"Am I gonna lose you? Are... Are you making me choose between you and Anput again?" asked Anubis while his heart palpitated due to the goddess's serious frown.

"No, I said 'thing'. Do you identify me as a thing in your life? And why did you bring that bitch's name again? Do you really want to slight me that much?"

"..." Anubis opted to keep his mouth shut, fearing that another word from him might totally trigger Hela.

"Oh, perfect. Jormungand is finally here. Shall we begin, Hela?" Persephone cuts in to break the tension between the two.

"Took him long enough to freshen up. And I thought that we were the women." joked Ereshkigal, making her friends giggle at the remark.

"Hela, my dear sister. The most spectacular beauty of all the Realms and the sharpest mind in the whole universe. It brings me great pleasure to—" Jörmungandr began before being cut off by Hela.

"Brother, I will not fuck you. We are not Greek. Spare me from your flattery and enter the arena. You've already wasted much of our time by making us wait. Dressing up nicely is nothing but a waste for your role in Dyrroth's next bout."

"Well, care to elaborate?"

Hela merely smiled before stepping up to the terrace and addressing the crowd gathered in her colosseum.

"My beloved people, welcome to the 6th day of Prince Dyrroth's trials to free his soul from the clutches of death. Me. To be reunited with the one whom he loves."

The people cheered at her words. It was obvious that they loved Dyrroth's fights because it gave them a nice distraction from their mundane afterlife. Plus, the bets and the feasts are giving them something to be excited about. Hela held her hands up to silence the crowd to continue with her speech.

"I am especially thrilled to prepare all these daring games for your entertainment. Seeing my citizens cheerful and vibrant gives me the greatest pleasure. And to spice up today's event, my brother Jormungand and my lover Anubis shall be joining us today not as spectators but as players themselves in this exhilarating game of Ragnarok Riddle!" The crowds cheered louder at the information.

Dyrroth couldn't guess if they were excited because the two deities would be participating or was it due to the nature of the game. The game which he had absolutely no idea about.

"The Ragnarok Riddle? What the hell is that?" he repeated in puzzled confusion.

"I am glad that you asked, my champion."

"Oh, dear. This will be very unpleasant for me." complained Jormungand as he took a large gulp of ambrosia.

"Good. You already drank the potion."

"The what?" Jormungand exclaimed with an astounded expression. Before he could even do anything, his body began morphing into its serpentine form. He swelled in size and was kicked by Hela out of the balcony towards the grey sands below as he continuously expanded, taking up much space in their banquet.

"What the hell did you do to me?" he bellowed as his body grew larger by the second.

"Nothing much. Just a true form potion. It'll be over in an instant. After Dyrroth wins or loses of course. Now do the thing."

"Do I get a prize for participation?"

"I'll think about it."

"I'll be satisfied if you sit on me."

"I said I'll think about it!" repeated Hela in a menacing snarl, her face flickering into its hideous true form.

Like a whimpering dog, Jormungand lowered his head before twisting his body in a complicated knot. He swallowed his tail making his head vanish and merge with the rest of his flesh so that he does not have any end or beginning. He became a continuous mass spanning no less than 400 yards so that he was much bigger than the arena. He took a rather geometric shape forming a network of intersections and nodes. Dyrroth, who was standing on a platform, could only gawk at how massive Jormungand was. If he were to battle this massive monster head-on, then he might not come out unscathed nor alive.

"Ruby's cute ass, the fuck am I supposed to win this shit?" he muttered.

The arena transformed as well, opening up its floor and splitting into a crescent shape. The serpent fell on the hole but stopped midway. It floated over the jagged peaks of Helheim while the colosseum hovered above Jormungand giving them a good view of his entire form.

"As you already know, Ragnarok was the end of the world where giants, monsters, and gods take their last stand in a legendary battle for the future. It was already fated from the beginning and the Norns had given us the details of what shall transpire. Many great battles were fought, many gods died along with giants and monsters. One of the most remarkable feats and my most favorite event was the death of Jormungand." Hela narrated as the gigantic snake twitched and throbbed in the air.

"After swallowing Valhalla, he spread his body along the land, twisted himself in an infinite knot with no end and no beginning.  Now you, my dear champion, shall play the role of Thor giving you the honor of vanquishing this gigantic serpent to spare your life one more time."

"Lords of the Abyss, how shall I cut through that thing? Where the hell is Fenrir when you need him the most?" Dyrroth muttered.

"Unfortunately, Fenrir is banned from my realm for the duration of this challenge as such you will have no one else to depend on other than your own wits. But do not despair, you shall receive the help of Anubis." Hela answered which brought him some relief since Anubis is somewhat reliable. They're just not very close though.

"We obviously don't have Thor's mighty strength but Anubis has a weird hobby of collecting storms. My dear lover had collected 102 storms in his lifetime and he shall channel all of them to give you a formidable burst of power to disintegrate Jormungand's body."

"But he's ginormous."

"Well, you don't have to destroy his whole body, you just need to destroy his spine which is already highlighted by the blue pattern on his skin. Incinerate that line and you win."

"Seems easy enough." mused Dyrroth.

"But be careful, prince. You can only pass through each section once because you would obviously fall into his bowels after disintegrating that portion. You can however pass twice through each intersection because it shall have twice the thickness of his flesh. You must make sure to pass all sections because if you don't, he will just regenerate it back and Anubis will have exhausted all his storms."

"Whip me a thousand times and I will accept it, just don't make me use up all my storms!" complained Anubis.

"Didn't you accept any punishment I will bestow upon you? Plus Thor can just give you more later. I know you two play poker together sometimes."

"Yeah, but I'm kinda shy about asking him a favor. He's a cool guy but I don't know if we're that close to asking him for storms."

"I'll help you with it so stop being a wussy and do what I told you to do."

"Fine." Anubis surrendered bitterly

"You have one hour to complete the task. If you fail to accomplish the goal within the allocated time then you shall be my prisoner forever. May the God of Luck smile at you with favor."

🌹

"Ready when you are, Dyrroth." Anubis called while he stood on top of an obelisk holding his shepherd's staff in one hand. He had taken his jackal form, hiding his face which is uncomfortably too similar to his so he preferred it that way.

Dyrroth gazed down upon Jormungand's complicated form and traced imaginary pathways which he could take. True to what the goddess of death said, this is not going to be an easy fight. His labyrinthine shape looked like three overlapping windows tilted 45° with two diamond-shaped tails at one end. Dyrroth had already created ten trials inside his mind but none of them worked making him annoyed. Most of his mental trials ended with one part not destroyed and some were discontinued halfway because they were obviously going to fail.

(This is how I imagined Jormungand's shape to be.)

The most major problem so far is figuring out where he should begin cutting and where he should finish. Would he end at the part where he began or would he end up on the farther side? He wasn't solving the problem with any systematic approach, just 'try and try until you get it right' but it already cost him more than five minutes.

He gritted his teeth. The sands of the hourglass are flowing continuously while his mind enters a state of mental block. It was obvious that travelling the length of the snake wouldn't take a simple ten minutes even with the special boots Fenrir let him borrow. He needs all the time that he could get to actually do the task.

Based on his earlier analysis, he cannot deal with this task without thinking things thoroughly. Other than solving the riddle, he also needs to traverse the vast length and breadth of the snake without missing a beat. All this while channelling the lightning bolt Anubis would send his way to amplify his attack. That part alone was terrifying in its own right given that he never had to deal with lightning in his previous battles. Aside from leading an army through a raging storm of course.

"Damn it! Why the hell is this more difficult than it seems?" he muttered, punching a nearby pillar.

"Try simplifying the figure." Anubis suggested before getting struck by lightning.

"Shut up, Anubis if you don't want to lose something much more precious than your stupid collection." Hela warned in a sing-song voice immediately silencing the Jackal God.

"Simplify this shit? Well, I guess I could try." Dyrroth began copying Jormungand's form and drawing it on the ground with his dagger. It wasn't the most perfect illustration but it did give him a better view of the serpent that seems more manageable than the real thing. Though, his drawing looks more like a fishbone than a geometric serpent. Now he could never insult Ruby's shitty drawing skills.

After a while of staring blankly at the figure, he finally noticed something about the details. He counted 34 segments and 23 intersections. If he needs 102 storms to destroy Jormungand's spine then it takes at least three storms to destroy each portion.

After that, he noted that every intersection has even amounts of paths, either two or four which means if you enter from one end then you'll have to exit from another. But there are two intersections which have three paths. This must be where the path must end and where it must begin. Now he just needs to figure out which is which.

"Thirty-seven minutes, Dyrroth." Hela reminded before popping a berry inside her mouth.

Fuck.

He was obviously running out of time and he didn't even know how long it would take to cut the whole snake. Without further hesitation, he chose one of the odd-numbered paths and signalled to Anubis.

"Let's go."

Anubis nodded before raising his shepherd's cane in the air and shattering the little glass spheres where the storms were kept. The already pale sky darkened into a frightening black. Thunder rumbled from the heavens like the bellowing of a great beast. All the storms accumulated into one massive super typhoon that made the wind roar.

Dyrroth jumped from the floating stage towards the serpent. He angled his body to land safely and rolled a few ways off his intended mark. He immediately picked himself up and charged towards the intersection with three paths.

He paused on the spot and took a deep breath. An aromatic scent temporarily lingered on his nose but it was accompanied by a rotting smell. He frowned but ignored the odor and focused on his task.

He retrieved a dagger strapped to his thigh and charged it with energy. It extended to a longer weapon with a curved blade: a scythe. Its shaft was black while the blade was purple. Fenrir had given it to him beforehand along with some gloves and boots that made him run twice as fast.

"Anubis." Dyrroth called, signalling his preparedness to take the bolt of lightning.

Raising his staff one more time, Anubis barked and the lightning struck his weapon before directing it towards the demon. Dyrroth raised his scythe, preparing himself to take the surge of energy head-on.

He was nearly knocked over when the lightning finally reached the blade of his weapon. He was stupefied for a few seconds before mustering all his strength and gripping the shaft tightly in his hands. He would have died instantly from the surge if the gloves and the armor he wore were not made of dragon skin which prevented the electricity from being conducted to his body. Furthermore, the protection rune Ruby gave him seems to be working to keep him safe as well. He smirked.

A loud battle cry erupted from his throat as he swung the crescent blade down on Jormungand's flesh. The blade was relatively thin but it was enough to leave a massive gaping wound less than a meter wide.

Dyrroth had to steady his body firmly when the snake began quaking and releasing horrendous sounds that pierced his ears.

"Run, Dyrroth! Run! Charge! Cut fast!" Anubis shouted. It was obvious from his pained voice that the task of redirecting the lightning was proving to be a battle in itself for the Jackal God.

Dyrroth didn't waste any more time and began running towards the second intersection. The crowds cheered once he destroyed the first section. He dragged the scythe behind him while the blade cut through the serpent quite easily with the help of the electricity. He took a zigzag path, making sure to thoroughly pierce through the blue line which reveals the location of the serpent's weakness.

30 minutes, 10 seconds

Dyrroth didn't stop and he didn't look back. He ran with the biggest strides of his life while holding firmly on to his weapon. Soon enough he had completed the first zigzag sector and he immediately ran towards the second. He took a southwest turn and traced another zigzag leading towards the direction where he first came from.

(Here's a little illustration about what Dyrroth is doing 🤣)

22 minutes and 47 seconds

Adrenaline was running wild inside his body. Each set of zigzags was at most 300 meters and cutting through the snake causes a drag that slows him down a bit. However, his stamina is above average. He could fight for more than 24 hours without respite. He already did it in the war; he could do it again now that he only had to do it for less than 30 minutes. Motivated, he trudged forward.

14 minutes and 18 seconds

His breathing became ragged, his lungs beginning to ache, the muscles of his legs were starting to complain. He was indeed running twice as fast as he could but that doesn't mean that the strain on his body would be lessened. He doesn't care. He needs to win. He needs to go home to Ruby!

He needs to get back to his wife!

6 minutes and 53 seconds

He was on the fourth sector when he tripped. One of Jormungand's scales was protruding and the sole of his boots got caught in it. He doesn't know if it was some cruel joke from fate or if it was intentional on the snake's part. He could almost hear him laughing from the way his body rumbled.

The crowd gasped and held their breath. Obviously they wanted him to win to fight another day.

He winced. His foot was twisted and it hurts every time he stepped on it but he stood up and gripped tightly on the scythe. He dragged it much slower than his initial rate but he continued pushing forward.

3 minutes and 24 seconds

He was already halfway through the last sector but his foot finally gave in. He could not move an inch but the seconds continued to flow. A hundred meters. That is the only thing he needed to cross to win. Anubis looked at him with pity but continued providing the lightning.

Dyrroth stared at the ground blankly. All his efforts, all the battles he fought, all the wars he won would be all for naught if he gave up in this fight. He glared at the remaining sections undamaged and glared at his feet.

Anubis was doing his best not to be overpowered by the lightning to help him win and yet he's already on the verge of giving up. He looked down upon the terrible jagged peaks awaiting him on the bottom.

It's not the time to wallow in despondency now that he's so close to the finishing line. It was there. He could already see it. The last remaining sections to be decimated are right in front of him. He could do it.

One more step.

And another!

If he cannot walk then he will crawl!

1 minute and 56 seconds; 80 meters more before arriving at the end.

He's paralyzed.

Neither his feet nor his arms could be compelled to move. No matter how much willpower he had, no matter how much he wanted to rise and complete the task he... He couldn't.

He looked down at his injured foot. It was swollen and badly beaten. It exuded a disgusting puss that horrified him. It was obvious from the looks of it that he was poisoned. Jormungand's scale had a deadly venom that drained his energy and his will. With this, his defeat is insured. His fate is sealed.

He'll never see Ruby again.

At least not until she dies too.

"Come on get up you bastard! You've done so much to give up now! Get up!" encouraged Anubis while controlling the storms.

"I... I can't. I have no strength left." he answered with empty eyes as the gravity of the situation rendered him completely speechless.

"Then take strength if you don't have any! I spent thousands of years collecting these storms and they should at least be put to good use! Don't disappoint Ruby anymore!"

"It's over, just give up, Anubis."

"Wait... Did you say take strength?" Dyrroth questioned as realization dawned on him.

Of course, warriors like him specialize in blood magic which gives them power by sacrificing the blood of their foes in a skill called Lifesteal. He thought it was impossible given that no one was in his vicinity but surely Jormungand could also provide him with the replenishment that he needed.

He lifted his hand and poised his sharp nails over the serpent's skin. He struck down with all his might and he successfully pierced through the skin, tearing through his flesh, making his blood blossom from the open wound.

"Time for some revenge."

He drank the snake's warm blood with no hesitation. His sharp fangs buried through his flesh as he fed on Jormungand's godly strength. Slowly, his own power began returning to his body. A malevolent aura coursed through his veins accompanied by something else.

He wiped his lips and rose easily from the ground. His wounds vanished along with the pain and lethargy that plagued him earlier. For some reason, something feels different. He feels so much stronger. Like the power of death is in his hands.

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

"The strongest storms come from the sea." Dyrroth said as he looked up at Anubis.

A wide grin spread across Hela's lips. Excitement began coursing through her body. The boredom on her face immediately disappeared after Dyrroth said those words.

"What the hell are you babbling about? Be done with it!" yelled the Jackal God.

"Anubis is the God of death. He would be very busy every hour of the day, as such I don't think he shall ever find the time to collect storms. Don't you think?" Dyrroth pointed out with a calm face. His expression was foreboding, similar to the calm before the storm.

"And who else lives in the sea and has all the time in the world for frivolities? Wouldn't the role fit more perfectly in Jormungand?"

"I don't see the point of what you're saying, Dyrroth."

"Dyrroth? How funny. I thought my nickname was 'Hela's new garbage plaything' or 'demon dildo'. Guess we're close now for you to call me by my name."

Dyrroth vanished and immediately reappeared behind Anubis. He lifted his scythe, it's dark color vanished when the lightning illuminated its surface. The blade was no longer made of metal but eternal unmeltable ice and he swung it down on Anubis's back spitting him half. It was still powered by the lightning he was redirecting which almost decimated the Jackal God completely.

"Isn't that right, Jormungand?"

0 minutes and 0 seconds

The last grain of sand finally fell on the bottom half of the hourglass signalling the conclusion of Dyrroth's battle.