Two figures walked along a spiral staircase, heading toward a spectator platform.
Though they hadn't yet reached the top, the clamor of countless spectators in the arena was already audible.
Among the uproar were the voices of ordinary gods from the divine side, boasting about how they would humiliate humanity later.
At the same time, they ceaselessly mocked another group of spectators—humans from the mortal world, gathered from various eras.
If one didn't listen carefully, the voices of the human spectators were nearly drowned out.
But this wasn't because the divine side had far more spectators or because their voices were physically louder.
Rather, it was because most humans held little hope for the outcome of this [Ragnarök] battle between man and god.
Correction—it wasn't just that they held little hope. Most were simply lost and uncertain.
To the vast majority, the idea of humans fighting gods was nothing short of a mantis trying to stop a chariot—utterly overestimating their own strength.
In the end, it was just a futile struggle.
Some were so pessimistic they wished the match wouldn't happen at all. Stepping into the arena would only invite humiliation, making humanity's defeat all the more disgraceful.
"Sister Brunhilde, is that man really up to it?"
Göll, trailing behind her elder sister, was still uneasy.
Though the man was undoubtedly a formidable figure in human history—perhaps even stronger than Lü Bu Fengxian—was he truly capable?
Her sister had said the divine representative for the first battle would most likely be Lord Thor. Could he really win?
After all, Lord Thor was hailed as the strongest in Norse mythology—whether he could defeat Odin was another matter, but his power was undoubtedly at the level of a chief god.
"Whether he's up to it or not, we'll see in the match."
Brunhilde responded indifferently.
At the same time, she pondered a question: since that man had been sent by the emperor, did that mean he was fighting on the emperor's behalf?
This means that emperor himself doesn't intend to get involved, right?
"Oh."
Göll didn't ask further, sensing that Sister Brunhilde seemed to be in a bad mood. Pushing further might provoke her anger.
Looking ahead, the exit was less than ten steps away. The violent voices of the gods could already be heard.
Hearing their cruel words one after another, Göll couldn't help but shrink her neck slightly.
After exiting the staircase and arriving at the outer viewing area, what greeted Göll's eyes was an enormous coliseum.
Some gods seemed to notice their presence, and upon seeing Sister Brunhilde appear, they cast gazes so intense it seemed they wanted to devour them alive, making Göll shudder again.
"Brunhilde, witness with your own eyes how the human you chose will be trampled to death!"
"A mere demigod, foolishly pitting humans against us gods? Is this some last humiliation before humanity's extinction?"
"Ahaha~ I can't wait to see Brunhilde's twisted face when she watches her humans get slaughtered helplessly!"
"Will she cry, I wonder?"
The air was thick with sarcasm and mockery.
And then—
"If you do cry, you can throw yourself into my arms, and I'll comfort you properly, little Brunhilde~"
This particularly loud remark left Göll momentarily speechless, as the one who said it was none other than Zeus, the chief god of Greek mythology.
He was leering in their direction, blowing kisses incessantly at Sister Brunhilde.
Disgusting old man.
But she could only curse him silently in her heart, not daring to speak up or show her revulsion openly.
However—
"Perverted old man, could you stop staring? It's disgusting."
Sister Brunhilde said it outright, without hesitation, making Göll's face stiffen.
Suddenly, the clamor died down.
"It has been too long! I've waited until now—the moment when 'Ragnarök's Horn' shall sound once more!"
Heimdall, the gatekeeper of the end and the announcer for the battle of Ragnarök, was delivering an impassioned speech on the arena stage.
"...The battle between humans and gods shall begin! The rules are simple: one side dies, and the victor is decided."
In other words, there was no surrender. Once you stepped onto this battlefield, only one side would walk away alive.
Upon hearing these rules, the gods erupted into thunderous cheers, eagerly anticipating the spectacle of divine violence against mortals.
"It's finally starting, Sister Brunhilde."
Göll swallowed hard. The first life-or-death match was about to be announced.
So, who would be the gods' first combatant?
"Now, for the first round of battle, the gods' vanguard is—"
Who could it be?
Heimdall swung his arm toward one of the exits, where the gates opened, revealing a terrifying aura emanating from the depths within.
The passage was too deep to clearly see who it was, but violent flashes of lightning could be seen crackling within.
In other words, just as Sister had predicted, the gods' vanguard was—
"That man is one whose true power every god longs to witness! A man born for battle, destined to die in battle! His thunder hammer can shatter the earth itself! Yes, he is the mightiest thunder berserker of the North—Thor!"
The moment the god's name was announced, the entire arena erupted in cheers that shook the very air.
At the same time, the figure of this Thunder God was fully revealed to everyone's sight.
Handsome in appearance and towering in stature, he held a lightning-wreathed thunder hammer larger than an average grown man in one hand.
He exuded a terrifying aura that made countless gods feel as if they were carrying a mountain on their backs. A single glance into the Thunder God's eyes would instinctively make one bow their head in fear.
Thus, after the announcement of the gods' vanguard, humanity grew even more pessimistic. No one had expected such a formidable general to be deployed in the very first match.
"Sister, is this really okay? Can we actually win?"
Göll was really lacking in confidence.
"What if we switch to King Gilgamesh or King Solomon?"
If possible, King Gilgamesh would be best—after all, he was the terrifying man who slew the chief god.
"Göll, are you an idiot? Can we just throw out our trump card in the very first match? Just watch and learn!"
"Ugh~"
Scolded, Göll shrank her neck slightly.
"And now, the vanguard who will challenge the gods on behalf of foolish humanity is—this man!"
From another entrance emerged a man whose appearance and stature were no less imposing than Thor, the God of Thunder.
"Hailed as the most peerless warrior in human history—Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu!!!"
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