The light of the Bifrost dispersed. A wave of heat swept over me as I looked at the scenery. I was inside a temple that was the exact replica of the one on Earth.
Surrounding me were volcanic ranges, and I honestly could not see anything more than that from this position. I had no idea where to go, so I was about to start scouting in order to decide on a direction when I heard a voice, "Welcome, Lord Fistore, to the planet of Skald, the capital planet of my humble realm."
That voice belonged to Surtr, Lord of Fire and overlord of Muspelheim. So, this is Skald. I once read that most of its population resides inside the volcanoes or below the surface.
All nine realms comprise thousands of solar systems and planets. Earth is the capital planet of Midgard, and Skald is the one for Muspelheim.
Surtr continued, "I shall not keep you for long, so I shall cut to the chase. Some changes to your tests have been made. Instead of going through a tower, you have to participate in the Emal Arena. Fret not, you only have to face four of some unruly and ambitious young native orcs.
"There are some conditions, though. They are of the same level as you, but their opponent is you, who is a disciple of the Lord of Chaos. Thus, they are allowed to kill you, and you are not."
I raised my eyebrows and asked him, my tone full of mockery, "And where's the fairness in that?"
He sighed and replied in a dramatic way, "Life is never fair, my Lord. It is also a test for you, not a normal fight, so it is not designed to be fair."
I frowned and asked, "How far can I injure them? And will I be fighting them all at once?"
"All at once, naturally," he replied. "As for the extent of injuries, so long as they don't die, you can do whatever they want. Let them learn to challenge an esteemed Lord. Anything else?"
"That's what I should be asking, my Lord."
He chuckled, "No, nothing else. I shall teleport you to the arena now."
I felt the space ripple around me, and I was teleported to a mostly dim room. The only source of light was the forge beside a dwarf, who was hitting a sword on an anvil. He stopped when he saw me and raised his head in some sort of greeting, "Hey there, little man."
So far, the people of this realm have been nothing but eccentric. I tried not to get irritated by what he called me and said, "Hello. What's a dwarf doing so far away from Nidavellir?"
"What's a Dragon doing so far from- where are Dragons from exactly? No, don't answer that, I don't care."
He put the sword into the fires of the forge and then leaned on his table that had his tools, "You must be the one his Lordship and the big grumpy guy mentioned earlier. His Lordship must have already told you about this test of yours, and he tasked me with preparing you."
"I already have my sword with me," I replied, pointing to Pangu.
"I can bloody see your sword," this dwarf was really testing my patience now, "I was talking about armor."
"I am a Dragon, I don't need armor," I replied.
He smirked and said, "Sure you don't. Well, go on. The brutes are waiting for you."
He pointed at a wooden gate and resumed his work. I took a deep breath and walked through the gate.
What greeted me was a huge cheer from the crowd. The stadium itself was enormous, housing more than a million people. The seats were made up of a variety of Muspleheim native species. One of those species is the orcs.
Four orcs, in berserker armor, each holding an axe, stood before a gate of their own. My opponents looked almost identical, not that I have seen many orcs in my life to compare.
A voice filled the arena and announced, "Now enters to the Emal Arena the Lord of Ice, Water, and Wind; the disciple of the Lord of Chaos, Orion Fistore!
"Facing him are the Gunag brothers! They are famous on the Orc planet of Xig!
"This fight is sponsored by the Lord Surtr himself! To the combatants, are you ready?"
I nodded my head. Surtr's voice echoed through the arena, "Begin!"
Since I had four opponents, I decided that it was best to stick to the wall. That way, they would all be from my sides or front, and would prevent them from attacking me from my back.
Pangu was in my hand, and I kept defending against their attacks. Despite being strong, they were slow, so speed was the key to my victory. At every opportunity I get, I slash one of them. My attacks mostly concentrated on their elbows and knees, as they would injure them, but were not serious enough to kill.
Ten minutes later, I felt the ache across my body. I was not bruised or injured, but I felt some pain. And I was tired. However, the Gunag brothers all had injuries across their bodies. And they retreated to try and catch their breath.
Despite being tired myself, I found it a good opportunity to charge at them. However, I was stopped by Surtr's voice, "Lord Orion Fistore has achieved victory!"
I was teleported once again. This time, I was facing Senior Brother Farbauti in a different arena.
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Updated on 29/3/2026