Chapter 098: His Corpse Lies on Venus!
Gungnir, also known as the Eternal Spear, is the exclusive Divine Artifact of Odin, the chief god of Norse mythology.
Legend has it that this spear never misses its mark—once thrown, it will inevitably strike its target with immense force, capable of piercing through anything.
When hurled, its trail across the sky resembles a shooting star, earning it another name: the Meteor Spear.
Yet, when its owner wielded it again after so many years, he noticed something unusual—the unfailing spear had missed Ashiya Dōman.
When he threw it, the spear struck Ashiya Dōman purely because he had aimed it, not due to Gungnir's automatic targeting mechanism adjusting for the target's movement.
After being caught and released mid-flight, piercing through Ashiya Dōman's chest, the spear continued flying into the sky without returning, leaving its owner stunned.
He called for Gungnir to return, only to receive the response that the unfailing spear had not yet struck its true target and was still pursuing it.
Only after hitting its mark could this Divine Artifact return.
This was perplexing. Hadn't it already pierced Ashiya Dōman?
Could it have struck a fake? A decoy?
Had the real body escaped?
But according to Odin's observations, the one struck was indeed Ashiya Dōman himself. The conditions for its return should have been met.
So, was the issue caused by what Gungnir pierced through Ashiya Dōman's chest?
When Gungnir tore through his chest, it also pulled out a skull.
And so it remained stuck on Gungnir, soaring into the sky, flying out of the heavenly realm, beyond the human world, and into the vastness of space.
Its trajectory—Venus!
This immediately put Odin on edge. Suddenly recalling something, he turned to one of the chief deities with a question.
"Susanoo, was Ashiya Dōman's corpse completely destroyed back then? If not, where is it now?"
Only now did Odin realize one crucial detail—that severed head was a physical remnant, the actual corpse of Ashiya Dōman after his death, not something summoned as part of his manifested form.
"It was not, my lord!"
The reply came with audible shock.
"Well?"
"His remains are no longer in the human world."
If not in the human world, then where?
Just look at where Gungnir is headed—there!
But why would his corpse be there?
That place wasn't accessible to just anyone. Who could have taken his remains there?
"Huh? There seems to be something on the surface..."
The puzzled voice belonged to Heimdall on the arena platform, adjusting his goggles-like eyewear.
His hands mimed a zooming gesture in the air, and the image magnified accordingly.
"Eh? Ehh?!"
That looked like... something man-made. A human rocket?
Well, it wasn't entirely strange. Humans these days frequently launched rockets into the solar system to explore other planets. One landing on Venus wasn't particularly unusual.
Wait—something's moving over there?
A human rover, perhaps?
The camera focused, zooming in further and further.
And then—
"What in the—?!"
Heimdall's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. A headless skeleton clad in tattered onmyōji robes was emerging from a metallic coffin.
Come to think of it... didn't this look exactly like the skeletal Ashiya Dōman whom Lord Odin had just struck down?
"Urk—"
"What's with that skeleton?"
"Why is there a skeleton in the Demon's Eye? And it's moving?"
"Is that an onmyōji?"
One by one, stunned expressions appeared as Heimdall projected an even clearer visual feed, revealing the headless skeleton in motion.
"This shouldn't be possible. How did it bypass the barrier set up by the chief deities?"
To prevent unauthorized interference, an exceptionally powerful—nigh impenetrable—barrier had been erected here.
So how had it slipped through? And without triggering the barrier's defenses?
Suddenly, someone spotted something and understood.
"No way..."
"It actually pulled this off?!"
It had arrived using human technology.
If it were purely a human-made rocket, the barrier wouldn't react at all.
But if something inside the rocket carried supernatural energy when crossing the barrier, it should have been repelled.
Then someone noticed an unusually thick metal crate—likely what had shielded it.
So who was this skeletal onmyōji now?
Considering the third round of Ragnarök had ended less than a minute ago, the answer became obvious.
Once this realization struck, even ordinary gods grew uneasy, knowing full well what this place was—a sealed ground meant to contain something.
Please don't let this guy do anything reckless.
Cold sweat trickled down Brunhilde's delicate face.
This guy is playing with fire. If the things inside are released, not only the celestial realm will suffer, but the human world will also be affected.
"Huh? Um, it should be this one."
Göll also swallowed hard.
For something like this to happen in just the third round—it was impossible to imagine what even more terrifying events could follow.
"But it should be fine, right? As long as the barrier holds, his power won't be able to fully manifest inside it."
Heimdall was also explaining the unique properties of this barrier.
Within it, it was essentially a magic-sealed space. It was said that even Lord Zeus's power would be suppressed to only one-tenth of its full strength in this space.
Moreover, even Lord Zeus at his peak couldn't destroy this barrier alone, so everyone could rest assured.
Absolutely no problem.
"So, everyone, please be at ea—"
Before the word "ease" could leave his mouth, Heimdall's jaw dropped as if dislocated, rendering him speechless.
His eyes bulged so much they pressed against the lenses of his glasses.
Because a streak of light had fallen from the sky—and struck the barrier!