Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 92 The World
Long, long ago, there was a child who was far more intelligent than any of his kind. He was always silent and alone because, in his eyes, all his kind were so stupid that he could not even imagine them and could not feel any sense of identification with them.

In his eyes, the whole world seemed like an old toy whose structure had been completely figured out, nothing but endless war, which did not arouse any interest in him.

"Boring...boring...monotonous..."

A deep sense of disgust and self-loathing filled his heart. He loathed the world, and even more so, he loathed himself, this empty self within, this self that had no interest in anything, which made him feel a deep loathing, even hatred.

He thought that this was probably all he could ever be, but then one day...

Hey! What's your name?

As he lay on the ground, above him stood an old, large tree. The boy, not wanting to care about anything, lay on the ground sleeping quietly. Suddenly, something hit him on the head. He opened his eyes in confusion and looked in the direction of the sound, only to see a little boy, about the same size as him, standing on a branch of the tree above him, his incredibly clear eyes looking at him curiously.

Unlike the gods, he was not filled with a cold and indifferent holy aura, nor was he as savage and rough as other frost giants. Instead, he exuded a unique and vibrant energy that seemed completely different from the lifeless and chaotic world around him.

“...Loki.”

Looking at the half-god, half-giant hybrid boy in front of him, he remained silent for a long time before giving a simple response.

"Loki? You're quite interesting!"

The little boy in front of him seemed oblivious to the deep rejection and indifference in his words. After thinking for a moment, he said happily.

A look of astonishment flashed across his vertical pupils.

"Me...interesting?"

“That’s right, you’re completely different from the other frost giants! They just fight, but you’re very calm, so you’re quite interesting.”

The boy jumped down from the branch and stood in front of the clever child. The boy, with his incredibly clear eyes, spoke loudly.

"Interesting... So what's your name?"

The clever child pondered for a moment, then asked in return.

"I?"

The little boy in front of me tilted his head slightly, then grinned, revealing his white teeth, and laughed heartily.

"My name is Odin! Loki, perhaps our meeting here is a matter of destiny!"

"destiny?"

Loki looked with interest at the little boy in front of him who called himself Odin, and a lazy smile crept onto his lips.

"Loki! Let's create a fun world together!"

Before him, Odin suddenly opened his arms wide and shouted excitedly.

"So... why should I do something so inexplicable with you?"

"That's why I say, that's the world!!! A world countless times more interesting than this lifeless, dull world!!!"

Loki, lying on the ground, looked up at the figure in front of him, squinting slightly. But in the dim light, he could only see a figure that seemed to be shrouded in light, as dazzling as the radiant smile on his face.

"An interesting...world?"

As if touched by something, the boy murmured.

"Yes! A world that will never be boring, never dull, and infinitely wonderful!"

Looking at the boy lying on the ground beside him, Odin, filled with burning passion, looked at the stranger he had just met and reached out his hand without hesitation.

"Loki, let's create the world together!!!"

……

Fire, endless flames are burning.

The magnificent tree, now without support, is slowly tilting. Its size is so enormous that even a simple fall would take thousands or tens of thousands of years. But no matter how slow it may be, this day will eventually come, and no one can stop it.

The few remaining stars fell one by one from the shattered sky to the burning earth. The ocean, filled with poisonous gas, was covered with floating corpses stretching for thousands of miles. The sky, riddled with holes of varying sizes, was no longer able to protect this universe. Endless chaos from beyond leaked in through the broken holes, accelerating the death of this world.

The once prosperous world is now a ruin. Gods are dead, giants are dead, monsters are dead, all life is dead. Everywhere is filled with blood, corpses, and flames. The beautiful, the ugly, the kind, the evil, the terrifying, the benevolent... all of them perished in that final battle.

Amidst these ruins and the burning earth, a blurry figure still appears, weary and struggling to move forward.

Beside this figure, on the fiery earth, lay various corpses, some mutilated, some with grotesque faces. But regardless of their lives, whether they were gods or giants, they all now lay fallen on this battlefield ravaged by flames.

The weary, thin figure walked step by step through the battlefield littered with corpses, his eyes filled with deep bewilderment. He would even trip and fall over the corpses and bones, but deep in the depths of his pupils, it seemed as if an invisible will was always supporting him so that he would not fall.

His frail body was already covered in wounds from the battles, but he gritted his teeth and kept going step by step. Even if he fell, he would just get up again.

There was one thing he needed to figure out.

For this cause, he would not hesitate to pay any price, even if it meant destroying the world he and Odin had painstakingly built.

Odin sought to ensure the eternal continuation of the world he created, but what he truly desired was a free and vibrant world... rather than a world where one remained ignorant and trapped in a cage woven by fate called "the world."

When the beautiful world he created became his prison, he would rather smash it to pieces with his own hands.

however……

"puff……"

A soft sound came from beside her feet. The weary figure instinctively glanced at her feet, and then her blank, empty pupils froze...

Beside him lay a corpse, its body covered in wounds, the blood gushing from it staining the ground beneath it. As the owner of the corpse stared blankly at the body, his withered, cracked lips trembled silently.

He opened his mouth, wanting to call out the name of the corpse, but like a catfish stranded on the shore, his lips opened and closed, but no matter what he did, he couldn't utter that simple name.

"what……"

He tried to reach out, but his arm inexplicably wouldn't obey him, as if in fear. Only that unintelligible sound came from his hoarse throat.

"Hela."

At his feet lay the body of his youngest daughter, Hela. Hela, the ruler of the world of death, had also perished in this final battle, returning completely to the earth.

Of the three siblings, Hela was the one who respected her father the most, because she was the only one who could feel the loneliness and solitude in her father's heart. She could feel the profound wisdom hidden in her father's body, a wisdom that far exceeded the imagination of all living beings.

Therefore, she, who rules the world of the dead, did not need to participate in this ultimate battle between the living. Helheim was originally the pale land where the World Tree was rooted, and it had existed since the ancient chaotic world. Even if the World Tree completely tilted and the universe was destroyed, it could not affect the existence of Helheim.

The God-King who rules over all the living is equal to the King of the Underworld who rules over all the dead.

However, driven by her father's desire, this Hades, who could have been immortal, led her army of the dead into this final battle, and now... she is dead.

Loki's lips trembled as he gazed at his youngest daughter's corpse.

Finally, as if he had run out of strength, he knelt down helplessly before this world of death. He stared blankly at the crumbling world before him, this fiery world heading towards death. His bewildered pupils trembled, and he covered his face, finally letting out a desperate wail.

"..."

Before the burning world, amidst the flickering flames, a frail figure lay prostrate on the ground, trembling, as helpless and crying as a child.

……

Beside the Fountain of Wisdom, the white-haired giant Mimir was quietly writing something on ancient parchment with his quill pen. Even though the world was about to be destroyed, his face remained calm and undisturbed.

No one could understand the actions of this wise giant; only he himself knew what he was doing.

Just as he was writing, a calm voice rang out.

"Mimi'er".

The pen stopped, and he looked up. Standing before Mimir was a slender figure. Looking at the figure before him, the wise giant showed no surprise and lowered his head slightly to show his respect for the new god-king, while speaking slowly.

“Your Majesty the King of Gods…you have betrayed Odin’s trust.”

Before him, the serene God-King gazed at the aged giant opposite him, muttering to himself.

"Mimi, tell me, what is fate?"

(End of this chapter)