382

[Scarborough Iron]

Forseti nodded, then extended his hand and pressed it into the groove on the seabed. Flames surged between his fingers as divine power flowed into it continuously.

After a while, nothing happened, causing both of them to frown.

"Eitri, is the second-order flame power insufficient?" Forseti asked.

Eitri muttered, "I thought it should have worked..."

Forseti injected more flame power into the groove, but still, there was no change. He paused, then retrieved a golden glove from the Sanctuary space.

"What's that?" Eitri blinked.

"My flame gloves," Forseti said, putting them on.

More precisely, they were the holy flame gloves. After gaining the affinity of holy light, they significantly boosted his flame manipulation abilities. He had consecrated both gloves .

With the holy flame gloves on, Forseti placed his hand into the groove once more.

His divine flame power erupted, blazing brighter than the sun. Intense heat radiated outward, causing the surrounding magma to churn and create lava undercurrents.

The sacred flame gloves amplified his power immensely, but at the cost of increased consumption. In just ten seconds, Forseti felt the strain of outputting more power than ever before.

Fortunately, this explosive display finally stirred the formerly calm seabed.

"Boom..." A tremor rumbled from deep underground, sending waves through the endless magma.

"Boom!"

With a thunderous roar, the seafloor cracked open. The expanding crevice split through the palm-shaped groove, revealing a doorway.

Forseti and Eitri watched attentively as the underwater gate opened fully, revealing another world beyond.

Though the gate stood wide open, the magma didn't flood through, suggesting an invisible force was keeping it at bay.

"Jinlunga..." Eitri was visibly excited, looking at Forseti. "Let's go in."

Forseti nodded, swimming towards the gate with him.

They soon encountered a powerful repulsive force near the gate, impeding their progress. It seemed to be the same force keeping the magma outside.

This force was resilient and robust, requiring considerable effort for them to breach.

Once inside, the scenery abruptly shifted to resemble a terrestrial planet.

Beneath them lay a small patch of land, with mountains, rivers, and lush vegetation.

"This is Jinlunga!" Eitri exclaimed.

Forseti couldn't help but ask, "Doesn't this scenery remind you of Asgard?"

Eitri hesitated briefly, then studied the surroundings. "It does resemble Asgard! Could it be that..."

"Is Asgard truly a fragment torn from ancient Jinlunga?" Forseti finished.

Scanning the landscape, Forseti noticed striking similarities to Asgard.

A solitary continent with unique properties, notably lacking a sun but enveloped in a light curtain overhead.

Most of the land was ordinary, but a distinct portion stood out—a dark red mountain, likely a volcano.

Forseti and Eitri descended from the sky and landed near a specific hall on the land below.

Inside, a tall, stern-faced flame creature sat on a golden-red throne.

Similar to Surtur or most Muspelheim natives, this creature had blazing flames atop its head, resembling fiery hair.

"Your Majesty..." Under the throne, other flame creatures knelt in reverence, acknowledging her as the ruler of this realm—the Queen of Ashes, daughter of the flame giant Surtur.

A Muspelheim man with a green horned head rushed into the hall with a nervous demeanor.

"What's the matter, Marquette?" Queen Ash inquired.

Marquette knelt and reported, "Your Majesty, Jinlunga's secret door has been opened!"

Upon hearing this, Queen Ash's expression shifted, her flaming crown intensifying.

Others in the hall began speculating, "Could it be... Surtur?"

Queen Ash turned to Marquette. "Who opened it?"

"I don't know yet," Marquette admitted, "but it's likely Surtur... After years of secret cultivation, he might have regained enough strength to open the secret door."

"That's impossible," Queen Ash asserted. "Without the Eternal Flame, that old thing couldn't recover even in a hundred thousand years!"

A hush fell over the hall.

Queen Ash composed herself. "Send someone to hunt down the intruders immediately!"

Meanwhile, Forseti and Eitri traversed the forest on land, somewhat aimlessly.

"Jinlunga isn't small," Forseti remarked. "Where should we look for Scarborough Iron?"

Eitri pondered briefly, then gestured towards the dark red mountain. "Let's head there and investigate."

Forseti agreed, and they hastened towards the crimson mountain.

Initially mistaken for a lava-spewing volcano, they soon realized it lacked magma but retained a fiery hue.

Despite its non-volcanic nature, the mountain emitted intense heat and exuded a metallic essence.

Upon reaching the Dark Red Mountains, Eitri's eyes widened in astonishment. He rushed to the mountainside, examining it closely.

"What is it, Eitri?" Forseti asked, joining him.

Eitri, visibly excited, pointed at the mountain wall. "This mountain—it's Scarborough Iron! An iron mountain!"

Forseti was skeptical, but when he touched the mountainside, he felt the heat and metallic texture. Indeed, it was an metal mountain.

He activated the holy deed, and words appeared in his palm.

[86% replacement for Sulfuron iron ingots]

"I never imagined that in Jinlunga, there would be a Scarborough Iron Mountain!" Aitri exclaimed, his face flushed with excitement, "But it makes sense; without such a mountain of iron, Surtur may not have been able to forge the Sword of Twilight."

The Sword of Twilight could vary in size, but its original form was a mountain-sized giant sword that matched Surtur's colossal stature.

Scarborough Iron, the flame metal of Jinlunga, was the primary material for the Twilight Sword. Given the sword's massive size, it naturally required vast amounts of Scarborough Iron.

"Let's begin collecting!" Aitri pulled out two mining pickaxes and handed one to Forseti, "This is an ultra-high-purity anti-metal pickaxe I specially prepared—Scarborough Iron isn't like Vibranium; you need this to mine it effectively."

Forseti took the anti-metal pickaxe and began chiseling at the nearby mountain.

"Clang...clang..."

As Eitri had said, Scarborough Iron was as sturdy as Vibranium, and even with a special pickaxe, it was challenging to chisel.

The two of them worked tirelessly, digging into the mountain, slowly widening cracks until they could tear a large piece of Scarborough Iron free.

"Crack-"

Forseti swung the pickaxe again, chiseling into the mountain. With a crisp sound, a large piece of Scarborough Iron broke loose and fell aside.

He quickly grabbed it, estimating its weight—probably around a ton of Scarborough Iron.

After storing it in the Sanctuary space, Forseti continued digging with his pickaxe.

Clearly, the Queen of Ashes, ruler of Jinlunga, had been mining this iron mountain for a long time, as evidenced by nearby excavation marks.

Compared to Nidavi's specially crafted pickaxe, the Queen of Ashes' mining efficiency was noticeably lower; otherwise, the entire mountain might have been depleted over the centuries.

In just a few hours, Forseti and Aitri had collected tons of Scarborough Iron.

However, just as they were mining, a shocked and angry voice echoed from the sky: "Nidavellir dwarves!"

Forseti and Eitri exchanged concerned glances; they hadn't expected Jinlunga to discover them so quickly.

They turned to see a humanoid flame creature hovering in the sky. Its entire body was flames, resembling a fiery mass suspended mid-air.

Such pure flame creatures were rare even in Muspelheim.

Forseti activated the Eye of Reckoning; through the Holy Light's vision, he saw five layers of energy ripples around the flame creature, indicating its formidable power.

The creature first noticed the massive Eitri, then turned its attention to Forseti. Flames intensified around its body, its face contorting in anger. "And Asgardians!"

Jinlunga, isolated from the world, harbored a deep-seated hatred for Asgardians among its flame creatures.

Unlike Surtur, who was neutral towards Asgard until Odin attacked, the Queen of Ashes advocated relentless war against Asgard.

It was likely why Surter had confined her here, effectively placing her under house arrest.

"You will pay for this. Jinlunga is Her Majesty the Queen's sacred domain; you will not defile it!" The flame creature dove towards them, leaving a fiery trail in the sky.

Forseti ascended, Holy Light flashing in his right hand as he delivered a powerful punch towards the flame creature.

Holy Light Strikes!

"Boom!"

The punch connected, shattering the flame creature's form into swirling flames.

However, being purely flame-based, the creature wasn't defeated. It regrouped and charged forward, engulfing Forseti in searing heat.

"Taste the power of fire, reduced to ashes!" A humanoid face appeared in the flames, roaring.

Undeterred, Forseti calmly extended his hand, seeming to command the surrounding flames. They converged towards his hand, coalescing into a humanoid shape that he gripped by the throat.

"You!" The flame creature struggled to regain its form, but Forseti's awakened flame powers kept it restrained.

Defiantly, the creature spat out, "Asgard, Her Majesty will not forgive you—"

"Boom!" Golden light erupted from Forseti's hand, infusing Holy Light and Holy Shock into the creature. In an instant, the flame creature's defiance ceased.

As it dissipated, a fiery red sphere the size of an egg dropped along his remains ,where it had been.

Forseti swiftly stowed it away in the Sanctuary space, then summoned the Holy Spirit Warhorse. "Eitri, we need to leave now!"

Reluctantly abandoning the Scarborough Iron, Eitri hurried over and mounted the Holy Spirit horse with Forseti.

The horse strained under Eitri's immense weight, but with Forseti's magical floating cloak, they took to the sky and swiftly approached the entrance they had come through.

Their hearts sank as they arrived.

The entrance to the outside world was sealed shut, a massive closed door silently barring their escape. Before it stood over a dozen flame creatures and Musbeier guards.

Spotting Forseti and Eitri, the guards prepared for battle, three of them charging directly at Forseti. "Intruders, stay!"

Forseti assessed them with the Eye of Reckoning: the weakest was level three, the strongest, level five, with three at that level advancing towards him.

Quickly deciding his strategy, Forseti activated the Wrath of Revenge, wielding the Demon Slayer Sword and Ice Blade. Holy Light wings fluttering, he met their attack head-on.

Sanctions!

The Demon Slayer Sword struck a Musbeier with a powerful blow.

"Boom!"

The brilliance of the punishment was blinding, instantly beheading the Musbeier.

Forseti, well-versed in the Eye of Reckoning, knew the strength and sin of his foes. The Demon Slayer Sword was effective against sinners, while the Ice Blade dealt with others.

As servants of the Queen of Ashes, these guards were all flame-based, making the Ice Blade just as lethal as the sword.

With the Holy Light's wings fluttering, Forseti swung the Ice Blade and Demon Slayer Sword, dispatching the three attackers before they could react.

Turning swiftly, Forseti charged at the remaining guards.

Blessed Sword!

Empowered by Wrath of Revenge, even a fifth-level adversary posed little threat to Forseti. The remaining guards, mostly three or four levels, were quickly overwhelmed. With each strike of the Blessed Sword, half of them fell.

Suddenly, a fiery pillar shot up from the horizon, engulfing Eitri in dazzling white flames.

"Boom!"

Despite the Fire Pendant's protection, Eitri suffered burns, clothes and skin marked by the intense heat.

Gasping for breath, Eitri turned and saw dozens of figures approaching, the Queen of Ashes among them.