A high schooler on his walk home. A flash of light. And then—clouds. Endless white clouds, floating islands of marble, and a colossal arena filled with gods.
Kanata Crow has been pulled into Valhalla, the stage of Ragnarok—the final thirteen-round battle between gods and humanity, where a single loss could mean extinction. He doesn't know why he's here. He doesn't know how he arrived. But as he watches Thor, the God of Thunder, clash with the legendary Lü Bu Fengxian, he witnesses something no
Record of Ragnarok: Shadow of the Einherjar - Fell into the arena of the gods
The moment I opened my eyes, the first thing that hit me was clouds.
An endless expanse of pure white cloud stretched out below my feet—no, far, far below, right in front of me. The air was cold and clear, sharp enough to sting the back of my nose. When I drew a deep breath, a solemn fragrance filled my lungs, utterly unlike the exhaust fumes and dirt of the world below.
Where am I?
Kanata Crow slowly pushed himself upright. His messy black hair swayed in the wind. His light brown eyes took in a sight beyond belief.
Islands floated atop a sea of clouds. Massive structures of white marble caught the sunlight and shone with a divine radiance. Every pillar soared toward the heavens, and the walls were carved with patterns he had never seen before. In the distance, a colossal tower pierced through the clouds.
" Wh-what the hell is this...?"
His voice trembled. Naturally. Just moments ago, he'd been walking home from school.
Right—he'd left the school gate and was walking his usual route. His favorite song was playing through his earbuds, and he'd been wondering what was for dinner, or grumbling about the stupid quiz tomorrow.
Then, suddenly, the world went white.
Wrapped in blinding light, before he could even process what was happening, his consciousness faded. And when he came to, he was lying here.
"...It's a dream. Has to be."
He muttered it and pinched his cheek. It hurt. It really hurt. Not a dream.
Kanata looked around again. He was in a corner of the spectator seats in what looked like a colossal arena. Stone seats cascaded downward in a funnel shape, stretching on and on. There had to be well over a hundred thousand of them.
And when he saw the audience filling those seats, Kanata lost his words.
They weren't human.
Muscle-bound giants. Creatures with beast heads. Beings with wings sprouting from their backs. Others wreathed in light. Every one of them radiated an overwhelming, inhuman presence. All of them had their eyes fixed on the arena below, and not a single one paid Kanata any mind.
As if they didn't even register that a human was sitting among them.
(What is this place...?)
His heart pounded like a drum. His breathing grew shallow. The air around him felt like it was pressing down on him. In all sixteen years of his life, he had never stood anywhere so utterly out of place.
Then, from the center of the arena, a thunderous roar erupted.
Kanata's eardrums vibrated. The gods in the stands raised a unified cheer. The sound was like the earth itself groaning.
Kanata timidly directed his gaze toward the center of the arena.
There were two figures there.
One was a man holding a massive hammer. Lightning crackled from every inch of his body, his red hair standing on end. He was lightning incarnate. Every time the man swung his hammer, the air shuddered and bolts of electricity arced through the sky.
The other was a man wielding a long halberd. His black hair was tied back carelessly, and his sharp eyes glared at the thunder god. He was smaller than the lightning man, but the fighting spirit radiating from him was every bit his equal.
Their weapons clashed violently.
The sound of metal rang out across the entire arena, and the shockwave reached even the spectator seats. Kanata's messy hair whipped wildly in the wind pressure.
" Wh-what is that... are they fighting...?"
The god sitting next to him noticed Kanata's muttering and glanced over. A massive figure with a lion's head. His gaze held the look one might give an insect.
"Oh? A human has wandered in. How unusual."
The voice rumbled low. A chill ran down Kanata's spine.
" U-um, what exactly is this place...?"
"You came here without knowing? This is the Valhalla Colosseum. We are in the midst of Ragnarok."
"Ragnarok...?"
Kanata echoed the word. It sounded vaguely familiar, yet not at all.
"The final struggle between gods and humanity. Thirteen rounds—the first side to seven victories wins. If humanity wins, they are permitted to survive. If they lose, it's over."
The god spoke matter-of-factly, as if discussing tonight's dinner menu.
" Humanity's... survival...?"
"The Council of the Gods decided it. Seven million years of human history is a failure. So they declared the end. But the eldest sister of the Valkyries raised an objection. And so it was decided by combat."
Kanata's brain couldn't process the information.
Gods. Humanity's end. Thirteen rounds. First to seven wins.
None of it felt real. And yet, the scene unfolding before his eyes was unmistakably real.
"...Who's fighting who, exactly?"
"Thor, the God of Thunder, and humanity's representative, Lü Bu Fengxian. The first round."
"Lü Bu... Fengxian..."
Kanata recalled the name from history class. A warrior from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, hailed as the strongest in Chinese history. Was the man himself really fighting a god?
In the arena, Lü Bu swung his halberd and charged at Thor.
"Hnnngh!"
Lü Bu's halberd caught Thor on the right shoulder. Fresh blood sprayed. The crowd stirred.
" He... wounded a god...!"
Kanata's chest grew hot. A human had drawn blood from a god. The fact shook him beyond belief.
But Thor was smiling.
"...Interesting. To wound me—a human, no less."
Lightning poured from the thunder god's body. The air transformed in an instant. Kanata's skin tingled and went numb.
"Entertain me."
Thor raised his hammer. The sky darkened. Thunderclouds swirled above the arena.
Lü Bu readied his halberd once more. On his face was an expression of pure joy.
" Hah! Good, Thunder God! I, Lü Bu, shall face you with everything I have!"
The two ultimate techniques collided.
Lightning fell.
Kanata's vision went white. His ears rang with a high-pitched whine. The gods in the stands howled with excitement.
When the light subsided, Thor was still standing.
Lü Bu lay on the ground. Smoke rose from his body. Red Hare rushed to its master's side and nuzzled him with its nose.
Lü Bu, as if summoning his last ounce of strength, mounted Red Hare.
"...Let's go, Red Hare."
His voice was astonishingly calm.
Lü Bu charged straight at the thunder god's hammer, Red Hare beneath him.
The lightning swallowed everything.
Kanata couldn't look away.
(So this is Ragnarok...)
The weight of victory and defeat pressed down on Kanata's chest. Humanity was truly challenging the gods. The fact hit him like a physical blow.
The match ended, and the gods' cheers shook the arena. They rejoiced and reveled in humanity's defeat.
Kanata just stared at the scene, dumbfounded.
(Why am I here...?)
He had no idea what it meant that he'd been brought to this place, or why. Only an overwhelming sense of alienation wrapped around him.
That was when it happened.
In a corner of the spectator seats, he caught sight of a figure moving strangely.
Sitting a short distance from Kanata was someone wearing a deep hood. While the surrounding gods were absorbed in the match, the figure pulled something from inside their robe.
A scroll.
The figure unfurled it and scanned it as if confirming something. Then, in a flustered manner, they hid the scroll back inside their robe.
It lasted only an instant.
But Kanata's eyes had caught it clearly. There was writing on the scroll. And it looked like a record of the match's outcome.
(What was that just now...?)
Something stuck in Kanata's chest.
The match had just ended—so why did that figure have a scroll recording the result? As if they had known the outcome in advance.
No. That was impossible.
Kanata shook his head. He was overthinking it. This insane situation was making him lose his mind.
But that nagging feeling remained lodged deep in his chest, like a tiny thorn.
The gods' cheers echoed through the arena without end.
Kanata Crow stood alone amid the clamor, still not knowing where he had come from or why he was here.
The small scar on the back of his left hand, illuminated by the light of the heavens, looked just a little bit fainter.
Novelia is an AI-powered platform to read original light novels and fan fiction, create your own in just a few taps, and chat with the characters. New, illustrated episodes arrive daily — free to start.