Ophelia was a Crypter.
From a standpoint perspective, she undoubtedly stood on Scathach-Skadi's side. Her fate was tied to the Lostbelt King; they prospered and declined together. Faced with Chaldea, she and the Lostbelt would undoubtedly form an unbreakable alliance. But this connection was based on the Fantasy Tree. If the Fantasy Tree ceased to exist, then this supposedly unbreakable alliance would lose its value.
Now was that time.
Since he was going to take action against the Fantasy Tree, he inevitably needed to control Ophelia.
That was reality.
The sound of footsteps echoed in the corridor, faster than usual and exceptionally rhythmic.
Skadi's guidance whispered in his ear, allowing Li Mo to accurately locate Ophelia's position. And she seemed to be heading towards the ice prison.
Was she going to contact Illya?
As an aggregate of divinity, Illya was also a powerful force in this Lostbelt—although, in Li Mo's memory, she only played a supportive role during the battle against Surtr. But a god was still a god.
Three gods gathered together, even a simple addition would be formidable.
Under his pressure, was little Ophelia going to contact Illya?
Li Mo didn't care, because Illya wouldn't change his stance. Presumably, Ophelia knew this too, and was going to her to gather information.
Passing through corridor after corridor, the entrance to the ice prison was near. And there stood Ophelia and her knight, "Sigurd."
The young woman turned, looking at Li Mo with her single eye. His serious demeanor made her frown slightly.
She asked, "Has something happened?"
What could make Li Mo and the Valkyries appear before her with such solemnity? Could it be that Koyanskaya had done something outrageous, angering the Queen, requiring her assistance?
Or perhaps the people from Chaldea had arrived here? But the Russian Lostbelt still existed; how could they have come? She hadn't heard that Kadoc had failed either.
Various conjectures flashed through Ophelia's mind. To her, the idea that a hostile intent was directed at her was impossible. They had worked together for over half a year; how could they suddenly turn against her without any warning?
Li Mo said, "Something has indeed happened. Little Ophelia, what do you think about the unchanging atmosphere of the Scandinavian Lostbelt?"
"Unchanging? Can the current Scandinavian Lostbelt still be called unchanging? When I first arrived, there was no Bifrost here," Ophelia stated.
When she first arrived, the entire world was a vast expanse of white. The so-called Scandinavian Lostbelt was merely a world barely sustained by a merciful god's efforts.
As they conversed, the distance between Ophelia and Li Mo grew shorter.
Suddenly, Ophelia heard "Sigurd's" voice: "Be careful."
Careful of wha...?
The next moment, Ophelia saw Li Mo before her extending his hand. The young magus's hand seemed to transform into a five-fingered mountain in an instant, occupying her entire field of vision, followed by a wave of dizziness.
It was... illusion magecraft...
Ophelia instantly understood: he was acting against her. But the drowsy sensation made her will slowly slip away, her primary consciousness sinking into darkness.
Using illusion magecraft as a primer, concealing a sleep-inducing spell within. If humans could create sleeping pills to induce sleep, then magecraft could achieve the same.
As a Master, Ophelia was subdued by Li Mo in an instant, making him sigh: "It's not that I concealed it too well. It's that you, little Ophelia, are also far too lacking in vigilance. Isn't that right, Sigurd?"
As Ophelia's Servant, Sigurd materialized. The great hero wielding the demonic sword was powerful, but his opponents were the three Valkyrie sisters. And more importantly, the location was within Scathach-Skadi's palace.
No matter how strong Surtr was, the power he could currently use was only Sigurd's. Faced with Skadi, a goddess, he had no power to resist.
Even though Skadi did not leave the great hall, the castle was formed from Skadi's magical energy. After the new Bifrost appeared in the sky and the castle was further modified, this place became Skadi's extended domain.
Walking within the palace was no different from walking within Skadi herself.
With Skadi's assistance, "Sigurd" was captured.
"What are you doing?"
Surtr, wearing Sigurd's Saint Graph, though sealed, was still fully conscious. In the fight against the three Valkyrie sisters, he held the upper hand. But once Skadi intervened, he immediately fell into disadvantage.
A great hero was ultimately no match for a god. Let alone Scathach-Skadi, who had inherited the Great God's power?
But he could still speak to ask. Compared to Ophelia, he had detected Li Mo's anomaly earlier. But he didn't understand Li Mo's purpose in doing this—and more importantly, the ones who acted weren't just Li Mo alone, but with the Valkyries' cooperation.
If it were only one person, it could have been his own independent action. But with the Valkyries' cooperation, it meant Scathach-Skadi tacitly approved of this behavior.
"Doing what? It's actually quite simple. It's about the Fantasy Tree," Li Mo said with a smile. "The Fantasy Tree is the cornerstone of the Lostbelt. Little Ophelia brought it; we cannot forget this merit. But, there's something hidden inside the Fantasy Tree that is frightening. We have no choice but to eliminate this backdoor. We can only temporarily inconvenience Ophelia."
The Fantasy Tree?
Surtr immediately stopped caring. It was just a tree. For him, destined to destroy everything, what was there to care about?
What he cared about was that it seemed the other party wouldn't kill him now.
What a pity.
Seeing the great hero wielding the demonic sword cease resistance, Li Mo understood perfectly: Sigurd's spiritual core was another cage for Surtr. As long as the spiritual core was shattered, Surtr could reappear on Earth, completing what he failed to do 3,000 years ago.
Surtr needed to be released. How could one kill an existence always sealed away?
Moreover, forging the "Spear of the Chief God" also required Surtr's appearance to meet the conditions.
Having Thrud carry Ophelia, Li Mo then led "Sigurd" away. Of course, the Servant and Ophelia wouldn't be kept in the same place. Li Mo needed some time to study the Command Spells on Ophelia's hand to weaken Surtr's power.
Naturally, during this period, he also needed to keep it hidden from Sigurd. When the time was right, he would decisively shatter "Sigurd's" spiritual core, allowing Surtr to descend upon Earth once more.
Finally, he would completely defeat Surtr. That way, the entire Scandinavian Lostbelt would have no further worries.