Episode 22/Chapter 7: Saga (7)

A scene that broke common sense was always a shocking one.

The knights of king Ivar were all looking dumbfoundedly at the supernatural phenomenon.

The winter tree forest was charging towards them. The closer it got to them they could see it more clearly.

If individual trees were charging towards them it would have been a bit better. Because, although it wasn't common, there were moving trees called trents in Midgard.

But the march of the winter tree forest was different. It seemed like the entire forest was moving through one will. The roots that got intermingled tore the ground and advanced. The movement resembled that of a wave. It was good to call it a hail of the forest.

The dead ones that ran towards the vampires or the stragoses without thinking couldn't hide themselves in the forest. The winter tree forest stamped on the ones that were in front of them. The trees that were in the outer swung their branches to tear the dead ones and the roots crushed them.

The thorn tree, that had no leaves, tore pieces of flesh. King Ivar and his knights fell in a bigger shock when they saw that the dead ones didn't even scream. It seemed like common sense crumbled once again.

The marching of the forest became faster. The dead ones got crushed without making a sound and some of the soldiers screamed instead of them. In the first place, the ones that had died were citizens of Kataron. It was painful having to kill them with their own hands but looking at how cruelly they were getting crushed was also painful.

King Ivar stood outside the city to look at the winter tree forest and then ground his teeth and gulped dry saliva. He was a king and had to be the one to stay calm when everyone else lost their minds.

Will the winter tree forest attack the forest like this? If then, what did they have to do?

He erased the thought of fighting it head on first. No, in the first place he couldn't even think of fighting it.

They would retreat. He would flee and then try to do what he could.

"Father!"

Right then, Helga that was next to him yelled. When he looked at the direction she pointed at, he saw that the soldiers that had chased the dead ones were about to get gulped by the forest. Although they were fleeing with all their strengths, the forest was just too fast. In addition not all the forest moved with the same speed. The part chasing the soldiers was faster as if it had a will of its own.

King Ivar couldn't come to a solution. He called himself as being a brave warrior but he couldn't do anything.

King Ivar opened his mouth however he could. He yelled with a split voice.

Flee. Go to the city.

It was an order to give up on the soldiers. And that was a really clear order for a king. No one would be able to critizice him.

Just what were you able to do against a marching forest!

It was normal. It wasn't weird at all. It was an obvious order.

And this was it.

This was the difference of king Ivar and them.

"Ha, it's unavoidable."

Heimdal's warrior, Notung, smiled bitterly and said. He looked at warrior Harabl, that was the warrior of Njord's legion, and Harabal also laughed while cursing similarly.

A forest was charging.

The damned forest was about to gulp down the soldiers.

What did they have to do then?

The warriors of Valhalla charged at the same time. Bracky, that had started to run reflexively, looked at the warriors that thought the same way as him and burst out of laughter.

There were  few people that could enter Valhalla.

There were even less people that climbed to become inferior ranked, and the ones that reached the intermediate rank were really a minority.

You didn't become an intermediate ranked warrior just with time. There was only one reason they could climb to become intermediate ranked.

Because they were worthy of that.

They were all heroes!

[Saga: The Kraken doesn't have any legs left]

[Saga: Crushing two guys with one blow]

[Saga: He's the son of a God]

[Saga: Doesn't get tired even after fighting for three consecutive nights]

The sagas got activated in consecution. Bracky laughed while looking at the charging forest. Notung passed over the soldiers of Kataron by taking a big leap. He swung his big axe and cut down the tree coming at him from the front.

Kwagagagagang!

An explosion occurred. The tree got crushed. Each warrior of Valhalla, that could be considered as a hero, swung their weapons like six crazy beasts.

That was another scene that broke common sense. The warriors of Valhalla were like breakwaters breaking the waves against the forest.

It was thoughtless, impossible. Even if they were warriors of Valhalla, they were really small existences compared to the forest.

However they smiled and fought against the forest. They stopped the charge of the forest to a certain degree. The speed of the warriors breaking down the trees was faster than the trees gathering.

King Ivar got really surprised and collapsed down. It wasn't much different for the others. They were just looking with absent minded expressions.

Tae Ho laughed.

It was crazy however he saw it.  But those were the real warriors of Valhalla.

"Let's go Rolo!"

Tae Ho ordered Rolo. Rolo fluttered his wings with a face that had become a mess. Tae Ho answered at Rolo's soundless despair with actions.

"Adenmaha!"

As he extended a summoning rock that Heda had recharged the magic power, Adenmaha appeared in the air. She, who was enjoying a nap in the residence of Idun, looked at Tae Ho with drowsy eyes and then screamed.

'Kyak?!'

Adenmaha's big body, that fell due to the gravity, crushed a part of the forest the warriors were facing. Tae Ho pointed at that forest and ordered.

"Adenmaha! Roll!"

'Wa, what!?'

Adenmaha asked back with a stupid face but Tae Ho's orders was too simply and her geass was 'obey your master'. She cursed down and rolled towards the forest.

'You are too much! Really!'

The forest got crushed. The warriors of Valhalla laughed more pleasantly and king Ivar put on an expression as if he didn't know what to do. Helga collapsed unknowingly.

Siri, that was fighting inside the city, looked at the situation late. She closed her eyes at the supernatural phenomenon occurring in front of her eyes  and dropped a thread of her rationality.

"Everyone close your eyes!"

Siri charged towards the warriors of Valhalla and yelled. The warriors reflexively closed their eyes at her voice that was filled with urgency. They trusted each other to much that they even closed their eyes while having the enemy in front of them.

Siri kicked the ground and went to the front. She jumped over Adenmaha, that was still rolling on the ground, and then activated her saga.

[Saga: She's a beautiful and proud flower that bloomed alone in the battlefield]

A bright light emanated from Siri's body. Rolo and Adenmaha, that didn't close their eyes, looked at Siri. It wasn't out of reflex, but the power of her saga.

King Ivar, his knights and even Helga that was a girl looked at Siri with an absent minded face. In addition, even the forest itself had stopped its charge. It was as if it was looking at Siri.

A saga that ignored everything else and made them focus on you.

Siri, that landed on the ground, yelled with a red face.

"Tear it down!"

This was the opportunity as the forest had stopped. The warriors of Valhalla just swung their weapons instead of asking what had happened. They easily slashed over the trees that didn't resist anymore.

Tae Ho could feel the forest's bewilderment.

It was an obvious thing. Who would think of facing a charging forest head on!

'Bastard master- I mean master-nim! Over here!'

Adenmaha called Tae Ho and he flew towards her with Rolo. She then transformed into a human and took place behind Tae Ho.

"The objective is to stop the forest, right?"

Tae Ho grabbed her hands instead of answering. He explained the situation with the 'one that controls dragons' and amplified her strength.

"Ugh, really."

To only make her do hard work every day!

Adenmaha complained inwardly and then closed her eyes and started to concentrate. She opened her eyes abruptly when the warriors were about to get pushed back by the forest and yelled.

"Power of the sea!"

There was no sea here. But they had the Olhen river that was connected to the sea.

When Adenmaha yelled the Olhen river started to overflow. It charged as if saying 'eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth'.

Kwagang!

The forest and the river clashed. Adenmaha leaned on Tae Ho's back and dropped her head, but the effects were enough. The part of the forest that was located at the opposite from the warriors of Valhalla crumbled down. The march was also being greatly restricted.

"Ohhh!"

The warriors of Valhalla admired. Tae Ho grabbed Adenmaha's hands more tightly and said with a sorry face.

"Adenmaha, can I ask for a bit more?"

Because the situation was like this.

Adenmaha put on a teary face but then jumped down from Rolo as if it was unavoidable. She transformed into a sea serpent again and started to roll on the ground.

Tae Ho looked at the front again. Thanks to the warriors of Valhalla and Adenmaha, the forest had stopped charging for now but it wasn't the end yet. He glared at the forest with the 'eyes of the dragon.'

The winter tree forest was no different from a huge creature. But there would be something controlling it, just like a queen bee or a queen ant.

"It's Garmr's soul fragment!"

Ingrid, that was flying on the ship, yelled behind them. She was holding Garmr's soul fragment at the front of the deck. The smoke that was trapped with the power of a God was pointing at the center of the forest.

Tae Ho thought of instantly digging to the center from the air. But at that moment, the winter tree forest started to pour attacks towards the flying pirate ship. Hundreds of branches covered the sky like arrows. The big trees that were mixed in between them were really threatening.

Countless branches got stuck in the floor of the flying ship. He would get crushed like the flying ship if he tried to carelessly approach it.

As it didn't allow to approach it from the sky he would have to open a path from the ground.

Ingrid jumped down the flying ship and landed on the ground. Tae Ho returned Rolo and made Adenmaha transform into a human. He then ran towards Siri.

[Saga: Wolf witch]

Siri had already seen through Tae Ho's thoughts the moment he made Rolo return. Tae Ho rode on her, that had become a golden wolf, and placed the frail Adenmaha in front of him. He activated his saga and gave Siri the strength of a Valkyrie.

"Protect Idun's warrior!"

Ingrid yelled and stood at the front. The other warriors of Valhalla also got close to Tae Ho. Adenmaha gathered the river water that didn't get drained and opened a path.

"Run!"

Siri and the warriors charged forward at the same time. They slashed down the branches coming from the sides and charged.

King Ivar and his knights also didn't stay still. They attacked the outer part of the forest to at least try to be of a little help. Although they couldn't cut down the branches like the warriors of Valhalla, they were still a lot of help. The winter tree forest couldn't solely concentrate on the warriors of Valhalla.

The forest shook greatly. It concentrated the trees to the inside of the forest.

The scene of the trees gathering was like a wall charging at them. However the warriors of Valhalla just cut it down be it a tree or a wall.

"Go! Tae Ho!"

Bracky swung his hammer and fired the biggest lightning. The blue lightning annihilated the trees in front of him.

Siri ran and Tae Ho saw with the 'eyes of the dragon'. Although the trees that were standing while covering him were the core, he could still see with the 'eyes of the dragon'. The 'eyes of the dragon' executed its ability to see through things.

It was an atrocious looking thorn tree. Its skin was red like blood.

Trees gathered from the sides and Siri increased her speed even more. Adenmaha opened her mouth while still having the shape of a human and breathed out an ice breath.

The trees in front of them froze and Tae Ho stabbed them with the Burst lance made with the 'warrior's equipment'. He activated Full burst and broke down the gale and then generated a gale and pushed the remains away.

The thorn tree screamed. He could feel Garmr's roar.

[Saga: The warrior's equipment]

The Sword piece transformed into the Sword of the winter wolf. Siri didn't stop and Tae Ho swung his sword like that.

Kyaaaak!

The Sword of the winter wolf that was covered with lightning cut down the thorn tree in two. A bigger cry was heard from the thorn tree and blood started to flow out like a fountain.

"Oh Idun!"

Tae Ho yelled and released the power of the God towards the thorn tree. He didn't repeat the same mistake he made and pressed it down. He grabbed Adenmaha that had flinched tightly as if calming her down and waited for Ingrid.

"You did well Tae Ho!"

Ingrid added the power of Njord after arriving. The fragment of Garmr's soul couldn't endure it anymore as it was being pressed down by the power of two Gods. The thorn tree scattered to become blood and Garmr's soul fragment, that was at the center, showed up.

Ingrid retrieved the soul fragment. At that moment the entire forest trembled.

An evil aura surged to the sky and disappeared. The trees trembled violently but didn't move anymore after that.

Adenmaha dropped her body in Tae Ho's embrace and Ingrid let out a sigh of relief.

But it didn't end yet. Tae Ho spread his palm towards the floor. And then, the entire red aura that was in the forest surged to the sky. There was a bigger amount of runes than what the Kraken and the sea monsters had together.

A rain of runes poured down on Tae Ho and the warriors of Valhalla. Everyone excluding Adenmaha absorbed the runes plentily.

'It's somewhat unfair.'

Tae Ho smirked while Adenmaha said that with a crying tone and then closed his eyes. Now that he had absorbed the runes, he should rest and enjoy victory.

It wasn't only Tae Ho but the others also thought like that. Ingrid wasn't an exception as she had to hold down two fragments of Garmr's soul.

That was why nobody had noticed it yet.

That the existence that was observing them in Katren and in the island of king Sven had made his move.

"Kill them all."

While they were still drunk on victory. When they had their guards at the lowest in all the battle.

Tyrant Bress.

He, who had been observing everything through the fomoires he had sent to Midgard.

The one that was waiting for the right moment had showed up.

< Episode 22 – Saga (7) > End