IBHJ Chapter 803

The knights in attendance all wore grim expressions, nodding in agreement with their king's words.

"Wait! Wait a minute!" Merlin suddenly exclaimed, looking at Shirou with a stunned expression. "I know this might sound weird to bring up now, but... my king, you're practically glowing today. Did you become a Saint or something?"

Agravain frowned after hearing this and reprimanded, "Merlin, what kind of nonsense are you spouting now?"

But Shirou raised his hand to stop Agravain and gave Merlin a curious look. "Why would you say that?"

Merlin couldn't help but comment on the overflowing blessings surrounding Shirou. "It's like you went on a rampage, slaughtered all the goddesses in this world, and then devoured their divinity. It's too much of a bug! If this were a game, I'd definitely report it!"

Shirou chuckled, "What, so you were talking about the blessings?"

"Blessings?"

"Yes, they're blessings from Skadi."

"Eh? What?" Merlin was stunned for a moment. He then turned his head to look at Skadi standing behind Shirou. Only then did he notice that Skadi's divinity had somewhat recovered.

"Since you can give him so many blessings..." Merlin's eyes lit up as he looked at Skadi. Rubbing his hands together, he asked with a slightly lecherous tone, "Could you spare a few blessings for me too, beautiful Lady Skadi?"

"Come to think of it, if a goddess can bestow blessings..." Bedivere's eyes also sparkled with interest.

"Hmm." Agravain nodded, stroking his chin. "The blessings of a goddess? If it's for the sake of victory, it wouldn't be a bad idea to make use of goddess's power."

"That's right." Shirou turned his head to look at Skadi. "If you can give blessings to everyone, those giants won't be a problem anymore."

Hearing this, Skadi's slender little hand reached out to his forehead, and she flicked it with her finger. With a somewhat mischievous smile, she said, "Don't get too greedy now."

He laughed, holding his forehead with both hands. "Yeah, you're right. I was asking for too much."

"It's not about asking too much," Skadi said, smiling. "You just tend to overlook certain details when you're too focused. But that's not a weakness. In fact, it's one of your strengths. As a king, as a leader, what matters most is grasping the big picture, not getting caught up in the little things. You've truly become an excellent ruler, Shirou."

He scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit embarrassed by the praise.

Merlin glanced around, then grabbed Salter, who was standing nearby. "Do you smell that?"

"Smell what?" Salter looked at him suspiciously.

"I'm getting a whiff of something..." Merlin said, making a strange face. "Like your ranking is about to drop."

"What are you even talking about?" Salter was completely lost. Sure, the Merlin from Eternal Kingdom wasn't as much of a smooth talker and playboy as her own mentor Merlin, but this one always spouted nonsense that made no sense. Could this guy be... a lunatic?

...

Crack, crack... The sky's edge was cracking, and spiritrons scattered like snowflakes. The fire giant glanced at the cracking sky, then turned to Surtr, his face filled with anxiety. "My king..." His words trailed off. He really didn't know what to say.

They had done everything they could. For the survival of their race, the king had schemed for a full 14,000 years. He had even deliberately acted like an arrogant clown in front of Hel to deceive their opponents, and yet...

Surtr remained silent, turning his head to gaze at the sky, his face etched with worry. Time was running out for the giants. If Eternal King delayed them any further, how many of their people would make it to Pan-Human History? If too few of them went, they would be defeated by the guardians of Pan-Human History and face complete destruction.

Lowering his head, Surtr looked at the four Origin Wheels in his hands. After Odin, he was the only one who possessed more than half of the wheels, yet he was still trapped in this situation.

"There's no other way." Surtr took a deep breath, "We have to go find him."

"Him? You mean the giant who led the frost giants against the Valkyries and the allied forces of various races?"

"Yes, the first generation frost giant, the giant war god Bergelmir who founded the frost giant kingdom! Ever since Odin established Asgard, it was because he led the giants in battle that the gods couldn't wipe out the giants," Surtr nodded.

"No way!" The fire giant shook his head quickly, horror in his voice. "My king, we can't do that! That guy already knows it was you who instigated the frost giants to invade Pan-Human History 2,000 years ago. Because of that, over a million frost giants were slaughtered by Saver, and only he managed to escape from Pan-Human History in disgrace. Sure, he's our giants' war god, but he holds a deep grudge against you! If we go to him, he'll definitely attack you."

"You're right. 2,000 years ago, he already swore he'd kill me. But I have to create a bridge to Pan-Human History, and fast. In this situation, our only option is to ask for his help. Only with his aid can we quickly break through Eternal King's defensive line. It's the only way we can survive. And he wants his own descendants to live on too, right? That gives us a basis for cooperation."

"I can't leave this place, so I'm counting on you. You have to persuade him!" Surtr looked at the fire giant, his expression serious.

"But... but, my king. There's no way I can persuade that war god," the fire giant said, his confidence wavering.

"You've been by my side for a long time. Believe in yourself. Besides, there's something that Bergelmir will definitely find irresistible," Surtr said calmly.

"What is it?" The fire giant asked.

Surtr raised his right arm, his gaze locked on it. Without hesitation, his left hand came down like a sharpened blade, and with a sickening, wet sound, his right arm was severed cleanly at the elbow. The flowing, flaming crimson blood cascaded from the wound, illuminating the fire giant's shocked face with an eerie, pulsing glow.

Surtr handed the severed right arm to the fire giant, the limb still warm and pulsating with residual heat. "He's very interested in my head."

The fire giant was shocked and about to say something when Surtr interrupted, "As long as our race survives, forget about my head. I'd even give him my soul. From the day I started leading the fire giants, I decided to bear the weight of our race's rise and fall. Make sure you tell him that."

Surtr held out four Origin Wheels, not even sparing them a glance as he tossed them to the fire giant, "Give these to him as well. They're useless to me now."

The fire giant dumbly caught the right arm and the four Origin Wheels. "My king..."

"Go!" Surtr urged.

The fire giant was at a loss for words.

"What are you waiting for? There's no time to hesitate!"

Clenching the arm, the fire giant nodded, determination flashing in his eyes. He turned around, gripping Surtr's arm tightly. This was the king's legacy. The giants had to win! The fire giant's eyes blazed with resolve as he left the camp.

"The hopes of our entire race rest on your shoulders," Surtr said as he watched the fire giant's retreating figure. With a heavy sigh, he turned back to his task, melting Laevateinn to forge a path to Pan-Human History.

Demonic Bodhisattva's words echoed in his mind: "You're not too bad, but I'm afraid you won't be able to win this fight."

Surtr pressed his lips together, his brow furrowed in determination. "Maybe you're right. I might not be that great, and I've never cared about winning or losing. Being defeated by others or even gods has never mattered to me. But now, in this moment, I absolutely can't afford to lose. I cannot be defeated!"

For the first time, a fire of obsession for victory ignited in Surtr's eyes..