Chapter 257 Surtur.
Finney frowned slightly. Knowing that the system's experience gain cap was one thousand enemies, he lost interest in the astonishing number of fire demons, despite their meager experience gain.
If it were a thousand Surturs, he'd probably be much more excited, but if there really were a thousand Surturs in front of him, he should be the one running now.
Watching the fire demons climb down the pillar, Finney leaped down.
The moment he landed, the fire giant who had been sleeping on the throne instantly awoke.
"The smell of Asgard... You're an Asgardian?"
The fire giant suddenly gripped his longsword, stood up, and looked down at Phineas. Then he said again, "No, you're not an Asgardian!"
Phineas, while trying to recall what Surtur meant by the smell of Asgard, introduced himself:
"Hello, I am Phineas Hellscythe, a sorceress from Kamar-Taj on Earth. I'm currently training and seeking challenges against various powerful beings!"
"Earth!?"
The fire giant was indeed surprised by the mention of Earth, but he didn't seem to care. Instead, he looked at Phineas, gripping his longsword and mockingly saying, "I didn't expect a little bug like you to find your way here!"
Looking at the fire giant before him, Phineas was almost certainly Surtur, judging from his demeanor and bearing.
"You smell strongly of Asgard on you. Have you been in contact with them?"
Seeing Surtur's obsession with the scent, Phineas considered whether he should take a bath, and nodded in reply, "Yes, I arrived here from the Rainbow Bridge of Asgard."
"Asgard…Asgard…"
Surtur muttered twice, then gripped the Twilight Sword and slammed it into the ground, angrily declaring, "I am the end of Asgard, Ragnarok! I will end them all!"
"Hmm, hmm!"
Finney didn't refute Surtur's words; instead, he nodded in agreement.
The prophecy of Ragnarok was quite peculiar. Many knew its contents, and many believed Surtur was the executor of the prophecy.
Odin was among them.
He wanted to stop Ragnarok, so he defeated Surtur and took his Eternal Flame. He even considered killing Surtur to end the prophecy.
But unfortunately, he couldn't.
Surtur was a fire giant, but not an ordinary one. The crown and the Eternal Flame were the sources of his power. As long as the crown remained intact and the Eternal Flame remained burning, he would never perish.
Therefore, Odin could only delay the prophecy's occurrence. He split Surtur's power, separating the crown and the Eternal Flame, attempting to keep Surtur in a perpetually weakened state.
It must be said, Odin succeeded. Although he didn't completely stop the prophecy, he almost indefinitely delayed its occurrence.
As he grew older, many believed the prophecy would come true again, but many Asgardians also believed in Thor, thinking he could delay it once more, just as Odin had.
Only Phineas knew that if he didn't participate in changing the future, it would be Thor who decided to usher in Ragnarok—though, of course, it would be out of necessity.
Seeing Phineas's actions, Surtur couldn't help but be surprised, scrutinizing him again before asking, "What is your relationship with Asgard?"
"We should be considered friends!"
Phineas replied after a moment's thought.
Although he had some disagreements with Odin, their relationship was generally quite friendly, especially since Thor and his companions were already considered his friends.
"Then you still dare to appear before me!?"
Surtur sat back on his throne. He was practically Odin's equal, and naturally, he wouldn't bother personally with a nobody like Phineas.
"Well, I think my strength is barely acceptable!"
Phineas didn't consider himself particularly powerful, but he wasn't arrogant either. He had carefully chosen his enemies; he wouldn't provoke those he shouldn't.
"Hahaha!"
Surtur laughed a few times, looked at Phineas, and said, "Where are you from again? Oh well, too bad. If you didn't have any connection to Asgard, I might spare your life!"
Phineas sighed as he watched Surtur wave his swarm of fire demons at him.
However, Phineas hadn't come here intending to fight Surtur immediately. First, his body hadn't fully recovered from fighting over a thousand fire demons.
Second, even if he defeated Surtur now, the experience he gained might be significantly reduced.
So the main purpose of this trip was to scout out the location and confirm whether this king was indeed Surtur. Now that their objectives had been achieved, it was time to retreat.
After glancing one last time at Surtur sitting on his throne, Finney casually opened a portal.
"I'll be back!"
With this somewhat strange declaration, Finney stepped into the portal and vanished from the underground palace.
After he left, Surtur rose from his throne, gripping his Twilight Sword, and looked at the spot where Finney had disappeared, muttering,
"Mage!?"
He then summoned all the fire demons around him and ordered, "Find him!"
Hearing the command, the fire demons sprang into action, crawling out one by one. Only the fire demon who had led the way remained confused as to why Finney had suddenly left.
...
The location Finney teleported to was where he had come from; after all, he didn't know many places in Muspelheim.
Looking at the dust floating in the air, he decided to find a place to rest first, then check the refresh time of the experience limit before going to fight Surtur.
Back in Jotunheim, Finney rested in caves, and he continued this habit in Muspelheim.
However, the difference was that because the effects of the 'Golden Grand Magic' differed between the two realms, his resting environment in Muspelheim was clearly much better.
A soft bed, a cool and comfortable air conditioner, a table, chairs, and even some wallpaper he'd chosen with a bit of leisure—Finney had almost transformed the dimly lit cave into a themed apartment using the 'Golden Grand Magic.'
Unbeknownst to Finney, who was enjoying his comfort, countless fire demons were frantically searching for him outside.
Asgard.
Heimdall, while willing to trust Finney, still wanted to see what Finney was doing so he wouldn't be unable to report back when Odin asked.
His gaze pierced through countless star systems and landed on Finney, who had just completed his 'cave transformation' and was preparing to rest.
Pulling back his somewhat dazed gaze, Heimdall couldn't help but wonder: "Is he really planning to find someone to fight, or just want a change of scenery to enjoy himself?!" (
The computer almost broke down—ouch!
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(End of Chapter)