Now.
"What do you mean, that Surtr isn't Surtr?"
The moment he emerged from Valhalla, Shiomi saw flames consuming the land below, along with the colossal figure of the Flame Giant rampaging across the earth. He ran toward it without hesitation.
Morgan and the others were already locked in battle. He had to reach them.
"During Ragnarök, after Fenrir devoured the Concept Sun, he was ambushed from behind by Surtr. Surtr then devoured Fenrir as well, gaining even greater authority."
Skadi was not suited for running. She had originally planned to use magecraft to teleport, but it would have been too slow. Surtr's rampage had already shattered the barrier protecting the Scandinavian world. Cradled in Shiomi's arms, she was carried forward at full speed, mountains and valleys passing beneath them as though the land were flat.
"So that's how it was!" Shiomi exclaimed.
In the Ragnarök of Proper Human History, Surtr and Fenrir each fulfilled their destined roles, together drawing the curtain on the end of the Scandinavian Age of Gods.
Yet the point of divergence in this Lostbelt lay in a single question: whether Surtr had betrayed his comrades.
"The Surtr of today possesses both his own authority and Fenrir's," Skadi said, her gaze dimming. "The great god Odin gathered the surviving gods and Valkyries and sealed Surtr within a prison. After that, he and the other gods vanished one by one."
"Then those blue flames… they're seeping in from outside the barrier?" Shiomi asked.
"That's right. For three thousand years, I've been diverting my Mana to maintain the barrier and resist the invasion of Surtr's icy flames," Skadi said softly. "Because of that, I lacked the strength to protect all of humanity. I could only—"
"You didn't do anything wrong," Shiomi interrupted gently. "You did everything you could within your limits. But if Surtr was sealed by Odin, how was he able to escape? Did I damage the seal's node by clearing the trial?"
Skadi shook her head.
"No. The trial and the seal are completely separate. Surtr made use of Ophelia. When she performed a Summoning, he used her Mystic Eyes as a foundation to invade Sigurd's body. He forced Sigurd's soul aside, but Sigurd resisted and managed to lock Surtr within the Spirit Origin."
"So when you appeared back then, you were actually worried that I might kill Sigurd and accidentally release Surtr's soul, causing a disaster…"
Realization dawned on Shiomi.
"I thought it was because Ophelia begged you—"
"..."
"Seeing you made me realize that things were far more complicated than I'd expected," Skadi said, lowering her head, unsure what expression she should show him.
They landed atop a mountain ridge. In the distance, Surtr was already close, his presence overwhelming.
"So Surtr took advantage of the moment you entered Valhalla to break the seal," Shiomi said.
"That seems to be the case," Skadi replied with a nod.
Shiomi set her down, intending to reunite with Morgan and the others and join the battle against Surtr himself.
…
At that moment, three Valkyries descended from the sky beside them, landing in unison and kneeling on one knee in salute. They were the same three who had previously opened Valhalla.
"Your Majesty Skadi, we are relieved to see you unharmed," Thrúd said, her expression as calm as ever.
"What is the situation?" Skadi asked at once.
"We deeply regret to report that with Surtr's awakening, the barrier resisting the Ice Flame has been damaged. The Ice Flame is invading the Scandinavian world from beyond the boundary. In just half a day, more than half of the villages have been reduced to nothing," Ortlinde reported in a low voice.
Skadi's pupils shrank sharply.
"Half…?"
"At present, the remaining Valkyries are protecting the surviving villages," Hildr added. "However, the destruction caused by Surtr's Noble Phantasm is too severe. Losses among both the Valkyries and the settlements continue to rise."
The fact that there had been no engagement with Chaldea, nor any assistance given to the Crypter, was clearly because Skadi had never issued such an order.
Listening to their report, Shiomi turned his gaze toward Surtr. It was only after getting closer that he noticed the strange shift in color across his body.
It was no longer pure flame, but half fire and half ice.
This was his true form after devouring Fenrir and fully releasing that power.
A monster that should not exist in Proper Human History at all—Surtr Fenrir.
"This can't continue," Skadi ordered. "Release that person's seal immediately. Now that Surtr has revealed himself, keeping her confined serves no purpose. Also, have the Valkyries evacuate as many surviving humans as possible to safe zones. As for me—"
"Are you going to fight?" Shiomi had already tensed, ready to move. "Then I'll go ahead first. Your fighting style is fundamentally closer to that of a Magus. You should provide support from a distance."
"If you put it that way, isn't your wife also a Magus?" Skadi objected.
"My wife is not someone who only relies on Magecraft."
With that, empowered by runes, Shiomi launched himself like an arrow toward Surtr's position.
"You annoying pests. Burn to ashes right here!"
Surtr's eyes flared as searing beams of fire swept across Morgan and her two companions. But the targets were too small and moved too fast, making it impossible for the attacks to land effectively.
Still, Surtr continued to swing Laevatein in relentless, wide-ranging assaults, preventing them from easily cutting him down the way they had annihilated the Russian Lostbelt.
As a giant, Surtr possessed the innate ability known as the Giant's Shell, allowing him to endure most damage and convert it into Mana.
"The one who'll turn to ashes is you, Flame Giant!"
An unexpected voice rang out from above. Shiomi descended with the Holy Sword raised, the tremendous impact of his strike nearly throwing Surtr off balance.
"You're finally back. Everyone was worried about you." Scáthach hovered nearby.
"I didn't realize time flows differently inside and outside Valhalla. Sorry to keep everyone waiting," Shiomi said as he handed the Holy Sword back to Artoria. "Leave the rest to me."
"What exactly can my husband do?" Morgan asked as she raised her hand, continuously bombarding Surtr with Magecraft. Without sparing Surtr a glance, she turned her head toward Shiomi. "This giant keeps releasing flames and blizzards. If we pull away, he'll attack others. If we stay too close, we can't prepare our Noble Phantasms."
She quickly relayed the situation on the battlefield.
That was precisely why they had been forced into a stalemate with Surtr here.
Creating distance recklessly would risk Surtr's indiscriminate attacks engulfing the nearby Storm Border and their companions. Because of that, they could only keep his attention focused at close range through direct engagement.
"Of course there's a way. Actually, there's something I want to confirm."
Shiomi pulled Morgan close as the two of them narrowly avoided Laevatein cutting down through the smoke.
"Why not let me show you the results of the trial?"
"You're not seriously saying that result is Skadi suppressing Surtr with Magecraft, are you?" Scáthach asked with a laugh.
Skadi, who had arrived at the battlefield a moment later, was already exerting her Magecraft from afar, doing everything she could to restrict Surtr's movements.
"That's not what I meant!"
Shiomi let out a wry laugh, loosening his hold on Morgan as he rose alone into the higher sky.
"Just hold Surtr back for another ten seconds."