Chapter Nine: The Serpent's Deal 1
Vai brandished his serpent fangs, facing Therotegolmir's attack. Each swing created a sharp whistling wind, as if to tear the world apart.
This was his trial; he had to defeat this giant to prove his strength.
In a war between gods and giants, the weaker side could retreat, but this was a contest of individual valor; gods and frost giants must fight to the death.
Therotegolmir, wielding a mountain, made the earth tremble with every step!
He was that moving mountain, carrying unparalleled pressure, slowly pressing towards Vei. The sheer power of his massive body seemed to crush everything around him.
Therotegolmir, mountain in hand, approached Vei step by step, the ground shaking beneath his feet. His six eyes stared fiercely at Vei, filled with murderous intent.
However, facing such a powerful enemy, Vei showed no sign of retreat. He stood firmly atop the mountain peak, radiating an aura of agility. His body was enveloped in a dazzling light, like a blazing star, shimmering brilliantly.
He knew his strength was extraordinary; even facing this renowned and terrifying monster, he was in no way inferior.
Gods are born with extraordinary abilities, and he, naturally exceptional, was no less formidable than any opponent. The proud young god even dared to challenge this monstrous monster alone, confident he would survive.
Throtegolmir let out a deep, resounding roar, a battle cry that ignited the fighting spirit deep within him.
His heart pounded rapidly, like a burning star, his blood surging with fiery heat.
The blood of the frost giant, once as cold as ice, was now ignited by fighting spirit, boiling and surging.
Every heartbeat is a release of power, every drop of blood contains boundless fighting spirit.
Therlot Gelmir's heartbeat echoed like thunder throughout the valley, deafening, as if shaking the very heavens and earth. Accompanying his firm, powerful footsteps, the thumping sound was like a stirring war drum, playing a melody of heroic fearlessness.
As the vanguard of the frost giants, Therlot Gelmir's heartbeat and footsteps became the clarion call for their charge into battle.
On the battlefield where they fiercely clashed with the gods, his presence was like an impregnable fortress, giving the frost giants boundless courage and confidence. It is said that inspired by his stirring heartbeat, every frost giant would throw themselves into battle without hesitation, until the very last moment, never retreating.
The mountain in his hand was like an enormous spear, the mountain itself like his handle, and its towering peak the sharpest point of the spear!
Each swing unleashed a devastating impact, sending the snow-capped peaks swirling in all directions. A chilling killing intent permeated the frigid air, threatening to freeze everything in its path.
This killing intent stemmed from the savagest, most primal instincts within the frost giants; they were born with unparalleled combat talent and a thirst for slaughter!
Vai roared a challenge at the charging frost giants. The howling wind, carrying a biting chill, could not extinguish the burning fighting spirit within Vai.
Divine power surged within him like a raging torrent.
The roars of Therotegolmir and Vai mingled together. If heard by mortals of later generations, they would surely describe it as a thunderous roar, for the sound was truly unbelievable to be emitted by a living being; it could only be the immense power of heaven and earth.
As agile as a raven, Vei deftly dodged the giant's attacks, his serpentine fangs like razors, aimed precisely at the giant's weaknesses.
In that moment, time seemed to freeze, the air seemed to solidify. Vei's serpentine fangs collided with the giant's mountain-like peaks in mid-air, sparks flying, the hammer striking a scorching iron ingot, the burst of light illuminating the sky of the Mist Kingdom, divine light reflecting through the thick clouds, making Niflheim as bright as day for a moment.
This attack yielded no victor, and Vei immediately withdrew.
The frost giant's attacks were as fierce as a storm, but Vei was like a petrel, enduring the frost giant's blows without being hit once, even clamoring for the storm to rage on!
His serpentine fangs flew rapidly through the air, like streaks of lightning slicing through the sky, leaving behind dazzling arcs. Each attack was a fierce thrust, relentlessly piercing the giant's body, cutting deep and creating horrifying wounds.
However, these deep wounds were merely grazing the surface of the colossal giant's skin. Throttegmir showed no fear, not even the slightest hesitation. On the contrary, his attacks grew increasingly ferocious and violent.
As time passed, each of Ve's evasive maneuvers felt like a breathtaking race against death. He had to use superhuman agility and reaction speed to avoid the giant's powerful blows; a single misstep could lead to annihilation.
His body tumbled through the air, his steps unwavering, and in the instant of his flip, he deftly hurled his fangs.
Ve's attack was exquisitely precise, as if he had anticipated the giant's breathing rhythm. His two fangs pierced the giant's two remaining skulls with lightning speed, striking precisely through the giant's pupils. The venomous liquid, like icy water, froze the giant's brain in the blink of an eye.
However, Therothgelmir's body stiffened only for a moment. Then, in the next breath, his massive palms slammed into the air like a tidal wave.
"Crack!"
With a deafening roar, the surrounding air was compressed, whistling sharply. Vei, who had just thrown out his fangs and was still unsteady, hadn't expected Therothgelmir to regain control of his body so quickly. Faced with this sudden attack, he had no time to dodge and could only watch helplessly as he was struck.
The incredibly heavy spherical shockwave, like a pillar supporting the sky, instantly cleared the swirling rain and overturned the mountains of snow that had accumulated in the valley!
At the same time, the shockwave also parted the clouds in the sky, revealing a huge hole. Through the hole, a corner of Ymir's enormous, awe-inspiring body could be clearly seen!
On the other side, Therothgelmir slowly opened his palms. In his hands lay the tiny god.
At this moment, the god was covered in blood, blood constantly flowing from its eyes, ears, nose, and mouth; even its internal organs were ruptured. Clearly, it was mortally wounded and on the verge of death.
"Hehehehe! Hahahaha!"
Therothgelmir opened his mouth wide, letting out a triumphant laugh.
"Foolish god, I merely feigned an opening, and you hastily sought your own death!"
It turned out that Therothgelmir, seeing his attack miss, had no choice but to sacrifice his other two heads, deliberately delaying for a moment, gambling that the god would pause for a fleeting instant after its full-force attack—and that momentary opening would be the key to his victory!
The six-headed Throttegormir was now reduced to a single head, yet he felt no anger, only a surge of glory.
The poor little god, even resorting to such a despicable tactic as a sneak attack, had failed to kill him! Didn't this prove that the great Frost Giants far surpassed those so-called gods?
He watched the god in his hand struggle in agony, unable to change its predetermined fate.
The giant, now smug, was about to crush the insect in his hand, letting its corpse glorify him. Surely his father would be satisfied with his performance!
Vai lay quietly in the center of the giant's hand, his eyes gradually becoming empty and lifeless, as if devoid of all life force.
He had no strength left; his body felt completely drained, utterly weak. His wounds were healing at an extremely slow pace, but the rate of blood loss far exceeded the rate of recovery. Even if the giant, in his madness, spared him now, he would soon die.
Moreover, the giant had already extended a finger, slowly and deliberately poking at him.
The finger was initially only the size of a bowl, but as it approached, its size steadily increased.
By the time it reached Vy, it had grown to the size of a hut. However, this was not the end; the fingertip continued to grow, eventually becoming a massive, sky-obscuring stone wall. The clearly visible brickwork patterns on the wall were the giant's fingerprints.
Vy weakly stretched out his hands, bracing against the stone wall, slowly squeezing out the last bit of strength from his divine body.
He actually managed to withstand the giant's fingertip!
Vy knew this was merely a toy of Throttegormir, but the instinct for survival kept him afloat, and his divine pride refused to die in this humiliation.
Vee's body tensed, his muscles hardening like steel, every muscle trembling. His hands clenched into fists, nails digging deep into his flesh, blood slowly trickling from his fingertips.
He was actually using his fists to block the giant's fingers!
It was as if he were exchanging blows with the giant; even facing death, Vee hoped to die on the path of attack, not in a weak and futile defense.
How long did this exchange last?
Was it a second or eternity?
In his half-dreaming, half-awake state, he could only feel his desperately held strength dissipating, his body growing weaker and weaker.
But the giant's strength was also gradually waning.
Was it an illusion? Or a further humiliation?
An unnamed rage ignited within Vee's withered body. Even the victor should not humiliate a warrior like this.
So Vee roared silently, using his last ounce of strength to throw a punch at the giant.
Incredibly effortlessly, Vei's fist deflected the giant's finger, triggering a chain reaction that sent the giant's stiff body crashing to the ground.
A slender black serpent coiled around the giant's finger, its lean body mirroring the lines on the giant's fingertip.
Vei saw venom seep from the serpent's sharp fangs, dripping into the wound he had previously inflicted.
"Brave warrior, fearless god," Vei heard the serpent speak, its voice low and irresistibly alluring.
"Looks like you're about to die. Interested in making a deal?"