And at the same time, the ship of destiny Naglfar filled with fire giants and the many ghost ships behind it had also sailed towards that rainbow bridge, and those frost giants had also arrived beside this rainbow bridge.
Of the Nine Worlds, excluding the lifeless realm of fog and the human world completely submerged by the great serpent's uplifted seawater, half of the remaining seven worlds had gathered here - the frost giants of Jotunheim, the fire giants of Muspelheim, and the dead of Helheim.
The leading frost giant leader Thrym was a massive giant who moved as if a mountain had come to life. He glanced at the two immense fleets before him, quickly grasping the situation. He stepped forward and said to Loki in the giant tongue,
"Son of Ymir, you shall be our leader and take vengeance on those gods."
The giant's voice rumbled like thunder. The current situation was crystal clear - the decisive battle was imminent, and the entire universe needed a commander to lead this unprecedented vast army. Whether in terms of identity or practicality, Loki was undoubtedly the most suitable candidate.
Loki looked at him and replied with difficulty using his hoarse vocal cords,
"I swear here, you will get what you want, giant Thrym."
And the wolf and serpent, the two colossal monsters, lowered their heads in response. Their two pairs of inhuman, gigantic pupils hung in the gloomy sky like the sun and moon, overlooking everything below, gazing at their biological "father" Loki on that ship of destiny. The demon wolf Fenrir merely snorted, stirring the thunder rumbling in the sky, but the great serpent simply huffed with disdain and flicked its tail.
The great serpent's tail was so immense that this single movement again caused the entire ocean world to churn restlessly.
However, although somewhat displeased, the two monsters still tacitly acknowledged Loki before them as their leader.
The two equally immense colossal monsters took the lead, marching side by side. The numerous frost giants, fire giants, the dead, and even many evil monsters all followed closely behind. The demon wolf raised its head, spewing intense flames towards the vault of the sky, while the great serpent opened its maw, spewing poison gas and venomous mist towards the entire world, soon enveloping the whole universe in poison gas and flames.
Then, the great serpent glanced at the demon wolf beside it, and the demon wolf also glanced back at it. The coldness, cruelty, brutality in their pupils… made the great serpent feel as if it were looking in a mirror.
"Hahaha…"
The great serpent laughed wildly. This demon wolf was truly fascinating, unexpectedly making it feel quite fond of it.
Perhaps it was because of their equally unparalleled mighty power, or perhaps because they were both monsters through and through. With just a single glance, the two monsters instantly recognized a kindred spirit in the other.
And in this universe filled with poison gas and flames, that black dragon Nidhogg had also flown out from the abyss, soaring above this vast fleet and giant army that blotted out the sky, circling and flapping its wide wings, emitting shrill cries.
From the ocean, from the Nano City on the great serpent's head, numerous half-human half-serpent sea monsters, half-human half-fish creatures, and many venomous serpents crawled out. These armored serpent folk and venomous snakes were led by the serpent lady Mona.
The serpent lady Mona had long donned exquisite armor. Surrounded by hundreds of beautiful handmaidens, she gripped her pure gold scepter, a symbol of her royal power in the ancient eastern world, in her hand. Riding a giant dolphin, she flew through the air, closely following her creator and father before her.
The fire giants took the lead, first riding their flaming mounts onto the rainbow bridge, howling as thousands upon thousands of fire giants intended to charge straight into Asgard along the rainbow bridge.
However, accompanied by a universe-shaking tremendous boom, the rainbow bridge could not support the weight of so many fire giants. That rainbow bridge which had stood for ten thousand years collapsed with a thunderous crash.
…
And in the divine realm, the gods who heard that war horn also prepared themselves, gathering in that Golden Palace. The divine sight of the gods allowed them to see the many rebel forces assembled below, unspeakable fury surging in the hearts of these gods.
For thousands of years, the entire universe had prostrated at their feet, and now, these giants defeated in the divine wars, these imprisoned monsters, these suppressed evil gods actually dared to join hands in rebellion?!!
Amidst the gods' fervor, the divine king Odin appeared quite silent. After a long while, he slowly said,
"There is one thing I must reveal now, that prophecy about the fate of the gods…"
The prophecy of Ragnarok slowly flowed from the divine king's mouth. Unlike the vague words circulated among humans, the divine king who had drunk from the well of wisdom saw a future far beyond what any god knew.
This prophecy was so precise that it clearly foretold the death and end of every god. The king of the gods, the goddess queen, the thunder god, the love goddess, the war god, the poetry god, the forest god, the winter goddess, the prophecy goddess, the spring goddess… including himself, the fates and ends of all the gods were calmly spoken by Odin.
And hearing what kind of end awaited their fates, every god named by the divine king changed color. No matter what, knowing when one would die and by whose hand was ultimately not a pleasant thing.
The gods looked at each other, first falling silent for a moment. Then, it was the one-handed war god Tyr who first stood up. This war god with boundless courage raised his head to look at the divine king sitting on the throne and calmly said,
"Divine king, I was born a warrior. I don't understand what you speak of, this so-called fate. And even if what you say is my fate, then dying on my shield is a fate I would embrace."
He spoke, his words brimming with steely determination. Then he took a deep breath and suddenly thumped his breast with his fist, shouting loudly to the divine king before him,
"Divine king, give the order! Gather all the gods in the universe, all the einherjar warriors. Let us mount our warhorses, raise our battle flags. For this universe, and for this prophecy, let us prove to those giants that the gods are no cowards who dare not swing their swords in the face of fate!"
"Even in death, the gods should bravely fall in battle on their shields, not lie on their deathbeds, dying in fear and cowardice!"
As he spoke, the war god's voice grew increasingly impassioned.
And the word coward deeply pierced the heart of every god present. Accompanied by the war god's words, one god after another stood up. They did not speak, but the fervor in their eyes proved everything.
Even if the gods were not so perfect, even if there were all sorts of dark histories hidden beneath the surface, they were still a group of gods who took pride in their warrior identities, possessing the pride of warriors, unwilling to easily submit to fate.
And looking at the many gods before him gazing at him with fervent eyes, the aged one-eyed divine king fell silent. Suddenly, the corners of his mouth curled up as he inexplicably began to chuckle.
"Hehe… Hahahaha…"
For tens of thousands of years, ever since drinking from the well of wisdom, the heavy pressure of Ragnarok had been weighing on this divine king's head, making him never laugh again, always silent to others. But now, for the first time, he laughed.
Beneath that weary countenance, how radiant was that smile.
As if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, his face carried a sense of relief. Then he slowly began to speak,
"Thor, Freyr, you are the brave warriors of Asgard. Go first to stand guard by the high walls of Asgard, preventing any giants from breaking into Asgard; Heimdallr, continue guarding the star fortress at the entrance of Asgard; War God, go assist Heimdallr; Valkyries, go summon the einherjar in Valhalla, tell them the great battle has come…"
The divine king gave orders and assigned tasks to each god one by one, even including the goddess queen, who the divine king asked to go defend the city walls together with her handmaidens. In the eyes of these gods, there was no distinction between men and women; everyone had only one identity: warrior.
But the gods discovered that the divine king never mentioned himself.
"What about you, my father?"
The poetry god Bragi asked in puzzlement.
"Me?"
The divine king paused, then turned his gaze downwards. His single eye pierced through Asgard, the human world, even the realm of the dead, reaching deep into a certain place at the very bottom of the World Tree.
There, a white-bearded giant leaned by a spring, dozing off, and gazing at that place, the divine king murmured,
"I still have one thing… I must inquire about."