Chapter 601 - The Eternal Spear
In the Antarctic continent, the fire giant of Norse mythology, Surtur, who wields a sword capable of extinguishing the world, was wreaking havoc. The unfortunate Cthulhu god, belonging to the Cthulhu mythology, was slowly falling behind in their battle.
In Norse mythology, Surtur, the fire giant who initiates Ragnarok, could also be categorized as an evil god. In this epic confrontation, both evil gods were causing massive disturbances in the world's oceans.
The balance between both sides was gradually breaking and leaning to one side. This signified the imminent crisis of human extinction.
In the Lovecraftian pantheon of gods, aside from the top-tier entities, the rest of the eldritch gods primarily manifest their power by inducing fear and madness in humans rather than physical destruction. This kind of fear and madness was a lethal poison to ordinary people, but it's something that beings like Surtur, the Lord of Muspelheim, could easily brush off with a laugh.
Surtur, capable of wielding a sword that could annihilate worlds, seemed poised to strike down Cthulhu in their battle.
Suddenly, both combatants halted their actions. Their attention was drawn to the cosmic horizon. Cthulhu, with its octopus-like appearance, emitted an incomprehensible cry that would drive any creature exposed to it to madness. Surtur, meanwhile, was engulfed in flames and roared in anger, "Odin!!!!"
"Aaaaaaaaahhh!. After all my efforts to break free from my seal, how dare you obstruct me!! I swear, the Twilight of the Gods shall come again, and the Aesir shall be forever consumed in the flames. This world, this universe, shall ultimately meet the fiery inferno, until infinity, until all things are reduced to nothingness!!"
In the midst of Surtur's furious outburst, a radiant beam pierced through the dimension at a speed that left both Surtur and Cthulhu incapable of reacting. In an instant, it passed through Surtur's chest.
It pinned the fire giant to the ground on the Antarctic continent. The blood spewing from the giant's wound burned like the fiery surface of a star, scorching the heavens and the earth. However, numerous mysterious runes emanated from this beam, forming a barrier around Surtur. Not only did this barrier imprison the power in the beam, which could instantly pulverize the Earth, within a radius of a hundred miles, but it also fixed the flames erupting from Surtur's injuries in place.
Subsequently, a rainbow rose from the end of the beam, stretching into the deepest reaches of the cosmos. It resembled a tower that reached the heavens and a beautiful bridge at the same time.
Slowly, the golden radiance, rivaling that of a star, dimmed, revealing the true nature of this beam.
……
“This… is a spear?! A 1000-meter-long spear!”
"Something that came from the depths of the cosmos and is capable of instantly obliterating Earth turned out to be a long spear?!"
"Who from the universe tossed a spear onto Earth?"
"I thought it was some kind of planet-destroying super cannon!"
"It's highly unscientific but truly magical."
“.......”
During the United Nations summit, world leaders from various nations saw the true form of that beam through real-time satellite imagery.
Indeed, impaled upon Surtur was a long spear, entirely golden in hue. The spear's shaft was not perfectly straight as one might expect, but rather crooked and irregular, yet it didn't appear odd or misshapen. Instead, it exuded an aura of supreme divinity.
Although it was a spear, it could also be described as a javelin.
“Gungnir! That must be Gungnir!”
A researcher of Norse mythology pushed up his glasses and exclaimed excitedly.
"It's the sacred spear wielded by the great god Odin in Norse mythology, said to have been crafted by dwarves from the wood of the World Tree Yggdrasil. It possesses the power that any vow spoken upon its tip can never be broken and will assuredly come true. When hurled, it streaks across the sky like a shooting star, hence its name, the Spear of Falling Stars!"
"The Spear of Falling Stars, Gungnir!! This came from the depths of the universe, thrown by a great god, just like a falling star!! By Odin, I was completely mistaken. I thought the Nine Worlds were mere myths, only talking about a small region in the North, but now I realize, the Nine Worlds are real, and Asgard must exist!"
This scholar had a rugged appearance and a robust demeanor, likely of Scandinavian origin. Upon seeing this legendary spear, he fell to his knees and began chanting and worshipping as though he had encountered his deity.
He was a modern, non-mainstream follower of Odin from the Norse pantheon.
"The Eternal Spear Gungnir? This is a spear that can shatter even the Holy Sword Gram in the myths!"
Among the leaders from countries like Finland and Denmark in Northern Europe, who were well-versed in their land's mythology, there was a collective sigh of admiration. Their faces flushed with excitement, and they seemed honored to witness the arrival of their homeland's mythology as a reality. Despite most of Europe being predominantly Christian today, these leaders were genuinely thrilled to see their cultural legends come to life before their eyes.
Others, including representatives from China and Japan, could empathize with the excitement of their Northern European counterparts. Seeing their own cultural beliefs manifest as well, they shared a profound sense of wonder.
"Asgard? Odin? Is this the same place as in those Marvel movies?"
The US President asked excitedly.
However, the Vice President quickly interjected, "Mr. President, I must remind you that those Marvel movies are adaptations of modern comic books and are not the authentic Norse mythology."
He was genuinely concerned that the President might mistake these real Norse deities for their fictional counterparts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In those films, even the God of Thunder, Thor, became a member of the Avengers and was subject to the oversight of the U.S. government and the World Security Council. If the President were to entertain such an idea and try to recruit the gods, who knows when the Eternal Spear and the Hammer of Thor might descend upon Washington, D.C.?
Considering that a single strike from the Eternal Spear could instantly annihilate Earth, it was far more formidable than the exaggerated version in the movies. While the cinematic Mjolnir, Thor's hammer, was said to be forged from the core of a star, it couldn't even destroy a building. It paled in comparison to these genuine divine artifacts.
Upon reflection, it was clear that the prophesied Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods, was a colossal cosmic war. Even a casual throw of this spear by Odin could likely match its portrayal in myths. Imagining the countless monsters and gods battling in these legends, it seemed like an immensely terrifying cosmic conflict.
"Oh, I understand. I was just making an offhand comment. But we've only seen this so-called Eternal Spear. Why haven't we seen the great god Odin and his son, the Thunder God?"
The President of the United States chuckled awkwardly.
"While it's commonly believed by scholars of Norse mythology that Thor, the Thunder God, is Odin's son, the original mythology is a bit more complex. In the earliest myths, Thor's status was actually higher than Odin's. However, as the mythology evolved, Thor's position diminished compared to Odin, even becoming Odin's son in later interpretations."
"Of course, this is what we humans deduced from our Norse mythology study. The true Norse mythology remains largely unknown to us. Perhaps the Aesir gods just enjoyed a good father-son rivalry? They had a battle, and whoever lost had to call the winner 'dad.' So, since Thor lost to Odin, he might have said, 'Dad.'"
"By the way, Mr. President, let me remind you once more that the Trickster God Loki is not Thor's brother in Norse mythology. He's Odin's blood brother. In the myths, Loki is more of a cunning troublemaker than the charming character portrayed in the movies. Even though the cinematic Loki has his fans, I personally don't see what's so appealing about him."
At this point, another mythological expert from the United States chimed in to provide additional context for the President.