Chapter 981 - 34: The Essence of Myth

Chapter 981: Chapter 34: The Essence of Myth

Twilight of the Gods——

The end-of-the-world battle in Nordic Mythology, originally named "Ragnarökr" or "Ragnarökkr," meaning "the end of the gods."

It was an apocalypse composed of a series of vast catastrophes, causing numerous natural disasters, leading to the extinction of countless Divine Spirits and races, and ultimately the entire world being submerged underwater... Such a famous ending, even the Gods are imperfect and not eternal, with a particularly tragic ending in the story.

It’s widely known and quite reputable.

However, even ordinary people generally would not misunderstand, thinking it belongs to Greek Mythology.

So how could mages who have researched various mysteries and myths in great depth, almost spending their entire lives on these matters with a quest-like mindset, make such a low-level mistake? Gu Mo is very interested in this and wants to see what kind of explanation this might be.

"This..."

Frowning slightly, Erica seems a bit puzzled: "This explanation has been circulating for a very long time, but its specific origin is unclear, and it’s unknown when it started spreading. I’ve had doubts about this in the past, but never obtained a precise answer."

"Oh, so you don’t know either."

Gu Mo nodded, indicating understanding.

"Hey, what’s with that look?"

Erica suddenly had some indignation, as an overly proud girl, she’s currently striving to prove herself, urgently wanting to achieve something, but repeatedly facing setbacks, thus inevitably becoming sensitive. Although the other party spoke casually, it still made her feel her professionalism was being questioned.

"You have to understand one thing, myths cannot prove anything! Otherwise, Defiant Gods wouldn’t appear, who hate concepts imposed on themselves, not conforming to the arrangements of myths, only then becoming Defiant Gods!"

The girl, holding her breath since daytime, couldn’t help but grit her teeth, her voice decibels involuntarily heightening: "The existence of Gods predates myths, in ancient times, even before humanity as a race emerged, these great Lives already existed."

"Humans only discovered their traces in the vast skies and lands, often when they were displaying their powers... The essence of myths is simply rituals produced by humans to guard against the formidable and mighty Power of the gods."

"When the gods gain names and myths, they cannot exceed boundaries in deeds, whether in granting favors or avenging humans, they will not exceed their scope of duties. But this wasn’t a factual occurrence, only legends passed down by future generations."

Breathtakingly said up to this point, she paused slightly, adjusted her breathing rhythm, quite irritably continued: "So, you understand now, right."

Myths cannot serve as evidence.

Because that may not necessarily be something that truly happened, it might just be a ritual—

It’s not history, not fixed in the past, nor is it a precise record of events. It might just be a "story," and in the form of a "story," the Gods play specific roles within it, defining the scope of duties.

It can be said that this is a role-play ritual, where humans and Gods both play their assigned roles, while also completing a kind of "exchange of interests"...

If this situation can be maintained, then the human world and the Divine Realm will be in a balanced and stable state. The gods will maintain the roles and personas they should play in their myths, ensuring normal world operation.

But not all Gods will obey quietly, choose unconditional compliance with their arranged mythic roles. There will always be exceptions, such as Gods growing weary of this prolonged ritual, then choosing to break free from the current of myths. Such things indeed exist.

——Those Gods who defy myths, known as Defiant Gods, spurn myths, unwilling to be shackled and fettered by these things...

——This is also the biggest headache and threat to the Magic Realm, as merely passing through this world would bring great influence, according to their preference in creating their own form as the God of Calamity.

"Although the Twilight of the Gods is indeed a concept originating from Nordic Mythology, myths inherently have many interconnected aspects, and as human cultures change, myths also change. Sometimes that change can make the Gods change even their names."

Erica hummed, while also using her explanation to organize her thoughts, with a contemplative expression:

"You should also know that there are quite a few stories with similar outlines worldwide, like the stories of Izanagi who went to Yellow Springs Country to retrieve his deceased wife Iyeyama, and Orpheus who descended to the Netherworld intending to rescue his deceased wife. Such similar stories are quite abundant, right?"

Stories with the same origin, after changing details, become similar myths spread among different cultural regions.

This is often due to the phenomenon caused by years of cultural integration and ethnic migration, which is understandable.

Besides direct appropriation, there are other reasons too, like out of competitive or suppressive ideological desires, creating corresponding myths, where gods from one’s own region destroy Evil God·Great Demon·Monster from other regions, such examples are also plentiful.

Erica, coming from a prestigious magical family, is naturally not unfamiliar with these matters. Although she is still young, standing on the shoulders of those philosophic predecessors, she can certainly use a perspective of Extraordinary evolution to perceive the changes and mysteries of the Divine Realm.

"Oh, so that’s how it is..."

Gu Mo nodded, seemingly supportive, clapping to applaud her.

Only——

"You...you don’t believe what I’m saying?" The blonde girl in a red dress looked at him with exasperation, suddenly feeling a darkness settling over her mood.

"No, I didn’t say I don’t believe you..." Gu Mo blinked and frowned as well.

"Then why do you have that expression?" Erica glared at him angrily; this guy’s too composed! It’s totally unlike how an ordinary person should react upon hearing such secret knowledge for the first time, neither surprised nor doubtful, just very calm.

So calm that it seemed a bit perfunctory.

No wonder Erica was a bit exasperated. She had just poured out a bunch of secrets that ordinary people couldn’t access, but in her eyes, he remained expressionless without much reaction and only reluctantly clapped his hands after she finished.

It was as if he was watching her go through a phase, worried that if he didn’t react, she would feel awkward, so he reluctantly gave a little response.

Really just a tiny response.

That was basically it.

"Is there a problem with my expression? There’s no law against showing this expression, is there?" Gu Mo disagreed and shook his head. "Moreover...I never said I don’t believe you!"

The blonde girl in a red dress suddenly choked, and although his words seemed correct, something still felt off.

"Speaking of which, you seem quite irritable. Are you anxious or stressed, or is this just how you are, Erica..." Gu Mo glanced at Erica and casually said.

"..."

"..."

Another silence followed.

The blonde girl in a red dress sat back down silently, took a deep breath, and seriously examined herself, realizing her emotions were indeed off.

It seemed she was somewhat irritable and wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t pointed it out...

——Perhaps the pressure was too great.

Quickly figuring out the reason, she found an excuse for her behavior. The girl sighed deeply, a rare expression of worry crossing her face. Although she tried to maintain her habitual proud smile, she couldn’t pull it off, leaving only a trace of bitterness.

In the past, she had no experience of encountering the divine, hence her persistent pursuit.

It was an achievement, an honor, truly remarkable martial arts to boast of, and the most dazzling badge of honor for a knight...at least that’s what she believed.

However, reality is often harsh, always proving how naive young people can be. The newborn calf not fearing the tiger can be both a compliment and an insult. Until young ones face it themselves, they often cannot understand the older generations’ thoughts.

No matter how much her uncle advised her not to rush, telling Erica she was still young, and everything could come slowly, there was no need to be so aggressive...

Erica couldn’t listen and felt her uncle was too conservative and didn’t believe in her.

But of course, being famous in youth and vigorous, as a genius girl who became a Great Knight at fifteen or sixteen, she was confidently at her peak. If not confident and spirited, what kind of young person would she be...? The older generation was too conservative; their failure doesn’t necessarily mean she would fail.

Perhaps...this was her mindset.

Erica was no exception; her life had been too smooth sailing, always like this.

Until today—

Recalling the feeling and oppression of that gigantic Divine Beast, Erica couldn’t help but rub her temples, feeling restless and troubled.

"Maybe I am...a bit shaken."

Murmurs spilled from her lips as the girl sat on the sofa, speaking to herself.

Opposite her, Gu Mo raised his eyebrows slightly. Is this genius girl feeling defeated? Since earlier, she’s been acting strangely, explaining about the existence of Godslayers with such conviction, and she also mentioned wanting to become someone like the King of Swords...

Normally, while she was very proud, she’d be a bit humble about this, even when facing her uncle’s questions.

But now, she’s saying such things to someone she’s just met today...

Gu Mo silently checked, confirming that his Mind Power interference was indeed properly adjusted and not at any strange mental frequency...