IBHJ Chapter 758

Andersen was engrossed in writing a book when Shirou brought the demonic bodhisattva to the cave entrance. Raising his head from his furious scribbling, Andersen looked at him, confusion etched on his face. "What's going on? And... a Beast? What is she doing here?"

Noticing that she hadn't triggered Asgard's suppression, Andersen's eyes narrowed. "You must be Hel's accomplice. What do you want from me?"

Shirou, without missing a beat, blurted out, "She wants to sleep with you."

Andersen's jaw dropped, stunned by his blunt words. The demonic bodhisattva, rather than explaining herself, simply licked her lips and smiled seductively.

Andersen's mind raced, trying to make sense of the situation. He glanced back and forth between Shirou and the demonic bodhisattva, unsure of how to respond.

Shirou had successfully sold out Andersen, but he knew that if Andersen couldn't satisfy the demonic bodhisattva, his own fate would be sealed just the same. Still, at this point, he could only take things one step at a time.

Just as he thought this, the situation took an unexpected turn. Andersen sighed and said, "I don't know what kind of person you think I am, but let me make this clear. I'm not a slut, and I'm definitely not interested in one."

The demonic bodhisattva raised her eyebrows, feeling the need to justify herself. How had she become a slut? In her mind, she was simply embracing her true nature and doing what felt good for her body. What was wrong with that? She was merely following her instincts.

As the demonic bodhisattva started preaching to Andersen, Shirou breathed a sigh of relief and slipped out of the cave. It was good that Adam and his chastity were safe. However, that crazy woman was such a pervert that neither humans nor gods could satisfy her. Maybe only using the planet as a sex toy would be enough to quench her lust.

Having escaped the demonic bodhisattva's clutches, Shirou immediately ran into Adam, who was panting heavily as he approached.

"What's wrong?" He asked with concern.

"Hel is plotting against me," Adam replied, his eyes filled with worry. "I feel like my body is alternating between hot and cold, as if someone is doing something to me. You wouldn't happen to be doing anything that might expose us, would you, Mr. Assassin?"

Shirou, who had been planning to hand Adam over to the demonic bodhisattva just minutes ago, quickly reassured him, "It's just your imagination."

Adam nodded, accepting that it was just his imagination playing tricks on him.

"Hel is very cautious, but the day after tomorrow, she's going to organize a ritual to inject mana into the ground and break open the ice around Asgard. The external security will be tight, but the internal defenses will be a bit sparse. Mr. Assassin, that's going to be your only chance to make a move!"

....

In this world, there was a strange rule and phenomenon. Often, the more you didn't want something to happen, the more likely it was to occur. At the same time, the more cautious and vigilant you were, the higher the chances of it happening.

While Hel was preparing to launch her so-called "Spring" plan, her vigilance was at its peak, and Asgard was operating under high tension. However, this impenetrability was aimed at external threats, not internal ones. Shirou planned to seize this opportunity. When Hel and everyone's attention was focused on the outside, he intended to use the tunnels left by Svadilfari to enter the prison and break Skadi out.

Hel and the others had used Svadilfari's tunnels to launch a direct attack and overthrow an unprepared Skadi. Now, Shirou also planned to use these underground tunnels to save her. It had to be said that the situation was quite ironic.

"The two Valkyries in the prison have already been informed. The day after tomorrow, when you enter the prison through the tunnel, they'll coordinate and help you from the inside. From there, you should return to your base. I just hope nothing goes wrong," Adam said.

"A few people come, a few people go. After I take Skadi away, there's no guarantee that you won't be in danger. Adam, you should also come with us."

"No, Mr. Assassin." Adam shook his head. "I'm Hel's Servant, and I can't be sure if the Command Spells can control me. If I stay by your side, you'll be in danger. It's better for me to stay here and continue passing information to you. That's where I can be most useful."

Seeing that he can't convince him, he parted with Adam. Shirou didn't meet with him again in the following days to avoid arousing Hel's suspicion. Time passed, and in the forest beneath Asgard, thousands of brass pipes were buried. From a distance, they looked like a series of stakes, resembling Vlad's Noble Phantasm.

"We're here! We made it to Asgard! Great goddess Hel, please lift the curse of the Frost Witch Skadi on this land and grant us a spring so we can sow crops and survive!"

A group of shabbily dressed human refugees rushed over from afar, their voices filled with desperation and hope as they worshipped and begged before the brass pipes. They fell to their knees, their hands clasped in prayer, their eyes shining with a mixture of exhaustion and determination. These were people who had journeyed far, braving the harsh conditions and the dangers of the land, all in search of a chance at a better life, a chance to break free from the curse that had plagued their homes and their lives.

"How many batches is this today?" Shirou asked the Valkyrie beside him.

"It's the third batch," the Valkyrie replied.

He nodded, thinking to himself that this made a total of 19 batches so far.

After Skadi's overthrow, the land could no longer produce food. Initially, the disaster-stricken refugees came to Asgard, begging and worshipping. Eventually, they were informed about Hel's spring plan.

In this world that had been frozen for more than 2,000 years, the concept of spring had long been forgotten. However, Hel introduced the concept of spring and its countless wonders to the refugees, who then spread this knowledge far and wide.

The Muspellheim border, which was being invaded by the Fire Giants, had not yet received the news, but most of the people on this side, closer to Asgard, already knew about spring. With this knowledge, they began calling Skadi, who brought the ice age, the Frost Witch who destroyed the world, while Hel, who would bring spring, was hailed as the Goddess of Life.

The Goddess of Death was now being called the Goddess of Life, while Skadi, who had exhausted all her divinity to keep this dying world alive for more than two thousand years, received not praise and commendation, but disparagement. How undeserving was that? Even the usually sharp-tongued Andersen was indignant on Skadi's behalf.

Facing these disaster victims who were praying for the arrival of spring, Hel let the Valkyries continue to instill the concept of spring in them, fueling their anticipation even further. They believed in Hel's words, that when the ice and snow melted and spring returned, there would be a sea of flowers everywhere.

After checking the status of the brass pipes according to the instructions, Shirou returned to Asgard, only to be stopped by Hildr halfway. "Have you found yourself, A-46?" Hildr looked at Shirou with a very expectant gaze.

Shirou remained calm and replied with a composed expression, "I don't understand what you mean, Sister Hildr."

He pretended very well. Hildr lowered her head in disappointment and sighed, "It seems I was wrong. I always felt that you had found yourself."

She raised her head, looked at him, and apologized, "I'm sorry, it must have been very hard for you to serve the Beast, and now we're being controlled by Hel..."

At this point, if he dared to interrupt, his risk of exposure would be too great. So he stayed silent.

"But don't worry, it will end soon. When all the snow on this land melt, when Skadi's divinity is completely dispersed, this land, this dying world, will inevitably fall and be purged. And we will also be freed from this curse."

Hildr turned around, her gaze landed on the Great Temple as she murmured, "Even Lord Odin and the other gods have abandoned this world, leaving us behind."

He remained silent, his mind racing with questions about the gods' disappearance.

Hildr turned back to face him, studying his expressionless features. A hint of regret crossed her face. "Still haven't remembered who you are? It seems you've lost yourself among countless resets. You're the same person, the same soul, yet somehow different. Isn't memory what defines a person?"

"Sorry for rambling on like that. Just forget what I said and go do what you need to do."

"Yes, sister." Without hesitation, he turned and walked away.