The horn I drew—the awakening horn, Gjallarhorn—glowed faintly, as if some remnant of power still lingered within it. After exchanging a glance with Solana and Heimdall, I raised the horn to my lips and blew.
| Skill『Alarm』has been activated. 【Master of the Horn】 ⋅⋅⋅⋅⋅⋅Fully unlocks the power of the horn. |
The sound spread, carrying itself across the entire world.
| Skill『Alarm』has been activated. 【Seal Release】initiated. |
“…Beautiful.”
The word slipped from my lips without thinking. I could feel the flow of magic reaching every corner of the world.
I had blown the horn once before, in the royal castle—but this time, it soared higher, farther. Its power extend beyond anything from before. And the message, “Seal Release”, I hadn’t heard it then.
As I stood there, staring blankly up at the sky, distant scenes began to drift through my mind.
“…What… is this?”
There was Flocia, wrapped in lush greenery. There was the mining city of Alvis. And even the farthest reaches of the tundra—places I had never once set foot in.
Then my vision went dark. When I came to, I was floating in the sky, looking down over an unfamiliar city.
Heimdall’s voice echoed in my ears.
『Stay calm. Rion, your body is still firmly in the royal capital. Your consciousness has merely ridden the horn’s magic and traveled afar. It’s only for a moment.』
Below me—
The underground dungeon where Odin had sealed away the monsters was finally reaching the end of its purpose. Screams rang out as people fled in terror. From the depths of the dungeon’s shadows, creatures began to crawl forth—goblins, orcs, skeletons, werewolves, Garm, even twisted, horned dragonkin.
Then, the scene shifted again.
In other cities, even more powerful monsters had begun to appear. A massive wolf with blue fur burst forth from a dungeon. It stood over five meters tall, and from nose to tail, it easily exceeded ten meters in length. The beast climbed to the top of a hill and let out a long, piercing howl. Even from here, it made my skin crawl. With a swift turn, the wolf dashed off toward some distant direction. Its streaming tail looked like a blade cutting through the wind.
Another city.
From its dungeon emerged a towering man. His torn, gaping mouth reminded me of Sköll the wolfbone that I had encountered in the Eastern Dungeon. He wore a thick robe and carried a staff adorned with a wolf motif. That monster, too, turned on his heel—and vanished into the distance.
No matter which city my consciousness drifted to, the sight before me was always the same—the devastation wrought by the monsters Ymir had unleashed.
“No…!”
The scene shifted again.
The horn’s echo resounded across the entire world, reaching every corner. And then, an impossible thought crossed my mind—
Was I riding the sound itself, witnessing the world through its melody?
At last, the horn’s call reached deep within a dungeon. It passed through the entrance, descended the stairs, and slipped beyond a sealed wall that had never once been opened—into an unexplored domain.
There, I saw it.
A massive block of ice. Within it, a human silhouette could be seen. A god, perhaps, imprisoned inside the frozen seal.
—Wake up!
Golden light enveloped the ice where the god slumbered. The radiance spread, threading its way throughout the dungeon. As I followed its glow, I watched as every monster it touched was either reduced instantly to black ash—or sealed once more within ice.
The brilliance grew too intense, and I raised a hand to shield my eyes. When I looked again, the scene had shifted. From high above, I gazed down at the dungeon’s exit. A god burst forth alongside the light, weapon in hand, cutting down monsters one after another.
People stood frozen in shock, staring at the sight before them.
My consciousness leapt from city to city again and again—but everywhere, it was the same. The horn had turned the tide of the monster invasion.
“Rion.”
A gentle voice called out—it was the goddess.
Blinking repeatedly, I found myself back in the royal capital’s plaza. My legs gave out beneath me, and I collapsed to the ground.
Solana reached out her hand to me.
“Are you alright?”
“Y-yeah…”
Heimdall spoke, his voice steady.
“What you saw was reality. Ymir has unleashed the monsters, and the awakened gods are moving to suppress them.”
If only I could have shown it to Lu. How relieved she would be.…
The thought slipped into my mind.
Solana opened her mouth to speak.
“I felt it too. The awakened gods will surely fight alongside humanity to defeat the monsters. And when the time comes for them to return to the ice, I believe they will lend their power to reinforce the seals. If that happens—”
“The seals… will become even stronger?”
Finishing her thought, I looked at her. Solana nodded, a smile bright as the sun spreading across her face.
“Exactly. We still cannot maintain the release of so many gods indefinitely. But the fact that they have awakened cannot be undone. Even if Ymir tries to weaken the dungeon seals… the gods within will resist.”
I let those words sink in.
Did that mean the danger of monsters flooding out of the dungeon is no more?
The awakened gods would now stand against Ymir’s power from within. Above us, the aurora still shimmered across the sky.
A quiet breath escaped my lips.
“…Thank goodness.”
Yes—thank goodness.
By drawing out the horn’s full power, we had awakened the gods across the world. They would help defeat the monsters, and at the same time, lend their strength back to the seals. In the end, it had become a counterattack—a turning point against Ymir’s initial assault.
Heimdall raised a finger.
“They will come to our aid each time the horn is sounded—the same gods. Even in the final battle that is yet to come.”
In other words, the gods had truly become our allies.
Is today’s goal of gaining more comrades a resounding success?
“…Hm.”
Solana looked up at the sky.
“It seems Odin, too, is satisfied.”
Then, a message from the gods descended upon all of us.
| To all adventurers. |
Compared to the gods around me, the tone of this message felt almost mechanical. And yet, it was this very voice that we adventurers had always relied on as we fought.
| The battle of the end has begun. Terrible monsters are awakening from the dungeon. However, heroes and gods have already appeared upon the surface. |
The message continued.
| This battle is but a prelude. I issue this warning. |
The word warning echoed over and over in my mind.
| The true end—the war that will engulf the world in flames—is fast approaching. Three weeks from now. It will be your final, and greatest, chance to prove yourselves as heroes. |
The message ended as decisively as it began, and the sky fell silent once more.
“…Three weeks?”
Heimdall frowned, while Solana crossed her arms.
“We do not yet know the details. But it seems Odin still holds some hope that humanity can resist the end. And the timing he speaks of—”
I nodded.
“Three weeks from now… So it’s a prophecy.”
Saying it aloud, it felt right.
An unavoidable battle was coming—a foretold future.
I wondered if the gods of ancient times had once received prophecies like this as well.
A wave of murmurs and cheers swept through the royal capital. In every direction—east, west, south, and north—light shone from where the dungeon lay. Mia-san, Felix-san, and the other gods would surely defend the cities and return to us.
A knight rode past us at full speed from the royal castle, heading toward the city walls. I recognized some of the faces from the council chamber. One of them noticed me and gave a small raise of his hand.
We can fight.
Lu… everyone… we can protect them.
The voices of victory rising beneath the aurora-lit sky sounded like a fervent hymn sung by adventurers.
◆◆◆
Deep—deep within a dark cavern.
At the farthest reaches of ancient ruins that had once been a dungeon, the primordial titan, Ymir, sat with his back against the wall. He reached into a basket at his side and bit into a magic stone. Light burst from it, illuminating the darkness for a fleeting instant.
The rust-red floor and walls bore the marks of what this place once was—a dungeon carved into a barren wasteland.
“…Jor.”
At his call, a woman in a black robe knelt within the shadows.
“The monsters that have been revived will gather in the northern lands.”
Jor lowered her chin in silent acknowledgment. The sound of dripping water echoed again and again through the stillness.
“Take some of them and station them here to guard this place. I leave the selection to you.”
“As for me…” Ymir trailed off.
“…I will wait until their sun weakens. For now, I shall feed and store my strength elsewhere.”
The primordial titan rose to his feet and bit into empty air.
Crack.
The instant his teeth snapped shut, the space around him fractured. Reality split sideways, tearing open into a widening void.
An icy wind howled through the rupture, scattering frost into the air.
Beyond the rift, nothing could be seen—
Only a pitch-black abyss, gaping open like a maw.
“I must practice too… how to devour a world.”
Ymir stepped into the darkness. With Jor bowing deeply behind him, he left the ruins behind.
Three weeks remained—until the end of the world.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
Previous ⚜ Table of Contents ⚜ Next
Yume Neiji's Works 