Chapter 109
『The ‘Thunder Throne’ is identifying its owner.』
When Suhyuk first sat on the throne, his heart skipped a beat for a moment. He thought it would be over once he sat down, but it wasn’t.
‘How annoyingly fastidious.’
Previously, no such message had appeared.
Granted.
Back then, the names of the throne and the treasures hidden within were slightly different. The unused Thunder Throne. And the empty Heart of Thunder.
This throne was originally supposed to be tattered and drained of power by the demons.
However.
『The ‘Empty Heart of Thunder’ is governing the ‘Thunder Throne’.』
『The ‘Thunder Throne’ recognizes you as its owner.』
Thanks to the shell that remained inside, Suhyuk was able to sit here.
‘So, this item was the key.’
To think the reward for conquering the Thunder Cave was merely a key. But considering the significance of the Thunder Throne, it wasn’t just anything.
This throne was originally prepared for the next king of Asgard.
Flame-.
The flames blazed fiercely. It was as if they were telling him to get off the throne.
“That throne doesn’t belong to you.”
“Step down! Otherwise—”
“You will live forever in a hellish fire, neither dead nor alive—”
Whoosh-.
The flames roared threateningly. Giant swords and hammers approached the throne as if to destroy it. But only for a moment.
“What a cliché line.”
Crackle-!
The demons’ swords and hammers were blocked by the blue lightning surrounding the throne.
“You don’t even have the strength for that.”
Crack-.
The throne, having found its master, split apart. Having experienced this once before, Suhyuk wasn’t surprised.
The Thunder Throne.
This seat, which the ruler of Asgard intended to pass on to their successor, hid treasures carefully guarded by the gods.
Crack, crackle-.
Once the throne cracked, it began to crumble rapidly. And as if not willing to wait.
Thud-.
Suhyuk reached into the broken throne and grabbed the desired item.
『You have obtained the ‘Heart of Thunder’.』
And at that moment.
Flash-.
『The ‘Memories of Thunder’ commence.』
The final cutscene of this trial began.
*
It was blurry. Suhyuk thought the cutscene hadn’t started yet, given the view before him. Many people were gathered around a single object.
He thought the cutscene hadn’t begun because their faces were obscured by dark fog.
But then.
-Pause?
-Did someone break him?
-Fal-hi?
-(Action)
It seemed that wasn’t the case.
‘Again.’
Whenever Suhyuk undertook a test related to lightning, a cutscene that wasn’t stream to the viewers appeared. This cutscene was one of those.
To the viewers, it seemed as if Suhyuk had simply frozen in place. As Suhyuk briefly glanced at the chat, it happened.
“No one is speaking.”
Among those whose faces were obscured by dark fog, a man clad in golden armor spoke.
“It’s not an easy decision to make.”
“Whoever takes it won’t be easily accepted.”
Suhyuk’s gaze turned towards the object in the center. It was the blue gem he held in his hand. Or rather, it looked similar but was different in one aspect.
Its size.
The gem looked at least twice as large as the one in Suhyuk’s hand.
“Who will take it?”
It seemed this gathering was meant to determine the owner of the artifact. However, no one spoke up even as time passed.
“If no one wants it, I’ll take it.”
The man in the golden armor who first spoke made this declaration, causing others to protest.
“No.”
“You already have the biggest share among us.”
“Your greed is excessive.”
As if expecting such reactions, he responded indifferently.
“Then decide quickly. Who will take it?”
They couldn’t see faces or expressions. But it was clear from their reactions. Everyone present coveted that artifact. The only reason they hesitated was singular.
“We’d like to take it, but…”
“There might be another bloodbath…”
Too much blood had been spilled over that artifact already. Everyone watched each other warily, not daring to speak up.
Then.
“I’ll take it.”
One person finally stepped forward.
“If it’s you, then…”
“If it’s you, I agree.”
“Not a bad choice.”
“Do as you will.”
There was no opposition.
As the decision seemed made, the person known as ■■ stepped forward.
When ■■ grasped the blue gem with a large hand,
“I have one question.”
The man in the golden armor asked.
“What do you intend to do with it?”
Everyone’s attention turned back to ■■.
It was a question on everyone’s mind, including Suhyuk’s. What would the person do with the power of lightning?
It seemed he had already thought it through, as his answer came quickly.
“I intend to give it to my son.”
Son.
The response caused a stir.
“You’re not going to use it yourself?”
“You’re passing it to your bloodline?”
The unexpected choice created a murmur among the group. Though it became somewhat noisy, there was no outright opposition.
In fact.
It seemed that many were satisfied, thinking this might be the correct decision.
“Not a bad idea.”
“I agree.”
“So in the end, none of us will take it for ourselves.”
Some even laughed heartily. Suhyuk strained to see their faces hidden by the dark fog.
‘Who are you people?’
He knew he currently lacked the authority to know. The obscured names, the unseen faces were all filtered by the system.
Despite this, Suhyuk tried to glean any clues about them. Getting even a small hint might bring him a step closer to understanding the power of lightning.
“Then it’s settled.”
The scene started to blur. The cutscene was ending. Without blinking, Suhyuk focused intently, trying to discern even one more detail.
And then.
『‘■■■’ is looking at you.』
『‘■■■’ is looking at you.』
『‘■■■■’ is looking at you.』
『…….』
A memory from long ago flashed in Suhyuk’s mind. He recalled the cutscene he saw when he first obtained the Heart of Thunder.
‘Could it be…’
The shadowy figures, the nameless gazes. They overlapped with the figures from that cutscene.
‘Those from back then?’
Flash-.
*
Flame-.
Within the roaring flames. The throne was crumbling and collapsing. For a moment, a powerful burst of lightning seemed to threaten the demons, but it was fleeting.
‘What’s happening?’
Biting her lip in anxiety and worry, Viola stared into the flames. Someone had definitely sat on the throne. Since unauthorized individuals couldn’t sit on it, and the giants wouldn’t sit there, it had to be Suhyuk.
But how?
She had wondered if he could become the new owner of the throne. But that was assuming the throne was undamaged. Penetrating through the blazing inferno and contending with dozens or hundreds of demons seemed impossible.
If he had such power, he wouldn’t have needed to use the underground passage made by Belveim.
Rumble-.
The throne had completely collapsed. There was no sign of Suhyuk, and they couldn’t tell how their mission was proceeding amidst the engulfing flames.
Step-.
Someone emerged from the fire. It was Suhyuk, leisurely walking through the demons. In his hand was a blue gem.
‘That is…’
Viola’s eyes widened at the familiar power emanating from the gem. She had no concrete evidence, but she was more certain than anything.
For 500 years, she had lived for one thing, and she could not fail to recognize it. The Thunder Throne. The very item that the three Valkyries had been protecting all this time was that small gem.
“You said you needed to check something, right?”
As Suhyuk approached, instead of explaining the gem, he said something completely different.
“I’ll show you.”
Shing-.
He drew the sword from his waist. The silver blade reflected the fiery landscape of the temple.
Was he planning to fight now?
Against that many demons?
Before the doubt could even settle.
Boom-!
A deafening thunderclap erupted from the blue gem in Suhyuk’s hand. It was a familiar sound. Rather than being bothered by the piercing noise, Viola felt a comforting sense of returning home.
These sounds were identical to when she served in Asgard, when a little boy acquired another piece of thunder.
“Viola! Finally, I have received the recognition of thunder!”
When was that?
Over 500 years ago, almost a thousand years in the past. The young prince of Asgard who hadn’t yet shed his boyish image.
“Look at this!”
Boom-!
He joyously swung his hammer, thrilled by the power he had acquired. Despite being so young, his strength was overwhelming, and the Valkyries couldn’t stop him.
‘Prince Thor.’
The prince of Asgard who led battles with Mjolnir, a hammer forged from fragments of thunder and the blessings of countless stars.
When he first swung Mjolnir, it made the same sound. As Viola was momentarily lost in nostalgia, overwhelmed by Suhyuk’s display of power.
Flash-!
With a blinding light, Suhyuk’s sword descended.
Boom-!
With the echoing thunderclap, the blazing red flames that engulfed the temple were split vertically. As if extinguished by a fierce wind, the flames within the temple wavered precariously.
Whoosh-.
What followed took Viola completely by surprise once more.
“What?”
As the flames receded, the demons filling the temple disappeared like a mirage. One by one, without making any noise. They vanished as if they had never been there.
“Wh-what is this?”
Vigo was equally bewildered. Could he have slain all those demons with a single swing?
No.
It was impossible. Such a feat could only be accomplished by a select few, including the king of Asgard and some of the greatest chosen gods.
Though it was astonishing that Suhyuk had acquired a power similar to Thor’s, it still didn’t make sense. Unable to hold back any longer, Viola asked.
“How did you do that?”
“I simply showed the truth.”
Even now, the demons that had been before them continued to vanish rapidly.
“You wondered how Muspelheim managed to send so many demons, right?”
“Yes, I did.”
“You were wrong.”
Suhyuk shook his head and gestured to the split flames.
“There were no such demons to begin with.”