Chapter 622: Slaying Utgarðar-Loki!
Intense pain and corrosion made Utgarðar-Loki unable to act. Although the wildfire still burning on his body was protecting him, Utgarðar-Loki couldn’t help but start overthinking.
Utgarðar-Loki roared, launching a fierce counterattack towards Origen’s main body.
But almost every one of his attacks was perfectly thwarted by Origen and, in turn, left him with wounds that cut deep to the bone.
Origen maintained his composure throughout, his face displaying no ferocity even in a life-or-death struggle.
However, at this moment, he felt time begin to slow down.
His mind, which had been dazed and feverish with infinite rage, suddenly calmed. It was as if all the noise around him had abruptly vanished, and he became clear-headed.
Past experiences flashed through his mind, piece by piece.
—Utgarðar-Loki’s problem was actually similar to Origen’s.
Both were warriors, yet they couldn’t wield the weapons they were most skilled with.
It was precisely because of this that Utgarðar-Loki respected this warrior—out of respect, he unleashed his full power, inflicting a fatal blow upon him.
If it hadn’t been for that final blow, which triggered the wildfire’s automatic protection and sent the opponent flying, Utgarðar-Loki would have meticulously, cautiously, and seriously crushed him into meat sauce, roasted him, and eaten him, ensuring no possibility of revival or healing.
It was just a shame… he happened to receive healing from an Elf.
Now, Utgarðar-Loki had been stripped of his authority by the Giant King and could no longer wield his most proficient magic sword, “Scar Branch.” Neither this giant axe nor his bare-handed strikes were Utgarðar-Loki’s most skilled weapons—what he was best at was swordsmanship, specifically the swordsmanship that complemented the magic sword “Scar Branch.”
“Scar Branch” was the most superior weapon of the Giant race, an artifact bestowed by Supreme Heaven, imbued with His unparalleled divine power.
This weapon burned incessantly and possessed a radiance brighter than the sun. It was the embodiment of Supreme Heaven’s “supreme” will.
Simply by holding this weapon, without even needing to swing it, countless “subordinate swords” would spontaneously condense on the battlefield. They would fly through the air according to the holder’s will, slaying enemies at will.
Each subordinate sword was as if wielded by a warrior holding this magic sword personally.
With this weapon, any human wave tactics were meaningless to the Giants. Because the strongest of the Giant race, by wielding this magic sword, could essentially self-replicate, creating countless copies of themselves and controlling the entire battlefield. And each clone, existing without a physical form, could not be defeated.
The main body of this weapon was an even more potent slaughtering blade, personally forged by Supreme Heaven, capable of severing the “Giant Tree” that the Elf race depended on for survival—
It was for this reason that it was called “Scar Branch.” It was made from a fragmented branch of the Giant Tree, personally refined by Supreme Heaven into a rebellious magic sword capable of slaying “its father.”
Merely by using this sword to sever the roots of the Giant Tree, one could completely cut off the tree’s life force, burning and destroying the immortal, heaven-reaching Giant Tree.
The Giant race used the deterrence of this sword to avoid interference and checks from the Elf race—although, in terms of top-tier combat power, the Giant race was indeed inferior to the Church. But if you dared to interfere with the Giant Kingdom, well, we’ll just trade homes!
—The Giant race doesn’t require any special living environment. Whether it’s a forest or a desert, an ice plain or a seaside… as long as it’s not a desert that is extremely hot and lacks food, they can survive. But the Elves cannot accept the loss of their Giant Tree.
According to the usual practice, this sword should belong to the Patriarch of Supreme Heaven.
Because the Patriarch of Supreme Heaven was, generally speaking, the most powerful person in the Giant Kingdom and its protector.
However, the Giant King of this generation was exceptionally arrogant and conceited.
Under the laughable excuse that Utgarðar-Loki did not respect the royal family, he stripped Utgarðar-Loki of his identity as the kingdom’s protector. He declared himself the protector and took possession of this genuine divine artifact.
From a bloodline perspective, the royal family of the Giants was closer to Supreme Heaven. Therefore, even though Supreme Heaven knew the accusation was false, it ignored the Giant King’s appropriation of Utgarðar-Loki’s divine artifact.
Because the position of Patriarch should have originally belonged to the royal family. Utgarðar-Loki also had royal blood flowing in his veins, but his bloodline was not as pure as his predecessors’.
Utgarðar-Loki’s ascent was purely due to his strength as a warrior.
No one was more deserving of “Scar Branch” than he was.
Even the previous Giant King held Utgarðar-Loki in respect. The Giant King of this generation, in his youth, had even learned martial arts from Utgarðar-Loki, making Utgarðar-Loki something of a teacher to him.
And now, Utgarðar-Loki, without having committed any significant wrong, was forcibly stripped of his protector’s identity by his own student.
This was a disgrace—
The Giant Kingdom had endured for thousands of years, and there had never been a precedent for a protector being stripped of their title!
However, when facing external enemies, he could invoke the sanctions of Supreme Heaven. But when facing the bullying of the Giant royal family, Supreme Heaven chose to remain silent to his pleas.
There was no justice in Supreme Heaven.
And now…
“…Heh.”
Utgarðar-Loki gazed at this outstanding Lizardmen warrior, unable to help but let out a sneer.
He wasn’t mocking the opponent. He was mocking fate.
Utgarðar-Loki had never seen a warrior with such exceptional talent. Even within the Giant Kingdom, there was no warrior stronger than him. It was just that the Lizardmen’s physique constrained his talent… What was the point, even if such a weak race reached the pinnacle?
If he were an Elf, a Giant, or a Dragon—if he were born into these superior races, this still-youthful Lizardmen warrior might have touched upon the Heavenly Envoy position of the Path of Power in the future!
But…
Such a powerful warrior had obtained a weapon that could easily wound him.
That would be a disaster for the Giant Kingdom.
It was all because the “King” took the weapon from him, leading to this calamity.
—The era of Giants might be coming to an end.
In Utgarðar-Loki’s eyes, time seemed to have slowed down immeasurably.
Origen’s body leaped high, leaving behind afterimages, and then suspended, frozen in mid-air.
At that moment, his body seemed to have enlarged two to three times through transformation.
A phantom covered in lightning enveloped his body!
It was an invincible face, holding a lightning halberd with both hands, a visage so majestic it was almost terrifying!
In a trance, Utgarðar-Loki saw traces of Supreme Heaven on that face.
As a warrior himself, he could even decipher the names of every martial skill the opponent used.
—Fanatical Power!
—Weapon Resonance!
—Giant Strike!
—Lightning Strike!
—Weakness Strike!
—Peerless Slash!
—Slay!
Seven skills overlapped, erupting with unparalleled power.
—That was precisely the number of power.
This was probably… fate.
This was the last thought that flickered through Utgarðar-Loki’s mind.
The next moment, time flowed.
The phantom giant halberd, entwined with countless golden blades, split Utgarðar-Loki’s head in two!
Then, a thick bolt of lightning engulfed them both.
Twisted power directly blew up Utgarðar-Loki’s head!
Endless lightning, accompanied by a storm, surged outwards from the point of impact.
Subsequently, the surrounding ground was peeled away piece by piece, trees were lifted into the air by the storm, and a fierce black explosion erupted from Utgarðar-Loki’s body, turning him to powder, piece by piece.
Eivass, riding a Pegasus, was caught in the aftermath while trying to evade in the air.
His body was flung backward, and with his last bit of willpower, he could only struggle to hold onto the reins, ensuring he and the Pegasus wouldn’t separate. Yet, even so, he was ultimately caught in it, flung so far he was knocked unconscious.
When Eivass groggily came to again, he saw that the sun in the sky had turned to twilight.
The forest below, which had been damaged by the aftershock and looked tattered and broken, had mostly recovered its integrity, although the traces of the earth and rivers having been torn apart could still be seen.
“I told you, I would come back.”
A calm voice sounded.
Eivass turned his head and saw a familiar back, clad in silver-white armor, intently feeding the Pegasus—
It was Arthur!
(End of Chapter)
