The serpent's shadow

The girl's attire indicated that she did not belong to this Lostbelt; her academic cap and glasses made her look like a scholar who had stepped out of a library.

"The uniform of the Atlas Institute? If what this guy said about 'coming from the Wandering Sea ' is true, then her background is a bit complicated." Da Vinci's explanation echoed in his mind.

"It seems you are our target. So, can you explain why you, who should have been Heroic Spirit of Pan-Human History, have become like this?"

While observing Brynhildr's condition after she became a dragon, Bai Mo asked the person in front of him a question.

"Alas, I am also very eager to know about this matter. I was originally here to investigate the truth of Ragnarok. Before I came here, the Counter Force had already summoned the Heroic Spirit Brynhildr. When I saw her, she was already a dragon."

She still retained some human consciousness. After speaking with her, we agreed that I would conduct research inside, while she would be responsible for defending against the dragons and giants outside. This way, even if she lost consciousness, she would still consider this place her territory and prevent the dragons from approaching.

As she walked up to Brynhildr, the purple-haired girl's eyes also held a hint of helplessness and regret. The being that had once protected her had turned into a bloodthirsty dragon; it was truly a twisted sense of humor.

Of course, for Sigurd, this was even more perverse—a hero who slayed dragons, and now his lover had turned into one. He clenched his fists, vowing to make the person who did this pay the price!

"Let's deal with the immediate problem first, sir..."

Just call me Sion.

"Miss Sion, is there any way to bring Brynhildr back to normal?"

This transformation involved the soul to some extent. Even though Bai Mo used overwhelming power to forcibly transform Brynhildr's body into a human, her spirit remained that of a tyrannical dragon.

Hearing this, Sion said with a hint of helplessness, "If there were a way, I would have acted long ago. Although it's somewhat cruel, at least Brynhildr is a summoned Heroic Spirit."

These words caused a chill to set in. After a moment, Sigurd slowly drew his Gram. The sound of the sword being drawn instantly startled Ortlinde. Seeing Sigurd slowly walking towards the dragon with his sword raised, Ortlinde immediately stood in front of him.

"Sigurd, what are you doing?"

Sigurd took a deep breath and replied:

"To help my beloved fulfill her duty as Counter Force Servant, she is worthy of the name Heroic Spirit and Valkyrie. If she were to fall into dragon form, she would only hate herself as a being summoned by Pan-Human History. In that case, only I can fulfill this responsibility."

"You!"

Ortlinde couldn't argue that it was indeed the best choice, but after a long and arduous journey to her destroyed homeland, she finally met a Valkyrie sister who was her contemporary and her most beloved elder sister.

But in the blink of an eye, this is how it ended...

She couldn't blame Sigurd either; Sigurd, who made such a decision, also paid an unimaginable price in terms of resolve.

Is there really no other way?

Bai Mo frowned. Sion glanced at the Command Spell in Bai Mo's hand, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. Since he possessed Command Spell, it meant he had summoned Heroic Spirit. In that case, he should understand even more clearly that Heroic Spirit were, to some extent, indeed tools.

"Brynhildr's Spirit Origin has already merged with that thing; in your familiar terms, her soul has been fused together... Unless something can attract that thing and make it willingly abandon Brynhildr's Spirit Origin, I will have a way to break free."

Let me tell you, this is extremely dangerous... but judging from your expression, you don't seem prepared to give up, do you?"

Sion said to Bai Mo, "Both Ortlinde and Sigurd regard Bai Mo as the backbone of this operation." Bai Mo replied:

Tell me how.

"Alright." Sion nodded, her fingers moving slightly, countless streams of light swirling around her, weaving into obscure symbols.

"Although we don't know what turned Valkyrie into a dragon, soul contact is necessary. Simply put, it's like separating two pieces of clay that are stuck together. Of course, the actual situation is definitely not that simple."

As Sion spoke, a faint glow emanated from the dragon's body. She looked at the three of them and said:

"Alright, I've said everything I needed to say. If you're confident, then go ahead and touch it."

Upon hearing this, the three of them reached out their hands almost simultaneously. Sigurd and Ortlinde looked at Bai Mo with surprise, after all, it was easier said than done, and to some extent, it was using themselves as bait.

"Don't be surprised. You're in charge of Brynhildr's Spirit Origin; leave the task of attracting dragons to me."

Bai Mo stared at the dragon. If it was truly some kind of being attached to other targets, then... his own fragmented soul would definitely be more attractive than Brynhildr's.

The moment they made contact, Bai Mo and the other two found themselves in a pitch-black world.

"Bai Mo, your soul is..."

When Ortlinde saw Bai Mo's fragmented soul, she could hardly imagine what he had been through. Just like before in Ereshkigal's Underworld, Bai Mo was only a soul with half a body.

But unlike before, this half of the body was now enveloped in a dark, blurry gas, yet at least it had a standard human form. But in Ortlinde's eyes, this was a warrior who had endured unimaginable suffering.

And she understood why Bai Mo had come. His condition was like that of a fish bleeding in the sea, which would attract bloodthirsty sharks.

"Now is not the time to focus on me; let's deal with the immediate issues."

Bai Mo looked ahead and instantly saw Brynhildr, who was frozen in a block of ice. Upon seeing this, Sigurd and Ortlinde rushed towards her simultaneously.

Bai Mo, on the other hand, was wary of his surroundings. This was the previous division of labor: Ortlinde and Sigurd, as Brynhildr's sister and husband, were responsible for Brynhildr, while he was to deal with the "dragon."

But what about the dragon?

Logically speaking, it's impossible for something so large to go completely unnoticed.

There's a problem.

"Return!"