NOVEL WEB The Valhalla Arena!
*Vol.1: Tales of a God.
Chapter 28 - The Valhalla Arena!
Here is the new chapter!
Thanks for waiting!
*Name Caption (You can adopt {ð = d} and {Þ = Th} to make it easier):
Balðr = Baldur/Balder (first son of Odin and Frigg).
Höðr = Höder (second son of Odin and Frigg).
Ahvenanmaa (Finnish) = Aland.
Heimdallr = Heimdall.
Without further ado, enjoy the chapter peasant!
- 1 week later...
- Location: Archipelago located at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia [future islands Ahvenanmaa (Aland)]./ Baltic Sea.
Pov. Thor.
And so, the day of confrontation has finally arrived.
Honestly, I wasn't quite willing to fight for a set of islands. After all, I don't have this desire to expand the Nordic territory... at least not yet.
I won't lie, I don't currently wish to go out on a ridiculous crusade to fight for land/influence because to me it's worthless.
However... I will defend the place I call 'home' until my last breath.
I didn't intend to get too attached to my new family... But after 200 years?
It was hard not to care, after all, I wanted to have an 'anchor' in my new life.
For starters, my brothers.
My brothers can be a little impulsive... But I can't hate them.
Though sometimes they need a good kick in the ass to stay in line…especially Hermod.
My cousins were other people I came to like.
Hel and Fenrir, even though we are only family through the 'blood oath', became people close to me...
Sif was... My first friend. When I was young, I wasn't that close to my brothers, in fact, I think it was me walking away from the idiocies they were doing at the time... That was one of the few reasons I wanted to learn how to forge. Basically, when I was 10 years old, I would rather be alone and learn something that would be useful for me in the future, than just 'playing soldier'. But only a short time later I met Sif, and I couldn't exactly avoid her as she was my teacher Idhuna's daughter. Was she…different? Not exactly, in a short version, she had a good head on her shoulders unlike my brothers and therefore it was easier to talk to her.
Sif's friend, Nanna was... Unique? I didn't interact with her much.
Although it felt like she and Balðr were getting closer over the years.
In fact, Balðr acted strange whenever Nanna was brought into the conversation... Hmm... They are...
Nah.
I must be imagining things.
Frey and Freyja were also people I came to care about, Frey being my second friend.
My friendship with Frey was... complicated.
In short... He was and still is, an idiot.
A good-hearted idiot, I admit...
But still an idiot.
After all, he would like to solve all conflicts like Naruto with his 'talk-no-Jutsu'.
I learned just a few years after being born into this world, something that was a fact.
Nordics only respect strength.
You will only be 'heard' if you are strong.
There was something Loki had once said to me when I decided to live in Midgard.
The words? Well... 'Why do you want to walk among the dirt ones?'
It is quite easy to discern that the so-called 'dirt ones' was the 'mortals'.
Loki's thoughts about the Norse-divine race were very clear to me...
After all, currently, mortals were just 'cattle' to most gods.
Mortals were considered the weakest in the chain of power, for the simple fact that they cannot 'strike back'.
Basically, Loki believed that gods shouldn't mix with dirt. For him, it was like you wanted to crawl through the mud just to socialize with the so-called 'lesser beings'.
In short... He was and still is, big pain in the ass.
Maybe he'll change his mind when the first Longinus appears.
It will be quite easy to find the first sacred gear of the Longinus classification, after all, just find the Roman soldier who will kill the 'savior' during the crucifixion, the irony was the name of the soldier.
The soldier's name?... Longinus.
It was kind of obvious that the Longinus rank descended from somewhere, or more specifically from someone, unfortunately, I had to wait until the time came, which could be after a few centuries, or even millennia, as I didn't have a clue what date exactly I was.
My thoughts were interrupted by a voice.
"Thor?…Thor? Are you listening to me?" asked a voice.
It was Balðr, along with Nanna and Sif, who was keeping me company while I waited for my turn to fight.
"Ah... Say it again?" I asked.
Balðr looked a little uncertain, then Sif spoke.
"*sigh* Your brother wants to fight in your place," Sif said.
Well... Somehow, I expected him to ask that question sooner or later.
"No way," I said.
Balðr seemed a little disappointed by my answer.
"Thor…Are you sure Balðr can't compete? He keeps saying that he wants to fight for the Asgardian people," said Nanna.
Oh, I was fully aware of my brother's desire to fight.
And yet...
"There can only be two representatives, and in this specific situation, Frey is the key player in this confrontation. He MUST fight, only then to bring the Vanir in line. I am the… Guarantee of victory, besides that, I promised to fight" I said.
"*sigh* I understand brother, it's just…I'd like to prove myself to my people," said Balðr.
What Balðr was going through was completely normal.
The 'heart of gold' prince wishes to fight and show his people what kind of ruler he will be.
However, this was unnecessary right now.
I then placed my hand on Balðr's shoulder.
"There will be other fights, 'little shit'. Your duty as a prince right now is to show support for your fighters, so go join the old man and mother Frigg in the main room and watch the 'show', remember brother, just smile and wave" I said, with a little smile.
I did not lie.
It was likely that there will be more fights for territory in the future.
As much as the gods don't need the 'faith' of mortals to live, for them it was always nice to be worshiped by 'lesser beings'... Shit god-superiority complex.
"I really don't like it…but that's okay. I wish you, good luck brother," said Balðr.
"Thanks, little shit," I said.
Then Balðr looked at Nanna and Sif.
"…If you wish, feel free to accompany me to the royal area," said Balðr.
Nanna looked like she wanted to go, however, Sif declined the invitation.
"I appreciate Prince Balðr's invitation, but I'll be in the Asgardian crowd along with my mum and dad," Sif said, with a little bow.
"I see, in this case... Shall we go Miss Nanna?" asked Balðr, with a shy smile, extending his arm.
Nanna just smiled and grabbed Balðr's arm in a hug.
"Yes Balðr, let's go," said Nanna.
Nanna's answer seemed to have Balðr grinning even wider.
In the 'waiting room,' it was just me and Sif.
"You know... It's quite rare to see Balðr behave as that" I commented.
Balðr is courteous to everyone... But with Nanna, he seems to be especially careful.
"Well…I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up sharing a bed one day," Sif said.
For some reason... I imagined Balðr marrying Nanna.
Hmm... If that happened, I would definitely play the 'cool uncle' role.
"…It wouldn't be so bad," I said.
Sif then looked at me.
"... Serious? Do you think that wouldn't be a problem?" asked Sif.
Technically, Nanna was a Jotun, as she is the daughter of a leader named Nep. But as the Aesir had already made some Kostr over the years, another marriage between Aesir and Jotun would be frowned upon by some.
But honestly...
"…I don't think it would be a problem. If Balðr wants to marry Nanna, he will have my support," I said with a shrug.
Before Sif and I could talk again, the other Asgardian representative had arrived.
Pov. Third-person.
"Well… here we are," Frey said, a little nervous.
Thor, sensing Frey's nervousness, assumed that Frey was probably nervous because it would be the first time he would fight for real, and it would be the first time he would fight using his weapons.
Plus there are thousands of people watching the confrontation.
"Relax Frey, it's not like it's a fight to the death…" said Thor, shrugging.
"Actually, it's a fight to the 'death'," Freyja said.
Thor just scoffed.
"No, it's not. The Valhalla arena was made by Buri for us to fight to the 'death' in the mirror dimension, whoever 'dies' in the mirror dimension will be taken back to the real world knocked out, but very alive," said Thor.
Buri made the 'Valhalla arena' for a simple reason. Buri's reign was the reign with the fewest Nordic supernatural beings.
Buri had many children, but the population was very small and there was still conflict... It was then that, in order to resolve the 'conflict' without a bloody war, Buri had the idea of creating the 'Valhalla arena'.
A place where combatants would be taken to the mirror dimension of the entire planet Earth.
There was no sign of life in that place other than the combatants.
In the mirror dimension, combatants would fight to the 'death'.
When the combatant died, their body returned from the mirror dimension completely healthy and knocked out, but very alive.
There was just the mental strain, which depending on the situation, could put the combatant into a coma for a few years. But these cases were rare, and there were still no fatalities.
In short, Buri created the arena to 'resolve conflicts' without having to lose his people.
However, neither Borr nor Odin used the arena after Buri's death... The reason? Because they WANTED there to be casualties on their enemies during the wars.
The 'Valhalla arena' will be used to prevent someone from dying.
"While this is true, the pain will be very real," Freyja said in rebuke.
That would be true, the pain would be so real that it will be a more violent version of the 'ghost pain', so it resulted in the knockout.
"…you know, hearing all this makes me rethink my decision to fight," Frey said, with a nervous smile.
Thor walked over and slapped Frey on the shoulder.
"Too late to run… Your people and all Asgard, as well as some pantheons and factions of the supernatural, will be watching you," said Thor.
Frey just went pale.
"That… doesn't help," Frey said.
It was at that moment that Sif decided to speak.
"I think I better go now…I still have to meet my dad and mom in the audience," Sif said.
Sif then looked at Thor.
"Well… good luck big guy," Sif said smiling at Thor.
Thor smiled back.
"Thanks, Sif, I'm sure Frey and I can handle it," Thor said.
Sif just waved and looked like she wanted to do something else... But she just chose to leave the 'waiting room'.
Thor then felt a hand on his forearm and looked toward the owner of the hand.
It was Freyja.
But although at first, it looked like Freyja wanted to say something, she just… Stared.
Freyja just stared at Thor with her eyes, with no sign of replying.
This seemed to confuse Thor.
"…Freyja? Did you want to say something?" Thor asked, confused.
Frey, who knew his sister well, knew that at that moment his sister was using one of her abilities.
The skill? With just a brief touch, Freyja will know the individual's deepest desires.
However... Freyja had never been like this after knowing the person's deepest desire, usually, Freyja used this ability unconsciously. So, she learned to ignore the most hidden primitive desires of the person, the main motivator was because she is the goddess of beauty and that's why, when a man or even a woman looked towards her, it aroused her most primitive desires, like lust.
Call her a narcissist, but Freyja was fully aware of her charm and her 'worth' as a goddess of beauty.
Freyja used this ability to distance herself from wedding suitors who only thought of her as a 'trophy'.
Because Freyja knew very well what the person felt the moment she touched the individual, she had learned to ignore such thoughts of the person...
This time, for some reason, the same thing didn't happen.
Freyja didn't ignore the person's thoughts, as usual, she had just stood there... in shock.
Frey then shook his sister's shoulder, waking her up about her situation.
"Ah! I... I wish you all the best of luck, see you later! I'm going to join dad and mom! I'll be rooting for your victory!" said Freyja, as she walked quickly towards the exit of the 'waiting room'.
This action left Thor a little surprised and Frey quite confused.
"... What happened?" Thor asked, looking at Frey.
Not even Frey was sure.
"I have no idea... But for some reason I don't like it at all," said Frey, with a little frown.
This seemed to confuse Thor.
"How do you not like it if you don't even know what happened?" Thor asked uncertainly.
Frey responded with a frown.
"It's just a feeling…call it a disturbance," Frey said.
Thor looked at Frey as if he were crazy.
Before Thor could speak, the sound of a trumpet rang throughout the Valhalla arena.
It was time for the clash between the gods.
- Location: Future islands Ahvenanmaa (Aland) / Arena Valhalla.
Pov. Third-person.
The Valhalla arena was very similar to a football stadium... but with a grandstand capable of holding up to 100,000 fans, in addition to the VIP area. In addition to being a 'floating' arena...
The arena was 'mobile' so that the confrontation could be held 'outside' Asgardian territory.
Through runes, the confrontation between the combatants in the mirror dimension was transmitted to the crowd.
The VIP area is occupied by the most important figures from the pantheons or factions that have chosen to see the fight. The reason for such an invitation to other factions and pantheons was quite simple... To show others who has the biggest 'weapon'.
One of these figures, who had accepted the invitation, belonged to the Aztec pantheon and was well known for being one of the current dragon kings.
Or in this case, another dragon queen besides Tiamat.
Balðr, who was heading to the 'VIP area' of the Nordic pantheon, stopped when he saw the figure, and then greeted her with respect.
"Ah! Lady Quetzalcoatl! I see you took an interest in this little battle," said Balðr, with a welcoming smile.
The figure, now identified as Quetzalcoatl, only chuckled.
"Hahahaha... It's always fun to see a good fight! I'm also a little surprised to finally meet you, son of Odin," said Quetzalcoatl.
Another well-known thing about Quetzalcoatl?... Although she was known to be quite benevolent to humans... She was addicted to confrontations, especially when she was the one fighting and when it was unarmed combat.
"I hear you prefer to fight unarmed Hmm~... Maybe we can have a little friendly battle in the future?~" Quetzalcoatl asked, with a smile.
Balðr knew that this dragon queen was quite hyperactive when it came to fighting...
"Perhaps Mrs. Quetzalcoatl, who knows later," said Balðr.
Nanna, who was with Balðr, was nervous when Quetzalcoatl laid eyes on her.
It felt like someone was stepping on her throat and holding her breath.
"Oh?~ And who is this young woman?" Quetzalcoatl asked with an innocent smile.
It was then that Nanna realized something, Quetzalcoatl wasn't trying to intimidate her...
It was Quetzalcoatl's own 'presence' that was making it difficult to maintain her composure.
The mere presence of a dragon, one of the dragon kings and one of the main figures in the Aztec pantheon, would make any existence far weaker to be afraid of.
It was then that Nanna felt Balðr pull her closer, and a new sensation came over Nanna.
A sensation of security.
"She is a…special friend, I invited her to be with me watching Prince Frey and my brother Thor, along with my parents," said Balðr.
As soon as Quetzalcoatl took her eyes off Nanna and turned to look at Balðr when he answered, Nanna, seemed to have calmed down more.
Quetzalcoatl nodded her head then... But she still seemed to want to talk more.
"Ah~... Thor... Hmm~... I heard about your brother. Kind of hard not to know who is he, especially after he's won the title of the 'strongest Norse god', his stories are pretty well known... I'd like to meet him soon if it's possible," Quetzalcoatl said with a smile.
Balðr remained unchanged.
"Of course, I'll be sure to tell my brother after the fight is over… Now if you'll excuse us, we're off," said Balðr, with a polite smile.
Quetzalcoatl, whether she sensed Balðr's haste or not, did not show it.
"Of course~... I'm sorry if I'm in the way, I'll withdraw... I'll watch the confrontation" said Quetzalcoatl, as she started to walk away.
But before Quetzalcoatl was far away, Balðr heard her last comment.
"I have high expectations of your brother, I hope I'll not be disappointed~," said Quetzalcoatl.
When Quetzalcoatl was out of sight, Balðr immediately looked at Nanna.
"Are you alright? Is anything hurt? I'm sorry, I had to congratulate her, I'm the future leader of the pantheon and she is the daughter of the leader of the current Aztec pantheon Mixcóatl, as well as being the future ruler," Balðr said hastily.
Nanna quickly responded to Balðr with a smile.
"I'm fine Balðr, really… Come on, the fight will start soon," said Nanna.
But inside… Nanna had never been so scared in the presence of someone she'd met for the first time.
A short time later the fans of the 'Valhalla arena' were screaming for their competitors, the fans of the Nordic pantheon and the Slavic pantheon had only one thing in common at that time...
They wanted to see their pantheon win.
In the center of the arena, a figure stood out with a trumpet in hand.
It was Heimdallr.
Although it's not his main task, he has volunteered to be the announcer of the fight.
Heimdallr then used his trusty artifact, the Gjallarhorn, so that the entire arena could hear him.
"Heads up! Gods and Goddesses and other supernatural beings!" said Heimdallr
Once Heimdallr had caught the audience's attention, the arena fell silent so Heimdallr could be heard.
"To resolve a dispute over disputed territory, which would at the moment be the archipelago below the 'Valhalla arena', between the Slav pantheon and the Nordic pantheon! It has been decided that there will be a match between two representatives from each pantheon in the Valhalla arena!" said Heimdallr, in a loud voice.
"YEEAAAAH!!!"
Shouts of affirmation roared in the arena.
Nothing settles a dispute between two pantheons more than a good fight.
"Now! I will introduce the fighters!" said Heimdallr.
Heimdallr then pointed with his left hand towards the gate on his left.
"The first fighter, representing the Slavic pantheon!"
As Heimdallr introduced the Slav fighter, a figure could be seen exiting the gate.
"He is without a doubt one of the strongest gods in the Slavic pantheon!"
The figure was taking the form of a man carrying a battle axe.
"He is revered by mortals as the patron of warriors, and the reigning lord of the sky as the god of the storm!"
The man approached slowly a small spot, near a rune that was marked on the ground.
"He is also known for his 'explosive' temper, where his birth was heralded by an earthquake!"
It was then that the man stopped next to the rune.
"It's him! The only!"
The man then looked at the audience that was on the side of the gate from which he emerged, the side that contained the Slav pantheon crowd, and then raised the axe.
"PERUN!"
"YEAAH!!!" roared the Slav fans.
When the crowd had calmed down, Heimdallr then pointed to the gate on his right.
"And now! Introducing the first representative of the Norse!"
From the gate on the right side of Heimdallr, a figure began to emerge.
"He is known as the one god of peace of the Norse pantheon!"
The figure turned out to be Frey.
"Adored by mortals for being the deity who represents prosperity, good harvests, and agriculture! In addition to marriages and fertility!"
Frey then stopped next to the rune that was written on the ground.
"The prince and heir of the Vanir gods!"
Frey then extended his right hand, and in it, a glow began to form... When the glow disappeared, there was something in Frey's hand.
A sword.
"FREY!"
"YEAAH!!!" roared the Nordic crowd.
Heimdallr remained calm as he bowed briefly to Prince Vanir. Sometime later, Heimdallr spoke again.
"And now! The second representative of the Slavic pantheon!"
Another man appeared at the same gate that Perun appeared.
"Revered as a solar deity!"
The man walked towards Perun slowly, and it seemed that the crowd adored him.
"This is, without doubt, the most beloved god among the entire Slavic pantheon and by the mortals of Slav territory!"
The man then stopped beside Perun.
"Doesn't matter your opponent! Even if it's winter! This man will burn it without mercy!"
The man next to Perun looked bored as if he didn't want to be there.
"His name is... DAŽBOG!"
"YEAH!" roared the Slav fans again.
The Slav fans clamored for their representatives.
But then, after the Slav crowd had calmed down, Heimdallr proceeded to present the second and final representative of the Nordic pantheon.
"And now... The last fighter!" said Heimdallr, pointing to the gate on his right.
The gate was on the same side as the Norse crowd.
"He is known by many titles!"
A figure could be seen exiting the gate.
"Doesn't matter your opponent! This man remains undefeated with his insane strength!"
The figure was easily the tallest of the combatants, about 8 feet. Every step this man took seemed to shake the arena.
"He is known to be the god of thunder! But make no mistake!"
The figure turned out to be a man well known to the Norse pantheon.
"He's called the 'god of thunder' because every time he strikes with his hammer, the roar of thunder will resonate across the sky and beyond!"
The man was still walking towards Frey.
"The one with the title of the strongest Norse god!"
The man then stopped walking when he reached Frey's side.
The Nordic fans started screaming and clamoring as loudly as possible for the last Nordic representative as soon as Heimdallr uttered his name...
"THOR!"
Well... That's it, folks!
I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Forgive me in case of grammatical errors... I tried. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I still haven't figured out how to link the paragraph images... Someone, please help me!