IBHJ Chapter 762

Hel, hovering high in the sky like a bright moon, suddenly frowned. Just as Skadi had said, the moment Shirou destroyed the crystal chains, she noticed. Standing in the sky, she barked out orders, "Skadi's escaped! Catch her!" She couldn't possibly allow Skadi to get away, because Skadi's Black Grail was crucial to her plan for complete freedom!

"I let you live a bit longer, and you betray me like this! Damn it, Skadi, I'm not done with you yet!" She gritted her teeth, but her divinity had already been injected into the earth through the pipes. At this critical stage, she couldn't leave to chase after Skadi herself, so she had no choice but to send the Valkyries to hunt down and kill the thieves who dared to steal from her.

As Hel gave her order, the Valkyries turned the Network upside down, searching everywhere for Shirou and the others. Among the searching Valkyries were three odd ones, carefully scurrying around and pretending to look for the wanted thieves.

The other Valkyries found these three a bit strange, especially since one of them was being carried by another. The passing Valkyries thought it was odd, but they could sense the Valkyrie Network's fluctuations coming from the three, so they didn't think too much of it. Little did they know, these three were none other than Shirou and his group!

Thanks to the authentication of the Valkyrie Network, Shirou and the others had temporarily gained the ability to disguise themselves as Valkyries.

Shirou, carrying Skadi on his back, and Ortlinde quickly made their way towards the exit marked on the map. Suddenly, as they rounded a corner in the tunnel ahead, a voice rang out.

"And where do you think you're going?"

Several pale hands shot out from the shadows, trying to grab Shirou and the others. Shirou, with Skadi on his back, and Ortlinde leaped back just in time, narrowly avoiding the attack. The ground where they had been standing was smashed apart by the pale, huge hands, leaving a small crater behind.

"Hehehe," the Demonic Bodhisattva chuckled seductively, "Did you really think that illusion could fool me? As if that's even possible! I knew it was you the moment I laid eyes on you." Her words sent a chill down his spine.

"What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm not about to share my prey with anyone else." She leaned in close, her eyes glistening, and asked in a seductive tone, "So, tell me, Mr. Assassin, what do you say? Why don't you become mine?"

Before he could even utter a word, Skadi coldly interjected, "In your dreams."

She clenched her fist, and as soon as the words left her lips, Skadi's eyes began to glow. In an instant, the earth froze over, and an endless flurry of wind and snow rose out of nowhere, engulfing the Demonic Bodhisattva like a fierce snowstorm.

But that wasn't all. Gungnir, sealed away by Hel in the great temple, began to tremble. Suddenly, it pierced through countless spaces, transforming into a roaring stream of light. Like a meteor, it charged straight towards the Demonic Bodhisattva.

"You still have the strength to fight back," the Demonic Bodhisattva remarked, greatly surprised as the meteor-like Gungnir hurtled towards her. She quickly ducked her head to avoid the incoming Gungnir. Then, with a swift motion, she opened a black hole, absorbing Skadi's snowstorm inside. Seeing this, Skadi whispered in his ear, "Run quickly."

Shirou felt the wetness and softness in his ear, along with Skadi's distinctive fragrance. Without a second thought, he turned around and ran.

"You think you can run? Not a chance!" The Demonic Bodhisattva shouted. Having seen through their illusion, she used her own Noble Phantasm to swallow Skadi's storm and began attacking them.

Naturally, the commotion also caught the attention of the other Valkyries. Shirou and the others managed to dodge her ambush, but it still alerted some Valkyries, who joined the pursuit. Thinking quickly, he used the black mud that lined the walls of the tunnels that he had prepared in advance to his advantage. With a swift motion of his hand, he sent the mud flowing across the ground, making the already chaotic underground tunnels even more treacherous and difficult to navigate. The Valkyries, caught off guard by the sudden shift in terrain, struggled to maintain their footing.

In the midst of the chaos, with the mud swirling around them and the sounds of pursuit echoing through the tunnels, Shirou and Skadi managed to slip away, disappearing into the shadows and leaving their pursuers behind. The Valkyries, realizing that they had lost sight of their quarry, quickly regrouped and prepared to split up, some of them planning to search for the two while the rest surrounded Ortlinde who had failed to escape.

Just as they were about to put their plan into action, however, two people who shouldn't have been in the underground tunnels appeared before them.

"Ortlinde, you..." Hildr and Thrud, Ortlinde's two sisters, looked at her with a mix of vigilance and sadness in their hearts.

"Sister Ortlinde..." Hildr looked at her with sadness in her eyes, while the youngest sister, Thrud, remained relatively calm. She asked, "Why are you running away? Why are you..."

"I think anyone who's alive would reject death, Thrud."

"That's not the same. For us, death is freedom, not..." Before Hildr could finish speaking, Thrud said, "You're running away and prolonging your suffering! Why are you resisting freedom?"

Ortlinde sighed, "Let me ask you this: why are you betraying the Valkyries? Have you forgotten the oath we made before the three Norns? To fight alongside the world? But now, what exactly are you doing? Why are you going against the oath!" She questioned loudly. Just as they were disappointed with her, she was equally disappointed with them.

Thrud's eyes flashed with anger, "We never betrayed anyone, but the Gods? They betrayed us! They raised us - humans, fairies, and all the other races - and when we fought bravely against the Giants to protect the world, what did they do? They turned their backs on us and abandoned us. The mighty Valkyrie army, meant to protect everything, was reduced to a mere handful. So much for loyalty, oaths, and honor. It's all one big lie!"

Hildr said sadly, "How can we continue to believe in such Gods and their worthless promises..."

"But Skadi hasn't given up on us yet!" Ortlinde interjected.

Thrud turned to face Ortlinde, disbelief etched on her face. "Have you forgotten, Sister Ortlinde? During the great battle between the Valkyries and the Giants two thousand years ago, Skadi fought on the Giants' side. She's the one who slaughtered the most of our sisters!"

"I've seen how much she's changed over the past two thousand years, transforming from a ruthless woman who only cared about destroying the world to a gentle soul who now cherishes peace." Thrud's voice softened for a moment, but then her tone hardened again. "But I can't forget that day two thousand years ago. I've had enough! This world has been doomed since that great battle. Let's put an end to it and destroy everything!"

"If you're going to stand in our way..."

Thrud's mind was made up as she launched her attack, her spear slicing through the air with a sharp whistle. The clash of weapons and the clanging of metal filled the air, drowning out all other sounds as the blades met in a shower of sparks.

After a few intense exchanges, their spears locked together in a contest of strength, Ortlinde managed to twist her spear and disengage, dodging to the side and jumping back, her eyes filled with sorrow as she looked at Thrud. "Your emotions are clouding your judgment, sister. You've always been like this..." She let out a heavy sigh, lowering her spear slightly. "Do we really have to fight each other, sisters?"

Hildr's voice was calm, yet tinged with sadness as she shifted her grip on her spear. "This isn't about letting our feelings dictate our actions. We respect you for upholding your oath, but we no longer want to be shackled by it."

Hildr drew her weapon back, muscles coiling, and thrust her spear directly at Ortlinde. Seeing this, Ortlinde forcefully pushed the charging Thrud away with a shove of her free hand and rushed towards Hildr, bringing her sword up to parry. With a resounding clang of metal, the spear glanced off Ortlinde's spear, the impact forcing her back several steps, but she held her ground, planting her feet firmly.

Ortlinde looked at Hildr and Thrud, her voice filled with conviction, "Why can't you understand? The Gods never abandoned us. Lord Odin, Lord Tyr, Lord Thor... Don't you see? They haven't left us. They entrusted their divinity, their essence, everything to Lady Skadi! How do you think she has managed to keep this dying world alive for over two thousand years? It's precisely because all the Gods bestowed their authority and power to her!"

The clash of weapons rang out as two spears charged towards Ortlinde with a cold light, their sharp tips gleaming. Ortlinde deftly parried the attacks with her own weapon, the metallic clash interrupting her words as she struggled to defend against the onslaught.

"You faith blinds you. Even the three Norns who protect the oaths have disappeared. What's the point of speaking these nonsense?" Thrud's face was icy cold, her eyes narrowed as she pressed her attack, her spear thrusting forward with lightning speed.

Hearing this, Ortlinde pursed her lips, her expression pained as she continued to fend off the relentless strikes. "What about Lord Odin?" she asked, her voice strained. "I remember, you respected him the most."

"You're right, I did respect Odin the most because he defeated the White Giant who destroyed my homeland ten thousand years ago. That's why I vowed to fight for him." Thrud's voice was tinged with bitterness as she spoke, her spear clashing against Ortlinde's with increasing force. "But two thousand years ago, he abandoned us! He left us to fight the Giants on the front lines while he and the other Gods abandoned this world, leaving us to suffer a massive defeat! The Gods have forsaken us, so why should we continue to follow the oaths we once made? They're nothing but shackles that bind us!"

With a powerful sweep of her arm, Thrud forcefully shook off Ortlinde's spear, the metal scraping against each other with a grating sound. She shouted, her voice raw with emotion, "The Valkyrie's oath means nothing now. There are no more sisters, only the battle of conflicting beliefs!"