I held Avalon in front of me while I walked into the darkness beyond the pair of doors.

Behind me, I heard Freyr draw her blade, the sound of steel being unsheathed ringing through the air. Shortly after that, I heard the now-familiar crackling of lightning as well. And with that crackling came a faint azure light, illuminating the darkness.

A vast empty chamber that was the size of a sports stadium. Large enough that half of it was still in pitch black darkness.

Along the perimeter of the chamber, towering obsidian chalices with spiked tips stood, like black arms clawing at the sky. And as we entered, they began to light up, flickering with pure white flames.

I frowned and carefully scanned the surroundings.

Empty.

Despite the vast size, the place was empty save for the stone chalices and another pair of doors that stood on the opposite side of where we entered.

I frowned and glanced back to Freyr while keeping one eye on the surroundings. "Stay sharp, Freyr. I don't like this."

"Yes." Freyr nodded, carefully observing the surroundings as well.

This was obviously the boss room. And the doors on the other side were where we were meant to go.

But there wasn't a monster here.

...Or was there?

I focused and then imagined it. A light dusting of flour, just enough to cover the area, but not cake it. Like freshly fallen snow instead of a blizzard.

"Hm?" Freyr noticed and said, "Snow? No, this is... flour?" She blinked and looked to me. "Vain, is this your doing?"

I ignored her for the moment and focused.

...Nothing. It seemed like there wasn't an invisible monster lying in wait.

Then were they still just trying to sort out what to throw at us?

Or rather, what to throw at Freyr?

Heaven's Veil prevented divine interference, traps, and basically cheap shots, so they'd have to put up a proper fight instead of trying to take her out like before. But with how strong she was, it'd probably have to be an overwhelming monster... which perhaps was outside of their ability to provide at this stage?

Then again, [Heaven's Veil] clearly tipped the balance. That system message about the Administrator raging showed that the ones managing the situation were upset. And they definitely wouldn't just let Freyr pass by so easily.

"Vain?"

I blinked and realized Freyr was looking at me.

Her clear blue eyes were narrowed in concern, and her brows were furrowed. "Is something the matter?"

I shook my head. "No. It's just..." I swept my gaze around the room again and said, "Something tells me that it's not going to be easy. Whatever pops up here is going to be extremely dangerous, even to you."

Freyr grabbed the golden pair of wings on her necklace and then smiled. "It is fine. No matter what emerges, I will protect you."

"...That's what I'm worried about." I muttered and glanced around the room again.

In this situation, the 'win conditions' for the Administrator would no doubt be to take Freyr out. But that would be hard now with [Heaven's Veil] protecting her. It would have to be a fair fight, and considering that Freyr was an 'Aesir'... and from those messages, I was fairly sure she was either Odin and Freyja's daughter, or someone close to them.

Which meant that she was ridiculously powerful.

Her one real weakness had been removed through my actions, so they were probably scrambling to figure out what to do.

And in a situation like this, where the person they were trying to get rid of was strong enough to face tank most of what they could throw at her, the key would be...

"...To focus on me, huh?"

"Vain?" Freyr blinked. "What do you-?"

I jumped to the side. At the same time, I raised Avalon and envisioned it. A thick steel bunker immediately emerged, encasing me.

The moment I did that-

[Your quick wit and reading of the situation has been acknowledged. +1 intelligence (+3 due to Well-Read)]

"VAIN!"

Freyr's panicked voice called out, followed by frantic footsteps.

At the same time, the deafening sound of searing metal echoed and my field of vision lit up in orange. But not as a result of flames. Instead of the familiar crackling, it was something else. Something I didn't expect to hear in this place. At least not yet.

A laser.

Before Freyr could do anything that would put herself in danger, I called out. "I'm fine! Focus on the monster!"

The footsteps stopped, and then I heard a faint sigh of relief. Shortly after that, lightning crackled and then Freyr's voice called out again. "To dare attack my precious companion... Begone, monster!"

A wry smile crossed my face. 'Precious companion' huh?

Before I could think more on that, a roar echoed. And then another. And then another. And... eight roars in total.

At the same time, the laser sound stopped. And not a moment too soon, since molten steel dripped to the ground, revealing a small hole in the bunker as well as our opponent.

A towering emerald dragon, wrapped in a glittering rainbow aura. Not only that, but one with eight heads and attacking Freyr with a different elemental attack. Flames, stone shards, poison mists, lightning... There were more, but I couldn't make it all out from my bunker.

Freyr slashed at the dragon- No, it was clearly 'Orochi.' She charged towards Orochi with her sword and slashed with a bolt of lightning, but her attacks bounced off its scales, blocked by that rainbow aura.

Even so, she wasn't deterred. Facing that dragon, she calmly raised her sword, her eyes narrowed as if searching for a weakness. The picture perfect appearance of a cool valkyrie.

Or so it seemed. But I could see how she was slightly turned towards me and how her eyes slightly wavered, as if she desperately wanted to check on my condition.

And Orochi noticed as well. Without hesitation, all eight heads suddenly turned towards my direction. Flames, stone spikes, a poison mist, gathering light, crackling lightning, swirling water, billowing wind, and an ominous darkness. Those were the attacks gathering in the eight heads.

Freyr's eyes widened and she flashed forward, swinging her sword. "Stop!"

But she was a moment too slow. Before she could reach the dragon, it had already launched its attacks.

An explosion erupted at the bunker, obliterating it and sending steel shrapnel flying everywhere.

At the same time, lightning crackled and sparks flew as Freyr desperately tried to cut the dragon's necks.

But she couldn't.

Like before, that rainbow aura blocked everything.

So it couldn't be stopped. Orochi's elemental barrage continued, completely evaporating all traces of my steel bunker.

But not me of course.

[Disengage activated!]

[Loki's Blessing (Minor) activated! Synergy with No One's Story perfectly conceals your presence!]

I might not be good at fighting, but I was damned good at running away and hiding.

[A Trickster God applauds your quick thinking and reactions. He says that you need to train your body more to keep up with it though. +2 agility]

You think I don't know that?

I sighed from my hiding spot behind one of the stone chalices off to the side and dismissed the message. After making sure my presence was still concealed with [Loki's Blessing (Minor)], I peered out to take a look at the situation.

Orochi stopped its attack. Seeing the barren and devastated area where I had been, it turned its heads back to Freyr and chuckled.

Freyr on the other hand was frozen in shock. Her sword was lowered, the azure lightning completely gone, and her blue eyes were wide, frantically scanning the area I had just been.

In short, a perfect state for a cheap shot by Orochi.

As if reading my mind, one of Orochi's heads started to gather energy- No, light. A brilliant white light started to form around its maw, no doubt to cut Freyr down.

And Freyr wasn't in a state to notice it. No, it was like she had given up completely.

"Honestly..."

It seemed like my habit of writing characters who had terrible luck with women were coming back to bite me.

Thankfully, that dragon was being cocky.

The only attack it was starting up was that laser beam. An attack made from pure light.

While my mana was still far from the level needed to take out something like that dragon, it was enough to tell whether the attacks were magical or not.

And that laser beam wasn't.

So.

I focused and imagined it.

The angle of the dragon's head. Freyr's position. The probable attack area...

Then, right in the middle of it, intercepting that beam of light, a silver mirror.

Bright white light filled the surroundings as Orochi sent out a laser beam to cut down Freyr.

Unfortunately for that dragon-

"GRAOUGH!?"

-It shouldn't have been so arrogant.

The laser beam bounced off the mirror and flew back at Orochi, cutting off three heads before the dragon stopped the attack.

The dragon heads landed on the floor and then Orochi screamed, reeling back in pain and shock.

At the same time, Freyr snapped out of her daze. She turned to the mirror and then to Orochi. "This... Vain?"

I sighed and then made a walkie-talkie. Picking it up, I imagined another one at Freyr's feet.

She flinched when it appeared out of nowhere, but quickly caught on and picked it up.

"Honestly, Freyr. You should have more faith in my ability to stay alive."

Her eyes widened and then a wave of relief swept through her body. "Vain. So you... Are you alive? No, you must be."

"Obviously. But I'm a liability here, so I'll just give support. Can't have you distracted by me like you were just now if we want to get out of here alive."

Freyr blushed and then clipped the walkie-talkie to her armor. "My apologies. It will not happen again." Saying that, she raised her sword, once more wrapping it in her azure lightning.

Orochi roared and swept its heads around the air, no doubt scanning for my location.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't be able to find me.

[The Administrator scowls and curses the interfering Trickster God for granting his blessing.]

[A Trickster God shrugs and says that it isn't his fault it's being used so effectively.]

I focused my attention back on Freyr, ignoring the system messages, and said, "Can you beat it?"

Freyr nodded. "I should be able to. While I cannot read its status, I have the sense that it is weaker than me. But that strange aura is blocking my attacks." She paused and said, "Where are you anyway, Vain?"

"Somewhere nearby. But that aura, huh?" I frowned, thinking.

If that thing was really Orochi, we had a problem.

There were a lot of stories about Orochi. In most of them, it was a powerful creature that Susanoo only beat after getting it drunk. And in others, it was impervious to all attacks until it was drunk... and usually only by a specific holy sake drink.

From the barrier blocking Freyr's attacks, it seemed like this Orochi was the one impervious to attacks. Though, it managed to hurt itself, so maybe it was only to external attacks...?

The barrier was still up even though a few heads were gone, so it seemed to be a passive ability.

...Maybe I could make some alcohol to try and distract it?

"...It's worth a shot."

Freyr tilted her head and said, "What is?"

I focused on Orochi's remaining heads and then said, "I'll try something. It should give you an opening."

If we needed divine sake or something like soma, I'd have to improvise. But since Orochi's attacks didn't seem to have any mana in them, I doubted it. The monster there was a mythical creature, but it definitely wasn't one with divine protection since [Divine Anathema] didn't activate. It just seemed to be an innate ability of sorts.

...Which was concerning for the future if there were monsters that had crazy energy shields as innate abilities, but I could worry about that later.

"Let's see..." I muttered and then envisioned it.

The strongest alcohol I knew... that had to be Everclear. Back then, I was pissed off at getting tricked into drinking it at a family reunion, but that memory was definitely coming in handy now.

In general, alcohol, at least drinking alcohol, was just ethanol fermented from sugars and distilled by mixing with water. Everclear in particular was just some ethanol that had been purified over and over.

That was the theory behind it. At least, what I remembered from watching a few documentaries on public television in the past and that moonshine history project I had to do one time back in high school.

As for the alcohol itself... yeah, I had a clear memory of the taste, scent, and effects.

So...

I stared at Orochi's remaining heads. Five of them, each now with bloodshot eyes and glaring at Freyr, deciding on her as the focus of its ire.

But Freyr was unmoved. Calm and confident, she simply stood there with her sword raised, ready to act at a moment's notice.

Unlike before, she was completely focused.

...Seriously. Was I that important to her...?

Whatever.

Seeing that Freyr was focused, I forced myself to focus as well and waited.

Orochi roared, starting to gather elements in each of its heads to attack again. Fire, water, lightning, light, and dark.

But that was what I was waiting for.

A stream of clear liquid, one that looked like water. It emerged in thin air and then split into five, shooting towards each of the heads, directly into their open mouths.

A direct blast of concentrated ethanol.

For the fire, lightning, and light heads, the stream instantly vaporized from the attacks that were being gathered. As for the water and dark heads, they got a direct blast of it.

But regardless of whether or not the head drank it, there was no avoiding the fact that it was pure ethanol. Even when vaporized, the fumes were enough to get someone intoxicated.

That was true even for a mythical beast like Orochi... No. Especially true for Orochi, who was said to have fallen due to being intoxicated.

And if 'stories' had as much of an effect in this place as I thought they did...

A strange and strangled roar. Orochi staggered, immediately struck by the effects of the alcohol.

And with it, the rainbow barrier surrounding its body faded.

The moment it did-

"You are finished!"

-Freyr shouted and then dashed forward in a blur of azure lightning, swinging her sword. A bright blue flash cut through the air... and then five loud thuds echoed. With that, the remaining heads fell to the ground and Orochi's decapitated body slumped, spilling blood all over the floor.

"Heh." I smirked and walked out from the chalice, making my way over. "That's what you get for trying to pull a fast one on us."

It would have been an impossible fight for Freyr alone. No, for anyone other than the two of us-

Actually, maybe not. I had a feeling that one isekai protagonist had a 'cheat' that let him just kill things indiscriminately regardless of their protection considering how easily he cut things apart.

But unless it was him, it would have been impossible. That was the main point.

Those bastards were seriously trying to get rid of Freyr by putting up impossible tasks.

Unfortunately for them, they didn't take me into account.

Freyr sheathed her sword and then glanced over, smiling. "Vain!" She quickly walked over, completely ignoring the dead dragon behind her.

I smiled back and waved. "Sup?"

She came to a stop in front of me, her silver hair a bit disheveled from the battle, and her smile grew even wider. "That was incredible! What magic did you use? I could not even detect a trace of mana in that spell!"

I shook my head. "It's nothing that great. All I did was toss some alcohol at it."

Freyr blinked. "Alcohol? And that was enough to dispell the barrier?"

I nodded. "Yeah. My world has stories of similar dragons, and they usually have a critical weakness to liquor. Figured it was worth a shot, and it looked like my guess paid off."

Freyr's eyes sparkled and she said, "Such insight... I am in awe."

"Like I said, nothing special. I might not be a good fighter, but I've got my fair share of tricks up my sleeve." I coughed and averted my gaze from Freyr's bright eyes.

As I did, I realized that something was off. "Wait."

"Hm?" Freyr tilted her head. "What is the matter?"

"We beat the boss. So then why-?"

[A Trickster God sends a warning!]

[A Herald of the End laughs.]

[The Administrator is defying causality to adjust the balance!]

[Be careful! The Dungeon Guardian: Yamata no Orochi is mutating!]

[Divine Myth: The Lernaean Hydra has descended!]

My eyes widened and I quickly shoved Freyr to the side. The moment I did-

"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!"

-An indescribable roar. At the same time, overwhelming dark flames surged forward.

Facing that surge of darkness, I realized it.

'...Ah. I'm an idiot.'

[Heaven's Veil] would have protected her from the attack. And if it couldn't, it would have sent her away from the place to somewhere safe.

So-

Whatever thoughts I had left were drowned out as the dark flames reached me.

Static. Pain. An indescribable sensation that felt like my body was melting, freezing, burning, and crumbling apart at the seams.

...I couldn't handle this.

[Man of A Thousand Faces filters the overwhelming sensation.]

[The persona: Sword of Akasha - A Different Path is forcibly adopted.]

My consciousness that felt like it was going to snap was forcibly pieced together.

The crushing wave of pure darkness was kept at bay by an unyielding steel- No. A sword. One that didn't shatter even beneath the weight of existence itself.

[Avalon desperately attempts to protect its owner!]

A faint red-gold light emerged to stave off the darkness. But I could see that it wasn't enough. A tiny ember couldn't hold back the ocean.

[Well-Read unravels the mystery enforcing the attack!]

[Self-Determined denies the existence of a conceptual attack with no basis other than myths and divinity!]

[Divine Anathema mitigates the attack of the Divine Myth!]

[A God of Wisdom tells you to stand firm!]

[A Goddess of Magic pleads for you to live!]

[A Trickster God says that you are not one to succumb to destiny!]

[The Nameless One asks if this is all you amount to.]

A flurry of messages flickered in the darkness.

I didn't have the sense of mind to read them. But it was a lifeline. A faint thread that I could cling onto and persevere.

[User. It is imperative that you...]

[This system will not allow...]

[...I will never forgive you if you fall here!]

A mechanical voice echoing in my head. Female, and one that sounded a bit like Alexa. But one that became more natural and emotional with each statement.

...Right. It was too early in the game to tap out. Especially when I didn't even get the chance to get out of the tutorial.

So.

I grit my teeth and glared at the darkness.

I tightened my grip on Avalon and focused.

...But dammit. How much longer was this going to be?

I heard disturbing sounds echo around me, like the sound of crackling meat in a frying pan. At the same time, I could smell stuff burning- No, the sharp chemical scent of acid melting things away.

It was enough to where I started to wonder how in the world I was still conscious, but I didn't question it. Instead, I just focused.

It couldn't last forever.

Even while I was being attacked, Freyr was there.

...I didn't know if she was able to do anything considering that monster was essentially a super boss the Administrator cheated to drop in, but I was sure she would try. And when she tried and got dealt a mortal blow, she would be forcibly sent back.

So I just had to wait. Wait until I was sure that she was fine. And then after that I could use [Disengage] and get out of here-

[You have triggered <Heroic Resolve>]

[You have gained the skill <Heroic Sacrifice>]

[Heroic Resolve - Activated upon a mortal blow. Allows the user one final decisive action.]

[Heroic Sacrifice - Amplifies all parameters by one magnitude upon use at the cost of death after combat.]

[The Guide intervenes with the unfair balance.]

[The Lernaean Hydra is temporarily suppressed!]

"Vain!" Another voice. Freyr's. The silver-haired beauty came into view, standing in front of me.

Without me realizing it, the dark miasma had stopped. Like that last message said, the Lernaean Hydra was being suppressed.

Behind Freyr, I could see golden light pinning the mythical dragon down, piercing its body through like stakes into the ground. But its seven heads were staring at me, crimson eyes narrowed in a sharp glare.

It was bound right now, but that was only temporary.

Even as I watched, the light was fading.

So there wasn't any time. If we were going to do something, we needed to do it now.

Freyr looked at me, scanning me up and down, but as she did her expression grew more frantic.

I chuckled, a sound that ended up coming out like a lifetime smoker's gasp. "That bad, huh?"

"This is not the time to jest!" Freyr shouted and then started unbuckling her armor. "This... I will not let you perish! E-Even if...!"

I didn't know what she was doing. But I could guess.

Resolve filled her eyes, and from how she was trying to get undressed... It was probably that sort of ceremony. Like the one the Priestess and the Sword Maiden used on Goblin Slayer.

"Stop."

Freyr froze and then shook her head. "No! I will not-!"

"I... told you, didn't I?"

Dammit. This was why I never smoked. Stupid burnt lungs.

I coughed and forced a breath of air before saying, "I'll make sure... you get out of here."

Freyr's eyes widened before they started to blur with tears. "You idiotic mortal...! I do not need your assistance! No, your life is more valuable! To perish in a place like this without knowing anything...!"

I chuckled. "Who said... I'm going to die? Like I said... I'm good at... surviving. Though... this'll be tough."

I shifted my gaze back to the hydra.

The stakes of light were half-gone. In a few minutes... probably less, it would be back and with full power. So we needed to get rid of it before then.

"...Can you beat that?"

Freyr glanced at the hydra, her face somber. "I..." She shook her head.

Damn. So it really was a hopeless situation. That Administrator guy really wanted to just off the two of us... And judging from how he broke the rules, he didn't care how he did it.

Strength started to leave my body. It seemed like I didn't have much time left either.

"Alright. Then..." I took a deep breath and activated [Heroic Sacrifice].

Immediately, I felt a surge of power well up through my body and push back the fatigue.

Freyr gasped. "Vain... No! You... Do you understand what you just did?!"

"Don't know, don't care."

I could talk now. Good.

I stared at the hydra and said, "Listen closely. That thing is called the Lernaean Hydra. It's a divine mythical being created by Goddess Hera. As long as it has a single head, it will be immortal. But at the same time, each time you cut off a head, two will grow back. So you need to cut all of them off at once. It'll be tough with what you have right now though..."

Freyr's lightning couldn't break through Orochi's barrier. And since this was a 'cheat' monster dropped by that Administrator just to cause a party wipe, it was definitely going to be immune to her attacks.

So she needed a weapon. Another trump card that they didn't expect, just like [Heaven's Veil].

Freyr shook her head. "Vain. Please, reserve your strength! I... I will find a way! So-"

"Impossible. And dammit, I didn't want to have to do this, but it looks like I've got to."

I managed to pass off [A Different Path] earlier as 'luck', but it'd be impossible to do that in this situation. But that was the only way we were getting out of this mess.

The problem was, I didn't have any more bonus stat points to give up. And I was pretty sure I wouldn't be allowed to increase my debt. Right, Alice?

[I won't allow such a stupid idea again.]

Thought so.

The obvious thing would be to create a conceptual weapon with the Orochi heads. But considering that the Lernaean Hydra was on another tier... it would fall short.

We needed one though. A trump card to defeat that monster...

A sudden wave of fatigue.

My legs buckled and I started to fall over.

"Vain!" Freyr grabbed my body and held me close. Her clear blue eyes were blurred by tears, and I could feel faint drops splash on my cheeks. "S-Stay awake! I can save you, I promise! J-Just..."

I reached out and tapped her head. "Don't promise the impossible, silly."

Right.

Impossible.

This was a 'dead end.'

That Administrator guy got me good. No, I suppose it was me who got too cocky back then.

I should have realized that it wasn't over when I didn't get the mission complete prompt or the level up message.

"Hah... guess I got too caught up with trying to play the role of a hero."

Freyr shook her head. "No! You are a hero! No matter what... To me, at the least, y-you are...!" Her words caught in her throat and she shook her head again.

I chuckled. "In that case... I might as well play the part."

Hey, Alice. A conceptual weapon is something based off a 'concept' right? That means that it could also be based off a 'story,' right?

[...Yes? But I fail to see how this will help-]

[...]

[User- No, Vain. I do not approve of this plan.]

But it will work, right?

[...If creating a conceptual weapon in accordance with the events that have transpired... and paired with your history with Miss Freyr, the weight of such a 'story' should be sufficient to defeat the Lernaean Hydra. But Vain, the risk involved-]

That's all I need to know.

I stepped back from Freyr and said, "Could you draw your sword for me? I want to take a look at it."

"H-Huh?" Freyr blinked and did as I asked before holding it out to me. "Here." Faint hope filled her eyes and she said, "Do you have a plan?"

I nodded and lightly placed my hand over the pure white blade. "Yep. But it's going to be all on you, alright? I'll give you a sword to kill that thing, but I'll be completely out of commission afterwards. So... promise me that you'll be careful and not go crazy, alright?"

Freyr nodded, hope back in her eyes as well as clear trust. "I promise. But... What do you mean by 'not going crazy'?"

I stared at Freyr's face.

A beautiful young woman with ethereal silver hair and clear blue eyes. Someone that was far too naive for her own good and prone to unfortunate events. A 'Hero' that was meant to stand on a stage of her own and light the way.

Someone completely different from me who just wanted to get by here.

Did she sense something?

Freyr's eyes narrowed and she started to put her sword back. But before she could, I moved.

A sharp pain through my heart. At the same time...

[Divine Anathema activates in response to the Administrator's Divine Authority declaring the end!]

[No One's Story sneers at the gods that dare to enforce an absolute end!]

[World Creator (Minor) sketches out a new possibility in this hopeless situation!]

[The Flames of Muspell (Degraded) surge in response to its new master! It declares that it will create a new end unbound by the Fates and prophecy!]

Heh. Thought so. You bastards... Don't underestimate the skills of a storyteller in a world run by stories and myths.

[...Vain. You are indeed a man with an unpredictable fate.]

Obviously. Fate doesn't have a hold on me. Now, to prepare for my exit and for the hero to take the stage...

Freyr's eyes widened in shock. She looked down, staring at her blade that had been stained crimson with my blood. After that, she looked back at me, horrified. "V-Vain! You... No!" She tried to pull her blade back.

I stepped closer, pulling it towards my chest and piercing it through to the hilt.

As a result, I ended up leaning on Freyr, my head resting against her left shoulder. At the same time, I felt it. The power that I used to prop up my broken body began to leak, causing it to crumble into golden sparks. But before then...

[A Different Path bares its blade against the Fate that denies the future and assembles the scattered story fragments to reproduce an appropriate weapon!]

[The daughter of Odin, fated to a cruel end by the Fates.]

[A mortal who intervened in an attempt to defy her destiny and prophesized end.]

[Their meeting, beginning in cursed flames and ending in cursed flames.]

[The 'perfect' warrior who gained a 'mortal' heart through a chance meeting and inherited a fatal weakness.]

[A man who denied her love at first sight, stating that saving her was just a matter of course.]

[And a tale that ends with a tragic parting.]

[A Different Path reproduces the myth and declares a new ending, writing the story anew!]

[The Betrayed Valkyrie empathizes with the story and bestows her blessing to the unborn tale.]

[The King of Warriors refuses to allow a second tragedy and grants his strength to the unborn tale.]

[A God of Wisdom hesitates but accepts the encroachment upon his story and blesses the unborn tale.]

[<Nameless Ego Sword> crystallizes into <Volsunga: Epitaph of Vainglory>!]

[Absolute Judgment gazes down upon the scene.]

[The Nameless One scoffs and says that primordial beings should remain the mindless creatures they ought to be and refrain from mortal affairs.]

[Absolute Judgment's gaze is cancelled!]

[Hero Creator (Minor) has become Hero Creator]

Another flurry of system messages. But I didn't pay attention to them. Instead, I focused on the woman in front of me.

Freyr pulled me close and then whispered. "Why?"

A single word. But one filled with enough pain and anguish to last a lifetime.

In response to that...

"Isn't it obvious? Someone like you deserves a happy ending. So... see you soon, alright?"

I patted her back. Then...

[Vain! I am taking executive privilege and activating <Disengage>!]

...My vision started to fade and my consciousness grew faint. But before it completely vanished, I saw it.

Freyr's heartbroken and grief-stricken expression.

The surroundings, blurred as [Disengage] activated.

But within those blurred surroundings, I saw a few faint messages.

[The Nameless One is amused at your suffering. +1 bonus stat point.]

[The Timeless Savant of Accumulation laughs and asks how it feels to be the one causing misunderstandings now? +1 bonus stat point.]

[The Nameless Demon Lord is sympathetic with your situation and grants a small gift. +5 bonus stat points.]

[A Trickster God rolls in laughter at the drama and how you escaped the dead end written out by the Fates. He grants a small gift. +5 bonus stat points.]

[A God of Wisdom declares that he will not forgive you if you do not see the story through to the end.]

[A Goddess of Magic berates her husband and says that his intervening is what caused ruin last time.]

[A Betrayed Valkyrie says to treat her little sister well and not let her suffer the same tragic fate.]

[A King of Warriors says to prepare yourself. Once you have taken her hand, you cannot let go.]

[The Karmic Anomaly rolls his eyes and seals off the channel from all prying eyes. He says that this is a one-time favor and reminds you to not cause so much trouble next time. Also that you're stupid and need to think more broadly with your powers. +1 bonus stat points.]

Another flurry of messages. From them, it seemed that Freyr really was Odin's daughter.

But that wasn't the important part.

A few of those other titles. The ones that had 'The' instead of 'A'.

Weren't those-?

-V-

[Status Screen]

-Biography-

Name: Vain Glory

Age: 20 (Adjusted)

Race: Human (Heaven Defying)

Current Condition: Healthy

-Racial Traits-

Divine Anathema - Those not only forsaken by their gods, but those who have killed their gods and constructed their own. Drastically reduces effectiveness of Divine Attacks. Minor probability of obtaining partial Divine Authority through analysis and perception. Greatly increased hostility by Divine Beings.

-Traits-

Man of a Thousand Faces (Can filter emotions and experience through personas)

Well-Read (Increased intelligence growth)

Self-Determined (Luck is treated as 100 for calculations)

-Titles-

World Creator (Minor) - Allows construction of non-magical items through one's will

Hero Creator - Removes growth limitations on user and their allies. Rapidly accelerates growth of allies.

-Parameters-

Level: 5

Strength: 18

Agility: 20

Vitality: 18

Intelligence: 77

Mana: 70

Luck: 15 [100]

Bonus Stat Points: -97

-Skills-

No One's Story - A gambit that defies the gods through sacrificing one's identity and very memory. All attempts to scry your status are denied. Removes skill requirements. Memory and visualization abilities are enhanced.

A Different Path - Direct interference with a hero's fate, granting him a new path and divergent futures. Allows reproduction of 'conceptual weapons' provided the requisite materials. Allows reproduction of 'sword skills' provided the requisite understanding.

Flames of Muspell (Degraded) - A spark of the flames that will harken the end in Ragnarok. An authentic spark of the world-consuming flames that can burn even the divine. Immune to all but extreme temperature changes. Moderate resistance to Absolute Zero or Absolute Flame. Can summon a handful of Ragnarok's flames.

First Aid - A basic healing spell that stops bleeding and accelerates the body's natural regeneration.

Disengage - A skill that allows the user to immediately retreat from battle as well as return the user's condition to the state prior to engaging in combat. Can be used once per engagement per hostile opponent.

Loki's Blessing (Minor) - A blessing from the Trickster God, Loki. Can change and conceal one's appearance. Due to synergy with No One's Story, it is a flawless disguise, capable of fooling even Loki without intense scrutiny.

-Inventory-

N/A