IBHJ Chapter 753

The news of him escorting Sigurd back had already been relayed to Hel by the Valkyries in the forest. Now, all he needed to do was take Sigurd to the Great Hall. As they made their way there, they encountered numerous Valkyries, but no one paid any special attention to him. They simply passed by as if nothing were out of the ordinary.

As they entered the Great Hall, their arrival was announced. Shirou escorted Sigurd, once again finding himself in the presence of the divine court. Hel sat upon the supreme throne of the divine king, with Adam standing beside her like a loyal eunuch.

Shirou brought Sigurd forward, his expression stoic. He spoke in a stiff tone, imitating A-46's manner of speech: "Lady Hel, the despicable and shameless Eternal King and his accomplice Saber have both betrayed us. Sigurd also ignored your order and took action against the Fire Giant. I have now escorted him back to await your punishment."

Having said his piece, Shirou stepped to the side. Hel's face was gloomy, her eyes fixed coldly on Sigurd. She had already learned about the events that transpired at the gate through A-46's report.

What she didn't know was what had happened after Sigurd kidnapped A-46. At that time, Sigurd had hung A-46 on a cross and used the Primordial Runes to block her five senses, leaving Hel in the dark about the following events.

"I was prepared for the Eternal King to ignore my orders and betray me, but Sigurd, how dare you betray me! Why? I am your Master!" Hel questioned loudly, her face gloomy.

Sigurd straightened his back and responded proudly, "Because I am Sigurd, the Greatest Hero of Northern Europe. And this is my homeland."

"Very good!" Hel clenched her fist, her face darkening. Suddenly, a dark magic circle appeared on her tightly clenched hand. The next moment, Sigurd clutched his left chest, his face twisting in pain as he half-squatted down, his heart wracked with severe agony.

Hel's expression turned fierce, "Betraying me means facing the consequences you deserve!"

Sigurd clutched his left chest, realizing that Hel must have done something to them before the summoning. But he couldn't give up now. He had finally crossed the dimensions of time and space to see that person again—the one he had long felt guilty about. This was his chance to make amends for his past mistakes. Falling here was not an option.

"I didn't betray you, Hel," Sigurd said with difficulty. "You should understand what my long-cherished wish is. That's the reason I responded to your summons."

"No betrayal? Hmph!" she scoffed, "Loyalty, what a ridiculous lie! Disobeying my orders is betrayal, plain and simple. You're just a Servant, a mere tool. How dare you play the heroism card with me? Go and die."

It seemed that before the summoning was completed, Hel had already implanted a painful withering spell in the hearts of the summoned Servants. Just as she was about to completely crush Sigurd's heart, her body suddenly trembled. Three lights burst out from within her, rotating around her like three suns. Frowning, she sat back on the throne and snapped her fingers.

"'Snap!' The sound was sharp, like a command. Three lights rotated around her, their brilliant glow resonating together. At that moment of resonance, Shirou felt his body heat up, as if his mana was reacting to the phenomenon. He quickly suppressed the reaction, pushing it back down.

The three suns around Hel hummed as they resonated with each other. Suddenly, they shot out beams of light, slowly forming a magical screen. The moment the screen took shape, a massive face wreathed in flames appeared on it. As soon as this giant showed up, he demanded loudly, "What're you playing at, Hel? Letting your Servants butcher my soldiers...are you turning against me?"

As the fiery giant appeared on the screen, Shirou raised his eyebrows. It was none other than Surtr, Lord of Muspelheim and King of the Fire Giants whose well-trained army he'd seen through his [Clairvoyance EX].

Facing Surtr's furious questioning, Hel stretched out her hand, picked her ear with her little finger, and impatiently asked, "What's with all the fuss, Surtr?"

"The fuss?" Surtr snapped. "Your Servant slaughtered thousands of my people right at the border!"

He was undoubtedly talking about Galahad. Seeing Surtr's furious look, it seemed Galahad had already emerged victorious. But Shirou had expected as much. Galahad and the Eternal Soldiers were all summoned by his Noble Phantasm, so he could sense the status of his summons. Not long ago, Galahad and his forces stopped taking casualties, meaning the war had likely ended or at least reached a stalemate. However, judging by Surtr's rage, it was probably the former - Galahad had dealt devastating losses to that fire giant army.

"So what? Don't forget, this is my turf now. You invaded my territory, so death was the price to pay," she said with a cold smile.

"Then don't you forget our original agreement," Surtr questioned. "You're not thinking of tearing that up, are you? Don't tell me you're interested in this dying world..."

"Of course not. I remember our deal, but don't push it. Don't forget, I overthrew Skadi and possess her Origin Wheels. I'm the strongest god in this world! Learn some awe instead of getting cocky with me!"

"Then don't you forget either. Skadi's power didn't come from those things, but from her own innate power! More importantly, you don't want the ancestor knowing your real intentions, do you?" Surtr asked coldly.

Hearing this, she slammed the armrest and stood up, her eyes wide with anger. "You think I'm afraid of Ogelmir?"

"Aren't you?" Surtr retorted.

Hel stood silent for a long moment, regaining her composure. She sat back down. "The one who killed your army wasn't my Servant, but the Eternal King from Pan Human History."

"Eternal King?" Surtr's brow furrowed. "What's that?"

"A Servant, a human king. A pretty troublesome fellow."

"Impossible. The ley lines of this world have already died. It should be impossible to summon Heroic Spirits from Pan Human History anymore."

"Then you should ask that horse what foolish things he's done."

"I have no interest in pursuing this. From what you're saying, does this mean there's already another force resisting us in this world?"

"Exactly."

Surtr's frown faded as he took a deep breath. "I see..." he said, his voice softening. "Hearing about my people's death has left me devastated. I let my emotions get the best of me, and I spoke too harshly. I apologize."

"Then, I'll take my leave." With that, Surtr ended the call.

The moment the screen went dark, Hel snatched a nearby vase and hurled it across the room. "How dare you threaten me!" she roared. "I'll cut you to pieces, just you wait!" She stomped her feet, fuming, before finally composing herself. There was no other way around it; Surtr had struck a nerve, and she knew it.

Hel seethed with rage as she glared down at Sigurd below her. Just as she was about to continue tormenting Sigurd, Adam, who stood beside her, spoke up.

"Master, I don't think killing Sigurd is the best idea."

"What do you mean?" Hel narrowed her eyes, turning to face him.

"Sigurd only acted because of the unique circumstances," Adam explained. "He never intended to betray you. Otherwise, A-46 wouldn't have been able to capture and bring him back." He paused before continuing, "Besides, with Surtr being so disrespectful and the Eternal King's betrayal, don't you think we should be strengthening our forces? Killing Sigurd now would only weaken us."

"Is it really necessary to keep a tool that dares to disobey my orders?"

"You have Command Spells," Adam reminded her.

She considered his words for a moment. "Fine, I'll listen to you. I won't kill him, but he will be punished. Lock him up in the dungeon so he understands his position."