Episode 43/Chapter 1: Reunited (1)

TL: Tsubak

ED:

The magician king Utgard Loki doubted his ears.

The Beast king Tiachi had died and his army that was guarding the path leading to the Temple had been broken down.

It was something that occurred in the outskirts of Asgard and this information was brought by the remnants of the army of the beast king that barely managed to survive.

They couldn't know who was the one that killed Tiachi.

And that fact brought a bigger chaos to the magician king.

Tiachi was one of the giant kings. He wasn't the strongest but still, he wasn't weak either. He was at least strong enough to enter the middle or upper ranks.

There were few people that could suppress that Tiachi in the battlefield and kill him.

'It's not Thor's army.'

And not the battle Gods like Thor, Ullr and Tir. Also, not the top ranked warriors that were called as the strongest of Valhalla like Sigurd and such.

Someone else.

But who? Was there someone that strong among the superior ranked warriors that hadn't returned to Valhalla?

The magician king closed his eyes for a moment and organized his thoughts and the giant of night Avalt asked in his stead.

"Speak in detail the process in how the army of the Beast king got destroyed."

Tiachi had gone out to hunt a Valkyrie and died instead but that wasn't the same for his army. Looking that an army of more than ten thousand evil spirits got broken down meant that they got attacked by a proper army.

The little giant Turump, that had brought the information of their defeat, gulped dry saliva. It was because the aura that was released by Avalt made him feel short of breath but also because there was another problem in what he was going to report.

"It.....rolled."

"What?"

Avalt asked back unconsciously. And the magician king, that was organizing his thoughts, also opened his eyes by reflex.

"Did you just say that it rolled?"

The giant of sea Grund, that was another one of the Five Fingers, and was standing next to the magician king spoke as if growling. Turump started to speak hurriedly at his attitude that wouldn't forgive him if he was speaking nonsense.

"It's the truth. They say that a huge black dragon appeared and started to roll on the battlefield."

A dragon that was a hundred meters long.

It was a complete nonsense but Avalt decided to listen to Turump for now. It was because whether it was hard or easy to imagine it, if a dragon of that size really rolled on the battlefield it would have been like a real catastrophe.

"What about their army? The black dragon was alone?"

Grund frowned as Avalt asked. His eyes were implying that he believed in that nonsense. But Avalt just looked down at Turump. He said with a voice he managed to squeeze out.

"They say there was none. Valkyries and warriors of Valhalla appeared and rescued the Valkyries the Beast king had captured.....but I think they barely numbered twenty, they weren't that many in number."

Turump was only an envoy and not a witness.

The magician king closed his eyes again. He asked something more important than imagining the black dragon rolling on the battlefield.

"Where did the black dragon go to?"

If it was a dragon that huge, it would be easy to catch your eyes even if it didn't want to. You would be able to know easily at least in which direction it headed to.

But Turump gave an unexpected answer instead.

"It's not known. They say it disappeared when the battle ended just like when it appeared."

Appearing like a ghost.

"A black dragon."

The magician king spoke in a low voice. He knew all of the dragons that lived in Jotunheim but couldn't easily grasp which dragon was the one that destroyed Tiachi's army.

"How did the black dragon look?"

Avalt asked right on spot and Turump answered hurriedly.

"They say it had four horns and four pair of wings. It was covered with a strong poison and also spat out a strong venom while rolling."

The magician king frowned. No dragon with the description Turump had given existed in Jotunheim.

'It's not only in Jotunheim.'

There was no such dragon even in Svartalfheim and Nidavellir. In addition, there were many cases that the nature of the dragon was evil. Because of that, it was even weirder for a dragon that big and strong to side with Asgard.

"It's an urgent notice!"

Another giant yelled hurriedly and came running. It was a giant that had the same role of envoy like Turump.

There was a high possibility that the information he brought was a very important one looking that the giant came running even when the magician king was with another envoy.

"Speak."

As soon as the magician king gave him permission, the giant that was panting and breathing roughly started to speak hurriedly.

"The army that got dispatched in Niflheim got annihilated and the Striking king Hrumbak also died.'

The magician king could only open his eyes widely at this point. The shocked Grund yelled and asked.

"Are you saying that Hela's army destroyed the army of the Striking king? Mere dead spirits?!"

It was something hard to imagine.

Niflheim was a place that the souls that couldn't go to Valhalla gathered at. That meant that it wasn't excessive to say that there was no proper warrior in that place.

But of course, the story changed when they were big in numbers. There weren't outstanding warriors that could enter Valhalla, it wasn't that there weren't any warriors at all.

But there was still a limit with that.

The army that got dispatched to Niflheim wasn't merely composed by evil spirits. The strong army of giants that was lead by Hrumbak was with them.

But how could a mere army of dead spirits destroy Hrumbak's army?

In addition, looking that the notices got transmitted only now, there was a high possibility that his army suffered damages close to extermination.

The roar Grund let out made the giant in front of him shrink his shoulders. He hurriedly opened his mouth to turn his rage to another direction.

"Th, they say they had assistance. They say that the one that destroyed the army of the Striking king wasn't the army of the dead but a black dragon."

A black dragon.

Turump got surprised and turned to look at the giant. Grund, that was roaring until now, gritted his teeth and turned to look at Avalt.

Avalt remained calm. He rather became colder at the word dragon and ordered the little giant.

"Tell me in detail."

His low and calm voice also influenced the little giant. The giant that also regained his calm started to describe the sequence.

"They say that before the army started the battle against the army of the dead, a black dragon appeared and attacked the army of the Striking king. It had four horns and four pair of wings and was covered with a strong poison."

It was the same dragon that destroyed Tiachi's army.

"Did it roll?"

Grund asked. The little giant blinked at the sudden question and that dumb reaction made Grund explode once again.

"I asked you if it rolled!"

"It, it did. They say that one of the black dragons rolled in the battlefield!"

A black dragon rolling in the battlefield.

It was certainly the same dragon. The dragon that destroyed Hrumbak's army and Tiachi's army were the same dragon.

But that wasn't all. Avalt didn't only get bewitched at the word 'black dragon'. He caught another important piece of information that was hidden in the report of the giant.

"One of the black dragons? Are you saying there were more?"

Grund also got surprised and turned to look at the giant. The little giant answered hurriedly.

"They say there were about a dozen dragons but only two of them fought directly. There were more than ten dragons in the sky."

Black dragons that amounted to a dozen.

If you took into account the strength each dragon had, they were a number that could be called as an army of dragons.

But the magician king grasped a truth the moment he heard the story.

There was a high probability that the dragons in the sky were illusions. Only the two that fought directly were real ones.

"Did Hrumbak die by the black dragon?"

The giant answered immediately at the answer of the magician king."

"They say so. But...they say that the one that made the last attack was someone riding on it."

Someone riding on the black dragon.

Someone that could control that black dragon.

They couldn't come up with an answer easily and couldn't even guess the identity of the black dragon.

But it was at that moment. The giant came up with a clue he hadn't even thought about.

"They say that an illusion of a huge golden apple tree appeared in the middle of the battlefield when the Striking king Hrumbak died."

It was as absurd as the story of the dragon rolling on the battlefield.

For an illusion of a golden apple tree to appear while they were fighting.

But that wasn't the case for the magician king and also for Avalt and Grund.

And there was someone else.

Loki, that was hanging on the walls of the castle, put a smile. He laughed even though he was about to die. He let out a clear laugh that surged up from the bottom of his lungs.

Grund glared at that Loki and the magician king looked at him with cold eyes. Loki received those sights with joy.

The one that represented the golden apple tree.

There were really few people that did that while fighting even in Valhalla. No, it wasn't few but there was only one people.

"Idun's warrior."

He wasn't dead. He survived. And that fact made Loki realize of one more truth.

Odin was also alive. Odin would be alive for sure.

The Striking king that had attacked Niflheim was dead.

The Beast king Tiachi, that was guarding the path that led to the Temple also died.

This wasn't something that would end just by having two giants die.

Niflheim would move to help Asgard.

And the Temple would dispatch reinforcements be it small or big in numbers.

But that wasn't all. There was one more fact that was a terrible thing for the giants.

Idun's warrior, that had destroyed the army of the Striking king and the Beast king, was in excellent condition.

He would appear once again by controlling that black dragon.

And it turned out as they expected.

The sad news of the Striking king and Beast king was only the start.

&

If you looked at the giants from another perspective, they also belonged to the animal category. Because of that it was important to eat, sleep and do their necessities like any other animals.

Asgard was quite a troublesome land for the invading army.

And the reason for that was simple. It was because compared to its vast land, there were too few people living in it.

The number of villages and cities was too small and this meant that there were almost no adversaries to plunder.

Of course, some of them were able to self suffice themselves because there were big forests near them but it was impossible to provide supplies stably for the evil spirits that amounted to a hundred thousand and the giants that ate ten more times than humans.

because of that, the giants set up a supply route in a long and complicated way. From Jotunheim to the front lines, and the front lines to Valhalla and important points of it.

And right now, one of the supply routes was burning. The black smoke that surged up with the red flames was a really terrible sight.

But there was still something beautiful in that.

An illusion of a golden apple tree.

The warriors of Valhalla, that had set the place on fire, cheered while standing below the smoke. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that the illusion of the apple tree was already a symbol of the counterattack.

Rasgrid, that was standing on the front after defeating the giants and evil spirits, dropped her sword and looked at the golden apple tree. Precisely speaking, she looked at Idun's warrior that was standing at the center of the illusion.

He was reliable. She felt a part of her relax when she looked at his back.

Since when did it turn out like this?

At first, he was merely a lowest ranked warrior that had a special side in him.

Rasgrid put on a warm smile that didn't suit her nickname of the ice princess and then a blunt voice was heard at her side.

"You can't. There are already a lot."

"Right, right. You can't. Too many. But what many?"

They were Adenmaha and Nidhogg respectively.

Compared to Nidhogg, that was asking purely while tilting her head, Adenmaha's eyes were mixed with bluntness, eagerness and fondness of a woman that had fallen in love but also embarrassment.

Rasgrid ended up laughing unconsciously.

"That's not the case."

So there is no need to worry. She was merely happy and grateful that she was able to be together with the great warrior in front of her eyes.

Adenmaha let out a sigh of relief in her embarrassment when she heard Rasgrid's answer. She felt more embarrassed than when she told Sigrun that she couldn't do it.

But it was at that moment.

A group of people was running to the warriors burning down the supply route. They had gathered and came to this place after they saw the flames and the black smoke and the golden apple tree that surged up in the middle of that.

"Sigrun! Gudrun!"

Adenmaha opened her eyes widely and yelled. It was because there were really familiar people among the group that was running towards them.

"Senior Adenmaha!"

Sigrun and Gudrun also recognized Adenmaha but they weren't alone. The lowest ranked warriors of Idun's legion that had gone out to defend the rear were behind the two of them.

Nidhogg decided to feel happy without knowing what it was about as Adenmaha was also feeling happy.

This kind of regrouping wasn't the first.

Tae Ho had attacked the small bases of the giants and supply routes and set up the golden apple. It wasn't only to claim that Idun's warrior had come to get the giants.

The signal sending to the warriors of Valhalla.

A symbol appealing for the survivors to gather.

There were several survivors gathered everywhere. Because of that, a weird occurrence that their forces increased every time they fought was happening.

The Valkyries that got rescued from Tiachi previously also raised their weapons. There were already twenty Valkyries in Tae Ho's army and the number of warriors amounted a hundred.

Adenmaha, that was feeling joy at the reencounter, turned her head. And Rasgrid, that was looking at Adenmaha with warm eyes, also did the same.

It was because there was someone flying towards them hurriedly.

It was a Valkyrie that had transformed into a swan. Tae Ho dispel the illusion and landed on the ground when he sensed her approach. The swan also landed down almost at the same time as Tae Ho and transformed into a woman. It was none other than Valkyrie Hrist of Hermod's legion.

"Idun's commander, the army of the giants is approaching. It's the force that the giant king Tauchi is leading himself."

Because the warriors of Valhalla wouldn't have been the only ones that had seen the supply route burn down.

Tae Ho nodded. He then looked at the Valkyries and warriors that had gathered and were waiting for his orders and then ordered with a refreshing face.

"The enemy is coming. We will do as we did until now. Tactical retreat."

They wouldn't fight and pull back.

The warriors of Valhalla also started to smile like Tae Ho at his order. The Valkyries also raised their voices.

"Tactical retreat!"

"Tactical retreat!"

They wouldn't fight. They would execute a guerrilla attack against the giants that were slow in comparison to them.

'Evil bastard. You are just like a fish that has entered a pond.'

'It's basic tactic of a hit and run.'

Tae Ho answered Cuchulainn gladly and then retreated first. He was now escaping from the enemy but Adenmaha and the Valkyries exclaimed at his manly look and that was the same for the warriors of Valhalla.

"Idun's warrior!"

Tauchi let out a howl as he arrived a beat later. Tae Ho heard his enraged howl from far away and put a smile.

Five days since he defeated the Beast king Tiachi.

Tae Ho was waiting for the moment.

< Episode 43 - Reunited (1) > End

TL note: Thanks for reading~