Chapter 133: Gods or Heroes (I) - Destiny of the Nephilim and Shield-Maiden

[Luna POV]

"Not again!" Luna immediately grabbed Haruki's body who was unconscious again, she was getting anxious about what was happening to Haruki, and even if she knew that it was quite normal for him to faint she knew that Haruki fainting twice on the same day wasn't. "This can't be happening again!"

She threw her scythe at the upcoming Valkyries like a boomerang, it killed six Valkyries and the scythe returned back to her hand. A single Valkyrie then appeared behind her back and she immediately flapped her wings at the Valkyrie and was pushed back by the strong wind it created.

"Looks like I need to be really serious..." She clenched her hand at her scythe and gritted her teeth, she hands started to sweat her own blood and her body started to shake. "What the?" She was surprised when she looked at her body.

'This isn't my body at all, this is a body-double created by someone else... But how am I still conscious and how are my skills still available?' Luna threw Haruki's body at one of the buildings and she flew above to dodge the Valkyries assault.

'Looks like my real body was just transported to somewhere else to protect it, so I don't need to worry about it right now.'

Luna was sweating from nervousness of what she was about to do, her using the Nephilim side of her is already exhausting but even so she knew she can't defeat the Valkyries if she keeps denying to use her true power.

"50 more..." But her true power has two condition, first is she needs a certain amount of souls to activate it and second her body would be temporarily damaged to the point she wouldn't be able to move for a few weeks.

'Good things these Valkyries are like souls themselves, so extracting them to their body is easy.' Luna threw her scythe at the two Valkyries coming toward her- the two dodged the scythe immediately and upon looking at Luna's direction they saw that she was missing.

"Behind you!" She stabbed through the back of one of the Valkyries with her hand, it went through it's chest and one Luna's hand was a glowing object that seems to look like a heart. The Valkyrie beside it turned around to see the other Valkyrie already dead.

before it could even attack Luna, she looked at her chest and saw that it was already cut in half. Luna's scythe kept flying in the air targeting some of the Valkyries like it has it's own life.

Luna ran to three Valkyries; dodged the spear they threw at her and even before the Valkyries could throw another spear, Luna intercept immediately and kicked the middle Valkyrie away. The other two Valkyrie then grabbed Luna's hand.

Their gripped was strong and Luna couldn't escape, she saw that that the Valkyrie she kicked away is coming toward her at top speed with it's spear directly pointed at her, she looked behind and saw that another one was coming.

The two Valkyrie holding her down has started to glow brightly, seeing this Luna knew that she needed to get out.

She closes her eyes and let her wings spread as much as it can. "How pitiful..." She muttered.

Her wings flapped, the sound that it let out stopped the 4 Valkyries from moving, in their view they saw a single feather floating near their eyes.

As the feather got closer to each one of them, the Valkyries felt something; like a void swallowing their entire existence.

The four Archangels checked their body and saw it slowly disintegrating slowly, the Valkyries couldn't move due to what from what they were seeing.

"How pitiful..." Luna walked away from the two Valkyries; her hair is elegantly moving from the cold breeze that suddenly appeared out of nowhere and her four wings were shining like a starry night. "Despite being nothing but a mere copy of the soul of the proud Valkyries in Norse Myth, all of you are still sentient..."

She bowed her head and let out a deep sigh, she looked at Freyja whose eyes were big from the shock of what she was seeing. "Which is why... I'll kill all of you to end your suffering quickly..."

Luna ran up to the Valkyries in a speed that they couldn't even perceive.

When Luna stopped her track, Freyja saw about 50 Valkyries slowly disintegrating behind her. "Task complete."

Freyja's froze up when he heard what Luna said, even if she expected that something like this could happen she was still in disbelief that Luna killed those Valkyries quickly. "I can't believe this..." She muttered. "No, even if an Archnephilim is powerful there's no way they can beat that many Valkyries even if those are just copies of their souls, then it could be him! The one who transferred her body to another space."

Luna kept continuing killing the Valkyries without batting an eye at their slow death- sweat were already coming out of her face due to the skill she was using is draining her energy rapidly. 'I need to keep going! I can't give up now!'

"*Tsk* I know for a fact that even if she's getting tired her skill is not affecting her body..." Freyja mumbled angrily. "*Tsk* Retreat!"

The Valkyries stopped when they heard Freyja, their body started to turn cloudy and once their body has fully materialized to an orb-like object, all of the Valkyries was absorbed by the Valkyrie beside Freyja.

Luna stopped and looked at Freyja menacingly, she pointed her scythe at the last Valkyrie filled with pride. "Even if you are nothing but a mere copy of the Valkyrie Brynhildr, I challenged you to a duel!"

The Valkyrie Brynhildr was surprised at Luna's declaration, Brynhildr looked at Freyja to see how she will respond.

"Do whatever it takes to capture her."

Brynhildr nodded; she looked at Luna with hostility, she ran up to her at a speed Luna couldn't see.

Clank! Their blade collided, Luna felt the strength of the Valkyrie, her hand started shaking when the vibration of her blade occurred.

She pushed Brynhildr away and spread her wings farther, at the same time the clouds moved; the moonlight shone directly at Luna and her body glittered elegantly from the light.

Brynhildr looked at her with anxiousness, even as a copy of the soul of the real Brynhildr, she could feel the pity and sympathy of the Archnephilim Luna.

"What are you doing Brynhildr?! Capture her!" Her eyes widened in disbelief at what she was seeing, her weapon: Valkyries Saga can make her control the copies of the Valkyries she led in the past- Freyja's words are truth, they'll follow any order she commands.

It's engraved in their mind to follow any order Freyja gave them, even if it'll cause them their own life and Freyja knows that the Valkyries will never disobey any oder she gives them.

"Wha- what are you doing?" But she was wrong, for the first time in her life, this was the first she has seen a Valkyrie disobeying her orders.

Instead of attacking Luna, she was standing and staring at her with pride and fortitude, but inside she was feeling a loud thump on her heart when she looked at Luna's eyes.

"Brynhildr... Oldest of the Valkyries, known to many as the Iron-Maiden; one of the known Heroes of Norse Myth. You're life started with love yet ended tragically. Ever since I was still a young lass, my adoptive father told me stories of your tragic times with the Hero Sigurd, every time I hear the story I always cry about how much you've suffered. Many people have deceived and played with you, even your father Odin was the same."

Luna dropped her scythe and spread her wings farther. "You were trapped in a cage lit in flames where your body constantly burns, but he saved you. Your Hero, Sigurd."

"Sigurd..?" The Valkyrie started shaking once she heard the name, she doesn't know why but just hearing the name makes her heart shatter.

"She spoke?!" While Freyja was in utmost shock to see Brynhildr speaking.

"Yes, Sigurd! The man you loved more than anyone in the world, he was just a man who is cursed by the evil dragon yet a Goddess like you fell in love with him, and he loved you too." Luna clenched his fist as she remembers the story of the two. "But... In the end, every happy times always has an unfortunate ending..."

Brynhildr froze upon hearing what Luna said, just then a mysterious voice came. "Brynhildr... You're as beautiful as always." She looked around to see who was the man that spoke, but she found no one that could match the mysterious man's voice.

"No one has ever liked your relationship with him, after all, why would a Goddess fall in love with a human? In the eyes of everyone it is not meant to be, which is why your bond soon fell apart when the two of you were cursed to forget one another."

"I love you more than anyone... Brynhildr." She looked again, but this time she was in panick. She wanted to see who the voice really was, but every direction she looks and not finding who the man was is making her insane.

While Freyja was just standing in disbelief everytime she looks at Brynhidr. 'What is this that I'm feeling right now? This heart-throbing pain that's ooccuriinng in my chest everytime I stare at the pitiable Brynhildr?" She put her palm oon heer chest to feel the weird pain, as soon as she touches her chest she was shocked from what she has discovered. "Don't tell me?! Is this really happening?!"

Freyja looked at Brynhildr who was still looking around her surroundings, her eyes glittered for hope as she stare at her, she gritted her teeth and let out a deep sigh of relief. 'Luna, even if you're not aware of what you're doing, I hope you'll be successful in breaking down the cage that's trapping her.'

"That's why..." Luna looked at Brynhildr in admiration and smiled joyfully. "That's why you are the Hero that I wanted to be when I was a child!"

Brynhildr looked at Luna and dropped her spear, even if she's just a mere copy of the soul of the real Brynhildr she nevertheless felt the sincere compliment of Luna.

"My father Azrael and my mother Cianna was the same; two lovers that were not meant to be... Which is why I feel like my life is similar to yours Brynhildr... I dreamt of having a Sigurd of my own, someone who I could love and risk his life for me, someone who deeply cares for my well-being and will do anything to fulfill his work for his beloved people. Of course, I knew that a prince charming like that would never come from someone delusional as me... Yet, even if I know that already and even if some kids made fun of me because of that, I never gave up on looking for one, as I grew older, my desire to find my own Sigurd grew stronger and in the end, my commitment to find one wasn't in vain."

Luna smile grew bigger thinking about her Sigurd, she looked at the building where Haruki's body is resting. "Because someone already fulfilled the role of my Sigurd!"

A strong gust of wind appeared behind Luna, her smile turned into a more serious one and she put her fist onto her heart. "When I first met him, I thought of him as nothing of a coward and prideful guy who'll abuse his power to get what he wanted, but looks like my judgement of him is far from the truth."

Brynhildr appears to be curious of the man Luna was talking about, her guard was fully down and she was listening to Luna like a child who's thrilled in listening to her mother's bedtime story.

"Even if he is weaker and inferior than what I expected him to be, but still he is the most courageous and hard-working than every men I've ever known, even if he keeps failing to do his people's expectation he didn't let it affect his work and still worked hard for the sake of his people, which is why I'll do anything to help him do his work."

Luna let out a melancholic smile from remembering everything Haruki has done to her. "Like you Brynhildr, my Sigurd save me not once but twice already. During the time we were fighting Milicas and on the verge of getting defeated, he stepped in without a care of what's gonna happen to him and used his body to shield me from Milicas' swords."

Brynhildr was shocked to hear what Luna said, she was reminded of the same as when Sigurd protected her from harm many times.

"And you know what he said to me?" Luna smiled happily as she remembers what Haruki said. "He said 'But at least knowing that you're gonna smile beautifully again, then I'm happy'. That's what he said to me! he acceptted me for who I am! Even if I was the offspring of Archangel Azrael one of the people who trampled his beloved city he still treated me as a trusted friend! That's who my Sigurd is!"

Brynhildr eyes widened from Luna's statement, she was overwhelmed by her voice when she spoke highly of Haruki Hotaru.

"Brynhildr, even if we forget one another in the near future, even if someone stopped us from loving one another, whether it'll be my friends or the Gods themselves, I will never stop loving you even after death." Brynhildr let out a single tear when she remember Sigurd saying that to her and now seeing that someone else was inspired by her love made her tear more valuable to her.

"That's why I call this meeting of ours as something fate brought, which is why..." Luna summoned her scythe and pointed it at Brynhildr. "I'm gonna show you that I, Luna the Brynhildr of my own story is worthy of your praise and defeat you in this duel."