Episode 72/Chapter 5: Ragnarok (5)
TL: Tsubak
ED:
Things like physical size didn’t matter anymore.
Tae Ho’s divine power clashed with Surtr’s and it clashed in the middle of the battlefield.
The two powers belonged to a World G.o.d.
What was added to Tae Ho was the a.s.sistance of Asgard and the seat of master of four worlds and what was added to Surtr was the power of Anjra Mainiuu that had ascended to the throne in Avesta and the power of Muspelheim that brought the end of the worlds.
The first clash generated an overwhelming explosion. A big hole got formed in the middle of the battlefield when the two of them clashed. It exterminated everything that was inside its range and destroyed the skies and ground.
The World Dragon struggled when it felt the power of Tae Ho. Wings of flames pouted out from the back of Surtr. Surtr jumped over the World Dragon and flew but he didn’t head towards Tae Ho. It was to a completely different place.
It wasn’t simply to move the battlefield. The moment Odin saw the fire giant fly up, Zeus yelled like lightning.
“To the World Tree!”
It felt like lightning fell inside their heads. At that moment Odin also understood it. He remembered the scene that the mount of Olympus got destroyed.
The mount of Olympus wasn’t simply a place. It was the core that supported the world called Olympus.
The World Tree Ygdra.s.sil was also like that. It was the pillar that supported Asgard.
The giant that had tried to crush down everyone resisting him and then burn down the World Tree just like what he did in Olympus changed his plans the moment Tae Ho released the power of a World G.o.d.
He would burn down the World Tree first. He would put Asgard at a risky state.
Olympus was different from Asgard. The World Tree Ygdra.s.sil didn’t only support the world of G.o.ds Asgard and Vanaheim but also the smaller worlds like the mortal world Midgard, the world of fairies Alfheim, etc. If the World Tree disappeared then the smaller worlds could collapse in one moment.
And that would soon lead to the destruction of all of Asgard so the power of the World G.o.d of Asgard could only get weaker.
Odin was a cruel and cunning G.o.d of war but he had never imagined the concept of burning down the World Tree. The same went for his old enemy the magician king Utgard Loki.
The World Tree was much bigger than the mount of Olympus and burning down and extinguishing something like that was outside of their logic.
In addition, the destruction of the World Tree would lead to the destruction of all of Asgard. Now that they were in Asgard, the Kingdom of Fire couldn’t be safe either. Most of their army would extinguish with the army of Asgard.
But Surtr didn’t care about things like that. He already had a record of having destroyed the mount of Olympus and the World Tree was another target for destruction. It was enough if the Kingdom of Fire perished along it as Surtr was able to burn down the Temple if only he was left. Asgard and Tae Ho were the actual final resistance.
Surtr charged towards the World Tree. Tae Ho realized Surtr’s intentions just like Odin and Zeus and spread his wings of the dragon hurriedly. He started to cross the sky to get in front of him.
The battlefield got split in two. Surtr and Tae Ho clashed in front of the World Tree separately from the Kingdom of Fire and the a.s.sociation of the four worlds clashing.
The World Tree was really huge. The real Ygdra.s.sil was a huge tree that reached several small worlds even though it was said that only a part of the system of Ygdra.s.sil was manifested.
Surtr didn’t attack Tae Ho. He threw his Sword of flames as soon as he reached a certain distance near the World Tree. The sword started to increase in size just like when he destroyed the mount of Olympus. It became a sword that pa.s.sed through the sky and ground and headed to the World Tree. It was actually an attack that contained all of Surtr’s power and authority.
Tae Ho stopped that. He raised his Sword of Creation and concentrated the sentences of the four worlds into one.
The two swords clashed and the clash between the two divinities exploded in the middle of the battlefield.
They stood on even ground. No, Tae Ho got pushed back a bit. He couldn’t completely block the Sword of flames that was trying to destroy the World Tree.
The reason for that was simple.
It wasn’t because the power of the world of Asgard didn’t amount to the power of the world of Avesta.
It was like Nyx had said. It was because the end was nearing just like Nuwa had said.
Destruction was pure reason.
There was an end if there was a beginning and that time was now, that was all.
They wouldn’t be able to overturn the tides no matter how much they struggled.
It was an excellent struggle but it ends here. And just receive that reason.
Surtr said.
He didn’t say that as a destructive being. It was a claim from the one that was executing the end of the world.
The Sword of Flames broke in pieces. Tae Ho destroyed more than half of the sword but what remained of the sword pa.s.sed Tae Ho and reached the World Tree. The flames that burnt down the world spread in an instant and covered the World Tree.
The World Tree started to burn.
If those were normal flames it wouldn’t even be able to burn a small branch but these flames were the last flames that were the end itself.
The flames spread to the highest branches. It pa.s.sed Asgard, pa.s.sed Midgard and pa.s.sed through Niflheim and it headed to the roots that was covered by a dense fog.
The roots that were supporting Alfheim and Nidavelir caught fire. You could see the World Tree burning everywhere in the world.
The world started to shake. The flames that started in the World Tree started to spread to the smaller worlds such as Midgard and the other realms.
Odin kneeled down. He sat as if curling down and couldn’t say anything.
He hadn’t stopped resisting even though he knew the destined destruction in the future but he could not admit it by this point.
The World Tree was still burning. It would need a considerable amount of time to burn down everthing left of the tree and so the smaller worlds would collapse as they lost their pillar.
But they couldn’t do anything anymore. The world would face the destined destruction in the end.
The higher your rank of your divinity and the stronger it was, you were able to understand the current situation more quickly and precisely.
It was the end.
The end had arrived.
The humans of Midgard fell in fear. The dead beings of Niflheim looked at the World Tree with sorrowful eyes.
The dwarves of Nidavelir crouched down and the fairies of Alfheim and Svartalfheim looked at the forest burning down and despaired.
The G.o.ds stopped resisting. Zeus dropped his lightning Astrape and Apollo and Athena sat down. They just looked at the burning World Tree with burning eyes.
Thor, that was charging forward with his lightning, stopped advancing. Son Wukong dropped his staff and breathed roughly. Heracles, that was crushing down the Kingdom of Fire, didn’t move as if he had become a boulder.
The despair of the G.o.ds got infected in an instant. The warriors of Valhalla, the martial artists of the Temple, and the heroes of Olympus lost their strength to fight. There were some that collapsed and shed tears.
Siri, that was charging while carrying Bracky, stopped her feet. Bracky opened his mouth by force but he couldn’t yell anything. He dropped his hammer that he had raised high.
Nidhogg burst in tears. Those were the tears of the ancient G.o.d Audhumla that couldn’t hate the world in the end. Nuwa shook her head and Adenmaha bit her lips and embraced Nidhogg. Heda drooped her shoulders and sword and looked at the World Tree with the eyes of Idun.
Everyone gave up.
Everyone despaired.
It was a situation you could only act like that.
But only one person.
There was only one person that didn’t give up while all the others had fallen in despair.
And there was power transmitted to that person.
[Synchro rate: 105%]
Tae Ho looked at the World Tree.
&
The World Tree was burning. The end was nearing.
Tae Ho admitted it and accepted that as Surtr had said.
But he didn’t stop there.
He thought of the new beginning that would follow the end.
&
[Synchro rate: 110%]
Astelone said. That the synchro rate meant his strength as the piece of Terra. That Tae Ho was the strongest existence of all the pieces of Terra in all of history.
Then, if that was the case.
He could still advance.
[Synchro rate: 120%]
Tae Ho thought. He searched for a way to find even in the moment that everyone had despaired.
If it wasn’t enough with the power of the World G.o.d Asgard.
If it wasn’t enough with the seat of masters of four worlds.
[Synchro rate: 130%]
Surtr noticed the change. He, who was looking at the burning tree, looked at Tae Ho once again.
Siri raised her head and Bracky let out a low exclamation. Nidhogg stopped crying and blinked and Adenmaha contained Tae Ho’s name in her mouth.
[Synchro rate: 140%]
The power of Terra was being added to Tae Ho. The trick was the same from when they brought up the power of the World G.o.d of Asgard and at the same time the result of being able to release the power of the master of Olympus which he got able to use freely because of that.
Astelone said.
Even if the world of Dark Age was made up, the stories in that world were real and the power of the ones believing in that wasn’t a lie.
It was a meaningless thing.
The World Tree was already burning.
No matter how much stronger you get, you won’t be able to stop the destruction of Asgard.
Surtr said and he got bewildered at his own voice. There was hastiness in his voice.
It was the same way as the sacred forces. The power of Terra, so to say the power of everyone that believed in Dark Age and Kalsted had jumped the boundary of a world and was being concentrated on Tae Ho.
[Synchro rate: 160%]
[Synchro rate: 190%]
The Synchro rate continued to increase and at some point, it didn’t get marked. Tae Ho’s strength couldn’t be measured by the synchro rate anymore.
World G.o.d Asgard.
The master of four worlds.
The proxy of Terra.
He had arrived like that. The stories he had acc.u.mulated in Asgard, Erin, Olympus and the Temple joined into one and gave birth to it.
The protector of Asgard and the nine realm that’s it.
The one holding the strongest name not only in Dark Age but in all the ten worlds.
Saga, Immortal Warrior.
The power that had transcended a World G.o.d has descended.
Surtr grabbed a new Sword of flames in a hurry and roared.
It was already late. The World Tree was already burning. The end had arrived!
That was the case. No matter how strong of a power was born, the World Tree was already burning down. Not long after that, the Last flames will collapse the entirety of Asgard. Surtr’s words weren’t wrong.
That’s why Tae Ho didn’t deny that.
He didn’t think of an end but of a new beginning.
‘Not a saga but a cheat.’
Cuchulainn laughed and Astelone told him to show them.
Tae Ho didn’t put off the fire of the World Tree. He rather intensified it and thought of one story.
The voices of Heda and Idun rang in his head.
The G.o.ddess of youth smiles under the golden apple tree.
If the end had arrived, he would create a new beginning. He would then make the story continue.
The World Tree disappeared along with the Last flames.
And the power of Tae Ho filled up the empty spot. A beautiful and bright golden apple tree surged up. It supported Asgard with its new branches and roots.
Creation ranked saga.
Creation.
The beginning of a story.
Surtr hung his mouth open under the shock and Tae Ho glared at him and smiled.
For the real end and the new beginning.
The immortal warrior raised his sword.
< Episode 72 – Ragnarok (5) > End
TL note: Thanks for reading~