Valhalla Saga

ED:

There was a man.

The man was born with the noble blood of a God but had to serve his king as a warrior and unfortunately, that king was a childish man and short of virtue.

He was a king that was once called as hero but time had eaten him a bit. He did atrocious actions everyday that made you see him as having become degenerated as time passed and did a really wicked thing on a woman that was the reincarnation of a Goddess so he pulled the entire country with him and received a big curse.

‘Men will receive pain the moment they need strength the most and they won’t be able to use their strength in the fourth night and fifth afternoon.’

The king and citizens that got surprised tried to soothe her and change the name of their country to part of the name of the Goddess ’Eamhain Mhacha’, but it was all meaningless.

The rage of the Goddess didn’t dissipate and in the end the king and his citizens couldn’t use their strength when they got invaded by the enemy and on other things.

But the country of the king still didn’t collapse after that. It didn’t even get shaken at the countless dangers it faced through the cases like the invasions.

The only person that didn’t get cursed by the Goddess.

The great hero that possessed power enough to protect his country alone.

The prince of light Cuchulainn.

It was because that man was there.

&

Nidhogg smiled in a good mood after having let out a roar that shook all of Asgard.

But of course, that was in her essence form as an ancient dragon and at the same time a dragon Goddess and not in her huge body that reached 2kms.

“Nidhogg! Nidhogg!”

The loud yell that was heard as a bug buzzing for Nidhogg continued to be heard. Nidhogg rolled her eyes as the black dragon and then could discover the owner of the voice.

“Ohh! Nidhogg! Do you recognize me?!”

The huge bird spoke in an excited voice. The appearance of the bird and his heated voice were all too familiar for her but regardless of that Nidhogg tilted her head and said.

[Uh...Hraesvelgr grandpa?]

The black dragon didn’t open its mouth to speak. But Nidhogg’s will itself got transmitted to Hraesvelgr and Hraesvelgr, that was riding on his own original body nodded diligently.

“Right, i’m your equal Hraesvelgr!”

Hraesvelgr spoke with a really happy face and voice. But Nidhogg blinked once again and then realized why she felt weird.

Hraesvelgr was certainly big in her memories and right now Hraesvelgr wasn’t like that at all.

[Grandpa is really tiny!]

He was small. Really small.

And this was something unavoidable. If the difference in length of their bodies was 20 times, then the size of their bodies would be more than a hundred.

Hraesvelgr staggered at the happy, yet strong fact attack of Nidhogg. However, he claimed with a loud voice as someone that didn’t know what giving up was.

“I, I will also get big!”

In the first place, Hraesvelgr’s original body was a kind of magic armor that was born with magic. He would be able to increase the size of his body if he poured magic power to it.

Nidhogg opened her eyes roundly at Hraesvelgr’s claim and then asked with an expectant voice.

[Will grandpa become as big as Nidhogg?]

Her way of speaking was saying that she really hoped that.

Because of that, Hraesvelgr could only drip cold sweat. It was good to have claimed it magnanimously but the problem was that Nidhogg was just too big.

Impossible. Absolutely impossible.

But Hraesvelgr couldn’t say that he couldn’t do it. He opened his mouth with difficulty and spoke.

“I, I will try.”

“My king...”

Vedrfolnir couldn’t stop her tears from falling down at the pitiful appearance of her king. At the same time, she fell once again for her king. It was because his ungiving spirit in front of the impossible had moved her heart.

If Cuchulainn was here he would have clicked his tongue saying that her love for him was comparable to Tae Ho’s but fortunately the only one here was Nidhogg.

[Anyways, Nidhogg will go down now. Uh... but grandpa Hraesvelgr, are you fine?]

“Fine? What are you talking about?”

[I mean, the poison?]

Nidhogg spoke in an unconfident tone and turned to look at herself. Her pitch black body was covered by a faint green smoke.

But Hraesvelgr didn’t show signs of being in pain even though he was inside that smoke. He actually frowned as if he had only realized after Nidhogg remarked that and said.

“Hm? Now that I see, compared to the other body you used, this one doesn’t release poison. Rather...”

[Rather?]

“I feel a holy aura. I feel like my strength is being recovered the closer I get to you. Is this also your power?”

Hraesvelgr wasn’t saying that for nothing. It was because the property of the smoke covering Nidhogg had really changed like he had said.

From a nasty poison that annihilated everyone that approached her into a holy aura that took care and healed other.

Nidhogg bit her lips. She endured her tears from falling down and said in a good mood.

[Yes, that’s right. I don’t resent anyone and I rather like them. It’s like that now.]

The heart of Audhumla had changed. Nidhogg also didn’t resent anyone now.

“It’s a bit difficult to understand but that should be a good thing anyways.”

Hraesvelgr spoke like that as he didn’t know of Audhumla’s situation and them smiled warmly. He got more relaxed if he spoke with Nidhogg.

Nidhogg spoke once again.

[Anyways, i’m going to return to Valhalla now. Do you want to come with me?]

“Hm, fine. Even if that wasn’t the case, Valhalla had sent a messenger and he has stayed noisy so let’s go down together.”

[Then ride on Nidhogg’s back]

“Okay.”

After Hraesvelgr answered briefly, he moved his original body and rode on Nidhogg’s back. Actually, the difference in size was so big he felt like he had landed on an island rather than on the back of someone.

[Grandpa, did you get on? I can’t feel anything.]

“I, I did.”

[I’m going then!]

Nidhogg yelled in a good mood and turned to look at the ground and then fluttered her wings again.

&

The time Nidhogg opened her eyes again was when the black dragon landed right next to Valhalla.

Actually the size of her body was 2kms long so it was no different from an island so the distance between Valhalla was quite considerable.

When the warriors of Valhalla came out flocking to see the black dragon, Adenmaha that had been looking at the essence of Nidhogg with a nervous face let out a sigh of relief. It was because Nidhogg had been putting an absent minded expression but then smiled brightly as if nothing had happened.

“Did it end well?”

“It ended well.”

Nidhogg spoke up to that point and then stood up to embrace Adenmaha.

“Nidhogg?”

“Adenmaha.”

Nidhogg dropped her body in Adenmaha’s embrace as if melting down. Adenmaha got flustered as she saw that Nidhogg didn’t have as much strength as she thought so she inserted more strength in her arms and asked.

“Are you fine?”

“Yes, yes. I’m okay. But i’m too sleepy. I don’t have any strength.”

‘Certainly, an indirect introduction.’

Because Nidhogg’s original body was really huge.

In the first place, that was a kind of magic armor so if it was any other living being it would be impossible to breathe and even less move it as they wouldn’t be able to endure their own weight.

The power that moved Nidhogg’s original body was her magic power. Nidhogg’s body had an overwhelming amount of magic power stored in it but the one that moved it was her in the end.

She didn’t only pass the roots but she had also flown to the ends of the world in an instant so the amount of magic power she spent would be great and the burden on Nidhogg would also be as big.

“You have done well. Let’s rest now. I will face Hraesvelgr-nim.”

“Yes... wake me up when Tae Ho master comes later.”

“I will.”

When Adenmaha stroke her head, Nidhogg closed her eyes. But she opened them again after a few seconds and then raised her head.

“Nidhogg?”

“I thought of something I had to say before falling asleep.”

“About what?”

“About Audhumla’s story.”

Nidhogg started to speak about Audhumla with a sleepy voice. Parts of her story was cut down and was sloppy as expected of her but there was no problem in understanding the general outline.

“Audhumla doesn’t resent anyone anymore. No, she has been like that since before. She has liked everyone since before.”

She wanted to say this. She wanted to transmit Audhumla’s story to the others the fastest she could.

Compared to Nidhogg, Audhumla had really perceived the others for a long time. And she also knew why she had been trapped.

But regardless of that, she still heard Nidhogg’s words. She decided to love instead of hate the world just like Nidhogg did.

“Thank you Nidhogg. For having chosen us.”

Adenmaha spoke with a teary voice and hugged Nidhogg. Nidhogg rubbed her face in Adenmaha’s chest and smiled brightly.

“I’m also grateful Adenmaha.”

And then closed her eyes. She breathed soundly and fell asleep.

“Sleep well Nidhogg. I will ask Heda to make many things you like.”

Adenmaha spoke in a low voice as if she had really become a mother and closed her eyes following Nidhogg. And then shared her warmth with her.

&

“Uh... so are you saying that in the end Odin-nim is at fault?”

After about one hour since that happened, Adenmaha told the story to Tae Ho, Heda and Freya that had returned to Valhalla on the cat carriage and that was the conclusion Heda came with after hearing everything.

Because the ones that had exterminated Audhumla at the same time with Ymir and threw them in Ginnungagap were Odin, his father Bor and his grandfather Buri.

But Freya got enraged at Heda’s words and spoke.

“What are you saying? That was the best he could do at that time. In the first place, it’s a bit vague to say that Odin-nim was the same being from back then. That was also before he completely awakened a consciousness.”

And in the first place if part of Audhumla was left then giants like Ymir may have been born just like Buri and Bor were concerned about.

Heda let out a ‘He’ing sound at Freya’s heated argument and then opened her eyes sharply and said.

“That was the case. So that was the case.”

“Wh, what?”

“No, I’m just saying.”

Heda smirked and Freya flushed and frowned.

And Tae Ho thought while looking at the two of them.

‘The so that was the case attack is strong no matter who you use it at. SO that was the case.’

Cuchulainn agreed earnestly.

‘Anyways, everything ended well. I had also felt that it was really big when I saw it before but back then I saw it in a place with nothing to compare it to so I just sensed that it was only big... but now that I see it again it really is huge.’

‘Didn’t you say the same thing?’

‘Anyways, she is also overflowing in magic power. Echidna didn’t say that she was an ancient dragon in another level for nothing.’

It wasn’t only because the time they were born was different.

‘Ancient God Audhumla...’

An existence that could be compared to the Goddess of night Nyx of Olympus.

“Anyways, it seems like the sun will set soon. Why don’t you return now? It would be good to rest two days for Nidhogg’s recovery. Perhaps... it may be the last opportunity you will be able to rest comfortably.”

Freya cooled down the heat by fanning herself with her hand and said.

And her words weren’t wrong. If they headed to the Temple, only battles against the Kingdom of Fire would be waiting for them.

“Shall we return now?”

“Let’s return, master.”

Adenmaha and Heda looked at Tae Ho with a vague expectation and said. It seemed like the two of them were planning on spending the remaining two days in quality time.

But Tae Ho flinched instead of smiling and answering the same. The quick witted Heda asked with an uneasy tone.

“What’s wrong?”

Adenmaha also frowned and put uneasy eyes. It was because the two of them guessed to some extent what Tae Ho was going to say.

“Uh... I just remembered that I have one more thing to do.”

He had one more thing aside of liberating Nidhogg’s original body from the roots. Something he had to take care of before heading to the Temple.

“Can you give me one day... no, half a day?”

Tae Ho asked Adenmaha and Heda and the two of them let out sighs almost at the same time.

&

‘Hey you bastard. If you are going to useless things do it alone, why did you drag me into it? Ahh master. I want to see you.’

‘She’s right in front of you.’

‘Not like this! Entrust Gae Bolg to master quickly and return!’

When Tae Ho returned to the residence of Idun he headed to the lodging of Scathach while receiving sharp gazes from Heda and Adenmaha. It was to do something he could only do at her lodging.

‘But Cuchulainn. You seem like you are quite happy even though you speak like that. Should I say that your body is being honest?’

‘Hey you crazy bastard. What kind of nonsense is that? And where do I have a body? Huh? WHere’s my body.’

It had always been like this but time flowed really quickly when they spoke about nonsense.

Actually, Tae Ho was conversing with Cuchulainn but if you saw him from a side he was grinning alone and Scathach was preparing mystical magic in front of it. Scathach raised her head. It was because all the preparations had ended.

“Everything is ready, but are you going to do it?”

Tae Ho fixed his expression at Scathach’s question and nodded.

“After I go to the Temple... I really won’t have time after that. I want to do everything I can before that.”

“Right, I respect your will. It will certainly be of help.”

The Tower of shadows.

The place he had spent almost 2 years after he entered it after the battle against the king of Fomoires, the Tyrant Bress.

Back then he hadn’t been able to go until the end. Part of it was because he lacked time but honestly speaking it was because his capabilities lacked.

But he was different now.

It was time to conquer the Tower of shadows that no one except for one person had been able to conquer.

‘It feels uncomfortable if I stop doing it after clearing it.’

If you start a game you should see the end of it.

The time he promised Heda and Adenmaha was 12 hours. It was a month inside the Tower of shadows where time flowed 30 times more quickly.

But that was enough.

“Close your eyes. I will start the ritual.”

Tae Ho closed his eyes.

And then opened his eyes in the middle of the ritual.

The doors of the Tower of shadow opened.

< Episode 68 – Descent of the immortal God (1) > End

TL note: Thanks for reading~