Chapter 119: Round Five—Dragon-Slayer vs. God of Mischief
The final battle between humanity and the gods was about to enter its fifth round.
"Dammit, it's already the fifth round..."
"If we lose again, only two rounds remain."
"Don't tell me we'll lose all seven?"
"Shut your cursed mouth! There's no way!"
The divine spectators were growing increasingly uneasy, their morale severely shaken.
"Lord Zeus, Lord Odin, and Lord Shiva haven't even fought yet!"
"There's no way humans could defeat them!"
So, who would represent the gods in the fifth round?
Most assumed it would be one of the three: Zeus, Odin, or Shiva.
"Shiva, you're surprisingly calm right now, aren't you?"
The speaker was also a deity from the Hindu pantheon—the Storm God, known by the divine name Rudra.
He was both a close friend and rival to Shiva, having once lost to him in the ultimate battle for supremacy in the Hindu divine realm.
"That's right. Right now, I'm looking forward to the seventh match the most."
If the human side won the first six matches, then for the decisive seventh round, Brunhilde would undoubtedly field her absolute trump card.
That main course was what Shiva truly desired to savor.
"So, you're saying you believe the next fifth and sixth matches will also end in defeat for the gods?"
"Who knows? All I know is that if what I said comes to pass—six consecutive human victories—then the seventh match's representative will absolutely be the ultimate trump card!"
That trump card would undoubtedly be the strongest human.
"Then who's representing them this time? You know, don't you?"
"It's that guy who loves schemes and tricks."
This left the Storm God momentarily stunned before he immediately realized who was being referred to.
Though this God of Mischief was quite famous, the current battles were direct, face-to-face martial confrontations. Was he really up to the task?
"Is he capable?"
"How can they send this guy? Isn't this just handing the humans another free win?"
Two ravens were protesting, unable to comprehend why the chief gods would choose to field a deity who only relied on underhanded tricks in such a contest.
"Could it be... they want Loki to waste one of the humans' strongest aces?"
"But this isn't the opening match anymore—it's already the fifth round! If they win this one, the humans will only need two more victories to claim overall triumph!"
"Silence!"
A cold voice cut through the air, and the two ravens immediately clamped their beaks shut under the weight of a deathly glare.
In truth, Odin considered this round the most likely to result in a divine victory.
Because if Loki took the field, Brunhilde would undoubtedly send that human—the one they all knew.
Though he had slain Fafnir, the evil dragon even high-ranking gods found troublesome, many believed Loki's own combat prowess was mediocre, that he was merely skilled in scheming and fleeing.
But Odin knew Loki's true strength was enough to rank him among the chief gods.
"Four victories for the humans—four consecutive wins from the very start. Meanwhile, the gods have yet to claim a single victory, suffering four straight losses. Truly, an outcome beyond divine imagination."
On the arena stage, Heimdall began his opening speech for the fifth round.
"Do you remember? During the divine assembly, when the Valkyrie first proposed the concept of Ragnarök, how dismissive we gods were?"
At this, the divine spectators grew visibly uncomfortable, some even bowing their heads in shame.
A few, overcome with fury, cursed at Heimdall, demanding to know whose side he was on.
"...And now, we arrive at the fifth round. Can the gods halt humanity's winning streak? Will they stop at four losses, or will history repeat itself, extending the tally to five?"
As he spoke, Heimdall once again felt the weight of numerous death glares upon him.
Best to stop here. If he provoked them further, he might find himself ambushed after the match.
In truth, he wasn't favoring the humans—he was simply fulfilling his duty as an impartial announcer.
It was just that the gods couldn't bear to hear such blunt truths.
Ah...
In the past, the gods were never so hypocritical or concerned with saving face. Right was right, wrong was wrong—they acknowledged their mistakes readily and without hesitation.
But after living in peace for too long, without any crises to face, they grew complacent and lazy, degenerating into their current state.
Now, let's begin the introduction.
"He is cunning and deceitful by nature, often speaks insolently, and enjoys playing rather malicious pranks."
This description made both the gods and humans start guessing who this person might be.
"Cunning and deceitful?"
"And enjoys pranks?"
"Which human in history fits this description?"
Most of the divine spectators assumed Heimdall was introducing a human this time, as the introductions were starting with mankind first.
How irritating—being placed before the gods in order.
Still, which human in history would fit the description of someone capable of standing against the gods?
"Rumors say he is also connected to many treasures."
This additional clue was provided, yet no one could think of a matching human figure.
"Rumors say that many divine artifacts from Norse mythology, such as Odin's eternal spear Gungnir and the ring Draupnir, as well as Thor's hammer Mjölnir, which appeared in the war against the giants, are all related to him."
This piece of information stunned the divine audience. Some who quickly realized the implications understood who Heimdall was introducing.
"No way, it's him!"
"Are you kidding me?"
"This isn't a battle of wits or strategy—can this guy even handle it?"
"What were they thinking?"
"It's over, we've lost this round."
Those who grasped the situation were utterly disappointed.
They didn't believe the God of Mischief could win this fight.
"That's right, he is the God of Mischief in the Norse pantheon—Loki!"
As Heimdall's announcement concluded, the gate leading to the arena for the divine side opened.
A figure clad in black robes stepped out.
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Is that...?!"
Everyone was shocked. The one who emerged wasn't Loki but the supreme god of Norse mythology—Odin.
"It's Lord Odin!!"
"Fantastic!"
"Clearly, they realized Loki wouldn't cut it, so Lord Odin stepped in himself."
The divine audience erupted into excited cheers.
"Eh? Wait, a substitution?"
Heimdall was also baffled. A sudden change? Without notice?
Casually glancing at a certain seat, he froze—Lord Odin was still sitting in his VIP seat.
Then who was this Odin?
Ah, he understood.
Soon, the divine side also noticed the presence of two Odins, and many began to speculate, their lips and eyes twitching.
Yet, some still held onto a sliver of hope.
"Could that be Loki in disguise?"
"Oh? Did you figure it out?"
In an instant, many gods cursed in frustration.
"For the human side, he is the one most closely tied to the Valkyrie... As the trial for the Valkyrie Brunhilde to become a true deity, it was this man who accomplished it."
At this point, everyone knew who the human representative was, and they were equally stunned.
"He is the dragon-slaying hero who slew the evil dragon Fafnir—Siegfried Sigurd!"