Kapitel 137: Into the Norse Realms

The moment Lox saw the soldiers of Camelot charging out from the Hadrian's Wall, he knew that his remaining soldiers couldn't be saved. Without hesitation, he chose to retreat.

He had figured out that Camelot was well aware of their actions and had prepared in advance.

'Someone definitely betrayed us!' His teeth were almost grinding to pieces, filled with endless frustration.

What was supposed to be a surefire war turned out to be a massive setback from the start. Thinking about the eight thousand soldiers lost throughout, Lox's heart bled.

He knew very well that regardless of the war's final outcome, he couldn't possibly stay in his current position.

Moreover, he had seized this opportunity by pledging a military oath. If he couldn't capture Hadrian's Wall, he wouldn't even be able to keep his own life!

'Just you wait, Pallas!'

Lox turned his gaze towards the imposing wall in the distance, eyes spewing endless fury.

'I will make you pay for this!'

===

In the days that followed, the Northern army and Hadrian Wall's garrison found themselves embroiled in a protracted stalemate.

Aware of the precipice at his back, Lox dared not show a hint of arrogance or laxity. In this state, he finally unleashed his exceptional military expertise, engaging in a back-and-forth with Pallas, achieving several commendable victories.

However, Pallas wasn't one to be underestimated. As the defender, he held the innate advantage, and coupled with meticulous preparations, hardly any Anglo-Saxon could breach Hadrian's Wall.

Presently, the garrison at Hadrian's Wall numbered around forty thousand soldiers, with an additional thirty thousand reinforcements brought by Arkhan.

Pallas deployed twenty thousand soldiers to hold the wall, resisting the Northern army's assaults. The remaining twenty thousand silently positioned themselves behind and on the flanks of the Northern army, creating a pincer movement.

Pallas's strategy was simple—let the front-line forces wear down the Northern army, and when they showed signs of fatigue, unleash the surrounding forces for a decisive blow.

Lox, oblivious to Pallas's hidden forces, continued his relentless assaults on Hadrian's Wall, unaware that he had become a trapped beast in a cage.

In a sense, the outcome of this war seemed already decided. However, at this crucial moment, something unexpected occurred.

One day, Arkhan, as usual, patrolled Hadrian's Wall with Artoria trailing behind as his guard.

"Feeling a bit better lately?" Arkhan asked her casually while gazing in the north direction.

"Somewhat..." Artoria responded with a wry smile.

Arkhan chuckled as he heard her awkward response.

Previously, on his advice, Pallas had sent her to lead five thousand soldiers, annihilating the vanguard of the Northern army. Although she performed admirably, upon her return, her face turned pale, haunted by nightmares for several days, unable to eat.

It seemed that the experience had left a profound impact on her.

However, Arkhan expected this reaction. After all, it was Artoria's first time killing fellow humans in earnest. Such a response was normal.

'Well, she will just get used to it gradually.' Arkhan thought with amusement as a somewhat malicious smile crept onto his lips.

"The gate to the Norse Realms has been opened!"

At that moment, Nidhogg's voice suddenly echoed in his mind with unusual solemnity.

"...What did you say?" Arkhan paused, a bit slow to react.

"I said someone opened the gates to the Norse Realms and sneaked in!" Nidhogg repeated.

Arkhan immediately halted, prompting a puzzled look from Artoria.

"Are you sure?" Arkhan inquired in his mind.

"Absolutely! I've been there for so long; how could I not recognize it? I guarantee I felt the aura of the Norse Realms just now!" Nidhogg affirmed strongly.

Arkhan furrowed his brow slightly. The Norse Realms had long been lost to this world, tucked away between dimensions. For thousands of years, only Merlin had found these lost realms. Now, someone had located its position?

Who was this individual, and what was their origin?

Suddenly, Nidhogg's voice became frantic.

"Damn bastard! How is this possible!? That fellow, they actually want to erase the dimensional coordinates of the Norse Realms!"

"What?!" Arkhan's mind shook. If the dimensional coordinates of the Norse Realms were truly erased, no one would be able to find the location of the Norse Realms again!

In that case, he wouldn't be able to rescue Nidhogg's body, let alone complete the System's quest and obtain the 'Star of Eden'!

A strong sense of crisis suddenly welled up in his heart.

This invader was making such a big fuss, even willing to erase the dimensional coordinates of the Norse Realms. Clearly, they didn't want outsiders to disturb them.

This also proved that their purpose for entering the Norse Realms was definitely not ordinary!

Could it be that they were also going after Nidhogg's body?

"W-What to do? In just one more minute, that fellow will succeed!" Nidhogg's voice now carried a noticeable weeping. If she missed this opportunity, she would completely sever her connection with her body forever!

Arkhan gritted his teeth, a hint of madness flashing in his black eyes.

"Dammit! It's do or die! Quickly give me the coordinates of the Norse Realms!"

Nidhogg hastily transmitted the coordinates of the Norse Realms to Arkhan through their consciousness. He mobilized the magical energy within him, his fingers tracing deep green lines in the void like lingering shadows. Eventually, they formed a deep green rune that seemed to encompass all the truths of the universe. The inexplicable power caused the surrounding space to violently ripple.

Arkhan inputs the coordinates provided by Nidhogg into the 'Primordial Rune - Space' in front of him. Soon, a powerful suction force came, crazily absorbing the magical energy within him like a water pump.

Arkhan was amazed in his heart. He hadn't expected that establishing a spatial channel to the Norse Realms would require such a terrifying amount of magical energy.

After two or three breaths, the Primordial Rune suddenly twisted, turning into a deep green portal about the height of a person. The immense 'True Ether' poured out from the portal like a torrent, emitting an extremely vast and profound aura.

Suddenly, the deep green portal seemed to be disturbed by something, twisting and appearing as though it could dissipate at any moment.

"Only ten seconds left!" Nidhogg urgently said.

With time running out, Arkhan didn't have time to think. He turned around, ready to explain something to Artoria, but suddenly felt a warm body colliding into his arms. Without thinking, he took a few steps back and fell into the portal.

A cold wind blew, and on the empty wall, it seemed as if nothing had happened.