Chapter 425
C425
The Valkyries were summoned.
This was an order that summoned not only thousands of troops, all composed of elite soldiers, but also their leader, Brunhilde.
The warriors of Valhalla were ready for battle, armed with spears and swords, prepared to fight at any moment.
"What's going on?"
"Vice Commander, have you heard anything?"
"Nothing has been transmitted yet. We were just told to prepare and keep our weapons ready."
Vice Commander Sieglinde didn't understand the situation at all.
The order they received simply instructed them to prepare for battle and keep the Valkyries on standby.
"Today should be the day of the Meeting..."
A place where the leaders of the Great Guilds, or the Rankers among the top 100, would gather to form alliances and discuss future agreements.
Furthermore, the Meeting Day would last for a full three days starting today, which meant that matters related to the Tower's exterior would be discussed with great importance.
But...
"Why were we ordered to fight on a day like this?"
At that moment, the leader of the Valkyries arrived armed to the teeth.
And right at that moment, Sieglinde, who was already anxious for answers, bowed before Brunhilde.
"You've arrived."
"It seems everyone is ready."
"That's correct, but..."
"Why was this order issued?"
Sieglinde nodded.
It was a completely justified question.
But Brunhilde couldn't answer that question.
"The order was issued by His Majesty."
"His Majesty?"
"I don't know the reason."
Even though she didn't know the reason, Brunhilde's expression showed not the slightest doubt.
"Nevertheless, it's an order from His Majesty."
"Yes."
Sieglinde also agreed with those words.
And it was none other than Odin who made the Valkyries understand it that way.
They had no doubts about the actions of Odin, the great being who established Valhalla and trained the Valkyries in this world filled with monsters, and even less so, a proper country.
Brunhilde made them understand it that way.
'However...'
She looked at the Valkyries, all of them ready and armed, waiting for the next order.
'I hope His Majesty doesn't make a mistake this time.'
Although she knew there was no room for error, she still felt uneasy.
When had there ever been an occasion where such a large number of Valkyries were mobilized? Probably not since Ragnarok, after all.
But now, in Valhalla, when the Tower's most powerful forces had gathered.
Keeping the Valkyries armed and on standby meant only one thing.
'Are we expecting an even bigger battle than Ragnarok?'
---------------------------
The doors of Valhalla Castle opened.
Looking at Odin, who was inside his room, Mimir, who had entered, spoke.
"As always, you're here."
Odin, like a gardener, was watering the trees that had grown in the room in a place where there was no sunlight.
Mimir: "Why do you keep coming to this unpleasant place?"
Odin: "Probably, in this place, only you make Yggdrasil uncomfortable."
Mimir: "Of course. Because of this damned tree, I've been sleeping for years."
Yggdrasil.
In Asgard, it was the Tree of Life and the source of all Arcane Power.
But for Mimir, Yggdrasil was his enemy, an enemy that had plunged him into a deep sleep, an enemy that couldn't be burned or destroyed even if he tried.
However, Odin had moved Yggdrasil to his room and cared for it with devotion, so he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.
"Don't overdo it. Yggdrasil is the cause of your Curse, but it's also the only way to lift your Curse."
Words that hit the mark.
Mimir knew it too.
The only way to free himself from his Curse was through Yggdrasil.
"But what's been happening since this morning?"
"Don't you have something to ask of me?"
"The Valkyries?"
"Yes. It seems they are ready."
"Brunhilde, as always. Faster than I expected."
Odin, who was carefully bent over Yggdrasil as he spoke, smiled with satisfaction.
How long had he been here exactly?
Thinking about Odin, who hadn't been seen since last night, Mimir asked.
"Have you been here the whole time?"
"Well, where else would I go?"
"You didn't even sleep?"
"You didn't sleep either, did you? There's no problem in not sleeping for a day, so don't worry."
Mimir had spent ninety-nine years sleeping. Perhaps that was why he never slept when he was awake.
In any case, he would soon sleep enough, so he enjoyed being awake at this moment.
But...
"It seems you're very nervous."
Mimir and Odin were different.
Odin had never intentionally stayed awake as he was doing now. Although there was no major issue in spending a sleepless night, he valued regularity.
He understood.
Given what had happened recently.
"Even when we fought against Surt, I didn't feel like this."
Tak~
Odin, who was watering the roots of Yggdrasil, removed the straw hat he was wearing on his head and asked.
"Is it really today?"
A question he had already heard several times.
"Yes."
"Today will be remembered by a name other than the Day of Harmony or Meeting Day."
"It can't be helped. There's no other day like today to unite those guys who do as they please."
"I understand."
Those were words he could agree with.
Even the Rankers he had met last night were like that.
Rankers were those who had conquered the Tower to the top and had demonstrated their skills.
The probability of being chosen as a Player and becoming a Ranker was extremely low, almost one in ten thousand, so all of them were chosen beings.
Furthermore, the High Rankers were the ones competing for supremacy even among those Rankers.
"Even if it's just Diablo, it won't be easy to control him."
The Tower was scattered across multiple factions.
Under the name of Guilds. And divided into different floors, each with its own world.
The true purpose of "harmony" today was to unify these divided forces into one.
"Are there others who know about this matter?"
"There are two more."
"Two?"
He had considered that there might be at least one more, but two was unexpected.
Mimir nodded at Odin's puzzled expression.
"Kim YuWon and Zeus. At least those two know."
"It's fine for Kim YuWon to know, but even Zeus?"
One of them made sense.
YuWon returned as the Chosen of the Clock Movement. Furthermore, he had already planned things related to future events through Mimir's knowledge.
But Zeus was a surprise.
"I did well in releasing him."
Perhaps Zeus might also become an indispensable ally in the fight against the creatures outside the Tower, just like YuWon. Odin had that hope.
But...
"Don't trust him too much."
Mimir's thoughts were quite different from Odin's.
"Kim YuWon might be like that, but Zeus is a bit dangerous."
"Dangerous?"
"Although they have the same goal, their methods and means are different. Zeus is someone who won't hesitate to give up or sacrifice something if necessary to achieve his goal."
"Why do you think that?"
"Because that's how Olympus was formed."
"..."
Mimir's words made Odin remember the past history of Olympus.
A Guild established by the Three Gods, including Zeus. In that Guild, Zeus became King and ruled.
While he had observed the process of how Olympus was formed as the King of Asgard, it certainly hadn't been a smooth process.
"Certainly. I'll keep my guard up."
"Well, anyway, for now, they are the most solid allies we have."
"What else can be done?"
As he muttered complicated words, Odin changed his clothes.
Although he had only taken off the straw hat and changed his clothes, he exuded majesty.
Mimir followed Odin down the hallway as his expression changed.
It was about time.
"Has the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, not arrived yet?"
"I investigated, but he's missing."
"That's a shame. He would have been a great force if he were here."
"No doubt about his ability. He'll probably become the most powerful entity in this Tower in the future."
"The most powerful? Even more than me?"
"Probably. He's currently searching for the Celestial Floor."
"The Celestial Floor..."
Both of them looked towards the door.
The meeting room for today's grand gathering.
Inside, no doubt, many prominent Rankers from various Guilds would assemble.
"If the Bull Demon King is with him, there should be no problem in finding him."
"Probably."
"Then let's leave that for now."
Click.
Odin gripped the doorknob of the meeting room's door.
"Let's get to work."
Squeak...
The door leading to the meeting room swung wide open.
It was a thick door, but it wasn't even a single foot thick.
As Odin opened the door and entered, he felt the air around him change.
Dozens of Rankers were filling the meeting room.
He stood before them and spoke.
"It's only been a day."
There was no pomp or pretense.
If that were the case, yesterday would have sufficed.
"Surely you all know what kind of occasion today is, right?"
There was no response.
But they all knew.
They knew that this meeting was about preparing for the beings outside the Tower.
'Agni, Kubera.'
Odin's gaze swept the audience.
He found the Rankers who had fought alongside him on the first floor against Shub-Niggurath.
'Zeus.'
Agni, Kubera, and Zeus.
When the invitation was sent, all who knew about Shub-Niggurath had gathered here.
They would be the ones to testify about the beings outside the Tower at this meeting.
And furthermore...
'Kim YuWon...'
Probably, YuWon knew more than them.
But...
Knock, knock.
Mimir pinched Odin's finger from behind.
He knew.
He had eyes too, so he was watching.
'He's not here.'
He should definitely be here.
"Why... Kim YuWon...?"
At the same time.
In a village at the edge of the world, where a black wall stretched up to the sky...
Clang...
The peasants who were digging with their hoes today turned especially to look at the wall they had been seeing.
"Today's the day, right? They say they're having a harmony meeting in the capital."
"Really? Well, it's because some monsters have been attacking from outside the wall."
"It's unsettling."
"We should move soon."
The conversation began after they momentarily straightened up and left the field.
Farmers who had come out of their fields and sat in place began preparing the new crops.
"Well, what can we common folk do? We just have to take care of our mouths and survive, right?"
"Right, right. Odin will solve everything."
Even so, they couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Since the wall collapsed, and the beings outside the Tower revealed their appearance for the first time, there have been cases of villagers worldwide moving massively.
The reason was one.
They no longer had faith that their villages were safe.
"Isn't that what the Meeting is for? After a few days, we'll eventually find answers."
"True. Don't worry so much. Wanna have a drink for now...?"
Crack...
A sound echoed from somewhere.
It wasn't very loud, but it pierced deep into everyone's ears.
"Crack?"
The heads of the gathered village residents all turned in the same direction as if there was an implicit agreement.
That's how their eyes landed on the wall that had started to crack again.
-KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
'Ko-fi o 'Buy Me A Coffe' for Advanc3 Ch4pt3rs (Up to '95' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 weekly ch4pters, thanks.
---
Th𝓮 most uptodate nov𝑒ls are published on freew(e)bnove(l).𝓬𝓸𝓶