The Flame Giant King has arrived at the northern battlefield.
Even if this isn't a battlefield now, it will soon become one.
Become a battlefield between gods.
For Surtr, the time spent from breaking the seal, landing, and traveling north wasn't long. But during that distance, it was enough for a certain someone to complete his ritual.
If before, the other was only suspected of being "Odin," now Li Mo was completely and utterly "Odin."
The aura of the Great God emanating from him was so thick, so dense, that Surtr was reminded of the process three thousand years ago when he was sealed by Odin and turned into the sun.
If...
If Ophelia had not descended, then for Surtr, he would have only been able to accompany the Lostbelt within the desolate seal, pruned away by Human Order.
Therefore, Ophelia brought him the hope of destroying the world again. And the Great God named Odin brought him endless suffering.
Anger, boundless anger.
"ODIN!!! Will you stop me again?"
The distance closed.
Surtr paid no mind to the two small insects fleeing. They were merely creations of Odin and a Heroic Spirit warrior born from humanity. To the Giant King, they were nothing more than dust; his eyes held only that "Great God" wielding the long spear.
The other's spear tip pointed at him—was this tolerable? Surtr raised Laevateinn in his hand.
The Sword of Flame swung down again. This time, it wasn't to create a heatwave of flame, but the giant Sword of Flame cleaved down directly toward Li Mo.
"Stop you? Are you even worthy?"
Li Mo sneered. The "Spear" in his hand flew out, heading straight for the Sword of Flame.
"Swor
d" and "Spear" collided.
One was the ultimate flame, the flame of destruction. That was the Great End, the Great Ruin! The other was a god's weapon.
"Gungnir"
Its materials and such all came from the Lostbelt, but its design blueprint came from the world of *A Certain Magical Index*. In that world, this "Spear" was the weapon used by the Magic God Othinus to control her power of "50% success, 50% failure."
But, the "Spear" itself was also an immensely powerful weapon.
Power leaked out—something different from magical energy. If Li Mo had to evaluate it, it was power nearly on the same level as Ollerus's "Gungnir of the Norse Throne."
That was, divine power.
The Sword of Flame was deflected back. The immense recoil force caused Surtr to stagger back several steps.
The "Spear" returned to Li Mo's hand once more.
"Sainthood Transformation · Odin" succeeded beyond expectations. Even Li Mo himself was surprised by his own strength. Was he borrowing Odin's power? That was probably it. The nature of Sainthood Transformation was to simulate the characteristics of a powerful existence, thereby gaining a portion of its power.
In short, it was becoming a knock-off.
As is well known, knock-offs cannot surpass the original. If they could, it wouldn't be called a knock-off, but "drawing inspiration." Because merely copying another's path can, at most, reach the same height as the other. To surpass it, one must have something of their own.
Clearly, the Sainthood Transformation magecraft couldn't achieve that degree. It was, after all, just a magecraft Li Mo had cobbled together.
—*But.*
His power was definitely on par with the Odin of this Lostbelt, or perhaps this Fate world's Odin.
Li Mo was confident enough to affirm this point. He traced the original Runes in the void. The power of ice gathered before him, forming an ice wall. Surtr's flames surged forth. The Giant King's combat experience was rich; while retreating to mitigate the impact force, he also spewed blazing fire.
The raging flames contained the power of the end. That was the symbol of Surtr single-handedly slaughtering through a pantheon. In the original Ragnarok, there were Fenrir, the World Serpent, and others destroying the nine worlds together. But in this Lostbelt, the one who accomplished this feat was Surtr alone.
He was the sole destroyer of Ragnarok! After devouring the sun, Fenrir died by his hand, Loki died by his hand. Even after successive battles, his strength remained formidable, capable of opposing the remaining gods led by the Great God.
The flames were powerful; the ice wall gradually melted. Li Mo didn't mind. That was just an ice wall created by casually tracing Runes. Blocking for a moment was enough.
"Odin!"
"Is all you can do is make noise, Surtr?"
"ODIN!!!"
As a Servant, he could still communicate in a normal tone. But after becoming a giant, Surtr seemed to have lost the ability to converse.
No, perhaps anger simply occupied his mind.
Li Mo looked coldly at Surtr. He was surprisingly calm.
Becoming a god again, he was very strong now.
After completing "Sainthood Transformation · Odin," Li Mo felt as if he was connected to something. The roots of all things were presented before his eyes. That was a perspective he couldn't see originally, an indescribable sensation.
If he had to put it into words, it would be... as if there was an encyclopedia beside him that he could consult at any time.
The 103,000 volumes of magical texts in his mind seemed to be completely comprehended and integrated in an instant. The moment he grasped the "Spear," he felt he could freely use the powers recorded within, yet if asked about the principles, it felt as if there was nothing.
Using the time bought by the ice wall, Li Mo thought for a moment and understood the reason.
What he was imitating wasn't the Odin that appeared in the FGO worldline. Nor was it the Odin who had already died in this Lostbelt. Instead, he was borrowing the collective concept of "Odin" across infinite worldlines within the entire Fate universe.
Even... this scope had to be expanded further. Li Mo could sense the shadow of Othinus within this.
—In the *A Certain Magical Index* universe, the origin of Norse mythology is the Magic God Othinus.
Therefore, being unprecedentedly powerful was normal.
If that's the case, then can he easily kill Surtr?
The Sword of Flame cleaved down again. Does Surtr only have this one method of attack? The answer is no. Li Mo was clear about the power contained within Surtr. The reason he did this was also simple.
A heavy sword has no need for sharpness; great skill appears clumsy. But when a being's strength reaches a certain realm, flashy attacks are inferior to straightforward ones.
What method is more effective than simply swinging the weapon in hand?
The answer is none.
Li Mo knew that a thousand spells would be as useless as bubbles before this sword strike, shattering upon contact. Mystery becomes ineffective before higher mystery.
Therefore, he raised the "Spear" in his hand, blocking this cleave again. But this time, it wasn't Surtr who retreated; it was Li Mo who was sent flying back.
Flames also climbed up along the "Spear," crawling onto Li Mo's body, then extinguishing.
Surtr's power had increased.
Li Mo looked up and saw Surtr's left shoulder turn blue.
That was the power of ice. The power gained after devouring Fenrir.
"I see. So even without devouring the Fantasy Tree, you can reach this extent?"
Li Mo stabilized his form. He raised the "Spear" in his hand again.
And so, a "bow" appeared.