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 - Hidden Rules and a Sleepless Promise
The air in the underground archive was cold and damp, even though it was morning. Kanata Crow stood on the stone floor, holding a scrap of paper high in his right hand. His curly black hair clung to his forehead with sweat, and his bright brown eyes were bloodshot. The small scar on the back of his left hand trembled faintly.
"This is what the gods are doing! Round four was rigged from the start so the gods would win!"
His voice echoed off the stone walls of the archive and carried past the entrance. Gods and officials on their way to the Valhalla Colosseum before the gates opened stopped in their tracks. A murmur spread like a wave.
"The lower realm's vermin is making a fuss again, is it."
A priest in white robes stood at the archive entrance, two armed divine soldiers behind him. His eyes were narrow, and open mockery curved his lips. It was the same man who had been holding that secret meeting in the archive.
"Who do you think will believe the ravings of a human? Shut that filthy mouth before the gods hear it."
The priest stepped forward. He snapped his fingers, and a familiar beast emerged from the darkness—a four-legged creature with red eyes that glared at Kanata and growled low. It was the same kind of beast that had attacked Göll in the archive.
Kanata's throat tightened with a thin wheeze. His legs shook. He wanted to run. But if he backed down here, it was over.
"Listen to me! This paper describes the tricks used to guarantee the gods win round four! The opponent, the weapons, the weather—all of it's rigged! Was Ragnarok just a farce for the gods from the very beginning?!"
Still clutching the paper, Kanata shouted toward the gods beyond the entrance. The spectators gathering before the gates began to stir.
"What's that human going on about?" "A scrap of paper?" "Round four was rigged...?"
The mocking smile vanished from the priest's face.
"I said silence."
The priest raised his hand. The familiar beast crouched low, ready to pounce. At that moment, heavy footsteps echoed from deep within the archive.
"Hold."
Blond hair slicked back, white horns, golden eyes sharp and gleaming. At his hip hung the giant horn Gjallarhorn. Heimdall, gatekeeper of the heavens, stepped between the priest and the beast.
"By the rules, even one slated for exile is granted the opportunity to speak in a public venue. Though the gates have not yet opened, this can already be considered a public venue. Silencing this human would violate the rules."
The priest's eyes flashed.
"A mere gatekeeper dares to question a priest's judgment?"
"Before I am a gatekeeper, I am Ragnarok's announcer. As one entrusted with the fairness of the matches, I cannot ignore a claim of foul play."
Heimdall's voice was hard, and he did not retreat a single step. The familiar beast edged back slightly at his presence.
The priest clicked his tongue. Then he turned back to Kanata.
"Then show me this scrap of paper. No doubt it's meaningless scribbling in some lower-realm script."
Kanata clutched the paper to his chest. Heimdall glanced at him. A faint tension ran through those golden eyes.
(Show him, Kanata.)
That gaze seemed to say it. Kanata swallowed and thrust the paper before the priest.
"...Here. Can you read it?"
The priest glanced at the paper. An instant later, all expression drained from his face.
"...Where did you get this?"
His voice was low. No mockery, no contempt. Only cold killing intent.
"I heard you all conspiring in the archive! Saying 'we'll adjust the outcome of round four on our end'! And then I found this paper. Is this what the gods do?!"
Kanata's voice rang through the archive. Beyond the entrance, the gods' murmuring grew louder.
"Adjusting round four...?" "Such a thing..." "No, it's possible. I've heard there's a faction within the Divine Council that wants humanity wiped out quickly."
The priest's cheek twitched.
"...Very well. Then I have my own grievance to voice."
The priest pointed at the wall behind Kanata. The far wall of the archive, carved with ancient inscriptions. The same inscriptions Kanata had found while searching for the paper.
"This human read those inscriptions. They touch upon the origin of the Valkyries and the price of forging divine weapons—sacred mysteries of the gods. By heavenly law, any human who steals a glimpse of the gods' mysteries is subject to punishment. Isn't that right, gatekeeper?"
Heimdall's brow moved slightly.
"...Do you have proof he read them?"
"This human lurked in the archive for hours. He could not have reached that paper without passing before those inscriptions. He read them—there's no doubt."
The priest's voice pressed in, slow and relentless. Kanata's heart gave a sickening lurch.
(Oh no...)
The inscriptions. The origin of the Valkyries. The price of forging divine weapons. Kanata tried to recall the characters carved there. But at the time he'd been desperate to find the paper—he'd barely read any of it.
"I didn't read those inscriptions! I was just looking for the paper!"
"Don't lie. Your eyes went to those inscriptions again and again. The crime of stealing a glimpse of the gods' mysteries is not settled by exile. You will wander the boundary between realms for all eternity."
Cold sweat ran down Kanata's back at the priest's words.
"Hold. Merely standing before the inscriptions is not a crime."
Heimdall stepped forward. There was pain in his voice. He was trying to shield Kanata behind the rules. But that shield was thin.
"Heavenly law punishes those who 'decipher' the mysteries. Standing before the inscriptions, having them enter one's sight—that does not constitute a crime. Does the priest possess proof that this human deciphered them?"
The priest's and Heimdall's gazes clashed violently in the air. The familiar beast growled low. The divine soldiers regripped their spears.
"...Gatekeeper. Whose side are you on?"
"I am on the side of the rules."
Heimdall's golden eyes pierced straight through the priest. There was a faint tremor in his voice.
(Heimdall...)
Kanata looked at Heimdall's back. A man loyal only to the rules. A gatekeeper who looked down on humans. And yet now, that man was trying to protect him with painful legal arguments.
Something warm welled up deep in his chest.
Then it happened.
"My, my. Quite the lively scene before the gates even open."
Silver hair swayed at the archive entrance. Brunhilde, eldest of the thirteen Valkyrie sisters. Her sharp violet eyes slowly surveyed the archive. The great white wings on her back stood out eerily pale in the dim light.
The priest's face went pale.
"Lady Brunhilde... why are you here?"
"I heard the commotion and came to see. You're having such an interesting conversation, aren't you?"
Brunhilde walked up to Kanata. He stood frozen, still clutching the paper.
"Kanata. Would you show me that?"
Her hand extended smoothly—white, slender fingers. Kanata held out the paper with a trembling hand.
Brunhilde took it and gazed at it for several seconds. Her violet eyes traced the writing. Her expression was unreadable.
A heavy silence fell over the archive.
The priest's throat bobbed. Heimdall held his breath, watching. The familiar beast had flattened itself completely at Brunhilde's presence.
At last, Brunhilde's lips slowly curved.
"...You've found something interesting, Kanata."
Her voice stirred the cold air of the archive.
"Lady Brunhilde! This is a human fabrication—that paper must be a forgery! This human is a criminal who stole a glimpse of the gods' mysteries—"
"Then what is this?"
Brunhilde thrust the paper before the priest's eyes. Her gaze was cold as ice.
"This paper details the weaknesses of round four's opponent, the weapon adjustments, the procedures for weather manipulation—all in fine detail. And these are cipher characters used only among priests. Could a human of the lower realm possibly forge this?"
The priest's mouth opened and closed wordlessly. The blood drained from his face.
"Or, if this is genuine... were you plotting something that would stain the name of the Divine Council?"
Brunhilde's voice, cold and sharp, pierced the priest's heart.
"Th-that's not it! This is, er... some kind of mistake..."
"A mistake? Heh. What an amusing excuse."
Brunhilde flipped the paper lightly. Then she raised her voice toward the gods gathered at the archive entrance.
"Everyone, listen. This paper records specific tampering designed to tip round four in the gods' favor. It is an unforgivable act that defiles the fairness of Ragnarok. Here and now, I submit this paper as evidence and demand a formal investigation by the Divine Council."
A stir rose from beyond the entrance. The gods began clamoring.
"An investigation, she says." "Round four was rigged?" "The work of a priest...?"
The priest sank to his knees. His white robes spread across the cold stone floor.
"Furthermore, this human—Kanata Crow's spectator credentials are reinstated as of this moment. And the restraints on the Valkyrie Göll are to be lifted immediately."
Brunhilde's voice rang solemnly through the archive.
"Göll's restraints..."
Kanata's voice shook.
"Yes. Your little sister worked so hard. As her elder sister, I can hardly fail to reward that."
Brunhilde smiled at Kanata. It was not a cold smile. It was a complicated smile, touched with just a hint of warmth.
Heimdall exhaled deeply.
"...By the rules, I hereby execute the release of the Valkyrie Göll. Divine soldiers—to the cells at once."
The soldiers hurried into motion. The priest remained crumpled on the floor, unable to say a word.
Kanata opened the hand that had been clutching the paper. His fingers trembled faintly.
(Is it... over?)
(Did I save Göll?)
He still couldn't quite believe it.
The Valkyrie Hall. The residence of the thirteen Valkyrie sisters. Göll's room was on the east side of the hall, at the top of a small tower.
Kanata sat at Göll's bedside.
The room was quiet. White heavenly light poured through the window. Her fluffy chestnut hair spread across the white pillow. Her large amber eyes remained closed. The small white wings on her back were wrapped in bandages, blood seeping through here and there.
Göll was still asleep.
"Göll. I'm back."
Kanata took her hand. Small and cold. Those warm hands that were always fluttering about now felt cold as a doll's.
"I'm sorry. You told me not to go to the archive, and I promised. But I broke it."
His voice trembled.
"But I found it. Proof that the priests were rigging round four. They set everything up so the gods would win from the start. It's wrong, isn't it? Ragnarok is supposed to be a serious contest with humanity's survival on the line."
Kanata tightened his grip on her hand.
"And then Brunhilde showed up, looked at the paper, and cornered the priest. I got my spectator credentials back. And you were released from the cells."
Göll's fingers didn't move.
"So wake up already. Göll. When you're asleep like this, I don't know what to do."
Tears ran down Kanata's cheeks. They fell onto Göll's hand with a soft patter.
"I'm always being saved by you. Even when the beast attacked me in the archive, you shielded me. And I ran. I left you behind and ran alone."
His voice crumbled into a mess.
"How pathetic. I don't have any power. In the world of the gods, I'm just an ordinary high schooler. I can't protect you—I'm always the one being protected."
Kanata cupped Göll's hand in both of his, as if trying to warm those cold fingers even a little.
"But this time, I'll protect you. When you open your eyes, this time I'll be the one protecting you. So please. Open your eyes, Göll."
Then it happened.
Göll's finger moved, just barely.
Kanata's heart leaped.
"Göll...?!"
Her finger twitched again. This time clearly—as if trying to squeeze his hand back.
But her eyes did not open.
"...Göll. Can you hear me? You can hear my voice, can't you?"
Kanata gripped her hand tight. The tears wouldn't stop. But th
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