Chapter 112

Episode 31/Chapter 1: Idun’s legion (1)

TL: Tsubak

ED: Julsmul

There were various reasons for why the front lines had stood at a constant state of adhesion since the Great War.

The force that was concentrated in Erin was split three ways into Asgard, Olympus, and the Temple. Otherwise, the nine realms wouldn’t have cooperated with each other.

But this, like many others, was merely a secondary reason.

The decisive factor was much simpler.

A loss of power. A really big loss.

A hundred years had passed since the Great War, but Asgard still hadn’t recovered from its previous state. The same held true for the giants of Jotunheim.

—

Tae Ho hit his chest and then collapsed, nearly unconscious. The current him didn’t even have the strength to lift a finger.

“Heda.”

He murmured her name in a whisper-like voice. It seemed his calling to her was quite unavoidable, for he thought of Heda’s face first whenever things became tough or painful.

Idun would forgive him as the battle had ended.

No, in the first place, she wouldn’t have heard him as he had terminated ‘Idun’s warrior’.

Tae Ho laughed even though he felt he’d die and closed his eyes and prayed in thanks. The reason he could fight until the end was because Idun had supported him.

‘My Goddess, Idun.’

Tae Ho mumbled in a low voice while imitating Idun and then let out a sigh while closing his eyes. He felt the warmth of Idun that remained in his chest and then closed his eyes more tightly and rose up.

He wanted to sleep and lose consciousness like this, but he couldn’t. There were still things he had to do. The situation wasn’t one appropriate for a warrior to take a rest.

He was really glad that he was a warrior of Idun. If it was any other warrior, they would have already expended all their strength and collapsed.

‘En Taro Idun.’

Tae Ho mumbled a slightly altered line from a game and then rose completely. He first sheathed Galatin in Unnir and then scanned his surroundings while tripping over himself.

“My King!”

Merlin was approaching. He was rather fine among the ones that’d been transported with him.

Tae Ho took out a bottle of water from Unnir and drank it. The feeling of cold water passing through his parched throat was so reinvigorating that his throat became clogged.

“My King.”

Merlin approached Tae Ho and used recovery magic on him. Although the spent energy didn’t return, he did feel a lot better than before.

“We have to hurry.”

Merlin spoke with a face stained in tears. Tae Ho knew what he meant.

They had beaten the Giant of Earth, but it wasn’t the end.

Erin was closer to Jotunheim than Asgard. More of Balgad’s cronies remained, so they first thought of getting out of this place.

“I will retrieve the warriors.”

Merlin, knowing that Tae Ho understood his words, swung his staff and called a beast of light to take him elsewhere. His direction was towards Bracky, Siri and Ingrid.

Tae Ho breathed and then stumbled towards Balgad’s corpse. He retrieved each and every weapon stuck in his body and placed them in Unnir.

There were eleven of them including Gallatin.

Tae Ho retrieved Arondight lastly and checked Merlin’s progress by activating ‘Eyes of the Dragon’. He felt like his head would split from using multiple sagas simultaneously, but there was still something he had to check.

He didn’t see any red words, but Tae Ho felt uneasy. Just like Merlin had said, he felt like they should hurry.

“It seems like there’s no problem in their lives.”

Bracky, Siri and Ingrid were being carried by the beast of light Merlin had summoned. Their injuries were all severe, but they were breathing at least.

Tae Ho felt relief and sadness at the same time. They weren’t the only companions that had come to Erin.

“The warriors of Valhalla taught me the way we have to go. But King, we have to first find a place to rest and hide ourselves.”

Merlin looked at a certain direction for a moment. It was where the souls of the warriors went flying to.

Even Merlin didn’t know where they were exactly as Erin was currently destroyed and in pieces.

“The worst case is inside Jotunheim or near it. Fortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

If that really was the case, reinforcements from the giants would have already arrived.

The reason they were looking for a place to hide and rest was simple. Excluding Merlin, everyone else was really exhausted. Ingrid especially needed treatment immediately. If they left her like this, there was a possibility she may lose her life.

“Is there a place to hide?”

Tae Ho turned to look at the ashen surroundings. As the clouds that had been split for a moment gathered again, the sky took a dark color once more.

“We have to hide underground.”

It was the only answer as they couldn’t see any man-made buildings nor forests or mountains.

Merlin swung his staff to summon an additional beast of light and began to ride it. Tae Ho jumped atop the big wolf of light and followed Merlin’s back.

—

The Giant of the Night, Avalt, sensed the death of Balgad.

As he’d left the darkness and Balgad, whom he’d been sharing his vision with, had died, it was now impossible to observe the situation.

But regardless of that, Avalt didn’t stop moving.

He had to end it here. He couldn’t allow Idun’s warrior to return back to Valhalla safely now that Balgad had failed.

Avalt urged the underlings of Balgad and he even pressured his own subordinates.

In the destroyed Erin, below the ground of ash-

Before Idun’s warrior escaped, and before he recovered his strength-

Avalt covered himself in darkness once again. He crossed into the skies of Jotunheim in an instant.

—

Merlin first chose to distance himself from the battlefield. Whether they were underground or in the sky, if they were near the battlefield there was a high possibility Avalt could find them.

But even if that was the case, they couldn’t go too far. He had to prepare a place for everyone to rest before the giants came and before Ingrid’s state worsened.

Merlin stopped only after he was tens of kilometers away from the battlefield. After he recited a hole-digging chant on the ground, he took out a magical seed.

The seed that was the size of a finger grew bigger within a split second and became a five-meter tall fruit.

It was a magical resting place that was hard outside and empty inside.

Tae Ho remembered the tree houses he saw in Svartalfheim.

“Let’s enter. I will cover ourselves with dirt after everyone has entered.”

As Tae Ho took the group and entered the resting place, Merlin recited another spell. The resting place entered the hold he’d opened. Dirt covered the surface, and a safe place was made just like that.

“Amazing.”

“This is just a secondary skill.”

Merlin smiled bitterly as if he was embarrassed and then called a light elemental to brighten the room for them. It seemed like there was a part connected above the ground since the air was really fresh even though they were underground.

If the Knights of the Round Table had offensive roles, then Merlin’s role was the equivalent of support. Originally, Merlin was more skilled in secondary magic like this rather than fighting.

Tae Ho laid down Bracky, Siri, and Ingrid before leaning against a wall. He felt better than when he was on the open battlefield, and his eyes seemed to close on their own.

But it wasn’t the time yet. It was too early for him to fall asleep.

Tae Ho took out a summoning rock. It was the last rock that contained magic power.

“Adenmaha.”

“You bastard!”

As soon as Adenmaha was called, she blinked her eyes a few times and then immediately cursed out Tae Ho. It wasn’t because she felt enmity towards him, one could know just by looking at her teary face.

Adenmaha embraced Tae Ho and cried once again, and Tae Ho hesitated for a moment but then grabbed her shoulders. After he stroked her head a few times, Adenmaha gulped down her cry and said with a heavy voice.

“Rolo and McLaren are both alive. They are really hurt, but they aren’t dead. They won’t die.”

Rolo had a wing torn off and had his chest crushed, but there seemed to be no danger in his life after he ate a piece of a golden apple.

McLaren was split in two, but as he’d originally been more of a spirit than a creature, he was able to maintain his life.

In addition, there was also Scathach in Idun’s residence. As she was specialized in the mystical powers of the Tuatha De Danann, her powers could prevent McLaren from dying pointlessly.

“Do you know how scared I was? Heda wasn’t in the residence because she had business to attend to, and I can’t even see Ragnar….my guys returned at the brink of death.”

Adenmaha spoke through sobs in Tae Ho’s embrace. He could feel how scared she was, as she hadn’t had anyone to help calm her down.

“Sorry.”

“Leave it. I have to do what I came here for.”

Adenmaha got out of Tae Ho’s arms and then breathed in after covering her face with her two hands. When she barely managed to calm herself, she looked at Tae Ho and continued.

“There are a few pieces of a golden apple remaining that Heda gave me.”

Adenmaha took out a piece and gave it to Tae Ho. Although it was as small as a sugar cube, it was enough to have some effect.

While Tae Ho wolfed down the piece of golden apple, Adenmaha greeted Merlin with an embarrassed face and then turned to look at Bracky, Siri, and Ingrid lying on the floor. She was wondering about how she should feed them the golden apples.

It wasn’t easy to feed medicine to a person that had passed out. The golden apple was very much an item that would only work if one chewed it.

Tae Ho grasped his memories for a moment and then remembered how Heda had fed him while he was unconscious.

“Uh, mm……”

“Go away. I will feed them. Don’t even dream of it.”

Adenmaha spoke rather sharply and then chewed a piece of a golden apple and fed Ingrid and Siri.

Tae Ho got embarrassed from nothing and turned his head as Merlin cleared his throat.

The effects of the medicine were clear. The states of Ingrid and Siri started improving at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Adenmaha wiped off her mouth with the back of her hand and then looked at Bracky. Tae Ho got nervous unconsciously, and Merlin tried to say that he could grind the apple to feed them in a liquid state.

But Adenmaha opened her eyes sharply and then hit the shin of Bracky.

“I know that you are fully conscious. Don’t try to act.”

Adenmaha spoke scarily and then threw the last piece of golden apple in his mouth.

“Sob, why is my body this resilient?”

As Bracky barely managed to chew the golden apple, he mumbled with a mournful expression. Tae Ho just looked at him with lukewarm eyes instead of cheering him up.

Adenmaha wiped off her mouth once again and changed the subject.

“Scathach said that Idun-nim would certainly do something; perhaps, a rescue team is already coming our way.”

Tae Ho nodded. He told Adenmaha and Merlin what Idun kept repeating in the middle of the battle.

Thor was coming. Thor was coming, so endure a bit more.

Idun wasn’t someone to spout nonsense. The faces of Adenmaha and Merlin grew comparatively bright.

But it was after that-

Merlin raised his head, and Adenmaha shrank down unconsciously.

Tae Ho could also know. He couldn’t see it, but he certainly felt it.

The giants had arrived. It seemed like there was no one as strong as Balgad among them, but their numbers weren’t low at all.

Tae Ho grabbed the stiff hands of Adenmaha and whispered.

“Adenmaha, return for now. I will entrust Rolo and McLaren to you.”

Adenmaha wanted to protest, but she wasn’t a child. She bit her lips and then nodded.

She placed her lips on Tae Ho’s forehead as a Valkyrie before speaking lowly.

“May Idun’s blessing accompany you.”

“May Idun’s blessing accompany you.”

Tae Ho also did the same for Adenmaha, and she sniffled once more and disappeared.

Bracky held his breath while shutting his mouth, and Merlin also stayed silent. Tae Ho closed his eyes and relaxed his body.

An indeterminate amount of time passed.

The number of giants continued to increase, and now, the sound of the ground ringing was heard. They could soon hear the noise of the ground being displaced.

Bracky gritted his teeth and glared at the ceiling. Merlin gripped his staff tighter, and Tae Ho’s face grew determined.

The shaking got fiercer. They could feel the giants gathering.

But right at that moment-

Bracky shot to his beat and raised his arms in silent cheer. Tae Ho also clenched his fists in excitement.

Far away, from the direction the souls of the warriors of Valhalla had headed to.

A string of thunderclaps was growing closer.

< Episode 31 – Idun’s legion (1) > End

TL note: Thanks for reading~

Episode 31/Chapter 2: Idun’s legion (2)

TL: Tsubak

ED: Julsmul

The fight began with a loud explosion followed by huge shockwaves that swept into the ground. The magic shelter Merlin had made shook as if in the midst of an earthquake.

Merlin leaned his back on the wall and began reciting a spell while looking up. The apple-yellow ceiling grew transparent and the scene above the ground was revealed.

Thor was fighting- no, he was massacring the giants single handedly.

With every swing of Mjolnir came a crushed head, shoulder, or chest. The giants couldn’t even begin to dare confronting the red-caped warrior.

“Ohh! Thor!”

Bracky let out an awed exclamation. Thor jumped up as if answering the call of Bracky and then hit down the ground with the thunder encasing Mjolnir. A fearsome lightning fell down and spread across the ground before surging up and sweeping away all of Thor’s surroundings.

The giants that were swept up by it couldn’t even scream. They vomited black smoke and then collapsed on the ground.

A force of twenty giants wasn’t to be scoffed at, but the scene of the fearsome lightning surging up with the sound of the thunder was really amazing.

It was a literal myth.

A story of the Gods.

Tae Ho unconsciously gulped dry saliva upon verifying the appearance of Thor, God of Thunder.

“Old man Merlin! We have to get out quickly!”

Bracky urged Merlin. Merlin turned to look at Tae Ho instead of answering immediately as if asking his opinion, and Tae Ho nodded hurriedly.

Merlin then began chanting. Tae Ho carried the still unconscious Ingrid and Bracky held Siri on his shoulders. It looked like Bracky was transporting a prey he had hunted instead of carrying a person, but it was unavoidable for him as he had to at least be able to use a hand freely.

As Merlin finished his chant, the magic shelter started to go up little by little. When they saw the scene above the ground through the transparent ceiling, they saw that the ground was destroyed.

Fortunately, Thor didn’t attack the magic seed that sprouted up from the ground.

It was obvious for him not to. Just like Idun could feel Tae Ho, Thor could also feel his warriors, Bracky included.

In the first place, Thor had known the location of Bracky ever since he’d landed.

As soon as the magic shelter surfaced completely, Thor dropped Mjolnir a bit and then looked at the sky.

“Father!”

Bracky yelled as soon as the wall of the shelter opened. Thor smirked at him as he treated all the warriors in his legion as his own sons and then looked at Tae Ho and Merlin.

“You became unbelievable strong. I almost couldn’t recognize you.”

Thor said. He didn’t know the process, but he knew the results well.

Tae Ho and his group had won with the Giant of Earth, Balgad, as their opponent.

The corpse of Balgad was proof of that.

Tae Ho hit his chest first and expressed etiquette. Merlin moved to the front and spoke.

“It’s been a long time, God of Thunder.”

“Merlin, the great magician of Camelot. It’s good to see that you are safe.”

The relationship between Thor and Merlin wasn’t that deep. The day of Erin’s demise, they’d fought in different places and they didn’t meet at all after that. They just conversed a few times when Camelot still existed before Erin got destroyed.

But it was enough with that.

Thor was sincerely happy about Merlin’s safety.

It wasn’t because of his utility. Even though the place they fought on was different, he was still his comrade in arms and at the same time, the last survivor of that beautiful and great Camelot.

Thor respected the Knights of the Round Table. Each of them were worthy of admiration and their King, Arthur, had been an especially exceptional person.

Merlin’s eyes turned red at Thor’s good will. It seemed that because it hadn’t been long since he witnessed the last moments of the Knights of the Round Table, or perhaps because of the good will the strongest God in Asgard showed him, his heart had been deeply moved.

But it wasn’t the time to be sentimental. Merlin organized his emotions after putting a deep smile and then shot a question at Thor.

“God of Thunder, do we have to create a path to escape?”

Thor nodded heavily at Merlin’s question.

“That’s right. This place is closer to the territory of the enemy, and in addition, they are surrounding us more and more. I came alone while creating a path as the situation was urgent.”

Thor spoke quickly and then drew a rune in the air. A map made of light appeared from that rune.

Erin was broken and scattered into several realms. Some of the fragments landed on the ground or the sea, but most of them were in the sky. Just like islands in the sky.

The giants of Jotunheim occupied a part of the region that connected Erin and Asgard after the islands settled.

The fragment of Erin the group was currently located was in that central region, and just like Thor had said, they were closer to the territory of the giants.

As Thor moved his fingers again, a blue and red arrow appeared in the map.

The rescue team that had Thor as a vanguard had left the front lines of Asgard, although a part of their forces had collided with the giants in the front lines.

Obviously enough, the two forces collided in the central region and a battle erupted.

“It doesn’t seem like the giants will give up easily. Quite a large number of them have started to move from the rear.”

A great host of giants was approaching from behind the ruins of Erin. The front lines dispatched additional forces, and Asgard also dispatched more reinforcements as they couldn’t just allow the rescue team to get massacred.

The scale of the battle had increased from just the elites to two great armies being mobilized to face each other.

“So this fight is what started it all.”

Merlin spoke with a bitter face and Thor nodded.

“But they won’t be able to end it immediately. If we escape from them, there is a high possibility for them to give up on the attack.”

The giants didn’t go on the offensive ignorantly. They analyzed the gains and losses of their forces and distinguished when they had to attack and retreat.

Asgard and Jotunheim mobilized great armies, but it was still at the stage where they were simply moving. Mobilizing a great army with great risks was something burdensome for both sides.

Conquering a bit more of land in war wasn’t that important, contrary to popular belief. Above all, removing the force that protected that land was much more important.

This held true even more so in a war destined to eliminate one of two sides. Such was the war between Asgard and Jotunheim.

Because of that, there was a high possibility for the giants to retreat when Tae Ho’s group escaped from this place just like Thor had said.

“We can end the explanation of the situation here right? We have to hurry.”

Those words weren’t wrong. The giants would be moving even at this moment.

Thor floated into the sky slowly and looked at Merlin and Tae Ho alternatingly. Merlin answered his eyes that were asking if they didn’t have anything to ride on.

“Mahariku Karvan Diem.”

As Merlin recited a chant in a low voice and swung his staff, one of the jewels engraved in the staff broke and a huge eagle of light was summoned.

“Get on.”

It was a really huge eagle with a wingspan of over 40 meters. It was enough to carry Tae Ho’s group in its back.

Thor watched Tae Ho and Bracky get on the eagle and then surged up to the heavens.

The eagle fluttered its wings. When it flew up high, they saw a dried up continent next to the destroyed fragments of Erin.

Thor took the lead and the eagle followed it back. Tae Ho sat next to the lying down Ingrid and looked back. There were hundreds of red letters in the air behind them. They were all flying-type monsters such as harpies and wyverns.

In addition, they didn’t only come from the back. A huge army that seemed like it would dye the sky in red approached from the sides.

Tae Ho could feel his mouth dry up. Lookin at them one by one, they weren’t even that strong, but there were just too many of them. In addition, if they got caught here, there was a high probability for them to face an army composed of strong giants.

Tae Ho gulped dry saliva and took a deep breath. Even though he had eaten a piece of a golden apple, Tae Ho didn’t have the strength to fight anymore as he had spent too much stamina and concentration. But he still had to fight. Tae Ho unsheathed Caladbolg from Unnir.

“Oh Idun!”

Tae Ho called out Idun’s name in a low voice and concentrated. It was to borrow her strength as his own strength was almost depleted.

But something felt off. It was hard to sense Idun even though he had activated ‘Idun’s Warrior’. The strength that was transmitted was so low it couldn’t even be compared.

Was it because he used the saga too recklessly? Or there was another reason for it?

Tae Ho dispeled ‘Idun’s Warrior’ in the uneasiness. Thor, who was flying next to Tae Ho, looked at him and then glared at the direction the monsters were approaching from and spoke out.

“Go first. I will tie them up.”

Tae Ho couldn’t respond immediately to Thor’s words. It bothered him to leave Thor alone before thousands of enemies, and he was doubtful that Thor would be able to tie all of them up.

Moving in the air was different to moving on the ground. On the ground, you could tie down the enemy by blocking the path, but how were you supposed to do it in the air?

As Tae Ho hesitated, Thor laughed magnanimously.

“Did you forget? I’m the God of Thunder.”

He didn’t explain anymore than that. Tae Ho hit his chest twice and Bracky did the same.

“Go!”

Thor yelled and then gathered lightning in Mjolnir. The eagle of light increased its speed and Tae Ho held Ingrid more tightly and lowered his posture.

It was then-

Kwagagagagang!

An overwhelming sound of thunder rang behind them. The lightning covered the sky and dyed the world in blue momentarily.

Thor didn’t think of blocking the path. He was planning to pour out attacks so strong that the flying monsters wouldn’t even think of ignoring Thor and attacking Tae Ho’s group.

“Thor! Thor! Thor! God of Thunder!”

Bracky whopped like a joyful youth and thunder was heard as if answering his call.

Merlin started to sweat and squeezed out all his magic power. The eagle of light increased its speed a bit more and the sound of thunder became more distant.

Tae Ho looked at the front in the sharp wind and gritted his teeth unconsciously.

He could see red words in front of them. They were comparatively lower in number, but Tae Ho could feel his mouth dry up.

They weren’t wyverns or harpies but giants. There were some giants that had wings and others that rode on huge monsters which wouldn’t be inappropriately compared to dragons.

Their number was merely thirty, but the pressure they gave was really amazing.

“Take a turn! We have to evade fighting!”

Bracky yelled. His words were right, but it wouldn’t be easy to do so. The moment the eagle changed directions, the giants started to increase their speed and fired several weapons made with magic towards them.

Light, lightning, and flames attacked them. The spears and arrows poured down like a rain that would tear the ground.

Merlin concentrated, and Tae Ho panted and activated his saga. He assisted the flight of the eagle with ‘One who Controls Dragons’. They dodged the attack of the giants with a flashy series of maneuvers.

Unfortunately, the consecutive dodging motions resulted in a decrease in speed.

The distance between the giants was shortening. The sound of thunder wasn’t heard anymore and new forces appeared from the front. They were the same flying-type monsters that appeared behind them. Red words were also seen from the sides, and Tae Ho couldn’t be certain but he thought they also resembled giants.

Bracky gritted his teeth and then sucked in air and gathered lightning in his hammer. It was to pass through the flying-type monsters instead of fighting against the giants.

The sound of thunder was heard once again from far away. Thor was certainly approaching them.

Tae Ho raised Caladbolg and then squeezed out all of his strength and created lightning of a golden color.

They would pass through the monsters like this.

The monsters screamed and charged, and the giants kept pouring down attacks regardless of the monsters being hit by them or not. Some of them only focused on flying and closed the distance with Tae Ho’s group.

Bracky raised his hammer. Tae Ho also raised Caladbolg high in the sky.

At that moment, Tae Ho looked off toward a distant place beyond the flying-type monsters and suddenly cheered.

The ones coming from the front weren’t only enemies.

Thor wasn’t the only rescue squad!

Tae Ho saw them. The hundreds of steel warriors flying in the sky and the warriors of Valhalla riding on big hawks in their midst.

He also saw the one in front of them. The one that entered Tae Ho’s eyes first.

“Damned disciple. You will only get satisfied after making your ill master work hard, right?”

Ragnar appeared on top of a white hawk and smirked. He charged towards the army of monsters and activated his saga.

[Myth-ranked Saga: Viking King]

“Go! Warriors of Valhalla!”

The Viking King’s order was heard, and the warriors of Valhalla answered to his absolute command.

“For Asgard and the Nine Realms!”

At the center of the battlefield, both sides clashed in the air and a ferocious battle began.

< Episode 31 – Idun’s legion (2) > End

TL note: Thanks for reading~

Episode 31/Chapter 3: Idun’s legion (3)

TL: Tsubak

ED: Julsmul

A battle that took place in the air was different to one which occurred in the ground.

Compared to the ground which acted as a solid barrier, the concept of ‘height’ was reintroduced in the air.

It was possible to move more three-dimensionally so there was obviously a difference depending on the placement of one’s forces and mobility.

The monsters didn’t utilize this beside Tae Ho’s group to block them directly, but they instead flew both below and above them. It was just like making a big wall.

The warriors of Valhalla clashed against the monsters. The giants kept pouring out attacks towards them, and the sound of thunder approached from behind.

Tae Ho looked at the scene before them on top of the eagle of light. Half of the monsters clashed against the warriors of Valhalla, and the other half continued to maintain the wall.

It was a temporary wall. Compared to the troop in the ground, the troops in the sky had to move endlessly.

The wall attacked Tae Ho’s group. They covered them from above and below like a hand holding a fist.

Merlin gritted his teeth and increased his speed even more. Bracky and Tae Ho released lightning at the same time and opened up a path.

Kwagagagagang!

The monsters hit by the lightning fell down, but it was also different compared to the ground. The monsters that were outside of the range of the lightning started to charge towards the eagle of light. If one stayed still, they would get suppressed in the air.

The eagle fluttered its wings. Bracky fired lightning once more and Tae Ho gathered his strength. Merlin made the eagle fly higher.

Kwagang!

This time, Tae Ho released lightning from Caladbolg. A big hole was created among the monsters charging from above and the eagle entered that gap. It fluttered its wings strongly and passed the monsters.

But it lasted only a moment. As soon as they left the chokehold of monsters, something else charged towards them.

“Be careful!”

Bracky yelled. They were the giants that were flanking them. The giants closed the distance once again and poured down arrows and magical attacks. It didn’t matter if the monsters died or not, it would be enough if they caught Tae Ho’s group.

The eagle staggered. The attacks that contained an overwhelming strength behind them were threatening even if they didn’t hit directly. The flight of the eagle became more risky.

“Don’t stop!”

Ragnar’s voice was heard from far away.

The warriors of Valhalla were crashing down on the monsters and advancing. The warriors riding on hawks formed the formation’s insides, and the ones outside were the warriors of steel.

The Steel Warriors, that had steel wings in their backs, didn’t hesitate for even an instant. They pierced through the monsters and grew closer to Tae Ho’s group. Immediately after, they became shields that stopped attacks from reaching them.

A spear thrown by a giant pierced the body of a Steel Warrior. No, the Steel Warrior threw its body towards the spear that would have hit the eagle otherwise.

It was the same for the rain of lightning, flames, and light. The warriors gathered at one side to form a shield and then protected Tae Ho’s group.

“Go! Go! Go!”

The Steel Warriors yelled. They didn’t disperse the shield wall even as they were being destroyed by the attacks. It was a sacrifice to save Tae Ho’s group.

‘Why?! Why do they have to go to such lengths?!’

Tae Ho couldn’t ask. He gritted his teeth and looked ahead. He could see Ragnar and the warriors of Valhalla using their sagas to fight against the monsters.

The monsters screamed and fell down, but some warriors of Valhalla also died in that confrontation. The soul of the warriors that lost their bodies turned to become a blue light and went to Valhalla.

“Go!”

The Steel Warriors yelled once again. They stayed behind the group. They then gathered once again to take the form of an arrow and then charged towards the giants.

The giants destroyed those Steel Warriors. They swung their huge, blunt weapons to rend the armor and cut off the wings with strong magic.

The Steel Warriors also didn’t stay still. They attacked the monsters carrying the giants and brought them down. They slashed their chests and tore off their necks with their swords and axes.

“Tae Ho!”

Ragnar yelled. He reached the front of Tae Ho’s group and then pointed to the direction from where the warriors of Valhalla had came with his viking sword, Ulfberht.

“Go!”

The objective of this battle was to rescue Tae Ho’s group. The scale became bigger than expected, but Ragnar didn’t miss the main point.

‘It’s just like Ragnar said! If we reach the objective, the warriors of Valhalla will also retreat!’

Cuchulainn spoke suddenly. Tae Ho turned to look at the Steel Warriors but then gritted his teeth and looked at the front. The eagle passed the warriors of Valhalla and went towards the rear.

“Warrior Tae Ho! Wait for a moment!”

When he raised his head to see who had called him, he saw some Valkyries and Steel Warriors. The Valkyries were flying even though they hadn’t taken the shape of swans as if they had used a special magic.

As Tae Ho made the eagle stop, the Valkyries approached them alongside the Steel Warriors. There was a familiar steel structure being carried in the backs of the three-meter tall Steel Warriors.

It was none other than the Black Flash.

“Get on. We will evacuate you first.”

It was a blunt way of speaking as if they wouldn’t allow any objections. Tae Ho first placed Siri and Ingrid in the Black Flash. As there were only two Black Flashes, he put the smaller people in a single structure and the remaining three people each rode on one.

‘Listen well. You don’t have the strength to fight right now. You will be of help the faster you get out of the battlefield.’

Cuchulainn sensed Tae Ho’s rejection towards escaping before speaking bluntly. Bracky and Tae Ho had spent all their stamina and concentration, and they’d barely managed to recover while releasing some lightning towards the monsters. They couldn’t fight any more than this.

Right then, a deafening clap of thunder was heard from behind. Thor had returned.

But he wasn’t the only one that reached the battlefield. Tae Ho could see the red words that were like blood through ‘Eyes of the Dragon’. They were certainly the underlings of the frost giant leader, King Harmarti.

The giants and the monsters kept coming, but reinforcements from Valhalla were also approaching.

“For Asgard and the Nine Realms.”

A Valkyrie laid down Tae Ho and spoke proudly. She closed the lid even before he could answer and then recited a chant to fire the Black Flashes.

The Black Flashes flew in the air at an astonishing speed. Tae Ho looked at the existences flying above him through the spear that was hanging on the front. There was a really clear green word shining from among the warriors of Valhalla.

[God of Hunting]

[Ullr]

Thor wasn’t alone. Ullr had also participated in this battle.

Ullr pulled on the string of the bow loaded with multiple arrows of light and Tae Ho couldn’t see more than that. The speed of the Black Flashes became faster.

The sound of thunder became more distant, and the yells of the warriors and screams of the monsters also dimmed.

Tae Ho closed his eyes and breathed some air. As soon as he released ‘Eyes of the Dragon’, great exhaustion came at once.

They traveled for a long while.

The Black Flashes that were flying in the sky began to descend to the ground. It wasn’t towards one of the bases in the front lines of Asgard.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A rough and harsh landing occurred. Tae Ho landed first and then closed his eyes tightly once and opened the lid. As he did so, he saw people running towards them, and surprisingly enough, one of them was someone they all knew.

“Idun’s commander.”

It was Valkyrie Hildegarde of Freya’s legion. She helped Tae Ho get down from the Black Flash and then placed her lips on Tae Ho’s forehead.

“May Freya’s blessing accompany you.”

It wasn’t a simple blessing. Tae Ho received the blessing without resisting as if it was a habit and then closed his eyes unconsciously. It was a strong sleeping magic.

“Rest.”

Hildegarde’s voice passed by his ear with a low tone.

And Tae Ho fell in a deep slumber like that.

—

Time flew by.

Tae Ho opened his eyes slowly and then closed them again. He couldn’t form thoughts about anything. When he woke up from a sleep after not dreaming of anything, this always happened.

Tae Ho closed his eyes for a moment and didn’t think of anything. It seemed like he was trying to sleep again, but he couldn’t do so; rather, his senses that were asleep started to awaken one by one.

Sound, taste, smell.

Tae Ho opened his eyes slowly. His back hurt. It was a common symptom one faced after having slept for a long time.

Everything that touched his skin felt nice and soft. It seemed like they were sheets and blankets of good quality.

Tae Ho closed his eyes again. He let out a long sigh and then rose up.

“So, you woke up.”

A voice was heard next to him. Tae Ho opened his eyes in a still confused state and then looked around. He saw a familiar face which completely alerted him.

“Ragnar!”

He raised his voice unconsciously. Ragnar placed a chair next to the bed and then frowned before continuing.

“I’m merely exhausted. You don’t have to worry.”

Just like he had said, he didn’t seem that worse for wear, but Tae Ho could feel his exhaustion from his posture and heavy voice.

Tae Ho was still thankful that Ragnar was safe. He sat a bit properly and then asked Ragnar about the obvious.

“How did the battle go?”

“We fought hard and then retreated. That happened three days ago.”

Tae Ho put on an absent-minded expression at Ragnar’s words, but it only lasted a moment. The exhaustion from that day was really severe. It wouldn’t be weird to have heard that he had been sleeping for three days.

“I saw Ullr-nim.”

Tae Ho spoke. That scene was really clear, perhaps because he’d seen him just before he’d fallen asleep.

Ragnar nodded.

“Right. It was quite a big battle. It was one of the biggest battles of all which have occured in dozens of years.”

Basically, the number of forces the giants dispatched had numbered in the tens of thousands. Most of them were monsters, but still, it had reached that number. In addition, all the monsters that were dispatched in this battle were flying-type monsters. The meaning of that could only be significant.

“The rest of the members are safe. They woke up earlier than you.”

Ragnar smirked as he spoke. It was a joke to brighten up the mood, but Tae Ho let out a sigh of relief and then his face revealed sadness.

Ragnar knew why Tae Ho looked as he did. He knew too well what Tae Ho had seen before he’d departed from the battlefield.

“Don’t blame yourself. They died in a meaningful battle.”

The Steel Warriors had thrown their lives away to protect them.

It wasn’t only one or two. The number Tae Ho had seen had numbered in the hundreds.

How many of them could have made it back safely? Just how many had lost their lives?

The reason they went to the battlefield was to save Tae Ho. It was really fortunate, but he couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty.

Just why did they go to such lengths? Why did Asgard sacrifice hundreds of Steel Warriors just to rescue Tae Ho?

Ragnar lit up a pipe cigarette and elaborated.

“We rescued two warriors that had high possibilities of becoming superior-ranked warriors and a warrior that had already reached the level of a superior rank and one who’d certainly become a top-ranked warrior at that. With this alone, you can say that it’s enough.”

Not all the warriors that entered Valhalla could become superior-ranked warriors. Only a very small minority achieved such a level.

There was nothing to say about top-ranked warriors.

If they could sacrifice hundreds of inferior-ranked warriors to obtain a top-ranked warrior, Valhalla would make the same choice every time.

Ragnar looked at Tae Ho’s eyes for a moment. He exhaled the smoke from the cigarette and continued.

“The Steel Warriors can’t use sagas.”

It was short, but his words Tae Ho couldn’t refute.

The root of the warriors of Valhalla were their sagas. It wasn’t excessive to say that the strength of a warrior that couldn’t use their saga was halved- no, perhaps even a mere third of their prowess remained.

But the Steel Warriors couldn’t use their sagas.

Naturally, the warriors of Valhalla had more worth than the Steel Warriors did for Valhalla.

The reason Ragnar retired instead of dying while fighting was to preserve his saga. Valhalla preferred Ragnar who could manifest his saga, albeit sloppily, over a Steel Warrior in his place.

“There should be many things you are curious about, but let’s leave those for another time. Before that, I have things I need to know.”

Ragnar changed the subject forcefully. He placed down the pipe cigarette and then got closer to Tae Ho and inquired bluntly.

“How did you win?”

The Giant of Earth, Balgad, was one of the Five Fingers of the Magician King, Utgard Loki.

He was a strong opponent who only the most experienced among the superior-ranked warriors could face.

Even though Tae Ho had Bracky, Siri, and Ingrid by his side, it was still impossible. It was impossible for the current Tae Ho to have defeated Balgad.

But Tae Ho had won. The one that had lost his life wasn’t Tae Ho but the Giant of Earth.

Tae Ho let out a long sigh at Ragnar’s question and then leaned his body on the wall. He grabbed Unnir from the things that were on the table next to the bed.

“I got some help.”

Tae Ho started to take out the weapons from Unnir one by one and explained.

The moment he thought that it was over, the knights of Camelot had appeared to save him. The great knights of Camelot.

“Indeed, the knights of Camelot….”

When Ragnar finished listening to Tae Ho’s explanation, he turned to look at the weapons of the knights with mixed emotions.

It was because he knew about the knights, and he’d even fought with some of them during the Great War.

Even after Erin was destroyed and Camelot had disappeared, their wills had remained.

That truth heated up Ragnar.

“It should be quite uncomfortable to carry all of those.”

Ragnar spoke like a joke once again. It was to lighten up the heavy atmosphere, but after he said those words he realized that it would indeed become a problem.

Tae Ho already had a silly number of weapons. But it wasn’t only one, but eleven weapons which had been added, so it would obviously become uncomfortable even if he had Unnir.

Tae Ho nodded.

He was planning on giving the magical bow of Tristan to Siri, but he would be using the remaining ones for himself.

“That’s why I don’t think I should be saving it anymore.”

“Save what?”

Tae Ho concentrated instead of answering anymore. He had used the empty slot for a saga he had saved until now.

The saga that was thought of quite a long time ago but wasn’t actually made.

‘Until now, Unnir had been enough.’

There was no way to waste it on a saga.

But the situation had changed. Because of that, Tae Ho manifested the saga he had saved until now without regrets.

[Saga: His Pocket is Connected to a Treasure Vault]

A window made of light appeared in front of Tae Ho. It was the common inventory window you could see in games and, obviously enough, in the Dark Age.

Tae Ho placed the weapons he took out from Unnir in the inventory.

Ragnar looked ridiculous while he gaped at the weapons disappearing in the air and then feigned a laugh.

“That’s not a saga. That’s a cheat!”

Ragnar spoke incredulously, and Tae Ho nodded.

< Episode 31 – Idun’s legion (3) > End