Chapter 609: Became the Scapegoat

"What's wrong?"

Huo De Er tilted his head, those eyes that see nothing fixed on the front.

He waited, waited for the cheers, the laughter, the applause, waited for Bader's laugh.

That laugh that is always everywhere.

But there was none.

Nothing at all.

Dead silence.

The entire palace seemed to have its sound pulled away, even the candle flames appeared to stop flickering.

Huo De Er heard his own heartbeat—thump, thump, thump—like someone beating a drum covered with cloth.

He heard wind whistling through the colonnade, whooo, like a cry.

"No—!"

A mournful scream tore through the dead silence.

It was Fu Li Jia's voice; Huo De Er recognized it.

He had never heard his mother call like that; that voice didn't sound like a god's, but more like some wounded, dying beast!

Then came Thor's roar, like a muffled thunder, shaking the Great Hall's floor: "Bader! Bader!"

Next was Fuleiya's sobbing, sharp and shattering, like porcelain shards falling to the ground.

TiEr shouted something, Hai Mu Da Er shouted something, Fulei shouted something, the Valkyries shouted something.

All the sounds blended together, forming a torrent that surged into Huo De Er's ears and drowned him.

He stood there, his hand still in a throwing stance—right arm extended forward, fingers slightly spread, fingertips tingling cold.

He didn't know what had happened, but he heard those cries, those shouts, those footfalls.

The Gods were running, all toward the same direction, toward where Bader stood.

He heard the sound of someone kneeling, knees slamming onto stone, thud; heard someone hurl a weapon onto the ground, metal clanging against stone, ding‑dong; heard someone crying, sobbing so hard they could barely breathe.

Bader.

They all shouted Bader!

Huo De Er's hand began to tremble.

It started at the fingertips, spreading to the wrist, the elbow, the shoulder, the whole arm, and finally the entire body quivered.

What had he done? He asked himself, what had he done?

He threw that weapon, the weapon Loki had given him; Loki had said all things had sworn, Loki had said nothing could harm Bader, Loki had said he should offer his own share.

He threw it away, and then the laughter vanished!!

"Bader—!" Fu Li Jia's sobbing rose from the crowd, heart‑rending, like a knife thrust straight into Huo De Er's chest.

Huo De Er's lips trembled.

He wanted to shout, to explain, to say he didn't know, to say it was Loki, that Loki had given him the weapon, that Loki had made him throw it.

But his mouth was open, not a single word could come out.

In the end, indeed he had killed Bader; he shouldn't have listened to Loki's words...............

Then footfalls drew nearer to him.

Not a single person, but many.

Heavy, rapid, filled with anger and murderous intent!

"It's you!" Thor's voice cracked like a bomb, hurting Huo De Er's eardrums, "You killed Bader!"

"I—" Huo De Er finally forced out a few words, his voice hoarse and unrecognizable as his own:

"I don't know— that weapon— Loki—"

"Loki?" TiEr's voice came from the other side, cold as ice:

"Where is Loki?"

No one answered.

Huo De Er heard the Gods looking around, searching, ransacking; but no one found Loki.

He was already gone; from the moment Huo De Er threw Mistering, he had already been gone.

Huo De Er stood there, listening to those footfalls, to those breaths, to that suppressed fury ready to erupt.

He realized, he had become the scapegoat.

Loki handed the knife to him, then vanished, leaving him alone here, facing the wrath of all the Gods!!

"I don't know—" he tried to explain, but his voice was drowned.

"You don't know?" Fuleiya frowned, murmuring:

"You hold a weapon in your hand, you threw it at Bader, and then you say you don't know?"

"It was Loki, Loki gave me—"

"Loki?" Thor sneered, "Where is Loki? Make him appear!"

Huo De Er fell silent.

Loki isn't here, Loki won't testify for him, Loki might never appear in Asgard again.

He's always been like that.

He has only himself, a God of Darkness who sees nothing, can't even hold a weapon steady, forgotten by the Gods in a corner.

Someone began to curse him.

With the most venomous, cutting, ruthless words.

Saying he envies Bader, that he is a born evil seed, that he doesn't deserve to be Odin's son, that he doesn't deserve to live.

Huo De Er listened, saying nothing. His lips trembled, but he did not retort.

He wanted to retort, but with what could he retort? It was he who threw that weapon, and that weapon killed Bader.

Whether he knew or not, whether it was Loki's doing or not, the result was the same.

Bader died, dead in his hands.

This fact is heavier than any abuse.

Footsteps drew near again.

This time they were coming for him.

"I want your life!" a voice shouted in front of him, so close that Huo De Er could feel the hot breath spraying on his face.

Just then—a shrill cry came from behind the crowd, sharper than any previous sob.

It was Nanna, Bader's wife.

Her wail was like an awl, stabbing into the heart of everyone present, again and again.

"Bader—Bader—wait for me—wait for me—"

The Gods turned their heads.

Huo De Er heard someone gasp, someone suck in cold air, someone shout "Stop her!", someone shout "Quickly stop her!"

But it was too late.

The sound of Nanna's body falling was light, like a leaf dropping from a tree, like a drop of rain falling into lake water.

Then came more wailing, more shouting, more chaos.

Nanna died, dead of a broken heart.

Following her husband, she went to the Mingjie.

"Ah! What is happening?! Today shouldn't be like this!"

Thor's roar shook the entire Golden Palace.

"Huo De Er! You deserve to die!"

He raised the hammer and charged at Huo De Er.

Huo De Er stood in place, not dodging.

He had nowhere to dodge.

Just as Thor's hammer was about to fall.

A hand reached out and firmly grasped the hammer.

Then, a voice sounded:

"This has nothing to do with him."

"You've got the wrong target."