Valhalla Saga

Episode 9/Chapter 2: Svartalfheim (2)

TL: Tsubak

ED: Isalee

The temporal rune magic carvings had five levels.

The Gant, which Tae Ho had learned, was level 1. However, Tae Ho’s magic greatly surpassed that of the other inferior ranked warriors that neglected magic.

The wind that bursted out deflected the arrows. Not only that but it also roughly pushed the door the dark fairies were trying to close.

Bang!

The white silence Tae Ho was riding on charged silently. Siri and the other warriors also quickly left the house.

Tae Ho dropped his body closer to the white silence’s body and looked towards the front. As he had expected, there were overwhelmingly more green and grey letters compared to the red ones. Tae Ho went in the opposite direction of where the red letters where gathering from outside the house and then looked back.

Chwajajak!

The dark fairies that came out of the house consecutively fired arrows. Some arrows hit the backs and arms of the warriors, but instead of screaming in pain, they counterattacked with their crossbows.

They weren’t inferior ranked warriors for nothing. If the lowest ranked warriors were at the level of valiant humans, starting from the inferior rank and up, with the accumulation of quite a bit of runes, they could be called superhumans. It was obvious for their physical abilities, but their fortitude and concentration were also better than normal.

A warrior who was hit in the back three times took on a firing stance without faltering and precisely pierced a dark fairy’s forehead. As the accuracy of the other warriors was also precise, the dark fairies lost a bit of morale.

“Keep running!”

Siri yelled towards Tae Ho and the warriors. They were in a situation where they didn’t know how many enemies there were or what they were hiding. For now, escaping was a priority.

Tae Ho opened a path. He escaped through the outskirts instead of going through the village entrance to get out of Mollo village, which wasn’t entirely fenced off.

“Watch your heads!” Siri yelled. Tae Ho turned his head and saw red letters pouring down the ceiling. They were big snakes that were hanging on the branches.

Tae Ho took out Runefang. The sword was set ablaze and he swung it while charging forward. The other warriors also raised their daggers and axes to get rid of the snakes.

The white silences didn’t stop. The warriors of Ullr’s legion had more or less taken care of the snakes and then tilted their ears. They heard the sound of the horses that the dark fairies were riding to chase them.

“Rolph, stick next to Tae Ho. Warriors, activate Ullr’s blessing!”

Siri quickly ordered the warriors. Rolph stuck close to Tae Ho and the warriors that were lined up in a line while charging through the forest activated Ullr’s blessing one by one.

Another difference between the inferior rank and the lowest rank.

The inferior ranked warriors of Ullr’s legion couldn’t only use one blessing; they could use both stealth and track.

The nine warriors, excluding Tae Ho, activated the stealth blessing and their surroundings became quiet. Even though they were riding at a fast pace, no traces could be seen on the ground.

Tae Ho caught his breath while running. The sound of the horse steps drifted farther and farther away.

&

Mallus, the head of the Mollo family, gritted his teeth with a pale face. He couldn’t guess where things had gone wrong.

There were no signs. He didn’t even leave them a single hint.

‘Just why!’

Curses came out on their own. In addition, the situation was serious. He had attacked the moment he was sure that the warriors of Valhalla had noticed, but even so he couldn’t catch them.

What would happen if they escaped like this? Just until where did they notice?

His head felt stuffed. He couldn’t think of anything else either. He lacked too much information.

‘Not yet, I still have a chance.’

He thought about how he could somehow get rid of them.

At first, they had entered the house without doubts. It meant that the Valkyrie of Valhalla that had brought them in still hadn’t realized Mallus’s estrangement.

He didn’t know when they had noticed, but still they were the ones that knew.

So he just had to get rid of them.

‘But how!’

They had already escaped the village. He had sent a pursuit team, but it was doubtful whether they could catch them or not. In addition, if they were out of the Mollo family’s territory, then the other dark fairies could witness the fight. He didn’t have much time.

He needed help, but even he was afraid to ask for it.

“It seems like something has gone wrong.”

He heard a voice. Surprised, Mallus, couldn’t even gulp dry saliva properly. He trembled and barely managed to look back.

He wasn’t at the Mollo family’s house anymore. The entire world turned dark, and Mallus fell into the wide space alone.

Mallus fell to his knees. Then knocked his head on the floor. The eyes looking down at him were on a really high place.

Giant.

The monsters of Jotunheimr.

The eyes of the exalted giant king, the aide of Utgard Loki, shone even in the darkness. With his eyes looking down on him in the darkness, Mallus couldn’t think of hiding anything. He spouted everything he knew.

He had to get rid of the warriors of Valhalla that had fled.

If he didn’t, then things would really turn out for the worst.

“Let me borrow the basilisk. If you let me borrow your strength, then I…..”

“You can’t do it.”

The voice that came down from the sky petrified Mallus. It was true. Mallus himself knew it the best. However, if he didn’t do something, the future he had left would be crushed.

Mallus started to sweat while not being able to breathe properly. The voice of the giant stirred him up again.

“But don’t fear, Mallus. I have prepared something.”

Mallus flinched and unconsciously raised his head. The giant looked at Mallus. The giant that didn’t trust this small and childish dark fairy in the first place had obviously prepared something just in case.

“It should be moving by now.”

An existence that wouldn’t be beaten by mere inferior ranked warriors of Valhalla.

The eyes of the giant passed Mallus. It headed beyond the darkness, to a far place.

&

“We shook them off.”

The warrior that was at the rear said this in a low voice. As if that were a signal, the warriors stopped executing their stealths. The white silences also slowed their pace.

Even if they were the white silences, they couldn’t run forever at full speed. They needed time to catch some breath — same for the warriors of Valhalla.

“Don’t relax too much. We can’t ease ourselves before meeting Gandur.”

Siri glanced back and said in a low voice. As she couldn’t even feel any traces with the tracking blessing it seemed like they had really succeeded in shaking them off, but whatever the case this was still the land of the dark fairies. Now that the Mollo family they trusted in had suddenly attacked them, it wouldn’t be weird for other dark fairies to also attack them.

The warriors knew that truth well, but instead of getting nervous for nothing they showed a bit of leisure.

“It hurts like hell. Siri, can’t we treat our injuries for a moment?”

“There’s poison in the arrows. I tasted it a bit and it made my tongue numb. It seems rather lethal. The poison of the snakes seem like paralyzers.”

The warriors talked while they plucked the arrows from their bodies and frowned. If they were warriors of the mortal world, they would have already died due to the lethal poison, but for the inferior ranked warriors, it only hurt quite a lot.

Even so, Siri shook her head after looking at the warriors with worried eyes.

“Treat yourselves while moving. We can’t stop.”

They had to keep moving even if it was a little bit. Just like Siri had said, they couldn’t relax until they joined up with Valkyrie Gandur.

As the warriors acknowledged the situation, they treated themselves with first aid with things like medicine and mushrooms.

Rolph, who wasn’t particularly hurt, asked Tae Ho in a low voice, “Tae Ho, did you know that the head was a bad guy through your saga?”

“Yes.”

Tae Ho nodded once and then looked at Siri. Tae Ho himself was hesitating even after having seen it with the dragon’s eyes, but he was thankful towards Siri who had believed in him without hesitating once.

“Thank you for believing in me, Captain Siri.”

“Of course.”

Siri answered shortly and then looked at her surroundings. At Siri’s rather brusque expression, Rolph smiled bitterly and asked, “Isn’t it obvious to trust your comrades? Captain Siri just said that.”

They faced life and death battles together after all.

Tae Ho unconsciously nodded. Thinking about it, he had known Rolph and Siri for merely 10 days, but their feelings was another thing. They felt like reliable allies whom they had been with for tens of years.

“The youngest says some righteous things.”

“He’s the youngest and he’s spouting things like comrades in arms. How many battlefields have you gone through? At most 40? 50?”

“Hey kid, make some cute tricks.”

The inferior ranked warriors said some words towards Rolph and laughed soundlessly.

Then, Siri sharply said, “Keep silence. We haven’t completely shaken them off. Activate your stealth blessing as soon as you finish the treatment.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

The warriors replied lightly and then concentrated on curing themselves. When they took just two more steps, one of the warriors raised their heads. He reflexively took out his dagger and yelled, “Right!”

Bang!

The voice and the loud sound exploded at the same time. The javelin that flew strongly pierced the chest of the warrior and then stabbed the ground like that.

“Split!”

“It’s coming in strong! Block it!”

The warriors yelled at the same time. And one of them swung their weapon reflexively.

But it was too late. Precisely speaking, the opponent was too huge.

The axe of the warrior had certainly hit its target. However the opponent charged through as if ignoring the attack and then pierced the neck of a warrior that was riding on white silence.

His body was big. He then pushed down the warrior he had pierced the neck of and then swung his right arm. And then, poisonous snakes started to pour down from the tip of his hands.

The snake bit the warriors and the white silences. The warriors that were outside its range put on a battle stance quickly and some even got down the white silences.

Tae Ho also looked at him and got shocked. It wasn’t because the monster had an insectoid head and a tail.

He couldn’t see its name properly. He did know that it was red, but that was all.

Tae Ho knew what this represented.

An existence of another level. Something he couldn’t reach at his current level.

It slurped its snake like tongue. And at the same time, its tail and arms that were covered with black scales moved. It seemed like it would leap but then smacked down a warrior with its tail and exploded something with its hand. And then, a black aura spread towards its surroundings.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The warriors fell on the ground. It was because the white silences had suddenly disappeared.

Summoning dispel. Now that the summoner, the Valkyrie, was far away they didn’t even have a means to block it. The warriors chose to attack it instead of trying to read the situation.

The axes and daggers that poured down stabbed its body. The monster got covered by blood but that was all. It crushed the head of a warrior as if nothing had happened to it.

Three warriors had died. No, it was four. It plucked up an axe that was stuck in its body, then spun and swung the axe widely. The warriors all threw down their weapons and fell back, but one of them couldn’t completely dodge it. The axe split his chest, and the moment blood started to pour the tail of the monster grabbed on the neck of the warrior. And then smashed him down to the ground. A sound of something crushing was heard.

“It’s a regenerator! don’t get close to him rashly!”

Siri yelled and fired her crossbow consecutively. The monster didn’t even bother to dodge the arrows and opened its mouth.

“An inferior ranked warrior knows about regenerators? Then, you should also know that you won’t be able to stop me.”

It was a low and creepy voice. It smiled  brightly and then started to pluck the weapons stuck in its body and threw it to the warriors. When the warriors parried the weapons or doged, the monster charged forward. It ran towards Siri.

Siri took a breath and then threw her crossbow at the monster and took out her dagger. The monster was fast, but Siri was also as fast.

The sword of the monster and Siri’s dagger clashed. It seemed like the monster, that was bigger than the warriors of Valhalla, was many times bigger than Siri. Siri was also a superhuman, but she wouldn’t be able to endure the pressing force for long.

The monster laughed. Instead of putting more strength in its sword, he chose to kick. There was an amazing strength behind its kick, even when it was in a contest of strength with Siri.

Siri dodged the attack. She twisted her arms and body strangely and flowed down the attack. The posture of the monster crumbled thanks to that, and Siri used that opening.

It was a fast and strong attack. Several wounds appeared in the body of the monster in an instant and it became covered in blood. And just as it had been until now, that was everything. The wounds of the monster started to regen and then it swung its swords towards Siri as if it didn’t even feel pain.

Bang!

She blocked the attack by parrying it, but she couldn’t withstand it. Siri’s body seemed to bend at the overwhelming strength and then fell to the ground.

Bang!

The arrow Rolph fired exploded. As soon as the close battle between Siri and the monster ended, the warriors started to fire arrows consecutively. But it was in vain. The monster had taken a strong attack at a close distance as if nothing. And then it threw itself towards Siri, that was in pain in the ground, as if trying to finish it.

Rolph fired an arrow again. It exploded and it lowered its speed but that was all. One of the warriors cursed and turned back. He ran without even looking back. He wasn’t escaping while leaving his comrades. No, he was escaping but that was because it was his role. It was meaningless if everyone died here. One of them had to stay alive and deliver the news. Thanks to that, he chose to flee even when he would face humiliation.

But the monster noticed that. The monster that was running towards Siri turned its body and extended its right hand. The snake flew as fast as an arrow and binded the legs of the warrior. He hadn’t killed him and just made him fall, but it was enough with that.

The monster looked at Siri again. She was standing up. She glared at the monster and it laughed. He ignored the arrows that were still hitting its back even in this moment and then swung its sword.

Bang!

It was blocked again. But it wasn’t Siri that had blocked it this time. The moment it turned its body a moment to attack the escaping warrior Tae Ho had entered in the opening that was made.

He knew the moment they clashed their swords. It was an overwhelming strength. In addition, the pressure was also overwhelming. It felt just like facing a giant.

[ Saga: The Eyes of a Dragon Sees Through All Things ]

He couldn’t see a weakness. Tae Ho stopped his breath and concentrated. If it was a monster then Tae Ho was a superhuman.

[ Saga: Immortal Warrior ]

The sword techniques of the dragon knight Kalsted. His fighting method.

The engaged swords separated and then clashed again. Three times, four times.

The monster put on an expression as if it was having fun. He could hear Siri that was panting behind him. The warriors tried to attack from a distance however they could, and Rolph that had ran hurriedly dragged Siri.

Tae Ho didn’t know exactly what Siri meant with regenerator, but he realized one thing. He wouldn’t be able to finish it with normal attacks. Looking that it didn’t even flinch at the explosive arrow Rolph fired, the flaming Runefang would also have no effect on it.

He needed another thing.

Something that could make a gap between them.

Babang!

It was the fifth exchange. He was losing in strength. If he didn’t have Idun’s blessing, he would have already dropped his sword.

Tae Ho concentrated on the monster and thought.

The conversation he had with Heda. The words she had told him.

‘What do you think is the difference between lowest ranked warriors and inferior ranked warriors?’

The night he became an inferior ranked warrior Heda asked him after finishing their classes of rune magic.

The lowest ranked warrior was a person that couldn’t throw away their habits from the mortal world. They had strengthened their bodies by accumulating runes, but they still belonged to the boundaries of humans.

Starting from the inferior rank, they could start to be called superhumans. They were warriors that could do things normal humans couldn’t with their accumulated runes.

But that wasn’t the only difference.

The lowest ranked warrior received the blessing of a God.

And the inferior ranked warrior received even more blessings.

It wasn’t only because they had accumulated runes and became stronger. It was because they had gotten more accustomed to the strength of the God through the times they were an inferior ranked warrior.

The God of a legion.

The inferior ranked warriors were holding a seed. It was a level to prepare them on becoming intermediate ranked warriors.

The difference between inferior ranked warriors and intermediate ranked warriors.

‘Starting from the intermediate rank, I can use the strength of a God.’

He would strengthen his body through the runes and become accustomed to the strength of the God by receiving blessings. He would prepare himself to be able to handle the strength of a God.

‘Tae Ho, you are a bit different.’

He had eaten Idun’s golden apple that was the fruit of the Gods.

He had received much more blessings than normal inferior ranked warriors.

And the strength of the dragon knight Kalsted had become the root for Tae Ho’s strength.

‘You can bloom your seed but I don’t recommend it. Because the strength of a God is permitted starting from the intermediate rank.’

It was dangerous. He couldn’t know what side effects could occur.

But even so, Heda had told Tae Ho.

Because he was special. Because rather than being thrown in his ignorance, she wanted him to control it voluntarily!

Bang!

The sword of the monster stabbed the ground. It was the seventh attack. And the eight attack occurred from his hands.

The snakes that poured down opened their mouths. Tae Ho lowered his posture and dodged it and then entered its grasp. The monster stayed calm even when Tae Ho attacked when he was at the defensive until now. He was putting a posture as if allowing him to attack as much as he wanted and prepared to execute the ninth attack.

Tae Ho swung his sword. Runefang split its stomach and Tae Ho got out of its reach.

The monster laughed but then stumbled. It placed its hands on the wound on his stomach. The blood didn’t stop and shock appeared in its face.

‘Heda.’

Tae Ho breathed. Then he turned towards the monster again.

The power of a God.

The golden light of Idun started to shine on Runefang.

&

< Episode 9 – Svartalfheim (2) > End