735 Mission Accomplished (2/2)
As if countless pieces of steel were colliding, the bangs resounded throughout Asgard, and the roar in the flames reverberated in everyone's ear.
The skies broke apart, and a hurricane swayed and spread. Its huge eye slowly formed, but was torn apart by a more terrifying power the next moment.
In a flash, it was all over.
The light dimmed and dissipated, and the flames went out.
On the scorched ground, countless particles of dust and frost fell like snow, mixing together.
Ye Qingxuan gazed at the chaos with a complicated look.
Had it not been necessary, he wouldn't have wanted to kill Wagner, even though the old man was his enemy. He even felt that it was a great honor to have such an enemy.
But soon, his gaze turned from resignation to shock.
Because amid the dust and frost, a stumbling figure slowly walked towards him.
It was Wagner.
He was still alive...
Propping his body up with the broken blade, Wagner staggered. The flames on his body was like a candle flame flickering weakly in the wind, but it continued to burn stubbornly and refused to be extinguished.
He looked at Ye Qingxuan and slowly lifted his right arm that could still somewhat be considered complete, and pointed the broken blade at the enemy.
”Again!” On the broken face, his eyes were still bright. No power was reflected within, but they were still like fiery suns.
”I have yet to die, young man.” He announced to his enemy, ”You have yet to win!”
Ye Qingxuan was silent, and after a long time, he sighed softly. ”I lost.” He didn't want to continue fighting Wagner anymore.
”What sort of joke are you saying, don't let me feel like you are accompanying a shameless old man at his games. Ye Qingxuan, this is war, how can a war end without death?
”If you have even the slightest bit of respect for me, then raise your sword.” Wagner looked at Ye Qingxuan coldly, his voice hoarse. ”Everything passes from birth into death, and it is only right and proper for the battle to come to an end!”
Ye Qingxuan said nothing, just looked at him, his gaze full of sorrow and pity.
A sigh sounded.
”Enough, Mr. Wagner, it's already enough.” On the tower of pure white, the old musician lowered his head, not daring to look at the saint's figure from the back. He just implored in a low tone, ”Thank you for everything that you have done for Asgard, you need not sacrifice any more.”
In the silence, only the sound of the fragments peeling off from the broken body could be heard.
”Is that so?” Wagner stopped, and after a long time, he seemed to have realized something. Lævateinn landed on the ground, along with his broken right arm.
After stopping, he couldn't even maintain the completeness of his body. The broken face slowly turned, and he looked at Ye Qingxuan. ”Sorry, it seems that I have won this battle by being a shameless old man.”
”It's only right and proper.” Ye Qingxuan nodded, and replied like how Wagner had, ”One should be unscrupulous in battles.”
Upon hearing Ye Qingxuan's answer, Wagner smiled softly and seemed to have been freed of a burden. ”Then, I can also be considered as... having accomplished my mission...”
He closed his eyes.
Under the shattered iron skies, illuminated by the dim sunshine, Wagner's body fell apart, turning into ashes and dissipating in the wind.
Only a dim piece of magical gold fell onto the ground, covered in cracks.
Ye Qingxuan bent over and picked up the broken ring. Looking at Wagner's last remaining legacy, he couldn't help but sigh.
Yes, Wagner won.
He used his own power to buy Asgard three final minutes which were the most crucial, bringing an opportunity for Asgard to turn the tide in the war, even though the price was his own death...
He did not use despicable means to delay, nor did he win with treacherous calculations.
He won fair and square.
I lost.
Then, he heard a rumble coming from the depths of the ground. On the tower of pure white, countless alchemy arrays shone, and the huge alchemy array known as the Tree of World was slowly rising from the depths of the soil. It was as if the huge, giant tree had come alive, pulling out its roots from the earth.
The terrifying fruits hidden beneath the earth were pulled out as well.
As the heavens and the earth shook, the White Tower collapsed with a rumble.
Innumerable silver-white alchemy arrays peeled off from the White Tower, and the roots were withdrawn from the depths of the earth, pulling out the fruits that were finally done brewing up.
A behemoth was emerging from the depths of the earth.
Within the glaring light and the enchantment of the school of abstinence, the steel giant that had been slumbering like an embryo slowly opened his eyes. As the alchemy arrays of the Tree of World passed through the enchantment and attached themselves to his body, it was as if blood had finally begun to circulate in its blood vessels.
In his chest, the divinity which was surging like thunder began pumping, guiding the mighty aether flow to course through the blood.
It was the super gigantic armor known as the Land Giant, the strongest weapon of war in the mortal realm.
Hercules!
But now, it could no longer be addressed as Hercules. After hanging upside down from the Tree of World for seven days, he had been bestowed with divinity and mysterious powers. At the moment, it had become Odin.
Odin, the catastrophe!
After the death of the Second Prince who was the only one capable of resonating with Odin and withstanding the divinity, the current emperor, who was previously the First Prince, ordered for Odin's vast power to be separated into parts, and many giant weapons of war were created with its power.
What was originally the Land Giant was also provided with relief, and it evolved from ordinary metal into the container for such a huge force.
Bestowing steel with a soul.
For quite a long time, it had been absorbing the geothermal energy of hundreds of volcanoes in Asgard with the arrays of the Tree of World, and it evolved beneath the White Tower. At the moment, the final step was finally completed.
Just like Ye Qingxuan's smelting of Catinat, with the arrays of the Tree of World and the Land Giant, the Asgardians finally mastered the inhuman power completely as human beings.
At the moment, strengthened by the Tree of World, Hercules, which was made of metal of the mortal realm, had become Odin, the godly armor.
The steel giant over a hundred meters high wore the crown of thunder on its head, and slowly descended from the sky like a god. It landed on the ground, and the horrifying brilliance of Gungnir emerged from Odin's palm.
The creation smelted by the Asgardians with taboo technology, as well as the dedication and sacrifices of countless musicians for centuries, Odin the godly catastrophe irrigated by divinity, had awakened here.
It was a throne that Arthur had once longed desperately for, even in his dreams.
The ruler of heaven and earth, the eternal emperor of the mortal realm and hell!
At the same time, rising from the depths of the earth were brilliant glows representing saints. They had probably been helping Hercules to integrate the divinity and complete the final steps all this while.
But what surprised Ye Qingxuan was that he couldn't recognize any of the four saints. None of the saints had appeared in the information gathered by the various countries before, and they were not on the list of surviving saints at all.
Brand new saints?
In the sea of aether, the elements outlined their real names.
Verdi, Mahler, Puccini, Telemann...
They were simply unheard of!