The gods who had been so arrogantly disparaging humanity earlier...
Now these same deities could only gnash their teeth in suppressed fury against the accumulating taunts from the human side.
"This is humanity's victory!"
"See that? Where's your almighty arrogance now?"
"Calling us insects? Yet you couldn't even defeat insects?"
Finally experiencing the humiliation they'd inflicted on humans, some gods fell silent, bowing their heads.
Whether to hide their shame from human eyes or to mourn Thor's death remained unclear.
"Damn it! This wasn't a proper battle between man and god!"
"What's with that mechanical body? Can you even call that human?"
"This match was completely unfair!"
A few stubborn gods, driven by wounded pride, began shouting such protests.
They even dared claim the contest was unfair, rejecting the duel's outcome—inviting nothing but derision.
"Enough!"
"Silence!"
"Must you further disgrace yourselves?"
Other gods intervened, unable to bear the spectacle, but these stubborn few refused to relent.
Then instantly, one protesting god froze completely, casting a terrified glance toward a particular direction—the seat of the Norse Allfather.
The moment that figure entered his vision, the god's pupils lost all light before he collapsed limply into his seat.
"Heimdall! Announce the results!!!"
A voice emerging from the deepest pits of hell made Heimdall shudder.
It was Odin.
"The first round of Ragnarok concludes with victory for humanity's champion—Overlord Xiang Yu of Western Chu!!!"
"This is really not good," said Shiva of the Hindu pantheon, cracking his neck with a series of pops.
His blood was nearly boiling, so he decided to seek out Zeus—no matter what, he had to make him appear in the next match.
He couldn't hold back any longer.
"The first round was lost by Thor. What should we do, Uncle Odin?"
The moment Loki finished speaking, his expression changed abruptly as he swiftly dodged and prepared to defend himself.
Yet, nothing seemed to happen—Odin did nothing to him.
But in that instant, the aura released made him truly feel death looming over him.
So, with an awkward chuckle, he left the place.
If he stayed, one slip of his tongue might really get him killed by Odin.
Where to go next? Of course, to the Greek pantheon—to tease Ares, the God of War.
But before that, he'd visit someone else first.
"Sister, it's really—"
Before Göll could finish the word "won," her tongue seemed to catch in her throat, rendering her speechless.
In truth, she had been startled by the sudden appearance of a certain someone—the God of Trickery, Loki, a deity who sent shivers down her spine.
Brunhilde, who had also witnessed Loki's arrival, turned icy-faced.
"Congratulations, Brunhilde. Your side won the first round."
Though his words sounded sincere, to Brunhilde, they were nothing but sickening.
"So, you're furious inside, aren't you? No need to force a smile."
Brunhilde shot back with a taunt, causing the Trickster God's expression to darken slightly.
But his mood shifted unnaturally fast—within less than a hundredth of a second, his annoying grin was back.
"Guess whether Uncle Odin is angry or not. After all, Thor is dead."
Those words froze Brunhilde's expression. The god she feared most was Odin.
Truthfully, Brunhilde hadn't expected to win the first round at all. Her goal had simply been to prove to the gods that humans truly had the potential to slay them.
Thor's defeat had never been part of her plan—she shouldn't have provoked Odin so soon.
Yet, against all odds, the first round had been won. Thor was dead, and that must have enraged Odin—after all, Thor was his son.
"Winning one round won't delay humanity's end. If anything, it might hasten it, Brunhilde~"
With a light chuckle, Loki vanished.
"Sister..."
Göll, who was about to rejoice, was once again shrouded in unease.
"Let's go, Göll."
"Huh? Where to?"
Her fear of Odin had thrown her mind into such chaos that she couldn't comprehend her sister's words.
The gods, having lost the first round, would undoubtedly send a heavyweight contender next—likely one of the chief deities.
In other words, she would need to deploy those kings held in reserve.
Speaking of which, how was she supposed to treat that guy's body in its current state?
This was giving Brunhilde quite the headache. Who could possibly repair a humanoid weapon capable of defeating a god like Thor?
Upon meeting him, however, his condition turned out to be far worse than Brunhilde had anticipated.
If this were truly an android created purely through human technology, it would have broken down long ago.
But he had assured her that he possessed self-repair capabilities and didn't need her intervention. That was a relief.
"Brunhilde, did you truly propose [Ragnarök] to save humanity?"
The Overlord Xiang Yu suddenly posed this question, his terrifying aura pressing down on her like a physical weight, sending a chill through Brunhilde in an instant.
What was going on?
Why was Xiang Yu suddenly questioning her motives? It almost seemed as though he suspected her of proposing [Ragnarök] with ulterior motives.
And now, he was directing killing intent straight at her.
"It was for humanity!!!"
She responded immediately, her expression unwavering under his intense scrutiny.
"I see."
With those words, Xiang Yu turned and walked away.
Unnoticed by Brunhilde—and impossible for her to notice—was the card in his hand.
A card bearing the image of a fallen figure.
Meanwhile, in an enormous temple somewhere...
"This [Ragnarök] battle is quite interesting. It seems to be working in our favor."
The figure seated upon the temple's highest throne spoke with amusement.
Ideally, they hoped humanity would slay more of the powerful chief gods next—gods like Zeus and Odin.
Best of all would be mutual annihilation.
"For the next round, I intend to send my own representative."
"Oh? What's your plan?"
The figure on the throne asked with interest.
"I plan to..."
The god with the most wings unfolded his scheme to the primordial deity before him, a being as massive as a giant.
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