Part 3
The dragon's wings sliced through the sky like a desperate spear.
Marko Balliard, son of the general, soared toward Varka with a tense face and white-knuckled hands clutching the harness.
Around his neck hung a metallic amulet shaped like an inverted cross, a gift from his father, meant to mask his presence from all magical sensors.
"Come on, Dariel… faster… I have to bring reinforcements," he muttered, gritting his teeth.
But the sky gave no answer. And fate, cruel as an executioner on a personal schedule, gave none either.
A fireball erupted from nowhere, slamming full-force into the dragon's side.
The beast's cry vanished into the wind as the two began a spiraling descent into the forest below.
"What the hell was that?! The amulet should've protected us!"
The crash was brutal but not fatal. The dragon's body absorbed the brunt of the fall.
Marko tumbled across the ground, scraped and dazed.
"Dariel… you okay?"
He crawled toward the mount, but the dragon… wasn't breathing anymore.
"Damn it…"
Then he heard it.
A voice.
Faint. Gentle.
Like a whisper caught in the breeze.
"Help… please…"
Marko slowly straightened up. His heart pounded.
"What…? Who's there?"
He looked in every direction.
The forest was silent.
Mist began to drift between the trees.
"Hello? Is someone there? I'm a knight of the realm! I'm armed!"
"Help…"
The voice again. Closer this time. More real.
As if it came from everywhere at once.
"A girl? A wounded civilian…?"
He drew his sword, advancing cautiously, ignoring the gnawing feeling tightening in his chest.
"Show yourself… I won't hurt you…"
Branches cracked.
The mist parted.
And there, standing among the trees, was a small figure. Or so he thought.
Lilac hair.
Black dress.
Innocent smile.
"Hi, Marko," whispered the first figure, emerging from the fog.
He stepped back immediately.
"Who are you? How do you know my name?"
Then two more emerged from the trees.
Identical. Perfect copies.
Three girls with an eerie aura, like porcelain dolls with eyes that were just a little too alive.
"Your demise," said the first—Elyra.
"Comment: Human must be terminated swiftly," added Nyra, voice cold.
"So soon? I wanted to play a little! Sister Eliza always says you have to have fun before breaking things," chimed Myra with a mischievous grin.
Marko raised his sword.
"What the hell is wrong with you brats?"
He tried to sound confident but the sweat on his brow betrayed him.
"I don't have time for games, you little pests. Go back to your mommy."
And just like that he dismissed them.
"Hmm… how rude. How can he just ignore us like that?" Myra pouted, crossing her arms.
"Skill: Paralysis." Nyra's voice was flat. Emotionless.
A crimson aura enveloped Marko like an invisible net and his body froze in place.
"What the hell…?"
"Ju-ju~ Looks like you finally noticed," purred Myra, approaching with a playful skip.
"There's no way out now."
"This… is the price you pay," the three said in perfect unison, "for your father's decisions."
"You little bastards! The kingdom's gonna wipe you out like the trash you are!"
Elyra stepped forward.
"You still don't understand your position. Don't let our cute faces fool you."
Then she broke his finger.
The crack echoed sharply.
The severed digit hit the ground and bounced once.
"This little piggy…" she whispered darkly, "dared to defy the Void."
Marko screamed.
"Aaaaaggghhh!!"
"My turn, my turn!" Myra squealed.
Without waiting, she shattered his leg with a brutal kick.
The break was so violent it shocked his system out of paralysis.
Marko collapsed to his knees.
"Aghhhhh… Why… why are you so strong…?! I'm an A-Class warrior…!"
The three exchanged a look.
Then they burst into laughter.
Full, childish giggles—rolling on the ground like schoolgirls at recess.
The contrast was terrifying.
"A-Class?" Myra repeated between laughs.
"That's the funniest thing I've heard all week!"
"We're SSS-Class. Level 100," Nyra added calmly. "And the weakest in our group."
Taking advantage of their chatter and despite the blinding pain Marko gritted his teeth. He raised his sword, now crackling with electricity.
"Ultimate technique… Electro Ray!!"
A beam of searing light exploded from his blade.
It tore through the trees, shredded the ground, and kicked up a wall of dust.
His final trump card.
"Eat that, you little demons from hell!!"
For a moment everything went silent.
Then a sharp sound cut the air.
A single, clean slash.
Marko's head flew into the sky never uttering a word.
When the mist cleared, the three girls stood unharmed, protected by a spherical barrier.
"You're such a buzzkill, Elyra! We were just getting to the fun part!" Myra pouted.
"Comment: It was the optimal solution. Making Lord Yamato wait may cause unnecessary irritation," Nyra added.
"Confirmed," Elyra said coolly, adjusting an invisible glove. "Target eliminated."
Myra picked up Marko's head like a child holding a trophy.
"Let's head back and report."
A portal opened before them.
The three vanished in a flicker of darkness leaving behind only the echo of judgment.
In the throne room of Mist Valley,
Yamato sat in silence—eyes closed, in communion with Nebel.
No words were needed.
Then the massive double doors swung open with a deep, echoing rumble.
His Heralds entered, one by one.
All of them… missions complete.
Selka stepped forward first.
She knelt gracefully before her lord.
"Yamato. I've marked the heroine, Nanami Chiba. She's headed for Varka—where, according to my networks, the other heroes are gathering."
"The punishment upon the nobles of Arkenfel has been carried out as planned."
"I see…" Yamato replied flatly.
He needed no details.
Only results.
Lina stepped forward and knelt beside Selka.
"I've brought the heroine, Yui Kamishiro. Her heart wavered… but I believe she could prove useful."
Several Heralds exchanged glances. Not all of them approved of sentimental decisions.
"Very well," Yamato said, unshaken. "And the civilians?"
"The innocents have fled the city. They're settling near Lake Mana. I promised them I'd return when all of this is over."
"Excellent. Have Malyss and his aides protect them."
"It shall be done, my lord," Lina replied, her voice calm and clear.
Then Satirus stepped forward.
He knelt with theatrical solemnity, presenting a glowing star in his hands… Harlem's Star Wish.
"The item has been recovered. The guild master was eliminated. His body, along with Mortem's, has been delivered to Darwin for study."
"Well done, Satirus. I had hoped to keep him alive, but… we can't have everything. Let's see what use we can make of his corpse."
Yamato's nanobots emerged from the floor like a shadowy tendril, gently taking the star.
Then the air grew thick.
A figure emerged like a shadow cast from space itself—
Nebel, the cosmic being, materialized beside Yamato in humanoid form.
All Heralds knelt all but Lina and Yamato.
"How beautiful…" Nebel whispered.
His voice was an echo from everywhere… and nowhere.
He took the star between his fingers, as though it were a rare gem. And then, like a bite-sized delicacy, he consumed it.
The star became part of him.
Satisfied, he vanished. Ecstatic.
Then a childish crash shattered the silence.
The Triplets burst into the throne room, skipping like they'd just won a prize.
"Lord Yamato~! Mission complete! Nobody escaped!" Myra sang as she tossed Marko Balliard's head in front of the throne.
Yamato rose calmly.
He picked up the head.
Studied it for a few seconds.
"With this… every loose end has been tied."
His gaze swept across the room.
"All that remains… is the final strike."
The Heralds remained silent.
Yamato took a deep breath.
His voice didn't waver, but each word carried weight:
"I know I'm not someone who expresses gratitude the way I should… But I'm proud of you. Of everything you've accomplished. I hope we can continue building this new world—together."
He turned.
"Now it's my turn… and Sei's… to bring this war to an end."
"You may leave, rest, or do as you please for now. And if any of you wishes, feel free to assist Eliza in Zvukograd."
A dark portal opened before him, swirling like a hungry vortex.
"It's time Balliard learned the price of his poor decisions…"
"He ignored every warning. If only he had set his pride aside…"
"…none of this would've happened."
And without looking back, Yamato stepped through the portal toward the final stage of his first conquest… but not his last.
The world, as Valheim knew it, was about to change forever.
And the Void would be the harbinger of its rebirth.