A Divine Weapon Fit for the First Emperor? Who to Choose at the Start... / His Majesty Sent Me to Represent Humanity in the First Match

And this method could not be accomplished by the Valkyrie sisters alone. They also needed a god's assistance, so that she could witness the possibility of humanity winning—even if the odds were extremely low.

After a brief hesitation, she told him the method.

"I see. For humanity to win, you Valkyries have truly given everything."

As the First Emperor said this, the look he gave Brunhilde suddenly made her feel immense pressure.

"It is not impossible for Us to participate. Fulfill one request of Ours."

Becoming the First Emperor's Divine Weapon? At the Start, Choose...

The fact that he was willing to participate if he could make a request made Brunhilde breathe a sigh of relief.

That meant there was room for negotiation. She could persuade this First Emperor to join Ragnarok.

"What request?"

Hoping it would not be too difficult a demand, Brunhilde was extremely nervous.

"Become Our divine weapon."

That was the First Emperor's request?

To Brunhilde, such a request was both expected and unexpected.

As the First Emperor, if he wanted to pair with a Valkyrie, he would certainly choose her, the eldest sister.

He believed only she was qualified to become the First Emperor's divine weapon.

What surprised her somewhat was that the First Emperor seemed quite easy to talk to.

"Brunhilde would be honored to become Your Majesty's divine weapon."

She showed no hesitation and agreed without delay.

No matter what, she would agree first. The other side held the advantage; otherwise, she might not even be able to return.

Yet the instant she agreed, the First Emperor's gaze gradually made her hair stand on end.

That gaze seemed to want to cut through her skin and study every element that made Brunhilde who she was.

No, more precisely, it wanted to study what a god was.

It wanted to study the difference between humans and gods, and how demigods came into being.

She... wasn't being treated as experimental material, was she?

For a moment, Brunhilde's scalp tingled, and fear rose within her.

His pupils contracted. The man seated at the far end of the hall rose and walked toward her step by step.

When he reached a distance where he could touch her merely by extending a hand, Brunhilde suddenly wanted to flee.

"Then let Us witness this so-called divine weapon forging."

His voice was gentle, as though he were discussing it with her, yet it carried an unquestionable will.

Especially at such close range, Brunhilde's entire body was enveloped by his presence, and she felt pressure unlike anything she had ever known.

Then, trembling slightly, she raised her hand and reached toward the emperor before her.

For a moment, she could not tell whether she was forcing herself to reach out despite her fear, or whether her body had been controlled by his words, which seemed to possess the force of a command, making her raise her hand beyond her control.

Sis... Lantigreese could only cry out inwardly. If she could, she would have opened her lips to speak, but the emperor's presence left her unable to move.

"Valkyrie Brunhilde—divine weapon forging."

A slightly trembling voice emerged from Brunhilde's lips.

There was no escaping fortune or disaster. She might as well fulfill his request decisively.

Thus, the instant her words fell, she felt herself about to merge with him.

No!

She felt as if the First Emperor before her were going to devour her.

She felt a force attach itself to her body, penetrate her clothing, invade her skin, then seep inside—spreading through every part of her body, every cell, even her soul.

She could also feel her consciousness growing hazy, as though she were being broken down.

Every element that made up Brunhilde was being deciphered.

Her consciousness grew increasingly blurred, until she gradually sank into darkness.

The next instant—

"Ha—huff!!!"

Like someone who had nearly suffocated from a lack of oxygen, she greedily gulped down air after finally being able to breathe again.

It was also like waking from a nightmare, her breathing completely disordered.

"Big Sister, Big Sister!"

Someone was calling her. Lantigreese was calling to her right in front of her.

Though Lantigreese appeared to be shouting loudly, Brunhilde heard her only faintly, as though she had gone partially deaf.

Moreover, Lantigreese's figure sometimes seemed to split into two, then overlap again, as if something were wrong with Brunhilde's vision as well.

However, after several seconds, the phenomenon gradually returned to normal.

"I'm fine."

After saying this, Brunhilde steadied herself and looked ahead.

At some point, the First Emperor had already left her side and returned to his throne.

"You may return now."

The emperor on the throne said this, then made no further movement.

The next second, a ripple spread outward, and the scenery around them refreshed into a new scene.

Though it was a new scene, it was still a hall for conducting state affairs—the hall outside.

They had already been sent back outside and could sense the Akasha System again.

After looking once more at the hall, Brunhilde chose to return to Akasha's Chamber.

"Sister Brunhilde, Sister Lantigreese!"

A young voice rang out, joyful and relieved.

"Goll."

Lantigreese looked gently at her youngest sister and opened her arms to catch the girl rushing toward her.

"Sister Brunhilde~"

After embracing her gentle sister, Goll rushed toward the other one.

However—

"Lantigreese, what did I become after that divine weapon forging?"

As Brunhilde said this, she reached out, grabbed Goll by the face just as she was about to pounce, and tossed her aside, earning a deeply resentful look from her.

"Huh? Wait, Sister Brunhilde, what divine weapon forging?"

Goll spoke in astonishment, then immediately covered her mouth, as though she had spoken too loudly and needed to be careful not to let the other gods hear.

After all, only the Valkyrie sisters knew that Valkyries could transform into divine weapons.

So, Sister Brunhilde had just undergone divine weapon forging?

But didn't that require summoning a human into reality?

And whose divine weapon had Sister Brunhilde become?

That First Emperor's?

"Ah?"

Lantigreese seemed stumped by the question, unsure how to answer.

Her sister did not know what had happened to herself?

"Well, I don't know."

"You don't know?"

Brunhilde could not help raising an eyebrow.

"Because Big Sister was completely covered in light. It was so dazzling that I had no idea what happened. When the light disappeared, Big Sister reappeared."

As Lantigreese spoke, her face was full of apology. She had been completely useless.

"Don't make that face, Lantigreese."

Brunhilde gently stroked her younger sister's face. No one could have anticipated this accident.

Then she frowned slightly. Ragnarok was about to begin; she could already hear the clamor of spectators taking their seats in the arena.

There was no time to observe history through space and time like that again. There truly was not enough time.

But merely watching through a screen, through such flat images, made it easy to overlook important information.

Only by personally entering that era could she notice more.

And now that she had discovered several extraordinary individuals, all of them could be considered trump cards, was she going to play one in the very first match?

Besides, she did not know whether they would even be willing.

With a king's pride, they would likely prefer to appear in a finale-like match rather than the first one.

What a headache. What should she do?

Right now, she needed to immediately choose someone for the first battle.

His Majesty Sent Me to Represent Humanity in the First Battle

The first battle of Ragnarok was exceedingly important.

If possible, Brunhilde most hoped to win the first match. It carried great significance.

But the kings she had found were all trump-card-level existences. Should she summon one of them?

The King of Uruk—Gilgamesh—was an extremely proud man. He would surely want to make a climactic appearance as well.

And the First Emperor did not look like someone who would take the field first. He would definitely choose an opponent worthy of his status, certainly someone at the Sovereign-class.

That left only King Solomon. This king was also very mysterious, and he might not want the first match either.

In that case, she had no choice but to choose from the candidates she had originally favored.

And the first fighter should be Lord Thor. He was said to possess power not inferior to a Sovereign-class god, so among the people she had originally favored, who could contend against him?

This man?

"Big Sister, are you planning to send him out in the first match?"

A virtual panel before them displayed a man who looked exceptionally ferocious and savage, a figure from Eastern history.

He was the strongest figure of the Three Kingdoms era—Lu Bu Fengxian.

He was also one of the candidates Brunhilde had researched in advance before entering the council chamber to propose Ragnarok.

"Yes."

In her original plan, Brunhilde had intended for this madman to be the first fighter.

"Then, Lantigreese, I'm counting on you."

Brunhilde spoke to her younger sister in a grave tone.

"Counting on Sister Lantigreese? Could it be—"

After Goll froze for a moment, she understood. Her expression became tense as well.

They intended to have Lantigreese use her body for divine weapon forging, becoming the weapon this human would use to fight the gods.

But was it really right to make her sister this man's divine weapon?