Episode 42/Chapter 5 – Great counter attack (5)

'Facing one people with many isn't as easy as you think.'

Those were Ragnar's words. And Cuchulainn and Tae Ho agreed to that.

When assuming that two people that have the same battle power attack one enemy from both sides, what will happen with the total battle power of those two people?

It was easy to think that it will become 1 + 1 but reality wasn't like that.

If the opponent wasn't much bigger than you, you didn't get much chances that several people could target the opponent at once. In addition, there were also cases that they obstructed each other due to their own attacks.

The most important thing in an attack from several parties, was their coordination. Based on how well they worked together, the addition of their battle power could become 2 or could become lower than 1.

Eight targets attacking one enemy was too excessive and because of that the ones that could attack at the same time were merely four.

And that was only when the opponent was completely open. If one direction was restricted, then the number of people reduced even more.

Tiachi made a quick decision the moment the seven Valkyries charged forward. They were inside a forest but there weren't that many trees near them. They were in a situation that they could surround him easily.

Tiachi kicked the ground with strength and surged up. Jumping to the air enabled to you dodge the immediate attacks but restricted your movements so it was easy to become an open target.

But TIachi also had his own thoughts. The moment he spread his arms, his two arms became huge wings of an eagle.

That was the reason why Tiachi got called as the Beast king.

He, that was the best hunter among the giants, was also the best transformer. He could transform to almost every beast and could also transform a part of his body like he was doing right now.

Tiachi fluttered his wings after transforming his arms. He wasn't planning to flee even a little. What he was thinking was attacking as a hunter bird catching its prey. He was planning to break the Valkyries that were looking at the sky dumbfoundedly.

But he realized that something was wrong the moment he finished his first stroke of his wing.

The Valkyries weren't looking at the sky with dumbfounded expressions. When he looked down at the ground, several Valkyries were already surging up to the sky.

Four Valkyries became the foothold for Tae Ho and the remaining three Valkyries. They didn't exchange glances and divided their roles in an instant.

The fake Heda got on the hands the fake Gandur gathered and the Gandur sent Heda flying up to the sky with all her strength. It was the same for the other Valkyries.

Tiachi hurriedly twisted his body. The sword of Heda pierced the space Tiachi had been and the fake Scathach surged from the shoulders of the fake Adenmaha and changed her direction once again. She stabbed towards Tiachi with her spear so he could twist his body once again desperately.

Tiachi rolled his eyes. He transformed his two arms into the arms of a rhinoceros, that had thick and rough leather, without even having time to curse out. Tae Ho, that had been waiting for the perfect moment, slashed the arms Tiachi had gathered.

His sword cut him really deeply. His skin got ripped and blood spluttered. Tiachi gritted his teeth and crashed down. Four of the fake Valkyries were already formed in a circle in the point that was estimated Tiachi would fall.

It was an unbelievably linked play. How did they work so well together without even glancing at each other!

Tiachi transformed into a big armadillo and made his body round. He then started to spin in that state and maximized his attack.

He wouldn't simply crash down but rather strike back.

It was a desperate measure but quite excellent. The strong magical power Tiachi had as a magician king made his speed and spinning power much stronger. The same power of a meteor strike would be generated from his attack.

Tae Ho embraced Heda from her waist and kicked the air. Scathach and Adenmaha changed their bodies in the air to control their descending point and the four Valkyries that were in the ground dodged from the estimated fallign point of Tiachi.

Bang!

Tiachi hit the ground. The shockwave swept the surroundings and the ground shook and dust surged up.

It was a plentily strong attack although he failed in damaging the Valkyries but Tiachi still couldn't understand. The movements of the Valkyries were just too well coordinated this time too.

As soon as he unfolded his body and transformed back into a giant king, the Valkyries started to pour out sharp attacks.

'This crazy!'

Curses came out by its own. The attack of the Valkyries was as smooth as flowing water. They didn't just stop at stabbing from the sides but they filled the openings of each other. It seemed like they were originally one body.

But he was still the giant king. Tiachi released a great amount of magic power in an instant and made a big move. It was to crush the Valkyries with his attack and cut the flow of the attacks.

And his intention was quite right. The huge magic power he released by swinging his fist completely crushed the fake Reginleif that was coming from the front. She disappeared without even being able to scream.

But the remaining three didn't get swept at the aftershock. The moment the fake Reginleif got hit at the magical attack, Rasgrid and Gandur executed low attacks almost by lying on the ground. Their swords aiming for Tiachi's ankle were just like snakes.

Tiachi hurriedly kicked Gandur but he wasn't able to do anything to Rasgrid's attack. He concentrated magic power in his leg hurriedly but he lacked time. In addition, there was something else that was terrible.

The attacks of the Valkyries were too strong.

The weapons that got strengthened by the Glory of Camelot displayed the same power as when it was wielded by the knights of the round table. The sword of the knight of truth Agravain which Rasgrid swung tore Tiachi's ankle along his magic power.

Tiachi's posture broke but he was still a renowned giant king. He transformed into a big animal in that state and tried to crush Rasgrid and Gandur together.

But it only ended in an attempt this time.

Ingrid grabbed Gandur by her waist and kicked the ground. Rasgrid, that had succeeded in her attack, also kicked the ground and got out of Tiachi's range.

And Scathach filled that empty space when she descended from the sky. The other Valkyries overwhelmed Tiachi in an instant with their spearmanship.

'Hey! Why is her completion rate so high!'

Cuchulainn got angry. It was because the movements of the fake Scathach were too good.

Just when did he increase the completion rate by that much?

Tae Ho answered calmly at Cuchulainn's rage. She made Heda join in the attack with Scathach and talked back quickly.

'I just synchronized them?!'

The seven fake Valkyries were all synchronized to the fake Heda as the core. Because of that, they could greatly increase their completion rate although not as much as Heda.

The effects of the synchronization didn't end there.

The reason the seven of them could move as if they were one was also because of that. They could share their thoughts without needing to glance so it was an obvious they could do that much.

In addition, Tae Ho's controlling was added to this. But there was no need to control them from start to end like he did with Nidhogg.

The Valkyries moved autonomously and Tae Ho just gave a strategic order in the decisive time.

And this kind of battle was too familiar for Tae Ho.

'I feel like doing a boss raid.'

The team play in Dark Age.

The fake Valkyries that had dodged the attack also joined Scathach and Heda in the attack. Tiachi's limbs became more confusing and because of that more attacks started to land in him.

'Items boosting is really the best.'

The second fact.

The individual battle power of each Valkyrie was merely at the intermediate rank, excluding Heda and Scathach. But their attack power was greatly surpassing that of normal intermediate ranked warriors.

Tiachi couldn't overlook any attack at all. He excelled in strength and speed but he was a level lower in durability due to his small body.

Babang!

Loud explosions were heard in consecution. Those were the sounds made when Rasgrid and Gandur disappeared.

Tiachi poured out attacks while having become a bloody mess. He received Scathach's attacks with his body and destroyed Ingrid by hitting her in her head.

A smile stained with accomplishment and pain was drawn in Tiachi's face. He looked at Tae Ho instead of looking at Scathach and Heda.

Tae Ho, that was looking at the Valkyries attacking Tiachi from a side, answered Tiachi's nasty smile with the same smile.

Scathach twisted her spear. Tiachi let out a groan at that and swung his arm after transforming it into snakes. He bit off her neck to make blood flow out and then transformed into several beasts to heal his wounds.

Heda didn't charge towards Tiachi while Scathach disappeared. She rather fell back and created some distance.

It wasn't because Tae Ho treasured the fake Heda. The reason they did that was to grab Tiachi's attention and to make an opening so that Adenmaha was able to butt in.

The body of the fake Adenmaha was the same as the original's. She was proficient in magic but couldn't fight well with weapons. That was the reason she didn't participate in the attack until now and just looked from the back.

The sword of the knight of the round table Kay was given to her but she didn't swing it. She was empty handed as she had given it back to Tae HO beforehand.

Adenmaha embraced Tiachi the moment Heda fell back.

Tiachi got bewildered. It was because there was no strength behind her attack.

Was she planning to seal his movements at least for a moment?

Tiachi didn't think for long. Whatever the motive was, he just had to shake her off.

But it was at that moment.

The moment Tiachi put strength in his arms, Tae Ho activated his saga.

[Saga: Owner of frost]

The fake Adenmaha transformed into the frost white dragon Javier.

It wasn't to fire her specialty, the ice breath. Also not to attack him with her sharp claws and fangs.

Just crushing him down.

Sitting on him with her overwhelming size.

But Tiachi was still a giant king. He didn't just let it hit him. Tiachi was already moving even before Adenmaha finished her transformation. He executed an attack in the middle of her transformation and opened up a path.

Kguaaang!

A weird sound exploded. The lower body of the frost dragon that got separated from its upper body swept the surroundings. Tiachi, that barely managed to cut Adenmaha's waist surged up.

It was like Tae Ho had expected.

"Hello once again?"

Heda butted her face in front of Tiachi.

Her smile was as beautiful as the smile the real Heda showed when she went to meet Tae Ho and was as scary as when she said 'so that was the case'.

Heda embraced Tiachi.

Tiachi, that had just surged up, couldn't do anything towards Heda. He got grabbed helplessly in the air.

And he understood.

The plan.

Everything was set up. The scene he saw beyond Heda's head explained him everything.

'Dog like bastard.'

To embrace Heda even if she was a fake.

Tae Ho surged up to the sky and glared at Tiachi with overwhelming eyes. Cuchulainn made fun of him saying that he was the one that ordered her to do that but he was also putting a cold smile.

The last attack Tae Ho prepared.

The finishing attack using the fake Valkyries.

Gae Bolg, that was concentrating strength when it landed down, released a strong aura. The spear of death started to fly towards Tiachi.

The fake Heda became smoke and disappeared. The spear of death tore the remains and passed by. It was a last attack that had no ways to dodge.

"Fuck."

Tiachi cursed out and that became his last words.

Gae Bolg pierced Tiachi's chest. It passed through his heart and then spread the curse of death through his entire body.

Tiachi didn't die instantly. It was because the death of Gae Bolg didn't let him die a clean death. An indescribable pain crushed Tiachi's body and mind.

Gae Bolg got stuck in the ground when it passed through Tiachi. The howl left by his limbs started to transform into a cracked sculpture and then started to break down.

Tae Ho took a deep breath. He looked down at Tiachi with cold eyes instead of retrieving Gae Bolg.

He opened his mouth but couldn't form a word. He broke down completely with his scream filled with malice.

And at that moment, an overwhelming amount of runes surged up from his remains. The amount was so big it was seen as a pillar of light.

It was different to when he defeated Hrumbak with Nidhogg. This time, he completely defeated him only with his strength and a perfectly made plan.

A great amount of runes entered his body. Although Tiachi was at a level lower than Hrumbak, he was still a giant king.

[Synchro Rate: 78%]

The 80% was right in front of his eyes and the accumulated runes made him be at the top even among the superior ranked warriors.

Tae Ho retrieved Gae Bolg. He also went to retrieve the weapons of the knights of the round table which the Valkyries dropped instead of facing the remaining little giants looking at him as they got surprised and stopped fighting.

'It ended.'

Bracky's hammer crushed Itaka's head the moment Cuchulainn spoke.

&

"I worked hard. Rolled a lot. Dizzy..."

Nidhogg mumbled with a pale face. Hraesvelg clicked his tongue because he didn't like her acting that way but he still extended his arm to support her because he did feel a bit sorry for her.

The battle had ended.

They couldn't completely exterminate the giants and evil spirits but could defeat quite a lot of them. The ones that had survived were the ones that couldn't hear Hraesvelg's name.

The rescuing team had successfully rescued all of the Valkyries. They were all exhausted because of the terrible hardships they had faced. But they were still Valkyries. They didn't forget to thank the ones that had saved them.

The warriors and the Valkyries that had regained their composure hid themselves in a secluded place.

The ones that advanced to the path going to the Temple was only a minority.

"I'm grateful to you in many ways."

Kaldea stood in the gate leading to the Temple that had been generated naturally by the system of Yggdrasil and spoke while turning around. Her golden hair that was tied up lapped as if it was her tail.

They had defeated Tiachi but it was merely the start.

Kaldea had to go the Temple as they had originally planned.

"Be careful."

Tae Ho, that had escorted her to the gate, spoke with courtesy but with sincerity.

"You certainly are simple and honest."

Kaldea giggled as if something was fun about that and then spread her arms. Tae Ho hesitated for a moment as he understood her meaning but still hugged her in the end and shared their warmth.

"I'm really grateful. I knew that you would become a big shot but I didn't know that you would become one this fast and such a big figure. Heda's eyes are also quite something."

She giggled once more and then slightly pushed Tae Ho. She then looked up at him and then put playful eyes. She gave him the best blessing in that state.

"It's not much but it's still a gift. The completion rate would increase now right? I will keep it as a secret to Heda."

Kaldea winked while licking her lips. Cuchulainn laughed at that and Tae Ho put an awkward smile at the guilt he felt.

"I will go for real now. Let's meet later for sure."

"Yes, go."

"Right."

Kaldea bid her farewell brightly until the end and took a deep breath. She had faced almost every kind of things as a Valkyrie but it was the first time she moved to another world. She kept feeling her heartbeat.

'It's not because of the blessing.'

Kaldea pressed her chest tightly to calm herself and fixed her expression. She erased her playfulness and expressed etiquette to the commander of Idun as a Valkyrie of Valhalla.

"For Asgard and the nine realms."

"For Asgard and the nine realms."

Kaldea turned around. She then entered the gate that connected to the Temple.

&

The real world tree, the System of Yggdrasil, was connected with Asgard as the center and the other nine realms but it wasn't they only system that completely passed through all the ten worlds.

Kaldea barely got out of the path of the System of Yggdrasil that was filled with white light and stood in front of a road that she hadn't experienced until now.

It was similar to the System of Yggdrasil but different at the same time. A system that could be said to be siblings.

The path connected to the Temple was beautiful.

The cherry blossom trees that were at the sides of the path were big and had a nice fragrance. The cherry blossom flowers that fluttered along the wind landed down on the ground as if dancing.

"Wow....."

Kaldea let out an exclamation unconsciously and her cheeks flushed.

And the one that looked at that below a tree let out a laugh. It wasn't a laugh that ridiculed her but it was the same kind as Kaldea's exclamation. It was a laughter that came out unconsciously when you say something beautiful and nice.

Kaldea hurriedly turned to look at the direction the laughter was heard at. There was a man with a big build that was covering his face with a bamboo rain hat. It seemed like he was a member that belonged to the Temple that he was wearing a korean style traditional jacket and pants. He was holding a big weapon in his shoulders but it was a kind you couldn't see in Valhalla.

The most similar thing to it was a trident but the weapon of the man was too different to the basic parts of a spear. The part of the tip of the spear wasn't a sharp blade but a weird object that was bent and had ten forks.

If the one looking at him wasn't a warrior but a farmer, they would have realized that the thing the man was holding was a farming tool instead of a weapon but Kaldea was a warrior. That was why she tilted her head a few times and then erased her doubts about the weapon. It was because she had to first express etiquette with the one she had met.

"I'm Valkyrie Kaldea of Hermod's legion. Do you belong to the Temple?"

Kaldea hit her chest twice and expressed the etiquette of Asgard. The man flinched at the word Valkyrie and then stood up hurriedly and took off and threw his bamboo hat.

And then Kaldea was the one that flinched unavoidably. It was because the man didn't have the head of a human but that of a pig.

But Kaldea hid her surprise and looked up at the man with her green eyes. The man smirked as if he liked that Kaldea didn't shake greatly and then wrapped his right hand with his left one as the etiquette of the Temple followed.

"I'm the morning lion Cho Hakkai. The ones close to me call me Juh Pal Gye." (TL: Or Zhu Bajie.)

The former enemy of the thousand poles.

The disciple of the Samjang (TL: Or Tripitakadhara) Juh Pal Gye extended his hand to Kaldea.

Episode 42/Chapter 5 – Great counter attack (5) End