IBHJ Chapter 776

"Are you interested in doing more business with me?"

Demonic Bodhisattva shook her head. "I can't. I have to rush these goods to Southern England. If I'm late, that sly fox will definitely dock my pay and give me a condescending pat on the shoulder, saying, 'Good work.' What's so good about it? It's clearly a lame job."

Surtr, unmoved by her complaints, maintained a calm and gentle demeanor. "I understand. I won't keep you any longer since you're in a hurry. It was a pleasure working with you this time, and I hope we have the opportunity to collaborate again in the future."

"You're happy, but I'm not happy at all. If I had known how strong she was from the start, I wouldn't have taken the job," she grumbled. "Now that I think about it, you'll be facing the same frustration soon enough. You're about to go up against an equally formidable opponent."

"You're mistaken. We have no equal enemies ahead," a fire giant beside them declared with unwavering confidence.

"Your subordinates are quite confident, Surtr. However, once you actually face that man in battle, you'll see just how troublesome and powerful he can be," she said, a knowing smile playing on her lips.

The fire giant beside her immediately glared angrily. "What are you saying? How could the king possibly lose to someone who's only good enough to be served as food—" Before the fire giant could finish speaking, Surtr raised his hand to silence him. Unmoved by Demonic Bodhisattva's words, Surtr displayed a gentle smile and said, "When you put it that way, it only makes me more intrigued by him. Very well, I'm looking forward to it."

She smiled and then turned to leave. After making sure she was gone, Surtr dropped his smile and solemnly said to the sole surviving fire giant beside him, "This woman is extremely dangerous. She knows many things that we are completely unaware of. Be humble and don't let your guard down."

Hearing this, the fire giant was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "I understand, my king."

At that moment, Adam, his face completely charred by the inferno, crawled out from the torn-apart body of Ogelmir.

"Oh?" Surtr looked at him, a hint of surprise in his eyes. "Even though Laevatein only attacked Ogelmir, I didn't think any giant could survive that..."

Adam glared at Surtr, gritting his teeth. "Surtr..."

"Are you blaming me for attacking both of you when Ogelmir had you trapped, warrior? You know it's something that couldn't be helped if we want to save this world. But since you survived, are you willing to fight for the giants?" Surtr calmly asked Adam, extending his hand.

"What!?" Adam was caught off guard, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Surtr patiently asked again, "I'm not asking you to fight for me, but for the giants. Are you willing to fight for them?"

"I only fight for justice!"

"Then, what's your definition of justice?" Surtr asked, curious.

"It's definitely not your kind of justice!" Adam roared in response. The towering giant charged forward, his massive fists clenched. With a thunderous impact, he slammed into Surtr's chest, the sheer force behind the blow causing the Surtr to skid backwards, his feet gouging deep furrows in the earth as he was pushed back several dozen meters.

"Yes!" Adam thought to himself, triumph surging through him as he began to burn his own Spiritual Core. His desperate plan was to shatter his Core and detonate his own body in a cataclysmic blast. With the immense explosion from the self-immolation of such a huge form, he was certain it would be enough to kill Surtr.

However...

Surtr shook his head, his voice gentle as he spoke, "Remember, the one who killed you is Surtr, the King of Giants!"

In the next moment, scorching magma burst forth from Surtr's entire body, a wave of incandescent molten liquid and searing heat. The deluge of lava instantly engulfed Adam, burning through his flesh and shattering his Core in a single agonizing moment before he could unleash his final attack.

As Adam's remains crumbled to ash, Surtr spoke softly, "I hope we can meet again next time, my brave giant friend. But that's probably not going to happen. You're a Heroic Spirit of Pan-Human History, and I'm aiming to destroy Pan-Human History."

He raised the Origin Wheels, and with a single flame, burned the remnants of Adam to ashes. Surtr then crushed Andersen and slowly walked to the ruins of Baldr's temple.

In the ruins of the temple, Hel leaned against the corner of the wall. By this point, she had already been infected by Jormungandr's poison, her breathing labored, inhaling more and exhaling less. There was no doubt about it—she was dying. She had defeated the strongest Skadi and outsmarted Ogelmir, even if only for a moment, but in the end, she had still lost.

Hel gritted her teeth, her face a mask of stubborn defiance.

"Don't worry, your defeat was inevitable. I've been preparing for this day for more than 14,000 years," Surtr added with a faint smile. "You don't need to worry. I won't humiliate you, and I won't trap your soul like Ogelmir did."

Surtr turned around and left calmly.

"Wait-!" She shouted, her voice filled with unwillingness as she spat out poisonous blood. She stared at Surtr's back, her face twisted with reluctance. But deep down, she had already surrendered. What was the point in being angry about being defeated by such a cunning monster? She had paid too much attention to the details, doing everything she could and constantly reminding herself to be careful, yet she still lost in the end.

She sighed. "You're right, I'm only cut out to be a warrior. Scathach, you better watch your back."

Hel drew her last breath and died. True to his word, Surtr didn't restrain her soul, allowing her to freely return to the Throne of Heroes.

Turning to the fire giant beside him, Surtr said, "Go and tell our people to get ready. We should be prepared to invade Pan-Human History, just as we planned."

The fire giant hesitated before asking, "But what about those who oppose us..."

"You mean the Human King trying to stop us?" Surtr smiled. "Whether it's war or battle, they're all just means to an end. Our goal is to invade Pan-Human History and survive. There's no point in wasting time with them in this world that only has a month left to exist. After we kill our ancestor, this world will only have a month of lifespan left. You could say that they, as Heroic Spirits, can afford to stay here, but we can't. We're living beings, we can't stay with them. After a month, we'll inevitably be dragged to our deaths by this world. Do you understand?"

"But my lord, our ancestor's body still can't connect to the Black Ring and open the path for us to invade Pan-Human History," the fire giant pointed out.

"Doesn't matter. We don't need the last two wheels. I'll use Laevatein to pave the way," Surtr replied.

The fire giant was taken aback. "King, Laevatein is your true body!"

"As long as our race can survive, even if it means using my own soul, so be it," Surtr said heavily.

After a moment of silence, the fire giant nodded solemnly. "I understand, my king. I'll contact the generals right away and bring our people over as planned."

Surtr nodded solemnly. Squatting down beside the fallen fire giants, he reached out to gently close their blank, staring eyes with a callused hand. He spoke to the dead with sincere respect, his deep voice tinged with both sorrow and resolute determination.

"My dear people, you've sacrificed your precious lives for the survival of our race. In this world with so few humans left, you're free to despise me, to see me as a cruel and cold king," he said, bowing his head. "But I must use your flesh and blood to create the necessary provisions for our military, for the continuation of our kind. The remaining ten thousand humans simply aren't enough to sustain us."

Surtr stood, turning away from the corpses. The flickering flames cast long, dancing shadows across his chiseled features. Just then, a fire giant came running over in an obvious hurry, his heavy footfalls shaking the ground.

"What is it? Have the generals received their orders?" Surtr asked.

"Not good, my king," the fire giant said, grief-stricken. "The command center reported that our entire army was attacked, and the 12th legion was completely wiped out!"