Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Rainbow and Flash☆ (2)
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Brynhildr moved swiftly, having received the report. All the while, her mind was racing.
“…”
Right before the start of the second semester, a report had come in about Chaos Bugs spotted in the wasteland near the Golden Street. She had a gut feeling this was related to Ratatoskr.
‘The ‘Corrosion Phenomenon,’ where Chaos Bugs appear outside a Dungeon Gate, was said to be the power of the already deceased Priest of Corrosion. Why would it suddenly appear now?’
They had tightened security after the attack from the ‘Serpent.’
There was no reason for them to appear so abruptly.
“…”
Something about the situation was clearly off.
Rather than sending her subordinates, it would be faster for her, the strongest, to check herself.
‘Even if this is a trap set by the Prophet, if I leave it be, the students could be in danger…’
As the guardian of this Academy City, she had a duty to protect the students.
That duty did not disappear, no matter the circumstances.
‘If this is the Prophet’s doing, he may have done it knowing I would have no choice but to come out.’
If so, this would be an opportunity to see and judge this person called the Prophet for herself.
“…”
Clara had recently told Brynhildr that this ‘Prophet’ might be someone she knew well, and had offered various pieces of advice.
His personality.
The knowledge he likely possessed.
The things he misunderstood.
And his faults.
A coward.
A slowpoke.
An idiot.
A dull, clueless oaf.
“…”
Around that point, Brynhildr’s heart had begun to ache with jealousy. She was also surprised, as it was the first time she’d seen Lara describe someone in such detail.
‘No matter how I look at it, they seem to have had a deep connection in their past life…’
Could it be…
Could it be, Lara, you…
“…”
Hadn’t she always dismissed even her beloved juniors with brief descriptions like ‘She’s nice,’ ‘She’s a good cook,’ or ‘She likes sickles and hammers’?
While it was true that Clara wasn't very talkative, it was mostly because she wasn’t particularly interested in the characteristics of others.
For her to describe him in such detail—as if she were describing herself—was, frankly, chilling, though she didn't let it show.
‘Could he be… a lover from her past life? Was this man called the Prophet a woman in his past life?’
Don’t tell me this is a lovers' quarrel?
Her head spun—
“…”
Just imagining it made her short of breath, making it difficult to think further. Her heart pounded, and she felt like she would go mad with rage, so she calmed herself with [Grimnir].
*Rumble—!*
“…”
She was calm now.
“…”
Regardless of his gender in a past life, the fact that Lara had a lover left behind was something she found hard to forgive.
She even considered pinning her down right then and there, staining her so thoroughly that she could never go back.
But she couldn't confront Lara with mere suspicions.
If she pushed her away again, she felt it would inflict an irreparable wound on her heart. This time… this time, she would approach her with extreme caution and care.
The fruit tasted that way would be incredibly sweet.
…Her body trembled as she imagined the softness brushing her fingertips and a sticky love. Just the thought made her gulp.
Brynhildr was ready anytime.
‘Though it seems Lara isn’t ready yet…’
Despite her unspoken probing, Clara never answered exactly what her relationship with ‘him’ was in her past life.
She only emphasized that he was a dangerous individual who must… must be stopped. She called him a dangerous variable that could never be compromised with.
‘The fact that he was part of Ratatoskr, which hurt Lara, is reason enough to kill him.’
But… if he was a public enemy.
She would have to approach this with even more caution.
One who knows the [Fate] of this world.
One who vaguely knows the future.
For two such individuals to appear in the same era hardly seemed like a coincidence.
For the fate of the world to be decided during the very year she stood at the pinnacle of the Academy City… it truly felt like a cruel twist of fate.
‘…An outsider from beyond this world, just like Lara.’
Clara had said that since he knew the general flow of this world, he might attack the [Fate of the Three Heroes], so she would wait at Holy Alfheim High School, drawing his attention.
So, one would guard the [Fate of the Three Heroes], and the other would protect the path to the World Tree.
Throughout the break, they had waited for the Prophet to appear.
And now… finally, an anomaly had occurred.
A few adult Chaos Bugs had appeared in the wasteland.
*Kuuuoooaaar—!!!*
Bugs the size of a decent three-story building were swarming in the middle of the wasteland, near the aether train tracks.
“…!”
The moment Brynhildr confirmed their presence, she shot into the air, unleashing dozens of lightning bolts.
With her movement, dozens of lightning tails, each several meters long, fanned out like a lion's mane. Each and every strand was a thread of destruction and thunder, containing formidable power.
They trailed behind the tip of her lance as she held it high in the air, transforming her into what looked like a single spear made of brilliant lightning.
She became a great spear of lightning, launched from the sky.
The moment of impact.
A flash of light erupted.
An impact so great it bleached the entire field of vision white.
*KRAAAAAAAANG—!!!*
An explosion followed, carving a crater in the earth.
Then, soil rained down, filling the crater.
*Ruuuumble—!!*
Dozens of lightning bolts split off, overwhelming the physical force of the lance. As if a god were striking the ground with a colossal hammer, it hammered the large black bugs that had emerged from underground.
Within that onslaught, the Chaos Bugs were simply crushed.
Light.
Flash.
Destruction.
*Kyaaaaaak—!!!*
*Kieeeeeeek—!!!*
And then, silence.
Only countless splatters of blood and chunks of flesh were scattered across the ground.
Amidst the warm pieces of meat and blood, all that remained was cold death.
The scent of death was etched among the traces of destruction.
Brynhildr walked out from the midst of it all, unfazed.
“…”
Just as the ear-splitting thunder faded into an echo in the sky.
Without any warning.
A black curtain simply materialized in the empty air.
And from it emerged a ten-meter-long dragonfly and the Prophet.
“…Found you. Reincarnator.”
“…?”
“You know the truth of this world, don’t you? The .”
“…”
Hearing those words, Brynhildr tilted her head.
If she had heard them out of the blue, she wouldn't have understood.
But she knew their meaning better than anyone in this Academy City.
‘Reincarnator? I see, the Prophet has mistaken me for Lara.’
As she had that thought, a tremendous voice emanated from the dragonfly, which was covered in hundreds of horns. It was the hate-filled muttering of a young girl.
[You're the bitch who killed the old man… Priest of Corrosion, Grafvölluðr, aren't you? You killed our greatest priest… so… so meaninglessly…! I'll kill you! Inferior species…!]
The Prophet pressed down on the head of the dragonfly he was riding and spoke in a low voice. It sounded strangely like a teacher instructing a student.
“Móinn, suppress your hatred. Now is the time to face our opponent calmly.”
[Shut up! Pseudo-inferior species! If you didn't hold the only way to save the old man, we would never…!]
Brynhildr inwardly concealed her bewilderment.
It was difficult to maintain her poker face. But she bit her lip hard and kept her expression blank.
In battle, there is no obligation to correct an enemy's misjudgment.
‘Lara did all of this, but these guys, seriously…’
But…
‘Now is the time to sort out the information.’
Brynhildr organized her thoughts in an instant.
1. The Prophet mistakes Brynhildr for the reincarnator.
2. He also mistakenly believes she killed the Priest of Corrosion.
3. Therefore, he has come to kill her as his top priority.
4. He has designated the group from Central Prism Academy at Holy Alfheim High School as a secondary target, choosing not to engage them directly.
The dragonfly was likely the younger sister of the [Twin Priests], which meant the older brother had probably headed for Holy Alfheim High School.
“…”
What in the world…
“…”
No.
This was for the best.
It was the husband's job to cover for his wife's mistakes.
Was that not the weight of being the head of the household?
It was better for her to keep the Prophet occupied here.
‘I love you, Lara.’
Brynhildr made her decision in an instant and spoke confidently to the Prophet.
“Ah, I see. So ‘you’ were a reincarnator, too.”
“…When I saw The Pink Spiral, I was almost mistaken.”
“…”
“Don’t tell me you were trying to raise your ‘favorite character’ using the most ‘broken character’?”
The Prophet was speaking the language of the outside world, constantly gauging her reaction. If her response was even slightly off, he would likely turn his back and head straight for Lara.
‘Such a shallow trick. I should take this opportunity to make it clear that Lara belongs to me.’
But Brynhildr, having already wheedled out information about Clara's past life while licking her armpits, could answer easily.
If you act with enough confidence, anything can become the truth.
That was a truth that held true even on the battlefield.
“That’s right. Lara is my ‘ultimate favorite,’ after all. She’s so ‘hot’ that I spend every night wondering how I’m going to devour her. I raised her using a ‘walkthrough,’ but then I came up with a better ‘tactic’—having her bear my child through ‘yuri pregnancy.’”
“…”
“I plan on making a complete mess of her, like in a ‘doujinshi,’ and finishing her ‘hypnotic brainwashing and training.’ Is there anyone who plays who hasn't imagined doing that to their ‘favorite’?”
“…I should have known that no one who plays this game is normal.”
The Prophet’s tone was one of utter disgust.
But he no longer seemed to be testing her. He was now certain that this lewd and perverted character couldn't possibly be the ‘Brynhildr from the game.’
The Prophet spoke, his black robes fluttering.
“Let’s begin, Móinn.”
[Don’t order me around, pseudo-inferior species.]
A dragon in the form of a dragonfly, over ten meters long.
With a beat of its massive wings, a shockwave like a small sandstorm spread through the area. Atop it, the Prophet, clad in black robes, scattered a black aura around him.
A judgment made in an instant.
Countless thoughts flashed through her mind in less than 0.1 seconds.
Should I attack?
No, hold off on that.
‘According to Lara, he already knows about me. The fact that he’s revealed himself ‘despite knowing’ means… he’s fully prepared. In such a state, attacking first is always a bad move.’
Brynhildr solidified her stance, preparing herself.
A black aether magic circle glowed where she stood alone. It didn't seem to be an aether skill, but rather magic said to have been used by the ancient dragonkin.
The Prophet spoke, his black aura and robes swirling.
“Arise from the swamp of death…!”
At his command, the scattered pieces of the Chaos Bugs began to slowly merge back into their original forms. Soon, they let out vigorous roars once more.
*Kuuuoooaaar—!!*