Chapter 254: Divine Faction Representative: Odin!
Helheim—the Underworld region of Norse mythology, equivalent to what other mythologies call hell or the demon realm.
It was a cold, misty land of eternal night without daylight, a place only the dead could reach.
So, how did she, being the youngest among the thirteen Valkyries, recognize this place?
Had she been here before?
No, she hadn't. A place like this is terrifying—how would she dare to come here?
The reason she recognized it was because she saw something symbolic described in a book.
She saw the Gate of Hell, the entrance to the Underworld.
"Helheim?"
Irina was a bit confused.
"Simply put, this is a place like the so-called Underworld."
"Huh? The Underworld?"
No wonder it felt so eerie all around, giving the impression that hordes of ghosts and monsters could appear at any moment.
Wait—
"We've come to the Underworld?"
"But, maybe it's like the previous match, it should be fine."
That's what she said, but Göll's somewhat fearful expression betrayed her true feelings.
Because it seemed like only the two of them were around, as if something had gone wrong during the transfer, and they had truly been thrown into the Underworld alone.
If that were really the case, they'd be done for.
For them, as living beings, appearing in the world of the dead was a taboo.
Of course, it could also be that the fog was simply blocking their vision and even muffling sounds, making it impossible to see others.
After all, the fog hadn't completely cleared; beyond a certain distance, everything was shrouded in mist, making it impossible to see further.
Suddenly, ominous movements appeared, making the two tense up and nervously look around.
"The, the ground—"
"I, I see it!"
Something was crawling out of the ground—those were terrifying undead, one after another.
If they were just ordinary skeletons, zombies, or demon-like figures, Irina, as the Holy Sword Wielder, wouldn't be afraid.
In her world, her job was to hunt down such creatures that harmed humans.
But, but the problem was, the things crawling out here were way too big.
"Wh-why are they all so huge?"
They were practically giants.
"Th-these might be the undead from the ancient war of the giants. I've heard rumors that many giants were forcibly banished to this world of the dead, where they suffer the torments of this realm of death."
As she said this, Göll swallowed hard, because the horrifying giant monsters were all staring at them with hollow eye sockets.
The next moment, the monsters roared.
At the same time, the world of the dead instantly grew noisy, and the fog began to dissipate further.
"Damn it, Heimdall!"
"To choose such a stage—I almost got scared—cough, cough—and fell into a pile of rotting corpses!"
Finally, they heard the angry voices of others.
"Waaah!"
"Eeeek!"
Göll and Irina screamed again, not because the monsters were about to pounce on them, but because they had suddenly been lifted into the air.
They then realized they were standing on a giant dragon—a skeletal dragon—and they were on its head.
They also saw that the entire sky was filled with various skeletal dragons, each carrying humans or gods.
Clearly, this was the unique feature of this stage: these skeletal dragons served as mobile spectator seats.
Looking down at the ground, their scalps tingled with fear as they saw countless grotesque and hideous undead or monsters roaring.
They even discovered that the earth itself seemed like a dangerous creature. Some spirits attempting to break free from the earth's restraints were instantly seized by dark hands formed from black miasma overflowing from the ground the moment they leaped up, gradually being pulled back into the earth.
Correction—being dragged underground.
During this process, the giant spirit struggled in utter terror.
"Strange, why has the stage been chosen as the Norse Underworld this time?"
Rossweisse, riding on another giant dragon, muttered with slight confusion.
The previous two rounds had selected stages somewhat related to their respective contexts.
So this round shouldn't have chosen the Underworld.
Unless the representative for the gods' side in this round is a Norse deity. But the question is, what powerful Norse god could currently rival the likes of Zeus or Shiva?
"Is it possible that it might be Odin?"
Serafall, also on this giant dragon, said so.
"Huh? Odin? How could that—"
Wait, it might be possible. This world is the realm of the dead. If Odin died, his soul could exist in this world and engage in battle, right?
But would Odin, as a spirit after death, possess sufficient power?
He probably would, otherwise he wouldn't have been chosen as the gods' representative.
No, the host Heimdall hasn't announced it yet, so it's not necessarily Odin.
"Everyone, do you remember Article 62—Section 15, the Ultra-Special Clause—of the Valhalla Constitution—"
The host's voice finally rang out.
"—The Law of the Final War Between Man and God!!!"
Heimdall then proclaimed in a resounding voice.
The so-called [Law of the Final War Between Man and God] refers to the ongoing [Ragnarök]—the thirteen one-on-one battles between humans and gods.
"And when that deity incorporated this clause into the Valhalla Constitution, was it purely for fun? Or had his wisdom already foreseen this future scene?"
So, which god was it that incorporated this clause?
The gods present certainly knew. Back then, many were astonished that such a solemn and rigorous deity would propose such a constitution.
"NOW! This god will represent the gods in the eighth round!!!"
As Heimdall's announcement concluded, a clear neighing of a horse simultaneously rang out.
At that moment, a rainbow suddenly appeared in the sky. One end of the rainbow connected to the invisible night sky, as if plunging into another world.
The other end seemed to extend toward this land of death.
The horse's neighing also came from the rainbow.
Then, everyone—gods and humans alike—saw a handsome, snow-white horse with eight legs galloping down toward the deathly land.