Even the Absolute One is New to Fatherhood - Episode 76

Naglfar.

This was a warship painstakingly crafted over countless ages—sawing and planing the nails of the dead, tightly weaving them together with sinew and tendons.

A calamity born to play its part in the inevitable coming of the "Fated Day of Destruction."

Hela had devoted herself in secret, ensuring no one would notice as she poured her soul into the creation of Naglfar.

It had been an age of endurance.

But Hela had persisted—shaping, carving, tightening, polishing—all to lend her strength to the gods who shared her cause.

The tedious labor had repeated without pause for what could only be described as eons.

Countless times, she had nearly given in to despair. But each time, she would shake her head fiercely.

『 Do not worry. 』

Gradually, the warship took form.

She reinforced its joints, layered its decks, and raised its sails.

『 No matter how long it takes, I will complete you. 』

The work continued.

『 On the Fated Day of Destruction, you will make your maiden voyage. That day, you and I will carve our legend across the battlefield... 』

And then, at last, the endless journey reached its conclusion.

『 At last... 』

For the first time in her existence, Hela shed tears.

『 At last, it is complete... 』

Her chest burned as if she had swallowed molten lava.

This was her life's masterpiece—a work into which she had poured her very soul.

『 How beautiful... 』

She was enraptured by Naglfar's exquisite form.

『 So beautiful... 』

And by its overwhelming might.

『 For you, I would face oblivion without regret... 』

If she were to perish, she wished to do so alongside her creation.

At the very least, she prayed her work would not vanish before her.

For Hela, born a deity, this was an unfamiliar emotion.

Love.

Like many artists before her, she had come to adore the masterpiece she had devoted herself to.

"■■■..."

Hela glared at Kang-jun with venomous eyes.

"Nonsense!" she shrieked, her voice raw with desperation.

"I—I cannot surrender Naglfar!"

She jerked her head up, staring at the massive warship floating in the air above her, and screamed as if it might slip away.

"Fire the cannons!"

But the ship did not stir.

"Turn this place to ash! Reduce them to cinders—now!"

Clenching her frail fists, she slammed them against the ground, her voice trembling.

"Please, please, please..."

She had seen it with her own eyes—she knew the absolute power ■■■'s words held in this place.

Losing the land she had ruled for ages and the legions of the dead was no different from having her divinity stripped away.

[ The divinity of Hela, the Guardian of the Asymmetric Underworld from the Asgard Star Cluster, has been revoked! ]

[ The presence of Hela, the Guardian of the Asymmetric Underworld, grows faint! ]

[ The status of Hela, the Guardian of the Asymmetric Underworld, plummets drastically! ]

None of that mattered to her.

"Just... ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spare Naglfar..."

Thick tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Please..."

Kang-jun, who had been watching her with detached indifference, tilted his head thoughtfully.

"Is that ship truly so precious to you?"

A glimmer of desperate hope flickered in Hela's eyes.

She immediately raised her head, staring up at him, and pleaded with raw urgency.

"Yes! So please..."

Her voice was pitiful.

"Please... do not take it from me..."

Then Kang-jun spoke.

"Then I shall take it."

His voice brimmed with madness.

"Seeing you grovel like this only makes me want it more."

He continued.

"I declare it again."

"Just once—"

"I claim it."

Niflheim had become a blank canvas, and Kang-jun's imagination the paint that colored it.

Here, even his baseless words held absolute power—materializing into reality.

"Naglfar."

"Please—"

"Halt."

At his command, the massive warship hovering in the air let out a creaking groan—and froze in place.

Unable to overcome inertia, it swayed slightly back and forth.

"Hela."

As Kang-jun gazed at the floating vessel, she looked up at him in horror.

"Let this be a warning to all deities."

A chime rang in Kang-jun's ears.

[ All gods of the Abyss are watching you. ]

He infused his voice with divine authority.

"Anyone who dares take what is mine will share your fate."

With that, he seized her by the hair and hoisted her into the air.

"Witness this wretched sight—how you, who sought to take from me, now beg for mercy as I strip you of everything."

Then he commanded her.

"End your own life with honor."

As if pulled by invisible strings, Hela's hands shot to her own throat—crushing it.

"N-no..."

Her eyes bulged.

This was suicide by force.

"St... stop..."

Fragments of her legend spilled from her body.

This was the narrative she had built over eons as a goddess.

Now, it scattered into nothingness.

Amidst this, a system message appeared before Kang-jun.

[ Conditions for Hidden Piece have been partially met! ]

His gaze shifted to the air before him.

[ Hidden Piece: Victor of the War of Words with Hela ]

Hela, the goddess who ruled Niflheim's underworld, sought to ensnare you and your allies with honeyed lies...

But you, as ■■■, outwitted her and saved everyone!

Though some may question whether force ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was truly avoided...

Fortunately, the Creator God, who favors you, seems willing to overlook that detail.

※ This tale shall become part of your new myth, merging with "The Breaker of Niflheim's Barrier"!

As Kang-jun scanned the message, another chime rang in his ears.

[ Hela, the Guardian of the Asymmetric Underworld from the Asgard Star Cluster, has been erased. ]

[ You contributed the most to her erasure. ]

[ You have absorbed a portion of Hela's divine power. ]

She vanished without a trace.

[ Your presence as ■■■ grows more distinct. ]

[ Your deeds spread throughout the Abyss! ]

[ All gods of the Abyss watch you once more. ]

[ Niflheim's underworld pledges absolute obedience to you as its new master. ]

[ You are granted the right to freely traverse Niflheim's Underworld. ]

[ Naglfar, the Warship Sailing Toward Destruction, awaits your command as its new master. ]

[ You are granted the right to freely command Naglfar, the Warship Sailing Toward Destruction. ]

Everything she had once ruled now swore fealty to Kang-jun.

[ Your new myth—The New Master of Niflheim's Underworld—resonates across the Abyss! ]

Then—

[ Due to your interference, the Scenario of the Asgard Star Cluster undergoes a massive shift. ]

Kang-jun frowned at the unfamiliar term.

"Scenario?"

He had never heard it before.

Yet, it filled him with an indescribable sense of dissonance.

[ The authority Myth-Weaving activates. ]

[ The Creator God begins inscribing your myth. ]

A voice—or perhaps text—echoed in his ears like a distant chime.

「 The warship Naglfar, crafted by the half-living, half-dead goddess Hela, was fated to play a pivotal role on the Fated Day of Destruction. 」

「 But ■■■ not only erased Hela—he seized everything she had and intervened in the Scenario of the Asgard Star Cluster. 」

「 Thus, the Fated Day of Destruction, which Asgard was destined to face, has been postponed indefinitely... 」

「 And so, ■■■ has been granted the right—and the duty—to shape the grand narrative of the Asgard Star Cluster. 」

「 What was meant to be recorded as Revelation has now been overturned by ■■■. 」

As Kang-jun listened to this cryptic tale—

"I don't understand any of this..."

—he muttered under his breath before turning to the Hunters watching him in stunned silence.

"Let's head back."

There was no time to waste.

"We'll be late for the entrance ceremony."

As he spoke, the air before him ripped apart with a screech.

Just as he was about to lead the Reclamation Team out, he paused.

"Hm."

His gaze swept across the world.

"Dreary place."

Niflheim was a land of relentless winter—where trees withered, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flowers died, and animals hibernated.

A season where all life hurtled toward death.

A place befitting the word "death."

But then—

Kang-jun recalled a recent conversation with his family.

"The first day of spring has passed... Won't warm weather come soon?"

That day, walking hand-in-hand with Seol in her little boots, breathing in the scent of asphalt and rain.

"Spring."

The word crossed his mind.

A single syllable—

Perhaps the warmest of them all.

"Spring would be nice."

As always, his words here were absolute.

For he was the omnipotent master of this realm.

Perhaps it didn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠suit a place associated with death.

But for those who had lost everything—

Wouldn't spring be better than winter?

"A warm spring would be nice."

Vines of lush blue began creeping up the towering castle walls.

Flowers bloomed along them.

The vibrant colors soon spread across the entire world.

The countless lost souls wandering this land regained their muscles, their skin, their selves.

"Wh-what's happening...?"

"Where... is this?"

Suddenly, the sun rose, casting its warm light.

Fields flourished with bountiful crops.

Barren canyons filled with water, becoming rivers and seas.

This was the world Hela had once painted to deceive them.

Now, it had become real.

"Now, let's really go back."

And so, Niflheim's underworld became the warmest of all the Abyss's realms.

The entire world resonated with gratitude.

Gratitude toward its new master.