Aboard the Icelandic patrol vessel Ægir, the Northman stood on the deck, the three artifacts now in his possession. He held Gungnir, the spear of Odin. It looked more like a gnarled tree branch than a weapon.
"This grand performance," Leo mused to himself, "is about to reach its conclusion."
With a thought, he summoned his duplicate. The sea erupted. Jörmungandr, larger and more fearsome than before, rose from the depths and lunged at the ship.
The Northman raised Gungnir. "Be still," he commanded.
A faint light shimmered from the runes carved into the spear's wood, runes invisible to any mortal instrument. The churning sea instantly turned as smooth as glass.
"This is Gungnir's oath ability," a Norwegian expert watching the live feed exclaimed. "He's using it like a Great Prophecy!"
As the serpent's maw descended, the Northman spoke again. "Retreat."
The giant beast was slammed backwards as if by an invisible fist, crashing into the placid sea without making a splash.
"The power of the runes," whispered Petrov, who was now part of the Russian delegation, his earlier bluff having made him an indispensable 'expert'.
The Northman then hurled Gungnir. It flew like a meteor, striking the serpent's head and piercing deep into its body. Jörmungandr roared in agony, thrashing wildly. The man then leaped from the ship, landing on the water's surface as if it were solid ground. He now held Fragarach, the Retaliator. He drove the short sword into the serpent's thick scales, which parted like butter. Another shriek of pain, and a torrent of golden, divine blood poured into the sea.
Finally, he drew the Spear of Longinus. He channeled his Sun domain, and his body became a blazing sun. He shot forward, plunging the holy lance straight through the serpent's massive skull.
Jörmungandr, the mighty son of Loki, the enemy of the gods, went still. Its colossal body crashed into the waves, sending a tsunami outwards, and a profound silence fell over the North Sea.
"He... he won?" President Strengur gasped.
The meeting room exploded.
"We must retrieve the body! We can study its biology, find the source of its power!"
"The body is in our territorial waters! It is a Norwegian resource!"
"Iceland was attacked! We claim the body as reparations!"
As the politicians squabbled over the spoils, a new figure appeared on the screen. A man with a scarred lip and mischievous eyes, wearing a hooded cloak, materialized over the corpse.
"Loki," Petrov breathed.
The trickster god, the father of the slain beast, looked down at his son. He murmured a quiet incantation. The massive corpse, along with the two spears still embedded in it, began to dissolve, fading away along with every last drop of golden blood. Within seconds, it was all gone.
The presidents stared at the empty sea, their priceless prize vanished before their eyes.
On a deserted island, Leo examined his new toys. The three artifacts had been transformed by the immense faith generated by the globally televised battle.
Fragarach now pulsed with blood-red runes. Its first power: to ignore all defenses, physical or magical. Its second: its wounds would never heal.
The Spear of Longinus now had two small, angelic wings at its base. Its first power: immunity to death from any non-divine source. Its second: it subtly altered probability to ensure the wielder's victory. Its third: a curse of instant death should the spear be lost.
And Gungnir, the spear of Odin, now had small, yellow flowers blooming from its branches. Its first power: it would never miss its target. Its second: any oath sworn upon it would be fulfilled. "I wonder what would happen," Leo mused, "if I swore an oath to become a True God..."
He dismissed the thought. It was too risky. Clutching his new arsenal, he opened the vortex and stepped back into Thera.
His divine intuition flared an instant warning. A presence, another demigod, was approaching, fast. He instinctively summoned the Yata Mirror to his hand.
A handsome young man tore through the fabric of space and appeared before him.
"Fallen god, who has stolen my master's domain," the newcomer announced, his voice ringing with righteous fury. "Face the wrath of the light!"
"First, the Dawn!"