When Bjorn, bearing the name of Raiden, was engulfed in fear and confusion, the spirits behind him had already taken up their weapons and charged forward.
They had waited for a thousand years. They wanted to fight, to fight for their beliefs, to kill Alduin, or... to end their cursed lives.
Alduin circled in the sky, his domain. As he looked down upon the insignificant ants below, he smiled... a sinister curve forming on his massive dragon maw, from which merciless flames erupted.
Faced with Alduin dragon fire, the spirits could only defend themselves, but their defenses were futile. Alduin power was beyond their capacity to withstand, and the flames consumed them.
Spirits are hard to kill, even by Alduin dragon fire, but pain exists, and it is a hundred times more intense than what mortals could endure. The spirits could only wail in agony amidst the flames.
"Last Dragonborn, what are you doing? Do something!" the warrior Hakon One-Eye shouted at Raiden.
"Me? What should I do?" Bjorn said fearfully, his voice weak, soft, and even tinged with a sob.
How could he tell these people that he was not Raiden, not the Dragonborn who could save them all?
"Do what you must!" Gormlaith Golden-Hilt roared at Raiden.
"Roarrrrrrrr!"
Another roar echoed in the sky. It was another dragon, a red dragon.
As this red dragon appeared, a mark glowed brightly on Raiden arm.
This was the dragon belonging to the Last Dragonborn, Odahviing.
Odahviing lunged directly at Alduin, but compared to Alduin massive body, his own seemed frail.
"Roarrrrrrrrr!"
Alduin looked at this "insolent" kin, its cold eyes revealing a hint of savagery, and he struck back.
.....
Under the gloomy sky, two dragons, one large and one small, clashed in the air. But the smaller red dragon was clearly no match for the black dragon, and it was forced to retreat under Alduin onslaught. Dragon blood rained down, staining the earth red.
Finally, Odahviing was swept to the ground by Alduin tail.
On the ground, a group of spirits also attacked Alduin, but since Alduin was in the sky, their efforts seemed futile.
"We need to bring Alduin to the ground, Last Dragonborn. You must do something!" Hakon walked up to Bjorn, grabbing his shoulders.
"Do something... what should I do?" Bjorn clutched his head in agony. He hated his own incompetence; he hated his fate; why had he come to this world; he hated why he was not Raiden. These people needed Raiden...
Blood began to seep from his ears, nose, and throat.
Who was he? He was just Bjorn! Who was he? He wanted and needed to be Raiden. Who was he? Who could he become?
Countless memories, yet to be absorbed, surged chaotically in his mind; within his body, boundless power began to burn; in the realm of magic, three scrolls each emitted a different radiance; and thousands of miles away, on the wall inscribed with prophecies, every character was dissolving.
At this moment, Bjorn was Raiden. He was no longer just Bjorn who had inherited Raiden name—he was Raiden himself. In soul and through time, these two... were one.
Raiden released his hands from his head, and the blood that had been seeping from his ears, nose, and throat began to recede. He gazed at the sky and uttered words that were not of human origin. The moment the sound left his mouth, it transformed into thunderous roars, ancient language reverberating through the heavens and the earth.
This was the language of dragons, a power derived from the laws of nature.
In the mouths of dragons, these were their roars, each one symbolizing the nobility of their lives, for they were the masters of power.
In the mouths of humans, this was the Thu'um, a power gained through relentless training. Each shout was a theft of the rules, a utilization of power.
But among humans, there was a small group known as the Dragonborn, whose bloodlines carried the power of Akatosh, the Dragon God of Time. They, too, could wield the Thu'um as freely as dragons.
The moment Alduin was struck by the Thu'um, the rules of the world pressed down upon him. Under the endless torrent of power, he could not resist and was pinned to the ground, unable to move.
This was the mightiest force among the Thu'um, a power capable of slaying dragons—Dragonrend!
"Roarrrrrrrrrr!"
Alduin let out a roar of defiance, spewing vast flames that scorched the earth. He had lost the ability to soar through the skies and was now confined to the ground, facing the ants he once looked down upon.
At this moment, another hero, One-Eye Hakon, rushed forward with the spirits of the fallen, attacking Alduin with all their might.
Hakon led the charge, drawing a massive blade from his back and striking at Alduin head.
The sharp blade clashed against the black dragon scales, sparks flying, but it could not harm Alduin in the slightest. Even pinned by the power of Dragonrend, he remained the unstoppable Alduin.
The attacks of the heroes and spirits could not harm Alduin, but they did provoke his wrath.
Alduin roared, and the roar transformed into a powerful whirlwind that swept Hakon and the surrounding spirits away.
Standing at the rear was the only mage among the heroes, Felldir. Clad in a mage robe, he had been chanting with his eyes closed for a long time.
Now, he finally opened his eyes, and within them, lightning surged. The elements of the world were at his command.
Countless elements gathered around Felldir, and lightning erupted from his surroundings, washing over Alduin. But amidst the dazzling light, a dragon claw tore through the lightning and broke free.
Gormlaith raised her longsword and charged forward, shouting to Alduin,
"Dragonborn, you are the child of prophecy, the chosen one. Only you can kill him. Think of something!"
Gormlaith charged, but she was sent flying back even faster, struck down by Alduin.
Raiden swiftly searched through his memories, but not a single shred could tell him how to kill Alduin. Although he had slain many dragons in his past, none had ever been as powerful as Alduin.
To be precise, killing Alduin shouldn't rely on dragon-slaying methods but rather on god-slaying techniques.
Here's the text extracted from the sixteenth image:
After knocking Gormlaith aside, Alduin turned its gaze toward Raiden. It had long noticed this familiar ant.
Alduin had crossed paths with Raiden countless times; their fates had always been intertwined. Even in their last encounter, Alduin avatar had fought alongside Raiden and his brother Paarthurnax.
Yet, Alduin had never regarded Raiden as a threat. Instead, it was curious about him. It wanted to know how this feeble creature could possibly kill an eternal deity like itself.
Alduin power was unparalleled. Even in the realm of Oblivion, it stood at the pinnacle of existence. Thus, it had every reason to look down on Raiden.
From the moment it discovered Raiden here, Alduin had been giving him chances. It deliberately allowed Raiden Dragonrend to strike it, choosing to abandon its advantage in the sky to fight these ants on the ground.
All of this was simply because Alduin wanted to see what kind of person its dear father, Akatosh, had placed his hopes in. But now, it felt somewhat disappointed.
With its disappointment, Alduin no longer held back. Its patience had run out; it no longer wished to play games with these ants.
At this moment, unparalleled power erupted from Alduin's body, tearing apart all the forces that restrained it. The rules of Dragonrend, condensed with great effort, were no match for even a fraction of Alduin true power.
It was Alduin! The World-Eater! The End of All! It was destined to be unstoppable!
Alduin spread its wings and soared into the sky, looking down upon Raiden. It would kill this weak ant, this ant its father had placed hope in. Alduin believed Raiden existence was an insult to itself. How could Raiden possibly be the one to end it?
Alduin dragonfire mercilessly spewed toward Raiden, the flames quickly engulfing him. But within the inferno, the power from Raiden bloodline and the prophecy were passively triggered, launching a counterattack.
Seeing Raiden survive its dragonfire, Alduin felt rage. It swiftly launched a second attack, and this time, the strike fueled by Alduin wrath would annihilate everything.