From God of Lies to Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 157: What the State Cannot Give, God Shall Give

Atop the massive stone, Freya and Lova naturally did not care about the thoughts of the two councilors. They were proceeding methodically with the sacrifice.

Although the essence of this act was still to manifest divine miracles before the masses and collect Divine Faith, the sacrifice itself was entirely genuine, just as their true intentions were.

After gathering Divine Faith, the next step would be a reckoning for those sinners.

Meanwhile, less than twenty nautical miles from Malmö, a massive cargo ship was already on its way.

Under most circumstances, this would appear to be a perfectly normal freighter. The only anomaly was an air conditioning unit mounted on the exterior of a shipping container at the stern.

Bai Yang sat atop this very container, observing everything below.

His eyes could, of course, see through solid matter, granting him a clear view of the interior—a scene of absolute tragedy and unimaginable inhumanity!

The inside of the container was not divided into proper compartments. Instead, it consisted of horizontally stacked boxes. The "cargo" was stuffed into these crates, piled haphazardly on top of each other.

The air was foul, the stench overpowering, and various forms of human waste were scattered within. It was nothing short of a living Hell.

Yet, every single person inside this wretched space was asleep, seemingly resting quite peacefully!Compared to the horrific ordeals they remembered, this hellish container was surprisingly one of the few places where they could actually get some rest!

In their past experiences, sleep had been a luxury, and exhaustion was the norm. Beatings, starvation, and agony were the cruel imprints that accompanied them every step of the way.

"It is hard to imagine that humans could do things to their own kind that are even worse than a Demon!" Bai Yang sighed emotionally. Death is but a swift stroke of the blade, yet for the people trapped inside, even dying was a luxury.

Because they were commodities. To ensure the survival rate of these goods, all of these captives had monitoring systems attached to them. If anyone's vital signs became unstable, the medical team stationed nearby would drag them out and administer an injection.

"This is way too cyberpunk..." Bai Yang muttered as he watched, finding the whole situation surreal.

In this technologically advanced society, even human trafficking was highly modernized?

To reap the exorbitant profits of this human trade, the people involved in this profit chain had paid quite a high price—ventilation systems, medical teams, life-stabilization devices...

It could be said that aside from the human beings themselves, everything else was high-tech.

They had clearly spent a massive fortune, yet they still refused to give these poor souls even the slightest improvement in their living conditions!

"Because human lives are worthless, but they still must ensure these people stay alive!" Alvin said, his expression completely serious. "Crown, we need to uphold justice for them! What the State cannot give them, we shall provide!"

"They will become incredibly steadfast providers of Divine Faith, as well as fanatic believers of the Aesir gods!"

Bai Yang nodded slightly. "Of course, of course! The essence of Norse mythology is that blood feuds must be avenged, slaughter is endless, and if you want War, we will give you War!"

"Perhaps we can let these captured, pitiful souls decide the life and death of the masterminds behind this!"

As he spoke, he rapped twice on the container. Wish Power condensed within it, lulling many of the captives into dreams.

A good dream would delay their suffering, if only for a little while.

...

Half an hour later, at the Ribersborg beach in Malmö.

Journalists, internet celebrities, major bloggers, tourists...

Countless people had packed the beach and the Øresund Bridge until not a single drop of water could trickle through. An array of heavy cameras and long lenses were set up, monitoring everything in the distance.

The local Government, completely reversing its previous sluggish behavior, directly dispatched a helicopter to begin a live broadcast!

Under the watchful eyes of so many cameras, the sacrifice continued.

Freya raised her hand, and specks of blue light separated from her fingertips. This caused those with clear camera feeds to cry out in amazement once more!

"The last descendant of Heimdall's bloodline summons the vigilant eye of the Rainbow Bridge!

This blood is not blood, but the urgent blast of the Horns!"

She slowly chanted Ancient Ballads, guiding the crowd to fall to their knees.

Beside her, two girls—one older, one younger—were holding two stone basins, standing there with utmost seriousness.

They were Freya and Percival's two daughters, temporarily acting as handmaidens, as they could not find anyone else trustworthy enough for the task. The stone basins held by the two little girls contained permafrost moss and volcanic ash, while what appeared in Freya's hands were mistletoe branches and raven's eyes.

Following the Witch's movements, these items soaked, bobbed, and swirled in the stone basins. Under everyone's watchful eyes, they scattered a radiance resembling the Starry Sky!

Following her gestures, the light of runic symbols was gradually drawn out from the massive boulder beneath her feet. Then, amidst the gasps of all the onlookers, pillars of freezing ice surged up from the surrounding seawater!

"Oh my God!"

"Dear Lord!"

"By the Buddha!"

Exclamations rang out endlessly. These icy pillars appearing out of thin air were yet another manifestation of a Divine Miracle!

The dazzling runes shined brightly in everyone's eyes. Under Freya's sweeping motions, they wove into webs of light, making the Witch appear as if she were hovering in the center of a luminous net.

A special prayer slipped from her lips:

"Odin's single eye condenses anew within the boiling bubbles,

Freya's golden tears crystallize within the whirlpool—

I swear upon the undying pain of the Vanir's bounty,

Commanding this land to boil forth the twelfth sun!"

As the prayer concluded, a terrifying Pillar of Light suddenly shot up into the sky in front of her, causing all three of them to cast sideways glances in shock!

"Did you do this?" Freya shot a look at Lova beside her, only to receive an equally bewildered stare in return.

"I didn't do it, it wasn't me..." Lova shook his head. He could certainly pull off such a feat, but it would drain a lot of energy and wasn't worth the cost.

The next second, he sensed the diffusion of God Power. His eyes instantly turned solemn. This was—a Great Being had descended!

Compared to those Old Geezers next door who loved to possess people at the drop of a hat, these Norse gods were clearly much more rugged. The one before them had directly descended as an avatar!

The massive Pillar of Light slowly dissipated, and a giant silhouette appeared by the coast. Its towering hundred-meter-tall body forced everyone around to look up in awe!

Lova reacted quickly. Gazing at this being radiating God Power, he deeply bowed his head. "Welcome to the mortal realm, God of Summer and Sea Breezes, Lord of Trade and Wealth—Crown Niolde!"

The giant gave a slight nod. Right there by the coast, he reached out a hand, guiding a colossal volume of seawater. Under everyone's watchful gaze, it formed into a massive chair that supported his enormous frame.

"Niolde"

Upon hearing Lova utter this name, the tourists on the beach had no reaction, but the locals all opened their eyes wide in astonishment.

Niolde was not a rare name. On the contrary, it was an incredibly common name in the Nordic regions.

Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Iceland all had places named after this God. Naturally, everyone knew exactly what this name meant!

"The God of Summer, the Sea, Storms, Fishing, Seafaring, and Wealth! My God, even He has appeared! Could it be that Ragnarök has ended and the Gods have awakened?"

Some of the Original Inhabitants of Sweden slowly dropped to their knees and began their prayers!

Although many were still Christians, facing that figure which originated from and stood above their very bloodlines—their own Gods—stirred intense emotions within them!

As the saying goes, if you have your own God to worship, why would you ever go out of your way to worship someone else's?

Ancient Divine Faith began to swirl in their hearts, and deceptively similar prayers spread throughout the city!

That shift in Divine Faith left Lova, standing on the rock, feeling utterly exhilarated!

The one-third of the Divine Faith personally promised by Odin meant that the power of that belief flowed directly into him. The gathering of Wish Power made him feel immensely refreshed, to the point where he could almost touch the threshold of Igniting Divine Fire!

But facing an avatar possessing Powerful Divine Power, he did not dare show any disrespect. He asked reverently, "Crown, do you have a decree?"

Niolde lowered his head, his gaze sweeping over the people before him, the distant city, and ultimately fixing upon a certain depth of the ocean.

Then, a grand and majestic voice rang in everyone's ears: "Those who plunder the fishers are guilty. Punish!"

An image manifested in his palm. It was a ship. Inside a container on the vessel, hundreds of men and women were crammed together like canned sardines.

The next image appeared. It was a room where people were being butchered, women were being coerced, and human bodies were hung up to be selected like cuts of pork.

Yet another image emerged. This time it was no longer a room, but a coastal fishing village. A group of Bearded Men and black men brandishing Guns were forcing a young village girl into a vehicle...

A massive uproar erupted along the beach. Everyone froze in shock as the realization hit them. This was... human trafficking!

"Crown Niolde is the patron God of fishermen. Naturally, He would not sit idly by and watch such things happen..." someone muttered to themselves. "Is this a blessing from the Gods?"

"No, this is a warning from the Gods!" an elderly man nearby exclaimed in horror. "How could the patron God of pirates and fishermen ever be a gentle being?"

Sure enough, as the giant sat on his throne of seawater, a massive oar materialized in his hand. With a single sweep, he whipped up Monstrous Waves directly upon the ocean surface, bringing the terrifying wall of water to a halt right before the city!

"The time limit for penance is one day! Disobey, and the city shall fall! Refuse, and I shall Destroy a Nation!"

The Monstrous Waves, echoing the words of the God, instilled absolute terror throughout the city!

As his arm swung, an unimaginably vast power radiated outward. Everyone felt sheer horror and panic at the implications of this gesture.

None of them had ever anticipated that the very first words spoken by this giant—this God from Norse mythology—would be a threat of utter annihilation!