Ilya chased the serpent in advance, sharp stones slicing through the soles of his feet, and the broken trunks of trees under his feet tripped him and bruised all over. However, he did not stop his steps. The impassable forest, full of crooked branches, sliced his face, and the cold solidified the wounds on his face, leaving unsightly scratches one after another.

He followed the serpent's departing voice until he reached a fork in the road covered with stones, and a statue of Veres was placed on the side of the road with three evergreen trees.

The face under the antlers looked at the beings in front of him with a sympathetic expression.

Legend has it that Veres will appear at the fork in the road between the dense forest and the plains overgrown with crooked branches, summoning the faithful.

At this time, Ilya was hungry and thirsty, licked her chapped lips, and her feet, which had been frozen into bruises, finally could not support them, and she collapsed in front of the statue of Veres. Before losing consciousness, he struggled with his hands bent upwards to crawl in front of the idol. Veres's name has been silently recited in his heart.

"Have mercy on your people, O God. ”

"They're suffering in this land. ”

Yet the statue remained silent, and God did not respond to the cries of a dying man. Eventually, Ilya's hand slowly slid off the statue.

Cold and darkness came at him from all directions.

Darkness came over Ilya, and he closed his eyes in the snow. One last thought crossed my mind.

"Is that the end of it?"

I don't know how long it took for him to wake up from his slumber. The warmth of the firelight dispelled the biting cold, and Ilya was surprised to find that the frostbite and scratches on his body had miraculously healed, and the whole person was intact.

His gaze shifted to the opposite side, and an old man with white hair and beard sat directly opposite him, wearing a gray-white robe, his thick beard covering most of his face, and only his eyes were shining, staring intently at each other.

The old man broke the dead branch in his hand and added a piece of firewood to the fire.

The dry conifer branches were thrown into the fire, causing a cloud of sparks to fly in the sky. The firelight, which had been fading away, was brighter and warmer again.

The old man looked at each other calmly and said, "Are you awake?"

"Who are you?"

Ilya looked at him warily, rubbing her hand back, but she didn't find her spear. I could only look at him vigilantly.

"It doesn't matter who I am. ”

The old man picked up the short blade belonging to Ilya, put it in his hand and rubbed it slowly, and said, "The important thing is that I got my things back, although only a third of them. Everything scattered on this land, I will eventually get it back. ”

"This shortblade is yours?"

Ilya was a little surprised, he remembered what the three elders had said before, and began to look at the old man in front of him.

Soon Ilya was disappointed, because of the old man in front of him

The old man's eyes narrowed, as if immersed in the memories of the past, and the originally dim broken blade glowed more and more dazzling under the friction of his hands. As if responding to the call of the old man.

"Yes, I accidentally lost it seven years ago in order to fight against a powerful god. Now, it's finally back. ”

"But I need it now. ”

Ilya interrupted him, struggled to his feet, stopped the old man, and said in a firm tone, "I'm going to use it to kill an evil monster, the monster that killed my parents!"

"You mean the serpent?"

The old man's expression was slightly surprised, and he asked rhetorically, "Are you trying to kill Skipper, the god of fierce beasts?"

"He is the fierce god of antiquity, born at the beginning of the universe. Even Thor, Perron, is afraid of three parts, are you sure you want to do this?"

Ilya's eyes were red, and he said angrily, "Yes. ”

"Would you like to be scattered even if you are gone?"

"Even if my soul is gone, I am willing. ”

The old man was silent for a long time, then finally nodded and said, "I can take you to the monster, but I also have one condition, you must promise me." ”

Ilya's expression was more determined than ever, and for the first time in thirty years, he was clearly aware of his purpose.

Killing gods.

Whether it is the evil gods of the heavens or the evil trolls hiding in the dark world, he will kill each other with his own hands.

"I'm willing to pay whatever it takes. ”

Ilya didn't hesitate and said directly, "Yes, as long as you can kill Skipper." Even if it's my life, I'm willing to give it to you. ”

The old man nodded and said a brief yes.

As soon as the words fell, Ilya was surprised to find that the surrounding landscape had changed instantly, and he had appeared in an endless sea at the three-way intersection that was still snowy.

The wind and waves of the sea hung over his head, like a towering wall.

To Ilya's surprise, he was stepping on the sea level as if he were on a soft lawn or moss. Walk steadily above sea level.

Not far from him, four large wooden galleons were rowing straight ahead, and Kievan Rus' had built these warships out of the strongest oak to drive out the pirates from the north. However, they never imagined that it would be used against a troll evil god.

Even a huge, sturdy wooden sailing ship sailed into the bloody River Styx like a lonely boat in the wind and waves. They made their way through the bumps, and gradually approached the giant serpent entrenched in the vast sea.

The water was dyed scarlet, and the remains of giant fish were littered all the way, and Skipper had eaten up all the creatures in the ocean. Foraging seagulls hover in the nearby sky.

Ilya asked curiously, "What is this doing?"

"Human sacrifice. ”

The old man said mockingly, "Grand Duke Vladimir of Kievan Rus' tried to quell the turmoil of the trolls, and fed the god of fierce beasts with more than 3,000 people as sacrifices to the gods. ”

Ilya's face changed suddenly, and more than 3,000 people were used to sacrifice to the evil god, and the bloody scene was chilling. It also deepened his anger at Skipper.

After a pause, he added.

"But the group didn't know that Skipper's appetite was not the greed that could be filled by the sacrifice of three thousand. Only God can fill its hatred and greed. ”

The old man stepped on the waves, he turned his head, and he said to the people behind him, "Remember the price I made earlier?"

"Of course I remember. ”

Ilya nodded affirmatively.

"O demigod Elijah, the price you have to pay. ”

The sea began to tumble and boil, as if in response to the call of the old man. A whirlpool appeared beneath his feet, and it was constantly expanding and growing.

In an instant, the sea of clouds in the sky gathered around him, and continued to converge, eventually forming a storm of thunderclouds.

Lightning.

The calm sea began to swell, and Ilya felt the whole sea vibrate, as if sensing the terrible power of the gods. He took a deep breath and was willing to give anything.

The old man pointed to Ilya's chest and said, "It's your soul." ”