IBHJ Chapter 784

"It's Ymir," Skadi whispered.

As he watched, the illusion shifted, revealing a god flanked by two others. Together, they brought down the World Tree, its fall sending a shudder through the earth. Despite the death that clung to its branches, the tree burst forth with new life, blossoming and bearing fruit. The fruits tumbled to the ground, each one giving rise to a giant. Some were born of fire, while others were carved from ice.

The giants scattered, the fire giants fleeing to the south as the frost giants plunged into the depths of the sea.

"It's Odin cutting down Ymir and creating the nine worlds." Skadi explained.

It was clear that as the Well of Mimir activated the Runes of Wisdom, the truths of Norse mythology were being unveiled before them. The answer to where Odin had hidden what they sought lay hidden within these illusions. However, the sheer number of illusions was overwhelming, like a sky filled with countless stars, making it nearly impossible to know where to begin.

Suddenly, Shirou's gaze was drawn to a particular illusion, one that depicted the war of the gods. He saw the Aesir gods, led by Odin, locked in a cataclysmic battle against the Vanir gods, led by Njörðr. It was the first war to ravage the world since its creation, and its impact was nothing short of earth-shattering.

The war between the gods was sparked by the provocative actions of Gullveig, one of the Vanir gods. She arrived in Asgard, full of boasts and arrogance, sowing dissatisfaction among the Aesir gods. In response, Odin hurled a spear, declaring war and igniting a long and bitter conflict. In the end, however, the war concluded with reconciliation.

To maintain lasting peace between the two major tribes of gods and prevent the flames of war from reigniting, they agreed to exchange hostages. The Aesir gods sent Hænir, while the Vanir gods sent their most prominent god, Njörðr, along with his twin children, Freyr and Freyja, to Asgard. And so, the story goes, the two tribes of gods maintained peace.

Yet, in the illusion before them, the tale unfolded differently. The war between the Aesir and Vanir gods concluded with Odin striking down Njörðr, and the Aesir gods eradicating the Vanir, becoming the sole ruling deities.

At that moment, Shirou noticed Skadi staring intently at one of the gods in the illusion. "What's wrong, Skadi?"

She glanced at him briefly before pointing to a god in the illusion who was fleeing in the wake of Njörðr's death. "That woman is me," she said, her voice tinged with confusion. "And this is something that happened in this world, but I have no memory of it at all."

He turned his gaze to the fleeing Vanir god, and indeed, the god bore a striking resemblance to the Skadi from his dream, albeit slightly younger and more elegant in appearance.

Shirou now understood why Skadi had no memory of this war. She was Skadi, yet not entirely Skadi; at the same time, she was also Scathach. She was neither one nor the other, but a strange, new entity – Scathach-Skadi.

Shirou kept his thoughts to himself and continued to search the illusions for clues related to Jörmungandr. He witnessed the great war from fourteen thousand years ago, where Odin, having destroyed the Vanir gods and absorbed their divinity, combined the power of all the Aesir gods within himself. Finally, he merged the power of Mímisbrunnr into his being. With a single thrust of Gungnir, he annihilated the White Titan. However, the titan annihilation also shattered the foundation of the world, setting it on an inevitable path toward destruction.

Upon learning of this outcome, Odin lost his smile. He began a desperate search for a way to save the world, but even with the Runes of Wisdom, he could find no answer. After ten thousand years of fruitless and bitter searching, Odin resigned himself to accepting the fate of the world. That is, until two thousand years ago, when a strange figure claiming to be from the "Council" appeared before him.

Shirou's gaze was transfixed on the illusion of the Council member visiting Odin. The Council member had no physical form, instead appearing as a mass of mist, clad in black clothing. Where a face should have been, there was only a swirling, black fog.

For reasons he couldn't quite explain, the sight of this Council member filled him with an intense sense of discomfort. Goosebumps prickled his skin, and an uneasy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. Given his strong reaction, he suspected that the Dream Shirou had likely encountered this Council member before.

In the illusions, the black mist person appeared before Odin, declaring, "Great King of the North, I have a way to help you save your world."

Odin remained silent while the surrounding gods rebuked the stranger for their lack of respect, insisting that they should pay homage to Odin.

The black mist person scoffed. "That won't do. If we're talking about status, none of you here are higher than me. Not even Odin, the King of the North. Or does the great king insist on playing formality games instead of focusing on saving his land?"

The surrounding gods' rebukes grew even fiercer, but their words had no effect on the black mist person.

Odin regarded the stranger coldly before slowly speaking, "Beast of Calamity."

"I don't like that name, 'Beast of Calamity.' Please don't call me that."

Odin stared at the stranger without speaking, even taking a defensive stance as if preparing to attack.

The stranger continued, "You've obtained the runes of wisdom, yet you still unable to see the truth. I am the Sixth Seat of the Council. Under the instructions of the Council Head, we are willing to assist you in saving this world."

"I'm the one bearing the weight of this land! Odin! Not some random Council!" Odin said coldly.

The Sixth Seat took out a black cup and handed it to Odin. "This can give you the ability to traverse worlds, similar to the Second Magic. To save a world, you must destroy a world. That's the truth of being a savior. So choose, King of the North."

The Sixth Seat's rudeness naturally angered the gods, who rushed to attack him. But they all passed through his body, unable to grab him at all.

"Think it over carefully, Odin." The Sixth Seat disappeared.

"Odin, what was that?" Tyr, the war god, asked.

"Beast of Calamity."

...

Skadi, watching the scene, frowned. "Beast of Calamity..."

"What's wrong?" Shirou asked.

"Seeing it makes me very uncomfortable," she answered honestly.

"I feel the same way," he agreed.

Skadi glanced at him, but he had already continued searching the vast illusions for visions related to Jörmungandr. In one illusion, he saw Odin holding the black cup, arriving at an ocean area. The sea instantly surged with waves, and a huge serpent head rushed into the sky from the depths, its eyes ferociously staring at Odin.

"That's Jörmungandr!" Skadi quickly said.

Shirou concentrated on the illusion. This was probably the clue they needed to find Jörmungandr!

His eyes widened in surprise. In the illusion, Odin pulled Jörmungandr out of the ocean with one hand. He then took a huge origin wheel from his own chest and stuffed it into Jörmungandr's body. Finally, Odin lifted the ocean area, his hands moving in a complex pattern as if weaving an invisible net. The water surged upward, forming a liquid prison that trapped Jörmungandr inside.

Next, Odin separated the other five wheels from his body. He threw one into the body of the hellhound Garm. Another, he stuffed into the unconscious Nidhogg. Of the remaining three wheels, he gave two to Hræsvelgr and Ratatoskr, his long-time companions in Asgard. The last one, he cast into the body of the giant wolf Fenrir, whom he had personally imprisoned, and secretly destroyed Fenrir's chains to release him.

It became clear that Odin had deliberately distributed all the origin wheels! Skadi was also dumbfounded by his actions. However, neither of them said a word. Odin's actions must have had their own significance. It's just that his operations had made Surtr, Hel, and Skadi's lives revolve around the origin wheels for more than two thousand years.