IBHJ Chapter 798

Shirou turned to Skadi, curiosity in his eyes. "Who exactly is that guy? Do you have any idea?"

"All I know is that he's one of the Seven Evils of Humanity, but I don't know the specifics," Skadi admitted, shaking her head. She paused for a moment, recalling something. "Although, it seemed like Odin had figured out his true identity and the truth about the Council, but he was killed before he could tell us."

"He cut down Yggdrasil, defeated Vanir gods, shot down the White Titan, and suppressed Surtr. But in the end, that Sixth Seat controlled him, forced him to kill his own family, and then murdered him. Odin must have been furious and filled with resentment. As those who inherited his legacy, the least we can do is take out this Sixth Seat in his honor," Shirou said.

"But before that," he added, "we need to defeat Surtr first."

"Mm." Skadi nodded in agreement. "I'll help you, Shirou."

"Mm." Shirou nodded, then looked at her with a smile. "So, isn't this nice? Why'd you have to act so distant earlier? Seeing you so cold just breaks my heart."

"I'm not Scathach anymore, and you're not the same person you were. We can't go back to how things used to be," she said hesitantly.

"Why can't we?" he asked, "You're still you, and I'm still me. Why can't we go back? You're overthinking it."

She studied Shirou, silently pondering his words for a moment. Then, a faint smile appeared on her face. "Mm, I guess I am overthinking it."

"Anyway, let's focus on defeating Jörmungandr and taking out its Origin Wheel first. Otherwise, your army's going to be in trouble."

Shirou nodded, then stepped to the mouth of the cave, frowning as he looked out at the vast ocean. "This isn't going to be easy."

"Don't worry, Shirou. Leave it to me," she said, walking over gracefully.

He turned to face her, concern etched on his face. "But your divinity just stabilized. Are you sure it's okay for you to use it?"

"It's fine. It might not be as strong as when I first inherited them, but if I use just a small amount, it's still possible." Skadi stretched out her hand towards the sea, divine light flashing in her eyes. In an instant, the sky above them darkened, and heavy snow began to fall, blanketing the earth in a pristine white layer. The snowflakes danced in the wind, swirling around them like a choreographed performance. Simultaneously, a crackling sound filled the air as the ocean before them began to freeze over. The water solidified at an astonishing speed, spreading out as far as the eye could see. The once fluid and dynamic sea transformed into a static, frozen landscape, a world of ice and snow.

For a moment, everything was still, the only sound being the soft whisper of the falling snow. Then, in the distance, the silence was shattered by a thunderous noise, like the crack of a thousand lightning bolts striking at once. From the depths of the shattered ice, a colossal serpent, Jormungandr, blasted out, its massive body breaking through the surface with a thunderous roar as the ground trembled beneath its immense weight.

"Go, Shirou. Jörmungandr is right there!" Skadi urged.

He nodded and was about to leave when she called out, "Wait!"

"What is it?" he paused, turning to look at her.

"You might be more shrewd now, but you're still so reckless. It's not a good habit. I haven't even given you my blessing yet."

"Blessing?" he was stunned.

She pointed at him, divine light flashing in her eyes. Countless divinities turned into flowing light, falling upon his body. Suddenly, he felt as if the whole world had become more friendly, like many things that were once impossible could now be done with ease.

"This, this is..." he was shocked. Using the black mud, he checked his status.

[Odin's Blessing] [Freyja's Blessing] [Thor's Blessing] [Sif's Blessing] [Tyr's Blessing] [Freyr's Blessing] [Heimdall's Blessing]

"This is my blessing to you."

"These blessings..." Cold sweat dripped down the back of his head. As the embodiment of Norse mythology, Skadi combined all the Norse divinities, making her one blessing equivalent to the blessings of all the Norse gods. The level and amount of blessings made Shirou, who had always prided himself on buffing others, feel inadequate in comparison.

"I didn't want you getting hurt out there. This should give you a bit of an edge."

"This kind of help is more than enough. If you'd been by my side from the beginning, I wouldn't have had so much trouble facing some of those enemies."

He then waved his hand. "Well then, I'm off."

Skadi smiled and nodded.

Shirou stepped out of the cave, his feet landing on the ice. Heavy snow swirled around him, and the biting northern wind was sharper than a knife, but when it fell on his body, it turned surprisingly warm, transforming into ether that constantly replenished his mana.

As the embodiment of all Norse gods, Skadi was the manifestation of Norse nature itself. And with her blessing, Shirou found himself favored by the very land he stood on. The boost he received on Norse soil was incredible, and he knew that in any natural environment, he'd have a serious advantage.

Glancing back, he locked eyes with the stunning northern beauty, catching her slight nod of encouragement. A warmth spread through his heart. Shirou clenched his fists and charged toward the distant Jörmungandr. Suddenly, a deafening explosion rang out from afar, spurring Shirou to quicken his pace.

"Watch out, Chloe!" Illya, now transformed into a magical girl, hovered in the air, her voice filled with concern as she called out to Chloe, who was locked in combat with the giant serpent.

"I got this, Illya." Chloe, having used a class card to transform into Archer Emiya, dodged the giant serpent's attacks while slashing at it with her dual blades.

The giant serpent was no ordinary creature; it was Jörmungandr, freshly emerged from the Well of Mimir. Shirou and Skadi, caught off guard by Odin's countermeasure, were knocked away by the serpent's sudden appearance.

Illya and Chloe, who were outside the well, found themselves in the crosshairs of the starving Jörmungandr. Trapped at the bottom of the sea, they struggled to fight back in the hostile environment. Just as they were about to be devoured, the vast ocean froze over at a remarkable speed.

The frozen sea allowed them to evade Jörmungandr's attacks and escape unharmed while also providing a foundation for a counterattack. Half of Jörmungandr's body was trapped in the ice, rendering it immobile. Without hesitation, Illya and Chloe used their class cards to launch a counter-offensive. However, Jörmungandr's skin proved to be incredibly tough, and their Noble Phantasms couldn't penetrate it. What was even more terrifying was that despite having half its body sealed in ice, the serpent's ferocity remained undiminished.

Illya watched with growing concern as Chloe fought Jörmungandr alone in close combat. She reached into her pocket and pulled out King Solomon class card, her fingers closing around its familiar shape. With a surge of power, Illya transformed into Caster: King Solomon, her appearance radiating an aura of wisdom and authority.

With a sweep of her hands, vast magical energy rippled outward. Strange runes, resembling satellites, materialized around her, buzzing and shining with a light that cast an otherworldly glow across the battlefield.

In the next moment, countless beams of light shot out, bombarding the giant serpent. "Boom! Boom!" The magical energy streaked through the air like meteors, leaving long trails of light in their wake, but they barely scratched Jörmungandr's hide.

"This isn't working." Chloe understood the thickness of Jörmungandr's skin all too well, knowing that ordinary magical cannons couldn't penetrate it. If King Solomon himself were present, he might have easily broken through Jörmungandr's defenses, but a class card wielding only a fraction of his power couldn't do the trick.

"If regular magical attacks won't cut it, let's try this!" Chloe's eyes flashed as she reached out and drew a class card from the slot on her right thigh.

"Phantasm Summon: King Hassan!" As the class card activated, Chloe's red attire instantly transformed into the skeletal armor of a sword master. Her eyes glowing red, she stepped forward swiftly, swinging the sword in her hand.