Chapter 573: You are conducting a sting operation, right?

Ten days later, Wales, west coast.

The dark cloud-like dwarven armor refracted the newborn sunlight, and tens of thousands of round shields formed a towering iron curtain on the coastline. Under the cloak woven with raven feathers, the battle axes engraved with runes steamed with cold mist, and the array of bronze-rimmed spears was like icicles protruding from the ground. The shadows of sea mist floated in the pupils of each frost wolf, and their fangs dripped with melted starlight. When the berserker's throat rolled out the war song wrapped in ice, the whole earth began to tremble:

“We come from the land of ice and snow

From the place of the dark sun and the erupting hot springs

The Hammer of the Gods will propel our ships to new lands

Sing and cry for the glory of the tribe!

Valhalla, Palace of Heroes

Witness this! "

Accompanied by rough and powerful voices, thousands of Said wizards came forward.

At this time, it had been several months since Samhain. In the Celtic era, it was early winter. The weather turned cold, the soil on the ground was frozen hard as iron, and large snowflakes floated across the sky.

But the weather, which looks a bit bad to the locals, is like home to the Nordic people who are used to the icy and snowy environment.

Iron tools engraved with runes were dragged to the front of the army, forming the symbol of Tyr's sword on the snow. The bronze blood troughs were filled with black ice from the ravens slaughtered the night before. When the sun began to gnaw at the edge of the clouds, the priests scooped up the deified blood and sprinkled it into the Irish Sea in front of them. The salmon under the water had turned up their silver bellies to form the track of Odin's riding. The originally turbulent sea became docile and peaceful.

The blind prophet wrapped in a wolf stomach slit the pregnant bear's throat and covered the longboat mast with the steaming fetal membrane. Amid the bear cub's whimpering, honey wine oozed out of the stone mortar on the altar, soaking the spear tips that the warriors had polished with fine iron. The blades of the battle axes of the Midgard tribe were simultaneously immersed in the light patterns of flames - the blood had not yet flowed, but all the weapons were shaking and flashing at the same time, forming a phantom of Valhalla in the wind.

A pitch-black raven flew across the sky. Amid the sound of meteorites colliding with bone tools, the whites of the Nordic warriors' eyes gradually turned the same inky color as the raven's feathers.

When the high priest slammed the last syllable into the frozen soil, the keel of the Viking ship made of meteorite iron pierced through the frozen soil layer. The statues of the Aesir gods, the Vanir gods, the gods of Midgard, the elven goddess, the giant goddess, etc. placed on the deck flashed with light patterns and turned into a materialized blizzard, sweeping across the surface of the Irish Sea with the will of the Nordic gods, and sounded the horn of war to the other side of the sea.

The pre-war sacrifice came to an end, and the Sayid wizards threw torches into the altar, lighting the spices piled on it, and golden flames shot up into the sky.

Dozens of figures who had finished watching the ceremony walked out of the formation, lined up in two teams, and filed into the temple behind the army. They saluted the handsome young man with silver hair who was sitting on the chair, wearing a golden ring on his left hand and a silver-gray crown on his head.

"Lord Loki, our preparations are complete. Please tell us what to do next."

The first speaker was a warrior with extraordinary temperament.

His figure is as tall as a pine tree, his short silver-white hair is as cold as frost and snow, and his deep blue eyes are dancing with a faint light of magic. His facial lines are as firm as a knife, and a dark red divine pattern spreads from his left eye to the side of his cheek, adding a bit of divinity and vicissitudes. He is covered in heavy black and gold armor, and his shoulder armor is engraved with runes, shining with dark gold. The hideous cracks on his chest armor reveal the brutality of the fight with monsters. The magic sword Gramer hangs from his waist, and its blade is like a cold moon, reflecting his cold face - solemn and murderous like the Nordic snow, and aloof like a falling star. Only when he lowers his eyes, does a trace of compassion that has lost its divinity leak out from his brows.

——【Warrior King】Sigurd.

A member of the Nordic Volsung family of gods, a descendant of the gods who inherited the blood of Odin.

He was personally selected by Odin from among many bloodlines, personally guarded and taught by Odin, and was specially granted the Sword in the Tree, Grammer. As a result, he became the most powerful hero of divine blood and the most outstanding human warrior in the entire Midgard world.

Behind him were four God-blood heroes with rugged looks, strong physiques, and dressed in standard primitive Viking attire:

Hrolf the Raven King, Harald the Wartooth King, Eric the Bloodaxe King, Beowulf the Dragon Slayer...

They came from more traditional Viking clans that had not yet formed the concept of a stable nation. They believed in the use of force and followed the strong. They were impressed by Sigurd and naturally gathered behind the warrior king.

On the other side, standing side by side with Sigurd, was a bright-eyed girl.

His figure is as nimble as a wolf cub, with long silver-grey hair scattered and scattered, with a few pale strands on the ends, like the interweaving of frost and gun smoke. His amber eyes are as hot as molten gold. He is wrapped in worn dark green leather armor, with a gray-brown cloak on his shoulders, and two swords swinging lightly at his waist - the steel sword is cold, and the silver sword is dim. His knuckles are covered with fine calluses, and the palms are slightly burned by the magic pattern. Wildness and loneliness flow through his eyebrows, like an untamed hurricane in the wilderness.

——【Young Lion】Ciri.

The current queen of the northern kingdom of Cintra, the beloved disciple of the sorceress Yennefer, half-student of Loki, the god of Midgard, the son of prophecy longed for by the elves, and possesses the rare blood of time and space.

In contrast to the tribal leaders around Sigurd, she represents the more civilized human kingdom, the alliance of the Warlock Brotherhood, Dark Elves, Dwarves, etc.

Several old acquaintances that Lorne had dealt with: Gandalf the Grey, Yennefer the Dark, Rose the Dark Elf Matron, the Seven Kings of the Dwarves, Galadriel the Queen of the Light Elf, etc. all ranked behind Ciri.

Simply put, Sigurd and Ciri are the spokespersons of Odin and Lorn in the world of Midgard.

Now, according to the agreement, Odin and the gods temporarily retreated behind the scenes and simply handed over the first battle of the war to their blood brother.

His eyes swept across the golden secret rings on everyone's hands, and Loen nodded imperceptibly, and said thoughtfully:

"Since everything is ready, order them to board the ship immediately and prepare to cross the sea and land."

"I will obey the oracle!"

Accompanied by a uniform voice, the mortal kings, tribal leaders, divine blood heroes, arcane sorcerers, light and dark elves, and the seven kings of the dwarves, who were wearing the ring, all knelt and paid respectful tribute to the monarch who held the power of life and death over them on the throne. Then they received orders to leave the temple and began intensive preparations for the war.

As the figures walked away, the temple became dark again.

The three goddesses of Norn emerged from behind Lorne. Urd, the leader, looked at the Viking fleet ready to go on the Irish Sea in the distance and the vanguard consisting of humans, dwarves, and elves on the deck, frowned and asked:

"For the first battle, you're only sending this amount of men?"

"That's enough. It's just the beginning, don't be too eager to place bets."

Lorne paused and spoke slowly,

"After all, we don't know where the Sky Island is. Instead of looking for them aimlessly, it's better to let them come to us on their own initiative."

"So, you chose the human kingdom of Ireland as your first target. It is the faith base of the Tuatha de Danann. Once Ireland has problems, the Tuatha de Danann on the Isle of Skye will definitely not sit still and will come down to intervene in the war!"

Shi Koudi's eyes lit up and she excitedly expressed her opinion.

"And this Viking fleet is displayed in plain sight, just to make the Tuatha de Dana of Sky Island misjudge our strength! When the other side joins the battlefield and becomes careless, we can take the opportunity to rush out and get rid of all those idiots!"

"You have a pretty good sense of war. It seems like it was the right choice to give you the command of the Valkyrie Legion."

"Of course!"

Hearing the compliment, Shikoti proudly raised her chin and almost lifted her invisible tail to the sky.

"Attack the enemy and then rescue them, lure them out of their hole, and then, surprise them and annihilate them in one fell swoop. This is indeed a good idea."

Belldandy, who was standing by, commented seriously, then his mind moved and he looked at Lorne in front of him thoughtfully.

"So, it's our turn to take action next, right?"

The strategy is perfect, but the enemy is no fool.

The Tuatha de Danann had been operating in the Celtic Age of Gods for so many years. If they were all careless fools, they would have been defeated by invaders from other Ages of Gods in the previous major invasions.

The Tuatha de Danaan gods on Sky Island, who are blessed by Celtic destiny, must be able to sense the impending danger to a certain extent.

Unless, the equal power of destiny is used to interfere, making the Celtic destiny ineffective!

This is also the reason why the three goddesses of Norn had to hide their identities, leave Northern Europe, and travel thousands of miles to Celtic.

Hearing Belldandi's firm question, Loen nodded with a satisfied smile on his face.

He likes to work with smart people, and it seems that his three accomplices are all pretty good.

"The army has boarded the ship and the warship has set sail. Let's stop talking and get started as soon as possible."

The eldest, Urd, reminded in a deep voice, and then the three sisters looked at each other, chanted the ancient spell together, and raised their hands high to the sky.

Suddenly, the wind and clouds changed color, the sky became dark, and a fierce blizzard blew across the sea, forming a sea fog that was so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of you.

The Viking fleet, ready to set sail, quietly pushed through the water and headed for Ireland on the other side, under the cover of strong winds and sea fog.

"Let's go, it's time for us to leave."

Seeing that everything was ready, Loen immediately stood up and walked out of the temple gate, moving to the largest flagship in the sea fog. The three goddesses of Noren followed closely behind him, and kept releasing the fog of war to interfere with the perception of Celtic Destiny.

It is divided into three floors, upper, middle and lower, with specifications exceeding that of a flagship of over 100 meters. The berserkers and Said wizards, a specialty of Northern Europe, are concentrated in the middle and lower parts to ensure the operation of the ship, while the figures standing on the top deck are Valkyries wearing hoods and holding shields and spears.

Seeing the three goddesses Lorne and Norn appear, the Valkyries saluted respectfully and opened the door of the command room.

Skadi, Odin, Njord and other high-ranking Nordic officials had already been sitting here waiting.

The ether was surging, and patches of rune light were flickering. As the giant ships broke through the icy waters of the Irish Sea, thousands of Viking warships with sails hoisted high pounced on their prey on the opposite bank like ferocious beasts.

~~

A few hours later, the coastline of Ireland came clearly into view of the Nordic warriors.

They immediately took down the sails, docked and opened the hatch.

A few ravens flew out of the cabin first, passed through the misty sea and the golden beach, and came to the city near the shore. Like a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, they transmitted the images they saw to the simulation sand table in the flagship command room.

At this time, the Celts in the city were enjoying the warm sunshine, the city gates were wide open without any warning, and the guards were patrolling lazily with spears, without any sense of danger.

"What is this place?" Lorne asked.

Brunhilde, who was acting as a secretary, flipped open the map, compared it briefly, and gave the answer:

"It seems to be one of the four kingdoms in Ireland, the Kingdom of Ulster. The current king is Fergus ma'roy, a well-known magic swordsman in Ireland. He has a divine wife and is very brave and good at fighting. He also founded the Red Branch Knights, one of the two major knight orders in Ireland. His adopted son Cu Chulainn is currently the Grand Master of the Red Branch Knights. He seems to be the illegitimate son of the third throne of Sky Island, the sun god Luger, and has learned skills from the second throne, the sea god Mananor."

The information was extremely detailed, and it was obvious that she and her Valkyrie sisters had done their homework before the war.

"Cú Chulainn, the Son of Light? Fergus, the Magic Sword Master? So it's these two. If anything happens to them, the higher-ups will be worried."

Lorne spoke playfully, waving his hand and giving orders.

Suddenly, the Viking warriors who received the military order jumped off the warships like dumplings, quickly formed a team on the shore, and then formed an indestructible torrent, rushing towards the Irish city ahead.

It was not until the army rushed to within nearly a hundred meters outside the city that the defenders on the wall realized something was wrong. As if waking up from a dream, they turned the capstan and tried to close the city gate.

However, it was too late.

Accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, hundreds of washbasin-sized cursed bullets smashed into the city gate, blasting the entire gate and the nearby soldiers into pieces.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

The defenders on the city walls screamed out of tune and rang the alarm bells frantically. The harsh sound of metal clashing resounded throughout the city.

Sensing that something bad was about to happen, the soldiers either turned around and fled, or hurriedly put on their armor, picked up their weapons, and gathered towards the broken city gate.

The priests rushed into the temple and prayed at the altar, conveying the current crisis to the surrounding cities, as well as the monarchs and heroes who could turn the tide.

At this moment, a large number of Viking warriors had rushed into the city and started fighting with the Celtic soldiers.

Screams, roars, and the sounds of weapons clashing were heard everywhere, and the entire city was soaked in blood and fire.

~~

The Royal Palace of the United Kingdom of Ireland.

The old druid polished the crystal ball in his hand, and the last scene before the fall of the city appeared in the hall, causing everyone to talk about it:

"It looks like some foreigners from somewhere have landed in Ulster?"

"Damn those foreign barbarians, they come to torment us again!"

"If things go wrong, it could be another major invasion."

The noisy sounds came one after another, seeming to wake up the figure on the throne.

"Be quiet, the sky hasn't fallen yet."

With a low and old murmur, Cormac Mai Art, the Supreme King of Ireland, who wore a golden crown on his head and had gray hair, yawned, sat up straight, opened his somewhat tired old eyes, and looked at the old druid in the court:

"When was this news?"

"Three days ago."

"Is that all? I remember that the people guarding Ulster were Fergus and Cuchulain. They haven't sent any messages to the capital during this period?"

"No, since the war began, all of Ulster has lost contact with the king."

The old druid bent down and answered respectfully to the nominal leader of Ireland.

Upon hearing this, Supreme King Cormac frowned and after thinking for a moment, he said:

"Light the sacred fire immediately, prepare for a great sacrifice, and inform the gods of Sky Island of this matter."

“I obey…”

"Your Majesty, please wait a moment. There is no need to trouble the gods for such a trivial matter. I can go there myself!"

Along with a gentle and magnetic voice, a figure with features that combined the youthfulness of a youth and the sharpness of a warrior, and long golden hair that fell to the waist like a golden weave, walked into the hall. Dozens of fully armed warriors gathered on both sides of the man, making him look like the bright moon in the sky.

In comparison, the old and frail Supreme King Cormac on the throne seemed overshadowed.

King Cormac's eyes flashed with an imperceptible gloom, and he forced himself to cheer up and asked with a smile:

"Finn, my great leader, you are finally here! I was just about to discuss this matter with you. If you have any ideas, you may as well tell me."

(End of this chapter)