The authority of the God-King was imposed upon him, and the deep connection with the veins of the World Tree allowed Hades to instantly gain an understanding of the core laws and the heavy fate of this northern world.
A majestic stream of information flooded into his perception like a vast galaxy: the world was born from the body of Ymir, and the glory of the Æsir was built upon the primordial sin of murder (Odin and his brothers killed their grandfather, the primordial giant Ymir) and betrayal.
This 'primordial sin' was like an incurable wound, deeply etched into the foundation of the World Tree, contaminating the laws of the entire world.
Next came the unshakable final trajectory of fate—Ragnarök.
This was not a simple prophecy, but the ultimate reckoning that the world had to undergo to 'purify' itself and pay the price for this 'primordial sin'.
The creators (the Æsir of Odin's generation) had to pay the price for the world they had violently founded, and the old order and pantheon had to be completely burned by fire and blood to make way for possible new life.
Hades clearly 'saw' the doomed future: the flames of the fire giant Surtr would eventually consume Ásgarðr, the giant wolf Fenrir would break free from its bonds and devour Odin, the Midgard Serpent Jörmungandr would die together with Thor...
The World Tree itself would also collapse and burn under the endless war and the final gnawing of Níðhöggr.
He tried to mobilize his authority, using the power of the God-King to intervene, delay, or even annihilate this main line of fate.
However, the feedback was absolutely negative.
The foundations of the world rejected this 'pardon'.
The primordial sin was like an unsolvable curse that had to be cleansed through destruction.
The three Norn goddesses, disguised as Nyx, could indeed add new threads to the web of fate and create subtle variables, but they could not cut the thickest rope of fate symbolizing 'Ragnarök'.
This was the 'supreme procedure' established by the laws of the World Tree itself, and the one who managed fate did not have the authority, let alone the ability, to interrupt it.
"There is a fundamental flaw in the structure of this world," the will of Hades, mixed with the wisdom of Metis, reached a cold and objective conclusion.
"It is built on a one-time act of violent sacrifice and lacks a sustainable cyclical mechanism. Its fate is like a powder keg, doomed to explode, and the internal pressure (primordial sin) must be released through a complete eruption (Ragnarök)."
"We cannot stop the explosion," Metis's consciousness continued, with the cruelty of reason.
"But we can decide who owns the remaining 'ashes' after the explosion."
The goal was instantly clear.
Absorbing the world, integrating its primordial power into Chaos, and strengthening the Greek pantheon—this ultimate goal remained unchanged.
But the path to realization needed to be adjusted.
They could not directly absorb a 'healthy', yet doomed, world, for it would absorb the 'primordial sin' and the fate of destruction along with it, the consequences of which would be unthinkable.
They would have to wait.
Wait for 'Ragnarök' to proceed as scheduled, wait for the old pantheon to turn to ashes in the destined catastrophe.
At that time, it would be the best time to 'harvest' amidst the ruins.
"We need not to save, but to... ensure thorough liquidation and take control of everything at the final moment," Hades's will decided.
Until the arrival of Ragnarök, Hades had to take on the role of a ruthless 'liquidator'.
His task was to ensure that the Æsir and their associated sinners could not try to evade their debts due to their excessive strength, and that they would not be too weak, leading to an excessive devaluation of the world's own power in the calculation.
At the same time, as much as possible, we must preserve as many 'good assets' as possible that were not burdened with primordial or lesser sins—these would be the new assets integrated into the world of Chaos in the future.
Hades and Metis, who already coexisted with the World Tree and possessed the authority of this world's God-King, stood quietly by the lake, his eyes piercing through the barriers of space, clearly 'looking' at the one-eyed old man hanging upside down on the trunk of the World Tree, enduring intense pain and despair.
Odin's sacrifice was tragic.
The spear pierced his body, blood dripped down the trunk, falling onto the ancient and rough bark of the World Tree, seeping into its texture.
His consciousness hovered on the edge of intense pain, blood loss, and near death, sustained only by his newly acquired wisdom and an unyielding obsession.
On the eighth day, Odin's breath was as weak as a transparent whisper, his mutterings mixing pain and ancient incantations—the last connection to the wisdom he had just glimpsed, trying to communicate with the surging consciousness of the World Tree. Blood pooled beneath him, forming a small puddle of dark red traces.
On the ninth day, when the deepest darkness before dawn enveloped the Nine Realms, Odin's life's flame seemed on the verge of extinguishing at any moment. However, at this moment, when the ultimate sacrifice and perseverance reached their peak, a sudden change occurred!
His blood, infused with the spiritual light of wisdom and an unyielding will, as if drawn by some invisible law, began to wander on the bark of the World Tree, outlining ancient, mysterious, and powerful symbols!
These symbols were fragments of law, the primordial lines of the world—the Elder Futhark!
The first rune, ᚠ (Fehu, wealth, primordial power), lit up, symbolizing Odin's acquisition of the fundamental energy driving the world.
Following were ᚢ (Uruz, aurochs, strength and health), ᚦ (Thurisaz, giant, conflict and trial), ᚨ (Ansuz, god, revelation and communication)...
One by one, the runes were illuminated by his blood and soul in turn, a total of twenty-four primordial runes, shining on the trunk of the World Tree like stars!
They represented different aspects of everything in the universe—from creation to destruction, from order to chaos.
When the last rune, ᛟ (Othala, heritage, inheritance, and home), condensed and took shape, all the runic runes flashed with dazzling light—a vast, ancient stream of power, mixed with a part of the 'tamed' origin of the World Tree, surged into Odin's dying body!
Ugh——!
Odin let out a roar of intense pain and ultimate ecstasy, and Gungnir, which had pierced through him, was torn apart by this force, his heavy body crashing down from the tree and thudding to the ground.
But he immediately struggled to stand up, and his initially sluggish aura recovered and expanded at an astonishing speed, even exceeding its former rate!
His lost eye, though empty, seemed to burn with the flame of wisdom;
although his body was covered in scars, it radiated an aura as ancient and majestic as the World Tree itself.
He, Odin, the lord of Ásgarðr, had also passed the harshest trial of the World Tree at this moment and become a God-King at the cost of his own sacrifice and blood.
He had acquired the wisdom and power of the Runes, could to some extent control the power of the World Tree, and possessed a deeper ability to spy on and influence fate.
By the lake, 'Narcissus' calmly averted his gaze, not the slightest hint of surprise on his face.
All of this had been understood when he connected with the World Tree.
"The gears of fate are tightly sealed," Metis's consciousness whispered, with a hint of regret for the established trajectory.
Hades's will was coldly analyzed: "Odin becoming God-King is an integral part of the 'Ragnarök' script. Only when the Æsir reach the peak of their power and prestige under his leadership, and gather enough 'karma', will Baldr appear—the god of light, the being uniting the favor and blessings of the gods and symbolizing the golden age of the Æsir."
He saw it clearly.
The birth of Baldr symbolized the most perfect and glorious peak of the old order.
And his death would become the first hand to topple the dominoes, and become the call for the official opening of the final reckoning of 'Ragnarök'.
Without the 'prosperous era' created by Odin, the powerful God-King, there would be no Baldr, let alone the chain of collapse triggered by his death.
"We don't even need to stop him... We need him to succeed," Hades decided.
"A powerful Odin who submits to the trajectory of fate can lead the Æsir to their doom faster. Our goal is to seize the embers after he burns out."
The two God-Kings reached the summit in completely different ways.
One, like a gentle vine, lived in symbiosis with the giant tree, quietly absorbing its nutrients and becoming part of it.
The other, like a sharp axe, broke through the tree's defenses with blood and pain, forcibly establishing a connection with it, trying to hold on to it.
They shared the authority of the God-King, but also represented two completely opposite paths, destined to coexist.
After a brief surge of ecstasy and power, Odin immediately turned his sharp gaze towards Vanaheimr. He could clearly sense the aura of a God-King comparable to his own, and in some aspects, even deeper and more natural.
"Narcissus..." Odin whispered the name, his eyes gleaming with complexity—fear, anger, and a hint of seriousness towards a fated rival.
The Nine Realms were weakened by the simultaneous existence of two God-Kings.