Beneath the calm and order of Vanaheimr lay increasingly sophisticated magical achievements and quietly perfected war preparations.
The equipment created by the dwarf masters and Vanir magic had been distributed; warriors had mastered new weapons and synergy techniques, and mages were practicing complex cooperative spells.
The air was filled with a sense of compression, like the stillness before a storm.
'Narcissus', seated in the middle of the lake, slowly opened his eyes, which reflected the very context of the world.
He felt the violent trembling in the threads of fate, a critical node approaching.
"The time has come, my dear. ♡" Metis's consciousness reminded.
Almost simultaneously with his awakening, news spread rapidly through Vanaheimr, causing an uproar:
A Vanir goddess named Gullveig had gone alone to Ásgarðr.
As for her purpose, it was said she came to 'theorize' with the Æsir gods, to discuss which was better and which worse, and whose beliefs and paths were superior.
This in itself could have been a diplomatic act to demonstrate the status of the Vanir, or a kind of temptation.
However, in Ásgarðr, where suspicion and hostility had already grown, Gullveig's arrival was interpreted quite differently.
In the Golden Palace, Odin's one-eyed gaze fell upon the uninvited Vanir goddess.
The strong magical aura belonging to the Vanir, and her demeanor, which might have seemed provocative to Odin, deeply agitated the sensitive and proud nerves of the Æsir.
"This woman has ill intentions!" whispered one deity.
"She's here to spy on our strength!" asserted another.
"How dare the Vanir be so arrogant, sending a woman to provoke us!" The aggressive Thor already gripped Mjölnir.
Suspicion and arrogance quickly turned into hostility.
Odin, the God-King known for his wisdom and strategy, perhaps influenced by his fear of 'Narcissus' and his long-held ruling mentality at that moment, made an extremely impulsive and reckless decision.
He gave Gullveig no chance to defend herself, nor did he even establish official diplomatic contact.
He sharply threw his spear, and with a piercing sound, as if tearing the air, he hurled it fiercely at Gullveig!
This throw was not a competition, not a demonstration, but filled with murderous intent!
It was the most direct and crude declaration of war!
"Kill her!" Odin's roar was like thunder exploding in the Golden Palace.
Following the God-King's action, the Æsir gods, who had long been unable to contain themselves, responded one after another.
Spears, swords, and even magical beams rained down upon the isolated Gullveig!
However, Gullveig was no ordinary goddess.
She was a goddess with powerful magical abilities, and her essence seemed connected to some law of 'rebirth' or 'immortality'.
The first time, the Æsir's spears pierced her torso, and flames engulfed her.
But from the ashes, her figure condensed again.
The second time, a more powerful divine force tore her apart, and thunder reduced her to cinders.
But light flashed, and she still stood there, her eyes full of shock and burning anger.
The third time, Odin personally acted and completely 'destroyed' her with the power of the Runes.
However, as if violating some fundamental law, Gullveig's figure appeared for the third time in the distorted light and shadow!
Three deaths, three resurrections!
This incredible sight sent a chill and disbelief through the Æsir gods.
And Gullveig, tortured three times for no reason, even with an immortal body, the humiliation and pain she had endured in spirit had reached its limit.
She looked at Odin, sitting on the throne with a dark expression, and at the hostile and murderous Æsir gods around her. The last trace of theorizing or peaceful resolution in her heart was completely extinguished, replaced by monstrous rage!
"Hmph!"
She said no more, just cast a cold glance over all the Æsir gods present, then her figure transformed into a streak of light, piercing the barriers of the Golden Palace and returning to Vanaheimr as fast as she could.
The moment she returned to Vanaheimr, she publicly recounted her experience in Ásgarðr—how Odin attacked without cause, how the Æsir gods ganged up on her, and how she had been brutally killed three times!
When the news came, the entire Vanir instantly erupted!
Shock! Rage! Humiliation!
Njörðr slammed the table, and the ocean roared!
The siblings Freyr and Freyja shared a common enemy: the sun dimmed, and magic surged!
All the Vanir, regardless of their previous stance on relations with Ásgarðr, were enraged at this moment by this blatant insult and atrocity!
"Ásgarðr! Odin! You go too far!" Njörðr's voice resounded throughout Vanaheimr.
"Killing my clan's messenger without cause!"
"Declare war! War must be declared!" Freyr roared, and the golden-bristled boar Gullinbursti roared angrily beside him.
"Let them pay the price for defiling the dignity of the Vanir!" Freyja's eyes flashed with the sharp edge of a war goddess.
Public opinion surged rapidly, and morale was high!
At this time, all eyes were on the God-King who had always been silent—'Narcissus'.
He slowly rose, his calm gaze gliding over his enraged kinsmen.
He did not make impassioned declarations, but delivered the final verdict in his clear and majestic voice, as if announcing an inevitable fact:
"Since Ásgarðr has chosen spears instead of words..."
"Well, as they wish."
"Vanir, to the Æsir,"
"Declare war."
Two words—like the tolling of a war bell.
In an instant, the long-accumulated power of Vanaheimr was fully mobilized! The brilliance of magic soared into the sky, the war cries of warriors shook the mountains and forests, and the forces of nature responded to them!
The great war between the Æsir and the Vanir officially opened its bloody curtain at this very moment.