IBHJ Chapter 775

"Sorry, old friend, but that doesn't belong to you." Surtr raised his other hand and, with a casual flick of his finger, sent Hel flying. With a resounding bang, she crashed into the Temple of Baldr, her body shattering the statue of the god as she collided with it. The impact sent shards of stone and debris flying in all directions, the once-proud statue reduced to rubble.

Surtr reached down and scooped up the three wheels scattered across the ground, his massive hands easily engulfing the ancient artifacts. As he did so, the flames engulfing his body surged, growing in intensity and heat. The air around him shimmered and warped, the very fabric of reality bending to his will. Within the heart of the inferno, a fourth wheel appeared, its surface glowing with an otherworldly light.

"And with that, I now have four wheels," Surtr declared, a triumphant smile spreading across his face.

Creeack--!!

The twisted branches and the stone indentation that could hold six origin wheels now lay on the ground. Surtr glanced at them, giving a slight nod. "I see. So, ancestor, do you want me to bring you back into the present world now?"

One of the branches swayed up and down, as if nodding in affirmation.

Surtr nodded, his demeanor gentle and approachable. He strode towards the indentation, accompanied by a handful of fire giants, while Ogelmir's branches parted, creating a clear path for Surtr to move forward with ease.

He stood before the indentation, his mind drifting back to the dawn of creation. In those early days, Odin had seized the power of the ancestor, using it to drive away the frost giants and fire giants born from the ancestor's fruits. Later, Odin harnessed the ancestor' s power again to vanquish the White Titan that had invaded from the outer space.

Fortunately, Odin eventually departed from this world, and the power of the ancestor was transformed into the origin wheels, scattered across the land. Skadi managed to obtain two of these wheels, while Hel and Surtr each acquired one. Another fell into the possession of the Black Bragon, and the last was claimed by Jormungandr. Now, with four of the wheels gathered here, the ancestor's return to this world was imminent.

Ogelmir listened intently to Surtr's words, swaying its branches up and down in agreement. After countless years, victory was finally within reach. Even though Adam had seen through its plan and attempted to restrain it, Hel had already fallen victim to Surtr's scheme and was on the brink of death, while the Demonic Bodhisattva was an ally from the Council. Now, with Surtr, Ogelmir's descendant, having gathered four of the origin wheels, the time had come for Ogelmir's resurrection! The ancient being was filled with joy.

Surtr continued, "We giants are the descendants of the ancestor, the progenitor of Giants, a strategic weapon created in a distant era to destroy planets. After the destruction of that era, the ancestor stayed on Lemuria, only to be cut down by Odin, laying the foundation for this world. We giants are the fruits that bloomed after the ancestor was felled, absorbing the remains of creatures and civilizations, all in the name of defeating the gods led by Odin and resurrecting our ancestor."

Then, Surtr added, "But if the ancestor is resurrected, given its nature, it will undoubtedly absorb us since we'll have no more value, right? And without its foundation, this world will cease to exist..."

Ogelmir stopped nodding, a strange and chilly feeling creeping over him.

Surtr raised Lævateinn high, the flames licking and dancing along the blade. With a powerful two-handed grip, he fiercely thrust the point downwards, plunging it into the stone indentation. The blow landed with immense force, sending a resounding crack echoing through the air as the stone fractured and split cleanly in two.

Surtr ripped his sword free in a shower of stony shrapnel and wheeled to face the branches of Ogelmir. With a wide sweep of Lævateinn, he sent a roaring wave of endless flames surging out to engulf the twisting wooden limbs in a raging inferno.

At that moment, a realization struck Ogelmir: Surtr was planning to kill him!

What Ogelmir didn't realize was that, according to Norse mythology, he was destined to be killed by Surtr. This was the enactment of mythology!

However, would Lævateinn's fire have any effect on Ogelmir?

"My origins are different," Surtr said calmly, effortlessly parrying a flurry of sharp branches that lashed out at him. "Lævateinn was used to destroy you in a distant era, and I am the giant born from it. In fact," he continued, cleaving through a thick oaken limb with a casual one-handed slash, "I shouldn't call you ancestor because I am even more ancient than you. But since you are also a fire giant, there's no harm in me calling you ancestor."

Surtr spun Lævateinn in a flaming arc, the searing blade leaving molten streaks in the air as it sheared through scores of writhing branches. "Go die in peace and become the cornerstone for the continuation of our race."

Ogelmir howled in fury and defiance, unwilling to accept his fate. Countless branches, hard as steel and sharp as blades, erupted from the ground all around Surtr, stabbing and slashing at him from every angle as they rushed towards the giant in a deadly wooden maelstrom. However, Lævateinn might be able to restrain him, but if Surtr couldn't kill him, what would Lævateinn even matter?

The branches whipped towards Surtr, but the giants beside him didn't hesitate. They used their own flesh and blood to shield him from every angle.

Shrripp! The branches tore through their bodies, turning them into mush. Despite the agony, they didn't even flinch.

Ogelmir: "!!!"

"Hmm?" Demonic Bodhisattva blinked and laughed. "Isn't this a matter of course? Have you forgotten that I said I still want to get something from you?"

Ogelmir: "!!!"

"Council members can't kill each other? What are you on about? I didn't kill anyone. And besides, I'm not the one who wants you dead. Truth is, I'd love to help you out, but the money he's paying me is just too good compared to what you're offering. I'm just a simple laborer trying to make a living. If you want to blame someone, blame the capitalist who put a price on your head." She shrugged with a smile.

In the end, Ogelmir was burned to death by Surtr's Lævateinn, and the four giants guarding Surtr also fell.

Surtr gazed at the four giants with sympathy. "May the soul of the ancestor bless you," he said very piously, as if he wasn't the one who had just burned the ancestor to ashes.

He took out the four wheels and placed them into Ogelmir's body. In an instant, Ogelmir's corpse emitted a glow, and a massive wooden stake shot up towards the sky, carrying Surtr's hopes and dreams as it surged towards the Black Ring. But just as the stake was about to reach the ring, it stopped growing.

Surtr's brow furrowed. "Is there still something missing?"

Demonic Bodhisattva swiped a seed from Ogelmir's lifeless body, then turned to Surtr with a smile. "The Council has opened the connecting passage. If it's just you, you can still enter Pan-Human History."

"I am the king," Surtr declared. "If I'm the only one who survives, what's the point of being called a king?"

"Mm, it's the same, even the scent is identical."

"Identical to what?" Surtr asked with interest.

"You and the Eternal King, you're the same kind of king," she said, a smile playing on her lips.

"Is that so? If he were a giant, I bet we'd be the best of friends, don't you think?" Surtr chuckled, then turned to her with a grin. "Well, this deal is done. Are you interested in doing more business with me?"