Chapter 4 (2/2)

And then a great shadow covered the boy.

It was Níðhöggr. The two hundred meter black dragon was a faithful servant of Hel’s and it possessed enough firepower to match the Baby Magnum when they fought aboard Skíðblaðnir.

“Ah.”

If the boy was. .h.i.t by an attack from that beast, he would not even leave any ashes behind.

In fact, he would be crushed beyond recognition if its ma.s.sive form simply continued straight down.

However, Níðhöggr approached while splitting apart the surface of the ocean like an airplane making an emergency landing and it stopped so perfectly in front of the boy that one would think it had used lasers or ultrasonic waves to take measurements down to the micron.

The wyvern then pressed its head against the ground and seemed to create a slide from its entire body.

It was ready to have a human climb on top.

“Are you helping me so I can save Hel?”

The boy did not receive a response.

Níðhöggr was not equipped with the organ needed to speak the human tongue, but that did not mean it did not understand human emotions.

This dragon had always done what it thought would help Hel and that usually meant faithfully protecting her.

But now it had decided that not doing so would help her more.

“Take me to Hel so I can take her away from there!” said the boy.

The dragon’s growl contained a hint of agreement.

The boy climbed up the dragon’s head, crossed its long neck, and reached the top of its large torso. After making sure the boy had taken up his position, Níðhöggr flapped its wings which were the size of a small plaza.

However, a new light appeared in the heavens to prevent it from taking off.

It was a giant chariot drawn by two goats. The only comparable method of flight was Santa Claus’s sleigh, but this chariot was not filled with the hopes and dreams of children or with piles of presents.

It instead contained the G.o.d of destruction who ruled over lightning, thunder, and divine punishment.

This was Thunder G.o.d Thor’s chariot.

“I am here on the orders of my father Odin!! Unclean one, cast aside your wicked hopes and give yourself over to the divine hammer!!”

Thor held Mjölnir.

As far as pure destructive power was concerned, that hammer was greater than Odin’s Gungnir and it was so heavy that only two people in the entirety of the nine worlds could wield it.

One swing and it could smash to pieces even a mountain-sized giant.

Even Níðhöggr would have no way to withstand the blow.

However…

An attack from a third party pierced Thor’s side.

It resembled a dragon and most people would see it as an Eastern dragon rather than a Western wyvern.

This being had continued to grow without limit from the moment of its birth and was now long enough to encircle the nine worlds.

And during Ragnarök, this great serpent was prophesied to kill and be killed by Thor.

“Are you Jörmungandr!?”

“Did you really think I wouldn’t show up, little boy?”

One might have likened it to a missile trailing smoke if it had not been so large.

The serpent’s lizard-like eyes approached with no discernable emotion within and it spoke via its thoughts.

“My cute little sister is all worked up about saving some people and a lot of other people have gathered to save her, so did you really think her brother could just sit idly by and watch?”

“Wait, so that’s it.”

With a sharp click of the tongue, Thor stared not at the approaching Jörmungandr but at something far overhead.

And he gave a roar while glaring up at Asgard.

“Was Hel only a diversion meant to bring our forces down here, Loki!?”

Part 6

Incidentally, after being beaten to a pulp by Waltraute and left only able to speak like a pig, Loki had mocked her (while using the fact that she could not understand him to his advantage).

“B-bfh-bgbh…”

(*Fine, fine. I lose.)

“Bffh.”

(*Or maybe we should call it a draw. I lost, but I managed to sow the seeds. Once the buds of evil sprout, the world will be renewed all on its own.)

“Yes, I already know you used Skíðblaðnir and Yggdrasil to call in several strangers from truly foreign worlds. You used the world tree’s ability to grow when it absorbs the water of the well of wisdom to extend the branches to worlds other than our nine. …But how do I return those strangers to their original worlds? Depending on your answer, I may just let you drop from here.”

“Bgh. Bggh.”

(*Well, my objective was halfway complete from the moment those strangers were summoned here, so I don’t really care about returning them to their original worlds. But if you do want to know how, I’ll tell you.)

“Hm? The branches are still connected to the other worlds?”

“Bh.”

(*Yes. All I needed to do was drive Hel insane through contact with foreign morals and foreign ethics.)

“The water of the well of wisdom makes the world tree grow, but it can wither when that water is sucked out? Just like when Níðhöggr bites into the roots? So you damaged the base of the irregular branches to make them wither?”

“Bffh. Bfh.”

(*And despite Odin’s great influence, Norse culture still justifies anger at having one’s family killed. Now, who are Hel’s brothers? The Great Serpent Jörmungandr and the Giant Wolf Fenrir. …I think it’s about time for that wolf to break his chains and devour Odin.)

“So if the wounds are plugged with something and the ‘leak’ is stopped, the withered branches will return to their original positions and function as bridges again? So if the strangers return to Skíðblaðnir, they will be automatically returned to their worlds?”

Part 7

A single river flowed through Asgard.

If one followed it upstream to its source, they would find a prison that intimidated anyone who approached.

The river was actually the drool overflowing from Fenrir’s mouth. That beast was prophesied to devour Odin, so a sword had been thrust upwards through his lower jaw to forever prevent him from closing his gaping maw.

His entire body was bound by the unbreakable rope known as Gleipnir. That rope had been made from several “impossible to acquire” materials and no beast could tear through it. But once that impossibility was accomplished, Fenrir would be released into the world and his anger and hatred would consume Odin.

The rage and resentment at the source of his power had already exceeded the critical point.

The upper limit meant to last until Ragnarök had long since been pa.s.sed.

Or perhaps this very day was the end of the world.

That had been Loki’s goal in driving Hel, Fenrir’s sister, insane.

“Fenrir, you understand, don’t you?”

A G.o.d stood in the prison.

He was Týr, G.o.d of combat. Before Fenrir had been bound by Gleipnir, he had been the single individual to understand the raging and uncontrollable beast. Just before being bound with Gleipnir, Fenrir had suspected a trap and insisted one of the G.o.ds place their arm in his mouth before he would let them bind him. If it was a trap, he would bite that G.o.d’s arm off.

That was why Týr had only one arm.

He was a former friend who had had no choice but to obey Odin. Behind the name of a combat G.o.d was a man who had done as the higher ups insisted and betrayed his friend.

“This anger is exactly what Loki wants. That would be the greatest disgrace to you who wants to live free without being bound by anyone. So you can’t let him get the better of you. Loki is simply using Hel to have you eat Odin ahead of schedule and change the scenario of Ragnarök.”

“Then…”

Despite being unable to move his legs or close his mouth, the beast’s gaze was as frightening as any of the G.o.ds and he used his thoughts to ask his former friend a question.

“Then who will save Hel? You?”

“Well…”

“No matter how hated we are by the world, we are family. We are siblings who share the same blood. …If someone was going to save her, this may not have happened. But no one will save her. They won’t even try. And yet you all have the nerve to call yourselves G.o.ds!”

The prison creaked.

The supposedly unbreakable Gleipnir gave a cry of discord greater than ever before.

“If no one will save her, then what’s wrong with her brother doing so? What’s wrong with wanting to save her!? I don’t care about Loki’s schemes. I will save Hel of my own free will and I will bite through anyone who stands in my way, whether they’re that evil G.o.d or that head G.o.d!!”

What is the greatest reason for which people kill? suddenly wondered Týr.

Money? Hatred? Honor? Family? Love? Pleasure?

None of those was the answer.

He was certain that justice was the correct answer. He doubted any other motive had taken more lives.

Fenrir was filled with anger justified by the familiar (or even clichéd) desire to protect his family. That was why he would not be easily dissuaded. No logic could defeat justice. No logic could refute justice. No matter how much bloodshed it brought, anyone with justice filling their hearts could not be stopped. If you wanted to stop them, you had to be prepared to crush their very soul.

Justice and evil were different.

Justice would prevail.

And that was why justice was a dangerous thing that had to be handled with care. If it was sent out of control, it would produce a tragedy greater than glorification of evil could ever hope to match.

“Let me give you one chance here, Týr.”

Fenrir looked on the verge of breaking free of Gleipnir at any moment, but he spoke quietly.

“Are you prepared to stick your remaining arm into my mouth? Can you swear to me that the G.o.ds…no, that someone in this world will befriend that girl…will befriend Hel? If you can, then I will stay put. If someone will save her, then I will stay here. But only if someone will feel anger for her and cry for her. I do not need some nice-sounding words. I need to know you find your words worthy of supporting something you hold dear.”

“…”

A slight pause and silence followed as if some slight gravel had caught in some delicate gears.

But that was enough for Fenrir.

There truly was no one who would save Hel.

There truly was no one who would be her friend.

There truly was no one here he could rely on.

This result filled him with even more anger and hatred. The strength needed to tear Gleipnir asunder grew even further.

Týr realized the world might be done for.

In fact, it may have been done for long ago if it contained no one who could grant this desperate wish.

However…

“Hold on, big guy. If you want someone to promise you that, I’ll take the challenge.”

A sudden voice reached them.

Fenrir moved his eyes and Týr turned toward the prison’s entrance.

One of the strangers stood there.

He was a high school boy with hair dyed blonde and an untidily worn school uniform.

It was Jinnai s.h.i.+n.o.bu.

Technically, it was his disembodied spirit, but he still spun his right arm around as if checking on his shoulder.

“So I just have to stick my hand in your mouth and make the promise, right? You want to know if someone will save Hel-chan, do you? Well, someone will. Of course someone will. Don’t look down on the world like that, big guy. If no one else will, then I’ll do it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You didn’t hear me!?”

s.h.i.+n.o.bu stomped forward, shoved Týr aside, and stood before Fenrir. The wolf was as large as a bus or truck, so his gaping maw was large enough to swallow the high school boy whole.

But he did not hesitate.

Jinnai s.h.i.+n.o.bu practically threw his right arm forward and into the beast’s mouth.

“Are you people done complaining yet!? I said I’ll go save Hel-chan right away! You got a problem with that!?”

“…!?”

“I don’t know how much I can do. I’ll try everything I can, but I can’t guarantee that’ll be enough to save her. I’m just a high school boy, after all. But I will do everything I can. I really will put my life on the line to save her. Is that enough?”

“Why? What is Hel to you?”

“How should I know? That all depends on what happens. It’s even possible you might end up jealous of me, but I don’t care if it doesn’t go that well. I want to save her, so I will. Do I need to think through it any more than that? Did you?”

“…”

“I don’t know why, but Youkai and similar things have always really liked me. To be honest, I really don’t think you’re going to eat me here. But that’s the point. This isn’t about form, power, or attributes. What moves your heart and fills you with strength comes from somewhere else.”

The ma.s.sive fangs p.r.i.c.ked at his right arm as he spoke.

“If things are fun, we can laugh. If they’re sad, we can cry. That’s all there is to it. So anyone would get mad if someone tramples that underfoot. Yeah, I’m p.i.s.sed too. But let me have this one. I’m asking you to leave your anger with me so I can take the stage. Can you promise me that? I’m only sticking my arm in your mouth because I think you’re someone who can keep a promise. So can you live up to my expectations?”

“Fine then,” accepted Fenrir. “But I will be watching, human. You have claimed you will put your life on the line, so do everything you can. If you hold back with anything at all and you fail to save Hel, I will tear off your arm as promised. Even if your physical body is not here, your arm will never move again if I tear it off of your spiritual body. That is the contract we will be making.”

“Fine by me.”

s.h.i.+n.o.bu smiled and his arm silently left the mouth.

However, he had not pulled out his arm. His entire body had floated up. He had belatedly remembered that this was his disembodied soul and not his physical body.

“Looks like someone’s finally come for me.”

“?”

“My body didn’t quite die and it seems someone’s breathing life back into it. That’s what’s pulling my soul away like this.”

s.h.i.+n.o.bu never took his eyes off of Fenrir as he floated unstably away.

He directly faced this beast that not even the G.o.ds could look in the eye.

“So I’m heading back. I’ll return to the surface and save Hel-chan with the others. And I’ll do everything I can to pull it off. You watch from here. I’ll protect your sister and keep my promise with you.”

“Hmph.”

Fenrir quietly shut his eyes as s.h.i.+n.o.bu’s body began to rapidly leave the prison.

But just before he did, Týr used his one arm to grab s.h.i.+n.o.bu’s hand.

“Ah.”

Not even the G.o.d knew why he had done so, so he asked a question.

“What am I supposed to do? What led you to do this must be something I was meant to do. This is something I have to understand. If I do…!!”

While floating upside down, s.h.i.+n.o.bu gave a clear answer.

“Figure it out on your own. Just think about what kind of life won’t leave any regrets. Don’t let yourself rot by doing things because of what others say. That’s a disgrace to the t.i.tle of G.o.d.”

“Heh.”

That settled something.

Týr turned back toward the great beast that had closed his eyes to reject the world.

“Someday…”

He thought of his former friend’s maw as an extension of his lost arm.

“Someday, I’ll promise to stick my arm in your mouth again. Even if your chains have broken and your compa.s.sion has died away, the G.o.d of combat and victory will stand up to help a friend in need!!”

Týr kicked off the ground with his own two feet.

With their support gone, Jinnai s.h.i.+n.o.bu and Týr flew from Asgard like a dwarf holding a balloon to soar through the sky.

They shot in a straight line toward the front line where s.h.i.+n.o.bu’s body was.

Even at the very last moment, Fenrir did not open his eyes.

He almost looked like he was sulking, but his thoughts gave one last snort.

“Hmph.”

Part 8

The shot from the Rush melted the ice coffin and Jinnai s.h.i.+n.o.bu was brought back to life.

He placed his hands behind his head to pointlessly show off his body.

“Jinnai s.h.i.+n.o.bu☆is back!! Sorry about the wait, everyone, but we all know the true star always shows up fas.h.i.+onably la- oh, G.o.d!? Wh-why is the Yuki Onna indiscriminately attacking everything with that demonic look on her face!?”

The flat-chested Yuki Onna was charging toward the Rush with a truly monstrous visage.

“And why are all of you showing so much skin!? Why didn’t you call me back sooner!?”

That fifty meter weapon had ended the nuclear age, but the white storm of absolute zero (Don’t be embarra.s.sed! It’s a legit chemistry term!) swirling around the Yuki Onna was apparently enough to affect its movements.

And once one link in the chain broke, the entire battle s.h.i.+fted.

First, the Baby Magnum was freed from the Rush’s attacks. Accelerator had torn away another of its main cannons, but the Princess made a quick retreat. Needless to say, the person who charged in to arrive just as the #1 Level 5 landed was Kamijou Touma.

Misaka Mikoto was also freed from the Rush’s fierce attacks. She used her eponymous Railgun to snipe His.h.i.+gami Mai with a coin accelerated to three times the speed of sound. Just as the Deadly Dragon Princess was busy dealing with that, Quenser and Heivia fired on Mai herself from a different direction.

There was no way to defeat the White Girl who was scattering film everywhere, but she seemed to defend against any and all attacks by altering her parameters in order to eliminate her weaknesses. If one constantly switched between a variety of killing techniques, they could buy time indefinitely even if they could not kill her. The Killer Queen left the White Girl in a state that was “as good as dead”.

And as he watched it all, s.h.i.+n.o.bu was asked a question by Týr who had descended to the surface with him.

“What should we do!?”

“I promised Fenrir I’d do whatever I could, so I’ll do just that whether it’ll be any help or not!! By the way, what can you do as a G.o.d!?”

“I am the G.o.d of combat and victory.”

“Then let’s use that. Let’s try for everything we need to win!!”

Having left his ice coffin, Jinnai s.h.i.+n.o.bu ran over to the Zas.h.i.+ki Waras.h.i.+ in a leaf swimsuit.

Meanwhile, Týr looked down to his one remaining palm.

“In the name of the G.o.d of righteous combat and true victory…”

He clenched his fist and thrust it toward the heavens.

“I promise these fighters certain victory!!”

There was no brilliant explosion or flash of light, but the result was tremendous.

Nike of Greek mythology and Hitokotonus.h.i.+-no-Kami of j.a.panese mythology were known as G.o.ddesses of victory. Like them, some G.o.ds were deified for pure results such as “victory” or “success” instead of methods such as “violence” or “destruction”. An army with their favor would gain certain victory or success, so there were roundabout legends of obtaining their favor by fighting a war for the purpose of winning another war or completing a test to achieve success in something else.

Týr was the same.

He himself could not win, but he could allow any force aligned with him to win.

So…

“Oh? Ohhhhh!!”

Higas.h.i.+kawa Mamoru gave a strange shout as he fought s.h.i.+zuna of Electrocution.

The bunny girl next to him looked confused.

“Our Absurdities are being amplified…no, overwritten? Oh, this is bad. This is really bad. We’re already manipulating probability to a ridiculous extreme, but this is pus.h.i.+ng that up even further!!”

The battle quickly pushed onward.

The mountain began to move.

The only one who did not benefit was, as usual, Kamijou Touma.

That pointy-haired boy heard the flapping of large wings, so he looked up and saw a black wyvern. He did not know how it had ended up this way, but the small boy was sitting on its back.

Pushed on by his emotions, Kamijou shouted to them.

“Go!! The way is clear right now! Fly to Hel and save her!!”

As if to obey, Níðhöggr began to flap its wings even further.

But it was not flying higher into the sky. It was gathering strength to charge straight toward its goal like a rocket or missile.

But just before it did, Kamijou thought he heard the zapping of electricity.

However, this was not the same as Misaka Mikoto or s.h.i.+zuna of Electrocution. The sound did not even come from electrical sparks. Instead, it came from the swirling power inside the great black tree.

That power was out of control.

This was clearly different from when the colossal Object or Academy City’s #1 Level 5 had appeared. The guiding hand had left this surge of power which produced intense staticky noise that hurt their ears. The s.p.a.ce split destructively apart and its fingertips crawled out into the world.

“Who…is that?” groaned Kamijou Touma.

This was someone he had never seen before and someone he should never have run across.

And that “someone” slowly split apart the black screen and stepped out.

“Who the h.e.l.l is that!?”

Part 9

Loki had been cast aside like garbage in one corner of Asgard, but he had done everything he needed to. That G.o.d only needed to wait for the coming result, so he grinned as it arrived.

“So it’s finally here.”

Many truly foreign worlds existed outside of this Norse culture: A Certain Magical Index, Heavy Object, The Zas.h.i.+ki Waras.h.i.+ of Intellectual Village, Killer Queen and Deep End, and A Simple Survey.

But another secret territory existed beyond them all.

“The original world that was never to be spoken of: ———————’s ———”

That was a city that granted the wishes of any visitors but in a twisted fas.h.i.+on. It was a story of the very short time between when a boy and a girl ran across each other there and when they escaped.

However…

“No, wait. This is the wrong address.”

For the first time, Loki voiced a question.

The situation was moving beyond what this trickster could control.

“Where has that black branch gone? I’ve never heard of this world!”

An unprecedented monster answered Hel’s cry and showed itself.

SUMMON:[email protected]/* */_Unexplored_��s.h.i.+royama_Kyousuke”.

That was the name of a summoner who freely fought by calling in Materials, the residents of other worlds, from completely foreign places.

That was the name of a boy who controlled the uppermost limits of power and the greatest blasphemies by fighting with that which lurked beyond the G.o.ds and were cla.s.sified as Regulation, Divine, and Unexplored.

Part 10

Countless red b.a.l.l.s of light scattered around the area.

The boy who controlled them looked average enough and he wore a sports brand track suit and a hooded jacket. The one odd aspect to him was the 180 centimeter pole he held.

The catastrophe began as nothing more than a blonde girl dressed as a shrine maiden.

However…

“What?”

A moment later, the girl crumbled away. It resembled green translucent slime and the seven hundred liter monster surrounded the boy.

“What…is that?”

By the time they realized what they were seeing, it had changed form again.

It became an iron maiden-like grandfather clock filled with deadly gimmicks, it became a ma.s.sive squid with thick chains in place of tentacles, it became a huge ball made up of countless beasts and dragon heads, and it became a creepy cherry tree that only blossomed after draining nutrients from humans.

“Wait a second. How much is this thing going to change!?”

The monster never retained a single form.

Sometimes it gained another body as soon as a few seconds later.

The dreadful appearance and great speed left Kamijou and the others watching in a daze.

They eventually realized that very human reaction could easily be a deadly mistake, but only after they heard Index muttering to herself while holding her cape down with both hands.

“What is this…? It’s growing…no, it’s being strengthened!?”

“You mean this thing just gets stronger and stronger!? We all need to attack it now before it grows too big!!”

Kamijou shouted to the others, clenched his fist, and charged in. The others followed suit.

But it was already too late.

A tremendous beam of light shot out.

If the Baby Magnum had not immediately moved forward and had its nuke-resistant armor melted to orange, all of the others might have been burned to ashes.

And while being protected by the fifty meter Object, Quenser looked up and trembled.

Their opponent stood a head higher than the Baby Magnum.

“Yamata-no-Orochi,” said the leaf swimsuit Zas.h.i.+ki Waras.h.i.+. “A river, steel, and fire serpent. This isn’t some unique monster. Can this guy freely choose different monsters and G.o.ds from legends around the world and summon them!?”

“It’s moved up a step. Everything else was setup to reach this point!” shouted Index.

However, Týr glared at the monstrous serpent as if challenging it.

“But you have the G.o.d of victory on your side. Keep moving and I’ll support you even if I have to twist fate and causality so you can win!!”

They might be able to pull this off with his help.

Even in a fight between G.o.ds, the divine power of general “victory” might be of some help.

But a moment later, the Baby Magnum was flipped over like a toy.

“…!?”

Why? How? For what reason?

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?”

There was no time to ask those questions because Kamijou and the others had to scatter in every direction to make sure they were not crushed.

The Baby Magnum easily rolled thrice.

It did somehow manage to get its upside-down Y-shaped static electricity propulsion device back on the ground, but its one hundred odd cannon barrels were almost all smashed or bent. Needless to say, this was because its own two hundred thousand ton weight had crushed them.

But what had flipped over something so heavy?

And what was powerful enough to do so despite Týr’s power making this a field of certain victory for Kamijou’s group?

“Heh heh heh☆”

With the ma.s.sive wall of the Baby Magnum cleared, the summoner boy was visible once more. And standing next to him was the “end result” of the monster he had built up to the very, very end.

It was a lovely girl.

Her silver twintails reached her waist and she wore a silver outfit modified from a wedding dress. She was covered in the color white and she leaned up against the summoner boy while crossing her arms and looking down on the others.

What had she done with those slender arms and how had she done it?

Kamijou could not find an answer, but the girl spoke with absolute confidence in her voice.

“A G.o.d? The power of victory? Who cares about any of that? That’s just one type of divinity in just one of many mythologies. Unexplored sits beyond Regulation and Divine, but I stand at the peak even beyond that. Did you really think you could stop even one of the hairs on my head?”

Her clothes rippled.

The cloth instantly transformed into ma.s.sive spears, axes, and swords and released them in every direction at terrifying speed.

They destroyed any and all materials and tore even into the scenery.

They easily skewered deep into the two hundred thousand ton Object’s armor and the cloth rippled further and flipped up.

The roaring of the wind sounded like a train pa.s.sing through the subway.

“Wha-…?”

What appeared before Kamijou and the others’ eyes was no longer a reliable weapon of war.

It was much more primitive and much more overwhelming.

It was a ma.s.sive flail that could smash through any and every obstacle in its way.

It moved vertically, horizontally, and every which way.

Each and every attack had enough weight behind it to truly form a crater and this girl casually swung it around like the limbs of a child throwing a tantrum.

Everyone was overturned in an instant.

It was like running across the queen in chess.

“Fwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!”

“Y-you’ve gotta be kidding me!!”

Heivia was too busy rolling around and trying to flee to raise and aim his rifle. If he stayed put for even an instant, he would be smashed up more finely than mincemeat.

Quenser then gave a screaming shout.

“Wait! If she keeps that up, the Princess will be smashed to pieces inside there!”

“Hey, Zas.h.i.+ki Waras.h.i.+! Quit nonchalantly pretending to be weak. Physical attacks don&rsqu

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