Ranker Who Lives Twice

Side Story Chapter 7 - Allforone (7)

[This is the sixteenth floor, the gate of the ‘Wheel of Life’.]

On the sixteenth floor, there were a total of three forks in the road. Though it was widely known that each fork in the road represented different characteristics, except for the numerous holy temples along the road and the large farms attached to them, there were no other particularly outstanding characteristics. Based on the floor’s original premise, it was a place that presented a future pathway and fate for players challenging the stage.

However, neither Vivasvat, the other troop members in Bifrost, nor the other warriors of Asgard ever received a fate or pathway from the floor.

‘However, this moment is one that can change the fate of the people living here.’ Vivasvat clenched his jaw. Though Garmr had her reserves, she continued the operation. Depending on what happened here, a huge disaster would befall those who lived on the sixteenth floor.

『Thirteen minutes before midnight.』 On a mountainside perched atop a sheer cliff, Urd smiled coldly as she looked down at the town spread out below her. Since her voice could travel, she opted to use a telepathic mode of communication.

The village was built on one side of a large farm, which stretched out along the horizon. Since it was already well into the evening, all the lights in the village were turned off. There was only silence. The residents were probably fast asleep so that they could get up early tomorrow morning and go to work.

Seeing this scene, it was hard for Vivasvat to believe that Olympus soldiers were secretly hiding within the village.

『As soon as the hour marking the beginning of the great war is struck, we will launch our offensive. So…get ready.』

Clank! As soon as Urd gave her order, the other two Valkyries, as well as the members of Bifrost, all drew their weapons and narrowed their eyes. Even if one did not approve of massacring civilians, orders were orders. As an elite foot soldier who abided by a tight military standard, one should show no hesitation to act.

Among the gathered group was Vivasvat. Since he raised his magic power along with everyone else, no one doubted his intentions. However, his internal intentions were drastically different from what he projected outwards.

“By the way, commander.”

“Ugh, what? Are you going to say something weird again?”

“It’s not like that. I apologize again for what happened a while ago. Those words came out impulsively… I’ll be more careful next time.”

“Whatever. What do you want to say?”

“Are you going to leave things as they are?”

“…”

“You’re against this order, so you voiced your dissent to the Valkyries, right? Are you just planning on executing the order?”

“An order is an order. Why? Are you going to revolt?”

“Well…” Vivasvat recalled the conversation he had with Garmr earlier.

When Vivasvat was not able to respond, Garmr silently looked upon him. Eventually, Garmr let out a sigh and asked, “…can I really trust you?”

“What do you mean…?”

“Can I really trust you? A guy who talks without thinking of the repercussions.” The glint in Garmr’s eyes was much different than at any other time Vivasvat could recall. It was not the lifeless eyes of a drunkard but infinitely cold and sharp.

Vivasvat thought that those eyes were Garmr’s ‘original’ eyes, the eyes she had when she was a Valkyrie. However, after realizing that there was a huge gap between ideal and reality, those eyes became lost. Vivasvat said, “Commander.”

“What?”

“Why would I ever forsake someone I like?”

Vivasvat was beaten once more by Garmr, but in the end, he had gained Garmr’s trust. As he expected, Garmr had prepared her own strategy. ‘She said that she planned on rescuing the civilians. There’s a high possibility that the Olympus people are separately detaining them or holding them hostage and threatening them. If we can save those who are detained before anything serious happens…then the odds of success are quite high.’

If the Olympus forces were removed quickly, the overall damage that the large farm would receive could be reduced. Of course, the three Valkyries may order the massacre of the entire large farm, marking everyone within as rebels, but if the Olympus faction was quickly recognized and gotten rid of, Garmr said that she would have enough leverage to save the large farm.

Thus, as soon as the operation started, Vivasvat was planning to quickly find the hostages’ location. He thought it would not be too difficult. He had been put into this type of situation many times when he was planet hopping in the past.

『Five minutes remaining.』

At that moment, hearing Urd’s voice, Vivasvat snapped back to the present.

『Three minutes.』

His hand tightened.

『One minute.』

At that moment, the other Valkyries and those of Bifrost were preparing to launch off the ground towards the village.

『Midnight! Shoot!』 Urd waved her hand violently about her, and Verdandi and Skuld, who had been waiting, moved in unison. As soon as the two of them released their bowstrings, which were pointed downward at the village, arrows of light split into tens and hundreds of beams, all streaming down onto the village.

‘I have to hurry!’

Whoosh! Vivasvat quickly sprinted down the cliff and raised his senses to the limit. As the bombardment continued, the damage to the village increased.

“Huh?”

“Why is he in such a hurry?”

“Hey, what are you all doing? Hurry up and go!”

“Shit! I was going to wait and see what happened before rushing in…!”

The members of Bifrost, who were scheduled to move in only after the bombing was over, stood dazed and perplexed for a moment, but they soon followed after Vivasvat without much fuss.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Rumble! The bombardment continued without pause. It was a dangerous environment, as one could fall victim to the strikes and die without warning. Still, Vivasvat did not hesitate to enter the now burning village. However…

‘…there’s no one here?’ Vivasvat felt a strange sensation even before setting foot in the village. Obviously, once people recognized that they were being bombarded, they would have run out of their homes. However, no one came out. According to Urd, this place was under the control of Olympus troops with all the villagers corralled together in one place.

However, Vivasvat could not sense any lifeforms. It was as if he entered an abandoned ghost town. All he could see were magic circles installed everywhere that emitted magical fields to deceive one’s senses. At that moment, a thought popped up in Vivasvat’s mind. ‘It’s a trap!’

Vivasvat was about to shout at the Bifrost members behind him to stop their approach. But before he could do so, lightning bolts poured down nonstop from the dark clouds in the sky.

[The divine punishment of Olympus is executed!]

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Rumble! Thunderbolts of fire ripped through the sky and shook the earth as they hit the ground one after another.

“What the hell is this…!”

“Why do those Valhalla bastards have such shotty intel!”

The troop members unleashed their magic powers as much as they could all at once and hit the sides of the falling lightning bolts. Although they were annoyed at having fallen into a trap, they did not lose their cool. They had been in many different types of battlefields, and although things like this did not happen often, they had occasionally come across similar scenarios.

“Well, the Valkyries should find the magic core soon and… What the hell, why are they running this way?”

Since they had three Valkyrie, who Odin cherished, on their side, they expected that Olympus’ attack would somehow be prevented… However, something strange was going on. Rather than trying to find the hidden Olympus camp of magic core, the three Valkyries were running towards the members of Bifrost with evil grins on their faces! Carrying a variety of different weapons, it was easy to tell that they were approaching the Bifrost members as enemies rather than friends.

“Are those bitches serious…?”

“Sars! Devon! Avoid the incoming attacks!”

Sars and Devan, who were closest to the three Valkyries, tried to react after hearing the urgent cries of their colleagues.

Boom! Whoosh! Urd, who was in the lead, wielded her spear relentlessly. Once her spear flashed past them, the two members burst into blood and dispersed. All that was left were pools of blood and bits of flesh on the ground.

“Urd!” Garmr screamed and jumped forward in an instant. Vivasvat saw Garmr release an enormous amount of divine power, something he had not seen in the past year, as she fiercely wielded her ax-like sword and crashed against Urd’s spear blade. The clash sent shockwaves everywhere.

Rumble! Garmr’s ax-like sword and Urd’s spear blade did not give up an inch after their initial contact. A tight battle began. However, unlike Garmr, who was visibly very angry, Urd had a smirk on her face.

“So, how many times have I told you? Why not hurry up and take the seat you vacated? All this happened because you wasted your time and procrastinated on your true responsibilities.”

“I’ll kill you!”

“That may have been possible in the past.” Urd’s smirk grew into a smile. “But now, your ability to wield divine power seems to have rusted, so I don’t think you can do as you say, no?”

Boom! Boom! Boom! While Garmr and Urd continued to clash fiercely…

‘What the hell is this…!’ Vivasvat was thrown into a chaotic situation. Olympus and Asgard joined hands because they wanted to eliminate Bifrost, but Vivasvat had no idea why they were doing this. Olympus had a grudge against Bifrost, so their intentions were apparent, but Asgard had no reason to attack Bifrost.

‘Maybe it’s because of me?’ At that instant, an assumption flashed past Vivasvat’s mind. Maybe his identity was discovered. It might be that his secret was found out, and all the things he had committed in the outside world had entered the ears of Valhalla. Then, it was understandable as to why Asgard was taking such drastic action.

‘But even so… Why are they targeting the entire Bifrost troop…!’ Vivasvat did not have time to ponder. The other two Valkyries, Verdandi and Skuld, were rushing towards him.

“Target, the son of the Heavenly Demon.”

“I prophesied that your future is marked with ‘death’, and that death will be made final here!”

‘Is it because of father?’

Although the ‘prophecy’ uttered by Skuld troubled Vivasvat, he no longer deemed it necessary to hide his powers.

“Youngest! Hurry and avoid…!” The troop members stopped in their tracks as they looked dumbfoundedly at the gorgeous display of light that suddenly started revolving around Vivasvat.

Whoosh! A divine light. This was the first thought that passed through all the troop members’ minds.

Divine and virtuous… They could feel these qualities as well. That was why, at this moment, they stood in awe at Vivasvat’s splendid and magnificent appearance. Even the veteran members who had seen countless gods while clashing against Asgard’s enemies had never seen such a pure light distribution before. Thus, it was natural that the troop members felt that Vivasvat’s appearance was the true descent of a god.

And what happened afterward… Boom! It was as if a real god was dishing out divine punishment! The moment Vivasvat spread his hands out and scattered his light roughly in the air, the light distribution flashed more brilliantly. Elongated halos of light covered the two Valkyries. And then…

“…huh?” Skuld, who could no longer advance towards Vivasvat, made a stupid sounding comment without realizing it herself. She was running just a moment ago…but her body was no longer moving.

“You’ve seen my future, but have you seen yours?”

It was then that Skuld could see Vivasvat sneering at her. “Ah, ah! Aaaaah! My leg!” She later realized that her upper body had been separated from her lower body when her field of vision started tilting backwards.

Plop. Skuld’s upper body splattered on the ground while it profusely squirted out blood. Her scream rang out loudly. Even though she tried to restore her body using her powers, she strangely could not recuperate. The magic power left behind by Vivasvat was interfering with the movement and flow of her divine power.

Bam! Vivasvat did not stop there. He immediately ran towards Verdandi.

Verdandi tried to put up a defense, as she saw how easily Skuld had been dealt with, but she could no longer track Vivasvat, who had seemingly disappeared.

<Shukuchi>

<Great Handprint>

“…where are you?”

“I thought you could see the present… Do you see what’s in store for you in the present?”

“…!” When Verdandi tried to turn her body towards the sound of Vivasvat’s voice from behind her, she soon felt a light burst impact her back.

Boom! Crack!

“Ugh!” Verdandi's spine snapped as she rolled helplessly on the ground. Covered in dust, she vomited blood. It did not seem that she could move her body.

“…!”

“…!”

“…!”

The members of the Bifrost who were watching the scene, and even the ‘eyes of Olympus’ hanging from the sky, were all in shock. There was no being who had taken care of a Valkyrie, let alone two, with such ease ever!

“I don’t know what the hell is going on.” After linking a pillar of light, which extended from the earth to the sky, Vivasvat roared out. “I want all you hiding bastards to come out.”