174 Scathach vs Norse Gods (I)

*DING! DING! DING!*

Under the overcast sky, the crimson spear and the heavy hammer clashed, creating thunderous roars and emitting dazzling sparks.

The one wielding the spear was a purple-haired woman in a tight-fitting purple outfit, her crimson eyes shimmering with a wise glow.

The giant hammer was held by a burly man, bare-chested with a face full of golden beard, and leopard-like eyes flickering with silver-white lightning.

"Haha! Exciting! I never expected a mere mortal to possess this level of strength. It's truly exciting!" The burly man laughed heartily, and with each swing of his divine hammer, a brilliant thunderbolt struck from the sky.

The purple-haired woman snapped her fingers, and a deep green rune appeared. Mysterious ancient power permeated the air, instantly rewriting the concept of 'space'. All the thunderbolts coming towards her redirected towards the burly man.

Swinging his hammer, the man smashed through the thunderbolts and muttered, "Damn it, Primordial Rune again. That old man always liked to toy with me using that thing. It's really annoying."

"Hey, Thor, can you handle this at all? Weren't you always bragging about being the most powerful warrior of the Aesir? How come you can't even defeat a woman?"

On a nearby hill, a man in a black robe teased. His eyes glowed with a fiery red, his handsome face so captivating it seemed to possess a sinister charm, making it hard to look away.

*BOOM!*

A thunderbolt struck down from the sky, causing the hill where the handsome man stood to explode.

"Oh dear, your temper is still as volatile as ever~" The handsome man appeared on another hill, still smiling. "I thought after so long without seeing each other, you might have mellowed out a bit."

"Shut up, Loki!" Thor, the God of Thunder, stared coldly at the God of Mischief who had betrayed the Aesir. "I'm only temporarily cooperating with you for the revival of the Aesir. If you continue your nonsense, I'll be the first to put an end to you!"

"Your words really hurt me, y'know~ I've already planned to turn over a new leaf and be a good god~" Loki complained half-seriously.

Thor sneered. If he believed another word from this trickster, his name would be spelled backward!

Meanwhile, Scathach gripped her spear tighter and observed the surroundings.

This was the greatest crisis the Queen of the Land of Shadows had ever faced.

Thor, Loki, Frey, Freya, and Tyr.

Nearly half of the twelve main gods of the Norse pantheon gathered here.

Although, due to environmental restrictions, these gods could no longer display the cataclysmic power they once possessed, they were, after all, gods.

The mere fact of their existence was already a natural disaster.

Scathach could only be grateful that she had strengthened the restraint of the Land of Shadows in all directions some time ago. Otherwise, if more gods buried here were to rise up, her situation would have been completely dire.

The 'Wisdom of Dun Scaith' had already revealed the cause of the situation, and she understood everything. That's precisely why she couldn't afford to retreat.

"That woman's spearmanship is amazing." Freya said while covering her mouth, her eyes filled with an astonished expression.

She was the goddess in charge of fertility, beauty, and love, the most beautiful goddess in the Norse Realms. Her appearance was dreamlike, and the armor accentuated her curvaceous figure. Although it seemed tightly covered, there were gaps strategically left in various easily suggestive places—on the chest, shoulders, thighs, and lower abdomen, which revealed snow-white skin, exuding a hazy and enchanting beauty.

She was not a goddess skilled in combat, but even so, she could see that the purple-haired woman's spearmanship had reached a fascinating level.

"That's a spearmanship capable of slaying gods. I doubt Thor is her match."

Frey, Freya's brother and the leader of the Elven realm—Alfheim, responded to her words with arms crossed, his sharply handsome face shining like the sun.

"Within thirty moves, Thor will be defeated." Tyr, the one-armed God of War of the Norse Realms, said lightly while holding a sword.

As if to confirm his words, after a dozen breaths, Scathach threw a spear at Thor's chest, and he instantly flew backward, smashing a hill to pieces.

"Ah~ I suddenly feel a strangely refreshing sensation..." Loki sighed, then turned to Scathach. "But why are you stopping us? If the gods got resurrected, you could leave here freely and roam outside, gaining freedom. Isn't that better?"

"I am the Gatekeeper of the Land of Shadows, isolating this place and guarding the boundary between life and death is my mission." Scathach's tone was cold. "Besides, I am a human."

"Well, it seems we can't reach an agreement." Loki shrugged, then turned to Tyr, Frey, and Freya nearby. "I say, you guys aren't planning to just stand there and watch, are you?"

The three gods remained silent for a moment, then stepped forward simultaneously.

"Wait!"

*BOOM!*

The pile of giant rocks exploded, and Thor emerged from it, his bare upper body marked with a striking spear stab wound.

"I told you, this is my fight. None of you are allowed to interfere!"

"Though I'd love to see you continue getting beaten, sorry, we're out of time." Loki stood up, clapping his hands. "Just a moment ago, my child's life force disappeared."

"You mean, Jormungandr?" Thor furrowed his brows.

"Exactly." Loki smiled, showing no hint of sadness. "If I'm not mistaken, the one who inherited the power of Nidhogg, as mentioned by that guy, is probably the new king, Arthur. If we keep delaying, things might get troublesome."

"Huh? Why should I care? It's even better if that guy shows up. A one-on-two, I'll enjoy that even more!" Thor boasted.

"Hahh, why does my partner have to be this muscle-head fool?" Loki massaged his temples with a headache.

"Now is not the time for stubbornness, Thor." Tyr said calmly. "Don't forget our purpose."

Thor clenched his fist tightly. After a while, he sighed with a helpless expression.

"Fine, I get it."

The five gods in agreement, each moved forward, surrounding Scathach.

"Forgive us, Queen of the Land of Shadows, you're a respected opponent, but for the sake of our long-standing wish, we have to use this dirty method." Frey said while wearing a somewhat helpless expression as he drew his sword.

"The Age of Gods has come to an end. No matter how hard you try, you will eventually be submerged by the currents of history." Scathach said indifferently.

"Whether we can succeed, we won't know until we try, right?" Tyr raised his divine sword with his only arm, pointing it towards Scathach. "Even if there's a one in a million chance, we won't give up."

"It seems you still don't understand how foolish your actions are." Scathach glanced at Tyr and spoke with a cold tone. "Then let me show you how this one-in-a-million chance shatters."

*Rumble—!!!*

The entire Land of Shadows suddenly trembled. The once dim and gloomy sky instantly glowed with a dazzling purple light, and a massive vortex appeared. Suddenly, an ancient and magnificent castle dangled from the vortex, gradually surrounding the five gods.

*Buzz—!*

The castle shook slightly, and an ancient and vast power permeated the air. The five gods felt the power within them flowing out like water from an open floodgate, unable to stop it no matter what they tried.

"We can't stay in here, we must get out!"

*BOOM!*

Tyr pulled out his divine sword and unleashed a sword beam capable of cutting through mountains and seas to the castle in the sky. However, it only left a small crack in the castle's outer wall.

Soon, a faint light flashed, and the crack immediately recovered.

Thor, Loki, and Frey wore serious expressions, realizing the severity of the situation. The three gods unleashed their powers without reservation, thunder roaring, fire surging, and radiance shining brightly as if chaos had returned.

After a half-hour of intense effort, the three gods stopped and panting.

They looked ahead and the remnants of their divine power gradually faded. In front of them stood the perfectly intact inverted castles.

"How could this happen..." Freya looked pale, her eyes filled with unhidden panic.

Suppressing five main gods alone? Such a thing was unheard of!

"Your biggest mistake was choosing to fight me in this place."

Scathach coldly stared at them, crimson magical energy swirling around her Gae Bolg, like a burning flame.

"I am Scathach, the Queen and Gatekeeper of the Land of Shadows. As long as I'm here, I am invincible!"