Chapter 448: Chapter 449: The Ritual
Since Loki presented several treasures, Asgard had been anything but peaceful.
First, the Ring of the Nibelungen was stolen, reportedly falling into the hands of a giant from the Vanir gods. Then, the god of light, Baldr, was murdered by an arrow made from mistletoe. Soon after, the sun goddess Sól narrowly escaped being devoured by a monstrous beast resembling a hellhound. Finally, the gods heard alarming news:
A Valkyrie had been seduced and corrupted by a demigod. Through a series of tragedies, they ultimately obtained the ring, but the Valkyrie used it to curse the gods, prophesying the imminent arrival of Ragnarok.
Initially, the curse of a Valkyrie—a mere embodiment of two individuals' vengeful spirits—ignited a wildfire in Asgard's forests that initially went unnoticed by the gods.
However, when the gods realized that no matter what methods they employed, they could not extinguish the fire, they finally felt a flicker of fear.
The fire grew larger and more intense, seemingly determined to reduce Asgard to ashes.
"This is a ritual," a large deity with a skull-painted face said, sitting on a dark warship backed by an inexplicable rolling fog.
Another deity, shrouded in a black robe, asked with a grim face, "Did you create this fire, Loki?"
"It was me, but not only me," Loki replied, his face masked by paint, revealing a cryptic smile.
"This is a ritual, a lengthy one, carried by a story, or perhaps a script. It's like the 'concepts' gods use to gather faith, capable of amassing sufficient psychic energy."
"When countless mortals and gods are aware of, even believe in this story, it gains tangible power, a force mightier than any one person or god."
"This power forms a rule, with the core of the rule being the Ring of the Nibelungen. Whatever role the ring plays in the story, it manifests similar properties in reality."
"After over a century of legend, it has now become the most potent wish-granter and the strongest conduit for curses."
"Therefore, a curse issued through it, even gods struggle to ward off."
"But that ring was crafted by you," Hades said, his expression still dark. "Though you claim to have obtained it from the dwarves, I know you made it, Loki. Your craftsmanship, even those dwarves marvel at."
"I find myself curious once again, where exactly are you from? And what other abilities do you possess?"
Loki's eyes, hidden behind his mask, appeared to smirk.
It was no new skill, really.
The so-called Rhine gold was merely a magic metal using gold as a carrier.
Through the "ritual" of legend, it was refined into an artifact that possessed no divinity but held a priesthood. It featured the special ability of fae metal to absorb and enhance its power from all sources, combined with many meticulously adjusted enchantments.
The gods, though abundant in divine power and magical energy, used magic crudely.
The ring's enchantments, however, incorporated numerous "spell templates" from the future, allowing those who wielded it—god or mortal—to control magic more precisely, achieving effects that normally require a hundred units of magic with just one.
Even though the ring absorbed eighty out of every hundred units of magic used, to any who wielded it, their power appeared to be magnified twentyfold, undeniably potent.
Such advanced magic forging and enchantment technology were millennia ahead of the contemporary dwarves—the ancestors of the fae—so of course, they were astounded.
But this was not something to share with the lord of the abyss across from him.
"As your ally, the stronger I am, the more beneficial for you, right? Besides, this wasn't solely my doing. I certainly can't create a demigod with Odin's bloodline."
Hearing this, Hades scoffed, "My good nephew, you thought of using the flesh and divine power of Odin's own son, Baldr, to create Siegfried. Manipulating life and death, I wonder who really is the god of the underworld here."
"But without your mistletoe arrow imbued with the power of death, and the method to resurrect the dead, Apollo couldn't have accomplished this," Loki retorted. "Without the demigod Siegfried, the story, no matter how widely spread, couldn't complete the ritual."
"Still, you were too hasty, driving the hellhound transformed into the Fenris wolf to hunt down the sun goddess Sól. This will make Odin start preparing for Ragnarok sooner and might also alert Apollo to your existence."
"Sól noticed the anomaly with Fenris; I thought she was just an ordinary minor deity. Who would have thought she was an avatar of Apollo?!" Hades expressed his annoyance. "Now, my nephew probably
knows about me."
"He hasn't become overly suspicious," Loki said. "After all, he assumes Fenris was my creation, just another instance of it getting out of control."
"And now, with the arrow already released from the bow, we must proceed. This grand drama must now reach its climax."
As he spoke, a bright flash of light shot from the forests of Asgard, slicing through the mountaintop like a hot knife through butter, and splitting the Valhalla temple in two.
From the flames, a giant figure rose, its body ablaze, emitting an unbearable light and heat. In its hand, it wielded a flaming greatsword. Now, the giant lifted the sword, pointing it towards Valhalla, "Odin, you false king, a puppet controlled by Zeus, you who crafted all conspiracies and suffering, I will destroy you and your realm today, making you and these deceitful gods repent for your deeds!"
From the collapsing temple of Valhalla, several figures flew out, the leader riding a Pegasus, wielding a spear, and using his one eye to scrutinize the flaming giant.
"Who are you? How do you possess the Sword of Victory?" he questioned, noticing the giant's sword, bewildered.
"It was you who taught me the spells to reforge this godly sword that you had broken. Have you forgotten?" the giant cackled menacingly.
The gods were stunned, then exclaimed, "Siegfried?"
Even Hades was taken aback, "Is this Apollo's plan? He... he has become Siegfried?!"
"Indeed," Loki said, still with a mocking smile, watching the unfolding drama. "While using Baldr's flesh and divine power to create Siegfried, he mixed in half of his own soul. That's why he chose Baldr; his divine priesthood of light was a perfect match."
"..." Hades was momentarily lost for words, astonished by Apollo's depth of manipulation, "But why would he want to become Siegfried?"
"It's also a ritual, a patricide ritual," Loki explained. "To complete this ritual, Apollo had to become Siegfried."
"Because Siegfried is Odin's own son, Baldr, and the Valkyrie Brynhildr, who issued the curse to destroy Valhalla, is Odin's daughter."
"The Curse of Fire unified them, giving Apollo the bloodline of Odin, the divine priesthood of Baldr, the unending Curse of Fire, a sword capable of contending with Gungnir, and the formidable might of a Valkyrie. At the same time, he assumed the role in the script meant for patricide."
"Surtur, the fire giant, is Apollo's ultimate avatar."
___________________
(Support with power stones, comments or reviews)
If you guys enjoy this story, In support me on Patreon and get access to +200 advance Chapters
Read Ahead
Patreon.com/INNIT