Chapter 617: The Most Terrifying Punishment

Damn! How did they come so fast?

Loki saw the silhouettes of the Gods appear at the valley entrance from afar, and his heart sank sharply.

He crumpled the half‑finished fishing net in his hand into a ball, tossed it into the fire, and the linen and thread curled, blackened, and turned to ash, releasing a sharp, acrid burnt smell.

Without looking further, he turned and leapt into the deep pool beneath the waterfall; a splash rose on the surface, ripples spread, and then he vanished!

The Gods walked to the Wooden House; the fire was still burning, and blue smoke rose from the embers.

KeWaXiEr crouched, used a branch to sift through the ash, and discovered a half‑length of net rope that hadn't been completely burned.

He picked it up, held it in his palm and examined it for a moment; the knotting pattern was clear, the warp and weft interlaced, sturdy yet fine.

"He wants to become a fish," KeWaXiEr said as he stood and handed that piece of net rope to Thor:

"Catch him with a net."

"We also need a net, one larger than this, to catch him!"

He is called the smartest man, usually not regarded as a deity, but sometimes considered a member of the Warner divine clan.

Later he was deceived and killed by the dwarves FaYaLa and GeLa; his blood mixed with honey was made into Poet Immortal Honey Wine, and those who drink it gain poetic talent.

The dwarves falsely claimed he choked on his excess wisdom, then killed the giant JiErLin, sparking vengeance; the honey wine was seized by SuTuEn and hidden in a cave.

Aoding later stole the honey wine, fed it to his son BuLaJi, and BuLaJi thus became the god of poetry, command, and eloquence.

So regarding his deduction.

The Gods trusted him greatly.

【7】 Thor took the net rope, weighed it in his hand, then turned and walked down the mountain.

Thor took the net rope, weighed it in his hand, then turned and walked down the mountain.

The other Gods found the linen and thread that Loki had left when weaving the net, spread them outside the Wooden House, and, following the knotting of that half‑rope, began to weave a net.

Fuleiya and Fu Li Jia took over; their hands were deft, fingers fluttered, the line darted through their fingertips, and they quickly wove a large net.

Larger, denser, and sturdier than Loki's.

They took the net and went to the edge of the pool beneath the waterfall.

Thor and TiEr each held an end, cast the net into the water, and dragged it along the riverbed from upstream to downstream.

The net dragged along the bottom, scraping stones, brushing water plants, startling groups of Small Fish.

Loki lay in the crevice between two massive boulders on the riverbed, his body pressed to the silt, motionless.

The fishing net slipped over him; the mesh was too large and didn't ensnare him.

The first attempt failed.

KeWaXiEr crouched by the river, looked at the several empty fishing nets, and frowned.

"Tie weights to the net," he said, "so the net sinks to the bottom."

The Gods fetched stones and tied them to the edges of the fishing net.

The net was cast into the water again, heavier than the first time, dragging more slowly; its bottom pressed to the riverbed, searching every stone and every crevice.

Loki swam out from between the boulders, clinging to the bottom as he surged upstream.

The fishing net pursued him relentlessly from behind; he swam swiftly, tail flicking, his body darting through the current like an arrow.

A stone ledge appeared ahead; the net crawled over it from below, and he suddenly accelerated, leapt over the top of the net, and landed in the upstream pool.

He didn't know why the waterfall's water hammered down from above, striking him, making his head spin!!

Logically, whether it's a Human World waterfall or even a Divine Realm one, he shouldn't be afraid!

But now is not the time to overthink; Loki can only silently flee for his life!

The second attempt also failed.

Thor's expression darkened.

He slung his hammer at his waist, walked to the pool's edge, and bent to look at the surface.

The water was clear; the stones and water plants on the bottom were visible, but Loki was not.

KeWaXiEr walked to his side and pointed downstream.

"He wants to flee to the sea,"

"In the sea, we can't catch him."

"I'll go downstream, you chase him here!" Thor straightened, and walked along the riverbank downstream.

The Gods immediately scattered.

Downstream area.

Here the current rushed, and both banks were steep cliffs; Loki must leap out of the water to get past this point.

Thor stood on the bank, handed the fishing net to TiEr and Fulei, who had followed, and let them block the river ahead.

He positioned himself at the narrowest spot, bent over, hands braced on his knees, like a bear crouched by the river, waiting.

Loki heard footsteps beneath the water, heard the net entering the water, heard Thor's heavy breathing.

He poked his head out of the water plants and saw the downstream channel blocked by the net; the mesh was fine, weighted, sunk to the bottom, leaving no gap.

He turned and swam upstream, but the water upstream was too shallow for him to pass.

He could only go forward, swimming toward that final narrow opening!!

The water grew faster, the riverbed narrower.

"Damn!! Is the Human World current really this fierce?"

"Could it be Yu Lin did something?"

"Damn............"

Loki felt the current pushing him toward that narrow gap, toward that net, pushing him toward a fate with no escape!

He gritted his teeth, surged forward, burst up from the bottom, shot out of the water, tracing an arc in the air, leaping downstream.

Wind whistled past his ears, Water Droplets flung from his body, and he saw the sky, gray and low, the cloud layer seeming to press down.

He saw the cliffs on both banks, saw the fishing net spread open below, and saw Thor standing on the shore!

"It's over............"

Thor moved.

He lunged from the shore like an enraged bear, his body horizontal in midair, his right hand shooting out, fingers like iron tongs, and grabbed Loki's tail in one grasp.

Loki's body stalled in midair, his tail clenched until it ached, his bones seeming about to break!

He struggled desperately, his body twisting, his tail lashing, water droplets scattering in all directions.

His hand changed from a fish fin to a hand, then back to a fish fin.

His body shifted back and forth between human and fish, slippery, almost slipping from Thor's grasp!

"Don't even think about it! Come back!"

Thor gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his arm, and flung Loki toward the shore.

Loki slammed into the rock, reverted to human form, naked, soaking wet, hair plastered to his face, gasping heavily.

Thor landed beside him, breathing heavily, head lowered as he looked at him.

The hammer swayed at his waist, thunder light crackling.

"Loki! You won't escape this time!"

The gods came rushing from downstream, surrounding Loki in the middle.

No one spoke, they just stared at him. Loki climbed up from the ground, sat on a stone, wiped water from his face, and looked up at the gods who had once drunk together, fought together, and laughed together in the Golden Palace.

Thor bent down, grabbed Loki's scruff in one hand, and lifted him like a cat.

Loki did not struggle or resist, letting Thor drag him as he walked away.

The gods followed behind, their footsteps heavy on the gravel, making a soft rustling sound.

They arrived at a cave, its mouth narrow but the interior spacious, like an upturned bowl.

The cave ceiling was high, unseen, only darkness.

The cave walls were damp, water seeping out, droplets falling from above, hitting the ground with a faint sound.

The air was damp and cold, carrying a musty smell.

The gods dragged Loki deep into the cave, bound him to a huge rock, the rope cutting into his flesh, rendering him immobile.

Thor stepped back and stood before him.

Behind him were the other gods.

"Loki," Thor said:

"We will punish you here. The most severe, the most terrifying, the most cruel punishment."

Loki lifted his head, looked at them, and merely sneered:

"Then come on!"