Chapter 128: His Blood Can Suppress Jörmungandr
Jörmungandr—this was the second trump card Loki created during the late stages of the Gigantomachy, designed to slaughter giants.
Unfortunately, before Loki could deploy it on the battlefield, the cataclysmic war that had torn heaven and earth apart for untold ages came to an end.
So what became of this creature afterward?
The answer is to throw it into the bottomless abyss of the sea.
The reason for throwing it there was to suppress the monstrous growth of Jörmungandr through the terrifying water pressure, which also served as a form of sealing.
This serpent's appetite was simply too vast—more troublesome than Fenrir—making it impossible to sustain.
Yet, killing such a trump card would be a waste, so it was cast into the abyssal depths.
Only Loki and Odin knew of this colossal serpent's existence, and it was Odin's decision to have it thrown into the bottomless sea.
When it was first discarded into the abyss, the creature wasn't nearly as massive, merely several times the size of Fenrir at most.
So, how did it grow to this extent?
It couldn't have grown this large without any external nourishment, could it?
In truth, someone must have been feeding it, and that someone was likely Loki.
But to nurture it to such a size would require an enormous amount of sustenance—and not just any ordinary fare. Where did it all come from?
Odin believed it must have been from a site where the remains of the giant clans and other hostile forces were disposed of. Around two thousand years ago, roughly after Brunhilde's failed trial and return to the heavens, Loki began eyeing that place.
Over the past two millennia, Loki probably dumped all the remains there into the abyss, feeding them to Jörmungandr, allowing it to grow to its current colossal state.
So, how can Jörmungandr be defeated now? Surely it must have some weakness?
It can't truly be immortal, can it?
But nothing in this world is absolutely immortal!
In the past, haven't there been plenty of so-called immortals, beings with terrifying regenerative abilities, who were ultimately destroyed?
There must be a weakness.
And Jörmungandr's fatal spot is its brain core!
Destroying Jörmungandr's brain core is the key to killing it.
"If that's the case, then shouldn't the old man have already killed Jörmungandr just now?"
The one who voiced this odd question was Shiva.
"That would mean Jörmungandr's brain core isn't in that head," Odin replied.
"That core is constantly moving—ugh!"
The weak voice trailed off as the speaker vomited black blood mixed with shattered organs and immediately fell into shock, leaving the surrounding gods in a panic.
The Allfather Odin's condition was particularly dire—the wound inflicted by Fenrir was exceedingly difficult to heal.
If the gods responsible for healing stopped their efforts, he would likely perish swiftly.
"Constantly moving, you say? So it could be anywhere in its body? Tch."
Shiva sighed and scratched his head in frustration.
Without destroying the brain core, Jörmungandr would simply keep regenerating endlessly.
Thus, to kill Jörmungandr, its massive body must be utterly obliterated in one strike.
"So we need to completely annihilate Jörmungandr's body in one go? That's no simple task," Hermes mused, stroking his chin with equal parts concern.
There was one more thing troubling him.
"Is what Loki said true?"
Lord Poseidon voiced the question on everyone's mind.
The so-called weakness of Jörmungandr—this was something Loki had once revealed to Odin.
But now that Loki had betrayed the gods, the authenticity of this "weakness" was highly questionable.
"Of course it's true! That's exactly why Loki had Fenrir target Odin—to silence the one who knew!"
The one who insisted it wasn't a lie was Adamas.
His response seemed more like a reflexive contradiction to Poseidon than anything else.
Yet his retort didn't even earn a glance from his younger brother, who completely ignored him, fueling Adamas' fury.
Boom—!
Adamas swung his fist, shattering a falling boulder.
At this rate, the arena wouldn't hold much longer—it was on the verge of collapse.
If not for the fact that the powerful gods had to consider the weaker deities and human spectators, they would have already launched an all-out assault on Jörmungandr.
In Adamas' opinion, there was no need to care about these weaklings.
Hm? What was that human doing?
He watched as the man sliced his own arm, drenching his sword in blood.
Moreover, Adamas witnessed something astonishing—the wound healed instantly, just like Jörmungandr's.
Then, the man bent his knees slightly—
Boom—!
The arena trembled from the force of his leap.
Was this fool planning to take on Jörmungandr alone?
In the blink of an eye, he landed before the serpent, swinging his sword down with both hands—a flash of light.
It looked as though he intended to cleave Jörmungandr's head in two.
…Huh?
"He dodged?"
Adamas was stunned.
Faced with this strike, Jörmungandr had jerked its head aside to evade.
But moments ago, when Shiva had hurled a massive boulder at its head, smashing it to pieces, the serpent hadn't even flinched.
Yet now, it chose to dodge this Dragon Slayer's blade?
Though the head avoided the slash, the strike still landed below its throat, carving a deep gash that instantly gushed blood, drenching the Dragon Slayer completely.
He was done for!
Jörmungandr's blood was highly toxic—just moments ago, the splatter from its shattered skull had melted through the ground where it fell.
But—
"He's… unharmed?"
Adamas was baffled.
Aside from being soaked in blood, the man showed no signs of corrosion after landing.
Was the blood not poisonous?
No, it was—the ground where it dripped was already dissolving.
Could it be that this man was immune to Jörmungandr's venom?
"What did he just do?"
A sudden exclamation came from Shiva. Turning, Adamas saw him staring at Jörmungandr in shock.
What was wrong with the serpent?
At first glance, nothing seemed amiss—
Wait, no!
Something was off!
Jörmungandr's wound wasn't healing as quickly as before—its regeneration seemed suppressed, slowed by at least tenfold!!!