~??? POV~
Ragnarök—humanity's final struggle against the gods.
A series of one-on-one duels between mankind and the divine.
The rules were simple, each side would select thirteen fighters to battle to the death.
Victory required seven wins.
But even then, humanity would not triumph in the traditional sense.
If they managed seven victories, they'd be spared annihilation—for a thousand years. Lose and the fate of mankind would be sealed then and there with utter extinction.
All fights would take place in the Valhalla Arena.
"We're doomed…" Göll muttered as we walked toward the chamber—the chamber that could alter humanity's fate.
"Göll." I said gently.
She looked up from her sulking, meeting my smile with hesitant eyes.
"We won't die." I assured her.
'If humanity wins.' I added silently.
I nudged her into the room and stepped in after, closing the door behind me.
"W-what is that?" Göll gasped, eyes wide.
A massive green orb hovered in the center of the room, pulsing with divine energy. It drew the attention of anyone who dared look at it.
"Göll, throughout humanity's darkest days, there has always been someone who rose as a beacon. They carried the light—not through hands, but through duty. And whenever that duty called, someone always answered."
I stepped toward the orb. Faces swirled within its glowing surface, flickering like memories in a dream.
"They've had many names." I continued. "Heroes. Legends. Conquerors. Villains."
I placed my palm gently on the orb. As I did, a new face surfaced beneath my thumb.
"W-would that even matter, Sister?" Göll's voice cracked. She was twiddling her fingers, gaze downcast. "Would they really be able to stand against a god? You know how s-strong they are…"
I hummed softly, not answering immediately. My eyes returned to the face I had marked. It called to me.
"We'll find out, won't we?" I murmured with a faint smile.
With a light press of my finger, the orb began to glow. Information projected outward in shimmering green light.
"R-Ryou Sasaki…" Göll read aloud. "Age unknown. Kill count… t-two million?!"
I raised an eyebrow. This man was already proving to be more than I expected.
"D-death by… unknown? S-Sister, maybe you shouldn't—Sister!"
Ignoring her protests, I tapped another part of the orb. A blinding green light exploded outward.
And then—
"Hmm… haven't worn a kimono in a while."
The voice sent a shiver crawling up my spine.
I turned slowly toward the speaker.
Muscular. Refined. Regal.
Two words immediately came to mind. Strength and grace.
And purple. His deep purple eyes gleamed with an otherworldly knowledge—that seemed to know something more than I did.
His long black hair flowed over his shoulders, healthy and immaculate, I couldn't help but find myself jealous of that.
"Gonna keep staring?" he asked, voice smooth and calm, knocking me from my trance.
I coughed into my hand to regain composure and suddenly realized Göll was trembling behind me.
~Ryou POV~
I never knew how long the gap was between dying and being brought back to life.
'Would it be Reincarnation? No... I'd never been born into a new world as a baby. Transmigration?Maybe?'
Whatever it was, I didn't have a frame of reference. There was no time in that place—wherever the hell "that place" even was. But that didn't matter now. Not when, standing in front of me, were two familiar faces.
Faces I'd met before.
'Judging by their expressions, they don't remember me…'
"Sasaki-san?"
My eyes moved to Göll—who, for some reason, was hiding behind her sister, Brunhilde. The latter gave me a professional bow. I remembered the first time I was summoned here—I'd choked her.
'Fun times…' I thought with a smirk, nodding back at her.
"You don't seem confused. Don't you wonder why you're here? After you died?" Brunhilde asked.
I hummed and crossed my arms. "Not particularly religious, but I'm guessing this is some kind of afterlife?"
She chuckled lightly, hand covering her mouth with elegant restraint. "Something of the sort. You're currently in a place that will soon decide the fate of humanity."
I hummed again, letting her continue.
"That's where you come in. Along with twelve other humans who possess the potential to rival the Gods—"
I raised my hand mid-sentence. "Who's the strongest God?"
Brunhilde blinked at the sudden question but humored me. "Zeus. King of the Gods."
I nodded, then let out a dramatic yawn and stretched. "Yaawn. Alright, enough of that for now. Got a place I can nap?"
Whatever she was planning to say next got derailed. Brunhilde hesitated, then composed herself. "We do… but aren't you curious? About why you were chosen? Or what's really going on?"
The door was to my right, so I started walking toward it.
"All I need to do is beat Zeus and whoever else they throw at me, right?"
I caught her reaction in the corner of my eye. The way she blinked at my indifferent tone I found it was amusing.
She composed herself again and followed me. "Very well. But after your rest, Sasaki-san, I do hope you'll hear the rest of what I have to say."
I waved her off casually.
As we walked, information began flooding into my mind—old techniques, long forgotten memories from earlier years. Things I'd laid to rest long ago.
"And here we are." Brunhilde said, gesturing to a plain wooden door.
She stepped back with a respectful bow. I returned a slight nod.
"I'll send Göll—my younger sister—to check on you in a few hours."
"Sure, Brunhilde. See you then."
She made a faint noise, but I was already stepping inside and closing the door behind me.
"Fuuuck…"
Groaning, I rolled my shoulders and adjusted to the feeling of my young body. The lightness that came with it. No creaking joints, no lingering pain.
"If I fought Satoru like this, he wouldn't last ten seconds." I snorted, shaking my head. Comparing myself to the kid almost felt unfair now.
The room was simple—bed, mirror, door I assumed led to a bathroom.
I exhaled deeply, then inhaled slow with a grin as I approached the mirror.
"Damn. I can see why Kaede fell in love with me." I muttered, running a finger along my jawline before snapping at my reflection.
"Now that I'm not all emo and depressed, I get it."
I chuckled and shook my head at my own theatrics. The black kimono still felt foreign, but I shrugged it off and crawled into bed.
Lying on my back, staring up at the ceiling, I felt light. Not just physically—mentally too. My thoughts weren't clouded anymore.
'Though I'm further from you, Kaede… I feel closer than ever to the end.'
My eyelids grew heavy. Slowly, peacefully, I drifted off to sleep.
Wondering what tomorrow would bring.