Waltrautesan no Konkatsu Jijou - Chapter 3 - Part 8

“Muninn, Huginn.”

With a Spear of Destroying Lightning in her right hand, Waltraute called the two ravens that flew nearby.

She continued, “This is enough. You return to Asgard.”

“What will you do!?”

“You need not worry about that. If you stay, you will only get caught up in it all.

Muninn and Huginn could not question her any further.

This was because multiple Spears of Destroying Lightning flew towards Waltraute from many directions at once.

It was a total of seventeen.

That downpour of powerful light stabbed down from heaven to earth.

The air in the surrounding area shook. A brilliant flash of light filled one corner of the night and lit it up like midday.

A single Spear of Destroying Lightning created enough destructive power to destroy the average evil spirit if it so much as grazed them.

That violent dance of light filled a set area.

However…

“None of you can outmatch me in maneuverability, you fools,” muttered Waltraute calmly.

Giant craters measuring kilometers in diameter were created everywhere, but the explosions were uneven. She moved at high speed to accurately evade through the small gaps between destruction.

An unnatural aurora covered the night sky.

The Valkyries who had fired the multiple Spears of Destroying Lightning from Asgard had descended at 87% the speed of light. The eight sisters on horseback had split into three groups to block Waltraute’s escape. Despite their attacks missing, their expression remained unchanged. The attacks had only been intended to hold Waltraute in place as they landed. They never expected to defeat her with their initial attacks.

They had Waltraute surrounded in a 20 kilometer ring around her.

But for them, that might as well have been right next to each other.

After landing on the surface, they dismounted from their white horses and held their Spears of Destroying Lightning at the ready. The horses silently disappeared into the light, leaving only the Valkyries on the battlefield.

The Valkyries could move throughout the nine worlds at 87% the speed of light, but they did not like to appear right in front of their enemy to perform an immediate surprise attack.

The Bifröst method broke their existences down to transport them and then returned their existences to normal. In other words, one’s senses could not grasp the situation for an instant after landing. If the target was already on guard, it was possible the target could get in a counter attack.

And…

The fourth sister Waltraute was the Valkyrie of the nine with the greatest maneuverability. She had the greatest odds of succeeding in such a counter attack.

A transmission from the third sister Ortlinde reached her ears.

“…Located. …Located. …Fourth sister Waltraute has been located. …She must be detached from the Wagner Valkyrie system to open a path to Muspelheim.”

"So you are going to eliminate me without warning or negotiation?” asked Waltraute.

“Nothing we say will get you to move out of the way.” This time it was the ninth sister Rossweisse. “After all, your beloved darling waits for you in Muspelheim. If we carry out a preemptive surprise attack, he is almost guaranteed to be caught in the middle of it.”

“…”

Waltraute fell silent and the second sister Gerhilde pressed her further.

“Your actions could be seen as treason against heaven as they could assist Muspelheim and bring danger to Asgard. Asking you to move out of the way and obey our instructions was only for show. We could only obtain permission to eliminate you once you failed to heed our warning, so we do not care if you did not even listen. If a wooden placeholder is set in the seat of the missing fourth sister, the system can continue functioning.”

“You may be superior when it comes to maneuverability,” whispered the eldest sister Brynhildr to finish the conversation. “But we each have our own specialties. Surely you do not think you can outdo us in any category other than maneuverability.”

For example…

The ninth sister Rossweisse had defensive power.

The much too large armor covering her slender body told it all. She sacrificed speed for that solid armor, but she could withstand several strikes from the Spears of Destroying Lightning fired by the other Valkyries.

The second sister Gerhilde had her great number of simultaneous attacks.

In both hands, she held the types of sticks used to control the strings of a marionette. She could use them to use 10 Spears of Destroying Lightning at once.

And then there was the eldest sister Brynhildr.

The aurora armor she wore flickered unnaturally. But with darkness, not light. A large bloody man floated up vaguely from within that dark flicker. The way his arms and legs hung down limply showed no sign of a human will. A single spear piercing through his back and out his chest furthered that impression. Several black strings wrapped around the spear and writhed about within the large man.

He was the legendary warrior Siegfried.

Brynhildr’s specialty was her ability to control human souls. She could command and control the army of the Einherjar war dead more skillfully than anyone else.

"It is 8 to 1. As we are all Valkyries, numbers will decide this. Sorry, but we must defeat you,” announced Brynhildr as the bloody Siegfried followed her around.

Siegfried was a soul from the human world, yet he was also a hero who had been made invincible except for the one spot on his back after bathing in dragon’s blood. She could simultaneously control hundreds of thousands of souls on that level. In a pure contest of strength, Waltraute had no chance.