Lucas Reeve directly controlled the body of the flame monster to emerge from the scorching magma. As if by instinct, Lucas Reeve snatched the two-handed greatsword, which seemed to be forged from flames, from Surtr's hands.
The flames on its surface burned fiercely, flowing along the greatsword, and he thrust it violently into the ground.
The next second.
Under everyone's watchful eyes.
The ground in the center of the distant Ursus Army Group suddenly turned a glowing red. The snow on the surface instantly melted. Many soldiers in the Army Group hadn't even reacted yet, only a bad premonition filling their hearts. The next moment, magma mixed with flames shot up into the sky. The thousand-degree heat poured down on many of the soldiers, who melted instantly without even letting out a scream.
Tsk tsk...
As expected of an ancient god's fragment, its strength is truly impressive...
Lucas Reeve couldn't help but praise it.
Since the flame god's fragment and Lucas Reeve's soul fragment were intertwined, and the flame god's fragment was a mindless power fragment while Lucas Reeve's was a soul fragment that couldn't be materialized, the two happened to complement each other. So, even without relying on Surtr, Lucas Reeve could materialize the flame god's power using his own soul power.
However, just like with Surtr.
The power consumption was simply too great.
Lucas Reeve estimated that he wouldn't be able to maintain it for long either.
Surtr was a little surprised and lost in thought. In reality, she didn't know the origin of Laevatain. Since she had memories, Laevatain had appeared by her side at some point. She didn't want to investigate Laevatain's origin, or rather, she didn't have the energy for it.
Surtr was very special.
In her mind, memories were like fragments. Countless unrelated memory fragments were jumbled together, making it so Surtr couldn't even tell which memories were her own. Moreover, Surtr's memory wasn't that great either. Some memories of her own experiences, as long as enough time passed, would merge with the fragmented memories in her mind, like a grain of sand falling onto a beach, making it impossible to distinguish which grain belonged to her present self.
She only knew.
Her current self was the most real self.
Lucas Reeve swung the flaming greatsword in his hand. With just a casual slash, blazing flames and magma clung to the crimson blade, forming a crescent of fire that cut a path through the snow and into the Ursus troops. In one go, dozens more people died under this sword strike.
"Monster~!!"
The regular army was different from ordinary soldiers.
They had experienced war, and many old soldiers had seen real monsters. After a brief moment of shock, they regrouped and orderly commanded their troops to counterattack. Advanced Ursus-standard mortars were set up, and with a series of roars, countless shells were fired at Surtr in a precise carpet bombing. In addition, special Casters controlled drones. When these [Imperial Patroller] heavy drones arrived above Surtr, the cannons and small missiles on the drones fired off with a whoosh.
A full battalion of regular army troops.
And it was the Ursus regular army at that; their strength was terrifying.
Surtr's physical body was merely mortal. Besides, even Patriot wouldn't dare to take this kind of thing head-on.
"Don't just stand there!!"
Lucas Reeve grabbed Surtr by the collar and threw her. His own body seemed to be bound to Surtr's, so when he threw her, he flew out along with her.
This maneuver gave Lucas Reeve a wild idea. Couldn't he just kick his left foot with his right foot and fly into the sky?
Tsk....
However.
The situation right now was honestly not optimistic.
Although this flame giant's body was very strong, it had two fatal weaknesses. First, his own spiritual power couldn't maintain this state for long. Second, although the flame god's power fragment was fused with his soul fragment, it was also bound to Surtr. This meant that its power could only be unleashed when Surtr was present. Without her, it was just a simple sword.
And Surtr, after all, was just an ordinary, fragile person.
A typical glass cannon with low defense and low sustain.
It could be used for 1v1 boss fights, but it couldn't fight too many enemies at once. After all, even an all-powerful ancient god from countless years ago fell at the hands of mortals for this very reason.
Humanity's strength often lay not in individuals, but in weapons and numbers.
"We must cooperate... Sur... Surtr, Miss Four-two."
Lucas Reeve knew that even if he fused with the power of this flame god, he couldn't truly unleash its full strength. Only by joining forces with Surtr could he do it. Otherwise, he couldn't last long. Moreover, he couldn't leave this sword now, which meant he couldn't possess Surtr's body to use her power.
"....."
Surtr was silent for a moment, then slowly said a sentence.
"My name is... Surtr..."
Following scattered memory fragments, she had traveled to many places on Terra. She had forgotten many things, forgotten the past, but she had never forgotten her own name and the name of this sword. Therefore, to Surtr, her name was exceptionally important.
When her name slowly came out of her mouth.
Surtr's pink eyes suddenly transformed into the crimson red of molten rock, exceptionally vivid and conspicuous in the snowy landscape.
Her soul connected with the power of the flame god, which in turn connected with Lucas Reeve's soul.
At the same time.
The brilliance of divinity completely shone upon this land.
Surtr's left eye turned from fiery red to a dazzling and holy gold.
The flames burning on her body also gradually began to show a hint of golden brilliance, looking particularly eye-catching under the sunlight.
Surtr didn't know why she was doing this, but she seemed to instinctively know how to wield this power.
Roar!!!
A furious roar.
It bellowed from the nonexistent mouth of the flame giant behind Surtr.
Its huge body swelled once again. The flame giant, originally nearly three meters tall with only its upper chest emerging from the lava, now pulled its waist out of the lava as well. Its body suddenly expanded considerably, growing from just over two meters to nearly four meters in an instant. Even the flaming two-handed sword in its hand grew a bit larger.
Phew....
Lucas Reeve was a little surprised.
He hadn't expected that the combination of his soul, Surtr's power, and the flame god's power could erupt with such a level of might.
He and Surtr controlled the power of the flame giant together.
The huge body raised the greatsword high in its hands, and fire flowed like waves on the blade.
Lucas Reeve thrust it violently into the ground.
Instantly.
The ground shattered, and a long fissure of fire extended across the land. Then, Lucas Reeve swung the greatsword with all his might.
The flaming greatsword carved a deep, fiery trench in front of Surtr.
A firestorm capable of melting all things immediately formed into a huge storm barrier and rushed towards the Army Group in the distance. The storm's speed was so fast that many soldiers couldn't react. Their bodies were exposed to the firestorm, and in just an instant, they were incinerated and turned to ash. Fortunately, the Shieldguards managed to withstand the devastation of the firestorm, barely preventing the entire battalion from being wiped out.
When the storm passed.
The battalion, which originally had a full five hundred men, now had only a little over a hundred left. In the firestorm just now, several hundred men had died, not even leaving behind dust. The mortars and other weapons had also melted in the intense heat, rendered unusable. They had no choice but to retreat as quickly as possible.
After the Army Group fled.
Surtr finally couldn't hold on any longer. She knelt on the ground, gasping for breath. Her full chest heaved up and down with her panting, and large beads of sweat formed on her forehead. However, due to her high body temperature, the sweat evaporated from her skin with a sizzle not long after appearing.
Lucas Reeve returned to the sword and began preparations for the separation of their souls. At this rate, he would probably have to stay by Surtr's side for two or three months. He had already sent a message to Jessica. He believed that the current Jessica would definitely be able to handle his instructions properly.
As for the distance.
The Mudrock Squad was somewhat stunned.
One of the Sarkaz mercenaries carefully poked Captain Mudrock's armor with a finger and whispered.
"Captain, that Sarkaz gal is way too strong, isn't she? Tsk tsk... I reckon her strength could even rank among the ten Royal Court races in Kazdel, but we've never heard of her."
"Red hair, red hair... have you guys heard of anyone like that?"
One of the burly Sarkaz mercenaries asked his slightly thinner companion.
"Nope..."
"So, Captain, are we running, staying put, or should we go up and talk to that gal? But I'm a little scared..."
Another person teased, "You know fear? Didn't you used to boast that you were afraid of nothing?"
"Come on, I'm scared now. That flame monster just now, holy crap! I almost pissed my pants, it was so fierce. Even those regular Ursus Army Group soldiers couldn't last more than a few seconds. They just melted, not even ash left. Literally turned to dust..."
"Also, Captain, we've got a few more wounded in our squad, and two of them are seriously injured. We're out of medical supplies here. If they don't get treatment, in this freezing place, they probably won't last more than a few days..."
Mudrock fell silent. She didn't speak, her tall figure standing there. No other Sarkaz mercenary dared to say more.
Finally, Mudrock said in a deep voice.
"The medic will give the wounded a simple dressing first. I will go over myself."
"Alright, Captain!"
No one stopped her. They knew their captain's strength. The firestorm that had instantly melted people just now was fierce, and they definitely couldn't withstand it, but their captain could.
Surtr sat wearily on the ground.
Over the years, she had traveled to many places and inevitably had to fight. But in the past, those enemies couldn't even withstand a single blow from her; they were pitifully weak. Today was the first time she had consumed so much energy. That last strike, which forcibly unleashed more of Laevatain's power, had almost caused the already exhausted Surtr to faint.
This was also the first time Surtr had discovered that Laevatain had so much potential she hadn't yet unleashed. In the past, she had only used a small part of its power.
Hearing the heavy thudding of footsteps.
Surtr looked up.
A very tall and burly person in armor came before her.
"Thank you very much for your help."
The other person's voice was deep, but if you listened carefully, you could still tell it was a woman.
"As a fellow Sarkaz, I don't think I've seen you before. My name is Mudrock, captain of the Mudrock Squad. I left Kazdel over a year ago. What about you?"
Surtr was silent for a moment, then said coldly.
"Surtr."
That expression, that tone, reminded Lucas Reeve of the Rhodes Island leader he had once met, Dr. Kal'tsit.
However, at least Surtr had other expressions, a simple coldness, whereas Kal'tsit just had a permanent cat-faced scowl, as if everyone owed her money.
"Are you alone?"
Mudrock asked.
"If you are, why don't we travel together? We've been looking for a suitable place to live since we left Kazdel."