1. 戦乙女の目覚め — The Awakening of the Battle Maiden

Wh...?

Who is disturbing my slumber...?

Who is it?!

You must choose.

Choose? Choose what?

The future.

The future? My future?

Yes, your future.

And at the same time, the world's future.

The world's future?

Why would I?

You must choose.

That is the fate you were entrusted with.

I do not understand, why?

Why me?

Aaahhh!

Ha... Ha... Ha...

Did we win?

My spear, Gungnir, shows no more sign of revelation. /* made changes - "arousal" looks a bit odd to me

There should be no more enemy.

Did we do it?

We did! We won!

So, will light shine upon the world once again?

Anyway, I'm dead on my feet.

Are you all right?

*pant* *pant* Yeah, I'm fine.

Ha! Ha! We did it!

All-Father Odin.

We did win.

We were able to defeat our companions' foe.

We, Einherjar, these souls of ours

will finally be able to sleep the eternality.

Odin! We await your words of triumph.

Hum. Everyone!

'Twas a long and difficult fight, yet with a great cause!

Surpassing too numerous sacrifices, we now

stand upon the face of glory.

At last, we overcame darkness and brought forth world peace.

And yet, amidst our struggles until now,

we must not forget the countless sacrifices that we suffered.

As of today, my holiness shall shine upon the universe

and chant hymns of peace,

from the great Æsir all the way down to the Elves.

I, the ruler of the Vanir,

Odin, hereby proclaim myself as the Greatest of the Gods.

Fa... Father...

Huh？

Odin's spear, Gungnir, it's shaking!

What the...!

Could it be...? It's not the end?

Shit...

We're doomed...

Monster!

I am not a monster.

Then would you call yourself a god?

Me, the likes of the gods? Ludicrous.

If so, what are you?

It's coming!

When it comes to this,

we will fight till the end as it behooves gods.

Let's go.

Lenneth! You're everyone's foe! Die!!!

What... is this?

This is the future, the future you should not have chosen.

I don't understand. I...

Come on, choose.

Your future will dictate the world.

What...

Anyone! Anyone here?

Lord Odin.

Zephyros!

What was that big noise now!?

The Vanir!?

Lord Odin, Report!

These are the troops from Queen Hel of Niflheim.

Hel's troops?

Not only the Vanir, but the main corps too?

Please look for yourself.

These are the troops of departed souls that Hel controls.

We, Æsir, are already surrounded from every side.

Again? Now what?

It seems they broke through the castle gate.

We will not hold for long.

The castle gate? What's Thor doing?

It pains me to say that even Lord Thor's thunder

was seemingly not enough to hold off the Vanir.

Thor's dead!?

Calm down!

Gods do not die, they only wane.

What's the difference?

... Lord Odin.

Right! Let's release the Berserks!

They were defeated by the Vanir's magick.

I am afraid to say that they fell from the sky.

They kept fighting proudly until the very end.

... Did Loki wane too?

Yes...

We're finished...

It's the end of the Æsir.

Zephyros... Set fire to the castle.

Are we to tie our fate to the castle?

The Vanir's magick alone was enough to shatter my land.

To believe that they joined force with Hel...

We're out of options.

He's here! Odin's here!

Don't get closer to Lord Odin! Get back, lackey.

Argh!

Urg...

You alright? Zephyros!

... This is not of my age anymore.

In the end, we are together.

No, we still have hope.

Hope?

Where is hope in that castle was nothing but the sound of crumbling stones can be heard? /* made changes - grammar check

To the farthest ends of the land, there is a place called, Valhalla. /* made changes - "furthest" to "farthest"

There's nothing in Valhalla.

Our hope lies there.

Hope?

That is new land for the Æsir.

Please restore the Æsir.

Restore? You're dreaming.

Little Master!

You are the child that this old Zephyros

brought up with all his heart.

I will not let it end here.

Humph, you were one scolding old man.

True, as you are now, you are a failure as a god.

You have no majesty, no power, no ability, not even an army.

However, you have the quality unrivaled amongst the gods.

An unrivaled quality?

This ambition of yours, burning like a fire.

Ambition...

Now please listen to me.

You will head for Midgard.

Midgard? The dwelling place of humans?

There, you will find a fiery mountain that scorches even the skies.

You must make the One resting there regain consciousness.

Is it a god?

The Chooser of the Slain.

The Chooser of the Slain?

You don't mean, Valkyrja?

That is a legacy from your father.

Really? Valkyrja?

I will stay here and gain time.

You will go forth to the fiery mountain in Midgard.

Why do you know so many things I've never even heard of?

I did not live that ripe old age in vain.

She's been sealed by divine flames.

You must have her awaken.

Why was she sealed?

Even I do not know the answer to that question.

Would you wake up something that was sealed away?

Inspite of having no idea why it was sealed in the first place?

If we do nothing, we will meet our doom anyway.

Come on, go!

I cannot leave an old man behind!

Can the Æsir be restored with such a weak-willed ruler?

However callous it may be,

how could you restore the sacred order

if you cannot even forsake a single old man to his fate?

Zephyros...

I bid you adieu. The longer you hestiate, the closer the enemy!

And I got scolded again...

Do not give me that face.

I, Zephyros, will not fall easily.

Let's meet again.

Please live.

You shoulder all of my hopes.

Halt!

None shall go further this way.

You're in the way.

We were ordered by the gods to protect this place.

Whosoever you may be, none is allowed to go further in the mountain.

Stupid ravens! Enough of this prank!

That's a joke!

Hey, where are you going?

There's nothing but lava out there.

Lord Odin! What happened to your godly figure!

I have no time for idle talk.

Lord Odin, are you in a bad mood?

What happened?

Huginn! Muginn! You lots are like my limbs.

Don't you grasp the current situation?

We were out scouting.

No word can describe our utmost shame.

Hey! Your flapping is getting on my nerves!

Don't you remember I gave you a human body?!

Is it fine this way?

It always feels itchy everywhere while in my human form.

Good, follow me.

What is this place?

The fiery mountain. It protects a secret treasure of the gods.

Is there a treasure?

I came to open the fiery gates. Don't get in my way.

O flames! Let you abate!

Ouch!

Move it. That, if you don't want to get roasted.

Hey! What kind of treasure is there here? Jewels?

Not as paltry as that.

A human? Is this human sleeping?

She's not a human. She's a higher spiritual being.

A higher what?

Just shut up.

Awaken.

Battle Maiden, Lenneth Valkyrja.

Lenneth Valkyrja??

You...

She's up!

I am the God of All Creations,

The Greatest of the Gods, Odin of the Æsir.

Odin... of the Æsir... the greatest of the gods...

Well, to put it accurately, I was the Greatest of the Gods... It's all in the past.

...

There's no need to put on airs...

The Æsir got obliterated.

No!? Obliterated? When!?

Be silent!

The Queen of Niflheim, Hel, for whatever reasons,

suddenly revoked our alliance, and sent the Vanir and Giants to attack us.

... Who?

I've been telling you, I am Odin!

Me... Who am I...?

Her memory is gone?

...

Who in the world...?

Lenneth, you are my father's heirloom,

The Gods' secret treasure.

Lenneth... Is this my name?

Huh... I feel like my head is about to be split apart.

You are the Choose of the Slain.

Chooser of the slain...?

Various are the godly powers among the Æsir.

Flame, thunder, wind, ice...

However, you Valkyrja, you are unique.

Am I unique?

From what I've been told,

You have the power to synchronize with souls.

Synchronize?

Etching people's lives, in other words memory vessels for souls.

This is soul synchronization.

...

Try to concentrate on your senses.

... Like this?

More.

What!?

Now you do feel those who are about to depart and those who have met death.

The rhythm of those taken over by death is different.

It vibrates more vigorously. A rhythm of death.

A rhythm of death.

Now, this world is ruled by Hel.

If we do nothing, all the departed will be taken away by Hel.

Roaming in the deep of eternity...

You will understand a person's life completely as soon as you feel the rhythm of death.

Amongst the dead, as numerous as the stars,

Find those worthy to become my Einherjar, Lenneth.

Me?

You are to lead the souls of those departed, not to Hel's demesne, but to me.

And so what?

They shall become divine warriors until the world ends.

They shall be the cornerstone of the restoration of the divine land.

I see...

Practice makes perfect.

Be glad that I am the one who teaches you.

Another time, try to concentrate!

... Like this?

Did you hear that?

I heard it...

At this precise moment, a hero is about to die.

Surely we should move it out now.

Ah! Those two went somewhere!

Where did they go?

Who knows?

Huh? This place?

We are without doubt inside the memories of the owner of the voice you heard.

Where is this meadow?

This is probably a place etched in the memory of this voice.

Come on, listen to her rhythm of death.

Then you are to judge whether she's worthy to become an Einherjar.

Got it.

And... one more thing.

As I said before,

If we do nothing, all the departed will be taken away by Hel.

So...

So?

This memory is also being desecrated, gnawed away by Hel's troops.

Were the memory to be obliterated, she would not be able to become an Einherjar anymore.

If I don't beat those, I won't be able to synchronize with the memories.

So that's not a straightforward path to tread...

Indeed.

There is still one thing, more important than anything else.

What is it?

I may have lost everything, yet I am Odin, Ruler of the Æsir, the Greatest of the Gods.

Watch your mouth.

Is that how it is?

That's how it is.

At your orders, Lord Odin.

Then I am about to take my leaves.

See, you could do it...

I'm still on! I can still fight!

... What in the world are you fighting with?

Who are you!?

I should be the one asking that.

By complying, you shall most surely understand your situation.

I am Commanding Officer of the twelfth squadron of archers, Prunellian army,

Jeanne de Morel.

So what are you fighting with?

... Huh? What was I fighting with?

Your life has ended, Jeanne.

Ended? I died?

See your chest for yourself.

This... is a bowgun arrow.

So... At that time, I...

Even in death you go on fighting, fierce soul.

I shall grant significance upon your stuggles of this rhythm of death.

You are...?

You die.

Yet, your noble soul is to remain immortal

as Odin's warrior.

The Battle Maiden... Valkyrie?

Were you to join me, swear by me and show me your resolution.

Huh? What's that thing?

Fiends gnawing at your memories.

Your only way to be free is to beat them.。

If nothing is done, you will be taken away to the netherwold.

So? What will you do?

My father, who brought me up as a son, would tell me that tale before bed.

Only before the warriors who died a hero's death would appear a silver-haired maiden,

who would choose them as Einherjar.

If you are this maiden, then I will follow you.

Until the end of the world.

Then pledge your loyalty.

So you're back? How was it?

I chose an Einherjar.

Hmph.

So I guess you judged that human worthy to become an Einherjar, right?

Yes.

I entrust her to thee.

It behooves thee to guide and raise her into

a praiseworthy Einherjar.

Yes!

We do not have enough Einherjar yet.

You are to gather distinguished heroes.

Yes!

Lenneth! Lenneth Valkyrja.

To you, I shall assign Muninn.

Ask him whatever you need to know.

Muninn...

He'll be your fellow companion.

It's now time for me to go and rebuild my castle.

Huh? Where?

... In Valhalla.

Valhalla?

Home is where you make it.

I declare the founding of our new land in the place of Valhalla.