*Vol. 2: War of changes!*

Chapter 74 – Diplomacy is less efficient than violence!

Hello there!

Here's the update, peasant!

Sorry for the delay!

Author's Note: The images in this chapter do not belong to me, they belong to their respective creators/ artists/designers.

Without further ado, enjoy the chapter!

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- Location: Northern Archipelago / Future Ahvenanmaa Islands / Tordenhus.

Pov. Third-person.

When Igris and Horatius returned to Tordenhus, all the other Kingsguard prepared for the worst as they expected a brutal response from Thor. However, to the surprise of some, when Thor returned to the Tower of Heaven, the center of Tordenhus...

"I already told you, Gilgamesh, she will be fine, the people of Tordenhus are very welcoming, especially those who accompany me," said Thor, while entering the room.

The two people who followed Thor were Gilgamesh and Enkidu, who was looking around and were increasingly amazed at the architecture of the tower.

As Gilgamesh entered the room, he watched the occupants, until he stopped and stared at someone in particular.

Ihbanna.

"Blood of Utu... It's really disappointing how Utu doesn't care for his descendants, although I wouldn't have expected to see one of the Anunnaki descendants this far north" said Gilgamesh.

Ihbanna took the comment as an insult.

"You too are a descendant of the Anunnaki!" said Ihbanna.

Gilgamesh snorted in response.

"Maybe… But my blood has been so diluted that there is barely any divine blood left in me. Furthermore, my blood is Ninsun's lineage, and although she is Enlil and Enki's younger sister, she is not that powerful, fate has given me power, you have no such privilege" said Gilgamesh, crossing his arms.

As Ihbanna went to interrupt, Thor soon spoke.

"Gilgamesh, avoid talking too much about fate... He and I don't agree on some things" Thor said, with a grimace.

Gilgamesh just raised an eyebrow in confusion, though he quickly nodded in affirmation.

"So… You saved my sister, it's time for me to pay the price," said Gilgamesh, sighing.

The vessel of the ancient Sumerian king's soul soon came face to face with Thor and did something that surprised the Norse god of thunder a little, considering he remembered what the original Gilgamesh's personality looked like.

Gilgamesh had knelt.

A moment of silence passed and Thor looked towards Enkidu.

"Alright… What happened to him?" Thor asked, pointing at Gilgamesh.

Enkidu just gave a shy smile.

"He... He learned to be more humble as time went by. It is what happens when a king gradually loses everything until the only valuable thing he has left is his own life," said Enkidu.

Thor raised an eyebrow and looked back at Gilgamesh, who had shown no signs of getting up.

"… Well, why not… In what way would you like to pay?" Thor asked.

Gilgamesh then looked Thor in the eye.

"The two beings that I fought for seven days commented that they were your servants and you were their king... When one king kneels before another, the meaning behind it is obvious..." said Gilgamesh.

Thor just stared Gilgamesh in the eye for just a few seconds, as if looking for any hesitation.

"... So be it," said Thor.

The Norse god of thunder soon took something out of the storage necklace and placed it in front of Gilgamesh. A piece of a red and blue Viking soldier gave off a constant glow as it floated until it was within reach of the ancient king of Uruk.

"If you give up in the future, feel free to leave... I won't force you to stay in this group, after all, I created this to help those I trust the most to become stronger" said Thor.

Gilgamesh did not hesitate as he grabbed the piece.

"I've come a long way just to give up," said Gilgamesh.

Thor gave a slight smile, and then the piece flashed before disappearing into Gilgamesh's hands. The former king of Uruk then stood up and waved one last time to Thor and then started walking in another direction until Gilgamesh was face to face with his next objective...

The Kingsguard.

"Another thing caught my attention... During my conversation with Thor, he commented on what you were and what you represented, in addition to explaining to me about your hierarchy" said Gilgamesh.

Thor and Enkidu soon broke into a sweat when they realized what Gilgamesh wanted...

"Although I knelt, it was and will be the only time. As a king and the first hero, it's only fair that I'm in a rank suited to me within the Kingsguard hierarchy… Now, who holds my title of Kingsguard 1?" asked Gilgamesh, looking at the Kingsguard group present.

All the Kingsguard who were there had mixed reactions.

Achilles, the Kingsguard 2, expressed some amusement at Gilgamesh's statement, for the Greek hero, statements like this always caught the attention of the ancient Achaean hero.

Yamato, the Kingsguard 3, snorted in response, as if Gilgamesh's arrogant statement already showed a bit about his personality, causing Taotie's avatar to chagrin due to assuming that Gilgamesh's personality was worse than Achilles'.

Ihbanna, Kingsguard 5, was soon angered by Gilgamesh's statement and was ready to respond until she stopped when someone took action...

Karna, the current Kingsguard 1, soon stepped forward until he was face to face with Gilgamesh.

"I am Kingsguard 1... If you want my rank, you must first face my partners, Yamato and Achilles, and only then challenge me. I don't know if my king told you how 'blood duels' works, but as your new ally I will explain to you if necessary" said Karna.

Gilgamesh looked Karna in the eyes and smiled back.

"… He already told me, he also notified me about the Valhalla arena… I want my rightful post as soon as possible, are you willing to duel now?" asked Gilgamesh.

Karna just looked at Gilgamesh and then turned to look at Yamato and Achilles.

"Let's go... The rules are clear, if one Kingsguard makes the challenge the other one should accept" said Karna.

Ihbanna didn't like it.

"Now, wait a minute! By logic, he is still Kingsguard 7! Shouldn't he first challenge Horatius and then me and Igris?" asked Ihbanna.

As petty as it sounds, Utu's daughter was trying to get the chance to beat or even hurt Gilgamesh, due to the simple fact that she didn't like the former king of Uruk very much.

This was soon answered by Thor.

"As much as that's true, he's already fought not only Horatius but Igris at the same time… Not to mention he was holding back from killing, according to Enkidu," said Thor.

Enkidu soon waved.

"Indeed, Gil is strong, over the centuries his treasure tends to grow with more and more weapons and sorcerer artifacts collected, not to mention the constant growth of power now after he became a Kingsguard… In fact, I just think he's the only one who can force Gil to fight more seriously," said Enkidu, pointing to Karna.

Enkidu's senses never failed, at this very moment, apart from him and Thor, only Karna could be a threat to Gilgamesh.

Thor glanced briefly at the scene in front of him until he stopped his eyes on Achilles and remembered something.

"Ah! Speaking of which…" said Thor.

The thunder god soon opened the necklace's storage space and took something out.

A javelin spear.

"I think it will suit your fighting style well because if this stayed with me I would probably use it as a stake ready to be hammered," said Thor.

Thor then tossed the spear to Achilles, who stared at it in confusion until the spear glowed in response, accepting the new wielder and began to emit emerald green lightning bolts.

"Oh? It seems to like you," Thor said.

Achilles stared at the spear for just a few seconds before smiling excitedly.

"Finally I have something to stand a chance of winning against him..." said Achilles, looking at Karna.

When Thor went to speak, a communication rune appeared and interrupted the thunder god. As soon as Thor moved away from the people in the room for privacy and activated the rune, someone appeared in an image that resembled a hologram.

Odin was staring at Thor expectantly.

"... Where are you?" asked Odin.

The Norse thunder god only answered briefly.

"I'm in Midgard... Is there a problem?" Thor asked.

Odin looked nervous at the same time as he seemed to consider his next words carefully.

"I... I need your help," said Odin.

Thor snorted and then interrupted.

"I already told you, old man, I won't tell you the secret to deactivating Doggo, I don't care how much time passes. In fact, you've even become a more efficient king after Doggo," said Thor.

Odin was angered.

"It's not about that!... But now that you bring it up, know that I've never seen such betrayal! From my own son by the way! I'm lucky that your mother is still married to me due to her domain, but if it weren't for that, she'd already be cheating on me!" said Odin, complaining.

"Which is why I won't tell you, mother is still faithful to you and you've become a competent ruler when you're not thinking about fucking. Also, I already disable Doggo for a week each year right after Midwinter's Night, but that was my Mother's request," said Thor.

Odin looked like he was going to complain but soon sighed in defeat, which was noticed by Thor and surprised the god of thunder when Odin looked at him seriously.

"I need a favor from you, not as a father but as a king," said Odin.

Those words made Thor frown.

The reason for this was that this particular phrase Odin proceeded to say before asking Thor for something, preventing any act similar to Loki and Odin's plan regarding the Jotun to be repeated.

"… I'm listening, old man," said Thor.

It was then that Odin spent the next few minutes explaining a particular situation...

With the Jotuns again.

After Odin explained his plea for help, Thor just sighed.

"Frankly… The Jotun are starting to become more of a nuisance than an ally. Why on earth do you still insist on keeping them under the Asgardian government?" Thor asked.

Odin frowned.

"When you killed half off their population more than three millennia ago, the remaining thousand Jotuns coalesced under one ruler, albeit with a subdivision of clan leaders, and remain united to this day. This union gives us about 5000 Jotuns in our army for Ragnarok" said Odin.

The god of thunder soon interrupted Odin.

"I think Baldr and I have other ideas for Ragnarok, we don't need the Jotuns," said Thor.

"You want me to bet everything on your ideas and throw away the guarantee? Surtr's offspring already number in the millions. Can you guarantee me that you can kill millions and not let a single one escape and doom the rest of Midgard?" asked Odin.

Though Thor wanted to say yes, even he wasn't entirely sure that Surtr's offspring would remain within the barrier of Plan 'A'.

"Even so, the Jotuns don't like us and we don't like them, although there are Jotun allies of Asgard like Nanna and Skadi, the vast majority would kill us without a second thought. I can kill Jotuns alone, but the other Asgardians would probably die trying to kill just 1, except for Baldr, Hel, Frey fused with Gullinbursti, and recently, Vidar fused with Fenrir," said Thor.

"I know the Jotuns wouldn't dare attack us while you're here, but that's the main problem, Thor... If you disappear for just 1 week, do you really think Asgard would survive any rebellion?" asked Odin.

Thor didn't even hesitate.

"No… That's why I say kill them again," said Thor.

Odin just stared at Thor with a dead stare.

"… Does it all comes down to death for you? Also, Baldr disagrees and wants to try diplomacy," said Odin.

Thor snorted in amusement.

"You know as well as I do that Baldr is soft-hearted. Besides, he must feel pressure due to his wife, Nanna, being a Jotun... I don't have that problem," said Thor.

Odin sighed.

"It would be easier, I admit. But besides that when it was all over, Baldr would have to bear the consequences as a future ruler due to his violent brother; we must consider that if you disappear for a week and the Jotuns are our allies, it is much more interesting than other pantheons to see some opportunity in Midgard with the extinction of Jotuns" said Odin.

Thor stopped for just a few seconds because he noticed something in Odin's speech.

"You speak…as if you were sure I would disappear for a while," Thor said, accusingly in his tone.

Odin was not embarrassed and was soon admitted.

"A few nights ago I had a vision... I saw you fall into an abyss my son, I saw you get lost, I saw the world move on while you weren't there, I saw you accept your destiny fighting against something that I've never seen before. Skuld came to me the next morning and told me that my vision will happen, but she made me swear under Ymir's oath not to tell you about it," said Odin.

Thor frowned.

"I don't intend to disappear… But we'll do it your way if that makes you less worried, old man," said Thor.

Odin gave a sincere smile.

"Thank you, my son... By the way, regarding Doggo –" said Odin.

But Odin was soon interrupted.

"Not going to happen," Thor said.

The god of thunder then ended the rune's communication and soon returned to the group of Kingsguard and Enkidu.

When Thor returned he saw that most of the Kingsguard were talking with Enkidu, who happily answered questions, although the two beings remained in the same spot...

Karna and Gilgamesh.

They were both still face to face, staring at each other and not looking away, as if they were daring the other to blink.

Thor just sighed tiredly, until he looked at the group, who looked back at Thor when he returned.

"I'm leaving, I need to resolve something in Jotunheim... Achilles, could you take these two to the Valhalla arena before they decide to demolish the city?" asked Thor, gesturing to Karna and Gilgamesh.

Achilles flashed his characteristic mocking smile and then waved.

"Of course, King... It will be fun, do you want us to wait for you to come back to witness the match?" asked Achilles.

The god of thunder soon denied it.

"I'm sorry, but not this time... Once I'm done in Jotunheim, I'll take advantage of the trip and go meet my brother, Váli, he's on a quest nearby, something about a missing dwarf who seems to like gold" said Thor.

Achilles soon waved and Thor then made a teleportation rune.

Once Thor disappeared, something soon happened...

A golden-colored aura soon involved Gilgamesh, just as a scarlet-red aura involved Karna.

When the auras collided, a fight for dominance ensued. The auras' quarrel caused cracks in the Tower of Heaven, in addition to which all the inhabitants of Tordenhus felt as if it was an earthquake.

Achilles soon appeared between the two and invoked a green-colored aura, which looked more like lightning.

The three Kingsguard just stared at each other, until the auras disappeared as quickly as they appeared.

"... Let's get this theater over... The first to fall get rank 3 and the last one standing gets rank 1, how about that?" asked Gilgamesh, with a confident smile.

"Agreed," said Karna, with a listless countenance, yet a serious tone.

"A duel of three Kingsguard competing for rankings simultaneously? This is going to be fun," said Achilles, with an excited smile, as he spun the javelin spear around and shouldered it.

A teleportation magic circle soon appeared below the three Kingsguards and took them out of the room shortly thereafter. Meanwhile, Enkidu just sighed in defeat, while Ihbanna, who had nervous sweat on her forehead, cautiously approached.

"…Would you like to go see them?" Ihbanna asked politely.

Enkidu denied.

"No, I'll check on Gilgamesh's sister, Angelika... Though Thor assured us that the city can be welcoming and safe, she doesn't know anyone and she's quite shy," said Enkidu.

"I see... In that case, I'll go to the healing chamber and help Horatius and Igris get back to full health, Yamato can show you around" said Ihbanna.

Ihbanna then politely nodded and created a teleportation circle and disappeared.

At that moment Yamato approached Enkidu.

"As Kingsguard, I will introduce you to the city and show you where you will be staying!" said Yamato, with a smile.

Enkidu smiled in appreciation and then waved in response, and then he along with Yamato left the room.

 

- Location: Jotunheim.

Jotunheim hadn't changed after so many years, it was still the most mountainous and frozen land of Midgard, where in the future they would be referred to as part of the Scandinavian Alps.

At this very moment, Thor was walking towards a place that, according to Odin, would be the home of the 5000 Jotuns.

"Frankly, why can't be more practical… I'll go there, crack Jotun's skull again, and when it's over I'll be home, all of this before the end of the day," Thor said, grumbling.

As Thor commented on the idea, he could feel for some reason a strange tingle in his back.

It was then that Thor's eyes lit up as he felt a new presence approaching him.

The god of thunder smiled and then looked at the nearest presence until his eyes widened when the figure revealed itself.

"… Nökkvi?" said Thor, confused.

The god of thunder immediately recognized the Jotun in front of him; after all, he was the father of Nanna, the sister-in-law of the god of thunder, in addition to being a leader of the Jotun tribe.

Nökkvi smiled in response.

"Ah! So it was you, Thor, it's good to see you again, though... I wish it was different times" said Nökkvi.

It was then that Thor felt the other presences approaching, although he was unconcerned...

Until a presence loomed too close.

Thor looked into the presence and saw another Jotun he recognized.

"…Gymir," said Thor.

The Jotun just scowled in disgust.

"... Slayer," said Gymir.

Even after so many years, some Jotuns still showed both hatred and fear for Thor, although the feeling of hatred was created by the fear of Jotuns fearing that Thor wanted to kill the rest of their race and they could not do anything about it.

Gymir was another tribe leader, as well as fathering Gerdr and Beli, two Jotuns closely intertwined with Frey, although Beli was actually killed by a Gullinbursti long ago.

Beli's father, Gymir, never forgave Frey and ignored Odin's attempts at reconciliation with Asgard.

"What do you want here, slayer?" Gymir asked.

Thor looked around and saw that he was surrounded by dozens of Jotuns, although an ordinary god would have feared for his own safety at this moment, the god of thunder actually found it a little nostalgic.

"…I came to offer Asgardian peace," said Thor.

"No! I refuse to associate myself with that bastard's allies!" said Gymir.

While Gymir wanted to complain, Nökkvi soon interrupted.

"Gymir! We don't decide such things, just our queen" said Nökkvi.

The nearby Jotuns seemed to agree, though Gymir didn't like the idea one bit.

"You don't know him, Nökkvi! Besides that bastard killing my son while taming that wild boar, he had the audacity to court my only daughter!" said Gymir.

"I didn't like the Asgardians either, but my daughter married one, I had to learn to tolerate them before I saw them as family... We can end the hatred now, there are some Jotuns who don't want any more confrontation with the Asgardians" said Nökkvi.

Gymir frowned, though he soon left and started walking in a certain direction.

"As you said yourself... That is for our queen to decide," said Gymir.

Nökkvi sighed and looked at Thor and crouched down, offering his hand.

"... Do you want a ride?" asked Nökkvi.

Thor smiled and jumped into Nökkvi's hand, which then put Thor on his shoulder and started walking in the same direction as Gymir. After a few minutes of walking by the Jotuns, Thor soon noticed that some mountains had a strange appearance...

Indeed, the top of the mountains looked like a stronghold.

"Welcome to the stronghold of the snowy mountain, home of our queen," said Nökkvi.

Thor was impressed with the size of the stronghold, but in a way the god of thunder expected something like this, after all, there are 5000 Jotuns in the same place.

"…Who is this queen you speak of?" Thor asked.

Nökkvi looked confused.

"Don't you know who she is? But then again, she likes her privacy," said Nökkvi.

It was then that Gymir, who was nearby chose to speak.

"She is one of the few Jotuns with a talent for magic, although she is also an accomplished warrior, she single-handedly brought all the tribes together by force after her feat with Utgard," said Gymir.

Nökkvi waved back.

"Yes, she spent the next millennia bringing all the tribes to their knees and welcoming them... She is highly respected for the strength she possesses," said Nökkvi.

Thor was curious; after all, a single Jotun united the tribes.

"What's her name?" Thor asked.

Incredibly, both Nökkvi and Gymir smiled, and then Nanna's father chose to answer.

"... Jarnsaxa" said Nökkvi.

The queen's name rang no bells in Thor's mind; he just shrugged as he was carried by Nökkvi to the stronghold.

Meanwhile...

- Location: Midgard.

"Are you sure you didn't find anything?" someone asked.

It was Vali, who at this time was with a search party in Midgard.

"Nothing, my prince... The trail ends at this river," said an einherjar.

Vali thought in contemplation.

"What happened to you, Andvari?" asked Vali.

"It's a bit suspicious... Don't you think, my nephew?" said a voice.

The tone of the voice made Prince Vali frown.

It was Loki, who had offered to help with the search, as he was interested in Andvari's whereabouts.

"Are you going to accuse the disappeared of treason, Uncle?" Vali asked rhetorically.

Loki only gave an amused smile.

"Me, accusing someone? No, nephew, I would never do such an action. Although if your father gave me this privilege, I would put it to good use… I would start first by getting rid of the traitors… Permanently~" said Loki.

"Of course… Who would the traitors be? Those who are not according to your will?" Vali asked, glaring at Loki.

Loki just smiled.

"Exactly... Although I must make a small correction, traitors are those who are not in line with Asgard's will, not mine..." said Loki.

Vali narrowed his eyes.

Needless to say, Vali didn't believe Loki's correction of his statement; although he thought Loki was just playing with his mind.

While Vali thought about the missing dwarf and was distracted by Loki, he failed to notice a salmon swimming in the nearby river, which began to silently move away from the group, up the river until it reached a waterfall.

As soon as the salmon reached the waterfall, a glow enveloped the animal until it began to change shape.

In place of a salmon was a dwarf.

The dwarf smiled victoriously and looked at a golden ring, which was the last thing to shine, meaning it was the reason for the dwarf's transformation into salmon and vice versa.

The dwarf was Andvari.

While most Asgardian search parties were looking for a missing dwarf, the reality was different...

It was Andvari who didn't want to be found.

"Hehehehe… They will never separate us," said Andvari, as he touched the golden ring on his ring finger.

When Andvari heard a noise, he looked around and, after making sure he was alone, soon ran to the back of the waterfall, where there was a cave.

When Andvari reached the end of the cave he gave a smile that could be described as stingy.

"…I'm home," said Andvari.

What was in front of the dwarf would be the dream of every person with an ounce of greed in their eyes and desire in their hearts...

Mounds and mounds of gold adorned the dark cave, with only torches illuminating the hall with a golden hue due to the light from the torches reflecting off the gold of every coin, stone, or object.

The greatest treasure in the world.

The dwarf then ran to the nearest mound of gold and lay down, quickly falling asleep, all the while displaying a satisfied smile.

While Andvari was living a dream, someone else wasn't having so much fun...

The reason for this was that this someone did not serve as a diplomat.

 

- Location: Jotunheim / Scandinavian Alps / Midgard.

Thor's mission was simple.

Offer the Jotuns the 'hand of friendship' and, above all, avoid killing everyone.

What Thor expected was the look of discontent and fear from every Jotun who saw him as he was being led to the throne room.

The god of thunder didn't care about the looks and just wanted to get it over with.

As soon as Thor entered the throne room, Nökkvi took him off his shoulder and lifted him towards the throne made of ice.

"Thor, I am proud to present you, my queen… Járnsaxa," said Nökkvi, as he bowed, although the hands that held Thor were still raised.

It was then that the queen spoke before Thor even said anything.

"So you're what my people call a 'Slayer', huh…" said the woman on the throne.

The woman on the throne had blue skin characteristic of the Jotun race, with ice-blue eyes that glowed in the dark. She was blonde, although the shade of her hair could vary between snow white and platinum blonde and it was cut to shoulder length.

Jotun's smile shows her confidence; after all, a queen should always convey confidence to her people.

Járnsaxa then got up from her throne and started walking towards Thor.

As the Jotun Queen approached, she looked at Thor with a critical eye.

"... I thought you were bigger," said Járnsaxa.

Thor stared listlessly, but he wasn't about to let down this opportunity...

"… My wife never complained," said Thor.

Although Gymir and Nökkvi, who were holding Thor, choked on a spit, the Jotun queen only snorted in amusement.

"... Maybe she didn't want to hurt your feelings," said Járnsaxa.

Thor's brow twitched in irritation.

"Well, why don't you take yours, and let's see who's the biggest?" asked Thor.

Járnsaxa looked confused.

"But… I am a woman," said Járnsaxa.

"So I won by walkover," said Thor.

Járnsaxa only got more confused as she soon looked at Gymir.

"… What is a walkover?" asked Jarnsaxa.

Gymir just shrugged.

"Asgardians are eccentrics," said Gymir.

Járnsaxa quickly shook her head and looked seriously at Thor.

"I knew that one day Odin would send someone from Asgard to come here in search of reconciliation with the Jotun race... I am open to trying, but on one condition" said Járnsaxa.

Thor just gave a defeated sigh.

"What do you want?" Thor asked.

Járnsaxa then soon smiled in response.

"A contest of agility and speed, as well as strength and accuracy! Hnutukast! The competition is simple, you and I will throw an object at each other until the victor is the last one standing!" said Járnsaxa, with a confident smile.

"… When is the game over?" Thor asked.

"When someone gets hurt…or dies, whichever comes first," said Járnsaxa.

The thunder god grumbled and considered reneging on diplomacy and resorting to violence.

"If I win, I want your word to never enter Jotunheim again. Also, if you win, for you to gain peace and loyalty from me and, by extension, my people, in addition to you beating me, for us to strengthen our diplomatic ties you will have to –" said Járnsaxa, before she was interrupted.

"I accept the challenge," said Thor.

The god of thunder didn't even wait for Járnsaxa to finish and just decided to accept the challenge when he heard the words 'peace', 'loyalty', and 'diplomatic ties'. Needless to say, Thor was in a hurry, not to mention he planned to help his brother Vali.

Járnsaxa looked a little surprised but then smiled.

"So be it..." said Járnsaxa.

Queen Jotun then backed away a little, at the same time Nökkvi placed Thor on the floor made of ice. Queen Járnsaxa then summoned a battle axe and was ready to begin the game.

"What weapon do you want the game to be played with? Mine or yours?" asked Jarnsaxa.

Thor shrugged.

"Whatever… It can be yours," said Thor.

Járnsaxa just smiled and assumed a throwing stance, while Thor stood still and raised his hands.

It was then that Járnsaxa hurled the battle ax at high speed, though the thunder god quickly reacted. As soon as the ax got close enough, Thor jumped into the air and used his hands to grab the axe's handle.

The scene that followed could be described as peculiar. At last, Thor grabbed a Jotun axe, which was bigger than he was, and spun around, harnessing the centrifugal energy and hurling the axe back at Járnsaxa.

Queen Jotun's eyes widened as she tried to dodge the axe that swung toward her neck.

Fortunately, Járnsaxa managed to dodge, although she still took a small cut on her neck. The axe continued to swing until it hit the castle wall.

The silence in the throne room was instantaneous until Nökkvi chose this moment to speak.

"Erm... The winner of the Hnútukast is the prince of Asgard, Thor! Congratulations, Thor" said Nökkvi.

Gymir grunted, but it seemed to congratulate Thor.

The thunder god just shrugged and smiled a little.

"Well, now that the matter is settled, I will –" said Thor, until he was interrupted by Nökkvi.

The leader of the Nökkvi tribe then picked Thor up from the ground and handed him over to Járnsaxa, who seemed to be considering the current situation.

"Let's just get this over with… Begin the ceremony!" said Jarnsaxa.

It was then that several Jotuns entered the throne room and began to decorate the room, during which time the Aesir thunder god looked confused at what was happening.

"What the –" said Thor, until Nökkvi stood close to Járnsaxa.

"Jotuns!" shouted Nökkvi, his voice echoing through the throne room.

All the Jotuns then looked towards Nökkvi and consequently Thor and Járnsaxa.

"This is a day of celebration! A day to forget the past and focus on the future! A day that will mark the ultimate reconciliation between Jotunheim and Asgard!" said Nökkvi.

Every word made the thunder god confused.

"As a tribe leader, I, Nökkvi, will be responsible for this union!" said Nökkvi.

Thor froze.

"…Union?" said Thor.

So Nökkvi continued.

"Do you Járnsaxa Ymirsdottir, Jotun Queen and ruler of Jotunheim, accept this Aesir as your rightful spouse?" asked Nökkvi.

Jarnsaxa shrugged.

"Yes... I just hope I don't become a widow" said Járnsaxa.

Nökkvi then looked at Thor.

"And you Thor Odinson, Aesir prince and Asgardian heir's brother, take this Jotun as your rightful consort?" asked Nökkvi.

Thor's answer reflected the thunder god's thoughts at the time.

"… Eh?" said Thor, with a confused look.

Nökkvi shrugged as he didn't listen correctly.

"I'll take that as a yes," said Nökkvi.

Thor had a dead look on his face as if he didn't understand what was going on given the pace things were going.

"Then, by the grace of Ymir, I now pronounce you as husband and wife!" said Nökkvi.

All the Jotuns present, with the exception of Nökkvi and Járnsaxa, applauded. At this moment, someone said something else...

"… Eh?" said Thor, still looking like a lost person.

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Well, that's all, peasants!

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

I was planning to release this chapter last Sunday, but unforeseen things happened, organizing a house after moving takes time and patience...

The next chapter will be updated on March 4th, the reason for this is that I will have a very important exam on March 19th, so I'm dedicating myself to studying/review certain subjects.

Regarding the next chapter of 'Son of Agni', I plan to post it tomorrow, February 19th, so the peasants who like this fanfic in particular, keep waiting.

Until next time, peasants!