185. “Back home.”
The little girl who was casually sitting on the expanding box looked around at the figure moving inside the blue mist.
"Do you really believe you can interrupt me?"
"I can. I have to," an incredibly deep voice echoed and made the air vibrate.
The little girl laughed. "How will you accomplish such a feat?"
"Austerely, dear Harmonia," Jorga's head suddenly emerged from the blue mist. The girl closed her mouth. Gray skin that looked like polished stone and sharp eyes glowing with a blue-green hue. “Isn’t that your name?”
Harmonia scowled. “…How would you know?”
"I know a lot. Your creator, Phobos, the God of Fear, named you after his beloved sister Harmonia, the Goddess of Harmony and Concord. He hoped for you to be a weapon of salvation with the power of dissonance and a mind of accordance. But… you betrayed his hopes.”
Harmonia remained silent but it was clear how affected she was by those words, considering her pale white skin and her trembling hand.
“I never betrayed him…” She gritted her teeth. “THEY betrayed him! The Pantheon stabbed him in the back when they discovered my existence! He died hiding me from them so that they wouldn’t use me for their ends.”
Jorga squinted his eyes and sighed when she started crying in front of him. “Fafnir found me one day after I had lost my mind and destroyed several worlds… He wasn’t the best guy to be around but at least he promised me he would help me get my revenge on those gods. And he did. Before he was killed by Siegfried, I got my vengeance on the high council. Now, I stay with him to repay a debt. Don’t even try to make me regret, Jormungand!”
“…Harmonia, if you don’t stop, I will be forced to seal you. Just as Arima did," he glanced down as he said that. The girl followed his eyes and noticed that Fafnir had indeed been sealed.
"I cannot be sealed and I will not go back on my word. I’ll comply with his last request," she retorted with a cold voice.
"You’re mistaken, Harmonia. You can be sealed," Jorga paused. "Well, by special means only," he added and disappeared inside the mist once again.
Harmonia was starting to feel apprehensive when she heard a powerful howl. The low-pitched voice spread everywhere and pierced everyone's ears.
Arima smiled. "I'm all right now," he told Layla and her magic stopped supporting him. He stretched his neck and limbs a bit then exhaled. His eyes then fell on the blue sphere created by the Fifth Destruction Art.
His sigil glowed and the sphere immediately obeyed him although it was Layla's magic. Arima traced the path with his eyes and the Nibelungen Gold was propelled upward at incredible speed.
"[I've Traveled Far and Wide]."
"[I saw the Worlds, the Planes, the Realities, the Existence]."
Jorga's voice resounded everywhere one more time. Easily reaching Arima's position.
"[I opened my Mouth many times]."
"[I cannot Slay]."
"[But who Said I couldn’t Steal?]."
At those words, Harmonia made a strange face and Arima smirked. At the same time, the spatial sphere reached the Eye of Discord and burst open to free the Nibelungen gold.
Harmonia's eyes widened and she tried to grab the piece of gold but she then realized that her surroundings had been thrown into a Time Lock.
"[I've Heard many Stories]."
"[But I also Watched them Unfold]."
"[Let me Show you what I’ve Garnered]."
"[Jotunheim]."
Jorga chanted and opened his maw. The moment he did that, everything began to be sucked inside his body. His mist wasn't an exception and was going straight down his throat. The attraction force was so strong that even some planets and stars were being moved while asteroids didn’t even last a second.
Harmonia's eyes narrowed as the box she was sitting on tried to resist the attraction. On the other hand, the cursed gold couldn't do anything as it disappeared inside Jorga's stomach.
Jorga’s body was also being revealed since the mist was dispersing. Even Arima was awed when he saw it. One couldn't even see the end of it while the head alone was larger than Fafnir during his final form.
Harmonia also shivered when she saw him. It was the thought of being consumed by a beast so titanic that frightened her. She clenched her fists and tried to activate the Eye of Discord earlier but she failed to even interact with it.
Jorga howled again and it was mixed with a faint hiss. Harmonia promptly halted her actions and relented with a sigh. She closed her eyes and was swallowed even faster than the Nibelungen Gold along with the Eye of Discord.
When it was finally over, Jorga closed his mouth and released the blue mist again through his nostrils. His colossal body then moved and slowly descended.
Arima was resting on a nearby planet because outer-space wasn't really the ideal choice to recover since there weren't even one of the four elements and the mana that could be filtered was very scarce.
He looked up from the top of his mountain and Layla sat on his shoulder. The entire sky was replaced by azure clouds and a giant head peeked through them. Arima smiled wryly. It truly felt like a god was looking down on them.
"How should I call you now?"
"I'm Jormungand. But my name is still Jorga," The serpent answered with a much softer voice than before.
Arima nodded. "Then, Jorga, I'm sorry you had to do this."
"You don't have to. There’s no way to know what kind of catastrophes Fafnir would have caused if not for you. That guy isn’t really evil incarnate but he couldn’t care less about others’ lives if they don’t have gold to give him. In any case, becoming the World Serpent was something that would've happened to me one day or another. Today was the day… that’s all there is to it," Jorga said and sighed. A wind strong enough to blow away a town descended on Arima but for him and Layla, it was just a breeze.
"I have to go now," the serpent added. "I'm now bound to be an overseer. I have many worlds to look after," he declared and stared at Arima. "Lastly, I'm sure you have noticed the sky-blue veins on your body, right?"
Arima looked down at the cyan cracks that were spreading like a net on his body with his heart as the epicenter. "That's the key to stabilizing your body. I'm sure you already know how to finalize your transformation into an Eternal Dragon with this information, right?"
Arima snickered. “Sure, I do.”
"Well then, Arimane, Layla, Night, Karma; see you soon," the World Serpent said and returned inside the blue clouds. "Call me whenever you need it. I'm everywhere after all," this was his last message before the clouds returned to normal and the blue mist disappeared along with his entire body.
Arima sighed and Karma appeared on his left shoulder.
"Soooo… what do we do now?" She asked curiously.
"You will go back there after all?" Layla inquired and Arima closed his eyes.
"{There isn’t another choice to be fair,}" Night's voice echoed in everyone's head.
"I know, I know. Would you stop being so ominous about it…" Arima grumbled as he stood up with an annoyed expression and everyone chuckled. "Deva," he called and the creature landed beside him out of nowhere.
Arima had no idea at all where Deva was hiding during the second half of the fight but if he had to guess, he’d say she was sleeping considering her sullen eyes. He snorted at how laid-back this creature was. She was always unaffected by everything and nothing could ever scare her.
"Let's go," Arima spoke as he jumped on her back. "Back home," he muttered and Deva's powerful voice resounded as a white ring of light formed in front of her. She flapped her two pairs of white wings and disappeared.
***
In another plane, far from any civilization, the Lonely King was sleeping on his cold throne. His long silver hair fluttered with the breeze as his crimson eyes gradually opened.
He sighed and slowly stood up. He stepped on the cold blue granite then released his aura to warm it up. When he did so, the entire castle was blown away as if it was made of cards. The stone was thrown miles away and the bricks that were above him went straight into orbit.
"Jormungand is back. The Eye of Discord, The Nibelungen gold, and Fafnir have been sealed," he muttered and took a step forward. He reappeared on another planet and continued slowly. With each step, he would reappear in the middle of a completely new landscape. "Interesting."
"He's both a Silver Emperor and a Death Hunter. An irregular one at that. A man who was born with a demonic heritage but lived with the love and hatred of humans. 'Kind Demon', huh?" He talked to himself as he walked. He had already traveled through a hundred different planets or so already.
He then finally stopped at one particular planet. One with a lot of water on its surface and a fairly advanced civilization. The Lonely King observed the buildings and the skyscrapers then started walking with everyone in the lively and clean streets.
The red robe he was wearing just before was gone and he was now wearing simple dark blue pants and a red shirt with a crown drawn on it. He also had a black and thin jacket over it. He was now just a modern man but his stunning appearance attracted attention.
Everyone around would gawk at him, both men and women. They were not jealous or captivated though. It felt like they were looking at someone untouchable. While looking at him, the only thing they were wondering about was how someone could be so perfect.
"Indeed," meanwhile, the man in question continued his monologue. "An individual worthy to become a Plane Guardian."
185. “Back home.”
The little girl who was casually sitting on the expanding box looked around at the figure moving inside the blue mist.
"Do you really believe you can interrupt me?"
"I can. I have to," an incredibly deep voice echoed and made the air vibrate.
The little girl laughed. "How will you accomplish such a feat?"
"Austerely, dear Harmonia," Jorga's head suddenly emerged from the blue mist. The girl closed her mouth. Gray skin that looked like polished stone and sharp eyes glowing with a blue-green hue. “Isn’t that your name?”
Harmonia scowled. “…How would you know?”
"I know a lot. Your creator, Phobos, the God of Fear, named you after his beloved sister Harmonia, the Goddess of Harmony and Concord. He hoped for you to be a weapon of salvation with the power of dissonance and a mind of accordance. But… you betrayed his hopes.”
Harmonia remained silent but it was clear how affected she was by those words, considering her pale white skin and her trembling hand.
“I never betrayed him…” She gritted her teeth. “THEY betrayed him! The Pantheon stabbed him in the back when they discovered my existence! He died hiding me from them so that they wouldn’t use me for their ends.”
Jorga squinted his eyes and sighed when she started crying in front of him. “Fafnir found me one day after I had lost my mind and destroyed several worlds… He wasn’t the best guy to be around but at least he promised me he would help me get my revenge on those gods. And he did. Before he was killed by Siegfried, I got my vengeance on the high council. Now, I stay with him to repay a debt. Don’t even try to make me regret, Jormungand!”
“…Harmonia, if you don’t stop, I will be forced to seal you. Just as Arima did," he glanced down as he said that. The girl followed his eyes and noticed that Fafnir had indeed been sealed.
"I cannot be sealed and I will not go back on my word. I’ll comply with his last request," she retorted with a cold voice.
"You’re mistaken, Harmonia. You can be sealed," Jorga paused. "Well, by special means only," he added and disappeared inside the mist once again.
Harmonia was starting to feel apprehensive when she heard a powerful howl. The low-pitched voice spread everywhere and pierced everyone's ears.
Arima smiled. "I'm all right now," he told Layla and her magic stopped supporting him. He stretched his neck and limbs a bit then exhaled. His eyes then fell on the blue sphere created by the Fifth Destruction Art.
His sigil glowed and the sphere immediately obeyed him although it was Layla's magic. Arima traced the path with his eyes and the Nibelungen Gold was propelled upward at incredible speed.
"[I've Traveled Far and Wide]."
"[I saw the Worlds, the Planes, the Realities, the Existence]."
Jorga's voice resounded everywhere one more time. Easily reaching Arima's position.
"[I opened my Mouth many times]."
"[I cannot Slay]."
"[But who Said I couldn’t Steal?]."
At those words, Harmonia made a strange face and Arima smirked. At the same time, the spatial sphere reached the Eye of Discord and burst open to free the Nibelungen gold.
Harmonia's eyes widened and she tried to grab the piece of gold but she then realized that her surroundings had been thrown into a Time Lock.
"[I've Heard many Stories]."
"[But I also Watched them Unfold]."
"[Let me Show you what I’ve Garnered]."
"[Jotunheim]."
Jorga chanted and opened his maw. The moment he did that, everything began to be sucked inside his body. His mist wasn't an exception and was going straight down his throat. The attraction force was so strong that even some planets and stars were being moved while asteroids didn’t even last a second.
Harmonia's eyes narrowed as the box she was sitting on tried to resist the attraction. On the other hand, the cursed gold couldn't do anything as it disappeared inside Jorga's stomach.
Jorga’s body was also being revealed since the mist was dispersing. Even Arima was awed when he saw it. One couldn't even see the end of it while the head alone was larger than Fafnir during his final form.
Harmonia also shivered when she saw him. It was the thought of being consumed by a beast so titanic that frightened her. She clenched her fists and tried to activate the Eye of Discord earlier but she failed to even interact with it.
Jorga howled again and it was mixed with a faint hiss. Harmonia promptly halted her actions and relented with a sigh. She closed her eyes and was swallowed even faster than the Nibelungen Gold along with the Eye of Discord.
When it was finally over, Jorga closed his mouth and released the blue mist again through his nostrils. His colossal body then moved and slowly descended.
Arima was resting on a nearby planet because outer-space wasn't really the ideal choice to recover since there weren't even one of the four elements and the mana that could be filtered was very scarce.
He looked up from the top of his mountain and Layla sat on his shoulder. The entire sky was replaced by azure clouds and a giant head peeked through them. Arima smiled wryly. It truly felt like a god was looking down on them.
"How should I call you now?"
"I'm Jormungand. But my name is still Jorga," The serpent answered with a much softer voice than before.
Arima nodded. "Then, Jorga, I'm sorry you had to do this."
"You don't have to. There’s no way to know what kind of catastrophes Fafnir would have caused if not for you. That guy isn’t really evil incarnate but he couldn’t care less about others’ lives if they don’t have gold to give him. In any case, becoming the World Serpent was something that would've happened to me one day or another. Today was the day… that’s all there is to it," Jorga said and sighed. A wind strong enough to blow away a town descended on Arima but for him and Layla, it was just a breeze.
"I have to go now," the serpent added. "I'm now bound to be an overseer. I have many worlds to look after," he declared and stared at Arima. "Lastly, I'm sure you have noticed the sky-blue veins on your body, right?"
Arima looked down at the cyan cracks that were spreading like a net on his body with his heart as the epicenter. "That's the key to stabilizing your body. I'm sure you already know how to finalize your transformation into an Eternal Dragon with this information, right?"
Arima snickered. “Sure, I do.”
"Well then, Arimane, Layla, Night, Karma; see you soon," the World Serpent said and returned inside the blue clouds. "Call me whenever you need it. I'm everywhere after all," this was his last message before the clouds returned to normal and the blue mist disappeared along with his entire body.
Arima sighed and Karma appeared on his left shoulder.
"Soooo… what do we do now?" She asked curiously.
"You will go back there after all?" Layla inquired and Arima closed his eyes.
"{There isn’t another choice to be fair,}" Night's voice echoed in everyone's head.
"I know, I know. Would you stop being so ominous about it…" Arima grumbled as he stood up with an annoyed expression and everyone chuckled. "Deva," he called and the creature landed beside him out of nowhere.
Arima had no idea at all where Deva was hiding during the second half of the fight but if he had to guess, he’d say she was sleeping considering her sullen eyes. He snorted at how laid-back this creature was. She was always unaffected by everything and nothing could ever scare her.
"Let's go," Arima spoke as he jumped on her back. "Back home," he muttered and Deva's powerful voice resounded as a white ring of light formed in front of her. She flapped her two pairs of white wings and disappeared.
***
In another plane, far from any civilization, the Lonely King was sleeping on his cold throne. His long silver hair fluttered with the breeze as his crimson eyes gradually opened.
He sighed and slowly stood up. He stepped on the cold blue granite then released his aura to warm it up. When he did so, the entire castle was blown away as if it was made of cards. The stone was thrown miles away and the bricks that were above him went straight into orbit.
"Jormungand is back. The Eye of Discord, The Nibelungen gold, and Fafnir have been sealed," he muttered and took a step forward. He reappeared on another planet and continued slowly. With each step, he would reappear in the middle of a completely new landscape. "Interesting."
"He's both a Silver Emperor and a Death Hunter. An irregular one at that. A man who was born with a demonic heritage but lived with the love and hatred of humans. 'Kind Demon', huh?" He talked to himself as he walked. He had already traveled through a hundred different planets or so already.
He then finally stopped at one particular planet. One with a lot of water on its surface and a fairly advanced civilization. The Lonely King observed the buildings and the skyscrapers then started walking with everyone in the lively and clean streets.
The red robe he was wearing just before was gone and he was now wearing simple dark blue pants and a red shirt with a crown drawn on it. He also had a black and thin jacket over it. He was now just a modern man but his stunning appearance attracted attention.
Everyone around would gawk at him, both men and women. They were not jealous or captivated though. It felt like they were looking at someone untouchable. While looking at him, the only thing they were wondering about was how someone could be so perfect.
"Indeed," meanwhile, the man in question continued his monologue. "An individual worthy to become a Plane Guardian."
