Athena's General - Chapter 337

Nathan Evenhart:

"R-right… what matters is the result. So, is my soul finally free from the God of Mischief’s possession?"

Siegfried stopped, staring at his own hand. A pale white glow shimmered there, surrounded by faint rainbow-like particles.

"Strange... I saw a shadow in your soul," Siegfried said, and my whole body went cold.

I rushed to stand beside him, trying to see what he was seeing. But to me, it was just a soft light in his palm—nothing more.

"And? What does that mean?" I asked, nervous.

He closed his hand slowly.

"Well, looks like I’ll have to kill you."

"What!?"

He looked straight at me.

"...Just a joke," he said flatly.

My heart was pounding.

"Dude… you scared the hell out of me," I muttered. He just pulled a cup of tea from who-knows-where and sipped like nothing had happened.

"Relax," he said. "Neither you nor anyone close to you has shown signs of the God of Mischief’s influence over the past year. Don’t forget, there’s an entire world out there devoted to him. If he’s planning a return, it’s far more likely he’ll reincarnate over there—in an ideal body, in an environment made just for him. That’s why he conquered a world before his fall—to ensure the perfect vessel when the time comes."

Siegfried started walking again.

"But can you guarantee no one around me is going to become that demon?" I asked.

"I can't guarantee anything. Possession spreads like a disease—it might be dormant now, invisible... but one day, it could awaken and take over its host. That said, if there’s one thing that should put your mind at ease, it’s this: the most likely candidate to become Loki’s next vessel in this world... is you."

He looked back at me.

"So, if you start seeing hallucinations, or people who should be dead talking to you—just let me know."

That... didn’t ease my mind at all.

"But there’s a cure, right?" I asked.

"No. What we’d do is lock you up and wait. Once Loki took full control, we’d kill you. He’d reincarnate into a prison in Asgard, bound and completely immobilized, surrounded by the strongest beings alive—because you would already be contained."

He glanced over his shoulder.

"That’s why he won’t choose you. Don’t worry. He’d never take that risk. Besides, don’t forget—my master’s daughter is close to you. Believe me, my master would wipe out your whole world, but he wouldn’t put her in danger."

He paused, then added:

"Those heralds or archbishops you encountered? They’re far more likely candidates. Or maybe the true vessel is hidden, protected deep within the Dark Realm—waiting for the perfect moment to awaken."

Hearing that… I did feel a little more at ease.

"But if there’s no cure," I asked, "why wait? Wouldn’t it be better to just kill the person the moment you find out they’re the host?"

He stopped.

"It’s not that simple. If we kill the host too early, he’ll wait millennia for another compatible body to appear—and we might never know who it is. The best strategy is to let him fully reincarnate. He and the other demons have only one life now. They've reached our level of divinity, which means their souls can no longer be split. Once they die... it’s permanent."

He looked at me.

"Which brings us to the topic of the half-demons you encountered—the heralds and archbishops."

As he said that, I remembered the herald I’d fought. It finally made sense. He was a half-demon—a high-born demonic elf.

"When Ragnarok happened," Siegfried continued, "most of the worlds were destroyed. Only three remained: Asgard, Midgard, and Svartalfheim. Ever wonder why you, me, and anyone else from the other continent all speak the same language? After the civilizations were merged, you were shaped. Language was one of the tools they used. To promote cooperation, they had to eliminate linguistic barriers."

He walked slowly through the museum as he spoke.

"These three surviving worlds absorbed fragments of the others and reformed themselves. Midgard, for instance, inherited pieces of Jotunheim, Alfheim, Vanaheim—and with them, mortal citizens. Asgard merged with Vanaheim, Jotunheim, and others, preserving the immortal races."

He glanced over at me.

"Remember what I told you about the difference between Divinities and Immortals? That’s why Asgard is home to immortal humans and other mortal beings who would destabilize your world. Imagine hundreds of races like that winged horse you saw. In your world, you'd just end up using them to destroy yourselves."

As we walked, Siegfried listed several creatures removed from the mortal world to preserve balance. He mentioned dragons—not as gods, but as intelligent beasts.

"So… dragons in your world are like familiars?" I asked.

"Something like that. The more beast-like ones, yes. The intelligent ones—we don’t domesticate them. That would be slavery. As for the Aesir who transform into dragons, or the Vanir who become wyverns—their transformations far surpass the natural creatures. I myself can transform into an eagle you might find in nature… but the size I take on is massive."

We stopped in front of a model representing a dark, foreboding place.

"The demons claimed Svartalfheim as their domain. Their shadow armies retreated there, along with the elven allies they once had. On top of that, they inherited parts of Midgard—regions where humans with demonic blood still live."

Siegfried pointed to a painting of a massive floating fortress looming over an abyss.

"This is the stronghold of the Nidhogg, deep within the Dark Realm. They’re still there."

"And what about Helheim? Didn’t you say it’s a Dead World where nothing ever returns?" I asked.

"It still exists," Siegfried replied, "but it’s no longer counted among the realms—it detached from Yggdrasil. Think of it as an abyss. Easy to enter, impossible to leave. There’s no life there. Only the dead... and the wreckage of shattered worlds. It’s basically a limbo. A cosmic landfill."

He turned and walked away. Before I realized it, we were back at the entrance of the museum.

"Now," he said, "let’s talk about the problems of this Era—and those half-demons. What do you want to know?"

I paused, thinking carefully.

"I would’ve died if that Herald had kept going. I want to know more about the agreement you mentioned—and why you didn’t attack him, and he didn’t attack you. Are they like you?"

Siegfried looked at me with clear disdain.

"Never compare us to those things. I and my people are nothing like them. But I understand what you mean. You're asking about power level. Know this—I could’ve crushed that abomination with a single punch. It was a twisted error of nature."

"Then why let it walk away?" I asked.

"Because of the Pact of Existence," he replied.

"After the Nine Realms were destroyed, only three remained. The pact is a ceasefire—meant to protect what’s left. We’re forbidden from attacking each other directly within these worlds. We can only engage in neutral territories, like the borders between realms. The demons wanted dominion. And they got it. They inherited Svartalfheim and parts of other shattered worlds, ruling over the humans, elves, and other creatures who live there. But we chose a different path. Contact between humans and gods has always been a poison. In the past, mortals worshipped divinities and waged war over them, or tried to bargain for more power. That’s how Loki deceived your kind—offering wealth, offering time. So we severed all contact between humans and the Immortals. And yet, even with that distance, you still find ways to turn on each other. Imagine the chaos if everyone knew the gods were real."

He stepped behind the counter—the same place he’d stood when I first met him.

"That makes sense," I admitted. "But there are still humans who know about you. The royal families in my continent… they even knew your name."

"We never left you completely helpless," he said.

"There are always gods watching—just to make sure you don’t wipe each other out beyond what’s tolerable. We guide important rulers, because by influencing one, we can guide an entire nation. That’s why, throughout the ages, we’ve interacted with some royal bloodlines. There are also tribes of Immortals living among you—but they prefer to remain hidden, far from human society."

I let out a long breath. It was all starting to make more sense.

Sifu knowing about phoenixes and dragons… it all came from these gods shaping the world over millennia.

"So... the Asalon, and the Founding Emperor... they were your doing?" I asked.

"Yes. In fact, the winged horse Asalon was a gift. Your continent was at war back then. We helped unify it—to prepare your people for the next Ragnarok."

"And what about the True Humans?" I asked.

"Those fools, too. We merged the continents into one landmass to delay a greater threat. There was a massive portal forming beneath your world—the one you’ve now discovered. We placed the continents over it to buy time. But now… the portal is opening again."

Siegfried snapped his fingers.

A map on the wall lit up, revealing a massive crack glowing with rainbow light.

"The anomaly connects my world to the Dark Realm?" I asked.

"Yes. It’s the Bifrost—out of control. It’s linking Midgard to Svartalfheim. Soon, the two worlds will be fully connected, and their army will be able to invade."

"Can’t we shut the portal down?"

"No. The Bifrost is a power of the Primordials. All we did was delay the inevitable. But now… the cup has overflowed. More portals will begin to appear across the world."

A chill ran down my spine.

"Merging the continents was a major interference," he said. "And it opened a loophole in our agreement with the demons. In exchange, we allowed them to influence part of the population on the other continent—under the name 'The Iluminated.'"

"So in a way… the True Humans were right to blame us for the portals?" I asked.

"From their perspective, yes. But it was either that… or live with portals opening constantly. Merging the continents gave you time to grow stronger. If that original portal had stayed open, everyone—on both continents—would’ve been wiped out."

"What exactly is this agreement with the demons? And why attack the academy?"

He set his teacup down on the counter and looked at me, his expression serious.

"Now we talk about the Dark Realm. And once again… we return to Freya’s research."

Siegfried straightened his posture.

"The demons who claimed that world did as they pleased with the humans—and everything else. You've seen the Archbishops and Heralds. They’re half-demons. Do you know how they came to be?"

I hesitated before answering,

"Through… reproduction with humans?"

He shook his head.

"Not exactly. Those creatures experimented. On humans, elves, orcs—you name it. They opened their bodies, injected demonic blood, raw mana, and observed the results. Then they studied how those altered beings reproduced—among themselves, with others. All of it, in pursuit of one goal: to create species compatible with demonic blood… ones that wouldn’t die from the transformation."

His voice darkened.

"That world became a lab. Their true aim? Most likely, to create the perfect body for Loki. A vessel strong enough to contain him. And along the way… an army."

He stepped closer.

"Everyone on that continent carries demonic blood. Humans, elves—that’s how the Dark Elves came to be. The humans evolved into all sorts of twisted forms thanks to those experiments. Over the course of millennia, they built an army shaped by madness. Some mortals awakened parts of that demonic power—just like you awakened your elven heritage. The most powerful among them—Archbishops and Heralds—carry enough demonic blood to manifest the Celestial Eyes. But there are also mage-soldiers in their ranks."

"Are they stronger than you?" I asked.

"The rare ones who’ve awakened the Celestial Eyes are below me in power, but above the Immortals—or at least equal to them. The difference is that they wield a fragment of a Celestial Aspect’s power."

He paused.

"The problem isn’t fighting them one-on-one. The problem is scale. In large numbers… they can even kill an Asgardian soldier. That’s what happened to the previous bearer of the eyes you now possess. She was ambushed—already weakened—by a large force of Heralds and Archbishops… and killed."

He looked away, voice lower now.

"She was Sisika’s closest friend."

I wanted to ask more—but wasn’t sure if showing too much curiosity about how to kill a god might come off… suspicious.

"So why did they attack the academy?" I asked, trying to connect the dots.

"No deity can directly invade a world—that’s part of the agreement."

"But mortals can..." I said, and he nodded.

"Exactly. We, the divine, never ruled you with iron and flame. But the other side… they never cared about ethics. Your world is the third realm—neutral. They can’t lay a hand on Asgard. But Midgard..."

He paused.

"They can. That’s why they started sending their soldiers."

The weight of his words pressed down on me like lead.

This wasn’t just an attack.

It was war.

A massive war—headed straight for us.

"Loki’s return is close. He knows that if he randomly reincarnates in this world, we’ll destroy him before he even stabilizes. We have direct access to Midgard. He doesn’t. That’s why the closer he gets to rebirth... the worse it gets for you. The portals will keep opening. And they won’t stop... until they’ve seized everything."

I still didn’t know what to do.

But one thing was clear:

Time was running out.

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