Author: Yume Neiji

This advance chapter is sponsored by Riellyster-san. Thank you so much for your support. ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ – ˵ ) ✧ .

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Perhaps it was because I had just exchanged sword techniques with Flamebone Surtr, but I found myself remembering my training with my father.

Back in the early days—the very first time I ever held a sword.

This sharp, cold hunk of metal had felt terrifying to me. I couldn’t even imagine it being pointed at me in a dungeon. Father could face blades every single day without fear and I thought it was beyond amazing—I felt more than just respectful.

“Father… aren’t you afraid of fighting monsters?”

In my memory, Father patted my head. I was only about ten at the time, so his palm completely covered my head.

“I’m afraid of course.”

“Then why do you go out to fight?”

Even as a child, I understood that being an adventurer was dangerous work.

Father looked up, a little troubled, and smiled.

“Everyone’s afraid. All of us. The old man across the street, the miller next door, and me, too. Everyone’s scared of monsters.”

“Then….”

“Wrong. It’s all because of that.”

Father looked straight into my eyes.

“If everyone’s afraid, then someone has to do it. That’s why I choose to be that someone.”

Because he understood fear, he could feel how frightened everyone else was too. And yet, he would force that fear down and keep moving forward.

I remembered now—that was the kind of man my father was.

Even in the “Blood-Red Sunset”, during that final battle when he challenged Ymir, perhaps it was that same will that carried him forward.

“Of course, there are a few people who aren’t afraid from the start. But those who feel fear, yet still steady their trembling and step into battle is something more. That’s what we call courage, don’t you think?”

It’s precisely because I’m scared that I step forward. Perhaps stepping forward despite the fear is truly what we call “courage.”

As a child, that was what I believed.

It was around that time I began my training with Father.

“A sword exists for that very reason. Every part of a weapon is designed with ways to defend and fight.”

The guard to catch the enemy’s blade. The sharp tip for thrusting. The pommel to balance its weight—and sometimes deliver a strike.

“Even a sword has a hidden hammer. Find it. Practice and knowledge—someday, they’ll be what saves you—”

“Rion.”

Father called out to me. His voice gradually became more and more shaky, bringing me back to reality.

I felt like I’d been tapped firmly on the shoulder.

◆◆◆

“Rion!”

As he called out to me, I found myself collapsed against the wall. In front of me was Solana.

My heart nearly stopped at her appearance.

“S-Solana….?”

The goddess had lost everything from her right shoulder down to her left hip. Her body had shrunk so much, and from that severed line, golden light leaked out.

Solana smiled, her face pale white.

“Thank goodness. Don’t worry—you’re safe.”

“S-Solana, you’re…”

“I’m fine. Gods don’t possess physical bodies. I just wanted to protect you first.”

She smiled as she said it.

There was no way such a wound wasn’t painful. Tears threatened to spill from my eyes.

From far away came the growl of Flamebone Surtr and the howls of monsters. Both were terrifying—but what hurt more was seeing Solana so gravely injured.

“Don’t make that face. I told you from the very beginning, didn’t I? I want to be a god who stands by your side.”

And then, she added softly,

“I’m glad I was able to protect you. But now…. I need to rest for a while.”

With those final words, Solana burst into light. The golden flames surrounding her seemed to flare brighter for an instant—as if she had used the very last of her strength to keep her divine blessing alive.

From the short sword I clutched tightly in my hand, a gold coin flaked off.

Clink. Even now, the sound was cool and clear.

Solana, who had become a sword of light, must have served as our shield as well. That’s why she had been hurt so badly.

“Uu…”

Fear and helplessness churned together inside me. My limbs wanted to give out, but the heat burning deep in my chest lashed at them like a command.

Stand!

Stand up and take your stance!

“Are you all right?”

A shadow fell across me—it was the god, Loki. Behind him, Mia-san, Felix-san, and even Safi came rushing over. All of them looked badly wounded. Mia-san clutched her left arm, while Felix-san’s right arm was seared with a terrible burn.

If Solana hadn’t thrown herself in front of us to protect us—

The mere thought sent a chill crawling down my spine.

I wanted to use my healing abilities, but the medicine god, Sigris, was still busy up above, protecting the dwarves. Besides… I had the feeling I should conserve my mana for now.

With the chain still clenched between her teeth, Mia-san asked,

“Rion, can you still fight?”

“Y-Yes…!”

No room for hesitation. It was time to start over.

That towering figure, nearly twenty meters tall—sways in the heat haze ahead. We have to close the distance again, from the very start. The monsters were back as well. Surtr’s flames had melted the frost of the seal, calling monsters to this floor like moths to a torch.

And beyond them loomed the true threat—Surtr’s weapon, the sword of certain death.

“That blade… it is the weapon of the Flamebone Surtr. Some call it the Bane of Branches—others, the fabled Laevateinn.”

Loki folded his arms, his eyes narrowing to slits.

This was the titan who had once tried to burn the world to ash. If we fell here, the dwarves would be annihilated. The fire would spread, first to Alvis, and then to the Royal Capital itself.

I remembered the vision Solana had once shown me—the myth of fire swallowing everything. The fear of seeing Lu, of seeing Mother, engulfed by those flames… That no longer felt like a distant nightmare. It was drawing closer.

——Ooooohh!!

Surtr roared.

The horde of monsters surged forward in a frenzy, fangs and claws glinting in the infernal light.

Then—thrum!

A volley of enchanted bolts and arrows thundered down from the colossal ballistae. In an instant, the front lines of the horde were reduced to ash, clearing a narrow path toward the flame titan.

Stone sentinels—guard golems—charged into the remaining monsters, locking them in brutal combat, straining to hold the corridor open for us.

“This….”

An unfamiliar voice echoed in my head—the words of the Dwarf King.

—We dwarves shall pour all our magic and mechanisms into this battle as well!

Was he watching us from somewhere?

Along the wall, a crimson jewel glimmered faintly. From above, ten more humanoid figures descended—additional guard golems joining the fray.

—You’ve found a weakness, haven’t you?

I lowered my chin in a firm nod.

Our target was the weak point we had discovered—the Golem cores embedded in Surtr’s knees. The flame titan’s lower legs were prosthetics of stone and earth. Once we shatter the cores, he would no longer be able to stand.

My resolve solidified. It was no longer simply “I mustn’t lose.” Now it had become, “I want all of us to win—together.”

“Here I go! Cover me!”

At my shout, Mia-san and Felix-san responded in perfect unison.

“Got it!”

“All right!”

I dashed forward. The distance was only fifty meters. With the Blessing of the Sun—the Golden Flame—I could have covered it in an instant if there weren’t monsters swarming the path.

The opening that the dwarves had blasted open was already filling up with creatures, their numbers threatening to close it off completely.

Chain axe, magic, and the guard golems fought to hold the passage for even a moment longer. A blast of fire from Garmr streaked past me from the side, just as Surtr raised his blazing sword high.

“—!”

I barely managed to dodge. The wave of heat alone must have seared all the way to the opposite wall. I could only hope the others had escaped the swing as well.

—But that wasn’t all!

“Rion! Dodge!”

Mia-san’s scream proved all too true.

After the downward strike, the blade swept sideways, a great scything arc meant to reap me where I had dodged. Flames carved across the floor in a wide, fanning sweep.

“Wake up!”

Safi’s inscription of “jinrad” flared to life. A sylph burst forth, whipping up a gust of tailwind behind me. I dashed forward, leaping onto a nearby golem as if it were a stepping stone, then vaulted high to clear the sweeping blaze.

Only thirty meters left!

I sprinted through the open space, the floor beneath me glowing hot—hot enough to scorch my boots if I faltered for even a moment.

“GROOOOAAAH!”

Two massive figures loomed before me, each nearly eight meters tall—Flame Giants. They clasped their hands together, ready to crush me like an insect. I stepped aside, first left, then right, but pain flared sharply from my wounds. I gritted my teeth and endured it.

The goddess had borne far worse—surely I could as well.

Only ten more meters!

I dove through a gap in the magical wall.

“One down!”

As we passed each other, my short sword slashed across the golem core in its knee.

“Second one—down!”

Flamebone Surtr staggered, the titan reeling backward, eyes wide with shock. Perhaps the speed I’d gained from the goddess, and the spirit exceeded even its imagination.

Its massive head dipped low, exposing its weak point. I called upon the blessing of the God of Thunder, aiming for the vital spot—Surtr’s head itself.

——You wretch!

Surtr drove its blazing sword deep into the ground. Right beneath me—its target. I had forgotten the risk.

He was planning to lure me in, pull me close enough that I couldn’t escape, and then get me caught up in the explosion of the Flame Sword, Laevateinn.

Felix-san shouted, casting a spell.

“Rion! Over here!”

My body moved before my mind did. I kicked off the ground, sprinting—not toward Surtr now, but away from it.

Run, run, run!

Twenty meters away, my companions waited. The guard golems had gathered to form a makeshift wall. A chain suddenly whipped out from behind it with a metallic clatter.

Instinctively, I grabbed hold of it. Mia-san gave a hard yank, pulling me behind the wall to safety.

“Ice Wall—!”

Felix-san chanted, reinforcing the wall of the guard golems with a layer of frost magic. Safi swung her hammer, striking the constructs and blessing them with “Blessing”, bolstering their strength further. Loki’s divine power joined in, weaving additional protection.

Then, the Dwarf King’s voice rang in my head:

—I shall channel the jewel’s protective magic as well…!

And then—like the world’s very end—the second blast of cataclysmic flame erupted.

◆◆◆

Thor, the God of Thunder, and Jormungandr, the World Serpent, had exchanged countless blows, their battle climbing through one peak after another of ferocity.

Yet the tide was one-sided.

Fangs. Venom. A tail that lashed like a living pillar. Thor parried each strike with Mjolnir, yet his body bore the price—wounds piling one upon another.

Dawn now had begun to pale the sky. The God of Thunder’s form was smeared with blood and mud, while the Serpent’s massive body gleamed with a dark, ominous sheen—two figures, stark in their contrast.

——How delightful…

The World Serpent’s golden eyes curved like crescent moons as a low, throaty hum rolled from its throat. Raising its scythe-like head, it leveled its gaze with the floating God of Thunder.

——You’re shielding the city… the mines… making sure I don’t destroy them. It makes your movements so very easy to read.

All around them, trees lay toppled, the earth scarred and torn. It was painfully clear where the two had clashed. Had anyone looked down from above, they would have seen how the trail of devastation crept steadily farther and farther from Alvis—away from the city, away from the mines.

If the serpent were to leap into the streets, countless lives would be lost. That was why Thor, even as his wounds multiplied, threw his body into the fray, forcing the monster back, cutting off its path.

——And yet… you still haven’t unleashed your full strength, have you?

The serpent laughed, its cavernous maw flashing crimson.

——Is it because of the seal? Or… are you waiting for something?

Thor’s face remained unreadable. From the thunderclouds gathered on his back came a fierce wind, whipping his red hair in wild strands.

Behind him, from a fissure carved into the mountainside, fire suddenly erupted. It was Surtr’s fire.

Thor’s eyes widened as he spun around. Behind him, the serpent gaped its monstrous jaws, a hideous laugh echoing through the night sky.

——A pity, really, that the boy with the horn was burned to death… But in this situation, he’d only have gotten in the way sooner or later, don’t you think?

From the fissure in the mountain, flames erupted like the blast of a volcano. Thor slowly shook his head.

“Hmph!”

He raised his broad palm toward the serpent, and lightning surged from the thunderclouds gathered upon his back. The roar of countless bolts, braided together into a single blinding torrent, shook the very air. Most of the strikes crashed into the ground, throwing up a wall of dust that veiled the serpent’s gaze.

When the haze cleared, Jormungandr fell silent. The distance between them had widened. Thor had retreated—pulled back, deliberately.

——Now, of all times… you are retreating?

The World Serpent knew well the god who stood before her. The war god who had fought her countless times—never once had he lowered his head, never once had he yielded ground. Yet now, battered and torn from shielding the mountain and the city, he drew back toward the mines… with pride blazing in his eyes.

“I told you, didn’t I?!”

Thor’s booming laughter rolled across the pale dawn sky—mirthful, defiant, exhilarating. Even as he stepped back, he raised his mighty hammer high.

“Never underestimate humans! No matter how small their bodies, no matter how many times they fall—”

He jabbed his left thumb hard against his chest.

“—here beats a will larger than any of us!”

From Thor’s chest, a crimson light began to shine.

◆◆◆

The vast chamber had fallen silent.

Darkness loomed—perhaps because the heat had shattered the magic lamps. In the dim glow, the towering form of Flamebone Surtr floated, wreathed in fire.

——How come?

His voice echoed through the scorched air.

——Why are you not reduced to ash?

I stepped out from behind the charred remains of the guard golems. In the end, Surtr had sacrificed both knees to lure me into striking distance. Yet even his ultimate blaze had failed to consume us.

I coughed, my throat burning. The heat was so intense, it was a wonder I could still draw breath. There were probably countless reasons why we’d survived.

Firstly, because Solana had clashed with his flaming sword, draining its force. Because the dwarven guard golems had stood as a wall for us. Because Loki and the Dwarf King had poured their magic into shielding us, and Felix-san and Mia-san had helped me escape at the last possible moment.

And perhaps—just perhaps—the fireproof cloak I’d saved for this moment had done its job. The hem was curled and scorched, but it had held on, though barely.

——Our flames… the flames strong enough to burn the world to ash… and yet it cannot burn a tiny human like you?

I glared up at that massive face. The tears gathering in my eyes weren’t only from the heat.

“No! It’s because everyone helped me! The gods, the dwarves, Mia-san, Felix-san. Everyone protected me! That’s why—!”

The terror of fighting with everything I had finally caught up to me. But I shouted at the mythic titan before me.

“I’m not alone!”

—That’s why I won’t lose!

——Oooooooh!

Surtr’s flames flared again, heat roaring through the cavern.

At that moment, the dungeon shook. From the rift in the ceiling, a crimson light poured down—

The very same glow that now burned within my chest.

“Rion!”

Thor hurled his massive golden hammer toward me. It blazed above my head, then shattered into light. Power rained down on me. The divine, overwhelming might of the God of Thunder himself.

——I walked away from my battle with the World Serpent for this. Now show them, hero.

With a deafening crash, the serpent’s body slammed into the rift from the other side.

——Surtr! Be careful!

Kneeling, the Flamebone Titan glared down at me, his eyes seething with rage.

The serpent’s voice echoed through the cavern.

——Thor did not retreat to distract me! The war god’s true aim… was this boy all along!

——To think he would actually entrust Surtr’s defeat… to a mere human!

At this moment, it struck me. —Our enemy had never even imagined I could stand against Surtr. That arrogance, that miscalculation, had brought us to this moment.

I stepped forward, Thor’s divine power flooding through me, as the voice of the god resounded in my head.

Skill, 『God of Thunder’s Divine Protection』was used. Achievement has been unlocked. ———————————————— A new ability has been granted.

Skills are born from the bond between mortals and gods. If that’s indeed the case… then deepening my connection with Thor must have awakened this new power. Just like the sword of the daughter of the sun had been born because of my bond with Solana back in the Royal Capital.

I stand before the colossal monster, Flamebone Surtr. Just as Thor, the god of war, once faced off against many titans, and beings greater than himself.

I now face this towering foe with the same resolve. That same will strengthened the bond between us. The red light burning in my chest burns hotter—even hotter than Surtr’s infernal flames.

Skill, 『God of Thunder’s Divine Protection』 ————————————————————— 【Will of the God of War】 ……When facing a foe far greater than oneself, the power of each strike is amplified.

With the 【Golden Flame】 from the Sun Goddess’ blessing and the【Will of the God of War 】from the God of Thunder’s blessing burning within me at once, I took a step forward.

A single leap is all it takes to rise before Surtr’s massive form.

“Oooooh!”

Surtr roars, spreading a barrier of magic before him.

Snap! A tiny, almost anticlimactic sound—like fingers clicking—cuts through the heat.

It came from the side. Both Surtr and I turned to look there.

—Floating in midair was Loki.

“You didn’t think you could forget about Loki, did you?”

Surtr’s eyes went wide. His enormous head snapped toward the figure floating beside his massive shoulder—a black-robed sorcerer, the god of mischief himself.

“In times of peace, we even learned magic from you titans.”

Loki said with a thin smile.

“I know your technology. I know how it works.”

Surtr, enraged, swept his massive hand toward him. However, Loki’s body sheared away. Chunks of darkness peeling off as though he were unraveling.

“Well, well… for me to play the sacrificial fool. Not my usual style, but…”

With his form fading, Loki turned his eyes toward me and grinned,

“Please… No—I entrust this to you, Rion.”

The magic barrier that had begun to form shattered like mist. No fortress remained. No monstrous guardian stood to shield the battlefield’s heart—Surtr himself.

I felt the tailwind of Sylph’s breeze at my back, driving me forward through the air in a straight line. The crimson light burning in my chest grew brighter, hotter with every passing heartbeat.

With Solana, the image in my mind had been a sword. But now, what I see is a hammer.

Surtr’s burning face loomed closer, the heat so fierce it stung my nose, threatened to sear my eyes right out of their sockets.

Magic power poured around me like rain, on the verge of awakening into something greater—no, it had to awaken. Everyone had given me this chance. I couldn’t waste it.

But—

『…Your compatibility… may not be enough.』

Thor’s voice, heavy with regret, echoed in my mind.

“No way…!”

The divine power he had granted me refused to take shape in my hands. It poured down upon me, only to scatter like mist the moment I tried to grasp it.

Then Loki’s voice followed, sly and unhurried.

『Perhaps… it’s because your bond with Solana is truly special. Your aptitude for manipulating magic… is only so-so, after all.』

Maybe I simply lacked the talent to seize this chance. Well, of course I did. I was born with a useless skill, a dropout from the start, not a hero like my father.

And now—of all times—my own weakness was dragging me down…!

Thor’s voice thundered in my mind.

『Rion—imagine it anyway! My strength—my hammer!』

“I–imagine it…?”

Magic was imagination—the power to give shape to one’s will. Loki had once taught me that. So I focused, pouring everything I had into that single thought. What rose in my mind was a memory—training with my father.

I could almost feel his large hands guiding mine, showing me how to do it. With that image burning bright, I shifted my grip on the short sword. I grasped the blade itself. Trusting the silver gauntlet to shield my fingers, I turned the weapon around so the guard pointed upward.

A cross-shaped short sword flipped this way became the shape of a hammer. A stance meant for killing strikes—a technique normally used with longswords to bludgeon the enemy with the guard.

With a hammer now clenched in my hands—even if only in imagination—I could feel it. I could believe I was truly holding Thor’s great hammer.

The silver gauntlet my little sister had given me felt reassuring. It didn’t just protect my fingers. It was as if Lu herself was there—her small hands covering mine, whispering: “Oniichan, you can do this.”

——Burn… I will burn you to ash!

Surtr’s colossal face loomed right before me.

But I refused to give in.

What I lacked in magical talent, I would make up for with the strength of my memories—my family’s bond. My throat strained to its limit as I shouted the name of the weapon I had borrowed from the God of Thunder himself.

“Mjolnir!”

Skill, 『God of Thunder’s Divine Protection』was activated. Mjolnir –the legendary war hammer, granted by the God of Thunder.

The reversed blue crystal short swrod erupted with lightning, blazing brighter and brighter until a massive hammer took form around it.

With a deafening shout, I swung Mjolnir down upon the doomsday titan.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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From the rift carved into the mountainside, Thor, god of thunder, burst out into the night sky.

His gaze fell downward—where the writhing form of a colossal serpent sprawled.

Behind the mountain stretched a vast forest, with a river winding along the ridge line. Trees snapped and the ground shuddered as the creature dragged its immense body forward, water spray and dust erupting in its aftermath.

Slowly, the serpent raised its head, towering high—its height alone rivaling that of a giant-class monster. Counting the length that slithered along the ground, it was surely even larger than Flamebone Surtr.

Hovering above, Thor stroked his chin, the eyes of a war god measuring the serpent’s size.

“Fifty meters, if it stretched straight?  No—closer to a hundred…?”

He snorted. It’s pointless. He had realized there was no meaning in trying to measure it.

“You always did grow stronger with magical power, didn’t you…?”

The seal that once bound the world must have kept that trait suppressed.

Like where Thor, god of thunder, turned his magical power into lightning—

Sigris, the god of medicine, transmuted it into healing—

And Solana, the goddess of the sun, transformed it into light—

This creature poured it all into sheer size.

Resting Mjolnir across his shoulder, Thor gazed down upon the serpent.

“It’s been a long time, World Serpent Jormungandr.”

From the shadowed forest below, golden eyes glared up at him. Thunderclouds gathered around Thor, the hammer’s surface came alive with crackling blue arcs.

——Yes… far too long.

The World Serpent purred. Its voice echoed heavily throughout the area, like an earthquake. Even from the distant city of Alvis came cries of terror—they had seen the monster’s emergence.

Thor’s mouth tightened.

(Just how did Odin intend to end this?)

Thor questioned in his mind.

——Before the Seal, I never did get to finish our battle.

“…Yeah”

The rising gale whipped through Thor’s crimson hair. Before the seal had blanketed the world, Thor and Jormungandr had clashed many times.

“By now we’re surely tired of each other’s faces. Or does a thousand years apart make the sight feel fresh again?”

Jormungandr shook its vast body in laughter. The eerie rumble stirred the midnight forest, and with a great rush of wings, birds scattered far into the distance.

——Hey, Thor… you may be fine, but what of the mortals in the dungeon?

The serpent’s crimson tongue flickered, taunting him.

——While they face Flamebone Surtr—without you, their strongest god—can they truly endure?

Thor kept an expressionless face . As a god of war, he is well aware of his opponent’s tactics.

The World Serpent had revealed itself only to feign interest in the city, baiting a lone god strong enough to oppose it into stepping outside—so that the battle within the dungeon might still tilt in their favor.

In other words, it was a diversion.

And then, once outside, it tried to distract him by making him worry about what is happening inside.

——Mortals are small, weak… and greedy, like serpents themselves.

“Hahaha!”

The thunder god’s laughter split the serpent’s ploy apart.

“I used to think the same. Truly, seeing it thrown in my face by an enemy is enough to make me loathe the thought.”

Thor tightened his grip on Mjolnir and leveled it toward the massive serpent.

“Small? Weak? They may look like it—but don’t underestimate them.”

Thor’s red hair swayed in the storm. The God of War glared at the serpent with wide eyes and raised Mjolnir.

“That boy—he may grow into something far beyond what you imagine.”

(Or rather… he’s already on the midst of it.)

Thor added the thought under his breath.

“Answer me, hero…”

Jormungandr coiled its massive body, its tail snapping like a whip. Waiting for it was the hammer wreathed in thunder.

“I’ve trusted them to hold against Surtr. And, we’ve learned something —we learned to fight side by side.”

◆◆◆

Flamebone Surtr rose to its full height. The golems behind him fell from the impact, and we saw them get crushed by the giant’s foot.

Even from here, the heat seared at our skin—I thought my nose might burn away. Running forward, we all pulled the hoods of our fireproof cloaks lower.

When I looked up, the titan towered nearly twenty meters, like a colossal tree reaching to the sky.

“…The more I look, the more absurd it seems.”

Felix-san muttered, and I couldn’t disagree.

We had forced our way through the hordes of monsters, pressing closer to Surtr than I’d thought possible. But he is still too big.…

“Wake up!”

I called upon Sylph, the wind spirit, and then I hurled wind blades at Surtr. However, all they managed was to scratch the surface of its pillar-like leg.

Even Mia-san’s chainaxe clanged uselessly off the titan’s hide.

“Felix-san, what about your spells!?”

“I am casting them but their effect is weak.”

Right now, the only ones managing to land real attacks on Surtr were the dwarves. From the platforms circling the chamber, ballistae and spell-cannons kept unleashing volley after volley. Yet even their bombardment broke again and again upon the titan’s shimmering barrier.

We kept running in a wide arc, careful not to interfere with the dwarves’ assault.

If Surtr was the “fortress,” then the dwarves were the siege force with their many engines and device. That made us the raiding party, circling and waiting for the opening.

——Hooooo!

Surtr roared. The entire dungeon shook, and the sound made my eardrums feel like they might burst.

“W–what!?”

Safi staggered, only to be caught in Loki’s arms.

“…Hmm.”

The god narrowed his eyes.

“Looks like it’s Surtr’s turn to go on the offensive.”

The flame titan lifted one of his colossal leg high.

——OOOOOH!

It was only a single stomp. And yet, that alone sent a furnace wind surging through the chamber.

I hastily awakened Salamander, and the gods Loki and Solana wrapped their protection around me. Even so, the raging storm of heat blasted away the Garmrs and wave after wave of golems.

The merciless destruction sent chills down my spine.

“H-he’s striking his allies too…?”

“If they mattered to him, he wouldn’t let people mine ore straight out of his body in the first place!”

Mia-san was right.

Whether we liked it or not, this proved what we were up against was no person, but a monster.

Surtr’s crimson eyes blazed. The titan raised his fist high, then brought it down upon one of the platforms. A colossal ballista shattered into fragments, its debris falling alongside the dwarves who had manned it. Even Sigris and Uru, who guarded the platforms, couldn’t shield them all.

Surtr’s booming laughter echoed.

——Born of fire, return to fire!

The collapsing platform seemed to fall in agonizing slow motion.

Safi screamed.

——OOOOOH…

Surtr rumbled low in his throat, his enormous face twisting into a grin. When his jaws parted, I glimpsed jagged fangs, glowing red-black like molten iron. Even now, terror threatened to make me shake.

I slapped my own cheek.

Get it together. Don’t look away.

If I falter here, then surely, not just me, but my companions, the dwarves, Lu, and even Mother would all be swallowed by fire.

“Please… Uru’s blessing—!”

Calling on the Blessing of the Hunter God, I stretched my senses with magical detection.

“…T-there has to be some weakness…!”

That’s when I noticed something strange. At first, I thought it was only the heat and tears warping my vision. But no—there, near Surtr’s knee, gleamed a red light. A light eerily similar to a golem’s core. But before he had stood up, I was sure nothing like that had been there.

“S–Safi…”

Still held in Loki’s arms, Safi wiped her tears away.

“What is it?”

“There’s a magical reaction in Surtr’s knee. It looks almost exactly like a golem core…”

Her eyes widened—then blinked, as though some forgotten memory had just stirred.

“Come to think of it… when I arrived here, there was a golem master. I couldn’t figure out why he was there, but now…?”

Something clicked in my mind as well. That Incarnation of Rage we had fought earlier.

If one could forge a giant golem, then maybe—just maybe—a titan’s very body parts could be built the same way…?

“Rion, don’t stop running! Treat it like any other giant-type monster!”

The voice of a senior adventurer snapped me back to my senses.

“R–right!”

I forced my legs to move again.

Surtr hurled a fireball. Towering pillars of flame roared up around us, scattering fleeing figures in every direction. Flying rubble tore a gash across my cheek. Without the dwarves’ covering fire, even attacks like this would have crushed us in relentless succession.

Through the gaps between the explosions, we caught glimpses of him—

“…Around the legs, the flames seem weaker?”

Mia-san’s words earned a quick nod from me.

“Yes. There, it almost looks like it’s made of soil and stone…”

“Ah!”

Safi suddenly cried out.

“…The legs—it matches that spot. At the very beginning, that giant’s feet were bound in sealing ice. And then… one leg still had an ancient ballista bolt lodged in it, from ages ago…”

Safi pressed a hand to her lips as she murmured.

“Could it be… they reinforced the injured leg with golem technology?”

Loki narrowed his eyes, agreeing. Even in a moment like this, he raised a finger as if lecturing.

“Mmm, I see. The grievous wounds he suffered from the dwarves before the sealing never healed. So, with his flesh missing, they patched him up with soil and stone using golem technology.”

Odin’s seal had been dragging Surtr’s legs down all along. A wound sustained a thousand years ago, kept under the seal—perhaps not even a monster’s regeneration could mend it.

“Uh—let me sort this out…”

The truth lined up in my mind.

A golem core was reinforcing Surtr’s crippled leg with stone and earth. Both legs had been pierced by the dwarves’ great ballista bolts—this was, in effect, a kind of prosthetic limb. That was why, once he stood upright, the Blessing of the Hunt God had reacted.

And Safi had seen the golem engineer. If it was for emergency measures like this, it all made sense.

“We… we might’ve found his weak point!”

Circling behind Surtr, I fixed my eyes on the golem cores.

Just as I thought—both his knees glowed with a crimson light. If we destroyed them, even that colossus would surely falter. Standing on two legs was the same weakness for giants as it was for us.

That was when Mia-san suddenly pointed straight upward, her face gone pale.

“Y—you’ve got to be kidding me!”

Surtr’s fist was already raised. The ground shook under his forward step. Loki and Felix-san hurled spells to deflect the blow, but stopping it outright was impossible.

The fist came down.

The floor bent like liquid under the impact, launching all of us into the air. The goddess stepped forward, spreading her arms to shield us. Her golden hair streamed straight back in the scorching gale.

“H-here it comes, Rion! The magic shockwave—!”

Together with Solana, we were blasted high into the air.

“Wah—!”

We must’ve been launched a good ten meters up.

Yet we didn’t crash into the walls or floor. The fall was strangely gentle. That was when I saw them—pale dwarves with delicate, feather like wings. White dwarves, catching us in their arms, softening our descent. One by one, they lowered us gently back to the ground.

“Th-thank you…!”

I called out in gratitude, but the white dwarves only gave a small nod before gliding back to the platforms.

I turned again toward the flame giant.

Surtr had dropped to one knee, coiling himself like a spring, gathering strength.

My chest pounded. His movements had stilled—and that made it feel like the perfect chance. His knees, his weakness, were pressed firmly against the ground, hardly shifting at all.

My heart raced like a drum.

Was this a chance—or a trap?

“Solana!”

I chose to gamble.

The blast had hurled us far away, leaving thirty meters between us. At that range, only one option had the power we needed.

Solana’s golden eyes flared as she nodded.

“I understand!”

Skill, 『Sun’s Divine Protection』was used. Sword of the daughter of the Sun has been created. ―――――――――――――――――――― 【Sword of the Daughter of the Sun】 ……The daughter of the Sun imbues herself into the weapon.

The goddess sank into the blue crystal short sword in my hand. The gold coin leapt from my pouch, fusing with the blade. The light-forged sword—the same that once felled Wolfbone Skoll —blazed to life, its radiance surging upward until it nearly brushed the cavern’s ceiling.

――Oooohhh!

Surtr roared.

Even as he knelt, Surtr pressed his massive palms together. Between them, fire swelled—gathering and thickening until it surged outward into form. It turned into a blade.

A sword of flame.

“—!”

That sword of flame caught the Sword of the Daughter of the Sun head-on.

The clash rang like the tolling of giant bells.

In the vast chamber, golden sparks and red-black embers scattered in showers so blinding they stabbed at my eyes. Goddess and giant, light and flame—locked in equal measure. Their magic was evenly matched.

What tipped the balance was skill.

Still bracing against the divine blade, Surtr rose slowly to his full towering height. His burning weapon slid upward against mine, then he twisted it in a swift, fluid arc. It was a technique called “Maki otoshi,” in which one releases his sword from the sword lock and launches a counterattack.

My opponent was so huge that it was foolish to compare to him. After all, Surtr’s strength and technique could not be pushed back!

——Oooohhh!

With a roar, he wrenched the blades apart.

——Burn, and turn to ash!

From a sweeping stance, Surtr’s flaming sword scythed across, aimed to cut us all down.

I raised the Sword of the Daughter of the Sun as a shield, bracing to protect the others.

“Rion!”

“Solana—protect everyone!”

I couldn’t hold my ground. My feet lost contact with the ground, and in that instant the heatwave struck me like a hammer.

I was blown away.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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The moment we stepped out of the temple, I used my skill, Sun’s Divine Protection, upon Mia-san and Felix-san. Golden flames wrapped around them so we could chase after Safi faster.

Entering the dungeon from the far side of the mountain, the Horn of Awakening, Gjallarhorn, lit up at once. No doubt it was the dwarves’ way of guiding us, pointing towards where our true destination lay.

I blew the horn in the passage which stirred the mechanisms far ahead of us. Maybe everything was done just in time. We are now standing here protecting Safi.

“Rion…!”

The dwarf blacksmith wiped away her tears.

This reminded me of Father somehow, and so I forced myself to smile, nodding as firmly as I could—trying to look dependable.

“It’s all right now. We’re all here—together.”

At the front, Thor the God of Thunder stood like a wall, followed by Loki, Uru, and Sigris—the four gods forming our vanguard. A step behind them, Solana hovered close to us. Mia-san readied her chain axe and Felix-san leveled his staff. We held our formation on the dungeon floor.

But that’s not all. We got allies above as well. The vast chamber rose like a hollow cylinder, ringed with multiple tiers of platforms. Mounted on them were heavy ballistae and arcane engines and every weapon are trained upon the enemy.

Yes—the enemy.

All we had to do was look up to understand the scale of what we are about to face.

Pressed against the far wall, loomed the massive form of Flamebone Surtr. Even in kneeling posture, the flame titan’s body made the “Incarnation of Rage” or the “Flame Golem” we had fought before look small. If he stood to his full height, I think he would easily near twenty meters.

And at that same level, standing with folded arms as if enjoying the spectacle, was a woman cloaked in black.

“Well, well… it’s been a while, hasn’t it, horn boy?”

I took a deep breath. I readied my blue crystal short sword and crouched down. Step by step, I repeated the movements I had learned.

“How’s your little sister these days?”

Cutting through the tense silence of the great hall that’s in a deadlock, came her gloomy voice.

So it really was her!

As I had thought, she’s the slave trader who had shown up in the Royal Capital. But I am not  someone who would falter at her taunts.

I pressed my lips shut and met the woman’s gaze head-on.

“Your little awakening skill is quite marvelous. I’d dearly love to have such a gift for myself… But tell me, your sister also have something unusual, right? Some delightful power of her own, isn’t it?”

My body almost instinctively took a step backwards.

The sound of her voice was vile, coiling through the chamber like a great serpent, prickling at my instincts with a primal warning.

“Have you release some kind of seal inside her? As though… there’s something else living within?”

Lu’s face flashed across my mind.

The first time she’d used her skill, Creation, she’d seemed shackled, as though bound by invisible cuffs.

“Right, I thought so. Fufufu.”

Had she sensed my hesitation?

“But, is it really okay for you to be here? You see, no matter where she’s concealed, a brother who loves his sister will always, always find her…”

Brother…?

What is she talking about?

“You are not the only one who has the right to call that child ‘little sister’ you know.”

I felt my stance waver, the short sword trembling in my grip. The most important thing to me—my family—had been spit out with malice.

“W–what are—!”

“Rion!”

Solana’s voice cut sharp at my side.

She was pointing into the darkness where a flicker of crimson had begun to bloom.

“G-garmr’s fireball!”

Safi’s shout tore through the chamber.

Damn it! I let myself get distracted!

The blazing sphere, birthed from the maw of the hellhound, streaked toward us like a falling star.

“Fufufu. Really now… you’re playing fire before a god huh.”

With a snap of his fingers, Loki smothered the fireballs in mid-flight. The flames vanished as though they had never existed.

And with that, the battle resumed.

From the walls, the dwarves’ contraptions unleashed their fury. Arrows and bolts rained down with bursts of magic, searing the horde of monsters. But no rain of steel could stop them all—those too swift or too fierce, tore through the barrage fire. However, each that broke the line found themselves engulfed in Loki’s conjured flame. They were incinerated before they could close the distance.

This was a battle between two massive armies. A scale I had never seen before.

At that moment, a sound came. Chains jingled, heavy and merciless, they start slithering across the stone like iron serpents.

“To reach Surtr, we first have to carve our way through this horde of monster.”

Mia-san narrowed her eyes at the titan waiting fifty meters ahead.

The colossus living flame crouched with arms crossed before its chest, gathering power. Looking more closely, streaks of red and black, writhing like curses, is rising from his body.

“…That looks like the same effect as the titan’s ashes, doesn’t it?”

At my words, Felix-san lowered his staff and peered ahead with his far sight.

“Most likely. He’s undoing the seals on the creatures around him.”

My throat tightened, a hard swallow escaping.

The monsters kept coming—more and more pouring through the dwarves’ defenses, heedless of the bolts and fire raining down. Even with the awakening horn and the gods at our side, I couldn’t really lean on their protection forever.

Because in the end, I would still have to face Surtr.

I tried to summarize the situation.

“So, in other words—”

“Until Surtr falls, the monsters will be endless.”

Felix-san finished my words for me.

Mia-san groaned.

“Ugh, that’s just brutal…”

I didn’t say it aloud, but I felt the same.

Thor looked back at us and laughed.

“It isn’t just the monsters.”

Thor’s great eyes lifted to the black-robed woman standing on the high platform.

“Surtr’s loosening those seals for something bigger—something far worse.”

As if in answer, the flame titan uncrossed his massive arms. His right hand rose, fingers spread out toward one of the platforms—the one mounted with a great ballista.

“Everyone, move!”

Safi’s cry echoed.

From Surtr’s fingertips burst a blazing sphere of fire, a miniature sun hurled straight at the dwarves’ defenses. It struck before the ballista, exploding it in a thunderous bloom. Dust and smoke roared outwards right after.

—However, two figures intercepted it. Uru, God of the hunt, and Sigris, God of medicine. They soared up together, erecting a wall of magic that shielded the platform from ruin. Hovering in mid air, the gods braced for another strike.

Surtr exhaled in fury. His breath was molten heat. The wave of it searing even across the chamber where we stood far from him.

“…Protect the dwarf. Break through the monsters. And strike Surtr down. That’s it.”

Thor’s words made me clench my jaw. I nodded back.

The dwarves turned their artillery on the titan, launching bolts and spells. Surtr was ready though. A red-black barrier spread before him, knocking every shot aside.

It was like a castle siege.

With the dwarves focused on the titan, the monsters swarmed free. The ground shook. Golems thundered forward. Golems, Garm, and even rock worms closed in on us, shaking the ground.

“Ya!”

Solana thrust both hands forward, a burst of golden light exploding from her palms. The force hurled a golem and the hellhound Garmr together, slamming them into the far wall in a tangled heap.

Thor’s hammer struck, scattering foes like dry twigs. Loki’s magic flared as well. The cascade of fire and darkness pushed back the enemies. If viewed from above, it might have looked like a surging black wave colliding with the gods and breaking apart.

“Amazing…”

I could only stare in awe.

The dwarves’ ingenious weapons. The gods’ overwhelming power.  Beyond them all, the apocalypse embodied by the flame titan Surtr, towers above the swarm. And we—mere humans—were in the very heart of it.

“Rion!”

Solana turned toward me, her smile is small but radiant.

Heat surged through my chest.

“Everyone—forward!”

I shouted. We advanced, cutting a path through the black tide of the apocalypse.

Monsters came without end.

A Garmr lunged at us with its fangs but I dove beneath its jaws, stabbing it in the throat with my crystal short sword. Against a rock worm, I wake up the wind spirit. Its wind blade cut through the worm’s armored carapace, cutting it in half.

“Haah!”

Mia-san’s axe rang against a golem’s stone hide. The crimson runes carved into her weapon flared, blasting a part of its hide into shards. With the glowing core exposed, Felix-san’s ice magic speared through, freezing and shattering it.

“Gooaaaaah!”

A massive four-legged creature approached, letting out a particularly loud roar. Its horns were ablaze, a Muspelheim Aurochs—commonly known as the “Fire Bull.” It’s a mid-boss of the Alvis Dungeon. A nightmare in its own right. Head lowered, horns aglow, the beast charged straight at us, its bulk the size of two wagons barreling side by side.

“Haah!”

I lunged forward, lightning crackling along the blade in my hand. With the Thunder God’s Protection, lightning flowed into my crystal short sword. My weapon blazed, and I brought it down in a flash of stormlight.

“Grrrhh—!?”

The fire bull’s horn met the strike head-on—only to be blasted back as if struck by a thunderbolt. Its massive body swayed through the chamber, toppling down several golems.

“D-did the horn do this…?”

The gods’ power is stronger now.

To think that even a dungeon mid-boss could be flung aside in a single strike is simply amazing.

Felix-san and Mia-san stared at me, equally astonished.

A shiver of exhilaration ran through me.

“Come on, everyone! Forward!”

No matter how many monsters rose against us, we would keep pushing through.

――So, you’ve come this far huh.

The voice rolled like distant thunder, shaking the air itself.

Surtr’s eyes flared crimson, casting their light down upon us. Just the weight of that gaze felt like it could have crushed us outright.

If mere sight could kill, we’d all be gone.

“…Very well.”

From a platform above Surtr’s head, the black-robed woman stepped forward.

She drew back her hood. Long black hair, twisted and coiled like serpents, tumbled free. Her red lips curved into a mocking smile.

“Now that Surtr is fully awake… perhaps it’s time I joined the fray.”

Right after she said that, the air around her surged with a murky glow. It’s red and black, resembling the ashes of the titan. It is now rapidly gathering around the woman.

“Boy with the horn.”

She spoke. Her voice is filled with cruel amusement.

“Let me name myself properly. I am Serpentbone Jor, one of the monsters birthed by Ymir-sama.”

The woman looked down upon us and spoke.

“Behold—the World Serpent, Jormungandr.”

From her body, a foul, tar-black vapor erupted, streaming upward through the rift torn in the ceiling. It surged out into the open night sky. And then, under the pale light of the moon, it appeared.

Black scales. Golden eyes. A maw of crimson.

I forgot to breathe.

The serpent was so enormous that it completely covered the night sky visible through the rift. Its girth alone looked as if it could barely squeeze through the Royal Capital’s main gates. Its length? Impossible to fathom. Yet every fiber of my being knew—it was colossal beyond reckoning.

I know. It’s a creature that could coil itself around castles, around fortresses, and crush them as though they were toys.

“Serpentbone…”

I remembered the mural. The one I had seen in the Southern Dungeon near the capital. It spoke of the lieutenants born from Ymir’s bones. From the bones of both of his arms, an enormous serpent had been created.

“T-this is…”

I couldn’t help but let my voice slip out.

Above Surtr’s blazing form, the rift gaped wide, and through it the serpent’s face gazed down.

――Well then… while you’re all busy fighting Surtr, perhaps I’ll pay a visit to Alvis.

The massive eye curved into a crescent shape.

The serpent withdrew its head from the rift, turning its gaze toward the distant city. Faintly—so faintly we could still hear them—rose the screams of its people, already sensing the encroaching horror.

――You never imagined, did you? That two lieutenants of such magnitude would stand against you at once.

A streak of red light burst upward, hurtling towards the rift.

Lightning exploded against the serpent’s scaled face.

“…So it was you.”

Thor had thrown Mjölnir.

The hammer returned to his hand as he rose into the air, hovering within the vast chamber. His eyes locked on the serpent’s.

The World Serpent glared back at him.

――Last time… the twilight of the gods ended without our battle reaching its end.

“Hmph. The same is true for me.”

The thunder god’s and the serpent’s voices reverberated off the high stone vaults.

Then Thor’s gaze fell upon me.

“Rion! Leave the outside to me. The inside—”

I raised my short sword high in answer.

“Yes! Leave it to me!”

Thor smiled. Like a brief moment of sunshine on the rocky mountain, his face quickly returned to that of the stern god of thunder, but it was undoubtedly a smile. And in that fleeting moment, I felt the same red light burn within my chest, just as it burned in his.

“…Thank you. You’ve become a fine warrior.”

With that, Thor flew through the rift, out into the night.

Outside—the Thunder God against the World Serpent Jormungandr.

Inside—us against Surtr.

Two monsters of the apocalypse. Both ours to face.

“…Father must have been afraid too.”

But he had chosen nonetheless—chose to protect.

I made my decision too.

I hesitated and spent a lot of time thinking about it, but I’ve finally found the answer. So now, I am moving forward.

――Then, come.

Flamebone Surtr also rose, along with a wave of heat.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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This advance chapter is sponsored by Riellyster-san. Thank you so much for your support. ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ – ˵ ) ✧ .

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Safi disappeared from the temple chamber. She must have headed toward the deepest level of the Alvis Dungeon alone.

I stood frozen in the empty room. Through the open window, the night wind howled. The distant mountains were stained red by a pillar of light rising from their slopes to the sky. The echoes of a great roar still lingered in the air.

“I’m going after her!”

I dashed down the stairs and out into the open.

From the temple’s high platform, I looked down over the city—and despair struck me. Crowds of people were moving about, preparing for the coming battle. It was like a mild panic had seized the streets.

To find Safi who’s like a small child in all this is impossible…!

“W-what should I do…?”

My head felt like it was splitting open.

What should I do?

Regret clawed so harshly at my chest that it was so unbearable.

At this moment, I heard the sound of many footsteps behind me. Mia-san, Felix-san, and the Raven Warriors must have rushed out, drawn by the commotion.

“…..You lost sight of Safi?”

Felix-san’s grimaced.

“It was our oversight. The windows weren’t supposed to open, but we underestimated the strength of a black dwarf.”

At that moment, a sudden lightness filled my heart. Like when, in the middle of a raging storm, you pass through a break in the clouds and the wind and rain ease for just a moment.

—Go ahead!

My heart was shouting at me.

When we parted ways with the dwarf king, I hadn’t been able to hear that voice. But now was different. I had hesitated once—I wavered, worried, unable to make up my mind.

So this time, I lift my head high, steady my breathing, and puffed out my chest.

“Let’s go after Safi too.”

The words I spoke clashed against Felix-san’s frowning face.

“…It’s too dangerous.”

And from the coin came another voice—Thor’s.

『He’s right. If the dwarves truly betrayed us, there may already be traps waiting there.』

A flood of thoughts surged through me. Felix-san and Thor are both right. They’re saying that such scenario is “more certain.” Outside the dungeon, we could muster an army. On the other hand, inside the dungeon, there might be traps, and the number of people is limited.

No reasoning of mine could overturn that truth. And yet, as those arguments spun through my head, other images broke through.

Safi, her face lit with laughter as sparks danced in the forge. Black dwarves and white dwarves, side by side, their hammers rising and falling in unison.

Could I really sweep all of that away with just that single word—betrayal?

No. That warmth, that fragile hope, was something I could not discard.

“The lowest level of the dwarves’ dungeon isn’t just a den of monsters—it’s the place where their true power lies dormant. And… that’s why we came here with the awakening horn, Gjallarhorn, isn’t it?”

I reminded myself of our original purpose. We had anticipated the threat of monsters. Even so, we came to rouse the power hidden within the dwarves’ dungeon.

“…..Which means, this argument will simply go in circles.”

Felix-san planted his staff on the ground. His gaze fixed on me, checking my resolve.

“Rion. You say you believe in the dwarves. We, on the other hand, cannot. And the facts we have witnessed in the dungeon—they all seem to point towards the dwarves betrayal.”

“But the guard golems fought against the giant golems. The great ballista was aimed at them as well. And… I’m certain, when the Dwarf King looked at my horn, he was about to say something—something important.”

Felix-san pressed his lips together.

The coin trembled in my hand, and from it Thor’s voice boomed like thunder.

『Just that?』

“Yes. Just that.”

『Feeble. Compared to the giant-forged weapons… and the scene of their dealings, your claim is nothing.』

His voice resounded in my head with such authority that, if I let myself slip for even a moment, I would crumble beneath it.

“S–Still… it comes down to this. Whether the dwarves’ technology stands with us or against us—we’ll know once we pursue Safi. Once we reach the lowest level and break whatever was sealed there…!”

『Hmph! In other words, it’s just a gamble.』

Thor spat the word as if it were an insult.

『If the dwarves truly betrayed us, then the gamble is lost—and so are we. If they had not… then the trap and technology they left behind may become our ally.』

Such exchange of words stopped there. Silence pressed in on us, so heavy that it felt like it would crush my chest.

『Rion. Will you drag your comrades… this entire city… into such a gamble?』

I might have just made enemies of both the gods and the Raven warriors. But—even so, I have to say this. If we were speaking of comrades, then Safi is one as well.

“T-then… believe in me.”

Felix-san’s mouth fell open, as if he had taken a masterful counter blow he hadn’t seen coming.

“B-belive in you…?”

“Yes. I believe in Safi, in the dwarves. So believe in me.”

For a long moment, no one spoke. I had already laid bare the voice of my heart. And when I thought about it, perhaps it was very simple.

To declare, “Even so, I want to believe”.

All the evidence before us screamed betrayal. But if no one gave voice to belief—if I didn’t—then who would? There’s never such a thing as helping someone without risk.

“…In other words, what you want to say to us—the Raven warriors—is simply this: ‘Follow me.’”

For a moment, I nearly flinched. But when put that way, he wasn’t entirely wrong.

“I see. Hmm..…”

Felix-san took a step back, lifting his gaze toward the night sky.

“With the defenses as strong as they are now, if we hedge our bets… at the very least, a reconnaissance mission would be warranted.”

A soft chuckle escaped him, his shoulders shaking.

W—was he… laughing?

Perhaps sensing the change in the wind, Thor spoke,

『But that would mean—』

『Thor.』

『Stay quiet, Solana. You’re far too lenient with your followers. Listen well, Rion. What you’re really saying is—』

Once again, the coin trembled.

『Why not let him?』

It was Loki who spoke.

『Loki, you—!』

 Thor roared back.

『Thor, you’re looking at this the wrong way. You and Felix speak of safety—of a battle you cannot easily lose. Rion is different. His way is riskier, yes… but it’s a gamble to win. To gain new allies and turn the tide. That’s the choice he’s offering.』

Thor faltered, unable to reply at once.

The coin trembled again, and in a flash of light, a miniature Thor wreathed in thunder burst into the open. Loki answered in kind, slipping free of the coin as well, fire curling around his form.

Between me and Felix-san, the two gods faced each other—one clad in lightning, the other in flame, their glares colliding like weapons.

“…Loki. I thought you doubted the dwarves as well.”

“Oh, I still do,” Loki sang back, almost lazily.

“Doubt is part of the risk. But even so—”

At the corner of his eyes, Loki glanced at me.

“Never making a mistake—that’s not the mark of a hero.”

Something in his tone caught me off guard. For all his usual tricks and mischief, in that moment he sounded sincere—as though he were truly praising me.

“It’s about choosing. About deciding. And you said, believe in me. …Very well. I will. You’re the kind of man worth calling a friend.”

With those words, his form unraveled into violet light and slipped back into the coin.

『Rion, I believe in you—just as you believed in me.』

Solana’s voice followed, and warmth bloomed in my chest, as though I had stepped into sunlight.

Then came the others in turn.

『I agree』

 Uru, the hunting god voiced out.

『Nor have I any objection. After all, it will be Rion who awakens such power.』

Sigris, god of medicine, also added.

Thor lingered the longest. Hovering above us, he raked his broad hand through his red hair. His face contorted like a thundercloud, he’s still wrestling with himself.

“Aah, damn it!”

He shook his head like a man who couldn’t bear another moment of it.

“…Felix of the Raven Warriors. Is the city’s defense prepared?”

Felix inclined his head, staff in hand.

“It is an adventurers’ city by nature. Even if monsters spill from the dungeon, I can promise you we won’t see the chaos of the royal capital. Whether that’s enough to satisfy the Thunder God’s eye, I cannot say though.”

Thor let out a long, heavy breath that seemed to drain the storm from his chest.

“…Very well. But if you descend, every last one of you will use the Golden Flame. And should the tide of battle turn against you, you will withdraw to the defensive line without delay.”

“Yeah. Actually… that was my plan from the start. If we invoke the Golden Flame here and rush in, we can catch up to Safi.”

Meaning, it would be Felix-san, Mia-san, and me at the vanguard.

With the Blessing of the Sun mirrored through the blessing of the Medicine God, I could extend it to the others—but only two at a time, the strain of magic would allow no more.

Thor’s eyes widened at that.

“Ku… hahahaha! So that’s it—you really had thought this through!”

Once his mind was made up, Thor threw back his head and roared with laughter.

“Then onward!”

With that final command, he returned into the coin in a blaze of crimson light.

I fixed my gaze on the distant outline of the mine. The earth-shaking roar from before had ceased, and even the fiery glow seemed to be settling.

But this… this felt like the calm before the storm.

“Let’s go—”

The words caught in my throat as I noticed someone climbing the slope toward us.

It was a stout, elderly man.

“Eh-hoh… eh-hoh…”

He wheezed with every step, his face half-hidden behind a bristling beard. His back was burdened with a mountain of gear that swayed with his breathing.

At last, he reached the crest of the slope and came to a halt.

“Eh…?”

I faltered, caught off guard. Because I had no idea why—why someone like him would be here.

“A-antique dealer…san?”

It was the same old shopkeeper of the antique shop I’d met back in the capital.

If the word fate meant anything, then he was the one who’d started it all. After all, it was the coin he gave me that led to my meeting with Solana.

When his eyes found us, the antique dealer narrowed them with a gentle smile.

“Well now, was this the right place to evacuate to, I wonder? Ho, ho…”

He chuckled sheepishly, then tilted his head at us in recognition.

And in the shadows behind him, I thought I caught a glimpsed of a pair of ravens flitting past.

My voice caught in my throat.

Since that day in the capital, I’d thought I would never see him again. To meet him here in Alvis—of all places—was beyond belief.

“W-what are you doing here…?”

Felix-san took a step forward.

“Are you a citizen? The evacuation is—”

Before he could finish, two ravens alighted on the old man’s shoulders.

Something is different.…

His smile was as gentle as ever, the thick coat and heavy rucksack the same as back then. And yet—his eyes. They weren’t the eyes of a simple shopkeeper. They pierced straight through me, fathomless and ancient, as if they had watched the skies for a thousand years.

This presence….

A pair of raven…?

Solana’s voice quivered from within the coin.

For an instant, I saw the emblem of the warrior order in my mind—the Raven Warriors, their cloaks embroidered with two black ravens.

『…Hn? I didn’t notice before, but—you’d descended here all along, haven’t you?』

Loki’s words pressed the realization upon me, and before I knew it, I had whispered,

“O-Odin-sama… is that you?”

The antique dealer tipped his chin slightly.

“It seems the coin has served you well.”

It was he—the one who had placed Solana’s sealed coin into my hand. If he is Odin, then even that act of generosity suddenly made sense.

“Use the power of awakening. You carry it within you. And remember—awakening requires the sun.”

The coin case in my palm grew hot.

“Solana. Your faithful believer has grown so much. You must respond to him, must you not?”

『Odin, you…』

Solana’s voice wavered.

“Now then.”

 Odin tilted his gaze skyward.

“Wait! There’s still so much I want to—”

“Not now. Another time. For now, Rion… go on. Become the hero you are meant to be.”

With those parting words, Odin vanished into a scatter of raven feathers.

A tremor shook the ground. Deep within the mines, the Flamebone Surtr raged.

『Rion』

“Yeah!”

I nodded to Solana and then I activated the blessing of the Sun. Golden flame cloaked me.

I’m off.

—To rescue a comrade. To save Safi.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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