“—No!”
I raised my voice, refusing to yield.
The old god looked down at me with his cold gray eyes.
I reached into my pouch and drew out the Heart of Frost and Flame. As I unwrapped the cloth, the heart encased in crystal-clear ice was revealed.
A murmur spread through the gathered adventurers.
Thump.
The frozen heart beat once.
“…Lu entrusted this heart to me.”
I held it up for everyone to see.
“And after that explosion… Ymir and his forces have to be badly weakened.”
I drew a breath.
“Which means… this time, we can take the offensive!”
I tightened my grip on the frozen heart.
“If this power is something Ymir absolutely has to reclaim, then we’ll tell him this! If he refuses to face us… then we’ll destroy this heart!”
The Heart of Frost and Flame. It was the one thing Ymir desired above all else. Long before the Age of Myth—back when there had been nothing but the endless Void—the power of ice and the power of fire had collided.
From that clash, the Primordial Titan, Ymir, had been born. And according to the legends… this heart, containing both frost and flame, had been the very first part of him to exist. Odin had said as much.
Before the gods stole it away…
Before they took the Power of Creation from him… that power had originally dwelled within this very heart. Perhaps the first and greatest skill—Creation—had gradually built Ymir’s body outward from that heart. First, it created the torso to surround it. Then his arms. His legs. His head. His entire colossal form.
…Of course, that was only my own speculation.
But it explained why Ymir wanted this heart so desperately. Even with all the power he possessed now, his body was still incomplete. He had yet to reclaim the heart that once held his greatest power.
Whether the titan’s present body contained only a substitute heart or no heart at all… I couldn’t know. Ymir had always grown stronger by devouring skills. If this world had truly been created from the power and magic stolen from him, then perhaps, to Ymir, consuming things wasn’t merely a way to gain strength. Perhaps every meal was simply another piece of what had once been taken from him… returned to its rightful place.
Only now did I begin to understand the words the resurrected giant had shouted.
“—I will reclaim the world once more!”
To that monster, it wasn’t conquest. It was recovery. The Power of Creation had shaped Ymir into existence. It might even be called his parent.
And this world… perhaps it was nothing more than a younger sibling, born without his consent. The Primordial Titan wasn’t becoming stronger. He was becoming “whole” again. For Ymir, this conflict could end only when everything had been restored to the way it once was.
Gods.
Humans.
All of them wiped away…
Until nothing remained except Ymir drifting alone through the endless void, just as he had in the beginning.
That is Ymir’s idea of “the End”.
“…Hey.”
A voice snapped me back to reality.
It was Mia-san. Tilting her head, her crimson hair swayed gently.
“Mia-san…”
It felt as though I’d been lost in thought for an eternity.
“Take it easy. We still don’t fully understand what happened here. This ‘Creation’ thing… that heart… what exactly was going on?”
I shook my head.
She was right.
I couldn’t stay buried in my own thoughts. Mia-san and Felix-san deserved to know everything that had happened in the Celestial Realm. I just had to explain it exactly as it was.
But before I could speak…
The adventurers began talking among themselves.
The gods had brought about thirty of the realm’s finest adventurers to the Celestial Realm. Their voices overlapped as they tried to make sense of everything that had just unfolded.
“What is this place anyway?”
“So Ymir escaped?”
“Does that mean… the battle’s over?”
“Calm down. There’s no way it’s that simple.”
Just as I thought. For most of the adventurers, this was the first time they had heard any of it. The truth about Lu’s Power of Creation. The real reason Ymir was hunting my sister. We had kept all of that hidden from the people on the surface.
Mia-san speaking up had been her way of telling me the same thing.
Everyone needed an explanation.
“I’ll explain!”
Holding the Heart of Frost and Flame, I climbed onto a pile of rubble that rose above the others.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Odin give a slight nod.
I raised the block of ice high above my head.
Bathed in the sunlight pouring from the blue sky and the radiant glow of the towering Bifrost, the frozen crystal glittered brilliantly.
“This… is what Ymir, the lord of the monsters, has been searching for.”
Every adventurer’s gaze fixed on the block of ice.
“It’s his heart.”
As if responding to my words… the heart pulsed within its icy prison.
Thump. Thump.
A powerful… unnatural beat.
A wave of murmurs spread through the gathered adventurers. Even the gods lying wounded on the ground slowly opened their eyes.
In the silence that followed, I heard Felix-san murmur,
“…A heart? That thing… belongs to Ymir?”
“Yes.”
“Are you certain?”
I answered with a firm nod.
“This heart contains a very special power. And Ymir targeted my little sister because he wanted to reclaim it… and become even stronger.”
Confused looks spread across the faces of the adventurers.
Naturally. To them, there was no connection between this heart…and Lu.
“I’ll explain everything. About this heart… and about the Power of Creation.”
For the first time, I told the adventurers who had come to the Celestial Realm the truth we had kept hidden. I told them about the power sleeping within my little sister—the ability to create physical objects from pure magical energy.
I explained how she had used that power to recreate the Heart of Frost and Flame…and how Ymir had abducted her because of it.
When I finished speaking, a heavy silence settled over the crowd.
Several adventurers let out long, weary breaths.
“…That’s one hell of a story.”
The one who finally broke the silence was Lloyd-san, the warrior who wielded the stone warhammer. He was someone I’d fought alongside back in Flocia.
From where she rested on the ground, Solana spoke.
“…Everything he has said is true.”
The goddess was leaning weakly against a mound of rubble.
She looked as though she could barely keep her eyes open.
Yet her voice remained clear… steady. Filled with quiet dignity.
“Luisia possesses a power unlike any other. It was because Ymir sought her that he abandoned the temple and came to the Celestial Realm. That fact alone is proof enough that Rion has spoken the truth.”
At the goddess’s words, the adventurers slowly looked around the Celestial Realm once more.
Keeping Lu’s power a secret had been necessary. It was the only way to protect her. If the truth had become public, people might have begun fighting over the power she possessed.
I didn’t regret that decision.
But… it was my wish that had drawn so many people into this battle.
They deserved an apology.
“…I’m sorry. We couldn’t tell everyone the truth while we were still on the surface.”
During the fighting below, we had only revealed that the monsters were after the Frost Orb hidden beneath the temple. As long as everyone defended the temple, they would, in turn, be protecting Lu, who had been taking shelter inside.
But the Frost Orb had never been the reason Ymir came to the Celestial Realm. Without revealing the existence of my sister…there was no way to explain why he had suddenly abandoned the surface.
“…I see.”
Lloyd-san stroked his chin thoughtfully.
One by one, the adventurers turned their attention back to me.
I raised the Heart of Frost and Flame a little higher.
“…Ymir will come for this.”
The frozen heart pulsed in my hands.
“He’ll challenge us again.”
A ripple of murmurs spread through the crowd. The uneasy whispers quickly swelled into restless voices.
“My sister was carrying this power within her… and Ymir abducted her. He still doesn’t know she no longer possesses it.”
I paused.
“If that’s the case… then we already know what his next move will be.”
I steadied myself. Lu had fallen into the enemy’s hands. But we now held the one thing Ymir desired above all else. It was a game of leverage. A negotiation.
Odin planted the butt of his spear against the ground.
“Watch.”
The Chief God extended his left hand toward the Mirror Lake. Its surface was so vast that its edges disappeared into the distance. Now, however, it was marred by jagged chunks of fallen masonry, its once-crystal waters stained a muddy brown.
“My ravens have found Ymir on the surface.”
As Odin spoke, the lake began to glow.
On one of the few patches of water left unobstructed by rubble, an image appeared.
“ROOOOOOOAAARRR!!”
The deafening roar shook the air. It was Ymir.
The scene showed a snowbound, dimly lit land. Inside a massive stone structure, the titan—standing well over two meters tall—let out another furious bellow. Nearby stood Freyr, holding Lu securely in his left arm. The god of betrayal had drawn his sword, placing himself between Ymir and the girl…
As though protecting either Lu… or Freyja herself.
Then… Ymir’s enormous eye slowly rolled toward us. He was looking straight at us through the Mirror Lake.
—Odin… Gods…!
—Bring me the heart that was inside the girl!
Wiping the blood from his mouth, Ymir growled.
—I’ll trade you… for the girl.
The image vanished.
The Mirror Lake’s glow faded, leaving behind nothing but its muddy, lifeless surface.
Odin kept his gray eyes fixed on the water.
“…It seems neither Ymir, nor Freyr, nor the monsters under their command escaped unscathed.”
His voice remained calm.
“Their wounds are severe.”
He continued,
“Ymir may have devoured part of the power used for creation, but that power had already begun taking physical form. Just as we could no longer use it to strengthen the gods… neither can that titan immediately use it to heal himself or increase his strength.”
I quietly organized everything we knew.
Lu had been taken by Ymir. But the Power of Creation is here, with us. The enemy, meanwhile, was still grievously wounded.
This is our chance. And with every moment that passed… with every wound that healed… that chance would grow smaller.
A strained groan broke the silence.
Thor, still sitting with his back against a broken pillar, slowly forced one eye open.
“…Whenever we’re hurting this bad… the enemy does too.”
A faint grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“That means we’ve still got a shot.”
I nodded.
Lowering my gaze, I looked at the Heart of Frost and Flame resting in my hands.
“If Ymir wants this heart back… then he has no choice. He’ll have to face us.”
But…
I looked across the Celestial Realm. Calling it devastated would have been an understatement.
Solana.
Heimdall.
Thor.
Loki.
Uru.
Sigris.
Every one of the gods was battered beyond recognition. Even speaking seemed to cost them tremendous effort. The gods could no longer fight. I couldn’t sense even the faintest possibility of using Alarm. My eyes turned to the one god who alone had escaped without serious injury.
“Odin… what about you?”
“I cannot fight.”
His answer came without hesitation.
“At best, I can raise barriers of ice—barriers even you have already broken—or interfere with light. That is all the strength I have left. My power is consumed by maintaining the seals… and sustaining the skills entrusted to mankind.”
Mia-san clicked her tongue.
“You’re not much use, are you?”
…He heard that, Mia-san.
Odin’s expression never changed. But somehow… He looked just a little dejected.
“Then that leaves…”
The key would have to be the adventurers.
But… how many of them still had the will to fight?
I tightened my grip on the frozen heart.
Even so… I had to ask. These were the adventurers who had followed us all the way to the Celestial Realm. Even if we could gather reinforcements later… if they didn’t take the first step, no one else would.
I raised my voice so everyone could hear.
“…This may be our only chance. Our only chance to defeat that titan…the monster that attacked the royal capital. The monster that has threatened every one of us.”
Once more, I bowed deeply before them.
“I’m sorry. But please…Will you lend me your strength? Help us defeat the monsters…and save my little sister.”
My words echoed through the vast expanse…
And then faded into silence.
The adventurers simply looked at me.
Lloyd-san, with his stone warhammer. The adventurers from Flocia. Those from the royal capital. The knights. No one spoke.
The seconds stretched endlessly.
Then someone quietly murmured,
“…No.”
My heart tightened.
“Asking us like that’s not going to work.”
“Right.”
The cold crept into my hands. The strength slowly drained from my legs.
“We’re adventurers. So if you want us to do something… then make it a request.”
A request.
Such a simple word. Yet it settled into my heart with surprising weight.
I looked up at them.
Lloyd-san was smiling.
“If it’s a request from the hero, Rion… I’ll gladly accept it.”
For a moment…
I could only stare.
I’d been so worried. So afraid. I’d already resigned myself to going after Lu alone if I had to.
“So all we have to do is kill some monsters, right?”
“Hah! Finally, something straightforward.”
“Now ‘this’ is an adventurer’s job.”
Grinning, the adventurers exchanged cheerful remarks. Even Odin looked genuinely surprised.
“…You believe me?”
Mia-san climbed onto the pile of rubble beside me.
Smack!
She slapped me hard on the back. Before I could react, she pulled me into a rough hug and vigorously ruffled my hair.
“M-Mia-san!?”
“Quit making that pathetic face.”
For some reason… she wiped at the corner of her eye with her sleeve.
“Why…? Why is everyone…?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“…Huh?”
“You seriously don’t get it?”
She gave me another firm pat on the shoulder.
“You’re the one who’s the most beat-up out of all of us. You’ve fought this hard… and you’re still saying you’re not a hero?”
She laughed through a wavering smile.
“So stand tall. You’ve earned it.”
Felix-san’s already narrow eyes curved into an even gentler smile.
He climbed atop the rubble beside us and struck the butt of his staff against the stone.
Clang.
“Adventurers!”
His voice rang across the ruined Celestial Realm.
“The final battle of the End Times is hereby a request! The Raven Warrior will personally guarantee the reward! So…. who among you will march into the final battle alongside our hero?”
“““Ooooh!”””
“You can count on me!”
“Damn right!”
“Count me in too!”
Cheers erupted from every direction. A wave of triumphant voices rolled across the battlefield. Then laughter broke out.
Loud.
Unrestrained.
Heimdall was laughing. The battered gods lying scattered across the ruins all shook with quiet amusement despite their wounds.
The only one left standing speechless… was Odin.
“Do you see now, Chief God?”
Solana smiled warmly.
“This… is their answer. The answer of this world.”
I could hardly believe it.
Just moments ago, we had stood on the edge of despair. The gods—the greatest source of our strength—had fallen. And yet now…
Everyone was filled with hope.
Ready to march toward one final battle.
“…I almost lost.”
Solana’s voice echoed softly within my mind.
Still lying on the ground, she turned her golden eyes toward me.
『 It’s true… you’re not undefeated. You’re not invincible.But… because you’re kind, you make everyone around you stronger.』
Nearby, the adventurers had already begun noisily negotiating for better rewards with Felix-san, the ever-stoic commander of the Raven Warriors.
As I watched them, I noticed something.
Soft lights had appeared within their chests.
Some glowed crimson. Others violet. Brown. Blue. The radiance looked strangely familiar. It was just like the light that had filled my own heart whenever the bond between a god and me had grown stronger.
Odin slowly shook his head.
My eyes followed the Chief God as he turned away from the Mirror Lake. He addressed the goddess waiting silently in the distance, cloaked from head to toe in black.
“Norn.”
“Lower the Bifrost. Our destination is the farthest reaches of the frozen north… the titan’s stronghold. The place once known as the Palace of Frost.”
The Chief God slowly closed his gray eyes.
His hood hid most of his expression.
But… for just a fleeting moment… I thought I saw the faintest smile touch his lips.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
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