IBHJ Chapter 756

The world outside had completely died, with no plants and no food left. The ecology and ley lines had been utterly destroyed, and it was only a matter of time before it would be pruned. However, in this place, there actually existed a secret space brimming with life! Shirou could even feel the vast ley lines pulsing underground. Compared to the ley lines he had encountered in Fuyuki, these were even more vibrant and stronger!

Shirou carefully took in his surroundings, and finally, a giant tree caught his attention. He looked up and saw that in the center of this forest stood a majestic and spectacular giant tree, towering like a colossus. More importantly, he sensed an incomparably vast divinity and mana emanating from this giant tree, bringing to mind the vast divinity and mana he had felt when connecting to Tiamat through Sakura's mud tide when he was young. 

What could it be? He had questions swirling in his mind. He was puzzled, but there was no doubt that Hel's target was that giant tree.

As they walked closer, he heard a female voice that he least wanted to hear.

"Oh my, oh my, you're here to flatter Ogelmir again?" The voice was coquettish, incredibly charming and enchanting, but at the same time, it made him feel uncomfortable all over.

A few steps later, a woman came into view, radiating a captivating aura from head to toe. She wore a bizarre pink outfit, complete with black horns protruding from her head and peculiar pink markings between her eyebrows.

Seeing her, Shirou's heart sank.

"Watch your words, Beast!" Hel snapped, clearly annoyed. "I'm here to pay my respects to Father, not to flatter him!" She turned to face the enormous tree and said, "Greetings, Father."

Shirou couldn't help but be stunned. The "Father" Hel often talked about, the mastermind behind this Connection Point, and the member of the Council, Ogelmir, was just a giant tree?

Hel said, "I'm sorry I couldn't find the Well of Mimir. But I brought the Well of Urd that Skadi had hidden away. I think you'll definitely like it." She took the golden basin from Shirou's hands.

The demonic bodhisattva on the side saw this and and scoffed, "So, you couldn't find the Well of Mimir and brought the Well of Urd instead? Oh my, does this count as cutting corners? Besides, what Ogelmir really wants aren't those wells, but the wheels."

The moment she finished speaking, the giant tree shifted. With a series of clicking sounds, the enormous trunk began to transform, unveiling a colossal, ancient stone tablet with six grooves etched into its surface. Shirou took a glance and realized the six grooves were the exact size of the wheels he had consumed from the black dragon not long ago. There was no question—these grooves were meant to hold the wheels!

So that's what this was all about. The true purpose of the wheels, beyond providing a massive source of mana, was connected to this place? Could it be something related to Ogelmir or the Council?

Shirou, who had managed to sneak in by disguising himself as A-46 and evading the Valkyrie Network's detection with Morrigan's help, finally understood the purpose of the wheels. Furthermore, it appeared that the demonic bodhisattva and Hel were working together, but there was clearly tension between them, as Hel glared at the demonic bodhisattva with fury in her eyes.

"I'll return them to Father, but now's not the right time. Eternal King has already betrayed us, and I need the power to handle this situation. Otherwise, Father won't be at ease either, right?"

"Oh? Didn't you claim you had Eternal King under your thumb? How come he turned on you so easily? Oh my, isn't this a sad turn of events? If you'd just listened to me and killed him, we wouldn't be in this mess, now would we?"

"Shut up!" Hel glared at the demonic bodhisattva, gritting her teeth and fighting the urge to end her right then and there.

"Ah, ah, ah. If you want me to close my upper mouth, you'll have to satisfy my other one." The demonic bodhisattva smiled seductively.

Hel was utterly helpless. When it came to argument with the Beast, she had to admit she was completely outmatched. Shirou understood this all too well.

"Also, what does the Eternal King's betrayal have to do with you not returning the wheels? Oh, let me clarify—such unromantic words definitely didn't come from me. Ogelmir asked me to pass them along to you," the demonic bodhisattva said.

Hearing this, Hel composed herself and replied, "Because he has another wheel on him—the one taken from Nidhogg's body. Hildr can vouch for this."

"That's right." Hildr stepped forward and nodded. "The wheel that belonged to Nidhogg is indeed on the Eternal King's body. His previous visit to Asgard was because Skadi and Ortlinde wanted to seize the wheel from him..."

Hel added, "If I return the wheels now and lose my power, I won't stand a chance against the Eternal King. In that case, I won't be able to retrieve the wheel from him, Father."

"Is that so? Oh...?" The demonic bodhisattva fell silent for a moment, then nodded, "Ogelmir wants you to capture the Eternal King as soon as possible. Also, he said the Well of Urd is delicious and he's really enjoying it."

"I'm pleased Father enjoys it," Hel said, her head bowed and her eyes glinting. She had finally managed to appease this monster.

At that moment, the demonic bodhisattva's gaze shifted to Shirou. "I know you have the Valkyries under your control, and Hildr also wants Ogelmir to be resurrected soon. But it's quite unusual for you to bring a clone to this place."

Shirou remained calm despite sensing the demonic bodhisattva's gaze on him. Although he hadn't anticipated her presence, he had faith in Merlin's Illusion to deceive her. After all, even though Merlin was known for his frivolous nature his illusion techniques had long ago reached the pinnacle, capable of fooling even Tiamat let alone demonic bodhisattva.

However, at this moment, the demonic bodhisattva suddenly moved her delicate nose, her nostrils flaring as she caught a scent in the air. "This scent... This scent that makes me unable to resist... It's a man!" 

She showed an infatuated smile while sniffing the surrounding scent like a canine, her entire face instantly turning rosy and her breathing slightly heavier. Her eyes sparkled with a manic gleam as she inhaled deeply, savoring the tantalizing aroma that filled her senses.

"This kind of scent... This fragrance... It must be a man! There must be a man here! Man... Man! And this clean, rational scent must be from a high-quality man! Where is he? Where is he? I can't hold back anymore..." The demonic bodhisattva suddenly acted like a pervert, sniffing around for the scent everywhere, her movements becoming increasingly frenzied and erratic. She darted around the room, her nose twitching as she sought out the source of the alluring scent, her eyes wide with a desperate, almost crazed desire.

Shirou's heart sank as he watched the demonic bodhisattva sniffing around like a pervert. He'd completely forgotten about her uncanny ability to sniff out men from a mile away. This was bad... really bad. He couldn't afford to be exposed here, not now. Cursing his rotten luck, he realized he was in a tight spot. This place was practically Hel's stronghold, with Hel herself, the demonic bodhisattva, and mysterious Oglemir all present. If they discovered his true identity, he'd be done for!

His mind raced, desperately trying to come up with an escape plan, when suddenly the demonic bodhisattva shouted, "Found him!" Her ravenous gaze locked onto Shirou, her face filled with a hunger that made her pant heavily. "That intoxicating male scent is coming from right over there!"