IBHJ Chapter 780

Skadi spoke flatly, "You see, he has made a move. He has begun to rewrite the world's laws."

Just as Skadi had warned, if Surtr could rewrite the world's laws and guide them in a direction favorable to the giants, no matter how numerous their forces were, they couldn't win. It was like the oppression Divine Spirits faced in the modern world.

Over 1,500 years ago, the Age of Men replaced the Age of Gods, and the planet's laws changed accordingly to a state suitable for humanity's survival and prosperity. As a result, magical beasts and phantasmal beasts disappeared and perished, and Divine Spirits also began to vanish.

In this Connection Point, once Surtr rewrote the laws of this world in a direction favorable to the giants, they, as a different species, would disappear and perish like the magical beasts and phantasmal beasts of Pan-Human History. This was fundamentally unstoppable, a universal attack that surpassed Noble Phantasms.

However, Shirou was absolutely unwilling to move the battlefield to his own world. Although he hadn't seen the end of the dream, he already knew what state the world would be in after such a great war.

He asked, "Is there no other way?"

Skadi shook her head, her expression grim. "No." She paused for a moment before continuing, "Unless you counter them with the other wheels. I know you have one from Niddhog. But unfortunately, you will never be able to obtain Jormungandr's wheel."

Shirou's brow furrowed. "Why?"

"Because Jormungandr has been sealed away. To find Jormungandr, one must go to the Well of Mimir. Unfortunately, Odin destroyed it long ago. Therefore, no one can obtain Jormungandr's origin wheel anymore."

Shirou's eyebrows shot up, "If it's the Well of Mimir, then there's no need to worry. Just tell me how to use it to find Jormungandr. I have drunk from the spring of Mimir."

Skadi couldn't help but be stunned by his revelation, her eyes widening in surprise.

...

"My king," the Fire Giant stammered, his voice laced with anxiety, "the command center reports that our army has been blocked by Eternal King near the border of Muspelheim. We can't get through."

Surtr had schemed for more than 14,000 years, outliving Odin, outsmarting Ymir, Hel, and Skadi. He had perfectly executed all his plans, entering the final stage of invading the Pan-Human History, only to be unexpectedly stopped by Eternal King. However, instead of losing his composure, Surtr remained calm.

With a wave of his hand, endless flames gushed from his palm, forming a fiery topographic map before him. The map clearly displayed the two forces locked in battle. This was Surtr's control and understanding of the world after possessing the four wheels. Using Hræsvelgr's Eye, his scouting abilities were comparable to Merlin's Clairvoyance EX, allowing him to survey the entire world from a god's perspective and maintain control over the situation.

"I see," Surtr mused, "They have a clear grasp of our army's marching route. It seems Eternal King also possesses a Noble Phantasm similar to the Eyes of Hræsvelgr."

The Fire Giant spoke eagerly, "My king, our warriors are unrivaled in the world. But being blocked by those Heroic Spirits, who can't even be considered living beings, will ultimately consume a lot of time. When they die, they'll simply return to the Throne of Heroes, but the same doesn't apply to us. We can't afford to waste time." He paused, his eyes lighting up with an idea. "I suggest performing a grand summoning ritual here to directly summon an army to keep them busy, then we forcefully break straight through. This way, we don't have to engage with them directly."

"It's a good idea. If it were a few months ago, I would have done it. But unfortunately, we're out of time," Surtr said, his voice laced with deep helplessness.

"What do you mean, my king?" The Fire Giant asked excitedly, "We still have a month. With your mana, creating a grand summoning will only take half that time-"

Before the Fire Giant could finish, a sound like shattering glass resounded from the sky. He raised his head, his face instantly turning dazed. In the misty, snowy sky, a huge crack had appeared, and spiritrons were constantly seeping through, drifting like snow.

"That is..." the Fire Giant stammered, his voice trembling with terror.

Surtr's voice was heavy with resignation, "With Ymir's death, the last anchor stabilizing this world has disappeared. This world, this connection point, has already begun to dissipate."

He added, "A month is just the best-case scenario. In reality, it might not even last ten days. And the branches of Ymir's tree are still quite a distance from the black grail. I must focus on forging Lævateinn into the final path and can't spare any attention to create a grand summoning ritual."

"This... This..." The Fire Giant was at a loss. No wonder the King, with his wisdom, hadn't thought of this point in the first place. It was all due to the situation.

"Damn that Eternal King! If it weren't for him, our army and our tribesmen would have already crossed into Pan-Human History by now!" the Fire Giant said, resentment dripping from his words.

The King's strategy was fully realized, and the tribesmen had endured for thousands of years, finally yielding results. But Eternal King had ruined everything and blocked their path to survival. Hatred consumed the Fire Giant's thoughts.

"If it weren't for Eternal King's Noble Phantasm summoning a vast and powerful army of Heroic Spirits..." The Fire Giant gritted his teeth. Without Eternal King's Noble Phantasm, how could they possibly block their army?

"Resentment is normal, but acting on it will only bring you more trouble," Surtr reminded him.

"Yes, my king," the Fire Giant quickly nodded.

Looking at the enemy forces and topography on the map, they understood. The topography on the map made their intentions clear. It was the enemies' only way to prevent their main force from advancing. They would certainly establish a defensive fortress at that chokepoint.

The Fire Giant looked worried as he turned to the king, "If they establish a fortress there, it will be quite troublesome."

Surtr shook his head, "There's no need to worry. Our warriors are incredibly powerful, and I have obtained the four wheels. I can modify the laws of this world, making it work in our favor, just as it was before Odin changed it."

In the beginning, the world's laws favored the giants. However, Odin led the gods to defeat Ymir and divide his power into six origin wheels. After that, Odin guided the laws to benefit the gods, marking the start of the Age of Gods.

But now, with four wheels in his possession, Surtr could do what Odin did and turn the laws back to favor the giants. While he couldn't do it as thoroughly as Odin since he only had four wheels, the world was certainly going to give the giants an advantage. Coupled with the giants' innate power, defeating those Pan-Heroic Spirit legions should be relatively simple.

"But, my king, Eternal King already possesses Nidhogg's wheel. If he obtains Jormungandr's wheel as well... those two wheels carry the strongest authority of the ancestor, enough to counter the suppression from our four wheels," the Fire Giant said.

Surtr showed a gentle smile, "That's only if they can find Jormungandr. Odin hid it away, and the only way to find it is by using the Well of Mimir or asking Ymir's main body for help. The well was destroyed by Odin long ago, and I killed Ymir. Do you think they can find Jormungandr in less than half a month, when I've been searching for it tirelessly for over two thousand years and even entrusted the Council to look for it, all to no avail?"

"And even if they're lucky enough to find it, do you think they can defeat Jormungandr? That magical beast can rival the God of Thunder, Thor, in strength." Surtr's smile seemed gentle, yet one could sense a sharp sarcasm in his words.

"But this Eternal King is definitely a bit of a problem," Surtr growled, his brow furrowed in irritation. "I originally planned to use Svadilfari as bait to hunt Nidhogg, but he intercepted it halfway through, which is really irritating." The fire giant king clenched his fist, causing his knuckles to crack like splitting stone.

Then he shrugged, the motion making the plates of his armor grind together. "But it doesn't matter. Nidhogg is just a tool to help us achieve our goal. As long as our tribesmen can invade and thrive in the Pan-Human History, that's enough."

With those words, Surtr strode purposefully over to where Lævateinn stood, its point buried in the ground. He grasped the hilt with one hand and wrenched the massive sword free, sending a shower of dirt and molten rocks cascading through the air.

He then turned and stepped in front of Ymir's immense corpse, the ancestor's lifeless bulk looming before him. Raising Lævateinn high, he plunged the blade deep into Ymir's corpse, fusing the sword into the dead flesh while activating the four wheels floating around him.

As soon as the wheels began to spin, they emitted a blinding divine light, searing the eyes of all who looked directly at them. A terrifying mana, unseen but almost tangible, began to pour out, insidiously interfering with the very fabric of this dying world. The wind surged violently around them, whipping Surtr's hair wildly as he stood firm against the howling gale.