TMHR 41

Chapter 41

The people who had gathered from the city bit back at those who had committed human sacrifices alongside the priests.

“Thank you.”

A man leading the people, standing in front of us, bowed deeply.

His name was Lee Chang-min, a native of this village who had served as the youth leader before the heretics arrived.

“Thanks to you saviors, the madness that had descended on our village has disappeared.”

With sincere gratitude, they offered us a boat.

“I know exactly where they carry out the human sacrifices. I can take you there myself.”

We boarded Lee Chang-min’s boat.

Meanwhile, I noticed Gunter’s face, stiff and uneasy.

Heretics, human sacrifices, priests turned into demons, and now Jörmungandr…

The subjects were enough to weigh heavily on anyone’s mind.

“Thank you very much,” Chang-min said again, but the atmosphere didn’t lighten.

“Can you tell us exactly what happened?” I asked.

“Where should I even start?”

Chang-min let out a heavy sigh and began to explain why so many people had been swayed by the heretics and why they had performed human sacrifices at their command.

A few months before the heretics arrived, the village’s catch had dropped by half.

Even the fish they were raising died inexplicably.

Anyone who tried to solve the problem met mysterious deaths.

“And then, the heretics arrived. They said that if people worshiped the gods they believed in, peace would return to the village.”

“I assume no one believed them at first?”

“Most didn’t. But for those desperate enough, it felt like salvation. And only the boats of those who believed saw an increase in catches. Fish in the farms run by believers began to thrive. Slowly, they started to take over.”

That was probably when people’s faith in the new religion genuinely began.

In hard times, it’s natural to trust someone who helps you. Heretics preyed on that psychological gap.

“I used to think the drop in fish catches was their doing, but no one believed them at first. What they showed us were miracles.”

“What kind of miracles?” Gunter asked.

Chang-min exhaled.

“When the catches fell, about one ship went missing every two months. The missing ships came back.”

“Did all the crew survive?”

“No. Of twenty missing, only five returned. They had all become loyal followers of the heretics.”

“So that means…”

“Yes. I thought it was all a staged act, but there was no proof.”

Chang-min’s expression darkened.

“As people began to believe, they said that to save ten, one had to be sacrificed. That one was someone like us, who refused to follow them.”

“Unbelievable. They captured those who resisted and used them as offerings for human sacrifice.”

“With our ordinary strength, we couldn’t fight against the Awakened like them. Thanks to you defeating them, we can finally stand up now.”

Gunter bit his lip, unable to believe what he was hearing.

“Do you know how the human sacrifices are performed?” I asked.

Chang-min shook his head.

“No. I only know the locations, not the methods.”

“Understood.”

But from Chang-min’s account, I could immediately discern the heretics’ true purpose.

“The fact that Jörmungandr died in my previous life and poisoned the entire sea… it wasn’t simply because it died.”

The corpse poison (尸毒) released from its body.

Human sacrifices offered over time had accumulated, reacting with the corpse of Jörmungandr, which had once been slain by the gods.

Jörmungandr, whose poison was strong enough to kill Thor.

I didn’t know why they did it, but it probably had something to do with the gods they worshipped—Azure, the god of the sea.

“Not all oceans are the same as those on Earth.”

Azure needed to create the best environment for himself and his followers.

Jörmungandr, who blocked the entrance to the Abyss, became a perfect ingredient.

“They probably haven’t sacrificed the people on the boat yet. Let’s stop them first.”

We must never let the heretics, empowered by Azure, return alive.

The boat cut swiftly through the waves.

The closer we got to the destination of the human sacrifices, the rougher the weather became.

“The sea is unusually rough today.”

Gunter clicked his tongue, staring at the sky and waves.

“Look, the sea serpent that encircled Midgard is right there.”

Rumble!

Dark clouds loomed above, and lightning struck.

As we drew closer, the clouds parted, revealing the colossal body of Jörmungandr.

“That… that’s Jörmungandr…”

Lee Chang-min looked up, stunned.

Was this the first time he had seen it in person?

He trembled as he looked at us.

“What… what should I do?”

“Just take us there,” I said.

The boat swayed with the waves in front of Jörmungandr.

It carried the people offered as sacrifices, who had set out earlier than us.

“B-but then… that monster…”

“It’s okay. It won’t attack us.”

“I… I see. Then… I just go back?”

“Yes. Keep your distance once we leap.”

“Understood…”

The closer we got, the rougher the waves became.

Rain poured, and the wind was so strong that it was difficult for ordinary people to even stand.

Rumble!

Splash! Splash!

The storm raged.

“Insanely huge! This is my first time seeing this monster in person!”

Gunter shouted.

Jörmungandr, a sea serpent with a split tongue, was enormous.

I had to crane my neck just to face it.

“It’s massive.”

Only the part above water was at least 400 meters long, probably longer.

Including the submerged part, the total length was unimaginable.

Its sheer size was overwhelming.

The serpent Jörmungandr that had encircled the world now gazed down at the boat carrying the sacrifices.

Its vertically slit eyes fixed on us.

“You intend to kill that thing?”

“No. We don’t plan to kill it.”

“Good. Fighting that thing would definitely send us to Valhalla today.”

“You didn’t want to go there anyway?”

Gunter smirked.

I watched as the boat carrying the sacrifices approached Jörmungandr.

“Here we go again.”

A booming, earth-shaking voice resonated from Jörmungandr.

“Ugh! Its voice… it echoes inside my head!”

The boat’s captain, Lee Chang-su, trembled at the colossal size and roar.

“Stay calm! Just keep near that other boat like I told you.”

“What are you planning…?”

“Simple. We’ll jump onto that boat.”

Lee Chang-su steered closer, while Jörmungandr glared at the boat carrying the sacrifices.

• I’ve warned you countless times. Don’t come here anymore. The corpses you drop are polluting this sea.

The storm drowned out the voices of the people aboard.

But one thing was clear: Jörmungandr was furious at the crew.

• Don’t test my patience. Leave immediately. Humans have no business in this domain.

Our boat neared.

Jörmungandr’s vertically slit eyes locked onto us.

“You knew we were coming?”

“Do snakes have good vision?”

Unlike Gunter and me, who remained calm, Lee Chang-su looked like he was about to die.

“Hold on a little longer. Just a bit further,” I reassured him.

Finally, the people on the other boat recognized us and shouted back.

We couldn’t hear what, but it was likely a command to attack—or a curse.

I felt sorry for Jörmungandr, but I couldn’t allow them to deliver the human sacrifices.

“Gunter, get ready.”

“Got it.”

Rumble!

Lightning illuminated the colossal serpent.

I had seen Thor fight the otherworldly gods in my previous life.

True to his reputation as the god of war, he wielded Mjolnir and always led the charge alongside his warriors.

Rumble!

Whenever Thor charged, lightning struck relentlessly.

Flash!

By the time he swung Mjolnir, enemies were already down.

The strongest god in Norse mythology, Thor, never lost on the battlefield.

He was a monster to the enemy, hope to his allies.

Thunder striking meant Thor was nearby.

Even the proud Heracles and the Hindu god Shiva acknowledged and respected Thor.

• The ultimate warrior, the strongest god.

Thor knew his own strength, always taking the frontline against otherworldly gods, overcoming every crisis.

Yet even the undefeated Thor had something he feared:

The world-encircling serpent, Jörmungandr.

Thor might fear no other god, but Jörmungandr was different.

Perhaps because it had killed him before.

Looking back, that might explain why he avoided direct confrontation.

• We must slay Jörmungandr!

Everyone raised their voices: “We must unite to exterminate it!”

• It intends to bring Ragnarök to this world.

Ragnarök: a cataclysm feared even by the gods themselves.

The child of the giant who killed Baldr, the trickster god Loki, and his three followers.

The wolf who devours gods, Fenrir.

The world-encircling serpent, Jörmungandr.

And Hel.

These were disasters that could trigger Ragnarök and instill fear even in the gods.

Fenrir devoured Odin, king of Norse gods, and Jörmungandr poisoned the world, killing Thor.

Hel led countless spirits from the underworld, overwhelming the divine forces.

Jörmungandr, human sacrifices, Ragnarök.

For the Norse gods, these words were taboo.

Hence, Loki did not object to Thor’s plan.

• Even Thor?

• And he said to fight together?

• How strong must Jörmungandr be?

It was a being so fearsome that even Thor dreaded it.

Even Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction, had no choice but to participate.

And that is precisely why I needed Jörmungandr.