Chapter 415: Gelagelimu's Challenge

"Let's talk business after we've finished our food and drink! Hearing that you were coming, my son Gelagelimu took his guards and hunted down a mammoth. That thing, heh! It's enough to feed half the fortress!"

The high-ranking officials of Karak-Kadrin crowded around Sinuoli as they walked inside. Among them were many failed Slayers, their bare upper bodies a tangle of scars and tattoos, their orange crests competing in height.

It is precisely because of their existence that Slayer Keep has been able to become the most solid barrier in the north of the Qunshan, standing firm through wave after wave of Chaos. Facing warriors who truly view death as a return home, even the dark Warlords tend to avoid their sharp edge.

Possessing huge tusks and a thick coat of fur, the mammoth is the land hegemon of the Northern Ice Plains. They are like living mountains, and when they migrate in herds, their footsteps are enough to make the earth tremble.

But now, the mammoth has been reduced to the main course of the banquet. The flexible, tender-textured elephant trunk was placed before the two kings, accompanied by the high-proof spirits popular in the North World Edge Mountains, making one feel truly hearty and satisfied.

The Slayers, who roam the edge of life and death without armor, are the most heroic when it comes to drinking. Out of respect for these warriors, Sinuoli returned every toast, and after just one round, he was already half-drunk.

"Which one is Gotrek Gurnisson, the one chosen by the god Grimnir?" Through the haze, a person stood up beside Agelimu, walked to the center of the hall, and shouted at the guest seats.

"That would be me. Who are you, and what do you want?"

Already possessing an explosive temper and with several cups of strong spirits in his belly to boost his spirit, Gotrek also sprang to his feet. Seeing that posture, Gelag quickly wiped his face with cold water to keep from being muddled.

Standing in the center of the small hall was a young man. He looked five or six parts similar to Agelimu. Although he hadn't shaved his head, he already had many tattoos, and a pair of chain axes were wrapped around his arms. Looking closely, one would find several newly added bruises on his body.

"King Gelag is worthy of the title of the Generous!"

"What do you think?"

The Prince kept increasing the speed until the chains created afterimages that were hard for the naked eye to track. Then, with a flick of his left arm, the axe took Gotrek's chest with immense centrifugal force.

Kadrin-im certainly didn't expect to take down the Chosen of the War God in one round, so he didn't dwell on it and spun the chains again.

"Hiss!"

"Swish, swish!"

"Bang!"

Gotrek laughed heartily; back when he was an Engineer, he was already accustomed to the skepticism of those around him. Those rumors and gossip reached their peak when he received divine grace at Keladeluomen. Fortunately, his fists and great axe had never let anyone down.

Sitting in the guest of honor seat, Gelag saw it clearly. This was a "mother-and-son axe" technique—both axes attacking simultaneously, one fast and one slow, with the right axe hidden behind the left, attacking Gotrek from a tricky angle! The Slayer King cast an inquiring look at Gelag, and the transmigrator smiled slightly, going with the flow and agreeing. He believed Kadrin-im must have cleared it with his father beforehand.

"Guests are guests, you go first!"

The Prince gave another tug, and the left axe, which had flown out at an angle, changed direction in mid-air to head for his face. Gotrek jumped back lightly to dodge it.

Besides killing trolls today and cutting down manticores tomorrow, what people loved to talk about regarding this Prince was his vow to free his Clan from their Grudge, for which he had been preparing to become a Slayer of the Dragon.

After bringing the chain speed back to the limit, Kadrin-im threw the axe again.

Out of respect for the late King Baragol, the Dwarfs of Karak-Kadrin kept silent about how the oath originated. But as the other party to the marriage contract, the Drazkrad Clan knew the attacker was an evil Dragon—which disappeared without a trace afterward, leaving the later kings of Slayer Keep with no way to seek revenge.

"Swish!"

"Hmph, big is big, but in the end, it's just a brainless fool! Not to mention the distant ones, just a few days ago I, along with the Ancestor Chosen and King Belegar, killed a Greater Keeper of Secrets who was impersonating a false god!"

When a core member of a Clan swears to become a Slayer of the Dragon, a special kind of Slayer, those incalculable Grudges or oaths that can no longer be fulfilled will dissipate with their death.

The brief collision gave Gotrek a rough grasp of the challenger's strength, but he still felt it was tricky. Kadrin-im unreasonably chose to use the real thing, which meant he had to win quickly. Once caught in a protracted fight, the duel would be immediately called off out of concern for the safety of both parties.

He would represent the entire Karak-Kadrin; the Slayers considered themselves the most devout followers of Grimnir. If it weren't for the generation gap, Sinuoli might even have taken action himself.

"Heh!"

"Prince, please come forward. To be fair, I am willing to heal your wounds on behalf of the Mother Goddess." Gently raising his hand to let a large cluster of green light points flow into his body, Gelag successfully harvested a piece of admiration and pious prayer.

Gotrek finished the wine in his cup, threw the cup down, and leaped into the arena.

"Tsk!"

In the words of the tavern storytellers, Prince Samuga was smooth and resourceful, while Kadrin-im had his father's style and was exceptionally brave. Even his eldest brother Panom was inferior to them.

"Swish, swish!"

"Come on, little beard! Why are you pacing?"

Kadrin-im curled his lip and made a sarcastic remark. Even though he had already made several contributions, in the hearts of many clansmen, Gotrek's ability to gain the favor of the War God was still due to his proximity.

At that time, it would be inevitable to have some polite words and call it a draw. That was unacceptable to Gotrek—if he fought to a draw with the son, wouldn't he be firmly suppressed by the stronger father? Where would the face of the War God's Chosen go?

】

"Kadrin-im of the Dragonbeard Clan, nice to meet you! Do you think this mammoth is still palatable?"

Decent Dwarf Clans will inherit the oaths and Grudges of their ancestors, but in special cases, such as falling into a dead end or the target of the Grudge going missing, the "jump out" mechanism of the Slayer of the Dragon can be adopted.

"Clang!"

"Great Enemy of the Mountains Queek Headtaker, ptooey! Just a rat! If he dares to come north, he'll be frozen to death!"

"Hiccup! Could it be that the God is drunk and saw the wrong person?"

The Flag Bearer from the Southlands was loose on the outside but tight on the inside, and under high concentration, he accurately parried that strike.

"Whoa! Beautiful!"

"Please!"

The brief stalemate disappointed the residents of Slayer Keep, and they began to boo by tapping their wine cups against the tables.

Sinuoli stroked his beard and looked at the Warhammer at his waist. He remembered the story the Master of the Broken Anvil at the Blacksmith Guild told him. Before he transmigrated, the most promising young people in the Mountain Kingdom were Kadrin-im and Samuga Ironhammer.

"You're the one who wants to challenge me, why be polite?"

After finishing the pleasantries, Kadrin-im didn't stand on ceremony either. With a shake of his arms, he straightened the chain axes and began to swing them. Gotrek held his axe in one hand and slightly exercised his shoulder blades; this was his first time seeing such an exotic weapon, and he still had to observe its style.

"A friendly spar, as long as we don't hurt the harmony."