Sirka and Ammut conversed while watching Nidhögg.
[…It's taking longer than expected.]
[Have patience. You took much longer than this.]
Hwoooo—
This was the Sea of the Afterlife, where a harsh winter had arrived. Due to the blizzard, pure white snow now covered the top of the World Tree. Truly, the World Tree's nightmare. Even Nidhögg, who had fled to the higher branches, could not remain unharmed in this cold.
[Nidhögg, the Serpent that Gnaws at the Roots of the World Tree]
Currently, Nidhögg was completely sealed by Sirka's power. Frozen solid by the harsh blizzard she unleashed. Just like Sirka herself had been trapped within a massive ice wall during her succession ceremony.
Grrr…
'What's with that glare? What can you possibly do?'
Sirka felt a strange sensation anew. Nidhögg, stiffly frozen on the snow-covered branches of the World Tree, didn't exude the same pressure as when she first saw it. Well… It was only natural. When she first saw Nidhögg, the creature harbored an energy so immense it made her mind go blank. It wasn't just a matter of size; due to the Primordial Darknesses it contained, it radiated a pressure comparable to a cosmic catastrophe. Against such a being, the will or courage to fight directly was meaningless. One could only undergo the trial it presented and be judged for qualification. Failing meant becoming mere prey, waiting for inevitable execution. But not anymore. Nidhögg was no longer the same entity as back then. Now it only had three heads remaining. The other four had already been absorbed by their side.
[Counting purely by numbers, we have more.]
King of Demons, Monarch of Gluttony, Esil.
King of Snow Folk, Monarch of Nightmares, Sirka.
King of Monstrous Humanoids, Monarch of Trials, Ammut.
And… King of Giants, Monarch of Conquest, Thomas Andre.
Of course, since each Primordial Darkness possessed different properties and strengths, it couldn't be simply measured by numbers alone. The capabilities and specific authorities of the Monarchs also varied greatly. However, regardless of how many remained, to the Monarchs who had proudly inherited the Primordial Darkness, Nidhögg was no longer the object of vague fear it once was. They had already proven their qualifications. Nidhögg was no longer the judge evaluating their vessels. Surprisingly, to them now, the entity known as Nidhögg was merely a warehouse still storing three Primordial Darknesses.
Immediately after Ammut became the Monarch of Trials and used his authority to spread the Tower of Trials across the world, Suho led all his allies in pursuit of the fleeing Nidhögg. The purpose was none other than his own succession. Despite having undergone the Dragon King's trials several times, Suho had still not become the Monarch of Destruction. Setting aside the reason for that, the immediate goal was to hunt Nidhögg and secure the Primordial Darkness first. He was a Hunter, after all. A hunter. Nidhögg hid amongst the vast World Tree, whose end could not be fathomed, but finding it wasn't much of a problem. As immense as the World Tree was, Nidhögg's size was also considerable. Furthermore, Arsha deployed her Void Insects throughout the World Tree area, thoroughly searching potential hiding spots. The result…
– Found it.
– Groooooooar!
Nidhögg, curled up between the branches to escape the harsh cold, immediately charged fiercely upon encountering Suho. But there was no fear.
– Ammut is on our side.
Boom—!
– …!
Ammut's fist, immediately lunging forward, struck Nidhögg squarely. Ammut already had a record of grabbing Nidhögg's maw with his bare hands and tearing it apart. Of course, the wound from that time had long since vanished without even a scar. Nidhögg, living by consuming the abundant leaves of the World Tree nearby, recovered quickly from any injury. But so what?
– We just need to catch it and tear it apart again!
– Grwoooooooar!
Ammut's overwhelming violence and Nidhögg's furious struggles clashed at the heart of the World Tree. The aftermath was tremendous, but the outcome of the fight was decided from the start. Ammut, already strong, had become even more powerful after inheriting the Primordial Darkness. If Nidhögg hadn't been a being capable of continuous regeneration and recovery, Ammut alone might have been able to hunt it.
Of course, even among Monarch-level beings, not everyone was as strong as Ammut. While there were others that focused on combat like him, there were also those like Sirka, whose strength lay in nightmare-like debuffs. And Suho utilized their talents appropriately to hunt Nidhögg.
– Sirka! Now! Freeze it!
Fwaaaaaaah—
At Suho's command, an intense cold engulfed Nidhögg.
Crrrackle—
Then, the massive head, battling Ammut, momentarily froze solid. And the twin daggers held in Suho's hands emitted intense light towards the neck of the creature covered in white frost.
[Item: Kamish's Wrath]
[Acquisition Difficulty: ??]
[Type: Dagger]
[Attack Power +1,500]
[The finest dagger crafted by a master artisan from the sharpest fang among dragon teeth.]
[Its sharpness is unparalleled, and its sensitivity to mana is exceptional.]
[This allows it to become an even more powerful weapon depending on the user's capability.]
Though the blades were significantly dulled from countless battles, they have been perfectly restored thanks to the efforts of outstanding master craftsmen. Until now, the Shadow Dwarves had worked tirelessly day and night to repair the damaged Kamish's Wrath. This was possible because Cha Hae-In had procured the necessary materials from the tomb of the berserk dragons. The result: Kamish's Wrath, having perfectly regained its former sharpness, surged forward, saturated with the Breath of Destruction unleashed by Suho.
Slice—
The scorching energy of destruction severed Nidhögg's frozen neck.
Kwa-boom—
The severed head of Nidhögg exploded, scattering pitch-black darkness in all directions. But the Primordial Darkness that emerged had no master.
Fwaaaaaah—
– Krk?
Instantly, the eyes of Ammut, closest to the darkness, twitched.
– The darkness returns.
Just when they had succeeded in cutting off one head, surprisingly, the 'masterless Primordial Darkness' began to return to it. Nidhögg hadn't done anything specific. As though by instinct, the darkness was absorbed, as if sucked into it. Then, astonishingly, a new serpent head began to sprout from that spot.
– Groooooooar!
Witnessing that scene, Suho made an instantaneous judgment. In such cases, it was one of two things.
– Either that darkness wasn't Antares's darkness, or…
He still lacked the qualification. For now, he decided not to dwell on the latter. Focusing on the former possibility, he cut off another of Nidhögg's heads using the same method. The first time was difficult; the next was easy. Freeze and cut. That was all. If other heads interfered in the process, Ammut and the other Monarchs would each block them. The numbers were equal anyway.
Fwaaaaaah—
Thus, new darkness burst forth again. And futilely, it returned not to Suho, but back to Nidhögg. No matter how many times he cut, the result was the same. Suho tasted bitterness in his mouth. It came to this, he finally had to admit it. The fact that he still lacked the qualification. Even if he now possessed the strength to hunt Nidhögg anytime, absorbing the Primordial Darkness was an entirely different matter. Ammut approached Suho and asked.
– What will you do now? There are no more heads left to try. Only that one remains, and Gray is already inside undergoing the succession.
Even while the war raged outside, Gray still showed no sign of emerging from within. It seemed the succession ceremony was proceeding in a lengthy manner, much like Sirka's had. At Ammut's words, Suho's gaze lingered for a moment on the Nidhögg's head Gray had entered. Within that head, which had remained tightly shut throughout the battle, lay the darkness of the King of Beasts, the Fang Monarch. There was no need to force it open. What he desired was Antares's power.
Ultimately, it was a failure. The strategy to ignore the succession ceremony and directly hunt Nidhögg to obtain the Primordial Darkness. However, it wasn't entirely without gain. Thanks to repeatedly encountering the Primordial Darkness like this, he had learned how to handle masterless Primordial Darkness.
– Sirka.
Suho called Sirka and gave an order. Pointing at the scene where the Primordial Darkness that had just burst out was returning to Nidhögg again.
– Can you perhaps freeze that darkness?
– …!
At those words, Sirka was greatly startled. Even Esil was taken aback. Esil, the Monarch of Gluttony who desired to eat almost anything, instinctively realized the moment she encountered Primordial Darkness that wasn't hers.
'Eating it means death.'
Survival instinct. This was an instinct only Monarchs who had inherited darkness could understand.
'Harboring two or more Primordial Darknesses is impossible.'
'One without qualification eating it is also impossible.'
Even if forcibly frozen and swallowed, the Primordial Darkness would shatter the vessel and return to Nidhögg if it wasn't the vessel it acknowledged. Forcibly holding onto it would only result in the vessel bursting.
– It seems possible…
The power of the King of Snowfolk, Monarch of Nightmares, was not mere cold. As Sirka, reborn as the World Tree's nightmare, wielded the great power of winter capable of freezing even the Sea of the Afterlife, she could certainly freeze even the Primordial Darkness. But doing so wouldn't change anything.
– Eating it frozen is a bit risky…
– Me, eating? No, I've given up.
Suho dismissed Sirka's concern. He had thought of another idea. Looking back and forth between Nidhögg and the Monarch of Trials, Ammut.
– Ammut, what do you think? Nidhögg and the Tower of Trials. Aren't they somewhat similar?
– Hmm?
Ammut paused at those words, then nodded, his eyes gleaming.
– Indeed, that makes sense.
And he spoke to Sirka, who wore a bewildered expression.
– Sirka, first, freeze that Primordial Darkness. Prevent it from returning to Nidhögg.
– …?
As Suho's and Ammut's gazes focused on her, Sirka quickly gathered her power. If that darkness was reabsorbed by Nidhögg, they would have to repeat the intense battle all over again.
Crrrraaaackle—
Thus, all the cold focused on the masterless Primordial Darkness. Ammut seeing it frozen, grinned widely.
– Now it's my turn.
– Yes, we'll need a freezer.
Fwaaaaaah—
Nodding at Suho's words, Ammut stretched out his hand, and immense pressure forcibly compressed and condensed the frozen darkness. To the point where it could fit in one hand. Its state was extremely precarious. The Primordial Darkness writhed, trying to break the ice and return to Nidhögg as soon as possible. But Ammut guided it with his authority, sealing it within the Tower of Trials.
Fwaaaaaah—
Then, a surprising thing happened. As Suho had said, Nidhögg and the Tower of Trials, both of which tested individuals to select the qualified, shared the same fundamental purpose. The frozen solid Primordial Darkness no longer resisted and obediently settled within the Tower of Trials. Patiently waiting for a qualified individual, just as it had within Nidhögg.
And eventually, that darkness found a qualified individual inside. None other than Thomas Andre. A human who overcame the trial he set for himself and finally seized the power of the King of Giants. However, that process was by no means easy. It would have been absolutely impossible for Thomas Andre alone. The Tower of Trials, and the Monarch of Trials, Ammut, had guided him onto the path of succession to inherit the Primordial Darkness. Just like the priest Sung Suho had helped the others. Additionally it wasn't Ammut's work alone either. Slaying Nidhögg together, freezing the darkness, imprisoning it in the Tower of Trials… The role of the priest, previously carried out solely by Suho, was this time accomplished through the combined efforts of everyone else – the result being Thomas Andre. As for other monarchs having performed the role of the priest, well…
[…If it weren't for Suho, we would never have inherited the power.]
They knew now. Back then they knew nothing. They remembered their former selves.
[Back then, I didn't know how weak I was.]
That's why they could 'dare' say such things…
That they would be the next Monarch.
That they were the Monarch's successor.
But to argue about such qualifications, how weak and insignificant they were back then. How insufficient and pathetic their vessels were from Nidhögg's perspective. That must be why Nidhögg had tried to devour and kill them at first sight.
[…But now I know.]
What true strength is.
[Becoming stronger is akin to realizing how weak one truly is.]
Now, having received 'power' thanks to Suho and truly becoming strong, Sirka couldn't kill Nidhögg, but she could hold it captive like this, confidently, with her own strength. Upon the frozen Sea of the Afterlife. Nidhögg was trapped in the ice, unable to move. Just like Sirka herself had been during her succession ceremony.
[…Hm?]
But then. Sirka's gaze, concentrated on Nidhögg, trembled. And she urgently called out to Ammut.
[Lord Ammut! Something is strange!]
[What is it?]
[Inside Nidhögg…! Something is moving!]
[What? The Primordial Darkness? No, that's not it.]
A strange light appeared in Ammut's eyes as he watched Nidhögg trapped in the ice.
[It's not the darkness. It's the one receiving it]
[Yes? But the one inside is…]
[It's one of the two.]
Ammut continued to watch the changes occurring inside Nidhögg with interest. At this very moment, only two beings were undergoing the succession ceremony inside Nidhögg. Gray. And Sung Suho. And usually, when such strange things happened…
[Generally, the cause is always one person…]
A smile touched Ammut's lips as he muttered.
[A curious event. Has the succession ceremony already ended? Then he should just come out.]
[Why… would he move towards where another darkness is located?]
Only three heads remained on Nidhögg. But those three were ultimately connected to Nidhögg's single body. Yet Sung Suho, who had been forced inside due to the class change quest… was, for some reason, moving within it. Towards another head where a different darkness resided.