Back to the Land of Shadows

Mountains collapsed, the earth cracked, trees toppled, and smoke billowed. The once serene and peaceful island was now nowhere to be seen, replaced by desolation and destruction reminiscent of an apocalyptic ruin.

Clearly, a fierce battle had taken place here.

Moreover, judging by the residual traces, the battle had ended some time ago.

Arkhan clenched his fist tightly, his expression as solemn as water. His body swayed slightly, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared in a secluded canyon.

This was the entrance to the Land of Shadows.

Just as Arkhan was about to open the gate to the Land of Shadows, more than a dozen figures in black robes suddenly rushed out from the corner, heading straight for his back.

"I don't feel like wasting time with you right now!"

A hint of fierceness flashed in Arkhan's pupils. The black spear, Black Abyss, appeared in his hand, and the spear's shadow swept through the air like black lightning.

A dozen heads soared into the sky, blood spouting like fountains. The decapitated bodies, propelled by inertia, took a few steps forward before collapsing with a bang, dissolving into countless particles of light.

"More gods from the Tuatha De Danann..."

If even the gate to the Land of Shadows was guarded, it meant that the enemy had likely already penetrated it.

Arkhan traced a complex runic symbol in the air, and an ancient mysterious power soon permeated the air. As if resonating with something, a black gate engraved with a pattern of amaryllis flowers slowly appeared. Inside was a vortex filled with the breath of death.

Without hesitation, Arkhan stepped into it.

Passing through the gate, the familiar cold atmosphere enveloped his entire body.

"Homecoming..."

Looking at the pitch-black, profound sky above and the endless sea of amaryllis flowers below, Arkhan sighed softly.

Suddenly, a sharp wind sound reached his ears.

*BOOM!*

Like being hit head-on by a high-speed locomotive, Arkhan was instantly sent flying, crashing into a nearby small hill. Half of the hillside collapsed instantly, with huge rocks rolling down, engulfing his figure in an instant.

*Cough! Cough!*

Arkhan coughed and pushed away the boulder, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. Slowly raising his head, his gaze swept over the colossal creature that was taller than a mountain range until he met those cold and merciless vertical pupils.

It was a monster he had seen before, a creature said to create waves that could engulf the palaces of gods with a single swipe of its tail. It took the sacrifice of a god who controlled thunder to finally defeat it.

And now, this world-destroying monster had awakened once again.

"Tch, I was wondering where Vortigern got the confidence to attack the Land of Shadows." Arkhan dusted off the dirt on his armor, then sat on a large rock. "I didn't expect him to resurrect you, Jormungandr."

The eyes of the world serpent glared at him with cold indifference. Its colossal body stood like a pillar between heaven and earth, exuding infinite pressure.

Yet, Arkhan's expression remained calm, showing no signs of panic.

Because, long ago, after returning from the war, he had gathered Merlin, Morgan, Nidhogg, and Canterbury to discuss why Vortigern went through so much trouble to plunder Nidhogg's power.

After a month of discussion, they came up with a highly probable hypothesis—Nidhogg was a creation of the world rules, a symbol of Ragnarok, embodying the concept of 'The End of the Age of Gods'.

Vortigern might use this point to reverse the concept of 'The End of the Age of Gods' into 'The Beginning of the Age of Gods' with the power of the Holy Grail, and then resurrect more gods or stack more divinity on himself.

So, watching Jormungandr appearing before him now, Arkhan didn't find it surprising. In fact, he felt a sense of relief, as if a heavy stone that had been hanging over his head had finally fallen to the ground since the unknown had slowly become known.

Furthermore, he had a rough idea of Vortigern's purpose in attacking the Land of Shadows.

Countless gods were buried in this haunted land. Vortigern probably intended to liberate all these gods from this realm, and then use the power of the Holy Grail to resurrect them.

Although there was no conclusive evidence, Arkhan believed that his reasoning had at least a seventy percent accuracy rate.

Although it was unclear how many gods Vortigern had resurrected, it was definitely more than just Jormungandr. And since even monsters like Jormungandr could be unleashed, it seemed that the situation on his mother's side might really not be optimistic.

'Black Dragon Body, full release!'

Arkhan stood up, black tattoos covering his entire body. Black wings stretched out behind him, and his hair became longer and flowed down to his waist, a surge of magical energy emanating from his body like the roaring waves of the sea.

Jormungandr lowered its body, and a human-like fear appeared in its cold vertical pupils.

"I don't have time to continue this nonsense with you. So, let's decide the winner with this strike."

Black and white light converged into a massive lance. Arkhan grabbed the handle, and the lily patterns on the lance lit up one by one. The pure radiance illuminated the desolate world.

"I am the darkness that consumes all, I am the light that nurtures all."

"I existed before the dawn of creation and will remain after the annihilation."

"Abyss Flower, First Power - Banish Bloom!"

The lance shot out, transforming into a spear of divine light that pierced straight towards Jormungandr.

*ROARRR—!*

Jormungandr let out a dragon-like roar, opening its colossal mouth like a black hole, swallowing the entire pillar of holy light.

The world serpent hissed with disdain evident in its eyes. It seemed to convey—"Is that all?"

It swam with its massive body towards Arkhan. However, when it was less than five hundred meters away, its body suddenly froze.

*Squelch!*

Its flesh was torn apart, and holy white radiance emerged from various parts of its body. Jormungandr rolled in pain, its enormous tail smashing surrounding mountains into pieces, causing earthquakes and tremors akin to a level-ten earthquake.

"Sometimes I really don't understand why monsters like you always prefer eating to resolve battles. Don't you know some things shouldn't be easily swallowed?" Arkhan shook his head helplessly and snapped his fingers. "Bam."

*BOOOM—!!!*

Jormungandr's belly suddenly swelled, followed by a series of earth-shattering explosions. Its massive body instantly exploded!

Arkhan erected a magecraft barrier, blocking the oncoming blood rain and debris.

About ten minutes later, all the commotion gradually ceased.

"Fuck, this smell is really disgusting."

The ground within a radius of kilometers was almost covered with the remains of Jormungandr's body. The strong smell of blood constantly invaded his nostrils, making it quite nauseating.

"Okay, let's hurry and lend a hand."

Glancing at the remnants of Jormungandr, Arkhan shook his head, and his figure disappeared in an instant.