were actually closer to the mortal realms in D&D and Lord of the Rings - a fantastical medieval world built upon the foundation of magic. Although such warriors could not yet contend with those ancient heroes who commonly possessed supernatural racial bloodlines and even divine lineages, it was still astounding enough.
It was precisely because of this that when confronted with the vast military might of those few Valkyries and the army of millions of Einherjar previously, the Great Serpent did not, as per its vile nature, open its maw to mock and provoke strife, but directly acquiesced.
On one hand, it was because the Great Serpent vaguely sensed that even if it took an oath, the god of light Balder would likely still perish. On the other hand, those millions of Einherjar fighters made even it take heed.
Those upgraded thick armors and heavy armaments all attested to the prowess of these Einherjar warriors. Although the Great Serpent did not believe these "motes of dust" could pose any menace to it, in the eyes of many gods and giants, this was likely already an overwhelmingly formidable force.
However, it did not think its subordinate oceanic races and serpent folk would be inferior to these human Einherjar. On the contrary, after incorporating the Great Serpent's myriad ideas from its previous life, there was a hint of steampunk aesthetic among the serpent folk and numerous oceanic races.
They had not managed to craft firearms, but those undersea cities forged from steel and the many edifices with an exotic technological flair all tacitly spoke of the serpent folk's level of civilization, absolutely not inferior to and even surpassing the fantasy medieval aesthetic of the humans.
In the human world, the legend of the "deft Eastern serpent folk", adept in crafting all manner of bizarre and ingenious contraptions, was exceedingly renowned.
And the Great Serpent, perceiving Ragnarok's stealthy approach, began urging the serpent folk and various oceanic races bearing its bloodline to accelerate the pace of expanding their armies.
Although in the Great Serpent's eyes, these serpent folk and oceanic races were more akin to being spare provisions, directly devouring a few underwater cities to sate its hunger when famished, upon careful consideration…
These serpent folk seemed to be a suitable choice as an army too. At least with greater numbers, they should be able to contend with those Einherjar legions and a few deities, right?
After all, not every deity was as formidable as Thor. The Great Serpent pondered and felt there was still a possibility of stalling or even directly confronting divinities.
As for the uncertainty, it was more because…
In the Great Serpent's eyes, how much of a gulf could there be between "insects" and "motes of dust"?
It really wasn't sure.
And just as the entire Niflheim Sea and the entire Eastern Marsh World were mobilizing for war with utmost urgency under the drive of a certain vast will…
An uninvited guest arrived at the bottom of the sea.