On the deep and dark riverbank, the strange horse with a toad-like bumpy back stared at Nidhogg and the skeleton knight for a while. Suddenly, two bubbles burst from its chin, and then it let out a piercing frog-like croak.
The croak cut through the air, penetrating the distant darkness. It was quite shrill and echoed through the valley.
"That is a mid-rank water demon—a River Horse. It can control water elemental spirits without a 'self.' It's not very strong." The knowledgeable skeleton knight explained. "But this is bad. We've just encountered a River Horse at the edge of the underworld river."
"The River Styx is usually calm, but once awakened and provoked, it can also cause a temporary uproar."
Soon, as if confirming the skeleton knight's words, the entire Stygian River, previously calm and placid, suddenly began to boil, with countless bubbles and waves.
FWOOSH—!
In an instant, the specters of the entire Stygian River awakened. They burst through the water, letting out loud wails, chaotically pushing and dragging each other, crawling toward the shore.
As one vengeful spirit emerged, another would reach out a slick, sticky hand to pull the first one down. They dragged at each other, attacked and gnawed on one another, hindering their advance.
Nevertheless, there were too many of them. A great wave of specters was still carried ashore by the surging water.
In an instant, the wave crashed down upon Nidhogg and the skeleton knight. Countless hands reached out from the water and grabbed at them both!
"Use Flora's water shield talisman," the skeleton knight said briefly. "Let's charge through in one go. Kill the River Horse that incited the entire Styx, and the river will calm."
"Alright." Nidhogg agreed and produced the water shield talisman.
The skeleton knight charged first, with Nidhogg following. Their crystals still glowed as they sped toward the River Horse like two bright arrows shot from the dark night.
But the waves of the Styx came faster. They roared, carrying a great flood of vengeful spirits, eager to smash through gravel and silt, opening their mouths like wolves and tigers, lunging to bite them both.
FWOOSH—!
The river crashed against the two waves of light. The water shield talismans activated, creating two spherical shields that covered Nidhogg, the skeleton knight, and their horses, temporarily protecting their safety.
Nevertheless, Nidhogg felt overwhelming pressure.
The wave slammed against the shield. The specters on it howled, driving sharp claws into the shield, producing a grating, eerie sound.
Torrent ran at full effort, but the Stygian water, nearly enveloping them in shields, was so heavy that he could barely hold on. His speed slowed.
In the turbulent waves, the figure of the skeleton knight ahead was somewhat blurred. Only the crystal light, piercing the darkness, faintly flickered before him.
Seeing that the river was about to completely engulf them, Nidhogg gritted his teeth, produced his Golden Halberd, and suddenly exerted force. He struck forward with the axe blade, carving an arc of golden light!
FWOOSH—!
The powerful axe strike released flashes of sacred golden light. Countless vengeful spirits, which had just been extremely fierce, seemed to see something terrifying. They tried to retreat but were cleaved in two by the golden halberd!
At the same time, the wave of river water attempting to envelop Nidhogg and Torrent also suddenly parted!
Nidhogg and Torrent burst out from within, trampling through the spray and charging forward!
The water shield had changed, now coated in damp blood.
Just from that moment of contact with the underworld water, Nidhogg felt a chill throughout his body. He was forced to use a fire talisman to dry and warm himself and his horse.
He turned his head and saw the river that had just surged was receding. It retreated into the Styx with a multitude of vengeful spirits. But several vengeful spirits had also been deposited on the shore, struggling like fish out of water.
Immediately, Nidhogg heard a muffled sound like thunder. He couldn't help but look in that direction.
He saw that in the depths of the Stygian River, waves as tall as hills were rising. The height and momentum of this wave were far greater than the previous one. It seemed almost eager to devour everything on the shore.
It surged forward, as if covering the sky. Countless grotesque vengeful spirits waved flags and screamed within the waves!
Nidhogg was shocked. He squeezed his horse's flanks again, urging Torrent to run faster. At the same time, he raised his Golden Halberd, ready to be dragged into the underworld to fight and battle.
At that moment, the massive wave seemed to suddenly strike something. It collapsed and scattered, crumbling like a tall tower, splashing even more water.
When this wave rushed ashore, it was not as powerful as the first. It merely flooded the bank and submerged Torrent's four hooves.
Nidhogg was momentarily stunned. An idea struck him. He looked ahead and, sure enough, saw the skeleton knight standing on his dark horse atop a nearby mountain crag. At his feet lay the corpse of the River Horse, cut in two.
Torrent ran close like lightning, then slowly stopped.
Nidhogg looked again at the River Horse's carcass. Its long tongue had been severed. Its waist and abdomen were split down the middle, and a great mess of entrails spilled out.
"The River Horse itself is not strong. It can control the water element, release bubbles, and also create a water prison for a short time," the skeleton knight said, pointing his sword tip at the River Horse's head. "But this time, it was at the edge of the underworld river."
"The water element in the underworld rose under the guidance of its frog-like croak. With the awakening of the vengeful spirits, two waves have just appeared. With the River Horse killed, the Styx will naturally return to calm."
Nidhogg smiled and shook his head. "I almost thought I'd have to go into the water and tangle with those specters."
The skeleton knight said, "If that had happened, it would still have been quite troublesome. But Flora's talismans should have brought us out of danger... Let's move on. The sooner we get out of this dark realm, the better."
So they continued riding forward. After some time, they rounded a mountain and ascended a slope, moving further and further away from the Styx.
They traveled along a mountain path beside a cliff. The dark region beneath the cliff seemed perpetually shrouded in black mist and couldn't be seen clearly.
Throughout the journey, Nidhogg had been silent. About to break the silence, he asked, "I know something about when you were still 'Sovereign' Gaiseric. But many details are buried by thousands of years of history."
The skeleton knight thought for a moment and asked, "What do you want to know?"
"About that Great Sage, who is now one of the God Hand." Nidhogg said. "What grievances do you have? What happened at the Tower of Conviction before the Eclipse a thousand years ago?"
Hearing the words "Great Sage," even the skeleton knight, who had been mentally prepared, couldn't help but ponder for a while. His ghostly fire eyes burned, then contracted again as he slowly began to speak.