The Akashic Records.
As familiar surroundings came into view, Göll—youngest of the Norse Valkyries—finally relaxed. Her taut body went limp, all strength draining away as she collapsed weakly to the floor.
"Göll? What happened—?"
A gentle, melodious voice brimming with concern reached her ears. Turning toward the sound, a beautiful figure entered Göll's field of vision.
Lustrous brown hair shimmered, delicate features radiated softness, and pale, translucent skin stood out vividly. She possessed the same slender silhouette as Sister Brunhilde, dressed in an elegantly simple gown.
This beautiful woman exuded warmth that instantly comforted Göll.
"Sister Randgriz... it's nothing, just... we got scared."
Randgriz—this kind, gentle woman's name—was also Göll's elder sister, the fourth among thirteen Valkyrie siblings. Her soothing presence dispelled the panic permeating Göll's body and mind.
"Were you frightened? Don't be scared, big sister is right here to protect you."
Randgriz gently embraced her youngest sister.
She didn't inquire about what had startled the girl or what she might have seen.
The younger sister looked up at her, the tension in her face gradually easing.
"Big sister, are you alright?"
Randgriz was deeply concerned about Brunhilde's desperate efforts to prevent the gods from bringing about humanity's end.
Of course, Randgriz wouldn't try to stop Brunhilde's actions. She would support her eldest sister wholeheartedly - none of the Valkyrie sisters wished to see humanity's destruction.
Compared to the gods, the Valkyries shared a much closer bond with humans. How could they possibly stand by and do nothing?
"I'm fine~"
Brunhilde shook her head.
One thing had become clear now - the purpose behind one of the previous Four Great Kings entering the Akashic Records was deliberately to make her aware of King Solomon's unique existence.
It was all to ensure she would summon King Solomon!
Beyond that, there seemed to be no intention to harm her.
"Hahaha, HAHAHAHA!"
Clutching her face, Brunhilde burst into somewhat manic laughter.
This display made both younger sisters look at her with worried expressions.
"Sister..."
"Don't worry, I'm truly fine, Randgrith. If anything, I'm overjoyed - we've taken another step closer to achieving our goal!"
First, there was King Gilgamesh—a human king whose bizarre and formidable power remains immeasurable to this day.
Then came King Solomon, a human king who would command the Seventy-Two Demon Gods and even the Demon King himself.
If, after the onset of [Ragnarök], the gods—unaware of these two—casually sent down deities who weren't particularly strong, the result would be their slaughter.
Hmm, it's possible.
Once both sides finalized their thirteen participants, the arrogant gods would inform her side about their lineup. If the opponents didn't seem too formidable, she could deploy these two kings.
Of course, even if the other side revealed who they'd send in which round, as long as the battle hadn't started, she could still swap her choices if something felt off.
Likewise, she could also reselect from her own pool of thirteen.
But aces are usually kept for the end, reserved for dealing with the enemy's strongest.
Still, Brunhilde realized she might be getting ahead of herself.
With King Gilgamesh's prideful nature, he'd never obey her orders on when to appear. Nine times out of ten, he'd choose his own opponent—likely the gods' own ace.
In that case, victory or defeat would be anyone's guess.
As for King Solomon, though he appeared gentle and reasonable, he probably wouldn't step onto the battlefield lightly either.
Suddenly, Brunhilde frowned as a thought struck her.
In an instant, a book titled The Key of Solomon appeared in her hands.
Initially, she'd assumed this book had no direct connection to King Solomon. Instead, she believed it was written by medieval humans fascinated with the occult, who embellished the king's legends with mythological elements.
She'd dismissed it as mere human vanity—a self-indulgent fabrication to convince themselves that myths weren't invincible.
Now, however, it seemed this book was far more significant.
She needed to study its contents carefully.
She was particularly eager to learn about King Solomon's later years.
And now, she was no longer in the Akashic Records but had descended to the mortal world, arriving at that holy city.
"Ladies and gentlemen, what you see before you dates back to the year..."
A female tour guide was explaining the ruins before them to a group of tourists—the very ruins of the palace built during Solomon's era.
Yes, ruins. The remnants of an age long past.
They stood in the modern human world, a civilization that had rapidly advanced after enduring two world wars in the last century.
"Sister Brunhilde, I think this is the place!"
They approached a stone wall—the same one they'd seen in the historical records, the gateway to another dimension.
Brunhilde placed her hand against it and closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, a faint trace of confusion flickered across her face.
"W-well? Sister Brunhilde?"
"It's just an ordinary stone wall. No traces of magic whatsoever."
Nor could she sense the presence of a mirror dimension—a space constructed through the power of the seventy-two demon pillars.
But that made sense. If the seventy-two pillars were no longer on Earth, the space they upheld would have vanished as well.
One thing that puzzled Brunhilde was how Solomon's historical ambition to create a magical army had seemingly vanished without a trace.
There appeared to be no records of Solomon's kingdom ever waging war against the gods before its downfall.
After all, if the Seventy-Two Demon Gods and human mage armies had truly united to assault Heaven, such a monumental event would have been difficult to conceal.
So what exactly happened to make them disappear?
Could the truth be hidden within the Key of Solomon she held?
She continued flipping through the pages, searching for any hidden clues.
After scanning much of the text without finding anything useful, she decided to check the very end.
Hmm?
There, she came across this passage—
"Three thousand years hence, the Kingdom of Magic shall descend."
The Kingdom of Magic?
Where was this Kingdom of Magic?
For now, she could only wait for the arrival of this prophesied kingdom to uncover its secrets.
But time was not on her side—she needed to return to the Akashic Records immediately to continue her search for the remaining eleven individuals.
Glancing at the time, she realized that if the next candidate took as long as the previous two, she might run out of time.
At this rate, the Ragnarök war would begin before she could gather them all.
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