Chapter 122
Chapter 122
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: Leviathan (2)
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The illusion of Lodbrok vanished abruptly just as he reached the top of the stairs.
As if beckoning him to hurry over.
Theo nodded in acknowledgment, then turned to greet the crowd behind him.
“Then I’ll be off.”
-Be careful out there, Hero!
-Slay the evil dragon for us!
-Show us the hero’s miracle! Please!
Leaving the crowd’s cheers behind, Theo slowly ascended the same path Lodbrok had taken, exchanging nods with Selphred’s group.
The central temple was far larger up close than it had appeared from afar.
Yet despite its size, it carried a rugged feel.
Much like Krimhilt herself, who had never bothered with ornamentation.
“Welcome, new Krimhilt. I am Marti, the one in charge of managing this place.”
“You.”
“We met earlier today. Allow me to greet you again. If I was rude in any way then, please forgive me.”
A short-haired woman in white priestly robes greeted Theo courteously.
Theo let out a hollow chuckle.
She was a member of Black Skull, the one he had met at the Spinola mansion.
The one who had stood out most with the presence of an upper-grade swordsman.
Her eyes had been so cold during the day, yet now they brimmed with gentle elegance.
“Forgiveness? No need. I understand. We can simply build a better relationship going forward, right?”
A remark loaded with layers of meaning.
A smile crept across Marti’s lips as well.
“I’m grateful for those words. As expected of Krimhilt’s successor, such magnanimity. Shall we go, then?”
Marti led Theo inside without a hint of concern over it.
Along the corridor, other priests stood in neat rows against the left and right walls, heads bowed.
“They all seem like well-trained martial artists.”
“You have a keen eye. This is a temple dedicated to Krimhilt, so we normally emulate her deeds by running a dojo for the islanders.”
But their bearing was too formidable to dismiss as an ordinary dojo.
The discipline, the precise demeanor.
It was like gazing upon a finely honed knight order.
Not quite on Ragnar’s level, but certainly exceptional.
‘I never heard in my past life that they joined the war against Ragnar. Is this the Floating Archipelago’s hidden strength?’
Or perhaps they refused to emerge from the temple in defiance of Troyvan, who dominated the archipelago.
Theo felt as if he had stumbled upon an unexpected treasure.
“Even so, it couldn’t have been easy gathering everyone like this at the crack of dawn.”
“Please don’t think that way. We’re all thrilled that the mystery has finally been unraveled after hundreds of years. You can’t imagine how precious it is to us that we can now protect the Floating Archipelago.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. And besides…”
Marti trailed off, glancing subtly around.
-Ooh!
-Can you see it? That light?
-It’s my first time seeing the actual sword up close instead of the statue, but that radiance is breathtaking.
-The engravings are exquisite too.
-We won’t get to observe it closely, will we? It could be vital material on the magic systems and knowledge popular back then.
-Let’s ask after this is over. The successor to Krimhilt won’t be stingy about it.
-That light is truly mesmerizing. I’m so glad I became a priest.
The priests’ gazes were fixed precisely on the dragon-slaying sword in Theo’s hand.
With its seal released, the dragon-slaying sword Balmunk was freely displaying the majesty of the legendary holy sword.
“Simply facing Balmunk fully awakened like this is salvation enough for us from our long wait.”
Marti clasped her hands in prayer, her posture reverent.
To Theo, who followed no particular faith, it was nothing short of astonishing.
‘To believe so devoutly in a being that grants no miracles or blessings—it’s impressive in itself.’
In truth, Krimhilt had been close to divine but had never ascended to the Pantheon as a true god.
So her power manifested on this land had limits, yet the Floating Archipelago’s residents worshipped her unwaveringly.
A unique culture born from this isolated region, far from the continent.
‘That’s why my own feats carry such weight here.’
When they reached the heart of the temple, Marti suddenly halted.
Atop the 99th step.
A bronze altar held a helmet carved from platinum, gleaming beautifully.
Evidently a priceless treasure, it was encased in a glass barrier etched with multiple layers of magical wards.
‘Aegir.’
Theo recognized it instantly.
-The platinum armor forged by 99 earth fairies who gathered starlight and moonlight, hammering through 999 sleepless nights to equip the hero Krimhilt as she set forth to slay the evil dragon.
Bzzz! Bzzzzz!
The sword in his hand trembled violently.
As if joyfully reuniting with a long-lost friend.
Marti bowed deeply and spoke.
“Please don the Aegir. The gate to the Sea King will open naturally.”
Aegir was the divine armament Theo had hoped to claim next, after the dragon-slaying sword and Krimhilt’s mystery.
It was essential to withstand the crushing pressure of the ocean depths.
“I heard the gate to the Sea King’s sealed domain never opens without council approval.”
“This concerns the fate of the Floating Archipelago. How could we, as descendants of Krimhilt, oppose it?”
Marti spoke with a soft smile.
‘So she pulled strings in the middle.’
Theo had led the crowds to the central temple and pressured the Haiyun Three Houses and the Autonomous Council.
Yet for the right to claim Aegir and open the gate to be granted so swiftly would have been impossible without someone intervening.
Perhaps her influence had grown with the awakening of Krimhilt’s mystery.
‘The more I see, the more appealing they become.’
Theo envisioned incorporating them into his grand design would perfect the picture.
And conveniently, he had something to tempt them with.
-Nibelrun.
The supreme secret compiling all of Krimhilt’s intent.
Wouldn’t even these devotees be swayed by it?
Some had already shown interest upon glimpsing the actualized secret.
Of course, that was a matter for after subduing the Sea King.
Theo ascended the final steps and stood before Aegir.
Flash!
In that instant, Aegir shuddered violently, the magical barrier dissolved, and the glass enclosure shattered into fragments that crumbled away.
-Ooooh!
-Aegir is showing its miracle for the first time…!
-As the legends say, it gleams in platinum splendor. So beautiful.
Theo lifted Aegir with both hands and placed it upon his head.
It fit perfectly, like custom-made armor.
At the same moment, his heart pounded fiercely.
Thump thump thump thump thump!
‘What’s this?’
Aegir resonated with Theo’s mana.
Reacting to Krimhilt’s remains that Theo had donned for revival, Aegir began to transform.
Platinum light spread across his body, overlaying new armor upon it.
Shhh! Shhh!
It formed pauldrons around his neck, extended to complete the cuirass, then the faulds, achieving full armament.
With the dragon-slaying sword in one hand besides, he looked for all the world like the legendary Krimhilt incarnate.
No need to look far.
Wasn’t Krimhilt’s now-vanished colossal statue exactly like this!
-Aaaah!
-The true successor to Krimhilt.
-Brothers, let us pray. He has answered our call and descended once more to this land—let us follow his will!
The priests all dropped to one knee in prayer.
Marti too contemplated Krimhilt’s miracle in pious repose.
The platinum glow enveloping Theo spread to envelop the temple, until even the outer buildings shimmered beautifully.
It was as if a white sun had risen, utterly mesmerizing.
The countless residents gathered before the temple collapsed to the ground or prayed like the priests.
-Aaah!
‘All of Aegir’s functions have awakened. I thought it fortunate if it just worked as defensive gear. Thanks to Krimhilt’s remains?’
Theo glanced down at his hands with a faint smile.
+
[Aegir]
· Type: Magic Armor
· Defense: 350
· Effects
- Anti-Magic Defense +150%
- Specialized Elemental Resistance
- Automatic Repair of Damaged Areas
- At 25% HP or below, chance to nullify physical strikes
- When using ‘Dragon-Slayer Sword: Balmunk’, slashing power +130%
+
He knew earth fairy treasures struggled to function without their designated owner.
Evidently, Aegir recognized Theo as Krimhilt.
Everything pleased him from the start, so Theo smiled in satisfaction as he looked down at the floor.
The altar, infused with the dissipating glow, disassembled to reveal a hidden circular iron door beneath.
The iron door bore intricate geometric patterns.
Clank, cliiiink—
It groaned rustily, reassembling and disassembling along the patterns repeatedly, until at last it slowly swung wide open left and right.
Fwoooosh!
Beyond it.
A world of waves shrouded in near-absolute darkness emerged.
「Have you come? So this is what you meant by arriving prepared. To think the successor of he who was my father’s sole companion—yet also his bane—would come.」
Pontus’s voice echoed shrilly in his mind.
‘Trying to stop me, then?’
「Hardly. As my father’s child, resentment is inevitable, but Father never once blamed his friend. Thus, I shall not harm you.」
‘Good to hear.’
Theo glanced toward Marti and the priests before speaking.
“Then I’ll be off.”
“Please come back safely.”
Without hesitation, Theo plunged into the gate.
Splash!
Icy currents lashed his face.
Immense pressure crushed his body.
Ziiiiiing—
But the [Specialized Elemental Resistance] etched into Aegir activated, dispelling the pressure.
Aquatic breathing became possible as well.
Now he could move freely even in the ocean depths.
While at it, Theo infused mana into his eyes and granted [Spirit Sight].
His vision cleared sharply, revealing Pontus hidden in the gloom.
「Time is short. Follow me.」
Theo pursued Pontus deeper into the abyss for a long while.
Past sheer canyons, skirting scalding hydrothermal vents, across vast abyssal plains, he at last encountered the Sea King writhing in the depths.
‘Huge. Way too.’
That was his first thought.
Far larger than in Krimhilt’s memories.
Had it continued growing even through centuries of sealing?
Even its overwhelming mana storm made approaching any closer a challenge.
‘How the hell did Krimhilt beat something like that?’
A natural disaster.
No other words came to mind.
Even with Nibelrun and Aegir in hand, it was clearly a foe beyond easy handling.
「We can’t get any closer ourselves. Can you subdue Father once more?」
‘That’s—’
But as Theo began to reply—
Kieeeek!
The prostrate Sea King suddenly thrashed wildly.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
A massive earthquake erupted simultaneously.
Currents churned chaotically, and seafloor volcanoes belched steam as if on the verge of eruption.
The sea beasts that had followed Pontus scattered in panic.
「No! The frenzy has already begun! It was usually fine at this hour…!」
‘Frenzy?’
「Plagued by madness, Father flies into periodic rages. Disaster always follows.」
That meant the anomalies plaguing the Floating Archipelago stemmed directly from this.
「We can’t stay here. Let’s fall back for now.」
‘Hold on.’
But Theo held Pontus back.
Amid the Sea King’s frenzy, blackish fumes billowed familiarly.
‘Spirit poison? Why is the Sea King tainted with that?’
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