Surtr Answers Every Call

She looked at the two young female knights before her with sincere and earnest eyes.

Then...

She saw Erica suddenly reach out and stop Liliana, who was looking touched and about to say something.

"So... you're leaving already? But there are still many places in this world that need you..." The blonde knight girl seemed to have some kind of plan in the depths of her eyes.

But someone didn't care.

"Yes," Miss Surtr answered earnestly and decisively. "I have lingered in this world long enough. And... I trust you, I trust that the people of this planet can handle the remaining matters."

"But what if the gods on the moon return?"

"No," Miss Surtr replied. "I made a pact with Athena, and if she breaks it, something unpleasant will happen to her. Because the foundation of that starship is made of my blood and fire. Even if the heavens crumble, the pact will surely be fulfilled."

"...Then let us be witnesses." The blonde knight girl knelt on one knee, looking up at her. "The fledgling eagle, having witnessed the vastness of the mountains and rivers, can no longer return to its narrow old nest. Rather than wasting time on this Earth, where even a new destiny awaits, the world remains small, we...we would rather witness the final outcome of the old mythology on the moon. Please grant us identities. Please let us also set foot on the moon. My lord, please do not abandon your knights!"

She subtly tugged at Liliana, and the silver Knight Princess also knelt down.

"I know you won't take us with you. So please, at least let us fulfill our knightly duties, let us follow the blood and fire you left behind in this world, just as if we were by your side!"

The air fell silent for a brief moment.

The two beautiful young women bowed their heads, awaiting her final answer.

Then...

"Pfft." The Flame-haired maiden chuckled softly. "Ah, I give up. Seriously, you guys stick so close to me. Even I would get shy."

She raised her hand, and two streams of light shot out, landing on the knights.

"This is Gemini, a mimicry of the divine—I chose this because you two are so much like Gemini. Through it, you can reach the moon and gain partial control of the Olympus starship. But remember, once you take this step, there's no going back."

"Yes, we must—" Erica suddenly raised her head.

Before her, the figure of the Flame-haired Girl had vanished without a trace.

She left.

"Erica..." her friend whispered. "The Emperor has already...?"

"Ah. Our Emperor doesn't seem to enjoy communicating with people very much." The golden-haired knight stood up after bowing.

"However, as the finest knight, when your lord takes his first steps away, what you should do is not beg him to slow down and wait, but rather demonstrate your talent and courage and strive to keep up with your lord's departing steps."

"We will definitely meet again... Your Majesty. Erica Brantley, as a knight, will never serve another king besides you."

The knight girl made up her mind.

And above the heavens—the moon is changing.

With so many hints, those who know about Scrap Dog 2.5 should be able to guess what's coming next, right?

Chapter 142. Surtr Always Keeps His Word

Open your eyes.

A familiar world appeared within my perception along with a swirling Originium Storm —this is Terra, a land ravaged by Terra Catastrophe and man-made calamities.

She was familiar with Catastrophe and man-made calamities.

Even the Originium dust in the air evoked a sense of nostalgia in her.

"I've really stretched my muscles properly this time... ah... it feels pretty good."

He pursed his lips, stretched out his hand, and gripped the sword between his fingers.

"I'm back," Miss Surtr whispered amidst the storm.

Then, breathe.

The storm spread outwards from her center, devouring and engulfing the surrounding Originium turmoil. The Originium Cataclysm that she had inhabited while she slept subsided. And the vast night sky returned to silence with her return.

The time of departure is the time of return; the doors of the world remain clear in her perception.

Clear, yet different.

—The door seems impossible to open...

—No, it's not that it's impossible to push it away. It's just that it takes some effort to push it away.

Previously, one could only enter the dream world each night because the gate to the dream world needed a night to prepare. But now, that preparation time has been significantly extended...

—Is it because I brought Laevateinn with me this time?

Miss Surtr tilted her head. She thought that the next time she opened the door might be a week later... or perhaps even shorter, or slightly longer.

But it doesn't matter; these things have never really mattered to her—whether she's being a tool in her dreams or simply immersed in them, it's all acceptable to her. Besides...

—Simply by extending the intervals between dreams, one can bring Laevateinn along. This deal couldn't be more profitable.

She hugged the sword to her chest, gently rubbing her cheek against its thick spine.

"In this way, whether in Terra or in the Dream Realm, whether in life or death, we will never be apart."

She spoke softly to her sword.

And her sword responded to her with a warm temperature—just like many days and nights before.

Sometimes, I feel like I'm a sword cultivator from a fantasy novel.

—For me, nothing is more important than my sword.

The girl thought to herself as she gracefully descended from the dark sky—the monitoring station beneath her feet had already been reduced to scattered dust in the Catastrophe and the burst of energy. She stretched out her hand, grasped at the air, and the dispersed dust gathered and solidified under her will into a hard monument.

The monument was blank—but it was a symbol of the growing closeness between her and Laevateinn. She knew the monument wouldn't last many more years with the passage of time. But she wanted to leave a mark.

Perhaps this could be considered one of her little habits? Hobbies?

Ah... it's nothing serious. Creating a monument is nothing. Because she only had to think of it slightly, and the earth trembled. The soil parted, the rocks gathered, and mountains rose. Soon, the once flat land transformed into rising hills. And the monument atop the hills lived the same lifespan as the mountains themselves.

—It is still not eternal.

—But at worst I can just come back and fix it again every year.