Titan (3)
Titan (3)
A second Gate Mutation occurred less than a day after the first one.
If she had known something like this would happen, Shin Su-ah-ssi would have told me.
However, she also looked startled, as if she had no idea what was going on, looking around at the rapidly changing environment inside the Gate.
In other words, this was something even Shin Su-ah-ssi didn't know.
It seemed that another anomaly she, a regressor, was unaware of had occurred.
Whether the future had changed through the process of regression or if there was a flaw in the regression itself, there was no way to know, but that wasn't what was important right now.
Just as she hadn't known that a double Gate had formed inside the Dragon's Nest Gate, another situation she was ignorant of had unfolded.
Through the Gate Mutation, the Gate where Ogres appeared had turned into a Gate where half-baked Giants appeared, and before even a day had passed, another Gate Mutation occurred.
I wondered what would come out next after Ogres and Giants.
As I waited for the mutation inside the Gate to finish, the environment of the vast plateau lightly covered in mist changed along with a distortion of space.
The temperature gradually rose, and the earth, beyond being dry, began to crack, with flames flickering here and there.
As the mist vanished, a volcano rising in the distance came into view.
The Gate Mutation concluded with the emergence of that soaring volcano.
Since a Gate Mutation doesn't change the location of the entrance, if we just kept walking this way, the Gate exit would eventually appear.
However.
"Unbelievable magic power..."
"It doesn't look like just a Giant."
"If it were a Giant, we would have seen it as soon as the mist cleared."
Something was standing on the path we were taking, exuding a massive presence.
An entity that appeared to be the master of this changed Gate.
The others besides me didn't seem to see it yet, but even though the distance was quite far, it was clearly visible to my eyes as a Dragon.
Compared to the Giants we were fighting just a moment ago, it was small.
Still, compared to a normal human, it was quite tall.
Estimating from head to toe, it looked to be about 3 meters.
With braided blonde hair and a violent physique, she was a quite beautiful woman by human standards at first glance, but her entire body except for her head was clad in red armor, with two spears fixed to her back, an axe and a sword at her waist, and even a glaive held in her hand.
She was decked out in weapons from head to toe.
"Who are you?"
I knew she possessed extraordinary power, but did she even notice my gaze?
The woman asked a question, looking exactly in this direction and meeting my eyes.
"I am Nidhogg. And who might you be?"
"Nidhogg-nim?"
"Who are you talking to?"
"Wait."
Shin Su-ah-ssi and Baek Yeon-i looked back in confusion, seemingly unable to hear that woman's voice, but Linnea sensed something unusual and intervened appropriately to quiet them down.
"Nidhogg. I thought I knew a fair bit about Dragons, but that is a name I am hearing for the first time. Since you have introduced yourself, it is only right that I also introduce myself."
Kung-!!
A glaive as massive as her height struck the ground.
"I am the child of father Pallas and mother Styx. The lowest seat of the Titans and the Goddess who presides over violence. I am 'Bia'."
A Goddess? A God?
I knew the power she held was extraordinary, but for a God to pop out.
Is it a case like the self-proclaimed Gods of Asgard?
If so, that power makes sense.
She lifted the glaive she had struck into the ground and pointed its tip at me.
"Are you the one who summoned me here?"
Hmm? Did she not cross over to this world of her own volition?
Not a single shred of a lie could be felt from her face.
I thought she might have crossed over to this different world by her own will like Nana or Ratatoskr, but it seemed she was brought here by someone else's will or by force.
"No. We are not the ones who summoned you."
"Then who summoned me?"
"Well, I wouldn't know that either."
"Hmph—fine. There is no reason for a Dragon to lie to me, so I shall believe you."
True to her name as the Goddess of Violence, she lowered her glaive, having exuded a fighting spirit that made it seem like she could charge at any moment.
It was a relief that the misunderstanding—if it could be called that—was cleared up.
If I had to fight her like this, I wasn't confident I could fight while protecting the still-growing Shin Su-ah-ssi and Baek Yeon-i.
That was how strong the Goddess Bia's power was.
Even if she had no hostile intent, I asked her first just in case.
"We are planning to leave this place now; may we pass by you?"
"Leave this place?"
As expected, Bia expressed doubt, seemingly knowing nothing about this world.
Compared to when I first crossed over here, she seemed to lack even more knowledge.
This is going to require some conversation.
I offered her a new proposal.
"If you have no intention of fighting, I'll give you a brief explanation about this place. May I approach you?"
"I was actually wondering how to ask for help, so if you are offering to help first, you are welcome."
"Then I'll head over there with my companions."
After finishing the conversation with her, I spoke to the three who were waiting quietly.
"It seems she's an entity that accidentally dropped here due to the Gate Mutation. She doesn't know anything. Let's go give her a brief explanation about this world and then head out."
"...Is she an entity from the same world as you, Nidhogg-nim?"
"No. She's someone I've never heard of. She probably crossed over from a different world than mine."
Of course, I can't say I know every entity in the Nine Realms, but considering she doesn't know me, who was quite famous in the Nine Realms, it's likely she came from a world different from mine.
"An entity from a world different from Nidhogg-nim's. How fascinating."
"Did you happen to hear her name?"
"She said it was Bia."
"Bia, Bia... It's a name I've never heard before."
"It's a name I'm hearing for the first time as well."
With both the regressor Shin Su-ah-ssi and the Valkyrie Linnea saying it's a name they've never heard, it's almost certain she's an entity from a different world than mine.
However, the fact that Shin Su-ah-ssi doesn't know an entity of that caliber means she's someone who never appeared before the regression, which further inclined my thoughts toward this Gate Mutation being an anomaly she's unaware of.
First, I couldn't keep Bia waiting forever, so we walked through the changed interior of the Gate and went before her.
"Wow. Her aura is terrifying."
"Since she called herself the Goddess of 'Violence', she must be confident in matters of strength."
Linnea spoke as if overwhelmed by the fighting spirit she felt more keenly as we got closer.
True to her title as the Goddess of Violence, even though she wasn't showing hostility, her fighting spirit was as sharp as if it were piercing the skin.
"Welcome, Dragon and his followers. I am Bia, the Goddess of Violence. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"If you're welcoming us, how about doing something about that fighting spirit first?"
"I am sorry, but I cannot do that. I am the Goddess who presides over violence and the incarnation of violence itself. To ask such a person to restrain herself. Do you think that makes sense?"
"I suppose that's true."
Just as Odin acted like a madman as the God of Frenzy and Knowledge, and Thor was always accompanied by thunder as the God of Thunder, it was only natural for her, as the incarnation of violence, to exude a rough and fierce aura.
Still, I couldn't just leave it as it was; while the Valkyrie Linnea might be fine, it was too much for Shin Su-ah-ssi and Baek Yeon-i to take her aura head-on yet.
Even now, they were trying their best to look fine on the outside, but cold sweat was trickling down their foreheads.
I stood as if shielding the two and blocked Goddess Bia's aura with my own.
Since it wasn't an aura she was directing at us with hostility, I could easily block it by having it collide and dissipate against the aura I released head-on.
When I dissipated her aura so effortlessly, Bia looked this way with an interested face.
"Ho... As expected of a Dragon. I feel like fighting you with all my might right this instant."
"Let's save the fighting for later, and first, I'll explain this world to you."
Unlike her, who was fully intent on fighting, I had no intention of fighting her at all.
Even in this avatar state, I didn't think I would lose to her, but if we fought here, nothing in the surroundings would remain intact.
Ignoring her gaze, which looked at me like prey while her fingers twitched as if itching for a fight, I called Shin Su-ah-ssi.
I could explain it myself, but it would be better for her, who knows this field better than I do, to explain.
Shin Su-ah-ssi, who was called to my side, quickly caught on and explained this world.
From Earth and Gates to the history of monsters.
Having already explained it once to me and Ratatoskr when we first crossed over to this world, Shin Su-ah-ssi continued her explanation skillfully, and since Bia also understood the explanation well, it didn't take long for everything to be explained.
Once the explanation was over, Bia asked Shin Su-ah-ssi some questions she was curious about.
"Then those strange letters that appeared while you were coming here must be what you call the System."
"Did they appear for you too?"
"Judging by your words 'too', it seems you also saw the letters about isolation."
It appeared that Bia, who possessed quite a large amount of power as the Goddess of Violence, was also subjected to isolation measures inside the Gate.
When I nodded in response, she asked curiously.
"According to the explanation, you should have been isolated as well, so how did you enter this place?"
"Ah, this isn't my true body but an avatar, so I was able to come out. It's a kind of loophole."
"An avatar? Even though you possess that much power?"
Just as I had gauged her power, she was also able to gauge mine, so she seemed quite surprised by the fact that I was just an avatar despite having this much power.
Bia, who looked surprised for a moment, soon returned to her competitive face and spoke while licking her red lips.
"To be an avatar even with that much power. As expected, I cannot hold back. Won't you fight me once?"