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‘At least she’s not a complete fool.’

No. On second thought, she was better than him. Suhyuk knew how difficult it was to suspect a friend or comrade you trusted.

If you think about it, wasn’t he practically killed because he couldn’t do that?

“What do you mean by that, exactly?”

Viola responded with bewilderment, not understanding Suhyuk’s words. To mistake the target to save. Not Belveim, but you. It was all incomprehensible to her.

Suhyuk felt equally unable to make her understand. In the end, Suhyuk opted for action over words and grabbed her hand, leading her.

“Just come with me. And don’t make too much noise.”

“Wait, a… moment…”

Viola, still in a flustered state, was led down the stairs to a basement. A featureless stone door appeared.

When they arrived in front of the firmly closed stone door, Viola felt as though the shapeless anxiety she had been feeling materialized right before her eyes.

“What is this?”

“Open it. See for yourself.”

“What could possibly be inside…?”

Hesitatingly, she reached out her hand, slowly pulling the handle.

Creak-

Unlike other doors, it made an exceptionally old and worn-out sound. As the inside revealed itself, Viola’s eyes widened to the extreme.

“What…?”

Inside the unlit door. Vigo was seen holding someone. A familiar face. The woman with a short bob of golden hair, just like Viola’s.

She was cold and dead, with a hole in her chest, one of the people Viola had been searching for so desperately.

“Elaine…?”

“… Viola.”

Grip-.

Vigo, ensuring he didn’t let go, embraced the corpse tightly as he approached Viola. Slowly, Viola approached Elaine. Praying it was a mistake.

But.

‘Wishing alone doesn’t change reality.’

Viola eventually confirmed Elaine’s corpse up close. Her initial reaction was silence. As if she couldn’t grasp the reality, she stood there blankly, holding the comrade’s body handed over by Vigo.

But only for a moment.

“Elaine…”

Soon, she fell to the floor, screaming.

No.

She attempted to scream.

Smack-.

“Mm-mmph-.”

Suhyuk quickly covered Viola’s mouth with his hand. If she were to scream here, something unexpected might happen.

“Calm down.”

“Mmph, mmph-.”

Squeeze-.

Viola gripped Suhyuk’s wrist. Her strong grip exerted pressure on his wrist. She was not only the target Suhyuk needed to rescue but also a great warrior known as a Valkyrie.

Feeling the strength in her hand, Suhyuk frowned. Thanks to his high endurance, he managed to bear it. As long as she didn’t draw her sword and swing it, he could still hold on.

Just when he thought his wrist might actually break.

“Mm-mmph-.”

Tap, tap-tap-.

She signaled several times, releasing her grip on his wrist.

“Hah-, hah-.”

As Suhyuk let go of her, Viola hurriedly inhaled. With tears and snot running down her face, she looked back at Elaine’s corpse.

“Elaine…”

“Are you a bit calmer now?”

Suhyuk whispered softly, and Viola shook her head, biting her lips.

“I can’t calm down. It just… feels like a lie.”

“It would.”

Suhyuk knew well the pain of losing a comrade. If he hadn’t found the flowers Shiwoo had left, he might have crumbled like her.

“It’s Belveim’s doing.”

It was surprising. He was wondering how to convince her, but she said exactly what he wanted to convey.

“That sword wound. It was made by Belveim.”

“The wound on her abdomen?”

“Yes. There’s no way I’m mistaken. I’ve seen it for hundreds of years.”

Her voice was full of certainty. There was no need to beat around the bush. Feeling relieved, he considered his options.

‘The easiest thing would be to quietly leave the mansion.’

This was likely the standard route for this trial. If they did, the second stage of the trial would automatically end. Given the difficulty, it was likely the end of the trial.

But.

‘Still… I can’t just leave it.’

Suhyuk’s gaze shifted to the deeper part of the basement, where Elaine’s body had been hidden.

‘I can’t leave without that.’

The highlight of this trial was there. It was something desired by both Asgard and Muspelheim. It was no ordinary item. What he had was a heart with an empty core.

If he could fill that heart, who knew what kind of strength it would gain him.

‘I know it’s difficult…’

That knowledge only made him more excited. Trials were meant to reward those who overcame greater difficulties.

“What will you do?”

Suhyuk looked at Viola.

“Will you seek revenge?”

Viola hesitated before answering.

“… I need to know why this happened first.”

A reason.

Come to think of it, he also didn’t know. When he asked Kim Ilsoo why he committed such acts, he never received an answer.

Indeed.

Why did it happen?

“You don’t have to help me. I’ll go alone if I must.”

Resolute, Viola stood up. Suhyuk glanced back and forth between Elaine’s corpse and Viola before speaking up.

“There’s something you forgot.”

“Forget? What?”

“The reason you all came here.”

The reason Asgard sent Viola and the three Valkyries here was to hide and protect the Thunder Throne.

However.

“That’s difficult.”

Viola shook her head at Suhyuk’s words.

“It is impossible with just us. We need the help of the little master to reclaim it.”

She seemed to have given up on the mission more quickly than expected.

‘So that’s how it unfolded.’

She hadn’t given up the mission. She had just decided it was impossible in their current state and was planning to request support.

But Suhyuk knew what the outcome would be by then.

By the time support arrived—

‘The core would already be gone.’

The empty Heart of Thunder in Suhyuk’s inventory was proof of that. And if that was the outcome, there was no way they could stop here.

Above all.

“Isn’t it strange?”

“What is?”

“That there are so many demons.”

Even Asgard, constrained by the system, could only send three Valkyries. No matter how much Muspelheim tried, they wouldn’t easily break that constraint.

Moreover, if there really were hundreds of demons, it didn’t make sense that Viola was still alive.

“It is strange. Of course it is.”

“Did you ever think about how that’s possible?”

“Well…”

Viola, who had been hesitating to answer, suddenly opened her eyes wide as if she remembered something.

“… Yes, I did.”

“And?”

“Belveim was the one who investigated that.”

Suhyuk’s eyes narrowed. If that’s the case, then the story changes.

“First, we need to capture her.”

One of the three Valkyries assigned to protect the Thunder Throne. Capturing Belveim might unlock the secrets about the demons of Muspelheim.

“There’s nothing more to discuss.”

Grip-.

Vigo, who had been quietly mourning Elaine, grasped his spear tightly.

“We need to find Belveim right now—”

And in that instant.

Flash-!

A blinding white light descended from the sky.

Crash-!

It split the mansion’s basement in half.

『Stage 3 – ‘Betrayal’ begins.』

『Eliminate the Fallen Valkyrie.』

***

Rumble-.

The ceiling of the basement collapsed. As the mansion split in half, debris from the rocks fell like weapons.

“Gyaaah-!”

“Get out! Everyone!”

“What’s with this sudden disaster-?”

The butlers, servants, and gardeners residing in the mansion started fleeing in panic. Fortunately, the mansion wasn’t completely destroyed yet.

Since the target was the basement, it only ended up with one side tilted. Suhyuk and Viola were also safe.

“Are you okay, Vigo?”

Grip-.

Viola held up a massive pile of rocks with one hand, rescuing Vigo. Thanks to her, he avoided death, but.

“I’m… okay. I’m fine, but….”

Drip, drip-.

A long sword wound appeared on Viola’s back. In that brief moment, she had thrown herself to save Vigo.

-What just happened?

-It wasn’t an earthquake.

-Wasn’t it a sword?

A few observant viewers seemed to have noticed what had just happened.

‘Such power in a single slash.’

Suhyuk’s gaze turned towards the collapsed ceiling.

‘A Valkyrie is still a Valkyrie.’

A female warrior held a long sword as tall as herself. Belveim, now fully equipped in silver armor, was looking down at Viola and Vigo.

“You’re too kind to be a warrior, just like before, Viola.”

“Belveim!”

Viola shouted at Belveim, veins popping on her neck. Even though she already knew, seeing Belveim turned against her made her anger surge even more.

“Why did you come here? It would have been better if you had passed without knowing.”

“And you call that talking—.”

“I just wanted you to leave.”

With a bitter expression, Belveim looked at Elaine’s corpse that Viola was holding with one arm.

“Unlike Elaine, you’re someone without suspicion.”

“Elaine…?”

Viola wondered why Elaine’s body was here. It seemed Elaine had suspected Belveim even before Viola did.

“Today, I’m going to lose both of my friends.”

“Why are you doing this?”

Grit-.

Viola clenched her teeth.

“Why… did you kill Elaine… and me…?”

Thud-.

To save Vigo, she let go of the massive rock she had been holding up with one hand, allowing it to fall to the ground.

“Why are you trying to kill us?”

“I never intended to kill you.”

Belveim’s excuse began.

“You were my comrades. And you were my friends.”

“Then?”

“I just wanted to drive you away from here. And that’s what happened to you. If Elaine had just left, nothing would have happened.”

But just as all things in the world, variables always exist.

“It was just yesterday. When Elaine came to see me.”

One day.

Elaine died just one day ago.

That statement left a bigger scar on Viola’s heart, perhaps because it meant there might have been a chance to save Elaine.

“After everything was over, I intended to give her a proper funeral… but I didn’t expect you to come back, Viola.”

“When did I ever ask about that?”

Her sword, raised in anger, trembled. She shouted with unprecedented rage.

“I asked why you are doing this!”

“This situation isn’t exactly what I wanted either.”

Belveim continued, looking into Viola’s eyes.

“I’m not asking you to underst—.”

At that moment.

KABOOM-!

A bright yellow surge of electricity engulfed Belveim’s body. Belveim, who had already destroyed the mansion’s basement in one swift stroke, swiftly lifted her sword to shield herself from the electric surge, living up to her title of a great warrior.

But the price for not dodging was steep.

Tingle, tingle-.

A tingling sensation ran through the fingers gripping the sword. Belveim’s gaze shifted to one side, where Suhyuk’s fierce eyes were glaring at her.

“Disgusting. I can’t listen to this anymore.”