In the middle of my battle with Ymir, I fell into darkness.
The Primordial Titan had devoured the world itself, tearing open a rift in space. The rupture swallowed the floor of the Great Temple, sending both Ymir and me plunging into the darkness beyond.
The thoughts accelerated by the Golden Flame presented me with countless possibilities.
I steadied my breathing.
Opened my eyes wide.
Then, even in this empty space with nothing beneath my feet, I repeated the movements my father and the gods had taught me. First, I needed to assess the situation. I activated the blessing of the God of Hunting to detect magical energy.
A crimson glow emitted by Ymir could be seen in the darkness ahead. That meant he had fallen into the rift with me.
Suddenly, the darkness below me brightened.
The exit.
I gripped my short sword and braced myself.
“—!”
The instant I passed through the opening, a wave of warm, humid air enveloped me. The floor rushed toward my face. I hastily twisted into a landing, rolled across the ground, then sprang back to my feet.
Ymir was standing in the dimness ahead.
We were inside some kind of building. Through the collapsed walls, the dusky light of the outside world streamed into the ruins.
“…Where is this?”
The reddish-brown walls and flooring looked familiar. This was the remains of the dungeon where the Blood-Red Sunset had occurred. We must have been transported here in an instant, all the way from the northern frontier of the kingdom.
Ymir stared at me with bloodshot eyes.
The Primordial Titan let out a thunderous roar.
Red-black flames writhed around both his arms. His enormous body stood over two meters tall, muscles rippling beneath his skin, while his long golden hair streamed behind him as though it were a living creature of its own.
The deafening sound shook the entire ruin.
Somewhere in the darkness, bats took flight, their wings beating frantically as they fled.
“My… heart…!”
From those words, spoken like fire itself, I understood instinctively.
Ymir probably hadn’t come here with any particular plan. His eyes were bloodshot, and the bruises covering his face pulsed an angry red. Even now, wounds across his body twisted into mouths, chattering and laughing at me.
He wasn’t sane. Somewhere deep in his unconsciousness, he must have returned to his old base.
“I waited…!”
Had he devoured the world because of his hunger?
Or was he simply trying to burn through even a fraction of the overwhelming magical power that was causing him such agony?
“For my heart… to be put back inside my chest…!”
He charged.
Despite his enormous size, he moved with unbelievable speed. I twisted aside at the last possible moment. Ymir smashed straight through the dungeon wall behind me as though it were nothing.
I was left stunned.
The primordial titan simply kept running through the shattered wall and disappeared from sight. A cloud of dust billowed through the ruins, accompanied by the continuous sound of stone being pulverized. He was tearing through the labyrinth with sheer, overwhelming strength.
I’ve never heard of a monster like this…!
I backstepped, putting as much distance between us as I could, then pressed my back against the nearest wall.
An instant later—
An arm engulfed in flames burst through it.
“Give it to me.”
Fingers wreathed in red-black flames reached for me. They grazed my cheek. The heat and pain were so intense that I nearly cried out.
“Wake up!”
I spun around. I unleashed a storm of explosions from the Wind Spirit Sylph and the Fire Spirit Salamander, hammering the collapsing wall—and Ymir along with it.
As another cloud of dust billowed through the ruins, I ran, putting as much distance between us as I could.
| Skill 『Divine Protection of the God of Hunting 』was activated. 【Hunter’s Steps】⋅⋅⋅⋅⋅Moves silently without being detected. |
I erased both my footsteps and my presence as I slipped behind a pillar.
This should buy me a little time.
Well, that thought lasted for only an instant.
Thump.
A heartbeat sounded from my left pouch. The Heart of Frost and Flame seemed to scream, “I’m here!”. Every hair on my body stood on end.
I was careless!
There was no way an opponent who had spent a thousand years searching for that heart would fail to notice it at this distance.
“There you are.”
The pillar shattered. Ymir’s hand closed right in front of my face.
If I had been even half a step slower, he would have crushed my head in his palm.
Don’t run.
Face him.
Steel yourself.
“Ymir!”
I glared up at my enemy and stepped forward.
As we passed each other, I slashed Ymir across the ribs with my short sword. I felt the blade bite. But my opponent merely grinned, then opened his mouth wide.
“OOOOOOOHH!”
The space around us trembled again, and the ground seemed to sink beneath my feet. The wound caused by my short sword twisted into a mouth, chattering and cackling. Then the world cracked. A pitch-black rift opened beneath us, swallowing both Ymir and me.
“Again…!”
Teleportation!
Ymir’s deeply carved features twisted into an expression of sheer delight.
Was it because his heart was so close?
Or was it because—
He was devouring the world?
The next transition ended almost immediately.
“Gah?!”
A burst of bubbles escaped my mouth.
What is this place?!
I swung my arms.
There’s water around me.
No— I am underwater!
Far above, I could see the faint glow of a twilight-colored light. But it was incredibly dim. This water is deep. Very deep.
“Wake up!”
At my command, the Water Spirit Undine burst from the gauntlet on my right hand. The Wind Spirit Sylph emerged from the crystal set in my short sword, surrounding me in a pocket of air.
I was enveloped in a bubble roughly two meters across, giving me enough air to breathe.
An underwater battle huh.
I had never imagined it, but apparently I was going to fight Ymir beneath the water.
Large rocks littered the area around me. This must be the lakebed. Then something caught my eye—a white wall to my right.
The White Tower, sunken beneath the lake…?
“Lake Flocia…?”
Once again, we had been transported.
Ymir floated in the water nearby. Then red-black flames suddenly engulfed his enormous body.
As I narrowed my eyes and watched, the primordial titan began to change. His arms and legs swelled grotesquely, while webbing seemed to form between his fingers. Scales even appeared across his bare upper body. He looked like a sahagin.
Apparently, the primordial titan had devoured monsters before as well.
A roar thundered across the lakebed. It was as though an entire wall of water had been slammed into the depths.
Ymir abruptly changed direction.
Then he shot toward me like an arrow.
“U-underwater…!”
I had experience with this too.
The Water Spirit Undine manipulated the currents, controlling the bubble surrounding me. I used it to evade Ymir’s charge.
Thanks to the spirits, I had the advantage in mobility.
“Thanks!”
The mermaid-like spirit bowed at the waist toward me. Beside her, the dog-shaped Wind Spirit Sylph wagged its tail with a happy woof.
“Now, then…”
I stared at Ymir. He’s swimming violently through the water, but he seemed to realize by now that I had the spirits on my side. That was precisely why he wasn’t recklessly approaching me.
His attacks couldn’t reach me. But neither could mine reach him.
My short sword simply wasn’t long enough, while the spirits were busy maintaining my air bubble. And the Fire Spirit Salamander couldn’t do much with all this water between us and the enemy.
That left the gods’ abilities.
And when it came to fighting underwater with a blade—
“A harpoon.”
The idea struck me.
I pictured the armored goddess in my mind and began moving along the lakebed. I planted my feet on the roof of the sunken White Tower. The damage to the ceiling that Solana and I had destroyed was still clearly visible.
For some reason, seeing it left me feeling a little lonely.
| 【Sigris’ Spear】⋅⋅⋅⋅⋅⋅a ranged support. The magical effect is channeled into the spear, delivering it to the target. [+] Effect increased by the magic of the Medicine God. |
| Skill 『God of Mischief’s Divine Protection』was used. 【Friend of Spirits】…… Draws upon the power of spirits. [+] Effect increased by the magic of the God of Mischief. |
The fire spirit Salamander resides in Sigris’ Spear. Perhaps it should be called the Flame Spear.
Like a fisherman using a harpoon, I aim at Ymir, who is swimming towards me.
Sensing the danger, he turned towards me and kicks the water with all its might. We pass each other. Its rock-like arm pierces the air bubbles and grazes my side. Enduring the impact that felt like I was going to cough up blood, I strike Ymir with the spear as it swims away.
“Ha!”
The spear I threw sank into Ymir’s shoulder. An explosion erupted underwater, tearing a deep gash through the giant’s shoulder. Trailing blood and fire through the water, Ymir continued thrashing about like a madman.
His head turned toward me.
A roar burst from his wide-open jaws.
“OOOOOOOOOOH!”
His massive jaws snapped shut. Cracks spread through the space on either side of me, and once again, reality itself was torn apart.
The rift swallowed both of us, along with the water surrounding us.
“Again and again…!”
First the Blood-Red Sunset, then Flocia.
Where would we end up next?
Ymir was falling through the pitch-black space alongside me. Red-black flames began to engulf his entire body. He looked like a giant of pure flame—Surtr, the Flamebone.
The heat radiating from him was so intense that the water dragged into the rift with us began evaporating before my eyes.
The darkness brightened.
We passed through the exit and suddenly found ourselves falling through open air.
“Where are we…?!”
I was falling.
Far below, many people were moving about busily. The smell of smoke stung my nose. The space was enormous, perhaps forty or fifty meters high. On the lowest level, furnaces belched smoke, while tents packed with various materials crowded the floor.
Then I heard it—Clang!
The ringing of a hammer made me realize where we were.Looking more closely, I noticed that everyone working below was only about the size of a child.
“Wait… the dwarven kingdom of Alfheim?!”
We had been transported to the enormous chamber where I had once fought Surtr.
In the time since then, the dwarves must have converted the massive hall where they had once restrained the Flamebone Surtr into a forge.
Several of them noticed us falling from above.
I suddenly realized what was about to happen and shouted,
“Everyone, get out of the way!”
The white-haired dwarves of Alfheim stared up at me in stunned silence.
I was completely soaked from the underwater battle. And falling alongside me was Ymir, his entire body engulfed in red-black flames from head to toe. He looked like the return of the Flamebone Surtr himself.
We hit the ground.
Relying on the physical abilities granted by the Golden Flame, I twisted into a landing. I crashed straight into what appeared to be a pile of sand or some other loose material, sending a cloud of dust billowing into the air.
“Cough—”
A chain of startled voices erupted from the dwarves around me.
“Rion?!”
“Rion-sama?!”
Ymir had gotten back to his feet as well. He knocked over shelves and half-finished weapons as he walked toward me.
Wrapped in red-black flames, the primordial titan threw his head back and laughed.
“Hahaha!”
I shouted at the top of my lungs.
“Run! Get out of here!”
Ymir slammed his fist into the floor. An explosion of flame erupted. Barrels and wooden crates went flying, their splintered fragments slicing into me. I shielded the nearby black dwarves and urged them to flee deeper into the forge.
The titan suddenly stopped. He was staring at the enormous apparatus standing in the center of the smithy. It was a massive smelting furnace, at least five meters tall. A huge, pot-like structure rested on a brick foundation, belching thick clouds of black smoke. There’s probably molten iron inside.
Ymir punched it. The bricks shattered. The great basin crumpled inward. Some of the fragments broke apart into light and were sucked straight into Ymir’s mouth.
“What the hell is that thing…?”
Molten iron poured out across the floor. Smoke billowed around the furnace, and the dwarves’ screams echoed through the forge. The temperature of the entire chamber rose in an instant.
Cutting through the thick clouds of smoke, Ymir and I continued our battle. If we stayed too close to the flames, we’d be caught in them.
The heat felt like it was scorching my eyes from their sockets. For once, the fact that my clothes were still soaked was a blessing.
“Hah.”
I slipped past Ymir’s arm.
My blade struck him, but a magical barrier blocked the attack. He’s gradually regaining his senses. From within the flames surrounding his head, I caught sight of a twisted grin.
“Wake up!”
I used the Water Spirit Undine to control the water meant for cooling the furnace.
I hurled a blast of water at Ymir.
A cloud of steam erupted.
It’s a momentary distraction. I put some distance between myself and the furnace, then steadied my breathing. Looking around, I spotted a bucket filled with a white liquid.
I had seen it several times at the Awakener facility before, but—
“Hah!”
I grabbed it and threw the entire contents at the pursuing Ymir.
The milky-white liquid splashed across his face.
“Ggh…?”
It was plaster mortar.
Since it’s commonly used to repair bricks and walls, the dwarves must have kept a supply around for maintaining the furnace. Even for the primordial titan, having his eyelids completely plastered over should leave him blind for a while.
At the very least, it would buy me some time.
A voice called down from above.
“Rion-dono?!”
Floating in midair in the form of a young boy was—the king of the dwarves, ruler of the kingdom of Alfheim.
I raised my short sword.
“I’m fine! I’ll be out of here soon…!”
The red-black flames surrounding Ymir suddenly surged. The roar echoing through the forge reminded me of the Flameboned Surtr.
I called upon the power of the Thunder God.
“Thor, please!”
| Skill 『God of Thunder’s Divine Protection』was activated. 【Will of the War God】⋅⋅⋅⋅⋅⋅When facing an enemy stronger than oneself, it increases the power one’s blow. [＋] Effect enhanced by the God of Thunder’s magical power. |
| Skill 『God of Thunder’s Divine Protection』was activated. 【Mjolnir】 ⋅⋅⋅⋅⋅⋅Borrows the legendary war hammer from the God of Thunder. [＋] Effect enhanced by the God of Thunder’s magical power. |
I thought back to all the adventures we had shared.
Ymir had probably inherited the memories of countless monsters.
But he had merely devoured them and made their power his own. He didn’t understand true strength—the strength of the bonds we had forged with the gods.
Lightning gathered around my short sword. The light swelled before my eyes, rapidly taking shape until it became an enormous hammer nearly as tall as I was. The ornate head crackled with bolts of lightning.
I drew it back and swung with everything I had.
Then I brought Mjölnir crashing down onto Ymir’s red-black, flame-wreathed head.
“Ha!”
The entire space trembled.
The red-black flames vanished, revealing half of Ymir’s face. His face had been scorched black by the lightning, yet his incredible regenerative power immediately began repairing the damage before my eyes.
But there was no doubt.
I had taken a chunk out of his strength.
Ymir opened his enormous jaws and bit down on space itself once again.
The ground beneath us cracked.
Then it split apart.
Just like tearing a page from a book, we were being transported from one place to another—through the memories of places this giant had devoured and remembered.
As I fell into the void, I shouted.
“No matter where we go, no matter what place we end up in, I won’t lose…!”
After being transported through so many different places, I had realized something.
I had traveled to countless places alongside the gods. And with every journey, I had grown stronger. That was what had brought me to where I was now.
“I’m not like you. I didn’t just devour everything I came across…!”
In the darkness of the void, Ymir and I stared each other down. For just a moment, I thought I saw the corner of the titan’s mouth curl upward. Then we passed through the void, wrapped in the light of twilight.
A familiar breeze swept gently across us.
Before I knew it, I was standing face-to-face with Ymir.
A familiar sky.
A familiar great tower.
A familiar flower garden.
This was—the Odis Temple in the Royal Capital.
The battle against the monsters was probably still raging. Wounded adventurers were scattered throughout the grounds, while healers kept rushing out of the cathedral one after another to tend to them.
“Rion-san…!”
Pauline stared in shock at both Ymir and me.
“Rion?”
My mother, dressed in her priestess robes, was in the middle of healing an injured adventurer with magic. Near the cathedral stood Safi, hammer in hand. Her eyes widened when she saw me.
With everyone watching us, I faced Ymir.
The primordial titan was already breathing heavily, his shoulders rising and falling.
I’m exhausted too. We had spent so long traveling through those endless spaces. We had to be running on fumes by now. So I wanted to settle it here.
With the magical power the Goddess had left behind for me.
| Skill『Sun’s Divine Protection』was activated. 【Sword of the Daughter of the Sun】…… Imbues the Daughter of the Sun in a weapon. [＋] Effect enhanced by the Goddess’s magical power. |
I pulled a gold coin from my pocket and gripped it together with my short sword.
Normally, the sheer heat would cause the coin to fuse with the blade, but with Solana herself absent, the transformation wasn’t nearly as dramatic. Even the coin itself was blank. Without Solana—or any of the other gods—it bore no design.
But I had received the Goddess’s solar magic in the heavens. I focused on the skill and channeled that power through the short sword. Through the gold coin, the Goddess’s power flowed into the blade.
A golden blade, as long as a longsword, emerged from it.
Ymir spoke.
“…I can feel the presence of a goddess who shouldn’t even be here.”
I stared at the giant.
“Because she entrusted her power to me.”
Solana’s bright smile flashed through my mind.
I’m going to make it back to her.
No matter what!
I brought the golden blade down upon Ymir. A magical barrier rose to block the strike. Magic clashed against magic, sending golden sparks spraying through the air.
Slowly—
steadily—
the sun’s magic began melting through Ymir’s barrier.
Golden light raced from Ymir’s shoulder all the way down to his feet.
“WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
Ymir roared, and the space around us cracked.
A cold wind whistled through the darkness, enveloping us both.
I called out to my mother and the others as they struggled to hold onto their hats.
“Don’t worry! I’m coming back!”
I passed through the dark rift with Ymir.
Eventually, we landed back where we had started—the Frost Palace.
The once-majestic interior of the temple had been devastated. Already weathered by the passage of time, it now had countless pillars lying shattered across the floor, while parts of the ceiling had collapsed entirely.
Wind carrying flakes of snow swept between Ymir and me.
“…Ymir. Let’s end this.”
At my words, Ymir coughed up blood.
This monster had undoubtedly been exhausted by the time we reached the heavens. And on top of that, he had fought me while I was borrowing the power of the gods.
It wouldn’t be strange if he had finally reached his limit.
If we had fought fairly from the beginning, I probably could have fought Ymir over and over again and still never defeated him. But Lu, the gods, and the adventurers had all worn this monster down.
That was why the battle was finally reaching its conclusion.
Ymir stared with fascination at the blood coating his arm.
“I still don’t know where your strength comes from.”
Grrrroooowl.
A deep rumble echoed through the chamber. It was Ymir’s stomach.
Red-black flames gathered over the wounds covering his body. The injuries didn’t twist into mouths or contort as they had before. Instead, they simply healed. Quietly.
“…I’m hungry.”
A chill ran down my spine.
Ymir opened his mouth.
It was several times—no, many times—larger than before.
The pitch-black depths of his throat looked as though they could swallow everything in existence.
“Even in a place where there is nothing… can your strength still endure?”
The entire floor of the temple was swallowed by a gigantic rift.
We fell into darkness. An icy wind swept over us. We shouldn’t have reached the exit yet. But as I fell, a freezing gale slammed into my body. Even the golden flames surrounding me flickered uneasily.
A pale blue glow appeared ahead—the exit.
I burst through it, and a blast of frigid air enveloped me. With trembling arms and legs, I twisted into a landing. I found myself standing on an endless expanse of ice.
Glacier…
That was the word that came to mind.
The faintly glowing ice stretched as far as I could see. The sky was dark, yet there wasn’t even a single star. There was nothing here. Only Ymir and me, standing in the emptiness.
The Primordial Titan spoke.
“—Once, there was nothing in the world.”
A chill ran down the back of my neck.
There was nothing here. My heightened senses told me that with absolute certainty.
Not the voice of a living creature. Not even the sound of wind. Not a single star in the sky. There was only this vast, endless expanse of ice beneath our feet.
“…The gods call this place Ginnungagap.”
The place where Ymir had been born.
The great void where our world had been created. The homeland of this titan.
They said that the Primordial titanhad been born when cold and hot magical forces collided. The gods had once explained what happened here: chunks of ice from a great glacier collided with waves of heat from an enormous flame.
If that was true—then this glacier…
My breath turned white.
The magical power I had received from the gods was exposed to an overwhelming force of cold, and I could feel it weakening before my eyes.
The presence that had always been beside me—the presence of everyone I had come to rely on, the presence of the gods—is growing faint. Then disappearing.
“Can you still fight here?”
Ymir’s voice echoed across the emptiness.
“In a place where neither the gods nor your companions can lend you their strength?”
After crossing through countless worlds, I had finally been cast out of the world I came from.
And now I stood here, alone.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
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