Glorious Vanity (SI LitRPG)

'See you soon, alright?'

Vain said those words to her, but the moment he did, his body crumbled, dissolving into golden lights that looked like feathers.

A familiar sight.

Freyr had seen it often enough.

[Covenant of the Plume]

It was a skill bestowed unto valkyries. One that allowed them to grant immense power to mortal warriors and then take their souls back to Valhalla.

It was also one that Freyr originally didn't possess. Unlike her older sisters, she was not a valkyrie. While she was trained to fight like one, it wasn't in her nature.

She wanted people to live. Even if she knew that partings were inevitable in life, the warriors who fought valiantly on her behalf, the ones who threw their lot in with hers... she wanted them to live. To continue to walk with her until the very end.

Not to give up their lives to enter Valhalla.

And.

Of all people...!

Freyr pulled her arms close, trying to hold onto Vain's vanishing form. But all they grabbed was air. Air, and her sword that was still stained with his blood.

She slowly held out her sword, examining it.

The blade had changed. And as if it wanted to tell her that, [Analyze] activated on its own, revealing the information to her.

-V-

[Volsunga: Epitaph of Vainglory]

"Isn't it obvious? Someone like you deserves a happy ending."

The story of a mortal who wished to grant a different path to the divine maiden cursed to suffer a cruel end, now memorialized in the form of a blade. To defy the fate decreed by the gods, he offered his life to forge a sword that could carve a future where none existed.

Recreating the myth of meeting and parting between the Betrayed Valkyrie and the King of Warriors, this sword carries the wish to write a new story that doesn't end in tragedy.

The blessings of Brynhildr, Sigurd, and Odin have been granted to this blade.

Soulbound to Freyr Valhalla.

The attributes of <Gram: Dawn of Glory and Ruin> have been inherited. Dragons cannot guard against this blade.

The attributes of <Brynhildr's love> have been inherited. Emotions amplify your abilities.

The attributes of <Gungnir: The Great God's Declaration of Disaster> have been partially inherited. You will always strike the opponent.

The Flames of Muspell have been incorporated into the blade.

This blade is Divine Anathema.

When facing gods, divine, myths, transcendents, or any other being surpassing mortal levels, damage received is reduced by 50% and damage inflicted is increased by 50%.

If the target is immortal, the concept 'Mortal' is enforced.

If the target possesses divine authority, every strike either dissipates or steals a portion of the authority.

If the target is transcendent, every strike dealt or parried bestows the wielder a small insight into the target's 'path.'

If the target is a myth, inflicts 'Unraveling Mystery,' greatly reducing the parameters of the target.

-V-

Another item that would be coveted by the gods. It was something that Freyr should have been ecstatic to possess. With this and with [Heaven's Veil], she would be able to soar through Babel and then join the fight against the other Constellations seeking their own [End].

But...

"...You idiot."

Freyr's vision blurred and she hugged the blade tight against her chest, carefully cradling it.

She didn't want it.

If it was a choice between the sword and Vain, she would choose him every time. But now...

The sound of glass shattering. The restraints binding the hydra finally breaking loose. At the same time, an indescribable roar echoed through the chamber.

Freyr brushed her tears away and then slowly turned around.

It was standing there. The monster that Vain called the Lernaean Hydra.

Freyr couldn't analyze it. Like the other monster, her skill came up blank.

But she believed in him. She trusted his words.

A terrifying monster that was created by a goddess. An immortal being that would continually regrow its heads.

She could sense it. The monster standing there... that dragon. It was something on the same level as Nidhogg. Something that someone like her could not match.

At least, she shouldn't have been able to match it.

But now...

"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!"

The hydra roared and sent out a wave of black flames. The same deluge that Vain had endured with his frail body just to protect her.

Remembering that scene, recalling how his body split apart until it became nothing more than a ragged mess that looked more corpse than human...

Freyr shifted the sword to her right hand. Volsunga... The Epitaph of Vainglory. That was the name of her sword now. The precious gift that Vain left her with every ounce of his being. The miracle he created by withstanding the attack of a Divine Myth to protect her and going far beyond his limits.

It was warm. The blade emitted a soft and comforting presence in her right hand. And it felt natural as well, like a blade that she had wielded her entire life.

It should have been reassuring. And she was sure that was his intent. So that she wouldn't be upset at his absence, the sword let off that gentle presence.

But it only made her angry.

"You."

The black flames reached Freyr.

She didn't notice. "You are the reason he is no longer here."

The black flames enveloped Freyr, trying to eradicate her very being. Cursed flames backed by a Divine Myth, carrying a toxic essence that could eat away at even the gods.

But they couldn't touch her.

The cursed black flames that could give even gods pause were suppressed by bloody flames bearing an even more powerful curse.

The Flames of Muspell spilled forth from Freyr's sword, dripping like blood onto the ground, causing the stone to melt away into molten slag. At the same time, the flames ran across her body as if they had a mind of its own, lashing out at the black flames that tried to envelop Freyr.

She stepped forward, ignoring the flames around her.

Freyr didn't care. All she cared about was the monster in front of her. The reason why he was no longer there.

Remembering his faint smile and his kindness, Freyr's heart ran cold. A warmth she didn't realize she possessed was gone. And in response to that void, power swelled up.

[The Trait <Cold-Hearted> has become <Heartless>]

Right. Her heart... Without realizing it, she had already given it to him.

So, now that he was gone, she didn't need it anymore.

Happiness. Contentment.

If the person who she wanted to share that with was gone, what was the point of having those emotions?

"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!"

The hydra roared again. Perhaps realizing that its flames weren't doing anything, the monster charged, its heads lashing out to tear into Freyr.

She swung her sword.

The blade split the head closest to Freyr, bisecting it down to the base of its neck. But like Vain warned, the separated head instantly regenerated, splitting apart to form two heads where there had just been one.

And then the other heads reached Freyr, gleaming fangs as large as she was tall snapping out to tear into her limbs.

Freyr swung her sword again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

Each time she severed a head, another sprang forth. Even when she burned the wounds, the other heads would quickly rip the wound open, allowing it to regenerate.

But Freyr didn't care.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Cut, swing, stab, tear.

If once wasn't enough, then twice. If twice wasn't enough, three times. If that wasn't enough, four.

Over and over and over.

As if venting her fury against the heavens, as if to empty out her heart completely, Freyr continued to swing her sword against the endlessly regenerating heads of the hydra.

...How long was it?

Freyr didn't know.

But eventually, she realized that her target had stopped moving.

At some point, while the heads kept regenerating, the hydra had stopped attacking.

Freyr lowered her blade and then stared at the hydra.

It stared back with its countless heads and then cowered, backing away.

Freyr narrowed her eyes and raised her blade. "Raise your heads and fight, you coward!"

The hydra let out a strangled roar and quickly scrambled backwards, as if trying to run away.

Seeing that caused a fire to erupt in Freyr's cold heart. "You...! You dare to run! You DARE TO RUN?!"

*He* did no such thing. Even knowing the inevitable. Even while being a mere mortal weaker than she had been as a baby, he still put his life on the line. Even seeing the absolute end, the decreed fate placed down by the gods, he still chose to fight. To give everything he had to protect her and create a way forward.

The monster in front of her was not so weak. It was a mythical being, a divine creature wrought by the hands of a goddess. And yet it dared to run away?

Freyr screamed and ran after the hydra. Crimson flames erupted around her sword before being joined by azure lightning. Then, the two mixed, turning into crackling violet flames that seemed to flicker with madness.

The hydra dropped all pretenses and turned around, racing towards the door. It lowered its heads and thrashed against it, trying to knock the pair of doors down. But of course, they didn't budge. The doors wouldn't open until the Dungeon Guardian was defeated.

In other words, they wouldn't open until the hydra was killed.

But it didn't know that, so it kept trying. Smashing its heads against the door, the hydra desperately tried to break free, even to the extent of pulverizing its own body. Purple blood hissed against the stone floor as bits of gore and pulp from shattered heads fell to the ground.

And then Freyr reached it.

"You!"

She swung her sword, cutting a deep gash into the hydra's side.

"Dare!"

She swung her sword again, cutting off half of its heads.

"TO RUN?!"

She roared and then swung her sword, this time sending out a wave of violet lightning.

The attack struck the hydra and enveloped it. Violet lightning crackled around its body... and then it screamed. A terror-filled shriek echoed over a hundred times by each of the remaining heads.

The hydra convulsed and thrashed about, bits of its flesh falling apart as they turned into charred ash from Freyr's lightning.

But she wasn't moved.

"This... This was not even a fraction of what he felt when you attacked. Even while his body fell apart, he continued. Even as he must have felt enough pain to drive anyone mad, he silently endured. And yet a beast like you dares...?"

Freyr tightened her grip around her sword and stepped forward.

Seeing that, the hydra shoved itself up against the door. Even through the painful lightning strike, it seemed that its fear of Freyr was so great that it frantically tried to run away, even while its body was being charred inside and out.

"I will not forgive you." Freyr stepped forward again. "I will NEVER forgive you. Until Ragnarok itself occurs... While you live, I will ensure every waking moment is an agony that will be engraved upon your very being. So much that even when you are summoned once more by another god, you will not dare to show your face."

She stopped right in front of the hydra and canceled her lightning. When she did, she smiled, an expression that should have been beautiful upon her face but now contained nothing more than madness. "Understood?"

Seeing that, the hydra froze. And then it immediately smashed all of its heads against the ground, throwing its entire weight with the action. When it did...

[Divine Myth: The Lernaean Hydra has been defeated!]

...it died.

Like that, the mythical beast that became a part of the myth of Heracles. The fabled undying monster that struck fear into countless mortals, the one that became the source of countless other monsters in stories and legends... Fearing a fate worse than death, it chose to take its own life rather than remain another moment in that place with Freyr.

And with its death...

[Your level has increased. Please confirm your status.]

[For inscribing fear into the very existence of the Lernaean Hydra, the Title <Mythical Nightmare> has been obtained. Please confirm your status.]

[Mission: <Reach the Dungeon Depths and slay the Guardian> completed!]

[20 bonus stat points have been awarded. Please confirm your status.]

[Item Box (minor) has been awarded. Please see the help menu for more information.]

[Beginning Class Awakening.]

[Seeking appropriate class...]

[Confirmed.]

[Designated Class: Brynhildr]

[Please confirm your status.]

Freyr froze, reading the system messages. And then she muttered, "That is it? Like that... it is finished?"

As if in answer to her words, a bright light erupted around her. The familiar sign of teleportation... the signal that the scenario was over.

There was still the pair of doors up ahead. But it seemed like the Guide wanted to usher them on ahead and was transporting them directly.

Freyr didn't care.

It was a success... but she felt numb.

Closing her eyes, she lowered her sword and just waited.

The familiar swell of mana. The sensation of being whisked across time and space. And then it was over.

Almost immediately after it finished, a voice called out to her.

"Miss Freyr! What happened to you?!"

She opened her eyes.

It was an unremarkable man. A swordsman with brown hair.

She ignored him and cast her gaze around the room.

It was the same place where they had left prior to the mission.

A large chamber with runic markings lining the floor and ceiling. One vast enough to hold around a thousand people.

But unlike before, there was a markedly smaller crowd.

Standing around, Freyr could only see a group of around sixty people.

The pink-haired woman from the martial world, Sakura, still possessed the largest group with around twenty men surrounding her.

That calm and relaxed young man with black hair and a knife, Akira, possessed the next largest group with nine other women around him.

That despicable man with the axe, John Doe, was still accompanied by his five demon women.

Freyr's own group of twenty had dwindled down to ten... and they were all giving her a wide berth.

And then the rest of the Chosen had gathered around a young man with black hair wielding a spear.

A young man who was staring at her in shock and disbelief, as if he had seen a ghost.

But she ignored him. Instead, she scanned the room.

...It was a baseless hope considering the description of her sword and his actions. But there was a chance.

He said it himself, didn't he? That he was skilled at surviving. And that she should have faith in his survival ability.

So...

Maybe...

"What? Did Miss Knight lose her partner?"

A mocking male voice.

Freyr turned her gaze to the source and narrowed her eyes.

John Doe brushed aside his brown hair and shrugged, letting out a condescending grin. "Must be tough. Guess not even a goddess can save everyone, eh?" Casting his gaze at Freyr's group, his grin widened and he said, "And it looks like Babel didn't care much for your justice talk either considering only about half of you guys are left."

Freyr narrowed her eyes.

Sakura tossed aside her pink hair and leaned on her spear. "Don't tease her, Mister Doe. After all, it can't be helped that the people who flocked to her banner were all weaklings."

Akira flipped his knife around in his hand before frowning. "That's pretty harsh. I'm sure Miss Freyr tried her best."

"Yeah." John nodded and said, "And that best wasn't good enough."

Silence.

The other Chosen didn't intervene, perhaps realizing that this was a matter to be resolved by the 'leaders.'

And Freyr realized it.

This was a test. Depending on how she acted here, morale for her group would either soar or fall. And from her appearance, it was already at an all-time low.

So, rationally, she should act calm and respond with appropriate words. Like a proper knight and with decorum.

But-

"I believe it is time to tear that tongue from your mouth and rip those eyes from those sockets."

-She didn't care.

Azure lightning crackled around her sword before it became dyed violet with bloody flames.

John's grin faded, replaced by a serious expression. At the same time, a flicker of understanding flashed in his dark eyes. "Ooh. Looks Miss Knight changed a bit after the mission... I like it." He hefted his axe over his right shoulder and said, "Well... Why don't you try? Stats ain't shit against me, you know?"

Freyr stepped forward. Along with her, she heard other weapons being unsheathed or raised behind her.

And in turn, the female demons standing behind John prepared for combat.

John smirked and stuck out his left hand, gesturing for Freyr to approach. "Come on, Miss Knight. We don't got all day."

Freyr growled and tensed, ready to tear that man's head off his neck.

But before then, someone grabbed her shoulder.

She immediately rounded on the person, ready to cut them down.

And then she froze.

"Come on, Freyr. Didn't you promise me you wouldn't go crazy?"

A voice that she thought she would never hear again. A face that she thought had been lost to time forever. An average and unassuming appearance that had been burned into her very core, one that she wouldn't forget even if she fell into the depths of hell.

Dark hair that was slightly unkempt, eyes that seemed to glitter with mirth and a slightly amused smile- No, one that was currently exasperated.

Freyr didn't dare blink in case it was an illusion. Instead, she carefully turned around to look at him, meticulously taking in his appearance.

He was the same. From head to toe, he was the exact same as she remembered. As if that dreadful attack had never enveloped his body, Vain was the same as before.

But...

"...How?"

She whispered and reached out to touch him. But she hesitated before she did, too afraid that it was just an illusion. Another 'test' that those cruel Administrators placed down before her.

But as if reading her thoughts, Vain smiled and gently patted her shoulder. "Long story. I'll tell you about it later, alright? Got a boatload of apologies too. But for now..." He looked past her, staring into the center of the room and said, "Yo, Lucy. You gonna wait around all day, or you gonna be like a proper Guide now that you became the Administrator?"

Freyr tilted her head and muttered, "Lucy?" Confused, she turned around to follow Vain's gaze.

And when she did...

"Heh."

...A man with blonde hair and blue eyes appeared. The Guide of the Tutorial, Lucifer. He adjusted his white suit and then smirked, staring at Vain. "You're lucky I like you, Kid."