Let's Make Him a Mute
Nidhogg burst into laughter. Whether it was from sheer disbelief or rising fury, a sigh escaped him. But one thing was crystal clear—the bastard was laughing right in front of me.
"Daring to stab my eye as a mere human wasn't enough, now you're insulting me too?"
"What bullshit. I was just stating facts."
Doesn't make sense. Being honest is better, right? Is it a crime not to have a mother? No need to hide it. I'm a generous guy who can understand everything.
"...I don't have a mother—"
"You don't have a mom. Why are you trying to deceive yourself! Did your parents teach you that?!"
"You bastard!"
He must be boiling inside. Heh heh.
I sneered and felt the six-layered sword energy succeed. I had to endure. The desire to throw it away was overwhelming. Just enduring felt like my mental strength was draining away. That's why I provoked him. An excited bastard's movements become simple. Especially for an animal like him. That's why, to land this wildly fluctuating sword energy, he needed to be riled up.
Riana suppressed his wings with void energy to stop his movement, but he was still struggling.
"Don't deceive yourself! Be honest!"
"Damn it! What are you babbling about!"
Nidhogg couldn't help but be shocked by the vulgar insults. Anger rose, and bewilderment swirled. He immediately drew up void energy and amplified it. The void that began to dwell throughout his body headed toward me.
The Holy Sword that succeeded in six layers. The sword energy overlapped and overlapped, adding solidity. What was initially just a faint blue light now emitted a rainbow of colors.
Enduring might be difficult. No, it would surely be difficult. But it wasn't that I couldn't endure. As he opened his mouth to spew void breath, I grinned and sent a signal.
Thud thud thud!
A massive man whose every step shook the snowy mountain held a greatsword and smirked. It was Tirgar.
His movements were precise, drawing clean trajectories. The heavy greatsword blocked and suppressed the bastard's movements. Nidhogg was several times larger, but it came down to Tirgar's strength. Overwhelming and ferocious muscle power. Size is a big factor in fights, but individual power differences exist too. Thanks to that, I could swing my sword in sync with his movements.
"Let's make him a mute!"
"Shut it!"
Don't open your mouth. It stinks.
*
Tirgar's massive greatsword forced Nidhogg's maw shut. My sword strike on top of it emitted crackling electricity.
I felt my mana swelling. Mistilteinn was devouring my mana as if feasting on it.
Shot. Tututut!
With the sound, I fired waves of sword energy. The sight of sharp blades shooting out like bullets was, to put it boldly, a magnificent spectacle.
Crunch, cr-crunch!
The sword energy bullets I slammed into his forehead tore through his scales. Cracks began to form. The mana lightning flowing through the wounds would make him tingle. Sure enough, his remaining eye rolled back. It must be because the void breath he was about to shoot exploded inside his mouth. His palate and insides must be a mess. I struck his head and mouth right before he could breathe.
Internal injuries didn't need to be described. He was enraged. I hadn't touched his reverse scale, but he was incredibly angry. Void surged.
"Urgh!"
"Kyaaak!"
"Seria?!"
A blizzard storm swept her away. Seria, who had no time to defend, took the direct hit and was sent flying far. Thud!
Fortunately, Tirgar caught her with his massive body. That was a relief. I had dashed out in an instant too, but catching her was beyond me. My hand grasped at empty air.
Tsk... A somewhat disappointing feeling. Like having a cool scene stolen? Well, it's not particularly important.
"Ch, I'll heal you."
Fina healed Seria's torn right arm. Color returned to her complexion after receiving the heal.
Nidhogg let out a thunderous roar.
"Kroaaaaah!"
The rotten roots of the World Tree shook so violently that the attached ice chunks fell like hail. It was merely the aftermath of a roar. His waves were a dragon fear that crushed the ears. At the same time, the giant void serpents began spewing poison at insane speeds.
I've faced them multiple times. They too breathe like dragons.
Kiiing-!
Round purple energy gathering more and more. Wherever the void passed, it was sucked somewhere. The phenomenon, like seeing a black hole, almost made me forget to breathe.
Just like before, and now too, the key to destroying that was Riana. More precisely, the former legion commander in her hand, Bete of the Void.
Riana's strength was enough to make even me click my tongue. A skilled warrior. That's why I believed Riana would use Bete well.
"Endure it, Bete. Just hold on until that dragon returns to human form!"
"Hu, huu... Just imagining it feels good. What do I do? What do I do, Bete? I really want to be trampled right now!"
...I wanted to believe.
The breaths from the serpents tried to swallow me. Purple energy shot at tremendous speed. I ran through the gaps. Because Riana had come forward at some point. She created an opening with the jet-black double-edged axe emitting void energy. I sprinted.
Crackle!
With Mistilteinn, emitting rainbow light with sparks flying, aimed forward. I was ready to sever the necks of those snake-headed bastards at any moment.
"Where do you think you're going!"
The moment Riana's trajectory-drawing strong strike collided with the giant void serpent, a sonic boom erupted, bursting and sucking in everything around.
What could oppose energy that couldn't be overcome was the same energy. Bete's existence was unexpected, but it was a great help.
I charged, avoiding the bursting sonic boom. Bombardment happened, but I quickly ignored it and broke through the storm.
Before I knew it, I met eyes with Nidhogg, who was self-repairing. He flapped his wings. Wings with a root-like texture began gathering void energy.
That void, void, void. Maybe "void" is the word I've heard the most since coming to this world? I had that thought for a moment while maintaining the overlap.
Purple storm. Pure white storm. Storms of snow and void surged. When the two combined, they completed a black-and-white tornado. In a form like seeing the Taiji, I held my breath and charged. I pierced through the gaps, paying no heed to the extreme cold either.
It was different from before. Now there was Fina's shield. I felt a strange sensation I'd never experienced even once, but it wasn't a bad feeling.
'Can I approach him?'
Tirgar was with Riana in the distance. They were blocking the serpents' approach. Then... Seria?
Detection
I tore a scroll and scanned the battlefield. I could grasp my allies' approximate positions. Fina was bestowing blessings on us from between the ice walls I'd created. Tirgar was tearing apart the giant void serpents with Riana. Seria was already drawing her sword as if chasing behind me.
Heh. Is this the first time I've felt this sensation? The feeling of having comrades. Something I'd never felt even once. The lonely sensation was slightly easing.
At the same time, my mind raced. While dodging the falling hail.
'The scales can be broken. But that large body will block.'
It would have been easier if he were in human form. Provoking makes movements simple. But after taking the six-layered sword energy, he entered a guarded state.
I see it. Glancing, fixing his gaze on me. I can see poison gathering in his teeth. Soon, as if signaling he'll charge at me, it turned sticky and dark.
Nidhogg's voice came from afar. A thick sound as if resonating throughout all of Niflheim. I turned my gaze toward him.
"So the hero is indeed a hero."
"Hey, Nidhogg. What the hell did Ratatoskr tell you to make you like this?"
I shouted as if hammering it into his ears. To him, I was nothing but a lowly creature. Not as huge as him, and my voice didn't carry well. So I shouted.
"He said he'd give me the power to kill my interferer. And he did."
"...Interferer?"
Then, the story I read in the library a year ago flashed through my mind. For some reason, that story was really simple. Nidhogg, the dragon eating the roots of Yggdrasil. The nameless eagle living at the top of Yggdrasil. The two fight, envying each other.
Seria, who had caught up to my speed before I knew it, spoke. Her voice was refreshing.
"The nameless eagle tried to prevent the roots from being eroded by poison, and Nidhogg ate the roots to fill his stomach."
"In other words, Nidhogg was a means of survival, and the eagle's was its job."
"Exactly, Hero-nim."
In the end, conflict arising from clashing wills. Every world seems the same in this regard. Whether Earth or this world.
...Tsk, it's a story I don't like. From what he said, the squirrel Ratatoskr instigated between the two and eventually corrupted Nidhogg. Thinking this way, all the situations made sense. Ratatoskr, tainted by the void, follows Loki's words. Such a being corrupted Nidhogg. Nidhogg following Loki's words is inevitable. After all, Loki is the owner of the void 'Ginnungagap'.
I charged sword energy toward him and asked.
"So, did you kill the eagle?"
"..."
No answer, so he hasn't killed it yet. I sneered and mocked him. Even knowing Nidhogg's brow twitched, I continued.
"Even after gaining power, you lost? That's fucking ugly."
"...Shut up."
"Puhuh. Don't wanna. Why should I. How much will you pay~"
Boom!
In an instant, he flew over in a straight line. As he flapped his massive wings, everything around was blown away. Poison fangs mixed with void energy opened their maw toward me.
Provocation really is the best CC. An opportunity was given to me, who couldn't attack because I couldn't fly.
...Though it seems like a very dangerous situation. If he doesn't just breathe, I can see a chance for victory—
"Kroaaaaah!"
"Fuck."
—There wasn't.
*
"Urgh...!"
"Hero-nim. Hero-nim!"
"...Fina, where's Fina?"
"She's surrounded by the dead..."
Damn it. She's useless to the end.
Cough!
It doesn't seem like poison has spread throughout my body, but moving was difficult. I took void energy and poison head-on. Who said provocation was a cheat CC? It's less than a stun. Fuck.
In the moment my consciousness briefly cut off, I barely managed to open my eyes. Without Fina's shield, I'd be drinking with the gods in Valhalla right now. So what. There's no one to heal me right now. Riana and Tirgar were struggling in battle. It was thanks to them that no interference came until now. I had no intention of blaming them. My body was wrecked as much as it could be, and the taste of blood filled my mouth. Is blood flowing from my mouth? It wasn't. Blood had burst inside my body. More pain than when my stomach was torn by Bete's thorn sword and my intestines spilled. Reviving the mental strength from back then, I barely grabbed Mistilteinn...
"What... fuck."
—Couldn't. The Holy Sword that should have been there was gone.
Seria looked shocked too. She was worried about me, but her arm wasn't normal either. Already eroded by poison, turning black. She forced her powerless arm to move. Even when I told her to stop, she didn't. Her bones cracked and then shattered. It was fortunate he didn't swallow us.
"...That arm."
"It's okay, Hero-nim. I'm okay."
There was no life in her eyes. Only hatred toward Nidhogg.
"...I can't forgive. Daring to... my Hero-nim... Taesik-ssi...!"
Her muttering voice had no strength. Enduring alone must be hard. Because I too felt like going crazy from the pain. I'd probably be lying in a hospital bed for days. If only I return alive.
"Urgh..."
I slowly turned my gaze. Still, I felt the impact in my hand. I remembered swinging the blade with six-layered sword energy in that fleeting moment.
Limping.
Nidhogg, in human form holding the Holy Sword Mistilteinn, was limping. But there was a smile on his face.
"...Wait."
Mistilteinn? Mistilteinn?
I focused my gaze on him even more. Though my vision was blurry and dizziness filled me, making me confused, the white sword in his hand was clearly visible. Nidhogg's forehead was full of blood. Brown skin, reverse scales sprouting between green hair. Below that, black blood was full. In that state, laughing madly was terrifying.
"Kekekeke!"
"...Fuck."
He held the Holy Sword. Before I knew it, the void serpents had hidden, and Riana and Tirgar belatedly realized the situation. Flap—
Massive wings began flapping behind the human body.
"...Are you watching, Loki."
I, this Nidhogg!
"The plan succeeded. Now it's just a little more."
"...What is."
I raised my voice as if chewing and savoring it.
"Hero. You're the first to make me like this. Even the nameless eagle couldn't make me this way."
Eyes mixed with awe approached, saying he'd never seen such a human. It wasn't a particularly good feeling. We had been completely defeated. Seeing this sight, who could say we won? My body was on the verge of death, and the Holy Sword was stolen too. Using Fina as the key to lure us in. Nidhogg becoming the lock to steal the Holy Sword. I don't know what he'll do with Mistilteinn. But I was certain it wouldn't benefit us.
Bang, bang, bang!
Riana squeezed Bete of the Void to create void bullets. Nidhogg clicked his tongue at the wave spreading like a tide. And flew.
"Kuhuhuhu. In the end, the void will cover the world!"
Similar to what he said to Bete. That gouged at my chest.
"...Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
"It's not the Hero-nim's fault."
"No, it is my fault, Seria."
It is my fault. My... fault.
In the end, we failed. Not knowing what they'll do made anxiety surge even more. Their goal is to take Mistilteinn? It's complicated. At the same time, my head cleared instantly. My body hurts like crazy, my mind won't calm down, my head is so complicated I could die. The feeling of being forcibly cleared was really dog-like.
Crackle!
At that moment, something constricting my heart was felt.
"Kuhak!"
It stings. Honestly, I felt death. For a warrior to lose his courage. This must be what it means.
"Taesik?!"
"Why did the hero suddenly...!"
And at this moment.
"...Odin?"
I felt the connection with Odin being severed.