Chapter 363: 190. Donn O’ Donnchadha (Part Two)

Translated by A Passing Wanderer

Edited by RED

The Skeleton King tilted and twisted its body left and right as if it was dancing around happily. At the same time, all four ice spears crossed this way and that, ruthlessly chopping and hacking away at Surtr.

The Fire Giant stumbled back from the impacts. The blades of ice spear sliced the giant’s chest open, scattering lava everywhere. Another spear stabbed deep into its side, and huge flames billowed out from the open wound.

All the body parts cut up by the spears then began to freeze up quickly afterwards, grievously wounding Surtr even more.

-You, you bastard! You really have…!- .

This was how Hrímr used to fight. This undead bastard had copied not only Hrímr’s abilities, but even the habits and the fighting style of the Frost Giant as well, and was using them as its own.

Surtr’s glare shifted towards the Skeleton King’s chest. The Fire Giant thought that it could faintly see Hrímr’s soul crying out in despair, just beyond the undead’s ice armour and the ribcage.

-Oh, my younger brother! Hold on for a little while longer, for I shall make sure to liberate you soon!-

Surtr yanked up its whip before slamming it down hard. The whip wrapped around the Skeleton King’s ice spear. The two opposing forces collided, causing another great explosion. The spear shattered into thousands of pieces.

Surtr retrieved its whip, then cocked the weapon back again. It swung it forward rapidly once more.

The whip coiled and danced like a snake. The weapon slammed into the Skeleton King’s torso mercilessly.

The ice armour shattered and the giant undead staggered back unsteadily.

Even though the whip was truly humongous, it continued to lash out as if Surtr was planning to strike its enemy hundreds of times in a span of only a few minutes.

It was at that moment that a great bone spike suddenly exploded out from the ground and impaled Surtr. In addition, more frost spread out from the wound, freezing the Fire Giant once again.

-Uwaaaahk!- Surtr howled out in pain and its head shot up, only for the Skeleton King to reach out and grab the raised head of the Fire Giant. The head made out of burning lava and bedrock was slammed into the surface of the holy water, where steaming chunks of ice still floated around.

Hot steam gushed out. The holy water was continuously being replenished, however, and began eating away at Surtr’s flames.

-You bastard!!!-

Surtr opened its maw wide. Flames filled the inside its mouth.

When it spewed that out, a massive explosion went off inside the holy water, flinging Surtr’s whole body up into the air.

The Skeleton King retreated away. A rain of holy water and flames descended seemingly everywhere.

Surtr landed back on the ground, breathing laboriously. Its trembling eyes remained locked on the Skeleton King.

The huge undead slowly sat back up. Its own burning eyeballs were glaring back at Surtr without a hint of hesitation.

Just why was that undead monster so powerful?

‘I need to finish this quickly!’

If things continued on in this manner, then forget about liberating Hrímr’s soul, even Surtr would end up as an offering to this undead bastard instead!

In that case, there was only one way to resolve this. That was to go all out and attack with everything Surtr had. The Fire Giant had to hit the enemy so hard that the other party could never get back up, that its soul would be burned into nothingness!

-Fuu-woo!-

Surtr sucked in a deep breath. It strengthened its entire body and also began circulating the lava flowing around inside it even faster than before.

Next up, it raised its whip high in the air. The weapon waved and undulated like a snake.

-Try to block this, oh King of Death!-

Flames erupted out from all over Surtr’s body, and the dancing whip was suddenly encased in fiery bedrock, solidifying in one layer after another.

The whip had transformed into a huge sword. Large bursts of flames began gushing out from its blade.

-Receive this strike that will burn even your soul, you bastard…!-

Surtr gripped the gargantuan flaming sword with both of its hands. The massive weapon was seventy metres in length, and now it was crashing straight down on top of the Skeleton King.

The giant undead crossed its ice spears above its head and tried to defend against the incoming whip-sword. The flaming blade slammed straight into the overlapped ice spears.

But then the spear shafts began cracking and shattering apart. The massive flames melted the ice down, evaporated the holy water, and quickly pushed down.

Eventually, the sword of flames chopped into the Skeleton King’s shoulder, right down to its ribcage.

-Did you say you are the King of Death?- Surtr grinned insidiously. -In the end, you were nothing more than a small hatchling.-

Allen, who had been relentlessly pouring out attacks against the Jötnar until then, suddenly froze up. He turned his head and looked up at the Skeleton King.

The giant undead had been defeated by Surtr. Particles of light were scattering away from its body as it began to disappear from this world.

As if that wasn’t enough, Surtr grabbed the Skeleton King’s skull, then tried to rip it off from the undead’s spine.

“…It lost?”

It was right at that moment something in his chest creaked and went out of alignment.

Allen grasped Avaldi’s Spear tightly. “…It’s not enough.”

He didn’t have enough strength to defeat Surtr. In that case, there was only one other way remaining.

Allen recalled the stories he heard from both Hans and Alice on a certain subject. They were tales related to Purgatory.

{Wait, Your Majesty? You wish to know more about Purgatory? But then… Well, sire, haven’t you been using that all this time?}

That’s what Hans had told him.

The passageway that connected to the one and only Purgatory, it happened to be…

{Yes, sire. I’m talking about your holy water. It is kind of like the passageway that your undead use to come to this side. I’m not sure what kind of mechanism it operates on, but well, if you use that, then I’m sure you can open the gateway to Purgatory, sire.}

That was Hans’s opinion.

On the other hand…

{That’s what Lord Hans has said, but that place cannot be Purgatory, sire. I mean, divine power comes out from the summoned holy water, doesn’t it?} Alice shook her head and came up with a different opinion. {The place your holy water connects to shouldn’t be Purgatory, but most likely…}

Allen slammed Avaldi’s Spear on the ground. The holy water reacted to his calling.

He roused up every single ounce of divine power residing in his body.

Something in his chest went out of alignment again.

{A different world from Purgatory. That must be…}

The Skeleton King suddenly stopped moving. Its eyes, which had steadily been getting dimmer, began burning once more. Its two free hands reached up and grabbed Surtr.

-Fuu-wooooo…-

As it breathed out heavily, the Skeleton King’s two other hands pressed down on the surface of the holy water.

BOOM-!

The lake of holy water rippled and undulated fiercely.

BOOM-!

The huge undead was trying to forcibly pull the rest of its body outside the holy water.

Alice had to shift her attention away from dealing with the Jötnar at the commotion, and stared at Allen. He was currently on one knee, leaning against his golden spear.

A truly vast quantity of divinity was flooding out from his body to enter the holy water below.

Alice’s complexion paled in an instant. “N-no, you mustn’t! If you strain yourself like that, your body…!”

Allen couldn’t hear her, as he was still recalling what she had said to him earlier.

{That place could very well be… the Heavenly World, sire.}

-Ku-ooooooooooh!- The Skeleton King’s bony jaw opened up in a thunderous roar as it finally dragged itself out.

The lake of holy water exploded spectacularly all around it. Surtr jumped up in shock and hurriedly retreated.

Thousands, nay, tens of thousands of holy undead began pouring out from the holy water’s depths, along with the Skeleton King’s previously-trapped lower half.

All those holy undead screeched and howled loudly. Even the Jötnar became terrified and shivered despite themselves when tens of thousands of holy undead continued to leap out from the holy water, utterly filling up the land.

They were like a voracious swarm of insects, endlessly pouring out from somewhere deep within the holy water. Not just skeletons, but even souls were flying around everywhere, eerily singing the sacred hymns.

-Did you say I was small?-

Huge hooves similar to a horse’s stepped firmly on the surface of the holy water. The water rippled and undulated, crashing and rising up.

-In that case… now, behold!-

A set of horse armour, seemingly crafted out of nothing but bones, clacked and flapped in the winds. All those damaged bones of the Skeleton King began rapidly regenerating.

The lower body that continued on from its spine defied one’s attempts at identifying just which creature it belonged to. There were four legs with horse-like hooves.

In a way, its lower half seemed similar to that of a horse, yet it was also completely different. Thick bones jutted from either side of its lower torso as if they were large blades, while another crest of bone stood upright on its back like a fin. Its long tail was that of a dragon’s.

The Skeleton King put on that horse armour, its own barding, while holding its head up high. Its glare was now locked on Surtr down below it.

The King of Death unleashed its full unstoppable majesty and dignity. Unlike its terrifying and abominable outer appearance, though, this absolute being emanated truly sacred power.

-This is my true appearance!-

The Skeleton King, Donn O Donnchadha, had finally revealed its splendour to this world.

< 190. Donn O Donnchadha (Part One and Two) > Fin.

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