Category: Hazure Skill “Alarm”, jitsuwa fūin kaijo no nōryoku deshita. Ochikobore no shōnen wa, nemuri kara sameta megami-tachi to yasashī saikyō o mezasu

Sensing the arrival of morning, I sat up in bed. The three beds lined up in the bedroom were already empty.

Mom and Lu were already awake.

Oh, and then there is one more person—someone who had come to live with us at our house in the Royal Capital—though at this time, she stayed at the temple.

I slipped on my shoes and climbed out of bed. The cool floor felt pleasant against my body, still warm from sleep. After stretching and getting myself ready, I threw open the window.

Outside, it was still dim. But the breeze that flowed in was warm. The long winter was over, and spring had returned to the Royal Capital.

Standing in the morning breeze, I checked my equipment. The pouch at my waist. My blue crystal short sword. The armor protecting my chest and legs. And the gauntlets covering my arms, which glimmered faintly even in the subdued light of early morning.

For a while, I looked out over the area from my childhood home. I took in the streets and the cityscape, committing them to memory.

One year had passed since the final battle that had engulfed the world.

I had turned fifteen.

And this morning is an important one.

“Has it really been a year already…?”

It felt like it had gone by in the blink of an eye when I said it aloud. But more than anything, it had been one incredibly eventful year.

There had been the rebuilding of cities attacked by monsters, and explaining to everyone what had happened after the gods departed for the Celestial Realm. For a few days, the kingdom basked in the afterglow of victory.

But before long, the entire country was thrown into an uproar. The one who had taken the lead in bringing everything under control was Pauline-san. As the leader of the Raven Warrior Corps—and as a princess—she had worked to pull the kingdom back together amid all the confusion.

Through temples across the kingdom, she informed the people of the adventurers’ victory and the gods’ departure for the Celestial Realm. To the nobles and the other royal families, she urged the restoration of the damaged city walls and roads.

I had even heard people saying that, before long, she would rule the kingdom not as a princess—

but as its queen.

Pauline-san herself merely shrugged, remaining as carefree and unruffled as ever.

“It’s really nothing more than a little extra on top of your accomplishments.”

If there was such a thing as “administrative skill,” then the princess had it in spades.

Within six months, many of the cities had returned to something resembling their old way of life. The eastern side of the Royal Capital, where I lived, was probably even better off than it had been before.

Of course, a great many people had helped with the reconstruction, especially the adventurers. And the global message from the gods had brought everyone’s hearts together. The distant sound of a bell reached me, and I suddenly realized the time.

“I have to go.”

I went downstairs to the first floor of my childhood home.

Lu and Mom looked at me and smiled.

“Good morning, Oniichan.”

Lu is thirteen now. She had grown a little taller, and whenever she smiled, her whole face seemed to light up like a flower in bloom. She had completely recovered, too. Ever since we defeated Ymir, she hadn’t fallen ill even once.

I smiled at Mom and Lu.

“Good morning.”

Magic-stone lamps glowed here and there throughout the room.

We sat down and ate breakfast together as a family. There’s vegetable soup and fried eggs on the table too, and I was hungry, so I hurriedly stuffed the food into my mouth.

I choked a little and quickly took a drink of tea.

Mom laughed.

“You’re in such a hurry… Is it because you’re leaving today?”

“Y-yeah.”

Lu’s sky-blue eyes sparkled.

“It’s the next adventure of the Hero with the Horn, isn’t it?”

I gave an awkward smile and scratched my cheek.

“Well, I guess that’s what they’re calling me. Anyway…”

The many adventurers who had fought in the battle were rewarded by the kingdom and the Adventurers’ Guild. It was a case of making the best of a bad situation, but the great monster invasion also meant that an enormous amount of magic stones had been recovered.

The rewards were so generous that Mia-san had practically been dancing with joy. Among them, however, those who had ventured into the final snowy wasteland—the Frost Palace—were hailed as heroes.

A story that had begun in myth and ended with the gods departing. The tale of the world’s end had become the subject of plays and poems, passed down from one generation to the next.

Mom furrowed her brow anxiously.

“Is it really okay for you to have become that famous?”

“Yeah… I think so. The poets have added so many embellishments to the story that even if someone saw us in person, they probably wouldn’t realize who we are.”

Incidentally, about half a year after the battle, we had quietly returned to our childhood home.

Pauline-san had suggested that we move somewhere new, but fancy places made me feel uncomfortable—and besides, this house was filled with so many memories.

Lu and Mom, however, continued working at the temple just as they had before.

My little sister swallowed a mouthful of bread, then pursed her lips.

“You’re still working as a wake-up caller, too.”

“Yeah…”

After we returned to the Royal Capital, there had inevitably been a bit of a commotion. I could still picture Felix-san’s expression, practically screaming, “See? I told you so.”

And the adventurers who lived in the neighborhood had all been saying the same thing.

“About time.”

—So, can we ask you again?

—Sorry to bother a hero and all, but…

—After getting used to your “Wake-up, alarm” I just can’t wake up any other way!

Mom remembered those days and giggled.

Lu shot her a sharp glare.

“You don’t have to do it anymore. We’re not struggling with money now. Isn’t it hard on you, Oniichan?”

“Y-yeah. But I still head to the dungeon early in the morning, anyway.”

“You could take it a little easier…”

After returning to my childhood home, I had gone back to being an adventurer. The dungeon I visited most often was the Western Dungeon.

Sometimes I even formed a party with Mia-san, who had returned to her life as an adventurer, too. There were times when I went farther afield with the Crow Warrior Corps, but for the most part, I think it was fair to say that my life had returned to the way it used to be.

“The Hero with the Horn, huh…”

On the wall, Father’s red scarf fluttered in the breeze.

Beside it hung a sheet of paper. It was the certificate of commendation I had received from the kingdom and the Guild along with my medals and decorations.

But glory was just another page in the story of an adventure.

Once you turned the page, I thought, it was perfectly fine to leave it in the past. Lately, I had come to love being accepted once again as the “wake-up caller”—and as an “adventurer.”

The tale of a hero was one thing. But I am still me.

“I’m happier about this than I am about the medals.”

I gave the pouch at my waist a little pat. Inside were the things the gods had given me as keepsakes when we said our farewells.

Not long after we finished eating, there came a knock at the front door.

Knock, knock.

“Yo.”

“Mia-san!”

Mia-san stood in the doorway, scratching her red hair and smiling.

“I figured you’d be leaving soon. Am I early?”

As she spoke, Mia-san made a slightly puzzled face.

She’s probably looking for the person who was usually here.

Then Mia-san said,

“Oh, right. You’re going separately today.”

“Yeah. She said she had some preparations to make, so she’s coming from the temple.”

I picked up the backpack waiting beside the entrance and slung it over my shoulders. It contained everything I needed for traveling far from home as an adventurer.

“I was just about to leave, too.”

I turned back toward the house.

Mom and Lu waved.

“Take care!”

“There’s going to be something like a departure ceremony later, right? I’m definitely going to that!”

Lu raised a fist in front of her chest.

Mia-san and I both laughed.

I raised a hand in return.

“I’m off!”

We walked down the gentle slope toward the eastern gate of the Royal Capital.

It’s still before dawn, but the spring breeze was warm.

Mia-san rolled her shoulders, the chains at her side rattling as she did.

“Looks like we’re finally heading out on an expedition to another country!”

I nodded.

This was the new “venture” that we adventurers were about to embark on.

In the Kingdom of Asgard, Ymir had been defeated, and the threat of monsters was gone. Which, in other words, meant that all sorts of dangers that had previously lurked in the shadows of the kingdom had disappeared as well.

Take slave traders, for example. With Ymir and Ratbone Rata gone, a great many cases of slave trafficking had come to light. Pauline-san and the Raven Warrior Corps had gained considerable influence, and they had rescued many people who had been enslaved.

Apparently, some had even been imprisoned inside dungeons. The same went for monsters. In the end, it had been Ymir and his followers who were loosening the Seals on the dungeons.

From now on, sudden changes in dungeon difficulty and massive monster outbreaks would likely become a thing of the past.

The monsters had weakened, too, and the Seals that had been on the verge of weakening were now stable, keeping the monsters contained within the dungeons.

The Kingdom of Asgard would become safer than it had ever been.

Then what about outside the kingdom?

That was the question we were setting out to answer.

Clack.

The sound of a staff striking the ground reached us.

“The Kingdom of Asgard, once the center of the Mythic Age, has always been home to a great many dungeons. Naturally, it also has a large number of adventurers.”

Mia-san turned around in surprise.

“Felix!?”

“Fatefully enough, it seems we have managed to meet up.”

Mia-san, Felix-san, and I were all headed to the same destination.

So I suppose it was only natural that we would run into each other here on the main street.

Felix-san cleared his throat before continuing.

“On the other hand, there are not nearly as many adventurers in other countries. In some nations, they can scarcely explore their dungeons—or even locate them in the first place.”

He paused.

“And that is where this expedition comes in, right?”

“Exactly.”

Felix-san narrowed his already narrow eyes even further and nodded.

“We will venture beyond the Kingdom of Asgard and search for new dungeons, along with the monsters and items sleeping within them.”

The age of adventure.

Odin’s final words echoed in my mind.

I lowered my gaze to the cobblestones and asked,

“What do you think we’ll find?”

“It is difficult to say at this point. But one thing is certain: with less effort needed to deal with monsters, the movement of people and goods will become more active as well.”

He was right. A lot of things had changed after the battle. Magic-stone lamps had become so widespread that even our house had one now. I had even heard that some dungeons where the monsters had disappeared entirely had been closed down.

Monsters were a source of magic stones, but they had also been a constant threat that had to be defeated again and again. Now that the threat they posed had diminished, the way the kingdom itself operated would surely change as well.

Mia-san picked up the conversation.

“So our expedition is basically the first step toward all that, right?”

Felix-san nodded.

“Precisely. We can spread our methods of monster extermination and dungeon management to other countries. If we discover dormant dungeons as well, the threat posed by monsters will decrease even further. After all, the monsters wandering outside are the result of them spilling out from undiscovered dungeons.”

And, in time, the flow of people and goods would become even more active—and hopefully, the world would grow more prosperous.

Perhaps that was too grand a responsibility for someone like me to think about.

Even so…My chest grew warm, and I shivered.

“It really is the age of adventure. Instead of living in fear of monsters, we can finally go anywhere in the world.”

An age when adventurers could travel freely, crossing mountains and grasslands without restraint.

Mia-san shrugged, while Felix-san tapped his staff against the ground.

“We never had the chance to do any of that before. Not with the monsters around.”

“Indeed. And this time, we are not traveling for the sake of the gods, nor simply to survive the monsters. We are traveling for humanity.”

The expedition had been commissioned by the Warrior Corps, but the biggest reason I had decided to take part was simple: It sounded exciting. As an adventurer, I wanted to see other countries, other cities, other dungeons with my own eyes.

Father and the gods would probably say the same thing.

—That’s more like it.

Felix-san added,

“After all, taking risks is what makes an adventure an adventure.”

I looked up at the sky where the gods had departed.

In the Celestial Realm, I wondered, were Odin and Freyja—Thor, Uru, Sigris, Loki, and Heimdall—are still lending their strength to Creation?

If our world had changed—

“What kind of world will Odin and the others create?”

Would there be monsters in that world, too?

Would there be magic?

Adventurers?

Mia-san laced both arms behind her neck and said,

“Who knows? Still, if those gods are the ones making it, I doubt they’ll make it a bad world. What do you think, Felix?”

“I truly cannot imagine it. For now, I have more than enough to keep my hands full with this world.”

I stopped for just a moment and gazed up at the faintly brightening sky.

“…Yeah.”

If I had the chance, I’d like to ask the next world about it.

What kind of world are you?

The names of gods like Odin and Thor might live on in that new world, too.

As part of its mythology.

“We should do our part to make this world better, too.”

As we talked and walked, we eventually arrived at the eastern gate of the Royal Capital.

The adventurers taking part in the expedition had already gathered. Two lines of carts and carriages stretched beyond the eastern gate. With so many people taking part, the convoy was a long one. At the very end of the line, a small figure was bouncing up and down. Twin braids of green hair bobbed with every movement.

When she turned around, it was Safi.

“Rion!”

The dwarf blacksmith is joining the expedition to the other countries, too. She came flying toward me, and I caught her around knee height.

“Morning! Where are the other dwarves?”

“Much farther ahead. They’re all fired up! We might find more of our kind!”

That’s Safi and the others’ goal: to find their fellow dwarves. There might be dwarves besides those in the dwarven kingdom of Alfheim who had survived the calamity of the end and were now sleeping somewhere inside a dungeon.

Safi folded her arms and gave me a confident smile.

“Besides, this is our chance to show off our skills as blacksmiths. If we’re going to make a living, we’ve got to do business!”

One after another, the dwarves poked their heads out from behind the carts, all chiming in with, “That’s right! Exactly!”

They looked so sturdy and full of life that I couldn’t help but smile.

Pauline-san approached as well, dressed in white ceremonial robes. She tapped her rod against the ground and gave us a polite bow.

“Good morning. It looks like everything is in order for departure.”

It was going to be a massive movement of people: two hundred adventurers, twenty dwarves, and around ten civil officials from the kingdom.

I looked around, searching anxiously. For the god who would be joining us on this adventure—No. For the person I wanted to see.

The sky was still dim, just before dawn. Amid the darkness, a flash of golden hair caught my eye at the corner of one of the carriages.

“Solana!”

At my call, a girl raised her head from behind the passenger carriage.

She was dressed like an adventurer. Her shimmering golden hair was gathered beneath a leather cap to protect her head, though several strands had escaped and hung loose.

She wore white clothing beneath a raven warrior cloak, matching ours.

Golden eyes found mine.

“Rion! Good morning!”

Solana smiled at me like the sun itself.

I walked over and looked her over carefully.

The skirt fluttering in the breeze was made of slightly thicker fabric, but it reminded me of the dress she had once worn.

“…Looks like you’re all ready, then.”

“Indeed. The temple examined my body and provided me with equipment.”

Solana smiled brightly and raised her right arm.

A golden bracelet gleamed around her wrist, just like before. It served much the same purpose as a mage’s staff, and apparently had been made specifically for her.

“A bracelet, huh…”

I remembered the first time I had met her.

Solana placed her right hand over her chest.

“Now, I am with you—and I am happy that I can keep that vow.”

She said it right in front of everyone, and my cheeks turned bright red.

If Lu had been here, I was sure she would have stared at us wide-eyed and bounced up and down in excitement.

Well, I felt like I had become much more sensitive to things like romance than I used to be.

As her older brother, leaving her behind made me a little worried.

Solana murmured,

“I wondered what would become of me back then.”

She had nearly ceased to exist during the final battle.

Even though Freyja had given her some of her own magical power, Solana’s condition had remained critical. And yet she had thrown herself into the Ginnungagap, then expended an enormous amount of magical power on the surface as well.

The goddess had exhausted herself completely. If even a little more time had passed, she might have disappeared entirely. Apparently, even after entering the gold coin, she wouldn’t have been able to survive for long.

That was when Odin came up with a plan. Some of the gods—like Freyja and Freyr had done—would inhabit human bodies. Using the Power of Creation the gods had reclaimed, they gave Solana, a goddess, a physical form—a human body.

From here on, she would live as a human, adventure, and grow, gradually recovering the power she had possessed as a goddess. By leveling up alongside us, she would regain her divine strength. That’s Solana’s goal now.

While every other god had returned to the Celestial Realm, Solana alone remained here with me. Until one day, she died as a human and returned to the Celestial Realm.

Solana patted and prodded her own body.

“However, I am still not accustomed to this thing called a level. I believe mine was…”

“…Fifty.”

Even after everything I had been through, I was only Level 38.

Mia-san was two levels ahead of me at 40, while Felix-san was 44.

Solana had started out at roughly the same level as my father. Which meant she was unbelievably strong.

I scratched my head.

“I guess you really are a goddess after all…”

Incidentally, Blessing of the Sun was still intact, too. The fact that the goddess Solana had remained on the surface was a secret known only to the Raven Warrior Corps and a select few adventurers.

“E-even if I continue to level up, I will remain with you, Rion.”

“Solana…”

“According to Luisia, that is what they call a vow for a lifetime.”

“Wh—! Then that means—”

I almost shouted the words out.

I hurriedly clapped both hands over my mouth.

Mia-san and the other adventurers were watching us with enormous grins on their faces.

Felix-san was very obviously looking away.

With my heart pounding this hard, I might not survive the day. While all that was happening, preparations continued.

Then, suddenly, a ray of light pierced the sky.

Solana spread her hands.

“The sun is rising.”

Beyond the eastern gate, the morning sun slowly rose over the rolling hills.

I answered her.

“Yeah. It’s time to go.”

Pauline-san tapped her rod against the ground and stepped before the enormous gate.

By then, the people who had come to see us off had completely filled the area. Despite how early it was, crowds had gathered on either side of the line of carriages.

The princess climbed onto a platform.

“Today, the Kingdom of Asgard will embark upon its first expedition to another country led by adventurers.”

The morning sun illuminated the princess from the side as she smiled.

“May the gods bless you on your journey. And know that we, the people of the Royal Capital, will be watching over you as well.”

A cheer erupted from the crowd of well-wishers.

I could see Mom and Lu among them.

I opened my pouch.

Inside were two things: the horn and a coin.

I had returned the Awakening Horn Gjallarhorn to Heimdall, but in its place, the dwarves—Safi and the others—had given me a horn of their own. Its delicate decorations proudly caught the light.

On the gold coin was Solana and Heimdall on one side. On the other were Thor, the God of Thunder; Loki, the God of Mischief; Uru, the God of Hunting; and Sigris, the God of Medicine.

When the gods had said goodbye to us and departed the surface, they had used their magical power to leave their likenesses behind. I could still feel their warmth lingering in the gold coin. And with my heart swelling with emotion, I raised the horn to my lips and blew.

Its sound rang far and wide across the dawn sky, proclaiming our departure.

From the crowd, Lu called out at the top of her lungs.

“Have a safe trip, Oniichan!”

Pushed onward by the cheers and the spring breeze at our backs, we set out from the Royal Capital.

Solana was beside me.

Hand in hand, we waved to everyone in the Royal Capital.

“I’m off!”

The age of myth had ended.

And the next age had begun.

With the gods’ kindness lingering in the morning sun and the open sky, we took our first steps toward a new adventure.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

---

Previous ⚜ Table of Contents

---

A sphere of light roughly thirty meters in diameter floated three stories above the ground. Its mystical radiance cast a stark white glow over Ymir’s fallen body and all of us surrounding him.

“It’s just like in the Celestial Realm…”

The Light of Creation.

Had the enormous amount of magical power Ymir had been in the process of consuming been released once more upon his death?

Solana and Lu beside me were both overwhelmed by the sight. The other gods and adventurers seemed just as speechless.

The snowy plain was utterly silent as Odin and Freyja stepped forward before us. The Chief God looked up at the fallen giant and planted his spear against the ground like a staff.

“This is the magical power meant for creation, crystallized once more.”

Beneath the sphere of light lay Ymir’s enormous body, nearly forty meters long. The titan was slowly turning into black ash, crumbling away. When chunks of ash broke apart into dust, countless particles of white, shimmering magical power were released from within. The black ash and magical energy were swept upward toward the sphere, as though drawn there by some unseen force.

Still facing away from us, Odin continued speaking.

“Do you remember? Once before, Ymir had his Heart of Frost and Flame taken from him in the same manner. I killed Ymir then as well. Yet he was resurrected, and the end came upon us.”

I exchanged a glance with Solana.

I remembered the story the gods had told us.

“A thousand years ago, Ymir and the others attacked alongside the monsters, right?”

Odin nodded.

His white beard swayed in the cold wind.

“Yes. And the reason for that is happening right before our eyes now. Only by witnessing this scene have I finally understood it.”

The cheers of victory had vanished from the snowy plain.

The black ash and magical power rising from the titan’s enormous body—and the sphere of light, some thirty meters across, greedily absorbing them—gave the scene an unsettling presence.

“The Primordial Titan Ymir possesses a unique ability: he can devour other beings. That ability remains even when his body is shattered into pieces like this.”

Ymir’s outstretched right hand crumbled completely, turning to ash. A vast cloud of black ash rose into the sky, drawing closer to the sphere of light. It was almost as if the ash itself possessed a will of its own.

“If creating matter from magical power is something extraordinary, then destroying matter must be extraordinary as well. Ymir’s enormous body has been transformed into black ash, but his ability to consume magical power and use it to recover remains intact. Therefore, if we simply leave him like this—”

I froze.

I turned around.

Mia-san and the others had stiffened, their expressions grim. The gods looked the same.

I turned back to the Chief God.

“…Eventually, Ymir will regain his strength?”

Odin nodded.

The other adventurers on the snowy plain began murmuring among themselves. Perhaps Odin was somehow conveying the same explanation to every adventurer here through some divine power.

Mia-san stepped forward, the chains around her right arm rattling.

“Hey, God. Are you saying… after everything we fought through, it was all for nothing?”

Odin shook his head.

“No. With his body destroyed to this extent, even if we were to leave this sphere of light alone, it would take Ymir a very long time to resurrect. A thousand years. Two thousand, perhaps—either way, to you, it would be no different from him never waking again.”

I let out a relieved breath.

The scene continued unchanged, ash and light gathering within the sphere of magical power. Even so, a sense of relief seemed to spread among the adventurers surrounding Ymir’s body. If he wouldn’t awaken for that long, then this battle really was no different from a victory.

Solana spoke.

“Odin.”

Her golden eyes turned toward Odin and Freyja standing beside him.

For some reason, the gods behind us also wore slightly grim expressions.

“You have another idea, do you not?”

“Heh. Indeed.”

Odin finally turned to face us.

“There is a way to ensure that Ymir truly never awakens again.”

He pointed toward the sphere of light.

“We carry this sphere to the Celestial Realm and continue the process of creation. Ymir will never awaken, and the ash currently being absorbed into the sphere will become part of the next world.”

Odin’s gaze shifted toward my pouch. The Heart of Frost and Flame that I had reclaimed was resting inside.

Lu pressed her lips together and tugged on my sleeve.

I met my little sister’s eyes. We exchanged a silent nod.

There was no way I could forget what this god had been plotting.

“…Odin. You were trying to create another world and move only the humans you deemed worthy into it. Have you truly not abandoned that idea?”

So that was why Solana and the others had looked so grim.

They were wary that, after seeing the magical power of creation, Odin might resume his old scheme.

The god shook his head, leaning on his spear.

“That is not the case. To begin with, the magical power of creation has diminished. For that reason, it will take an exceedingly long time to create the next world. By the time that world is complete, you will all have been gone for a very long time. And furthermore…”

Odin glanced at Freyja beside him.

“I can no longer wield the power of Creation.”

For that brief moment, Odin’s wry smile stripped away his usual imposing presence.

He looked utterly exhausted.

“To create something, one needs the power to give form to an image born from the heart. Imagination. The will of the Goddess of Fertility toward humanity. The will of a sister to protect her family. As for me, I can no longer muster such strength of will.”

His gray eyes lowered.

I found myself thinking about all the things this man had seen—and kept within his heart.

“You…”

Odin had spent so long trying to find a way to oppose the monsters, almost entirely on his own.

Even the Seal that covered the world, and his plan to escape afterward using the power of Creation, were things he had apparently kept hidden from the other gods.

The way he went about it was something I still couldn’t accept. And yet, in his own way, he had been fighting too.

Freyja placed a hand against her chest and continued for him.

“To create a new world, one needs enough strength of will to imagine what that next world will be.”

Through exhaustion and decline, he had lost his imagination—a power to create. In fact, during his first scheme, Odin had manipulated Freyja and forced her to carry out the creation of the new world. In his next scheme, he had manipulated Lu.

“I have said more than I needed to.”

As Odin lowered his chin, his eyes had already regained their usual sharpness.

“Freyja will carry out the Creation. As the Goddess of Fertility, she will create a world rich with greenery. It will take a very long time, and so the other gods will have ample opportunity to witness the process.”

Thor finally broke into a grin.

“Haha! So if you try anything funny, that means I’m allowed to call down lightning on Odin, right?”

Odin did not smile.

He turned around and looked over the gathered gods.

“You will all need to lend your magical power. So will the other gods currently residing in the labyrinths across the surface world. This is necessary to ensure that Ymir can never be resurrected.”

Thor, the God of Thunder.

Loki, the God of Mischief.

Uru, the God of the Hunt.

Sigris, the God of Medicine.

Each folded their arms, seemingly lost in thought.

Loki, dressed in black robes, lazily waved a hand before beginning to speak.

“…Does that make sense? The thing known as Ymir cannot simply be destroyed. So, while creating another world, we will alter what he is into something else.”

Loki’s eyes gleamed.

“If you wanted to compare it to Ymir returning to the state of an egg, then it would be like cracking that egg open and turning it into a cake.”

“…I don’t know. Is that really the only option? What if Ymir resurrects in the new world we create?”

“He most likely will not.”

Odin pointed the tip of his spear toward the sphere of light.

“I cannot sense the ferocity of that black ash trying to devour the sphere. If anything, it seems as though the ash itself wishes to become part of the Creation.”

I looked over Ymir’s crumbling body. The black ash is indeed drifting toward the sphere of light, but afterward, it simply floated peacefully around the sphere.

It almost looked like a shining star surrounded by a cloud of dust.

Odin added,

“The Heart of Frost and Flame is merely a source of power. Ymir’s memories and will reside within that enormous body that has now turned to ash. Therefore, it is the ash that should contain them now.”

The moment he said “will”, something came to mind.

The words Ymir and I had exchanged during our battle in the void.

I interrupted the two gods.

“Ah, wait! Ymir was hungry.”

But simply devouring things would only leave him hungrier. Because what Ymir was truly hungry for was loneliness. My voice trembled slightly under the attention of the gods, but this was something I wanted them to understand.

“Ymir never had a family or companions. Or rather… he couldn’t have them. That’s why I don’t think he could understand Lu and me—or anyone else.”

During our battle, I think Ymir and I came to understand one thing about each other: that we could never truly understand one another. We were simply too different. Between Ymir and us, there was a cold, desolate void stretching wide open.

But—

“Still… maybe something inside him changed.”

If Ymir wanted to fill that loneliness, then he needed a family. He needed companions. He couldn’t keep devouring things. He needed to create something of his own. Just as Ymir had once created a god.

Ymir had known nothing but the feeling of hunger. But perhaps something had changed within him. Perhaps that was why, now, he wished for Creation.

Loki shrugged.

“So once Creation begins, Ymir’s ash will no longer seek resurrection. Instead, it will wish to become part of the new world. That ash will transform into water, rock, and countless other things in the next world.

But in the end, we can’t really know what he’s feeling, can we? The ash is probably only moving in response to Ymir’s final thoughts. And there’s no way for us to ask him what he was thinking in his final moments.”

I lowered my chin.

“Yeah. I suppose the answer will come a thousand years from now.”

“Good grief. The gods have just been handed one enormous homework assignment.”

Loki threw both hands up dramatically.

We still had no idea what would truly happen from here.

Solana looked up at the sphere of light.

“I, too, sense less fear from the ash than I did before. Perhaps that giant, in his own way, is seeking companions and a family, and is participating in the Creation for that reason.”

Not simply to devour things. But to create something together.

I looked at Ymir as his enormous body continued to crumble away.

“For now, let’s believe that.”

Even if we could never truly understand him, perhaps we could at least have taken a step toward one another.

…By the time Creation was complete, Ymir would already have been absorbed into that sphere of magical power. He probably would never get to see the next world with his own eyes. But that was no different from how we would never see our own distant descendants.

For a while, we simply stood there, watching Ymir’s body crumble into ash.

Lu took my hand. I squeezed hers in return.

“Well then. As for the matter of Creation, that concludes—”

Odin planted the butt of his spear against the ground.

Thud.

The sound echoed across the snowy plain.

“We gods will return to the Celestial Realm. We will likely never descend to the surface again.”

A murmur swept through the adventurers. I looked around at Thor and the others.

Thor, towering over everyone. Loki in his black robes. Sigris in blue armor. Uru in his hunting gear.

And then—Heimdall, the God of the Alarm, clad in red armor.

The words slipped from my lips in a daze.

“…Does that mean we’re saying goodbye?”

Heimdall stepped forward.

He gave a wry smile and shrugged.

“We’ll be watching from the Celestial Realm. But… honestly, I had a feeling this was coming. If we don’t return to the Celestial Realm and recover our strength, the gods themselves may cease to exist.”

Uru, the God of Hunting, took over.

“Returning to the Celestial Realm so soon after finally being freed from the Seal makes me sad, too. But, well… we’ve used far too much of our strength to remain on the surface. And on top of that, we have this little job called ‘Creation’ waiting for us.”

He sighed.

“…A job, huh? Ah… I just hope it isn’t another insanely demanding one this time…”

Sigris, the God of Medicine, smiled.

“Perhaps it was never meant for the gods to lead humanity for so long in the first place.”

“Come to think of it, I suppose the past few months have been the unusual part of the kingdom’s history…”

Loki nodded solemnly.

Thor raised Mjölnir high.

“I swear it on my hammer. I’ll be watching over all of you, too.”

The God of Thunder grinned.

“Hold your head high, Rion. You’re a fine warrior now, aren’t you?”

At first, I had been frightened by the gods. Sometimes I had been confused by them, too.

But now that they were leaving…

The thought of never seeing them again left a dull ache in my chest. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the gold coin. The coin was blank now. There was no one inside it anymore. The flat surface reflected my face, looking as though I might cry, while the morning sunlight flashed brilliantly across its surface.

Odin narrowed his eyes.

“…At first, I gave you that gold coin.”

“I was always the one being helped.”

“That is not so. Through Alarm, you continued working as an wake up caller. You kept using your strength. That is why we have reached this moment.”

The corners of Odin’s eyes softened ever so slightly, and the edge of his mouth curved upward. It was faint, but there was no mistaking it. It was a smile.

“Your own actions are what saved you. Thank you. You showed me what humanity is. What strength truly means.”

The snowy wind tugged at Odin’s beard and robes. The Chief God gazed at the adventurers gathered around us, as though etching every one of them into his memory.

Then he bowed his head.

Deeply.

Profoundly.

“And… I am sorry. I never tried to understand the strength of humans—the strength of adventurers.”

Odin raised his head and spoke with solemn conviction.

“The gods will withdraw their hands from this world. From here on, it is your era—the age of adventure.”

When Odin fell silent, the adventurers around us gradually began gathering around the gods. To say their farewells.

Mia-san went to Thor. Felix-san went to Loki. One after another, everyone went to the gods who had given them strength, saying their final goodbyes.

Lu went to Freyja, and the two embraced. Then Freyka turned her blue eyes toward me.

“Thank you, Luisia-san. And thank you, Rion-san.”

Her smile warmed my heart, as though spring had suddenly arrived in that one little spot.

“You two are strong siblings. You even saved us siblings.”

I wondered if, before long, the global message would announce to the entire world that the gods had returned to the Celestial Realm.

I brushed away my tears and looked at the gods.

“Everyone…”

I wanted to run over to them, too.

I had to say goodbye.

But my legs wouldn’t move.

My eyes burned. My shoulders began to tremble, little by little, and I could barely force any words out. My vision blurred more and more.

“Thank you.”

There was a word for feelings too deep to put into words, but even that wasn’t enough to describe what I felt for the gods. I am grateful beyond anything words could express. They were the ones who had made me an “adventurer.”

All the gods wore gentle expressions. Sigris, the God of Medicine, clad in blue armor, straightened his posture and gave me a dignified bow.

“Likewise.”

As I narrowed my eyes, his blue hair fluttered in the wind.

Uru, the God of Hunting, dressed in his hunting gear, waved a hand.

“Take care.”

True to the god of nature, even his farewell was as light and carefree as the wind.

Loki’s black robes fluttered as he gave an exaggerated bow.

“I said you had no talent for magic, but I take that back. You weren’t half bad at it, either.”

The God of Mischief winked at me. Thor swept his red hair back like a lion’s mane and rested the thunder hammer Mjölnir on his shoulder.

“You fought well.”

Finally, Heimdall stepped forward. His red armor flashed brightly as it caught the sunlight. He held out his large hand, and I clasped it in a firm handshake.

“…No, thank you, boy with the righteous heart. You have carried on my divine artifact, the Awakening Horn Gjallarhorn, very well.”

The horn trembled inside my pouch.

I opened the pouch at my waist and handed the Awakening Horn Gjallarhorn to the god. The item the god had left behind, the one my father had found and passed down to me was returning to the hands of its rightful owner.

Heimdall raised an eyebrow.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. My father has already passed so many things on to me. This one belongs in the hands of a god.”

Heimdall reached out with his large hand and gently ruffled my hair.

“Good boy. Take care of yourself.”

At the edge of my vision, a golden light flickered.

I caught my breath.

—That’s right.

Because she had been with me all this time, I had forgotten that she was the same as the others. I couldn’t even imagine saying goodbye to her. I wiped away my tears and looked at the goddess beside me.

“…Solana.”

“Rion.”

The goddess and I gazed into each other’s eyes. More than any of the other gods, she had expended her strength to defeat Ymir. If the other gods had lost so much power that they had no choice but to remain in the Celestial Realm—then surely the same had to be true for Solana.

“I want to remain with you. But…”

She looked straight into my eyes, and my cheeks suddenly burned red.

This wasn’t the time to cry.

“…So do I.”

I answered her and took her hand.

My hand slipped straight through hers.

A chill ran down my spine.

Particles of light began drifting from the goddess’s body, dissolving into the air as though they were simply melting away.

“Are you okay?”

“…The loss of my power seems to be progressing faster than I expected.”

The scenery behind the goddess was far more transparent than it had been moments ago.

Odin approached, leaning on his staff.

“…Regarding Solana.”

The Chief God’s voice rang out, carrying a weight so heavy it was almost a sentence.

“She has lost a tremendous amount of magical power. It would not be surprising if she were to disappear entirely. Even if she returns to the Celestial Realm, the effects of being exposed to the cold magical energy within the Ginnungagap will not simply disappear.”

I pressed on.

“Can’t we get Solana back safely? I’ll swear to anything!”

Just like on the day we first met—if a vow could restore the goddess’s strength, then I would make any vow she asked of me.

Odin spoke.

“…There is, in fact, a ‘vow.’ One that the goddess made to you.”

Solana suddenly touched a finger to her chin.

“I… with Rion…”

—I will be with you, no matter what may come.

Those were the words the goddess had spoken to me in the city. Besides the “Kindest and Strongest,” there was one other vow. A promise shared between the goddess and me.

Odin closed one eye.

“The reason Solana is still able to maintain her existence is because this vow—these feelings—have taken form and are sustaining her existence. Which means there is another path besides returning to the Celestial Realm and simply waiting for her disappearance.”

The Chief God pointed toward my pouch.

Inside it was the Heart of Frost and Flame—the Power of Creation.

“Under ordinary circumstances, such a thing would be impossible. But when it comes to repaying what you and Solana have done for us, how could we not make use of it?”

The Power of Creation could bring things—and even their very essence—into existence.

My eyes widened at the possibility he had just presented.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

---

Previous ⚜ Table of Contents ⚜ Next

---

The Sword of the Daughter of the Sun.

A streak of golden light pierced Ymir’s chest.

Carried forward by the momentum of my thrust, I plunged straight into the giant’s chest—and burst through the other side. I emerged from Ymir’s back more than twenty meters above the ground as he’s falling.

With a clear “chiiing”, a gold coin peeled away from the short sword. I clenched the coin in my hand, and golden magic power enveloped me, slowing my descent until I was gently drifting toward the ground.

Bathed in the morning sunlight, I looked back.

“Ymir…!”

The Primordial Titan had dropped to one knee, completely motionless. A massive hole had been punched straight through his body, from his back to his chest.

The Sword of the Daughter of the Sun had pierced through the body he had created from magic power.

Then—

Thump.

A heartbeat reverberated through the air.

Using the Blessing of the God of Hunting, I activated Wild Heart to sense the flow of magic power. Inside the enormous hole in Ymir’s body, a brilliant crimson light was flickering.

『Rion 』

Solana’s voice echoed inside my head.

“…Yeah! His heart is inside that hole!”

The body he had created had been blasted straight through, exposing the source of his power—the Heart of Frost and Flame.

This is my only chance.

“Wake-up!”

I summoned the wind spirit Sylph from the short sword. The power of the wind lifted me upward, and I dove through the enormous hole in Ymir’s back.

The morning sunlight streamed inside, making it a little hard to see. Ymir’s body was hard and cold. Its interior looked less like the inside of a living creature and more like a cavern that had been carved out with perfect precision.

Floating in midair was a heart encased in ice.

I reached out my hand. As though responding to my touch, it began to beat. I took it in my hands. Just as some god had done thousands of years ago, I am going to steal the Power of Creation from this titan.

—Ooooh

A sound reached my ears. It was somewhere between the howling of wind and a low, anguished groan.

Then a scream came from outside.

“It’s fallinggggg!”

The ground beneath me suddenly tilted.

If I got caught beneath that collapsing body, I’d be crushed to death!

Still clutching the Heart of Frost and Flame, I leaped toward the exit on the titan’s chest. I kicked off its massive chest, slipped beneath an arm that seemed to reach for me, and jumped down onto the snowy plain.

Behind me, the enormous body crashed to the ground with a thunderous roar, sending clouds of snow billowing into the air.

I somehow managed to land safely, but my heart refused to stop racing.

Eventually, the cloud of snow began to clear.

Ymir’s body, which had grown to nearly forty meters tall, lay on its side with its right half pressed against the ground. His enormous left eye was wide open, glaring into empty space. His right eye was buried beneath the snow.

No one spoke.

There should have been around a hundred adventurers here. And Gods too. Yet no one said a word. The snowy plain had fallen completely silent.

“…Is he dead?”

Even with the Blessing of the Hunting God, the red glow of magical power now barely clung to Ymir’s enormous body.

Solana’s voice came from the gold coin.

“Ymir was already weakened to begin with. He did manage to reclaim the Heart of Frost and Flame once, but…”

The goddess fell silent.

The Heart of Frost and Flame in my arms gave another beat, and I tucked it safely into my pouch so I wouldn’t lose it.

“Rion, you held out. Meanwhile, the adventurers, Freyja, and the others carried their magical power all the way to the Celestial Realm. Because of that, before he could fully draw out the heart’s power—we were able to unleash all of our strength against him.”

The reason we won.

I wasn’t sure if I could really sum it up with words like that.

“A battle of attrition…”

“You endured until your allies arrived. That kind of strength is so very like you.”

The morning sun had risen completely now, bathing Ymir and all of us in its light.

Perhaps because we had spent so long within the void of Ginnungagap, the wind blowing against me felt strangely warm.

Then Solana spoke softly.

“Well… the greatest threat has now passed. The gods and humanity alike will surely change even more from this point onward.”

“Huh?”

The words slipped from my mouth before I could stop them.

What did she mean?

Solana’s voice trembled slightly.

It sounded faint. Weak.

If a voice hadn’t suddenly descended from the heavens, I think I would have asked Solana what she meant.

Everyone.

A familiar voice echoed through the sky, which was still painted with the colors of dawn.

The adventurers and the gods all looked up at once.

It was a global message from the Celestial Realm.

Ymir has been defeated. The apocalypse has come to an end. The heroes—no, every single person—has driven back the monsters.

The adventurers looked at one another.

I think the battle had been so overwhelming that none of us could quite grasp the reality of the word victory.

By now, back in the Royal Capital, Mother, the princess, and Safi were probably breathing sighs of relief. Perhaps the sky had even returned to its normal color, fading back from twilight.

And ever since Ymir had fallen, the bitter cold of the snowy plain seemed to have eased as well.

—We won!

—The monsters are gone!

Cheers rang out from above.

Come to think of it, I’d heard distant voices earlier, too. Could this be some kind of service from the gods—letting us know about the joy spreading throughout the kingdom?

No.

It wasn’t just that.

The global message was being used to share that joy with one another. The corners of my mouth curled upward.

“Thank you, Norn.”

『 You’re welcome.』

The words echoed inside my head.

Voices continued to rain down from the sky.

—Thank you.

—You saved us.

—We’re alive because of you.

Encouraged by that downpour of gratitude, cheers began to fill the snowy plain as well. My legs finally gave out, and I sank to the ground. The snow felt wonderful against my overheated body.

“Ah…?”

“Good work, Rion.”

Solana’s voice was warm and gentle.

“You really did your best. Not just for your family and friends. In the end, you managed to protect everything.”

“…It’s all thanks to you and the others, Solana.”

“You always say things like that.”

The goddess emerged from the gold coin.

Her white dress and long golden hair, reaching all the way down her back, fluttered in the gentle breeze. Her sparkling eyes narrowed softly as Solana bent down and peered at me.

“Good work. Just this once, let me be proud of you.”

As always, the goddess was surrounded by a faint radiance. But if her usual glow was like sunlight, the light surrounding her now was as frail as a candle flame.

And then I noticed something else. Tiny particles of light were drifting away from her. Almost as if her body itself were coming undone.

Looking closely—

I could faintly see the scenery behind her through her body.

“…Solana?”

My chest tightened. She had come all the way to that freezing void to save me. And it wasn’t just that. From the moment I received that gold coin until the moment Ymir was defeated, she had been there for me. The gods must have been battered and exhausted themselves by now.

“Thank you.”

Still sitting there in the snow, I reached out and hugged Solana.

I couldn’t think of any other way to express everything I was feeling.

My gratitude.

How much I loved her.

Our eyes met—her golden eyes gazing into mine.

“Mm. And thank you, too.”

Solana smiled. She looked even more beautiful than usual, and this time, my heart felt completely full.

The goddess whispered,

“Thank you.”

Before I knew it, my body was moving.

I pressed my lips against Solana’s.

A moment later, we pulled back and stared at each other.

I could still feel the sensation on my lips. As I realized what I had just done, both my cheeks grew hotter and hotter.

Solana’s face had turned bright red, too.

“Ah…”

“Eh…?”

What am I doing?!

We both hurriedly scrambled away from each other.

“S-Sorry! I just—out of nowhere…!”

“N-No, it’s fine…!? L-Luisia told me that if you wanted to express something beyond just saying ‘thank you,’ then… that was something people did…!”

L-Lu…!

She taught the goddess about going on dates and everything, but did she really teach her “that”, too!?

I had no idea what I was supposed to do. Still sitting there in the snow, I covered my face with my hands in gauntlet.

At a time like this, in a place like this…

Am I really the kind of person who would do something like that…?

Then the goddess spoke.

“I-I didn’t dislike it.”

“—!”

A cold breeze brushed against my cheek.

Once again, golden particles of light scattered from the goddess’s body, carried away by the wind. The pounding in my chest suddenly went cold.

I looked at her and asked—

“…Are you going to be okay?”

The warm magical presence I had felt until now was growing weaker.

Solana smiled.

“To be honest, I do not know.”

She had already been wounded to begin with.

And yet all the gods had summoned the last of their strength for the sake of humanity.

That thought suddenly struck me, making me freeze.

The last…?

Why had I instinctively sensed that this might be the “last”?

“Oniichan!”

A voice called out from behind me. Lu came down onto the snowy plain from the sky alongside the other gods. They must have brought my little sister here from the Grand Staircase.

Mia-san and the others came running toward us as well.

I planted my feet firmly and forced myself to stand.

Thor raised his thick eyebrows.

“…Hmm? Rion, why’s your face all red?”

My heart skipped a beat.

“What!? I-Is it!?”

I desperately looked away.

My eyes darted from one place to another, and I could tell I was being painfully obvious. Beside me, Solana lowered her head, her face bright red as well.

Felix-san cleared his throat.

Then, all at once, every god except Lu and Mia-san, started jabbing the God of Thunder. Thor’s eyes went wide as he looked around in confusion. Completely overwhelmed by the other gods, he was gradually herded away and isolated toward the back.

While I sighed at the whole spectacle, Lu walked over to me and stood at my side, looking up at Ymir’s body.

“It’s over, isn’t it, Oniichan?”

“Yeah.”

That was when I noticed something different about Lu. Her eyes had returned to their usual sky-blue color. Before the battle with Ymir, her left eye had been green—the same color as Freyja’s magical power.

Perhaps noticing me staring, Lu lowered her chin.

“…Freyja-sama is no longer inside me.”

Lu told me what had happened at the very end of Freyja’s life.

After that, she had somehow managed to recover a tiny amount of her magical power and helped us.

“I see.”

“I think… even though it was only at the very end, I’m glad the two of them were able to talk.”

I nodded at Lu’s words.

In my mind, I pictured the goddess who had taught me the sword—and the resolve to wield it. At the very least, I would never forget her.

Solana pointed toward the titan’s body.

“Rion, look.”

Ymir’s body was gradually turning black. Starting from the edges—his toes, his fingertips, and the other extremities—his flesh crumbled into black ash and dissolved into the air.

The monster was dead.

“The titan’s final moments.”

I nodded to the goddess. His body would turn to ash and disappear, dissolving away just like any other monster.

But when the disintegration reached his chest—

The adventurers erupted into murmurs.

I found myself holding my breath.

The nearly forty-meter-tall giant still had more than half of his body intact. Black ash swirled upward from his body, carried into the air. And somewhere along the way, white light began to mingle with it. The light gathered around Ymir’s chest, beginning to form a sphere of radiance above his enormous body.

Lu let out a small gasp.

“That…?”

The sphere of light grew to more than thirty meters in diameter. White radiance poured down from it, dyeing the snowy plain even whiter.

We had seen it before.

“Oniichan. That’s in the Celestial Realm…”

“Yeah. The Light of Creation!”

Now that Ymir had died, had the magical power he had consumed been released once more?

Or was this simply the way a magic stone manifested for a Primordial Titan?

The sphere of light slowly rotated, drawing in the black ash and magical power around it. The presence of its power was overwhelming. I felt as though every adventurer here—even the gods themselves—had been left holding their breath.

Then a voice descended from above.

“As I expected. Just as I had predicted.”

An old god clad in robes descended onto the snowy plain.

Odin.

He rested the spear in his hand against the ground like a staff. Beside him stood a beautiful woman dressed in green.

“Freyja-sama…”

Lu whispered the name.

Her golden hair swayed in the wind, glittering brilliantly beneath the light of the sphere.

Odin planted his spear firmly in the snow and looked around at the gathered gods.

“Thor. Loki. Uru. Sigris.”

Then he continued.

“And Solana, Daughter of the Sun.”

The goddess stood there, growing weaker as particles of light leaked from her body.

Odin narrowed his eyes at her.

But his expression quickly returned to its usual blankness. He looked up at Ymir as the giant continued to crumble—and at the enormous sphere of light above him.

“As gods, let us carry out our final task.”

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

---

Previous ⚜ Table of Contents ⚜ Next

---

Even far from the Frost Palace, the battles against the monsters continued.

In the Lake City.

In the Mining City.

In the Royal Capital.

And throughout the world, far beyond the borders of the Kingdom of Asgard.

When the sky was dyed in twilight, the Primordial Titan loosened his seal. The effects spread to dungeons across the world. Countless adventurers were fighting to survive the massive outbreaks of monsters.

One party was running through a dungeon. They cut down monsters as they went, racing alongside their companions so they wouldn’t be surrounded.

“This way!”

“They’re catching up!”

Just as they brought down yet another wolf-like monster—so many that they had long since lost count—a roar reverberated throughout the dungeon.

—WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

A great cry that seemed to rise from the very depths of the earth.

The adventurers trembled instinctively, their faces paling.

They didn’t know it, but around the same time, Rion and Ymir were fighting within the Ginnungagap. The roar Ymir had unleashed beyond the world itself traveled through magical power, echoing all the way into the dungeons.

The frightened adventurers ran straight into a horde of monsters. They didn’t panic only because a sound meant to encourage them drowned out the terror of the roar.

—A horn.

Across the dungeons of the world, the sound of the awakening horn, Gjallarhorn, rang out—strong, yet gentle. The threat of the monsters was no different outside the dungeons. In the royal capital of the Kingdom of Asgard, the battle to defend the city continued.

For a moment, it had seemed as though the monsters were losing momentum. But when Ymir’s roar thundered across the sky, they began fighting once more as though they had gone mad.

Here, too, the sound of the awakening horn, Gjallarhorn, rang out.

A young dwarf girl, the leader of the warrior corps, and the mother of the boy with the horn all looked up at the twilight sky.

“Rion.”

The dwarf girl, Safi, swung her golden hammer, carving the magical runes into the city walls once more.

“Rion-san.”

Princess Pauline used the skill Seal beneath the great tower, weakening the monsters even if only by a little.

“Rion…”

While tending to the wounded inside the cathedral, Rion’s mother looked up toward the window.

The sound of the horn was still ringing. Everyone felt as though the boy had given them a push from behind.

“We can win!”

Someone shouted.

“Let’s go!”

Voices answered in return.

The horn was a call to courage, encouraging everyone who continued to fight against the monsters.

—Win!

That was what everyone wished for, in every battle.

◆◆◆

The cheers of adventurers from all across the world reached even the celestial realm.

The old god Odin’s eyes widened.

When the sound of Gjallarhorn echoed through the royal capital and the dungeons, the wishes of people from every corner of the world were carried back to the distant Frost Palace as well. It was almost as though the entire world were encouraging one another.

The sound of the awakening horn, Gjallarhorn, spreading across the world was one thing. But the idea that the words of ordinary humans could travel across such vast distances was difficult to imagine.

Not unless a god lent them his power.

Odin turned around.

“N-Norn…?”

At some point, a goddess with black hair and dressed entirely in black had appeared behind the old god, standing there like a shadow.

The Goddess Norn lowered her chin in response to Odin’s question.

“I acted on my own authority and delivered the sound of the horn throughout the world.”

The goddess clad entirely in black almost resembled one of the ravens Odin used to send messages.

Her ability was to transmit statuses and messages to adventurers.

“I used a global message to let the people outside the dungeons hear the sound of the horn. Within the dungeons, I made use of the divine artifact for communication, the Water Mirror of the World Tree Yggdrasil.”

“That must have required a great deal of magical power.”

The Goddess Norn bowed.

“I have watched over the adventurers for a very long time. I suppose I have developed some small measure of affection for them.”

“…I see.”

As Odin stroked his beard, Norn lowered her head.

“My chief god. Will you punish me for transmitting that message to the adventurers without your permission?”

The content Norn transmitted was normally decided by Odin. Never before had the goddess chosen to convey something of her own accord.

Odin narrowed his eyes and shook his head.

“…At this point, everything happening here is their strength.”

The Water Mirror in the celestial realm displayed the scene unfolding at the Frost Palace.

A great number of adventurers had surrounded the Primordial titan.

Ymir had grown to a massive size, now towering over ten meters tall. Dark red flames burned around his neck, waist, and joints. Muscles that rippled like mountain ranges were illuminated pale white by the morning sun.

Voices from all across the world were being sent to the Frost Palace.

—Rion!

—Don’t lose!

—You’ve gotta win!

The boy straightened his chest as though taking those cheers into himself. His blue eyes remained fixed on Ymir, unwavering.

Odin spoke quietly.

“The Gentle Strongest, huh…”

Even he, who had once devised a scheme to abandon this world, was now trying to do something for their sake—for the humans who were determined to protect this world.

And for that very reason, the chief god still could not afford to exhaust his power.

There was only one thing he could say now.

“Win, boy.”

Rion stepped forward, charging toward the giant as he raised his fist.

◆◆◆

I had returned to the surface from the void.

The morning sun was blinding, but warm. Even my white breath seemed to sparkle faintly in the light.

On the grand staircase leading to the temple, we faced Ymir.

Solana and I stood in front of Lu, shielding her from the primordial titan.

The gods had all gathered as well—Thor, Loki, Uru, Sigris, and Heimdall.

Mia-san and Felix-san led several dozen members of the warrior corps, surrounding Ymir.

I raised my voice.

“Everyone!”

I blew into the awakening horn, Gjallarhorn.

The resounding horn stirred the gods and adventurers gathered on the grand staircase, filling them with courage.

Skill『Alarm』was activated. 『Master of the Horn』… Fully draws out the power of the horn.

The adventurers erupted into cheers. Multicolored lights began to burn within their chests. Perhaps the magical power they had received from the gods had been further strengthened by the horn.

Sigris, the God of Medicine, pulled out a large spoon and smiled at me.

“Rion-san!”

I nodded and activated my skill to get them back on their feet.

Skill『Sun’s Divine Protection』was activated. 『Golden Flame』… Enhances physical abilities. Grants additional effects for a limited time.

Skill 『Divine Protection of the God of Medicine』was activated. 『Valkyrie’s Spoon』… Restores health. Consumes magical power to expand its area of effect.

Sigris leapt high into the air, scooped up the Golden Flame with the enormous spoon held in both hands, and scattered it across the entire battlefield.

The Golden Flame enveloped the bodies of all the adventurers.

Ymir let out a roar.

—WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The force of it nearly blew me off my feet.

Ymir had devoured the heart of frost and flame and regained his original power. His body had grown larger, and he was now nearly fifteen meters tall.

Most of the temple had already been swallowed by the rift, but the entrance still remained. Three massive pillars, each roughly three meters wide, stood at the enormous gate. Ymir’s face was around the boundary between those pillars and the ceiling.

“…Oniichan!”

“Lu, stay back!”

I stopped Lu.

I took a deep breath and looked around.

At the top of the grand staircase stood Ymir. There were still monsters on the snowfield, fighting the adventurers guarding the bottom of the stairs. Perhaps Ymir had opened another rift somewhere after returning and called more monsters to him.

It certainly felt like their numbers were gradually increasing. There was nowhere truly safe for me to protect my little sister.

Mia-san and Felix-san came running over.

“Hey, isn’t Ymir getting bigger!?”

“Yes! He’s beyond giant-sized now. It almost looks like he’s growing even larger…!”

As we watched, Ymir grew larger still, his body creaking and cracking as it expanded.

He placed a hand against the temple gate.

At last, his head rose above the height of the Grand Temple.

—WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The air itself trembled violently.

Solana’s golden hair fluttered in the wind as she spoke.

“Ymir has taken the Heart.”

Mia-san groaned.

“Y-You’ve gotta be kidding me…!”

A booming laugh filled the sky.

The Thunder God Thor was raising his hammer, Mjölnir.

“Who cares!? What we gotta do hasn’t changed, has it!?”

Ymir’s enormous eyes rolled toward Thor, glaring at him.

He swung his right arm, and a massive boulder was hurled toward Thor.

He created it!

Thor dodged the rock and threw Mjölnir. But Mjölnir missed Ymir by a wide margin, disappearing behind the giant.

Ymir had already grown to twenty meters tall. With a low growl, he raised his fist like a hammer and swung it down at Thor.

“…You thought I missed?”

The Thunder God grinned.

—That’s right.

This god was a god of war, too. There was no way he would miss in battle.

“What I was aiming for was his footing.”

Mjölnir came arcing back and struck the ground beneath Ymir’s feet.

The edge of the grand staircase shattered. Ymir lost his balance and fell onto the snowfield. A body that was too large to begin with had one major disadvantage—he has trouble maintaining his footing.

The temple pillar Ymir had grabbed in his massive hand snapped miserably, and the remaining entrance to the temple began to collapse as well.

Lu screamed.

“Oniichan!”

“Wait here!”

I pulled Lu into a tight embrace. I entrusted my little sister to several members of the warrior corps.

“I’ll definitely come back. Okay?”

“…Yeah!”

I ran to the edge of the grand staircase and looked down at Ymir below. The titan was slowly getting back to his feet, his growls reverberating across the battlefield. Even if that giant stood upright on the staircase where we were, it would probably only reach his waist.

And this place was supposed to be about three stories up.

Heimdall shouted from above.

“Ymir has fallen! OOOOOOOOH!”

Felix-san answered his cry.

He raised his staff and shouted toward the adventurers.

“Right of the temple! OOOOOH! All adventurers, concentrate your forces on Ymir!!”

The adventurers cried out and began moving across the snowfield.

Red, blue, purple—colors matching the magical power of the gods streaked rapidly across the snow. Our forces consisted of the gods, bolstered by the horn, and roughly one hundred adventurers.

Against us were Ymir and the monsters he had newly summoned.

“Everyone, let’s go!”

We leapt from the grand staircase down onto the snowfield.

Ymir was rising to his feet.

Skill 『Divine Protection of the God of Hunting 』was activated. 『Wild Heart』… Detection. With magical power consumption, effects can be further increased.

A brilliant crimson light enveloped Ymir. The magical power it gave off was stronger than anything I had ever sensed before, sending a shiver down my spine.

But I noticed something strange. There were two magical power signatures. One was the overwhelming magical power radiating from Ymir’s enormous body as a whole. But there was another. At the center of his chest, there was an even more powerful light.

It pulsed dark red.

Thump. Thump.

“That’s… his heart.”

I swallowed hard.

Solana descended beside me, scattering golden radiance.

“I can sense powerful magical energy coming from his chest as well. That must be the core of the monster.”

A massive eyeball glared down at me. Dark red flames burned around Ymir’s neck, waist, and joints.

The adventurers and gods surrounded Ymir as he stood on the snowfield. It looked like the other monsters were following after him as well, but Thor and Uru were reducing their numbers from a distance.

Bathed in the morning sunlight, we faced Ymir. The giant’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly, as though probing us.

—What is the source of your strength?

I remembered the question he had asked us before.

“Ymir.”

I spoke.

“It’s true that you’re weak when you’re alone… but that’s exactly why we don’t fight alone.”

He was a terrifying monster. We had once wounded him to the brink of death. We had gathered all these gods and adventurers against him. And even so, we were still in danger.

But perhaps there had been signs of change within this monster, too. For example, he had witnessed human lives during the age of myths. Perhaps he had seen the bond between gods and their followers.

Perhaps—

He had seen an ordinary little girl stand against the Primordial Titan and witnessed the will that created that unyielding bracelet. There were kinds of strength that could not be obtained without someone else. Maybe that was why he had taken an interest in Lu’s bracelet.

Of course, some of this was only my imagination. But to this titan, this world had been born from his own power. If his desire to reclaim his body had become hunger, and that hunger had begun to cover up every other feeling.

If, to this titan, “understanding” meant “devouring”, then…

“—I’m going to defeat you, Ymir.”

I pointed my short sword at him.

“Because if I don’t, your loneliness will never end!”

The titan continued to grow, little by little.

I wondered how large his original body had been. Or perhaps there was no limit at all. Perhaps he would continue growing until he became infinitely enormous.

—WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

His voice was far too deep to be called a roar.

It was more like the howling of the wind. I felt a kind of awe that came not from facing a monster, but from standing before something like a storm or a volcano—Nature itself.

Ymir raised his fist.

The sun was blocked out, and an enormous shadow spread across us.

To us, it was like having a castle come crashing down. Even so, Solana and I stepped forward.

The fist and arm slammed into the snowfield. A violent cloud of snow robbed us of our vision. The impact itself was blocked by the goddess’s magical barrier.

“What incredible power…!”

My body actually bounced into the air for a moment. Even the shockwave alone was enough to make my bones tremble.

“Haa!”

I slashed at his mountain-like leg. Blood spilled from the wound for an instant, but it stopped almost immediately.

And then—

“Gigi…!”

“Gigii!”

Monsters began emerging from the ground where his fist had struck.

Goblins, kobolds, sahagins.

Mia-san and the others moved to deal with them, but the sheer, seemingly limitless magical power Ymir possessed—the power he could use to create monster after monster—sent a chill through me.

“Solana, he’s completely different from before!”

“The enemy consumed half of the magical power in the celestial realm that was meant for creation. Now that he has reclaimed his heart and destroyed the bracelet as well, he is transforming everything he has devoured into his own body.”

But Solana continued.

“Even so, he is still better than he would have been in the Void. That place was filled with cold magical power. Had he remained there, he would likely have gained strength without limit.”

A shiver ran through me. I was truly glad we had managed to escape.

“If Ymir continues converting his magical power into physical strength and grows powerful enough that we can no longer touch him, we lose.”

“Then… if we target his heart before that happens…”

“His growth will stop.”

“…So it’s a race.”

Ymir swung his arm. The blow came for me as I slipped beneath his feet, kicking up snow like a raging storm. A fragment of shattered rock grazed my temple, and blood began to trickle down. The impact threw off my sense of balance. With white spray filling the air, I could barely see a thing.

Then his enormous body lunged into view right in front of me.

“Whoa!”

Heimdall caught the arm with his sword. The god in red armor flashed a broad grin from atop his massive frame.

“How strange! Primordial Titan!”

His laughter rang out as the god of awakening swung his shining sword. Magical power surged through the blade, cleaving the cloud of snow apart.

My vision cleared.

Heimdall thrust his sword toward the sky, and the golden reliefs along its surface proudly caught the light.

“You know what? Compared to us, battered and half-dead as we are, you look like the weaker one right now!”

With his sword, he knocked Ymir’s fist back.

“Now go!”

Ymir’s furious assault turned toward Heimdall.

With every single blow, golden magical power scattered from the god’s body. A defense that was, quite literally, shaving away his life.

Even so, the god shouted toward me.

“You can see it, can’t you?! That titan’s weakness!”

The god of awakening was battered and sent flying. Yet he immediately rose again, charging forward through the swirling snow.

“The only ones who have the magical power to pierce that giant’s chest right now are you and Solana! Run, jump, and finish this, boy!”

“Yeahhh!”

The adventurers roared.

“You hear him?!”

“Keep Rion focused on Ymir!”

“The monsters on the outside are nothing special!”

“Anyone got their hands free?!”

The loudest voice of all came from an adventurer who had come from Flocia—Lloyd of the Stone Warhammer.

“Make an opening for Rion! We’re going in from behind Ymir!”

Deliberately raising their voices to draw his attention, a group of adventurers charged at Ymir from behind. The ground shook beneath their feet, snow exploding into the air.

Ymir turned.

He was enormous, yet the way he lowered his body and moved was almost beastlike. Just getting caught up in one of his movements could mean instant death.

Ymir broke away from Heimdall’s pursuit and closed the distance to Lloyd-san and the others in a single enormous stride.

Lloyd-san shouted.

“Scatter!”

Relying on the instincts of seasoned adventurers, they split apart at exactly the right moment.

Ymir’s massive foot came crashing down, but they dodged the stomp. But their opponent was the Primordial Titan. Flames began to gather in his mouth.

“No—!”

A sweeping torrent of fire erupted from his jaws.

Desperately chasing after Ymir, I couldn’t help but shout.

“Lloyd-san!”

Red-black flames spread across the snowfield, completely swallowing Lloyd-san and the others.

They’re done for.

That was what I thought. But when the flames finally died away, a wall of ice emerged.

Lloyd-san and the others were safe, protected on all sides by the ice. Then an exasperated voice drifted down from above.

“Humans really are reckless.”

Hovering overhead, shrugging his shoulders, was Loki in his black robes.

The moment he snapped his fingers, the mass of ice collapsed.

“With this much snow all around us, we can turn it into ice. Even against flames unleashed by a Primordial Titan, it’ll hold for a few seconds. You were saved by the environment, eh?”

Loki closed one of his languid eyes and casually said something terrifying.

Then Loki’s grin widened.

“Now then, it’s my turn! I think I’ll make use of all this snow packed with magical power that’s piled up around the Frost Palace!”

Snow began rising from the ground one after another. Curving into arches, the snow converged around Loki. Once it formed a mass roughly ten meters across, a flash of flame melted it into water—only for it to freeze solid again.

By the time I noticed, countless ice projectiles were already floating behind Loki.

“I hope you’ll like this sort of thing.”

Loki gave a slight bow.

The ice projectiles rained down.

Ymir caught them with a magical barrier. Even so, his advance came to a complete halt.

“I’ll join in, too.”

It was the whispering voice of Uru, the God of Hunting.

A multitude of shining arrows shot through gaps in the magical barrier and struck Ymir’s body. By now, the giant stood well over twenty meters tall. The arrows probably didn’t hurt any more than a thorn prick.

But the God of Hunting had certainly succeeded in drawing Ymir’s attention. His enormous golden eye followed the god’s movements.

As I ran, I shouted,

“Everyone’s creating openings for us…!”

Solana nodded.

“Yes! We’ll close in… and blast through the chest where his heart lies with our magical power.”

I tightened my grip around my short sword.

Heimdall, who had caught up with us, had resumed his attack as well. The god fired magical power from his sword, piercing Ymir’s shoulder.

We had already reached the giant’s feet.

Heimdall flashed me a grin.

“I’ll cover you!”

“Thank you!”

Solana, Heimdall, and I leaped into the air together.

Ymir had already grown to around thirty meters tall. His head was so high that I had to crane my neck just to see it.

—OOOOOOOOH!

Ymir roared.

Magical power surged through his bellow. We had already leaped as high as his chest, but the force blasted us away in an instant.

Solana caught me in midair.

Ymir stomped his foot.

The sheer intimidation drove back the adventurers who had been closing in. Then he clenched both fists in front of his chest. Flames gathered around his right hand. Frost enveloped his left.

“Ice… and fire…?”

My voice trembled as I stared down from the air.

Ymir brought his two fists together—ice and flame colliding. And from between them, darkness began to spill out in heavy, dripping masses. The black lumps fell onto the snowfield and, before my eyes, rapidly formed arms, legs, and heads.

I caught my breath.

Even the adventurers had fallen silent. What emerged were giants about eight meters tall, wreathed in fire. Just like the Flame Giants we had seen in Alvis.

Three of them. Smaller Giant Soldiers also emerged from the masses of darkness that had fallen across the snowfield.

A groan escaped me.

“He’s… creating giants!?”

Ymir’s body rippled, growing even larger.

Heimdall growled.

“This is bad. If he gets any bigger than this, we really won’t be able to stop him.”

Ymir swung his enormous body around.

It was like watching a tornado. The adventurers on the snowfield were sent flying by the sheer force of the movement.

His gaze locked onto us.

“Solana!”

“Right!”

Still holding me in her arms, Solana dropped lower.

We plunged almost straight downward, breaking out of Ymir’s line of sight as we fled.

A foot like a slab of rock rose into the air, nearly crushing us beneath it. On the ground, even more small monsters were being born alongside the giants. Centered around Ymir, a black wave of monsters spread outward in a widening circle.

“Oniichan!”

Lu was watching us from the grand staircase of the temple.

The thought that I couldn’t lose burned inside me once more.

“I’m fine!”

I dodged the palm rushing toward us, intent on crushing us, by shooting straight upward.

As if answering my words, blue armor flashed through the sky, passing us in midair.

“Everyone!”

Sigris landed on the ground.

She had brought another ten or so adventurers with her, appearing alongside Lloyd-san.

“Follow me. Forward!”

Led by the Valkyrie, the adventurers charged toward Ymir. The sight of them cutting through the black wave was like a shower of shooting stars.

Something flashed in the sky above.

A hammer. Wrapped in lightning, it came crashing down upon Ymir. Thunder boomed, and cracks spread across his magical barrier.

“Thor!”

The God of Thunder burst into laughter. His torn, bloodstained clothes made it clear that he, too, had been through a fierce battle.

“You’d better not forget about me!”

Solana called out.

“What about the monsters in the rear?!”

“I took ’em all down! Now there’s only Ymir left!”

Working in concert with Thor’s hammer, Uru’s arrows and Loki’s magic attacked from different directions.

Ymir, forced to maintain his magical barrier, could no longer move as he pleased.

On the ground, the adventurers and Sigris closed in on Ymir, while Heimdall cut down monsters one after another. The spreading black wave and everyone’s resistance were locked in a fierce struggle.

—OOOOOOOOOOOOH!

Ymir once again slammed his fists together—ice and flame.

From the masses of darkness that fell to the ground, even more giants emerged. From within the darkness, the enormous head of a serpent began to crawl out.

Then a wolf’s head followed.

Was he trying to create Jörmungandr, the World Serpent, and Fenrir all over again…?

Every instinct I had screamed that we were in danger.

If this continued, Ymir would truly create an army of monsters—the end of the world would begin again.

“Rion!”

“Yeah. We have to hurry!”

There’s no time!

We landed on the ground and ran. From the air, the magical barrier and Ymir’s enormous arms kept getting in our way. Our only option was to weave through the chaotic battle with the monsters on the ground and approach him from a blind spot.

The sound of chains rattled.

Mia-san and Felix-san came running toward us, and we joined up with them.

“Ymir’s feet, right?!”

“We’ll cover you!”

Felix-san drove the Giant Soldiers back with fire magic.

Using a Spirit Stone, he even unleashed a powerful gust of wind, creating a clear space around Ymir’s feet.

Mia-san shouted.

“This way!”

She hooked her chain axe around Ymir’s arm. Solana and I grabbed Mia-san’s left hand.

“Hold on tight!”

Ymir swung his massive arm upward. The momentum carried me, Solana, and Mia rapidly upward along the chain.

“Count on me!”

Mia-san let go and fell back toward the ground.

Solana and I used the momentum to soar even higher. We rose until we were right before Ymir’s eyes.

“Ymir…”

I stared at him.

His enormous eye, nearly as large as my entire body, glared down at me.

“Let’s end this.”

My voice carried through the sky.

—Rion!

—Please win!

—Come back safely…!

Safi, the princess, my mother.

Voices of people I knew.

Voices of people I didn’t.

The warmth in my chest became heat.

I glanced at the goddess and reached for the coin in my pocket. The gold coin I had received from the antique shopkeeper during that cold winter gleamed in the morning sunlight.

The goddess smiled.

“Shall we?”

Solana entered the gold coin.

With a clear, ringing chime, the coin attached itself to the hilt of my short sword.

Heat gathered in my hand. The gold coin began to shine brilliantly as it fused with the blue-crystal short sword.

In the blink of an eye, blades of light were born in both my hands.

Skill『Sun’s Divine Protection』was activated. 『Sword of the Sun’s Daughter』… Imbues the Daughter of the Sun in a weapon.

An enormous wave of heat surged from my chest, through my arms, and into the short sword. The overflowing golden light formed a gigantic blade, its length rivaling Ymir’s towering height.

My gaze met that of the Primordial Titan.

“It’s over, Primordial Titan.”

For just an instant, the anger and fighting spirit vanished from Ymir’s burning eyes. His gaze became puzzled, as though asking me a question, “Am I going to lose?”

I felt as though Ymir’s voice had echoed inside my head.

“Yes.”

I changed my stance.

“You have a strength that I can never reach.”

Not through hurting others.

Not through devouring them.

I held the golden blade straight.

My target is the center of Ymir’s chest.

—Is that something I cannot devour?

The calmness in Ymir’s eyes lasted only an instant.

His fighting spirit immediately flared back to life, and he reached out toward me. Our cries mingled, echoing through the space between us.

I thrust the blade of light forward and released the golden magical power toward his heart. A torrent of light pierced straight through Ymir’s body.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

---

Previous ⚜ Table of Contents ⚜ Next

---

Rainbow-colored light poured down upon the Celestial Realm.

High in the air, the aged god, Odin, narrowed his eyes, taking in the entire scene in his mind.

It had only been moments since a goddess had ascended from the snowy plains into the Celestial Realm through the rainbow bridge, Bifröst. Freyja had immediately risen into the sky, scattering the seven-colored magical power surrounding her across the entirety of the celestial realm.

Now, the gods who had lost their strength and collapsed were rising to their feet.

The God of Thunder, the God of Mischief, the God of Hunting, the God of Medicine, the God of Awakening, and the Daughter of the Sun—

The gods exchanged glances with Freyja as she floated beneath the blue sky.

Then, without a word, they headed toward Bifröst, the rainbow bridge descending toward the snowy plains.

There were no words among the gods. What had happened was already clear from the Water Mirror that had displayed the battle.

The only one who could not remain silent was Odin, the chief god.

“Are you going?”

After descending to the ground, Odin asked the gods.

Only Solana stopped and turned around. Her golden eyes met the chief god’s gaze.

Odin continued.

“You are already gravely wounded. Even if you use the magical power of Jörmungandr and the others, along with the remaining power of creation, you will not last long.”

Odin planted his spear against the ground like a staff and took a step forward.

“The gods throughout the world’s dungeons have already expended much of their strength resisting the eclipse. If you were to approach the brink of annihilation again, there would be no longer be any way to restore your strength through magical power.”

Solana smiled.

“What are you trying to say?”

“If you go to the Ginnungagap, Solana, you…”

Before the chief god could finish, the goddess placed a hand against her chest.

“This is my vow.”

Odin tightened his grip around his spear.

“…A vow?”

“I have chosen to stand with Rion. It was my own will. My own desire. I made that choice myself.”

The years of the distant past came rushing back through the chief god’s mind.

Long ago, Odin had created the ancestors of humanity together with the other ancient gods. They had been imitating Ymir, who had created the gods. And so Odin had thought he understood that humans were beings beneath the gods. He had seen nothing but their betrayal, their fear, their weakness. But perhaps he should have looked not only at the darkness they produced, but at the light that gave rise to it as well. After all, darkness only becomes visible because light falls upon it.

Odin murmured,

“A god… swearing a vow to a human…?”

Now, it was the goddess who was being pulled along by the will of a human.

This apocalypse had brought one thing after another that he could never have anticipated.

As Solana walked toward Bifröst, the rainbow bridge, together with the other gods, she looked back at Odin and smiled.

“You’ve awakened now, haven’t you?”

By the time the chief god looked up in surprise, Solana and the others were already gone.

Only a gentle breeze passed through the celestial realm.

Odin had no strength left to fight, having devoted it to maintaining the seal and to the skills he had bestowed upon the adventurers. Considering the risks, he had no business leaving the celestial realm either.

Even so, the chief god felt a small pang of regret that he could not go to the surface and fight alongside them.

The Water Mirror of the celestial realm continued to display the snowy plains, positioned a short distance away from Odin.

A light appeared on the surface.

The golden light plunged into the enormous rift.

◆◆◆

Sunlight poured down around me, so thick it felt as though I could scoop it up with my hands.

Light streamed in through the rift high above.

Golden radiance washed over Ymir and me as we stood upon the great glacier. Ymir leaped backward, while I reached a hand toward the sky.

Someone descended toward me, trailing sparkles of light in their wake.

My eyes widened.

My heart began to pound.

The moment I saw that radiant smile, I called out her name.

“Solana!”

We had only been apart for a short while, yet it already felt as though I hadn’t seen her in days.

I took both of the goddess’s hands and pulled her toward me.

Her flowing golden hair.

Her large eyes gazing into mine.

Just seeing them filled my chest to overflowing.

“Why are you here…?!”

“That’s because—”

The goddess began to answer, then suddenly her mouth fell open.

“B-behind you!”

Ymir, who had grown to nearly five meters tall, had raised his fist.

“We’re flying, Rion!”

Solana grabbed my hand and took flight.

Ice shattered beneath us.

As we rose, Ymir bared his fangs and roared up at us.

—WOOOOOOOOOO!

His burning gaze followed us.

Solana abruptly lowered our altitude, breaking his line of sight, and flew low across the great glacier.

“The gods have recovered their strength. I’m the only one who could come into this void, but the others are waiting for us on the surface.”

Above us, the rift leading back to our world was still open.

If we could make it there, we could rejoin the other gods. And then, perhaps, we could fight back.

“So—the magical power has been restored?”

Solana hesitated for a moment.

“It was Freyja. Her magical power, along with the power of Jörmungandr, the World Serpent, and Fenrir, was delivered to the celestial realm. That is why we were able to recover.”

“Freyja? But she was supposed to be inside Lu… Did Lu go to the celestial realm?”

“No. The one who helped us was Freyr.”

I couldn’t hide my surprise.

“…What do you mean? I…. I thought he was dead…”

“I’ll tell you everything in more detail later. You and Luisia are both incredible. You truly saved a god who had been lost in doubt!”

A tremendous roar approached from behind us.

Solana and I turned around in alarm.

Ymir was coming after us, crushing the glacier beneath his feet. His massive body, now more than five meters tall, grew rapidly larger in my field of vision.

“Solana, can’t you fly any higher?”

“…I’m sorry! The cold magical power filling this place dulls even the strength of the gods!”

She was right.

Golden light was leaking from Solana. It was as though her body itself were coming undone, the magical power slowly fading from her.

Are you okay?

I almost asked. But I swallowed the words. There was no way she is all right.

And yet, she had still plunged into this void for my sake.

My heart grew hot.

The will to fight began rising within me once more.

“Solana, for now, let’s focus on getting back to the surface.”

When I said that, Solana raised an eyebrow.

“…As expected of you. I feel the same way. In order to defeat this monster, we’ll need to join forces with the other gods and the adventurers.”

Ymir wrapped both arms in flames and fired them at us in rapid succession.

I let go of the goddess’s hand, and we split up in two directions. If we both moved in zigzags, even a torrential downpour of fireballs could be avoided.

As I thought, fighting in tandem with the goddess was something special.

“Rion! Can you see the rift up above?”

After finishing our evasive maneuvers, Solana and I regrouped, standing back-to-back.

“Loki and the others are up there, preparing for something.”

“Preparing—”

Even as we exchanged words, Ymir roared again.

With a series of cracking, grinding sounds, his enormous body grew even larger.

The light scattering from his left arm was probably because a crack had formed in the bracelet. Just as he had done earlier, Ymir grabbed his left wrist with his right hand.

Seven meters tall. His sheer presence was as oppressive as a mountain of rock, while his wildly swirling golden hair looked like the raging flames of some mythological inferno. Dark red flames burned around his neck, waist, and joints, as though protecting them.

Ymir rippled his muscles and stretched both arms out to either side.

Red light gathered in his palms. As the glow intensified, two masses of rock, each roughly five meters across, appeared there. He had created them.

The titan drew back his enormous arms and smashed the two boulders apart. Fragments came raining down sideways, driven like a storm.

Solana groaned.

“T-the power of Creation…?!”

I answered as I dodged. One of the fragments seemed to have grazed my left shoulder, sending a sharp pain through me.

“The Heart of Frost and Flame was taken.”

Solana caught her breath.

Ymir’s body creaked and groaned, and he grew a little larger once again.

With every passing moment, this monster was growing stronger.

“Rion, but…”

“It’s all right. This monster still doesn’t know how to control his power.”

The key was the bracelet fastened around his left arm. The ice bracelet Lu had placed there was on the verge of bursting against an arm that had grown as thick as the trunk of a great tree. Even so, it still hadn’t snapped.

For Ymir, it was a restraint that kept his power in check. And yet—Ymir was interested in the bracelet. The fact that he occasionally checked on it was proof enough.

Ymir wanted to know the feelings Lu had poured into that bracelet. That was why he wasn’t growing dozens of meters all at once. Instead, his body was gradually, little by little, increasing in size. If he grew too quickly, the bracelet around his left arm would eventually be destroyed.

That meant there was hesitation in his fighting.

“Lu’s bracelet is still holding Ymir back.”

The bracelet had two effects. Its original purpose was to seal away Ymir’s power. And its secondary effect was to confuse Ymir’s heart.

Those two factors were our hope right now. Still, we couldn’t afford to let our guard down.

As his body grew larger, Ymir’s growls became more violent. The Primordial titan made the very air tremble.

“Perhaps it’s time to devour you.”

The giant eyes fixed on me and Solana.

A breath like steam leaked from Ymir’s mouth.

The pit of my stomach trembled.

I didn’t know how long he would continue to cherish that bracelet. After all, he wanted to devour both Lu, who had created it, and me, her older brother. By devouring the humans who had created the bracelet, he might also be able to learn about the bracelet itself.

It was a way of thinking unique to Ymir.

Solana gently descended beside me.

“…I understand the situation. I’ll explain my plan.”

With about ten meters between us and Ymir, we faced him.

Solana continued.

“I need you to stop Ymir’s movements. Just for a few seconds. I’ll use my magical power to pull both Ymir and us all the way up.”

I glanced at the rift far above our heads.

“…Pull us up? All the way there?”

“That is why I have a plan. When the time comes, I want you to blow the horn as well. It will be the signal to Loki and the others.”

Stop Ymir’s movements, and blow the horn.

I slapped my cheeks to fire myself up.

“—Understood!”

“Good. Then…”

Ymir let out a roar.

A wall of magical power came rushing toward us with tremendous force. All around us, sections of the glacier burst apart.

Our voices overlapped.

“Let’s go!”

Relying on the momentum of the Golden Flame, I kicked off the ground.

Ymir’s body was seven meters tall. The bracelet on his left arm was already being squeezed to the point where it looked ready to burst apart. I could hear the sharp sound of ice cracking in my ears.

Crack. Crack.

“Haah!”

As I passed him, I slashed at Ymir’s leg.

The wound would be shallow, but thanks to the Golden Flame, my blade could cut through. If that was enough, then all I had to do was repeat it as many times as necessary.

—OOOH!

The Primordial titan swung his arms, scattering dark red flames. The four flames twisted and writhed, taking shape into something eerie—Monsters.

I couldn’t help shouting.

“C-Cobolds?!”

They were beastmen with dog-like faces. Their bodies were distorted, with one arm longer than the other, or a single wing growing from their backs. They were all mixed together in strange ways, but there was no mistaking them. They were cobolds.

The monsters howled and leapt at us. I sliced through two of them, while the other two were swallowed by the golden light Solana unleashed.

“Rion! With the power of Creation, he can create even the bodies of monsters!”

Creating monsters from nothing—

It was a power that felt like cheating.

As long as Ymir remained here, he could potentially recreate an entire army of monsters like the ones that had attacked the royal capital.

But…Could a power like this really satisfy this giant’s hunger?

“Ymir.”

I looked up at the Primordial Titan.

“I’ll teach you what that bracelet means!”

Lu’s figure flashed through my mind.

I’m going back. I’m going back to the surface.

I unleashed one slash after another. My target was his left leg. On the left side of his body, where the bracelet was, Ymir’s movements were indeed just a little slower.

I slashed as I passed him.

Thor’s Hammer.

I combined the fire spirit Salamander with the wind spirit Sylph, hammering him with a blast of wind and flame.

Ymir slammed his fist into the ground, sending dark red flames surging outward.

As I leapt backward, small monsters—cobolds, goblins, and the like—appeared, chasing after me as though trying to keep me from escaping.

“—!”

Solana supported my back.

“Let us drive away the darkness with the light of the sun.”

Golden light poured from the goddess, swallowing the monsters whole. The goblins had the dark red flames stripped from their bodies, and they immediately crumbled back into black ash.

“Solana…”

“I’m fine.”

For just a moment, it felt as though the goddess’s magical power had dropped dramatically. Even her smile looked tired.

Let’s finish this with the next attack.

With a single step forward, I slipped beneath Ymir’s arm.

At one of the places where my previous slashes had deepened the wounds, I drove my short sword in, enveloping the blade in the Golden Flame.

At the same time, the goddess struck that same left leg with a blast of light.

—U… OOOH…!

Ymir dropped to one knee.

I hurriedly leapt away from his palm, which was as massive as a slab of bedrock.

He had only lost his balance yet it felt as though an earthquake had struck.

Solana shouted.

“Now!”

I pulled the horn from my pouch and blew into it.

A flash of light glimmered high above us. As though answering the signal, Solana dove beneath Ymir and scattered golden light across the great glacier. The entire area filled with sunlight. The frigid air that had made our breath turn white receded, and warmth wrapped around us.

“What is this…?”

With the sound of cracking ice, the ice bracelet began to glow.

And then—

It shattered.

—WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Ymir finally broke the bracelet and let out a roar.

Almost at the exact same moment, warm air surged up from beneath my feet.

An updraft.

Me, Solana, and even Ymir’s enormous body were lifted into the air. Her golden hair fluttering in the wind, Solana raised her voice.

“I mixed my solar magic into the cold wind flowing from the rift! In this space filled with cold magical power, the warm magic of the sun is an intrusion! It creates a force that pushes us upward!”

The goddess looked up toward the rift, her expression softening.

“According to Loki, it is something like an ‘updraft.’”

I could almost picture the Loki’s proud face as he raised one finger and explained it.

I found myself smiling, too. Knowing that our companions were waiting for us really was reassuring.

Solana nodded.

“With this, we can escape from this cold void…!”

A torrent of light continued pushing us upward. Ymir swung his enormous arm around and grabbed hold of the ice with his right hand.

“I… am…!”

I sliced through that hand with the wind spirit Sylph.

The great glacier shattered, and Ymir, too, was swept upward by the immense torrent of light.

—Rion!

—Over here!

—Come back!

I began to hear the voices of my companions and the gods.

Leaving the great glacier behind, Solana, Ymir, and I continued rising higher and higher.

The rift that had fallen from above drew closer, and the world around us gradually grew brighter.

Far in the distance, I thought I could faintly see an enormous tree.

Blessing of the God of Hunting.

Magical Power Detection.

“The flow… of magical power…?”

The movement of magical power glowed, making it look almost like a tree. At the same height as the rift that served as our exit, luminous roots stretched out.

And above them stood an incomprehensibly enormous tree—I couldn’t tell whether it was several meters tall, or several kilometers. It was as massive as a mountain. Above the tree were countless points of light. It looked like a starry sky.

I had thought there was nothing to see in this void, but as we drew closer to the world we had come from, countless lights began to appear before my eyes.

Solana took hold of my arm.

“Each of those lights is probably the magical power possessed by someone living in your world.”

A glittering starry sky—

No.

Magic power.

The roots of the tree spread wide overhead, as though protecting our world.

“We flew outside the world itself. Because of that, the flow of magical power and the light are actually easier to see. What appears to us as a tree and its roots… is likely the magical tree known as Yggdrasil, the World Tree.”

Solana continued.

“Magic is the power by which feelings take form. The magical power currently being used by the divine artifact, the World Tree Yggdrasil, in its Water Mirror is merely a tiny fraction of this enormous tree. The feelings carried by humanity throughout its existence surround our world, protecting it even from the wounds Ymir inflicted upon it.”

We were enveloped in light and emerged from the void. Alongside Ymir’s roar, we returned to the battlefield where our companions were waiting.

It was blinding. Even with my eyes closed, I could feel the presence of the sun pressing against my eyelids.

The Frost Palace had still been in the midst of dawn when we left. But now, the sun was rising above the horizon, tearing the night away from the sky.

Pushed upward by the surging wind, Ymir and I were carried dozens of meters into the air. Below us, across the snowfield, I could see our companions and the gods.

Thor, Heimdall, Loki, Uru, Sigris—

And alongside those gods were Mia, Felix, and Lu.

The roughly one hundred adventurers who had come with us to the snowfield were all looking up at us as well.

Still wrapped in light, Solana and I landed on the grand staircase.

A moment later, Ymir landed at the entrance to the Grand Temple.

The morning sun shone down upon all of us. Ymir, who had grown to ten meters tall, stood there beneath the sunlight as well.

The titan shifted. For an instant, a puzzled expression crossed his face. As though he were wondering how things had come to this. The powerful monsters that had once followed Ymir were no longer anywhere on the snowfield.

“Oniichan”

Lu called out to me.

I desperately held back the urge to rush toward those familiar sky-blue eyes.

I steadied my breathing, planted my feet shoulder-width apart, and pointed my short sword at Ymir.

“Let’s put an end to this apocalypse.”

For just a moment, the snowfield fell completely silent.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

---

Previous ⚜ Table of Contents ⚜ Next

---

I stood on top of the glacier, facing Ymir. The unnatural cold seeped deep into my body. My legs trembled, and my teeth chattered.

The enormous glacier stretching out around me wasn’t made of real ice. The freezing magical power filling the space had gathered together, merely taking on the appearance of ice. The tremendous cold was probably caused by the magic itself draining the heat from my body.

But the biggest reason I was trembling was fear. The titan standing before me shattered everything I needed to fight back—the will to fight, my resolve, everything.

Ymir had reclaimed his heart. His body, which had been only about two meters tall, continued to grow larger. With the power he had regained, he was creating an entirely new body. His disheveled golden hair looked like flames, while the muscles rippling across his body twisted like mountain ranges.

Beneath his glowing eyes, a mouth lined with fangs slowly opened.

—WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The roar nearly blew me away!

I lowered my body and hid in the shadow of a massive chunk of ice.

My entire body was shaking violently.

“Status.”

I whispered the words under my breath, willing them to come true, almost as though I were praying. But I could no longer hear the voice of God. Not even the slightest information came to me—not about divine blessings, not even about my level.

“Status. Status…!”

Someone, please answer me.

Let me hear your voice.

When I looked up, I could see a light far, far away.

It was probably the rift through which Ymir and I had fallen. Ymir had torn through space itself and dragged me from the world I had known into this place. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how much distance lay between us and the world below.

The Golden Flame that had once enveloped my body had already disappeared as well.

Had I lost the voice of God and those divine blessings because of this space?

“…No.”

My body trembled. I’m scared.

The Kingdom of Asgard was already impossibly far away. My companions were gone. God was gone—

Solana’s gone, too.

There’s nothing around me but absolute emptiness.

A foothold formed from condensed, freezing magic. A distant glow of scorching magical energy, far beyond me. That was all. This is a place where no living creature was meant to exist. And I was alone. Stranded here with Ymir, whose power had been restored completely.

A chill ran down my spine, and I turned around.

Ymir was looking down at me.

The body that had once been around two meters tall had grown to more than three meters. His rugged face, as though carved from stone, twisted into a grin. The sheer intimidation radiating from him had grown far beyond what his increased size alone could explain.

Ymir swung his arm.

The glacier shattered and I was sent flying.

I managed to brace myself.

But Ymir chased after me and drove his foot into me.

“—!”

The impact felt as though my body were about to explode. I was hurled away, rolling endlessly across the frozen ground. Jagged shards of ice tore into my body, ripping open my back and legs.

I forced myself upright.

Thick blood trickled down from my forehead.

Every part of my body hurt.

“Y-Ymir…!”

My voice came out hoarse.

Get up.

Draw your short sword.

Even if it’s just an act, make it look like you can still fight!

My mind screamed at me.

But my body wouldn’t move. Something vital that connected my heart to my body—something that could be called the will to fight—had already snapped.

“Hm.”

Ymir rested a hand against his chin as he looked down at me.

“Has your heart been shattered?”

Dark crimson flames ignited in both of his hands. Ymir brought them together, forming a massive fireball nearly as tall as he was, then hurled it straight at me.

I’m dead.

That was what I thought.

Pathetic as I was, I couldn’t even dodge. I would simply be killed while trembling from the cold and fear.

But that didn’t happen.

“Hah… hah…”

I repeated short, ragged breaths as I dodged the explosion.

I kept my body low. I still couldn’t raise my short sword, but at the very least, I glared at Ymir.

There was a warmth in my chest.

What should I do?

I asked myself.

I set my feet shoulder-width apart. Lowered my hips. Kept my eyes forward. Calmed my breathing.

Everything Father had taught me—all the things I had practiced, reviewed, and trained over and over again—came flowing back into my mind like a clear stream.

What should I do?

The God of Hunting had taught me how to gauge an opponent.

The God of Mischief had taught me how to use deception to gain the upper hand in battle.

“…You’re strong, Ymir.”

My voice trembled.

I’ll let him know that I am afraid. Make him underestimate me. Buy time by keeping him talking.

I remembered how the God of Thunder had once pointed toward my own chest. From that god, I had learned the courage to stand against something far greater than myself.

“Are you afraid?”

Ymir asked the question.

The corner of my mouth twitched.

“Of course I’m scared…”

But unlike before, a way to deal with it came to mind.

My body remembered. It remembered all the adventures I had been through.

The God of Medicine had taught me about healing and potions.

That’s right.

Recovery wasn’t limited to skills alone.

I reached into the pouch containing the awakening horn, Gjallarhorn, and pulled out a healing potion. I took it into my mouth. It wasn’t anything like the White Flame, but the pain eased just a little.

Ymir grew even larger. Five meters tall.

A fist like an iron ball came swinging toward me.

“—!”

I’ll keep the momentum and internal resolve strong here, while preserving the subtle ambiguity around why Ymir protects the bracelet.

I took the blow and jumped backward at the same time. For now, all I could do was study my enemy and hold out.

Even as I was sent flying, I kept my eyes wide open.

Find something. Anything that could turn this around.

I would never give up.

I had to return to Lu, to Solana, to everyone.

I couldn’t let things end in this darkness.

Then I noticed something about Ymir’s left arm. His enormous body was continuing to grow.

And yet—the bracelet Lu had placed around his left arm was still there. It hadn’t shattered. Even as his arm grew thicker and thicker, the bracelet remained in place, still restraining it.

—WOOOOOOOOOOO!

As my feet touched the ground, Ymir let out a roar.

His enormous eyes rolled toward the bracelet. His right hand moved toward his left arm.

I thought he was going to tear off the troublesome bracelet.

But Ymir didn’t. Instead, he tightly grasped the bracelet around his left arm. As though he were protecting something precious.

“…You’re not breaking it?”

Ymir had said it back on the surface.

He had spoken of the strength of the people who had created the bracelet. He had even said that he wanted to devour that strength—to learn it for himself.

Something Ymir wanted to know.

Something we had that monsters did not.

Not something possessed by creatures who were either ruled or ruled over, but something that existed only within us—within gods, humans, and dwarves.

The Primordial Titan had spent a thousand years repeating the same thing because he wanted to obtain it. Because he didn’t want to keep repeating it for another thousand years.

And so—

“Are you hungry?”

I looked up at Ymir, who had grown to nearly five meters tall.

We stood facing each other upon the great glacier.

“Ymir, you…”

It wasn’t enough to simply defeat him.

I didn’t want it to be that way. I had to understand this monster. Somehow, I felt that the final battle of this apocalypse would never end otherwise.

A low “ooooh” echoed through the void, like the howling of wind.

Another warmth kindled within my chest.

The Kindest and Strongest.

I remembered the very first vow I had made to the Goddess.

The golden aura that had once disappeared from my body—the ability Golden Flame—began to envelop me once more.

“So that’s it…”

After falling into the void, my heart had been thrown into turmoil.

Perhaps Golden Flame had disappeared because its time limit had run out. Or perhaps it was because of the cold magical power filling this place. On top of that, I could no longer hear the Voice of Goddess that told me my status.

I had thought that meant the divine blessings I had received were gone as well. But divine blessings had always strengthened my physical abilities.

If I had truly lost them completely, I would have been rendered incapable of fighting after those first few blows. The gods’ blessings are still with me.

“Status.”

Even when I called for it, there was no voice.

Most likely, it was a matter of distance.

The Voice of God was the words of the Goddess Norn in the celestial realm. Her voice simply couldn’t reach this deep within the Primordial Void.

But I wasn’t alone.

“Wake up!”

I couldn’t hear the voice of God. But spirits burst forth from the crystal of my short sword and from my gauntlet.

“Pii!”

“Woof!”

The wind spirit Sylph.

The fire spirit Salamander.

The water spirit Undine.

I relaxed my lips into a faint smile.

“Thank you.”

The loneliness had faded considerably.

The skill Alarm is still available to me. Then surely I could use my other blessings as well.

Blessing of the God of Thunder.

Blessing of the God of Hunting.

Blessing of the God of Medicine.

Blessing of the God of Mischief.

And—

Blessing of the Sun.

The strength everyone had given me was still alive within me.

I raised my chin and met Ymir’s gaze.

“I’m going to defeat you.”

I stood tall, chest out, and declared it to the primordial titan standing in my way.

“Ymir, your ‘hunger’…”

I told him.

“It’s loneliness.”

I paused.

“There probably isn’t anyone who would make something as strong as that bracelet for you—something made with so much feeling.”

Magic is the power of imagination. The power to give form to one’s feelings, just as Loki had told me.

The hardness Ymir felt in the bracelet was the strength of Lu’s desire to protect me itself.

The primordial titan closed his eyes. He remained silent, as though savoring my words.

“…If I devour it, will I obtain it?”

I shook my head.

For the first time, I felt sorry for this monster.

“You won’t.”

I lowered my stance and prepared myself.

“You can’t do it alone. You have to cherish someone.”

“I see,” Ymir simply replied.

I steadied my breathing and faced the primordial titan.

The moment I kicked off the ground, a voice burst inside my head.

—Rion!

I looked up in surprise.

Far, far above me, the rift in space through which we had fallen gaped open.

For a moment, I thought I could see the warm light of the sun beyond it.

—I am always with you.

—I swore I would be.

Heat filled my chest.

The short sword that had been trembling in my hand steadied. And I could tell that Ymir had become slightly more wary of me.

“Why…?”

I am happy.

I felt reassured.

But you should have been battered and exhausted yourself.

—That does not matter now.

—More importantly, I still cannot determine your location.

—I came with everyone to just before the rift, so my voice can reach you, but I cannot tell where you are.

—Give me a signal!

The moment I heard that, I knew what to do.

I opened the pouch remaining on my right side and pulled out the awakening horn, Gjallarhorn.

I raised it to my lips and blew.

Wake up!

The high, piercing sound of the horn, a call that stirred the gods to action, rang out through the void.

And then—

golden light descended beside me.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

---

Previous ⚜ Table of Contents ⚜ Next

---

The grand staircase leading to the temple.

As snow drifted through the air, Freyr knelt before Luisia. The God of Fertility took the girl’s hand and gazed into her eyes, his own a deep blue.

“…Are you certain?”

Luisia lowered her chin in a quiet nod.

With the power left behind by Freyr, the God of Fertility, Freyja could be released from Luisia’s body. If Freyja carried her magical power to the Celestial Realm, the gods might be able to regain their strength.

But if they went that far, her weakened brother god would—

“I believe in you.”

Freyr closed his eyes and pressed Luisia’s hand against his forehead.

Green magical energy enveloped the young man’s entire body. It flowed from his body into Luisia through the hand she held, traveling up her arm before gradually pouring into her.

In response, a green light began to glow within Luisia’s chest. The magic grew warmer and brighter, spreading from her chest to her shoulders, then throughout her entire body.

Before long, the green magic flowing from Freyr and the identical light emanating from Luisia’s chest began to mingle together.

Freyr looked up at the sky and cried out.

“Odin!”

His voice reverberated through the air before fading into the snowy wilderness.

“If you are watching, then please answer me! To save Freyja and deliver this immense magical power to the celestial realm, I ask you to remove the Miko skill from this girl!”

Freyr continued to shout.

“You know it now, don’t you!? The strength of the adventurers! I will use the last of my power to save Freyja and repay the adventurer, Rion!”

A raven flew over the temple, cawing as it crossed the snowy sky.

—The price will be myself.

Click.

A sensation like a lock coming undone stirred within Luisia’s chest. In that instant, her vision rapidly blurred. Her eyes grew dazzled, and she could no longer remain standing.

“…!”

Just as she began to collapse, Mia and Felix caught her and held her up. Many people were shouting toward Freyr. Judging by the look on Luisia’s face, they were probably trying to make him stop.

Luisia desperately forced the words from her throat.

“…I can still endure it!”

Her vision continued to fade. Even through the haze, however, she could clearly see her companions—Mia, Felix, and the others—gasp in alarm.

“Oniichan’s friends really are good people”, Luisia thought vaguely.

Compared to the suffering she had endured while sick in the royal capital, this was nothing.

Then she heard Freyr’s voice.

“Odin weakened the Miko skill that he had bestowed upon you. The gods must be able to see what is happening on the surface through that raven… or perhaps through that Water Mirror.”

Luisia sat down on the grand staircase.

Something hot surged up from deep within her chest.

With the protection of the skill gone, perhaps Freyja’s magical power was trying to swallow Luisia whole.

Freyr spoke in a whisper.

“…From here, I’m going to separate your heart from Freyja’s. But—”

“Do it.”

If the attempt failed, Freyr, Freyja, and Luisia would all be broken beyond repair. Even so, Luisia’s feelings did not waver.

“…I understand.”

Freyr nodded and spoke to Luisia.

“I want you to close your eyes.”

She lowered her eyelids as she was told. Yet even though her vision had vanished, there was no darkness. Two green lights floated in the void. They gradually grew brighter, and from within them, the figures of two people slowly emerged.

One is a beautiful woman with long golden hair, clad in a green dress. Her blue eyes looked as though they might spill over at any moment, while her petal-like lips were so beautiful they seemed to take Luisia’s breath away.

The other is a dignified swordsman. His flowing golden hair and finely straight nose bore a striking resemblance to hers.

“Freyr… Freyja…”

At Luisia’s whisper, the two gods smiled.

Freyr took his sister’s hand and gazed at her, as though savoring the sight of her.

There were no words between the siblings.

Tears traced paths down the cheeks of both brother and sister.

Luisia somehow found herself thinking, “Maybe Freyr had wanted to see his sister again, like this. Perhaps that was why he could not accept Odin sacrificing his sister. Perhaps because he wanted to see his sister again, he, too, had to survive.”

Freyr took hold of Freyja’s arm and pulled her toward him.

At the edge of the darkness, a light began to shine through.

“Take care.”

Luisia spoke softly. Tears dampened her cheeks.

“So… we’ll be together forever now.”

Freyr raised a hand sadly, then walked with Freyja toward the bright exit.

The light grew stronger. Before she knew it, Luisia had opened her eyes. The green light that had filled her chest was gone. So was the heat that had been eating away at her body.

The adventurers were all looking up at the sky.

Luisia turned her gaze toward the sky just before dawn.

Leaving trails of green light behind them, Freyr and Freyja flew through the heavens, supporting one another as they went. Their destination lay beyond the grand staircase—the rainbow bridge Bifröst, shrouded in snow and already beginning to fade as though it might vanish at any moment.

When the brother and sister gods stretched their hands toward the earth, light scattered beneath the grand staircase.

The magic stones of Jörmungandr, the World Serpent, and Fenrir—the legendary monsters—shattered as well, breaking apart into countless motes of light that mingled with the radiance emanating from the two gods.

Freyr’s body began to break apart, gradually crumbling into particles of light. Even so, the two gods continued toward the celestial realm, carrying with them the magical power that Freyja herself had left unused at the time of creation.

I’ll keep the ending understated and emotional, especially the mysterious voice and Luisia’s final prayer.

At the moment Freyr’s body completely dissolved into light, Luisia heard a mysterious voice.

—You did well.

It was the voice of her father, Rutger.

Wiping away her tears, Luisia watched over the end of the brother and sister gods.

The instant the two gods reached the rainbow bridge, Bifröst—the seven-colored light began to return. The magical power they had carried to the celestial realm at the cost of their very existence finally reached its destination, reconnecting the path that had been on the verge of disappearing.

As an immense radiance stretched across the sky at dawn, Luisia prayed,

“May everyone come home.”

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

---

Previous ⚜ Table of Contents ⚜ Next

---

Long golden hair fluttered in the wind, mingled with snow. At the sight, Luisia felt her heartbeat surge. Freyja, dwelling within her heart, must have been shaken by this reunion as well.

Without meaning to, Luisia whispered,

“Freyr.…”

The man before them looked even more battered than when they had last parted. Tragic might have been the better word. His fine garments were torn in several places, and the blood flowing from his chest had already frozen solid. His left eye remained closed, perhaps unable to open anymore. There wasn’t even a wound there, yet the eyelid stayed shut.

His sword was gone. Only its magnificent sheath remained at his waist, as though it had been left there by mistake.

Felix stepped forward.

“You survived.”

Luisia couldn’t speak.

There was something horrifying about the man standing before her. She could barely sense any life left in him.

Freyr coughed roughly, then whispered,

“…Rion…”

His voice was hoarse, as though every word had to be dragged from the depths of his throat.

“He gave me… a small amount of his magic.”

“Oniichan did?”

Luisia furrowed her brow.

By now, she understood what it meant to give magic to a god. It was practically the same as giving away a portion of one’s own life. And yet her brother had never mentioned doing anything like that.

Then Freyja’s voice came from deep within her chest.

—It may have been an unconscious act.

The younger goddess continued.

—Gods and humans form bonds with one another, exchanging magical power.

—Perhaps even something like empathy can create such a connection.

—I believe Rion must have connected with my brother’s heart at the very end.

They had crossed swords countless times. But perhaps, in those final moments, Rion had finally understood what Freyr had been feeling as he fought. And perhaps that understanding had become a bond—much like the bond Rion shared with the Sun Goddess Solana.

A bond strong enough to keep Freyr alive.

The God of Fertility took a step forward, his body battered beyond recognition.

“—Freyja.”

As he climbed the stairs, he reached a trembling hand toward Luisia.

“…Take back—”

Luisia ran toward him.

Felix hurriedly moved after her, while Mia stared in shock.

Several adventurers were about to rush forward as well—

when Luisia shouted,

“You idiot!”

Smack!

She slapped the man across the face. The blow from the petite girl, standing on tiptoe to reach him, was enough to throw Freyr off balance and send him collapsing onto the stairs.

Luisia crouched beside him, took the god’s hand, and pressed it against her shoulder.

“Talk to her!”

“I…”

“Talk to Freyja-sama!”

For the weakened Freyr to speak with his younger sister, Freyja, he needed to be in physical contact with Luisia.

Green magical energy flowed from the girl’s shoulder, through the man’s arm. Before long, the divine siblings began to speak.

—I’m sorry, Freyja.

Freyr continued.

—I couldn’t protect you. In the previous Ragnarok, we lost to the monsters. And now… you are disappearing.

For a moment, Freyja held her breath.

—Brother. I’ve already accepted both our defeat by the monsters and the fact that I am fading away.

Her words were warm and gentle, like the arrival of spring itself.

—The gods were too divided, too weak, to prevent our defeat. We were weak.

—If my life can prevent the betrayal of those who would flee to another world through Creation, then my life is nothing to lament.

Freyr spoke as though he were coughing up blood.

—Even so… I hated you.

—I hated myself, too.

—To crush that weakness… to become stronger… I had to take it back…!

His voice trembled.

Luisia stared into Freyr’s eyes—his right eye blue, his left eye green.

The man lowered his head.

“…Yes. You’re right. I hated myself for being defeated.”

The God of Fertility hadn’t truly hated his sister. Nor had he truly hated the other gods.

Luisia understood that now. When she herself had been crushed beneath the weight of her own weakness, anything she could do to escape it had seemed dazzlingly bright.

And so Luisia, too, had once succumbed to the temptation of Creation.

The light had made her weakness seem to fade. But weakness did not disappear. It only cast a deeper shadow.

“When Creation failed, there was no longer any reason for Odin to restrain Freyja-sama with the skill Miko.”

“I suppose… I could have stopped fighting then.”

“But…”

Luisia could only vaguely grasp the meaning.

Freyja, who had once stopped Creation, had become an enemy of Odin.

Even if Freyr had wanted to free Freyja from Luisia, the chief god would never have allowed it.

But now—

Creation had already failed.

Perhaps Freyr could have chosen another path.

“I wanted to save you with my own hands.”

The God of Fertility finally confessed what was in his heart.

“For me to be saved, I had to save you.”

His hatred of his own weakness had robbed him of their final chance at reconciliation.

—I’m sorry, Brother.

—I chose to give up my life, leaving you behind.

Freyr shook his head.

“No. I’m sorry, Freyja.”

A faint light of salvation appeared in his blue eye.

“…So it really was this simple.”

It had taken the divine siblings a thousand years to arrive at something that human brothers and sisters had been doing countless times since the beginning of the world.

Luisia couldn’t help but think—It was too late.

Freyr’s body was probably being kept alive by nothing more than the magical power he had received from her brother, Rion.

Soon, he would breathe his last. And this time, he would never awaken again.

Some kind of roar echoed across the dawn sky.

―Ooooooooooooooooh!

The roar rose from the enormous hole in the temple. Rion and Ymir were still fighting somewhere within the rift that had opened in the floor.

Luisia rose to her feet and shuddered.

“…That’s Ymir’s.”

Her brother’s back flashed through her mind.

“Oniichan’s in danger.”

A monster with this much power. How long could her brother possibly keep fighting without the gods? And the place he was in was beyond the world’s creation itself—the very place where the primordial giant had been born. In a sense, it was Ymir’s homeland.

The freezing wind must be draining her brother’s strength.

Felix planted his staff firmly and spoke to Freyja.

“…Is there any way we can go and rescue Rion?”

―If anyone can enter that void and save him, it is not humans.

―Only the gods.

But the gods themselves had lost their magic in the heavens.

Mia began marching straight toward the rift. Several adventurers hurried after her and pinned her to the ground.

“Mia!”

“Let go! It’s worth a shot! If someone goes down there, we’ll know whether we can make it or not!”

“That’s far too reckless!”

Magic.

Luisia placed a hand over her chest.

The half-finished “Creation.”

Because the ritual had ended prematurely, Luisia still had some of the magic that had been meant to complete Creation. But using it would mean drawing even more power from Freyja.

This time, the goddess’s very existence would be absorbed into Luisia—and disappear.

Felix suddenly looked up.

“…Wait. Magic?”

He touched the coronet on his head and looked around at everyone.

“There were the World Serpent Jörmungandr and Fenrir out there. Those legendary monsters left behind magic stones. If we can draw magic from them…”

A murmur swept through the adventurers.

―Those magic stones alone will not be enough.

―But if we combine the magic remaining within me with the magic stones left behind on the snowfield, there may be a chance of restoring the gods.

Luisia raised her voice.

“But then Freyja-sama will disappear!”

After undergoing “Creation,” Luisia and Freyja had become even more inseparably bound together. By now, Freyja was little more than an existence waiting to be absorbed into Luisia.

If they forced even more magic out of her, that absorption would only accelerate.

A roar echoed across the snowfield.

Felix shook his head.

“Even if the magic is still there on the surface, we would first have to get Luisia-san to Bifröst, the Rainbow Bridge. And that means…”

He glanced toward the snow-covered battlefield.

“…getting through all the monsters out there.”

A heavy silence settled over them.

They had the magic they needed.

But the price was Freyja’s life.

And on top of that, they had no way to transport that magic to where the gods were—the heavens.

Mia looked up into the snow-filled sky.

“Hey, what if we get Odin and the others to come down here? At the very least, they’ve still got some power left, right?”

Freyja’s voice answered.

―The freezing wind pouring from the rift is keeping the gods away.

Luisia understood what the goddess meant.

A bitter wind blew from the rift in the temple. The adventurers shivered, wrapping their arms around themselves.

Luisia explained.

“This wind isn’t just cold.”

It was a wind that sapped the strength of both gods and humans.

Ymir had been born from the collision of cold and hot magic—but perhaps that cold magic was the true source of this frigid wind.

To humans and gods whose strength grew beneath the sun, this wind was poison. It was even colder than the chill Luisia had felt while under the seal. Now, Luisia could sense the cold magic raging high above them. Even Bifröst, the Rainbow Bridge visible in the distance, was almost obscured by the swirling snow, looking as though the storm might tear it apart.

It was proof that traveling between this world and the heavens was no easy feat—not even for the gods.

―They may be able to see what is happening from the heavens.

―But I doubt they can come to our aid.

Luisia took a deep breath.

She had learned from her brother that breathing deeply from the belly was a way to steady herself.

And now, to save that brother, she forced herself to think for herself.

“…Even traveling between the surface and the heavens requires an immense amount of magic right now. Odin, and even Solana-sama and the others in their weakened state, probably can’t do it. If we want to bring the magic to them… I think we have no choice but to go there ourselves.”

Freyja silently agreed.

A cold wind swept down the stairs.

Luisia had the magic, but could not fight.

The surface was overrun with monsters. And at this very moment, Rion was in danger.

If Freyja were completely absorbed into Luisia, the girl’s power would increase tremendously. If that allowed her to fight, perhaps they could somehow deal with the monsters on the surface.

But then both gods of the divine siblings would die. And there was no guarantee that Luisia would actually become capable of fighting.

Luisia clenched her shoulders tightly.

Just then, Freyr rose unsteadily to his feet.

“No.”

The man was staring at his right hand. The green magic that had passed through it moments ago still flickered faintly in his palm.

“…Luisia. I may be able to draw Freyja out of your body.”

Luisia stared at Freyr in surprise. Within her chest, Freyja was equally speechless.

The God of Fertility lowered his chin.

“I’ll use seior magic.”

It was magic that acted upon the mind—the specialty of the divine siblings of fertility.

“Perhaps because I received magic from Rion… Luisia, the precision of the seior magic I can use on you has increased.”

―Brother, I…

“If I can release Freyja from your body, she should be able to fly through the sky and head straight for Bifröst, the Rainbow Bridge. No interference from the monsters. Straight there.”

“But, If I fail… neither you, Freyja, nor I will escape unscathed. And besides, I don’t know if I have your trust—”

“No!”

Luisia grabbed Freyr by the arm.

“If that’s the only way… if it means we can save Oniichan!”

Her sky-blue right eye stared straight into Freyr’s.

“…Please do so!”

Freyr looked caught off guard.

Then, little by little, a wry smile appeared on his face.

“Humans have strong siblings.”

It was a weary smile, but there was a gentleness in it all the same.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

---

Previous ⚜ Table of Contents ⚜ Next

---

I shuddered.

Was it because of the cold?

Or because I was afraid?

“The first… void?”

The words slipped from my lips.

Before me stretched an endless glacier. Above, an abyss of pitch-black darkness concealed everything. No stars. No moon. Nothing. Even beneath my feet, I could sense traces of magic. The faintly glowing ice wasn’t real ice at all. It must have been crystallized magical power.

“Hah… hah…”

My ragged breaths turned white and drifted away in the freezing air.

Ymir stood before me, his massive body wrapped in red-black flames, silently watching me.

“You cannot move.”

The Golden Flame surrounding my body is gradually growing weaker. Perhaps it’s because I had been separated from the gods by such an immense distance.

…Think. Organize your thoughts.

Ymir had traveled from place to place, devouring the world as he went—through the Royal Capital, Flocia, Alvis, and countless others. And with every place he consumed, he regained more of his strength. Until, at last, he reached this place—Ginnungagap, the Void where creation itself had begun.

He had torn open a rift in the world so enormous that it had cast us completely beyond the boundaries of our own world. This was also the place where cold and hot magical forces had once collided—the place where Ymir himself had been born.

I looked up. In that starless darkness, I could just barely make out a thin streak of light.

Was that the rift I had fallen through?

“…I’m fine.”

I raised my short sword toward Ymir.

I lowered my stance.

But even as I did, I could feel the warmth in my chest being drained away faster and faster.

—This is terrifying.

The gods had told me about this place. But the reality was beyond anything I could have imagined. There was no sound. No wind. Nothing. Only Ymir and me.

Scary.

I’m scared.

Something deep inside me was screaming. This is a place where no living thing is ever meant to exist.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t picture myself defeating this titan. I couldn’t even picture myself surviving.

“So that is the extent of your strength.”

Ymir advanced toward me without a care in the world.

On his left arm, the icy bracelet Lu had given him glimmered faintly.

“This place is far too cold for an ordinary human. And far too terrifying.”

The titan lowered his body.

Move. Move!

My instincts told me so.

“—!”

I threw myself sideways, rolling across the ice.

A blast of wind tore past me.

And then I felt it, something had been ripped away from my waist.

“Urgh…”

My pouch was gone. On the right side, I kept the Gjallarhorn—the horn that could awaken the gods—as well as my potions.

On the left—I kept the Heart of Frost and Flame.

Ymir is now holding the pouch from my left side.

My legs trembled. Sweat broke out across my body. He had stolen it from me while my movements were slowed.

This is bad.

Really bad…!

“My heart…”

Ymir tore open the pouch with his fingers and pulled out the Heart of Frost and Flame. The heart, encased in ice, began beating faster, as if rejoicing at finally being reunited with its owner.

“I’m taking it back.”

Ymir pressed the heart against his chest.

For a moment, I thought I saw his massive body ripple.

My entire body trembled.

I nearly dropped my short sword.

Then Ymir let out a roar.

“—!”

It wasn’t so much a sound as it was like having a massive slab of wood slammed directly into my face. I was blasted backward, tumbling dozens of meters across the ice. My hands struck the glacier, and the freezing air immediately sapped even more of my strength.

I want to fight. But fear—terror—had seized my arms and legs.

No, I had to fight!

“S-status…”

Desperate for something—anything—I clung to the gods’ voices.

But the voice that echoed in my head was different from usual.

It was faint. Raspy. So weak that it sounded as though it might disappear at any moment.

Rion — 14 years old — Male Level 35

“…?”

Was it because I had fallen into the Void?

Had the divine blessings of the gods in our world completely disappeared?

A faint tremor ran through the glacier.

I raised my head. For an instant, I caught my reflection in the blade of my short sword. I looked deathly pale.

Ymir had reclaimed his heart. And here, in the First Void, the primordial titan was slowly—ever so slowly—growing larger.

◆◆◆

Mia sprinted up the grand staircase leading to the temple.

Running alongside her, Felix murmured,

“…It’s quiet. Unnaturally so.”

Ever since they had heard Ymir’s roar, not even the sounds of battle had reached them. And yet, an eerily cold wind is blowing down from the temple.

Mia pulled her cloak tighter around herself and ran faster. When they reached the top of the stairs and arrived at the temple, both of them stopped dead.

“…W-what the hell is this…?”

The temple had been swallowed by a gigantic hole.

Except for the area around the entrance, a rift dozens of meters wide had opened its gaping maw through the structure.

There was no doubt about it.

Ymir had torn space apart.

And Rion—

Rion was inside that hole.

Mia swallowed hard.

“R-Rion!”

No matter how loudly she shouted, there was no answer.

She scratched at her red hair and muttered,

“…It’s dangerous, but… should we try going down?”

Just as Mia moved forward, Felix grabbed her by the shoulder.

“Don’t.”

“But—!”

“We have no idea where it leads. There’s no guarantee it will take us to the same place as Rion.”

Mia clenched her teeth. She wanted to save him. Then Luisia, still dressed in her priestess robes, peered out from behind one of the pillars.

“Mia-san”

“Luisia! You’re safe!”

Mia rushed over and pulled her into a tight embrace.

Rion must have protected his little sister with everything he had.

Mia wiped away the tears welling in her brown eyes.

“Ugh—y-you’re squeezing too hard…”

“S-sorry. …Was this Ymir’s doing?”

“Yes. My brother went into a rift earlier, too. I thought he’d come back, but then…”

Luisia looked toward the enormous hole.

“…this happened.”

Mia and Felix turned their eyes toward the temple once more.

There was almost nothing left. Only the entrance, with its three pillars standing side by side, and a few fragments of wall remained. Everything else had been swallowed by the gigantic rift.

Beneath the dawn sky, the dark, bottomless hole gaped open in the ruins. There’s something deeply unnatural about it.

“Felix, let’s come up with a plan.”

“Yes. However…”

“I know it’s reckless. But we can’t just leave everything to Rion.”

That was when a voice echoed inside their heads.

—I believe this rift extends to an unimaginably deep place.

Mia frowned. The voice seemed to be coming from Luisia. Her left eye had turned green.

“…Freyja?”

—Yes.

—Most likely, this rift extends all the way to what is known as Ginnungagap—the space that existed before the world was created.

Luisia’s voice trembled.

“Is my brother… safe?”

—I cannot tell from here.

—But this cold… it is abnormal.

—If Rion is being exposed to magical energy this cold, energy that drains heat itself, then he is in grave danger.

Felix planted his staff firmly against the ground.

He touched the coronet on his head and let out a slow breath.

“…I want an honest answer. Goddess Freya, can you help him?”

—It would be difficult for me in my current state.

—The cold magical energy has reached even the heavens, rejecting the gods.

—However, the gods in the heavens… especially the Sun’s Daughter, who can bestow warmth… there may be a chance.

By then, more and more adventurers were catching up with Mia and the others.

“Mia! We’ve got a problem!”

“What is it this time…?!”

“The monsters down on the snowfield are multiplying. Most likely—”

The adventurers stared uneasily at the hole that had swallowed the temple.

“There’s another hole just like this one at the edge of the snowfield. Ymir must have summoned more monsters.”

Mia clicked her tongue.

The Primordial Titan is regaining his strength far faster than they had imagined.

“…As expected of the monster boss.”

Suddenly, a murmur rippled through the back row. About ten adventurers were walking towards them, and a ragged man emerged from between them.

Luisia’s eyes widened at the sight of his flowing blond hair.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

---

Previous ⚜ Table of Contents ⚜ Next

---

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

---

Previous ⚜ Table of Contents ⚜ Next

---