Chapter 106
He felt nauseated. The reason for this overwhelming disgust became clear when Viola started asking her questions.
“Why did you do it, you bastard?”
“Why are you trying to kill us?”
In the end, both he and Viola wanted the same thing. They wanted to know why they had been betrayed. But instead of answers, all they got was a one-sided story.
“Why don’t people like you ever answer the questions asked?”
Both Kim Ilsoo and Belveim. They wouldn’t answer questions but spouted unnecessary words instead. As if to justify their actions.
And Suhyuk found those justifications so disgusting that he couldn’t stand them.
“If you betray someone, shouldn’t you at least answer that much?”
– Exactly!
– Yeah, agreed
– Wow~
– Well said, our Suhyuk
Viola’s viewers cheered enthusiastically in support. Some donation messages popped up, but there was no time to care about them.
Belveim seemed surprised. Not because of Suhyuk’s words, but because of the tingling sensation lingering in her hand.
“You…”
With an incredulous expression.
“How…?”
He had a good idea what she was asking about. Initially, even Viola had been quite surprised by the power Suhyuk wielded.
But he had no obligation to explain.
Crackle-.
Instead of answering, Suhyuk enveloped his sword in lightning. Actions spoke louder than words.
“I won’t tell you.”
Flash-!
Boom-!
Once again, a yellow wave of electricity engulfed Belveim’s body. This time, as it came from the front, Belveim swung her sword to defend herself.
Clang-!
The clash of the two swords shook the mansion. The increased durability and the output from the Heart of Thunder were emitting considerable power.
– Wow, the impact
– No answers LOL
– So satisfying~
Belveim staggered as she fended off the electricity. The bright light momentarily blinded her vision. Searching for her opponent’s position, she turned her head.
‘Where is he…?’
Just as she was trying to locate Suhyuk.
Fwoosh-.
Very faintly. A presence was felt above her head.
‘Above?’
Narrowing her eyes, she looked up. She saw the mansion’s tilted high ceiling.
When had he gotten up there?
Someone with the power of lightning had appeared. Her mind hadn’t even fully processed that yet.
Crackle-!
A spear began to form in Suhyuk’s hand, hanging upside down from the ceiling. Starting from the tip, the spear slowly took shape, exuding an ominous aura.
‘Should I block it? Or dodge it?’
There were two choices. Either block it head-on or dodge the incoming spear. She made her decision quickly.
Grip-.
Belveim gripped her sword tightly, preparing for the attack. Despite her betrayal, she was still a Valkyrie. She might have abandoned her pride, but her dignity remained.
However.
“Did I completely forget her?”
Schlick-.
A sharp, scorching sensation spread from her back to her abdomen. In her blurred vision, Belveim saw the sword piercing through her body.
“Belveim.”
Viola’s voice was cold with anger. No matter how wounded, a tiger remained a tiger. Forgetting Viola’s presence was Belveim’s biggest mistake.
“Ah…”
With Viola’s arrival, Belveim realized. She never had a chance to win this fight from the beginning.
BOOM-!
*
Slap-.
Viola’s hand struck Belveim’s cheek. Belveim, who had lost consciousness, slowly opened her eyes. With a hole in her abdomen, her body electrocuted and charred, she was not dead yet.
‘A Valkyrie is truly a Valkyrie.’
Although he had expected she wouldn’t die, Suhyuk didn’t think she would regain consciousness so soon.
Well.
It wasn’t for nothing that Valkyries were considered the core force of Asgard. If she had died this easily, it would have been disappointing.
“Now, tell me. Why did you do this?”
Viola desperately sought an answer, but.
“Why… did you have to appear now….”
Belveim’s focus wasn’t on Viola. Her eyes were on Suhyuk standing next to her.
“If you had come a hundred years earlier….”
“A hundred years? What happened a hundred years ago?”
Viola asked, and Belveim let out a bitter laugh. The wound pierced by the sword continued to bleed profusely. The body charred by lightning was in a critical state.
If not treated immediately, she would die. Even with treatment, there was no guarantee of survival. Perhaps that’s why?
“The truth… I learned the truth.”
Belveim, who had seemed unlikely to speak, opened her mouth as if relieved.
“We were abandoned.”
“Abandoned?”
“Why do you think the God of Thunder who sent us here hasn’t contacted us yet?”
Viola was left speechless. It was the same question she had pondered for hundreds of years. It had been 500 years.
Even though the lifespan of the gods extended from a thousand to ten thousand years, 500 years was a long and grueling time even for them.
Viola and Belveim had dedicated most of their lives as Valkyries to this mission.
But.
“They never intended to retrieve us. They planned to bury us here along with this place.”
“How do you know that?”
“How do I know?”
For a moment, the fire of rage ignited in the eyes of the dying Belveim.
“Because I went and asked myself, a hundred years ago.”
*
The scenery changed. It was the second time he had experienced this phenomenon during the trial. There was nothing new about it.
It was the same landscape he had seen in the first cutscene. The only difference was that Viola and Elaine, the two Valkyries, were absent.
Belveim was kneeling. In front of her stood the same man he had seen before, now with a beard.
“How much longer must we wait?”
Belveim’s voice sounded even more exhausted than it did now. Four hundred long years. For all that time, she had lived with one mission.
She had looked forward to the moment when the man before her would descend from Asgard and take the throne.
But.
“I will not go.”
The moment she had been waiting for was an illusion that would never come.
“I’m sorry.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly as you heard. Your mission is to hide and protect the throne, not to wait for me.”
Belveim, who had been kneeling, suddenly stood up.
“Does that mean you will not take the throne?”
“Yes.”
“The king—.”
Belveim, about to say something, fell silent. She realized that what she was about to say was presumptuous. But stepping back wasn’t an option.
Her 400 years had been too long for that.
“…You must inherit the thunder.”
Her final attempt at persuasion.
“I already possess half of it.”
“Is just half enough?”
“I will train to fill the part I lack. So I won’t bring shame to my father.”
It was an unyielding response. Belveim’s words weren’t out of concern for the man in front of her or for the safety of the throne. It was about her own efforts and the reward for her time.
“We…”
She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.
“Have we been abandoned by Asgard?”
Feelings of anger, frustration, and betrayal overwhelmed Belveim. The noble and great warrior was falling into darkness right before his eyes, yet the man’s reaction remained unchanged.
And then, to her question about abandonment, the man responded.
“I’m sorry, my Valkyrie.”
***
The cutscene ended. As the story concluded, Belveim, who had lost a lot of blood, was turning pale, nearing death.
“He couldn’t even remember my name.”
She had devoted hundreds of years to his single request. Yet, he couldn’t remember her name. That was Belveim’s answer to the question.
A warrior whose name was forgotten was as good as abandoned.
“So… you betrayed Asgard? And tried to kill us as well?”
“I didn’t think it through that far. Whether it was you or me, we were all abandoned.”
“Then?”
“I thought this.”
Belveim’s voice grew weaker.
“If I could take the throne… maybe I could just live as a human….”
“You could’ve just said that!”
“Said? I tried.”
Belveim’s gaze turned towards Elaine’s corpse.
“To her.”
“You did?”
“Yes. She called me a disgrace to warriors.”
With a self-mocking voice, Belveim looked up at Suhyuk.
“Yes… rather….”
Her eyes slowly closed in death.
The fact that she had lived long enough to speak was itself a miracle.
“If you want to end it….”
“If you really want that, answer this one thing.”
The reason for the betrayal was important, but Suhyuk needed this answer more.
“How was Muspelheim able to send so many demons?”
If Belveim had investigated Muspelheim’s demons and held the truth, then her words might be the key to reclaiming the Thunder Throne.
But.
“How many…!”
Thunk-.
Just as Belveim was about to continue, a long spear pierced her chest. Vigo’s sudden actions. Naturally, Suhyuk and Viola’s gazes turned to him.
“Vigo-!”
– ????
– What’s wrong with him suddenly?
– Who pressed the panic button?
Thud-!
Unlike the startled Viola, Suhyuk swiftly kicked Vigo in the chest. He checked on Belveim just in case, but given her dire condition and the spear through her heart, it was unlikely she was still alive.
Just as expected.
『You have passed Stage 3.』
『You have leveled up.』
『You have leveled up.』
『Strength increased by 1.』
『Agility increased by 2.』
『Stamina increased by 1.』
『Magic increased by 1.』
『Focus increased by 1.』
『You have earned 10,000 points.』
『You have obtained ‘Holy Sword – Valkyrie’.』
As the message confirming the completion of the trial echoed, it was clear that Belveim had taken her last breath. Suhyuk turned to look at Vigo.
Stumbling and faltering from Suhyuk’s kick, Vigo flew weakly. The first thing Suhyuk checked was his eyes.
‘His pupils are dilated.’
Empty, lifeless eyes like those of a dead dog. No matter how he looked at it, Vigo was not in a normal state. Such eyes usually appeared when one’s consciousness was controlled by someone else.
‘There’s something in this mansion.’
Someone who wanted Belveim dead, someone who needed to silence her.
‘Muspelheim, perhaps.’
The demons had begun to interfere seriously with this trial. Sure enough.
『Stage 2 – ‘Rescue’ is in progress.』
『Do you wish to start Stage 4 – ‘Mission’?』
The system asked Suhyuk. He could sleep as he is now. Or he could move forward and complete Asgard’s mission.