Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Throne of Thunder
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When he first sat down, Soo-hyuk's heart skipped a beat for a moment.
He thought it was over once he sat, but apparently not.
'This is annoyingly picky.'
No such message had appeared before.
Well.
Back then, the throne's name and the treasure hidden inside were slightly different.
The Unused Throne of Thunder. And the Empty Heart of Thunder.
This throne was originally destined to be torn apart by demons and drained of all its power.
But.
Thanks to the husk that remained within, Soo-hyuk could claim this seat.
'So this item was the key.'
The reward for conquering the Thunder Cave was just a key, of all things.
But considering what the Throne of Thunder truly was, it was far from "just" anything.
This seat had been prepared for Asgard's next king, after all.
Roar-.
The flames blazed fiercely.
As if urging him to vacate the spot at once.
"That seat isn't yours."
"Get down! If you don't-."
"You'll live forever in hellish flames, neither dead nor alive-."
Fwoosh-.
The flames roared menacingly. Massive swords and hammers closed in as if to shatter the throne.
But it lasted only a moment.
"Your dialogue is so clichéd."
Crackle-!
The blue lightning enveloping the throne blocked the demons' swords and hammers.
"When you don't even have the power to back it up."
Crack-.
The throne, having found its master, split open. Having been through it once before, Soo-hyuk felt no surprise.
Throne of Thunder.
This seat, prepared by Asgard's lord for his successor, concealed treasures long cherished by the gods.
Crack, craaaack-.
Once the fissure began, the throne crumbled rapidly.
And as if refusing to wait.
Crunch-.
Soo-hyuk reached out and seized the desired item from within the split throne.
And in that instant.
Flash-.
The final cutscene of this trial began.
It was blurry.
Soo-hyuk thought the cutscene hadn't started yet from the scene before him.
Numerous people had gathered over a single item.
The reason he thought so was that their faces were obscured by black mist, making them invisible.
But.
Apparently not.
'Again.'
Every time he underwent a lightning-related trial, a cutscene that wasn't broadcast appeared once.
This was that one.
To the viewers, it must have looked like Soo-hyuk had frozen in place.
That was when Soo-hyuk was glancing at the chat.
"No one is speaking."
Among those whose faces were shrouded in black mist, a man clad in golden armor opened his mouth.
"It's not something you can decide easily."
"Whoever takes it, no one will accept it lightly."
Soo-hyuk's gaze shifted to the item at the center.
It was the blue gem in his hand. No, it was the same shape and form, but there was one difference.
Size.
The gem appeared at least twice as large as the one he held.
"Who will claim it?"
This seemed to be the gathering to decide that item's owner.
But as time passed, no one spoke.
"If no one else, I'll take it."
Opposition erupted as the golden-armored man who spoke first declared.
"No."
"You already possess the greatest one among us."
"Your greed knows no bounds."
As if he had anticipated such a response, he asked in a disinterested tone.
"Then hurry up and decide. Who will take it?"
Their faces and expressions were invisible.
But their reactions made it clear.
Everyone present coveted that item. Yet there was one reason they hesitated to step forward.
"I want it, but......"
"Another bloodbath could erupt..."
Too much blood had already been spilled over that single item.
In the standoff where everyone eyed each other warily, reluctant to speak first.
And then.
"I'll take it."
Only one person.
Someone stepped forward, claiming ownership of the item.
"■■, if it's you..."
"If it's ■■, I approve."
"Not a bad choice."
"Do as you please."
There was no opposition.
As if the matter was settled, the man called ■■ stepped forward.
The moment ■■ grasped the massive blue gem in his large hand.
"Just one question."
The first speaker asked.
"What do you plan to do with it?"
All eyes turned back to ■■.
It was the question on everyone's mind here. Soo-hyuk was no exception.
What would he do with the thunder?
As if he had prepared the answer in advance, it came swiftly.
"I'm going to give it to my son."
Son.
The reactions around him shifted at the word.
"You're not using it yourself?"
"You're yielding it to your bloodline?"
Murmurs arose, as it was an unexpected choice.
But it was only a brief stir, not outright rebellion.
No.
On the contrary, one by one, voices of approval emerged, as if it were the right answer.
"Not bad."
"I approve."
"In the end, none of us get our hands on it."
Several even let out cheerful laughs.
Soo-hyuk strained with all his might to make out their mist-shrouded faces.
'Who the hell are you people?'
He knew he lacked the authority. The unheard names and unseen faces were all due to system filtering.
Even so, Soo-hyuk desperately sought any clue about them, however small.
It might bring him even a step closer to lightning.
"Then it's decided."
The scene began to blur. The cutscene was drawing to a close.
Without so much as blinking, Soo-hyuk searched for any single detail.
And then.
Long ago.
The cutscene from when he obtained the Heart of Lightning resurfaced in his mind.
'Could it be...'
Faint, shadowy figures. Gazes from names that remained unrevealed.
They overlapped with the beings from that past cutscene.
'From back then?'
Flash-.
Fwoosh-.
Amid the roaring flames.
The throne could be seen crumbling and collapsing.
For an instant, it seemed powerful lightning was threatening the demons, but that too was fleeting.
'What happened?'
Biting her lip in anxiety and worry, Viola peered into the flames.
Someone had clearly sat on the throne. No unauthorized person could, and no giant would, so it had to be Soo-hyuk.
But how on earth?
She had considered the possibility that he might become the new master of the throne.
But that assumed the throne was in a safe state.
Breaking through those flames and dozens, hundreds of demons? No matter how she thought about it, it was incomprehensible.
If he had that kind of power, he wouldn't have needed to use the underground passage prepared by Belheim in the first place.
Rumble-.
The throne fully collapsed.
Hidden by the flames, nothing was visible—what had happened to Soo-hyuk, what had become of their mission.
Step-.
It was right then that someone emerged from the flames.
Soo-hyuk strolled leisurely through the demons, a single blue gem clutched in his hand.
'That's...'
Viola's eyes widened at the familiar power emanating from the gem.
There was no evidence, but she was more certain of it than anything. Having lived 500 years solely for that one purpose, she couldn't possibly mistake it.
Throne of Thunder.
The item the three Valkyries had guarded all this time was that small gem.
"You said there was something you needed to verify, right?"
Instead of explaining the gem in his hand, Soo-hyuk, now close, said something entirely different.
"I'll show you."
Shing-.
The sword at his waist was drawn. The sanctuary's fiery landscape reflected on the silver blade hidden in its pristine white sheath.
Was he planning to fight now, of all times?
Against that many demons?
Before the question could fully form.
Boom-!
A deafening thunderclap erupted from the blue gem in Soo-hyuk's hand, loud enough to tear one's eardrums.
It was the kind of sound that should have made eyes squint and ears clamp shut.
But.
'A familiar sound.'
Viola felt her mind ease, as if she had returned home.
It was from long, long ago.
The exact same sound as when Asgard's little child obtained another piece of thunder.
"Viola! I finally received thunder's approval!"
When was that again?
Over 500 years—nearly 1,000 years ago.
Asgard's little king, who hadn't yet shed his boyish traits.
"Look at this!"
Boom-!
He swung his hammer wildly in delight at the power he had gained.
Despite his youth, his strength was monstrous; the Valkyries couldn't even bring themselves to stop him.
'Prince Thor.'
Asgard's heir, who stood at the forefront of battle wielding Mjolnir—a hammer forged from a half-piece of thunder and metal blessed by countless stars.
The first time he swung Mjolnir, it had made exactly that sound.
That was when Viola, lost in sentiment from the power Soo-hyuk unleashed.
Flash-!
With a blinding light that seared the eyes, Soo-hyuk's sword came down.
Boom-!
Accompanied by a thunderous roar, the crimson flames engulfing the sanctuary split vertically. A fierce wind flickered the temple's fires unstably, as if extinguishing them.
Fwoosh-.
And at the sight that followed, Viola could only marvel once more.
"Huh?"
As the flames parted, the demons filling the sanctuary vanished like a mirage.
One by one, without a sound.
As if they had never been there to begin with.
"W-what is this?"
Vigo was just as flustered.
Had he slashed through all those demons in a single stroke?
No.
Impossible.
Only Asgard's king and a handful of chosen great gods possessed such ability.
That he had obtained power akin to Thor's was astonishing, but it still didn't add up.
Unable to hold back any longer, Viola asked.
"What did you do?"
"I just showed you the real thing."
The demons before them were still vanishing rapidly even now.
"You said you couldn't fathom how Muspelheim sent so many demons, right?"
"Yes."
"You were wrong."
Soo-hyuk shook his head and gestured toward the parted flames with his chin.
"Those things weren't there from the start."