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Chapter 453: The Hall of Flame

"This is the Shadow Border. Three natural hours ago we encountered the composite divine Servant Sitonai, and with her assistance we successfully began the manufacture of True Humans.

We also learned of another goddess, located at the highest point in the North, Mount Gahrl."

That was the Shadow Border's last transmission. 

….

Whenever I see birds soaring across the heavens, I remember it—the Age of Gods, a distant past.

Perhaps this is nothing more than a god's longing, a yearning for a past that cannot be returned to.

The world stood naturally as reality, and the great gods safeguarded all things upon it.

There was harsh competition, there was tragic strife.

And yet, it felt as if everything then was filled with pride.

Freyja's lips blessed love and bounty;

Njord, with his legs, upheld the seas and the rich catch;

Baldr bestowed radiance and beauty;

Mímir presided over the sacred spring;

and even amidst war—the merciless taker of life—there were the gazes of the High God Odin and the war god Thor.

In those years, surely, we all liked one another.

It was never some feverish passion, not a love that tormented body and soul, but calm, gentle, and warm—like sunlight in spring.

That's what I believed—

And yet, why?

Why are we now so far apart?

 Colder than unfeeling ice, hotter than terrifying flame.

In the depths of the heart—such an ugly thing lies hidden.

"The targets shook off Koyanskaya's interference and ran."

Ophelia's report broke the god's reverie and pulled her back to the present.

"After leaving the city we lost track of them, but Her Majesty should have their exact location."

Ophelia said, "Also, the divine composite Her Majesty captured before seems to have been blown into the outside by that earlier explosion. Still missing.

If Her Majesty will grant us their current position, Saber and I will go and recapture them."

Ophelia knew well that in all of Scandinavia, only the being before her possessed the ability to observe the entire land. The snow blanketing the North gave Skadi a boundless, vast field of vision.

That Saber could be dispatched the instant Chaldea rose to the pseudo-imaginary surface was precisely because Skadi had bestowed coordinates.

Now, as long as they got coordinates again, they could nab them in one fell swoop.

This time, they had to kill every Servant except Mash, completely.

As for that knight—let him leave this world.

"—No. Pay them no mind."

The god's indifferent voice fell, the way she had survived for millennia: "The children of Chaldea—I've decided to love them.

I will not kill them. Do not make me repeat myself, Ophelia."

"Your Majesty."

At that, Ophelia hurried to explain: "But if we continue to indulge Chaldea—"

Letting Chaldea act unchecked would surely lead to disaster. She could not fail like Kadoc.

"Did you not raise the Spirit Origin of the knight Sigurd?"

Skadi said, "A man like that cannot handle the delicate work of taking an enemy alive. He will kill. He will cut down anything that stands in his way.

The Celtic woman who composes me is supremely confident in this.

Mm, that little tyke over in Chaldea has more or less the same appraisal."

After the battle, Ophelia, just in case, had increased Sigurd's Spirit Origin once to prepare for future fights.

"..."

Ophelia pressed her lips together. She had not expected Skadi to refuse to give coordinates.

But thinking on it, this was the normal outcome.

Skadi had given coordinates once—and never again afterward.

"That is not a weapon one can wield lightly. His very existence is a cursed blade that harms its bearer."

Skadi's eyes were compassionate as she looked at Ophelia. "At times you must also reflect upon yourself, human girl—Ophelia Phamrsolone."

Ophelia left, and the hall sank back into silence.

The lone god remaining continued to gaze up at the sky. Perhaps that was the only thing she could still do.

…

Back in her chamber, Ophelia looked troubled. "I should go to the dungeon. I should talk to Mash—say a bit more."

That had unmistakably been the best chance, but she had wasted it.

Ophelia was wracked with regret. She didn't know if there would be a next time.

Unlike her love for Kirschtaria, what Ophelia felt for Mash could perhaps be called friendship.

A feeling the girl named Ophelia had never received before.

…

At the same time—

Far from the castle on the ice field, Alaric and Ritsuka Fujimaru changed course because of the Shadow Border's last transmission.

They should have hurried back to the submersible to regroup with Da Vinci-chan and the others. But after conferring, Alaric and Ritsuka chose instead to seek the third goddess.

Though Alaric was a noncombatant due to damage to his Spirit Origin, she had previously burned a large amount of mana to summon Cu Chulainn—the all-rounder with B-Rank Runes.

A perfect hero for both finding targets and fighting.

Like a blue hound, he carved a path across the endlessly stretching land—

"Hey, hey, hey—are you looking at me with a pretty rude expression?"

Sensing something, Cu Chulainn snapped his head around, crimson eyes raking Alaric up and down. "Listen up. If you even dare say that word, I'm going to twist your head off."

Piggybacked on Cu Chulainn, Alaric gave an awkward laugh. "Cu Chulainn, you do know how to joke—"

Because his physical capacity had bottomed out due to Spirit-Origin limits, Alaric gave up using skis and let Cu Chulainn carry him.

Although Cu's combat power was more than enough to let Ritsuka swagger even before a Servant on Sigurd's level, extra members were always welcome.

At the Shadow Border, with the goddess Sitonai helping and Da Vinci's concealment barrier, safety was high, and there was ample time to produce True Humans. But that still wasn't enough.

Alaric knew that what Ritsuka needed now was power capable of defeating Sigurd.

The enemy lineup in this Lostbelt was clear: Ophelia the Crypter's Servant Sigurd, the Lostbelt King Skadi, and the Valkyries under her command.

To beat enemies on that level, they needed multiple Servants.

Returning to the leyline node where the Border lay and using summoning there to call several Servants would be fine, but such summons would be weaker than divine Servants.

"Watch the flames ahead—the Runes here are high-grade."

Setting Alaric down, Cu Chulainn slipped into battle mode, cold eyes sweeping for danger.

After a long trek, Ritsuka's group, thanks to Cu's prowess, smoothly reached Scandinavia's highest peak.

"We've arrived—at Scandinavia's highest—oh wait, Mount Gahrl!"

Huffing white breath, Alaric laughed. "Looks like Skadi isn't going to stop us."

"It did go smoothly, but this in front—is—"

Also in winter gear, Mash stared at the castle ahead, eyes wide. "Flames—"

Flames. 

Blazing flames.

Atop the mountain, fire swaddled a castle, becoming an insurmountable moat.

"The Hall of Flame."

Mash reacted at once. "Sir Cu Chulainn, please be careful. This must be the Hall of Flame. In the Poetic Edda—also known as the Elder Edda's Sigrdrífumál—and the Völsunga Saga, it's the shining blaze atop Hindarfjall, a manor ringed by a shield-wall with banners flying.

A Grand Divine Barrier, the Hall of Flame!"

"Mash, you know a lot—"

Alaric clapped and laughed. "Even I'd have to think a bit on that one!"

The Poetic Edda records a lay called Sigrdrífumál.

Its protagonist is the Valkyrie Sigrdrífa, who was imprisoned by Odin in the Hall of Flame for a mistake.

After slaying the dragon, Sigurd came to the Hall of Flame and awakened Sigrdrífa.

Sigrdrífa taught Sigurd runes and gave him eleven counsels. After Sigurd left, he became engaged to Brynhildr, lost his memory, married Kriemhild, and tragedy followed.

But in Brynhildr's Hel-Ride, Brynhildr is the Valkyrie whom Sigurd rescues from her prison.

Thus Sigrdrífa is also regarded as another name for Brynhildr.

Likewise, in the Völsunga Saga, Sigrdrífa and Brynhildr's roles merge. In the Ring Cycle, only the Valkyries headed by Brynhildr appear.

In that case, by mythic logic, the goddess imprisoned in this Hall of Flame becomes obvious.

Whether a mythic being or a reenactment of myth, both carry corresponding meaning.

"Sir Alaric, you flatter me!"

Mash's expression turned solemn as she gazed at the castle. "This could be a large-scale magical rite through sympathetic reenactment of myth—or an Age-of-Gods barrier itself!"

"A divine shield? Those hollow flames don't qualify as an Age-of-Gods barrier."

Cu Chulainn saw through the Hall's falsehood at a glance. "At most it's a [myth reenactment]. It's got none of the real weight. Little girl, maybe the snow and fire dulled your senses, but you can see them, right? Those guys in the flames."

As Cu's words fell, hulking silhouettes appeared within the fire.

Giants whose forms were all too familiar to them—fire giants of Muspel whom they'd fought before!

"Prepare to fight, Mash."

Ritsuka reacted at once, boosting mana to Mash and Cu.

"Got it!"

Cu Chulainn flicked his hand; a vermilion magic spear dropped into his grip. He spun it casually, then it snapped out as a blue bolt of lightning.

The fire's facade, stretched across the exterior, was no obstacle to Cu.

 A thrust as quick as lightning—just an ordinary stab—punched clean through a fire giant's chest!

As Ireland's great hero, Cu Chulainn's skill left even Alaric awed; that invisible spear that reached into the divine was something he could not hope to match.

Pure spearwork—Cu was superior.

But more than watching Cu fight, Alaric cared about who was inside the Hall of Flame.

If this was a reenactment of myth, then it got interesting.

A reenacted myth must match the myth.

The Hall of Flame—so the goddess imprisoned within—could she be the Valkyrie Brynhildr?

In the Völsung legends, Brynhildr was appointed to arbitrate a duel between two kings. Knowing Odin favored the old king Hjalmgunnar, she nevertheless awarded victory to Agnar.

Thus Odin cursed her, made her mortal, and imprisoned her atop distant Hindarfjall in the Alps, in a castle ringed by a wall of shields.

Odin laid a curse upon the Valkyrie—that she would sleep until someone came to rescue her and take her as wife.

The hero Sigurd, slayer of the evil dragon Fafnir, entered the castle, removed the Valkyrie's helm, cut open her mail, and awakened her.

The two fell in love. Even knowing their love would end in tragedy, Sigurd proposed with the magic ring Andvaranaut, promising to return and marry her.

Later, Sigurd drank a potion and lost his memories, and the enraged Brynhildr slaughtered the Kriemhild line who had toyed with Sigurd's memories. She and Sigurd died together, burned to ashes on a pyre.

Notably, the Edda does not include the Sigurd's amnesia chapter.

In the Nibelungenlied, Brynhild is the queen of Iceland. One day her fame reached Burgundy; King Gunther decided to wed her and had the great hero Siegfried disguise himself as his vassal to help.

With Siegfried's aid, Gunther passed the three trials Brynhild set, and she agreed to marry him.

They returned to Burgundy; as Brynhild wed Gunther, Siegfried married Gunther's sister, Kriemhild.

Though the legends differ, perhaps this is the difference between the similarly-originating Siegfried and Sigurd.

"Master, I'll touch the barrier in a moment—make sure you follow up!"

While cutting down giants, Cu shouted, "Move fast. These guys multiply quick!"

"Leave it to me!"

Mash answered, "I'll bring Master and Sir Alaric in with me!"

"Good!"

On cue, Cu stopped holding back, whipping out several rune-engraved talismans. The moment they touched the flames, they triggered.

 Amid flaring light, the fire-wall around the castle rapidly dissolved.

Chapter 454: Brynhildr

"!"

With Cu's strike, Mash—who had been watching the outer fire-wall closely—immediately spotted a widening gap. If they waited a bit longer, the wall would collapse entirely!

"Master! Mr. Alaric! Let's go!"

Mash stepped forward, ready to scoop one under each arm and dash into the Hall of Flame, but Alaric raised a hand to stop her.

"Mash, just throw your shield in there. That racket will be enough to wake the goddess."

Alaric jerked his chin. "Let's not go in."

Rather than charge into the Hall, Alaric preferred to wake the sleeping goddess from outside. No one knew what was in there; if axe-men were lying in ambush, going in now would be walking into a trap.

"Okay!"

Mash thought for a heartbeat, then stamped forward.

The shock sent the snow beneath her rolling like waves, but she didn't care. One-handed, she spun the Round Table and hurled it with a shout: "Round Table—launch!"

The spinning Round Table scythed through the gap Cu had made and then, to Ritsuka's slack-jawed astonishment, smashed the real wall of the Hall and roared inside!

Boom, boom, boom!!

With the thunderous crash came a howling wind that lifted a blizzard into the air.

"Confirming Spirit Origin reaction—a Servant!"

Mash's face was intent as she stared at the gap she'd blown into the Hall. The figure emerging from it was not a Muspel fire giant, but a beautiful woman.

A tall woman whose hair gleamed like the aurora, light armor on her limbs paired with a short skirt, skin like snow that seemed soft to the touch.

A gentle face that told at a glance what sort of goddess she was.

"Valkyrie—Brynhildr."

Alaric, unruffled, spoke her True Name. "A Servant state, not a native Valkyrie… so you were chain-summoned when Sigurd manifested?"

Heroes with deep bonds can be chain-summoned under certain conditions.

Like the sisters Ishtar and Ereshkigal, or when you summon Quetzalcoatl you might somehow chain-summon Tezcatlipoca—though Jaguar Man ended up filling in.

In short, chain summoning was not unlikely, and—

Approaching with the Round Table in hand, the Valkyrie Brynhildr wore a gentle look, though a trace of sorrow lingered in her brow. Softly she said, "I am the daughter of the great god Odin, eldest of the Valkyries. I have been a demigod, and an ancient goddess.

I am the figure described in the Pan-Human History's Elder Edda and Sagas—the one who once kept company with the hero Sigurd, then took his life and ended my own in vengeance.

I am the Servant—Brynhildr—"

…

When Mash's wake-up call roused Brynhildr, the true Valkyrie Thrúd, on standby in the snow castle, sensed it as well.

"Our sister of Pan-Human History has awakened."

Thrúd's tone was cool. "To my sisters who share records with me—those who do not depend upon the Queen's mana, sisters who have endured since ancient times."

"Mm. I understand."

Pink-haired Hildr spoke helplessly. "Sister has awakened. We would have preferred she slept forever and ever, but since she's awake, we can't leave it be.

So, what should we do? It's a rare situation—maybe a good opportunity—"

"That's impossible—"

Ortlinde whispered, "She ought to sleep forever. Our sister of Pan-Human History should remain in a safe place always."

"But she has awakened."

Thrúd said, "Regrettably."

"—Seems necessary."

Ortlinde hesitated. "To pay our respects."

She didn't know if that was the right thing to do, but she felt it should be done.

"Yes. Let's go now."

Thrúd nodded. "Even if she's a sister of Pan-Human History, she is our sister. As one of the earliest made, her form most closely resembles the gods—the supreme Valkyrie.

Though we're both demigods, the divine core hidden within her is far closer to a goddess than ours.

She absolutely must not—stand on the side of humans."

To Thrúd and the others, if Brynhildr chose to side with humans, that would be unbearably sad.

"Letting her stay among humans is too pitiful. It's so rare she could sleep without knowing anything."

Ortlinde grumbled.

If only she'd just keep sleeping—why wake up?

"Indeed. We should pay our respects, even if it goes against Sister's wishes."

Thrúd's gaze sharpened. "Valkyrie—Brynhildr—if she values the humans of Pan-Human History over this North, we must admonish the wings with which she flies—

…

At the same time—

With Brynhildr awake, the battle at the Hall of Flame naturally ended. Disinclined to linger, Ritsuka had Mash carry Alaric and withdraw at once, heading toward the Shadow Border.

They had found Brynhildr, but the pressing matters were still the True Humans Da Vinci-chan was making, and fixing Alaric's damaged Spirit Origin.

"Miss Brynhildr—pardon the bluntness—your Noble Phantasm has special attack against Sigurd, right?"

Still riding on Cu's back, Alaric asked curiously, "Your manifestation this time really is because of Sigurd, yes?"

"If I appear in a Lostbelt, it means there is an opponent I must face."

Brynhildr spoke softly. "Shield Maiden Mash Kyrielight—and you."

Saying this, Brynhildr looked to Ritsuka. "I would gladly devote myself to you who journey for Pan-Human History. Please, allow the Servant Brynhildr to lend you her strength."

Alaric didn't get why his question was answered like that—or why she still wouldn't look at him.

Only now did he notice something odd.

Since she'd appeared, Brynhildr hadn't met his eyes even once. She always averted her gaze without seeming to.

Normally it would be nothing, but in this context it exposed a big problem. If they couldn't even make eye contact, how were they going to communicate?

Perhaps realizing her rudeness—and feeling Alaric's look—Brynhildr pressed her lips together, turned her head, and met his eyes. "The stronger the opponent's love, the heavier and larger my spear becomes. Against Sigurd, it should have an anti-trait effect."

"I know. I was just confirming."

Alaric raised an eyebrow, curious what was really going on with Brynhildr.

Chapter 455: Something's Off

After watching Brynhildr with a suspicious look for a while, Alaric gave up on finding the answer. From her expression, she wasn't going to say it.

He didn't linger on the point and instead explained Sigurd's situation to Brynhildr to see how she'd view Sigurd's current state.

"Then we'll be counting on you, Miss Brynhildr, for Sigurd."

"..."

Brynhildr pressed her lips together and whispered, "So he really is here—ah, now I finally understand."

As Alaric suspected, it had been a chain summoning—but Brynhildr had not known why she'd manifested. Before she could find an answer, she'd been captured and put to sleep.

Only now, upon waking again, did Brynhildr understand her mission—also her fate.

She would not flee. She would not refuse. She would face that sorrowful fate head-on.

"I understand now what my mission is."

Brynhildr said quietly, "I didn't know why I had manifested. Unaware of the situation, I wandered this Lostbelt. Just as I defeated attacking giants, a woman calling herself a Crypter and my little sisters sealed me—inside a hall mimicking Father Odin's barrier, where I slept without end."

Only now did Brynhildr understand the purpose of that Crypter and her sisters when they caught her—that was likely to keep her from seeing Sigurd again.

"—Yes. I understand."

Brynhildr's tone grew firm, and the sorrow in her eyes faded, replaced by a flush of shame.

Having steeled herself, Brynhildr offered Ritsuka a small apology. "Please allow me to apologize in advance, Ritsuka Fujimaru. If, in my fight with Sigurd, I should behave disgracefully, I ask your forgiveness."

Even just from Alaric's and Mash's descriptions, Brynhildr felt wordless emotions stirring toward this Sigurd. Whether that was love's fire or anger's blaze—

Perhaps only meeting him would tell.

Mash blinked, unable to imagine such a poised goddess losing her composure.

Brynhildr explained.

"I will—surely—surely… be unable to restrain myself when I see him."

Brynhildr pressed a hand to her chest, voice heavy. "I might get so excited I can't even speak like this. My spear will grow larger and larger.

But please don't worry. I'll hold back as much as I can. In the end, though, I may burn like a Berserker."

A fire of love that never dies, hot enough to consume them both.

"If it comes to that, I'll keep an eye on you."

Ritsuka nodded. "Don't worry, Brynhildr."

"Then I'm in your care, Miss Brynhildr!"

Mash smiled.

"—Very well."

Brynhildr drew a deep breath. "The Sigurd in this Lostbelt may not be a Servant of Pan-Human History—not the man I know—he may be someone who never met me, who doesn't know me—"

"No, he is a Servant of Pan-Human History."

Alaric corrected her. "The Crypters' Servants are basically all from Pan-Human History. Ophelia is no exception. It's just that something else seems to be mixed into this Sigurd's body."

After all, this Norse Lostbelt had been ruled by the one-and-only Skadi for three thousand years—the population had long been fixed.

No one here had a greed strong enough to trigger a Dragon Phenomenon. Nor did concepts like nation or currency exist to spark it.

In short, the Scandinavian Lostbelt lacked the soil for Fafnir to appear.

Without an evil dragon, a dragon-slaying hero like Sigurd could not be born.

With no dragon to slay, there is no hero.

Thus it was certain this Sigurd was a Servant of Pan-Human History. What truly puzzled Alaric was the thing inside Sigurd.

An entity of unknown nature—what effect did cohabiting it have on Sigurd? Was it an enhancement, or a restraint?

If it merely boosted his parameters, that was one thing. But if it carried a negative effect, then it got interesting—what was its purpose?

If Sigurd were defeated—or even killed—would that thing detach? Or disappear with his Spirit Origin?

Alaric didn't know, but he had a bad feeling.

Despite his misgivings, you can't mull such things in the middle of a fight.

Only an easy, controlled battle gives room to think. If beating Sigurd was already hard, there'd be no time for this.

Because of the distance, they still couldn't reestablish communication with the Shadow Border, preventing Alaric from sharing intel with Da Vinci-chan.

The last comm had been one-way—the Border had contacted Ritsuka and, after giving Brynhildr's location, gone silent.

By Alaric's estimate, the sub was unlikely to move. To restore comms, they'd have to close the distance themselves.

And because Brynhildr had awakened, Alaric wasn't sure what Skadi's Valkyries might do next.

By Brynhildr's account, it was those original Valkyries who had joined forces to capture her, imprisoning her in the Hall of Flame.

That alone told them what Thrúd and the others thought of Brynhildr.

"Servant reaction ahead!"

Ever vigilant, Mash shouted, "Sir Cu Chulainn! Miss Brynhildr!"

"Got it!"

Cu set Alaric down, adding, "Say, how about we make a sled or something?"

It wasn't that Cu disliked Alaric. It was just too slow like this—and carrying a guy on your back wasn't as good as hauling him.

"Sounds good."

Alaric, utterly at ease, laughed. "Great idea. We can make one later and try it out. I'm pretty handy."

As they spoke, the source of the Servant reading Mash had picked up came into view—a burly man hefting a two-meter cannon.

"Well now. Lucky day—running into you here?"

The nameless man grinned. "First meeting calls for introductions. Uh-huh. I'm Napoleon."