Chapter 46: Two Lone Wolves

With Bjorn buried, the duel begins, and Thorfinn senses at once that something is different about Askeladd's grim expression. Watching from the side, Thorkell wagers a pound of silver on Askeladd purely on instinct, needling Canute, who declines to bet and insists he will halt the fight before anyone dies. Thorkell argues that strength cannot be ranked simply by who has beaten whom, which is precisely what makes such matchups worth watching.

Eager to finish before a blizzard sets in, Askeladd flings his sword into the snow and taunts that his two hands are all he needs. Enraged, Thorfinn charges, only for Askeladd to seize both forearms and pummel him with knees, headbutts, and punches. Thorkell retracts his earlier praise, noting that the styles simply do not match and that Askeladd knows every one of the boy's habits, as if they have clashed this way countless times. Thorfinn drops face-first into the snow.

Askeladd sets a foot on his back and raises his blade, but Canute shouts for the duel to end, and the sword stabs into the snow beside Thorfinn's head instead. Roused and told he blacked out and lost, Thorfinn thrashes until Canute orders him to wait for his arm to heal. Askeladd counters that one arm or two changes nothing, because Thorfinn loses the instant blood rushes to his head and his eyes betray his aim for the neck; only fools surrender to fury. Echoing Bjorn's words, he confesses he hates warriors, above all Norsemen, and reveals that his first kill was an ugly Norse warrior, his own father. He promises Thorfinn a lesson on how to kill a man one truly hates.

Thorkell bets on Askeladd while Canute vows to stop the duel before a death. Askeladd throws away his weapon and defeats Thorfinn using only his hands, exposing how well he reads the boy. Canute halts the fight just before a fatal strike and orders Thorfinn to heal before fighting again. Askeladd lectures him on the folly of rage and telegraphed attacks, then reveals that his very first kill was his own father, promising to teach him how to kill someone he truly hates.

Titled Ni-biki no Ko Ohkami in Japanese, this forty-sixth chapter continues Volume 7 and was adapted in Episode 22. The one-sided beating underscores how far Thorfinn still stands from besting Askeladd and reframes his obsession as a fool's rage. The closing revelation of Askeladd's patricide sets up the extended flashback that follows in the next installment.