Beyond the Apocalypse

Vlad and Overlord immediately frowned when they saw the energy within the Vikings’ totems begin to gather. Golden streams of power rose from every warrior, merging into a vast ocean of radiant energy that formed high above the Divine Dome.

The mass of power was immense—far denser than anything they had expected.

It pressed down upon the entire dome like an invisible ocean, so heavy that the air itself seemed to suffocate under its presence. Many of the weaker Vikings struggled to endure the drain as their totems released their stored energy.

Some collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

The moment Vlad saw that, his eyes sharpened.

Those totems were supposed to be connected to Odinvaldr, the ancient progenitor of the Viking race. But Vlad had already witnessed the terrifying ability of the Alien Powers to twist and corrupt such connections. There was no guarantee that what was happening now was not the beginning of something far more dangerous.

A trap.

A summoning.

Or the birth of a nightmare.

Not wasting a single second, the True Depravita of Wrath issued a command.

Overlord, Jormungandr, Fafnir, and Ouroboros instantly flashed into Vlad’s soul, merging with him. Their powers fused together, allowing him to activate his Ultimate Form.

The Quantum Eye appeared on his forehead.

But that was only the beginning.

The power of his bloodline ignited, surging through every cell of his body.

An instant later, the Antimatter Doppelgänger manifested beside him.

Overlord immediately seized control of the construct’s mind. The dark entity shot upward toward the golden ocean of energy and summoned Heaven’s Gate.

Countless golden portals opened in the sky, each one filled with divine weapons ready to fire at a moment’s notice.

Vlad himself remained beside Freya.

He gently placed a hand on her back, carefully monitoring her condition—as well as the condition of the children she carried.

At the same time, the Eye of Gluttony on his forehead began channeling the power of the Law of Life, spreading waves of restorative energy through the dome to stabilize the Vikings suffering from the drain.

Fortunately, those who had collapsed were not truly injured. They were simply exhausted after releasing the energy stored within their totems.

No permanent damage had been done.

The process continued for several hours.

Slowly, every fragment of energy contained within the Vikings’ totems rose upward and joined the enormous golden ocean above the dome.

Then something changed.

The ocean began to compress.

The glowing mass had once stretched across an area larger than a continent, yet within seconds it began shrinking rapidly.

Its size reduced again.

And again.

Until the vast sea of power was no larger than four meters across.

Even then, the transformation did not stop.

The compressed energy began to reshape itself.

Arms formed.

Legs.

A torso.

Within seconds, the outline of a humanoid figure appeared.

Ten seconds later, the shape of a golden old man stood within the floating sphere of light.

Then the energy shell exploded outward.

The golden barrier shattered.

And the figure inside was revealed.

Every Viking present froze.

The man had long silver hair and an equally long beard. One of his eyes was missing, hidden beneath a scarred socket. Two black crows rested calmly upon his shoulders, and in his hand he carried a long spear that radiated ancient authority.

Even Vlad could not help but feel a sense of awe as he stared at the figure.

The old man’s aura was unlike anything he had ever encountered.

It surpassed the presence of any other lifeform Vlad had seen. It felt as if the highest forms of the universe’s laws had condensed into flesh and blood.

The old man gazed down at the Vikings.

His expression was stern, yet not cold.

There was no anger in his eyes.

Instead, it resembled the gaze of a strict father—someone who rarely showed emotion, yet whose love for his children was genuine and unwavering.

Then he spoke.

"I am the thunder of war."

"I am the flame of honor."

"I am the bloodshed of the battlefield."

His voice was powerful, echoing like thunder.

"I am Odinvaldr!"

The declaration reverberated across the entire Divine Dome—and far beyond it. The sound spread across the whole First Layer of Hell, shaking the infernal laws themselves.

The Vikings trembled.

Then, almost as one, they fell to their knees.

They bowed deeply in worship, chanting the name of their Primordial God with voices filled with reverence and devotion.

Even Freya could not help but gaze at the old man with absolute veneration.

He was the ancestor of Valhalla.

The origin of the Viking race.

The legendary warrior who had risen from mortality to become a Primordial God.

Yet not everyone present was overwhelmed by awe.

Space distorted with a sharp crack.

Vlad and the Antimatter Doppelgänger appeared beside the old man, flanking him from opposite sides.

The portals of Heaven’s Gate flared with power, ready to unleash a double barrage capable of tearing holes through a Paragon.

No matter how powerful the old man might be, being impaled by divine weapons infused with antimatter would inflict devastating damage.

The True Depravita of Wrath stared at him with cold eyes.

Vlad’s relationship with Odinvaldr was... complicated.

He did hold a degree of gratitude toward the ancient god. After all, Odinvaldr had once healed his wounds and helped Freya’s totems evolve following the Tournament of Destiny. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

But Vlad also carried anger.

The Primordial God had done nothing while the Viking people were being corrupted and destroyed.

And now he appeared only after Valhalla had already fallen.

Furthermore, Vlad was not even certain that this being was truly Odinvaldr. The Alien Powers were masters of deception, capable of disguising themselves in countless ways.

This entire event could easily be a trap.

His voice emerged cold and sharp.

"Prove your identity."

The killing intent behind those words was unmistakable.

There was not the slightest hesitation in Vlad’s posture. If the answer he received did not satisfy him, he would attack immediately.

Many of the Vikings present showed complicated expressions when they saw how the True Depravita of Wrath addressed their Primordial God.

If it had been anyone else, they would have reacted with fury.

But Vlad was different.

The Xaos King was the one who had saved the Viking race from extinction. Without him, their people would already be gone.

Their devotion to him was not much less than the reverence they felt for Odinvaldr himself.

Tension arose as the King and the God face each other.