Odin suddenly stopped, the arrogant King of Sky and Wind felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
The pitch-black spiral spear seemed to sense the summons and shot back like a dark meteor, flying straight back into its master's hand after piercing through Uesugi Koeru's abdomen.
Tightening his grip on 'Gungnir,' Odin's palm traced the intricate patterns on the spear, which were created from the World Tree.
He lifted his gaze to the collapsed overpass, where the wreckage lay in chaotic heaps.
Deep within the ruins, the single eye on his cold iron face flickered with molten gold light, radiating an atmosphere of solemnity.
In his perception, deep in the blackened ruins, there seemed to be an invisible fear lurking, emanating a presence that even made him shudder.
But what confused him even more was that the space, which should have been created by alchemy based on the real world — the 'Nibelungen,' a domain belonging to the Dragon King — was being invaded and consumed by another 'domain!'
The Nibelungen was a space created only by Dragon King-level beings, almost like the manifestation of the Dragon King's authority and power.
But what kind of being could invade and consume a domain created by the 'Dragon King'?!
It seemed as though the moonlight had dimmed significantly, becoming darker and deeper, like a gateway from the underworld to the human world.
How long had it been?
He hadn't felt such a deep, soul-chilling sensation, an uncontrollable shiver of fear, for ages.
Perhaps not since the ancient times, when he had faced the 'Black King Nidhogg,' had he ever felt such a thing.
Odin's iron face exhaled a fiery glow as his grip on the pitch-black spear tightened, the power flowing within him seemingly responding to the violent shifts in the stormy skies.
Step, step, step~~~
Heavy footsteps echoed from somewhere, eerily clear, resounding through the Nibelungen.
"This feeling…"
Odin's eyelid twitched sharply.
Anyone who entered the Nibelungen could be clearly sensed by him. As the footsteps sounded, the entire Nibelungen space seemed to shake.
It was as if the entire void turned into the surface of water, with ripples forming and gradually spreading from the sound of footsteps.
What terrified Odin was that with each step, invisible waves of energy spread toward him, shattering his 'Nibelungen,' which symbolized the pinnacle of mental power. His body, bones, muscles, and even his organs all trembled slightly!
Without seeing the person, just hearing the sound of the steps created such an overwhelming presence!
It was almost... unimaginable!
Even the Supreme Black King Nidhogg, who had ruled the world and all beings millennia ago, had never made Odin feel like this.
Step... step... step...
To the rhythm of the footsteps, a figure emerged from the deep, dark shadow.
The first thing visible was a tattered, faded gray-white robe that seemed to float like a ghost. The face was covered with a pale mask, with no eyes or mouth, giving it an ethereal, almost unreal quality, as though it were not a physical entity but rather an illusion.
"Who are you? Speak your name!"
Odin's face hardened as golden light surged from him, and he raised his dark spiral divine spear, pointing it at the strange figure. His voice rumbled like thunder, "I am the King of the Sky and Wind, the embodiment of storms and thunder, of war and death, of wisdom and royalty, of magic and poetry!"
Though Odin did not understand the 'identity' of the being, he still maintained his towering arrogance, as if invincible.
However, his imposing presence lasted less than half a second before being interrupted by a chilling wind.
The strange, eerie wind seemed to come from the pitch-black outer space, a place beyond human, perhaps even beyond ancient biological understanding.
From the deep and distant stars, mixed with raspy, blasphemous murmurs and nauseating disordered noise!
An invisible breeze lifted the edge of the tattered gray-white robe.
Odin glanced quickly at what was hidden under the robe and froze. It felt as though his breath had been trapped, his whole body freezing like he'd fallen into a cold dungeon. His skin prickled with fear!
Beneath the robe was not a 'person,' as Odin had imagined, but a foggy, slimy mass resembling human shape. Upon closer inspection, it became clear it wasn't light or shadow at all!
With his powerful dynamic vision, the Dragon King could clearly see even the trajectory of a flying bullet. How could he not see a figure less than a hundred meters away?
But that was precisely why Odin, the King of the Sky and Wind, for the first time in his life, felt a deep, instinctive fear!
Countless tiny worms stacked upon each other, forming the shape of a "human." On each worm's surface, intricate and mysterious patterns were engraved!
Just one glance made Odin feel like his mind was about to "explode," as though his thoughts were running wild.
The muffled whispers, once unclear and full of blasphemous meaning, suddenly blasted into his ears, amplified by a speaker, the noise sharp and overwhelming.
It surged like waves, stirring up a storm in his mind, unleashing a tsunami and violent winds deep within his soul.
"Ah—!!!"
Odin felt like he had been struck by lightning. His mind was torn apart, and his soul was whipped and pierced.
He didn't even know what was happening. His thoughts couldn't process anything; his brain was in utter chaos, filled with deafening and violent noise, as though countless red-hot steel needles were stabbing into his head, twisting and stirring it violently!
Too... too terrifying!
What was that thing?
It couldn't possibly be the "Dragon King." At least, nothing like this had ever appeared in his thousand years of existence.
"No, I am the King of the Sky and Wind! I am Odin!"
Odin forced his willpower to steady his chaotic mind and managed to break free from the harsh noise.
But just as he began to recover, the figure draped in tattered gray robes disappeared like a ghost, only to suddenly reappear right in front of Odin. The distance between them was only a few centimeters, practically face-to-face!
What the hell was that?!
A sudden "face-to-face kill," Odin was startled rigid, nearly losing his soul.
At that moment, the figure in the tattered gray robe let out inhuman, frenzied mutterings, like runes, deeply searing into Odin's heart.
"Has. Ta."
It was not a language Odin was familiar with, nor was it any known writing system on Earth.
The strange tone of the pronunciation couldn't be made by humans or even dragons. The blasphemous syllables were harsh and rough, filled with maddening dark evil.
Crack!
The cold iron surface shattered, and Odin was forced to retreat several steps, as if struck by a heavy blow.
The molten gold light seemed to cool down upon contact with water, leaving only a faint glimmer, symbolizing the collapse of both the Dragon King's domain and the Nibelungen space in the violent tremor.
"Ahhhhh—!!!"
This time, it was beyond anything before. Odin could not withstand the 'corruption.'
The hoarse and maddened mutterings, mixed with countless terrifying images, shoved themselves into Odin's mind without regard for whether he could handle them.
"No, no..."
Odin's pupils slowly widened, as if in a daze, murmuring, "It's... filled..."
Looking at Odin, who stood motionless with empty, lifeless eyes, like a puppet with its strings cut, Uchiha Sogetsu fell into deep thought.
"Maybe... I went a bit too far?"
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