Chapter 127: The Immortal Body
Silence—!
As gods, they had seen all kinds of monsters.
What colossal beasts hadn't they witnessed?
But a super-giant serpent like the one before them was something most gods were seeing for the first time.
That bastard Loki had said this thing's appetite was only slightly bigger than Fenrir's. Was this just "slightly bigger"?
Fenrir could devour a god in one bite, but this serpent could swallow thousands in a single gulp.
This was clearly an apocalyptic-level beast of destruction, the kind that should be locked away on the Demon Star. How had Loki even found it?
Wait—could it actually be a monster that escaped from the Demon Star?
"No, there's no record of such a creature in the Demon Star!"
A god who knew the monsters sealed within the Demon Star shook his head, dismissing the possibility.
This serpent didn't have the slimy, slippery appearance of a normal snake. Its body was covered in thick scales, almost like those of a dragon.
Looking closely at its head, it bore an eighty percent resemblance to a dragon's skull.
In that case, this serpent must also have dragon bloodline.
How utterly dreadful!
Whoosh—!
Suddenly, a blue beam of light shot up from the arena, striking the serpent just below its jaw—right at the throat.
The impact blasted open a massive hole, nearly piercing through the serpent's neck before getting stuck.
This attack came from the human representative, the Dragon-Slaying Hero, and was similar in power to the strike that had sent Fenrir flying earlier.
Yet, despite the similar force, Fenrir had suffered minimal damage, while this serpent's wound was horrifying.
Did that mean this serpent was actually weaker than Fenrir, just absurdly large?
Perhaps that wasn't entirely accurate.
Its sheer size meant it couldn't match Fenrir's agility, making it harder to evade such attacks.
In a way, didn't that make the serpent easier to defeat?
Some gods clenched their fists, eager to join the fight.
"N-no way!"
"T-this regeneration!"
The gaping wound had completely healed in the blink of an eye.
Literally—in the blink of an eye. This wasn't an exaggeration.
Witnessing this, the gods couldn't help but feel their scalps tingle.
The most dreaded kind of monster was one with terrifying regenerative abilities, making it seem unkillable no matter what.
"Huh?!"
Everyone froze as the newly healed serpent suddenly tensed, as if preparing to spew venom—only for its entire head to vanish.
It was as though its head had been made of mist, and someone had punched it, dispersing it instantly.
Eyes widening further, they saw the clouds in the sky had been completely blown away, leaving nothing but clear blue skies.
"T-that's—!"
Someone spotted a figure—a seemingly reliable figure, a super-muscular man whose body looked like it was about to burst from sheer power.
He had thrown a single punch, reducing the serpent's head to nothingness.
This man was—
"Lord Zeus!"
"Lord Zeus has made his move!"
"As expected of the greatest among the chief gods!"
"And as expected of the chairman of the Divine Assembly!"
The usually frail-looking Zeus, who seemed like a gust of wind could knock him over, had now revealed the true might of a top-tier god.
No one saw when this god leaped into the sky or when he threw his punch.
By the time anyone realized it, everything blocking the path of his fist had already been shattered and annihilated.
Thus, countless gods erupted in cheers.
Suddenly, everyone's vision seemed to darken for the briefest moment.
It was like standing in a dimly lit tunnel with a bright exit ahead, when a figure suddenly darts past the exit, momentarily blocking the light and causing the bright opening to flicker.
After this momentary flicker in everyone's vision, Zeus's figure had vanished.
Then came a strange sound—like something being struck.
This sound originated from the spot where Zeus had been floating just moments before.
At the same time, attention was drawn to a corner of the sky where another floating island exploded and plummeted downward.
What just happened?
After a brief moment of stunned silence, most gods realized the truth: Lord Zeus, who had been hovering in the air moments ago, had been struck by the serpent's tail and sent crashing into that floating island, destroying it.
But hadn't the monster's head been destroyed—?
"N-no way!"
"Impossible!"
"Is this truly an immortal body?"
Fear spread among the gods as the serpent's head regenerated before their eyes.
In the span of a single breath, its head was completely restored.
"It's useless—Jörmungandr cannot be killed!"
Loki's mocking voice echoed once more.
Jörmungandr—was that the name of this colossal serpent?
"Loki, enough! We don't consider you an enemy!"
"What does being born among the giants matter? You've long been one of us gods!"
Some gods attempted to reason with Loki, trying to sway him with emotion as if urging a prodigal son to return.
"Keh heh heh... HAHAHAHAHA!"
Loki responded with nothing but derisive laughter.
"Are you trying to kill me with laughter? Have the gods grown so spineless? Jörmungandr—dinner is served."
As his malicious laughter once more filled the coliseum, the faces of gods and humans alike grew increasingly ashen.
Obedient to its master's command, the serpent's eyes blazed crimson as it opened its maw—so vast it seemed capable of swallowing heaven and earth.
"ROOOOAR—!"
This time, its cry was not the cold hiss of a snake, but the deafening roar of a dragon, shaking the very fabric of the celestial realm.
It was a sound of joy—the serpent celebrating its impending feast.
Yet after the roar subsided, it didn't immediately lunge forward with its massive head.
What was it doing?
CRACK—CRACK—CRACK—!
An ominous sound reverberated throughout the coliseum.
Only then did the gods realize Jörmungandr was tightening its coils further, preparing to crush the entire arena to rubble.
After all, this coliseum itself was essentially a massive divine artifact. Destroying it would make feasting much easier!