Demon (2)

To Linnea, the aura emitted by the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠white-masked man was a power she was more than familiar with—it was a persistent, ill-fated connection.

Before Yggdrasil burned and Asgard fell, back when Odin was struggling to prevent the end of the world, she had faced that power countless times.

The Frost Giants of Jotunheim.

The Fire Giants of Muspelheim.

The power felt from those who would do anything to bring about the end of the world.

That was exactly what she felt from the power the white-masked man was emitting now.

"Why are there so many bastards who can't wait to do something to the world?"

She steadied her relaxed mind and returned to the state of being on the battlefield, leveling her spear.

The white-masked man, who had momentarily hesitated at Linnea's appearance, let out a twisted laugh from behind his mask.

"Hehehe, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I thought I'd have no face to show The One-nim, but to think I'd encounter a servant of a god in a place like this."

"Do you know about Valkyries?"

"No, I don't. However, that power felt from your body... it's the kind of power that would come from a god who likes playing at balance."

The man observed Linnea with a gaze so thick it could be felt even through the mask.

He recalled what his master had said in the past.

'Do beings called gods truly exist?'

'Yes. Of course, they merely call themselves gods; in the end, they are no different from humans with immense power.'

'Then there is no need to fear them just because they are called gods.'

'That would depend on the god. Just as there is a difference in power between you and me, differences in power exist among gods as well.'

'Then how do I recognize if a being is a god or not?'

'Our power is the polar opposite of divine power, so you will notice immediately if you encounter something related to a god. If you do meet one, report it without delay.'

According to his original orders, he should have returned immediately to report that he had encountered a being related to a god on this small eastern peninsula. However, having lost the precious troops The One-nim had given him, he chose to face the servant of the god instead to achieve some results.

"If I take your head, The One-nim will surely hold me in higher regard."

"Are those your last words?"

"Let's see just how strong a servant of a god is."

Darkness gathers.

The dark magic power, which was massive enough to cover the entire surrounding area, began to condense around the man, transforming his arms into something resembling those of a beast.

And as he swung his hand from bottom to top, a black storm swept across the front.

In response, Linnea gripped her spear firmly and spun it as if it were flowing over her armor.

The spear, rotating in an X-shape, sliced through and scattered the black storm flying at her head-on.

"Did you think such a mere, violent technique would work on me?"

"Hehe, as expected of a servant of a god. You block this much with ease."

Having finished testing each other, the two began to aim for each other's lives in earnest and vanished from their spots simultaneously.

Moving at speeds invisible to the eye, the two circled the area, clashing hundreds of times.

Every time they collided, the surrounding landscape was mercilessly shredded, and the Awakened had to retreat to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

The two who had vanished reappeared in the center of the battlefield; the beast's claws gathered in one place and the twisted, rotating tip of the spear collided.

Kwang!

A short roar followed, and the ground split between them.

"You're not bad."

"Heh... it seems this wasn't an opponent I could defeat alone."

To others, it looked like a stalemate, but it was Linnea who had seized the advantage in the previous clash.

As the conversation ended, the beast's hand made of gathered black magic power cracked mercilessly.

Furthermore, black blood flowed through the cracks in the beast's arm.

Originally, a wound of this magnitude should have regenerated in an instant, but the wound inflicted by Linnea was slow even to regenerate.

"I apologize for underestimating you. But next time will be different."

"Are you trying to run? Do you think I'll let you go from here?"

"Follow me if you can."

Ttak!

When the white-masked man snapped his fingers, the four Men in Black who were still on standby slit their wrists simultaneously.

And then, opening mouths they hadn't opened even once until now, they muttered something in unpleasant voices.

-■■■■■■

The blood that flowed to the ground gathered behind the man, creating a circular rift.

However, it wasn't without cost; the bodies of the four Men in Black gradually shriveled and collapsed to the floor.

The Awakened who saw the completed Gate were horrified.

"He created a Gate artificially?!"

"Just how?!"

"Could it be that the mysterious Gate accidents that have happened until now were..."

The man walked leisurely into the Gate.

And looking at Linnea, he spoke in a provocative tone.

"Aren't you coming?"

"Tsk, do I look like an idiot who walks into a trap on my own? Get lost already."

"This is a shame. My name is Sahwi. Remember it, for it is the name of the one who will kill you."

"Ha! After getting trashed, you sure talk big."

The man who introduced himself as Sahwi waved his hand, and the Gate emitting an ominous aura gradually shrank, twisted, and vanished.

The spear disappeared from Linnea's hand, and as she turned around, the Awakened were gathered in one place.

Though they appeared to be allies, they showed a wary attitude toward the mysterious woman named Linnea, who had displayed terrifying martial prowess. As the standoff seemed likely to drag on, Shin Su-ah clapped her hands to draw attention.

"Everyone, let's clean up here first, treat the wounds, and then talk."

"...Very well. However, you must properly explain who that person is and why she is wearing the same armor as Shin Su-ah-yang."

"Yes, yes. I'll tell you once the cleanup is finished."

Due to Shin Su-ah diverting their attention, the Awakened moved one by one to clean up the surroundings and gather the corpses of the Men in Black. As the cleanup was nearing its end, Nidhogg emerged from the Gate.

I heard from the group what had happened while I was fighting Bia in the Gate.

To think the Fiends would raid in the meantime.

"That happened?"

"Yes, the Fiends suddenly launched a surprise attack, and I was so flustered."

"Weren't Fiends supposed to appear only after a few years?"

"That's what I knew as well."

"So it's another thing you didn't know."

At this point, isn't Shin Su-ah practically unnecessary?

It seems like everywhere we go, things she doesn't know or didn't expect keep happening.

"Ni-Nidhogg-nim? Your gaze is a bit scary..."

"I'm just reconsidering your necessity once again."

"Nidhogg-nim?!"

A flustered Shin Su-ah made various excuses, but they didn't enter my ears.

Ignoring her as she clung to my leg, shouting for me not to abandon her, I turned my gaze to Linnea.

"You spoke as if you knew about those guys."

"Yes. Nidhogg-nim might not know well, but most of the enemies we Valkyries faced were similar to them."

"What, are they from the same world as us?"

"No, it's not that. Those who committed all sorts of deeds to drive the world toward destruction... those kinds of bastards possessed exactly that kind of power."

"Toward destruction? Explain in detail."

"Everything I know is just what I heard from Odin-nim..."

According to Linnea's explanation, the protagonists of destruction, who are destined to destroy the world, are granted a certain power by fate.

And those who receive power from fate can, in turn, share a similar but somewhat lower-quality power with their subordinates. The Fiends are said to possess a power very similar to that.

"Then if we leave those guys alone..."

"This world will also be destroyed."

"We need to deal with them as soon as possible."

They're useless bastards with no benefit to leaving them be.

I asked Linnea if she could track their aura.

"I'm sorry, but that's not my specialty. My specialty is strictly combat."

"Your specialty is combat?"

"No... well, compared to Nidhogg-nim, anyone would look weak."

"You can say that again."

Me, strong?

It's not a lie, but it's not like I haven't seen opponents with strength similar to mine.

Especially the Eagle Lady—she's stronger than me, and having fought her so much, my self-objectification is very well-developed.

"Anyway! It's impossible for me."

"Then it can't be helped."

Since I couldn't make her do something she couldn't, I gave up on ordering her to track them.

Instead, as I thought of someone who could track the troublemakers driving the world toward destruction, a suitable candidate quickly came to mind.

"Everything to be done here is finished, right?"

"We have to explain Linnea-ssi to the Association... but if Nidhogg-nim wants, we can move immediately."

"Then let's go to where my main body is for the first time in a while."

I'm not sure if he's a tracking expert, but he's someone who's incredibly good at finding paths.

Let's go find Ratatoskr.

Sahwi recalled the fight from a moment ago as he returned to the hideout prepared in Incheon.

A female warrior who wields the power of light, the polar opposite of himself.

The wound sustained from the fight with Linnea still hadn't fully healed, delivering terrible pain to him.

To think a servant of a god would be that strong.

If I had known I would encounter her in such a place, I would have gone with full equipment.

Swallowing his regret internally, he walked down the dark, long corridor.

The place he arrived at after passing through the corridor resembled a [Laboratory].

Inside transparent capsules lined up on both sides, naked men and women were arranged without a single stitch of clothing.

A man wearing a scientist's gown, who was writing something in front of a capsule, approached him.

"Sahwi-nim. You've returned already?"

"Yes. How is the experiment?"

"The process of combining the magic power sent from above with humans is proceeding smoothly. However, the phenomenon of ordinary humans being ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠unable to endure it and exploding is still..."

"I see. Report to me if there is any progress."

"Understood."

Passing the scientist and going further inside, he reached a dark room prepared secretly without a single window.

Entering the room, Sahwi operated a panel on the wall, and then the wall in front of him scattered, revealing a black orb the size of a head.

Placing his hand on the orb, Sahwi spoke.

"Master."

-Chijik... Is it Sahwi? How did the mission go?

"I am sorry. I failed."

At Sahwi's answer, which boldly spoke of failure, a short silence ensued from beyond the orb.

-...Failure? To fail with that many troops. What happened?

"I discovered a servant of a god."

-A servant of a god? Is that true?

At the mention that a servant of a god, a Valkyrie, had been discovered, even the being beyond the orb showed surprise.

"Yes. Though weak for a god, she clearly harbored a portion of a god within her. Just as you said, Master, I could recognize her as soon as I saw her."

-A servant of a god on a small peninsula...

"How should I handle this?"

-I will send additional troops. Capture the servant of the god alive.

"Yes, I will ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fulfill the mission this time for sure."

-I look forward to the results.

Ttuk

The communication cut off. After hiding the orb by operating the panel again, Sahwi left the room and headed straight for his personal storage.

Vowing that next time, he would surely take Linnea's head.