"Did I hear that right? You killed Odin? You actually killed Odin?! The God-King who nearly had the power to conquer the universe died at your hands?!!"
The moment Haisenburg finished speaking, Eitri's fifteen-centimeter-long eyes widened in shock, and he bellowed in disbelief.
"By the Eternals, that's the most staggering news I've ever heard—more staggering than the fact that the Infinity Gauntlet I forged can't control all six Infinity Stones!"
Eitri's astonished roar echoed across nearly half of Nidavellir, making even Haisenburg turn his head aside involuntarily.
The blast of sound carried on the airwaves into the ears of most of the dwarves, and it made them all stop their work in unison.
Clank! Clatter! Clang!!!
Countless pieces of metal slipped from dwarven hands.
Aaargh!!!
That was a dwarf who had been gripping a steel ingot ready for quenching, accidentally seizing the freshly smelted metal with his bare hand.
Having been ruled and protected by Odin for tens of thousands of years, it had been far too long since they last considered that Odin, too, had a time to die.
Watching the dwarves' shock, Haisenburg didn't interrupt. He calmly held Gungnir and silently regarded Eitri, who was unable to hide his astonishment and loss before him.
After a long moment, Eitri's heavy breathing finally subsided, and with a bitter face, he stepped before Haisenburg, using his enormous yet disproportionately short hands to thump his broad chest.
"Lord of Nidavellir, Chieftain of the Dwarves, Eitri, pays homage to His Majesty Haisenburg!"
Seeing Eitri bow before him, Haisenburg quietly swallowed. Even at a ninety-degree bow, this damn dwarf in the Marvel universe was still taller than him?! Absolutely outrageous!
"No need for such ceremony!"
With a flick of his power, Haisenburg lifted Eitri upright without touching him.
"Buddy, where's that loud, passionate you from a moment ago? Am I some devil who devours your joy and enthusiasm?"
He said with a smile to Eitri, but Eitri only managed a strained blink.
Worried, Eitri muttered under his breath, "Your Majesty... what I just...?"
"What about just now? Weren't you going to forge me a suit of armor? Do you think I can't afford the price for your services?"
"No, no, no!!"
Eitri hurriedly shook his big head.
"Even the Nine Realms belong to Your Majesty. There's nothing in the entire universe that you cannot afford. It's just the way I addressed you just now..."
"Stop!"
Haisenburg cut Eitri off helplessly. He understood now.
Besides their passion and other excellent traits, the dwarves' most famous characteristic was their stubbornness.
He could feel that the current Eitri was like those rigid ministers of ancient times who, even if they grew up wearing the same pair of pants as the emperor, would never forget the hierarchy between them.
No matter what Haisenburg said, so long as he was the God-King of the Nine Realms, Eitri would almost certainly never change his attitude.
Still, even so, Haisenburg had a way to get Eitri to act normal.
He casually tossed Gungnir, and the spear immediately appeared in Eitri's arms.
"Eitri, there's no need to stand on ceremony with me endlessly. First, check if Gungnir has suffered any damage over the long years!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Holding the weapon that symbolized the divine king's authority and the supremacy of the Nine Realms, Eitri grew excited once more.
His rough, large hands instantly began caressing Gungnir's shaft with the same loving tenderness he might reserve for his own wife—smooth-bearded and luxuriantly hairy.
His gaze was focused and serious, his palms ceaselessly feeling Gungnir's condition.
After maintaining this posture for more than twenty seconds, Eitri set Gungnir down with exhilaration.
"Not a single one of the 108,000 runes carved into Gungnir's shaft is damaged. This is a perfect weapon, possessing self-repairing abilities. My great-grandfather forged it. That ancestor was truly the greatest among us dwarves; his craftsmanship fills me with admiration. But I won't lose to him, because I've mastered far more advanced techniques than he ever had. If Your Majesty permits, I can make a small adjustment to Gungnir. Currently, it's compatible with all elements, but if I slightly tweak its patterns, it will maintain its energy compatibility while growing closer to Your Majesty's divine power of the sun."
"When it comes to these technical matters, I trust no one more than you. Do as you see fit, Eitri!"
Haisenburg nodded, and his consent made Eitri grin so wide his teeth showed. Without waiting for Haisenburg to say more, Eitri charged straight to the workbench and tossed Gungnir into the re-forging furnace.
He pulled the massive re-forging switch, and the distant star blazed fiercely. Limitless stellar power surged along the channels built by generations of dwarves, continuously heating Gungnir.
Even as it heated, Eitri had already reached out, picking up the chisel designed for fine engraving—nearly impossible to see with the naked eye—and began working on the red-hot Gungnir.
A series of tinks and clinks rang out, and in an instant, countless sparks erupted from Gungnir.
This process continued for about fifteen minutes. The surrounding dwarves brought a seat for Haisenburg, along with strong liquor and rock-cakes. Haisenburg ate a full half-jin of the high-calorie stone-powder biscuits before Eitri finally finished.
"Your Majesty, I am done. Please summon it!"
"Hm!"
Haisenburg nodded, stuffing the rock-cake in his right hand into his mouth. These garlic-flavored sulfur stones, paired with the unique dwarf-brewed strong liquor—
As long as you could handle the terrifying hardness of the rock-cakes, you'd absolutely fall in love with this way of eating!
Freeing his hand, Haisenburg made a light beckoning gesture. The magma-colored Gungnir shot out instantly and came before him.
It paused hesitantly in mid-air, then abruptly burst into dazzling flames. The scorching tongues of fire licked at Haisenburg's palm, sweeping away the cake crumbs on his hand in an instant.
Only when Haisenburg's hand was clean did Gungnir settle into his grasp, quivering gently.
Haisenburg tightened his grip on Gungnir slightly, and the spear instantly radiated a heatwave. The long spear in his hand looked as if it had gained a weapon skin.
Seeing this, Haisenburg was immensely satisfied. Power was a matter of a few punches, but being stylish was a lifelong affair.
He thrust the blazing Gungnir into the ground and, nodding, flew over to the proud Eitri.
"You've done even better than I imagined. Well done!"
"Hahaha, you praise too soon. Come, give me Surtur's sword and the Eternal Flame, and let me forge the most fitting battle armor for Your Majesty!"
Eitri had no mind to claim credit. He was already wholly immersed in controlling top-grade divine artifacts and materials.
Every dwarf was blessed, for from the moment they were born, they had an ideal that would last a lifetime.
They pursued potent liquor, hairy women, and even more so, rare materials and legendary artifacts!
And as the Dwarf King, Eitri was undoubtedly the happiest dwarf of them all!
Just look at the drool spilling from the other dwarves around them. They were staring greedily at Gungnir and the Twilight Sword like men eyeing a woman clad only in sheer gauze.
If not for the fact that they couldn't beat Eitri, they would have challenged him for the throne of the Dwarf King long ago for these two treasures.
Eitri also knew his kin's temperament well. With a grand wave of his hand, he scooped the Twilight Sword into his arms.
Hugging the sword as he ran to the smelting furnace, he urged Haisenburg excitedly:
"Hurry, Your Majesty! The star encircling Nidavellir is at its hottest moment. Quickly, scatter your Eternal Flame over every corner of Surtur's longsword!"
As he spoke, the Twilight Blade was hurled ruthlessly into the smelting furnace. Scorching stellar energy surged through the rings like a great river, focusing on the sword's body, causing the unyielding blade to gradually soften.
And Eitri seized the opportunity to raise his forging hammer, shouting at Haisenburg with wild abandon:
"What is the greatest treasure in the entire universe? Is it the Heart of the Universe? The Infinity Stones? None of them! The most precious treasure in the cosmos is my two hands, Eitri's hands! These are hands that can hammer out every rune, smash forth all might! Even though our Nidavellir has had automated forging assembly lines for hundreds of thousands of years, the most supreme divine artifacts must always be hammered out by hand! As long as I have these hands, I will never, ever entrust any material to that accursed, soulless automatic forging program!"
At this, Eitri's eyes bulged, and he charged to the forge with the force of a tiger.
The great hammer was instantly swung into an impenetrable blur.
Ding, dang, dong—endless ringing filled the air, and that rhythmic pounding stirred every dwarf on Nidavellir into a frenzy.
Clang!
Thud!
Clang!
Thud!
Weapons clashed with weapons, dwarven right feet stomped the ground, and accompanying Eitri's forging, countless dwarves joined in beating out an ancient rhythm!
Thud!
Clap!
Thud!
Clap!
The sounds of clapping hands, slapping workbenches, and thumping their own shoulders and chests rose one after another.
The dwarves gradually broke into dance—a war dance!
Swaying their forging hammers, moving to the beat of the forging, they soon animated every corner Haisenburg could see.
"A new sun rises in the East!"
"Hoo-hah! Hoo-hah!"
"The children of the sun rise up thereby!"
"Hoo-hah! Hoo-hah!"
"To build the kingdom we seek!"
"On rugged highlands, place the solemn crown upon his brow!!!"
"Hoo-hah! Hoo-hah!"
"Rising in golden days!"
"Thriving in prosperous years!"
"We are free and unrestrained, untamed and proud!"
"Ever forward, unbreakable!"
"We live thus all our days, until death!!!"
...
Countless dwarves sang out around Haisenburg, their rough yet passionate tunes making him stand up and join their ranks!
Beating his chest, stomping his feet, pointing to the sky, stamping the earth!
There was likely no music in the world more manly than this!
Amid this blood-stirring battle song, Eitri's forging continued for over two hours.
At last, the Twilight Blade had lost its original shape, and the Eternal Flame had merged into the armor.
Layer upon layer of armor was etched with countless mysterious runes. Molten lava seeped ceaselessly from between the plates, first dripping to the ground, then floating back up.
"Your Majesty, don your armor now!"
Eitri bellowed at Haisenburg and hurled the blazing armor straight at him.
What he threw was no mere suit of armor—it was a nascent sun at the moment of its birth!
Boundless flames crashed onto Haisenburg's body, the lava instantly scorching every inch of his clothing to ash.
The layered plates swiftly dispersed and enveloped Haisenburg, then converged together, covering every inch of his skin!
The lava between the plates erupted continuously, each eruption unleashing energy far surpassing a nuclear bomb.
Relying on this eruptive solar force, the layered armor enhanced Haisenburg's every movement by more than a fraction!
At this very moment, the dwarves' battle song finally ended. The entire world fell silent before the armor-clad Haisenburg.
Staring at the newly-crowned God-King amidst the crowd, who seemed wreathed in the depths of hell and the abyss, Eitri's eyes widened in utter disbelief.
"Th-this... how is this possible?"
He muttered to himself in a daze.
"When I forged it, what I envisioned was clearly a brilliant sun, yet once you donned it, how did it turn into this abyssal form?
This makes no sense!!!"
/-\
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