Otherwise, you can find another savior.

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In particular, the design features a rather daring exposed chest area, highlighting the different personalities and tastes of Skadi and Scáthach.

“My beloved student certainly thinks it looks just like her,” Scáthach said repeatedly. “It’s like looking in a mirror.”

“I didn’t change into this outfit for no reason; I’ll explain the reason later.” Skadi was unaware that her clothes were more revealing than Scáthach’s.

In her mind, this level of exposure was within a reasonable range and better showcased her charm as a goddess.

“Then, come closer to me,” Skadi whispered, directing the others to move closer.

Then, several identical white-cloaked Valkyries surrounded them.

After confirming that there were no problems, Skadi gently raised her wand, and the light of the runes flashed. A teleportation spell constructed from the runes appeared beneath everyone's feet.

Compared to the one Shiomi used, it was more complex, and he could see that the transfer efficiency was also higher.

The only problem is that this complicated magic circle needs to be drawn in advance.

As the light flashed, the surrounding scenery changed, and we arrived at a place similar to, yet different from, the royal palace.

A somewhat dilapidated temple, blending seamlessly into the snow-covered mountains, with only its tightly closed doors indicating the location of the entrance.

Outside the gate, two more Valkyries, clearly not mass-produced models, were waiting at the entrance.

"Otlind, Hilde, prepare to receive them."

After the transfer magic ended, Slud, who was traveling with them, immediately stepped forward and spoke to the two Valkyries who were waiting for them.

"Your Majesty Scáthach, Valhalla is ready and can open its gates at any time to welcome you and your guests."

"Yes, very good."

Skadi nodded in satisfaction.

Chapter 24 Valhalla (2)

Shiomi and the others were puzzled by Skadi's matter-of-fact attitude.

"Wait a minute, isn't Valhalla supposed to require me to go in and undergo trials?" Xi Si asked.

Skadi nodded: "It's understandable that you're confused, since I didn't explain the specifics of this trial beforehand. As you've heard, you're not the only one entering Valhalla. As the last god of Norse mythology, I will also enter with you to assist you in completing the trial."

“…In that case, why can’t we let them—” Shiomi objected, turning to look at Scáthach and the others.

If the trial is exceptionally difficult, and Xijian may not be able to complete it alone, then it is reasonable for her to need an accompaniment.

But compared to Skadi, whom she had only met three times and barely spoken to, Shiomi trusted Morgan, her master, and Artoria, who had fought alongside her through countless arduous battles, as well as Touko, who was a top-tier human magician.

Each of them is more trustworthy to Shiomi than Skadi.

“That’s what I wanted to say too.” Skadi’s lips pressed into a line, seemingly displeased by Shiomi’s reaction. “But this is the design that Odin left behind, and even I can’t change it.”

This reaction is as if to say, if you want to complain, complain to Odin, provided that Shiomi can see Odin.

Realizing Skadi's thoughts, Shiomi could only curse inwardly. If he had known it would turn out this way, he should have grabbed Grim, who was acting as his agent, and given him a good scolding.

Although Odin in Pan-Human History and Odin in Lostbelt cannot be completely equated.

“Since it’s Odin’s arrangement, we can only accept it.” Morgan reached out to straighten Shiomi’s collar. “Originally, the reason for not returning directly to the main camp but entering this Lostbelt was to see if there were any traces related to Odin. Now that the opportunity is right in front of us, we can only endure the slight unpleasantness, my husband.”

"I understand the reasoning," tide Jian replied with a wry smile.

“According to the traditions of mythology, Valhalla is a hall for welcoming fallen warriors. As the living, we cannot predict what we will encounter there.” Morgan paused, his hands tidying his collar. “Be careful in everything you do.”

Scáthach nodded in agreement: "The Chaldeans will arrive in this area soon. If anything unexpected happens, we will immediately rendezvous with StormBorder."

"Just in case, should we prepare another Noble Phantasm?" Artoria thought for a moment, then held the Holy Sword out to Shio. "If it's you, you should be able to withstand the light of the Star Holy Sword."

tide Jian was stunned: "You are the king chosen by the Holy Sword, are you really okay?"

“The Holy Sword is a light born to protect humanity, and I now hope it can become your power within Valhalla,” Artoria said, looking at him.

She was genuinely worried about Shiomi, because he was going to a place they couldn't observe, which was why she came up with this idea.

"Then I'll borrow it for now." tide Jian knew that she still had the Holy Lance, so she accepted the offer to borrow the Holy Sword.

Even without the 'Wind King Barrier', the Holy Sword's blade still radiates a golden glow, as dazzling as hope.

Holding it in her hand, Shio felt as if she could sense the prayers from the planet, and her Star Eyes, along with the magic of the Holy Sword, seemed to want to manifest.

"Speaking of which, apart from us and the Queen's people, Miss Famsolone isn't here."

Orange noticed that besides them, there was only Skadi and three Valkyries present; there was no one else.

Orange knew that Gerda was left in the castle to wait patiently.

However, Ophelia, the hidden one in charge of this Lostbelt, did not appear, which was quite surprising.

“Ophelia isn’t interested in this, so let her be.” Skadi clearly didn’t mind Ophelia acting alone. “Besides, with the Valkyries and me here, the capital is empty, and we do need her to stay behind.”

Speaking of distrust, Skadi is pretty much the same.

She already knew that Shiomi and her group were just the vanguard, and that the warship, serving as a mobile base for Chaldea, had not yet appeared.

If Chaldea were to seize this opportunity to launch a surprise attack on the royal city and occupy it, the mass-produced Valkyries alone would likely be unable to resist.

"Oh, really?" tide Jian said thoughtfully.

Ophelia's Servant Saber's recovery progress is unknown, and there are also hidden agents lurking in the shadows...

Thinking of this, he glanced at Morgan, who was still adjusting her collar, without making a sound. She immediately gave him a knowing smile and lowered her eyes.

The gates of Valhalla are located in the mountainous region to the northwest of the royal city. From here, one can see a part of the ice and snow-covered royal city across the mountains.

Considering the interference from the Royal City's barrier, Morgan's Mirror Image can also be moved to the vicinity of the Royal City, where it can merge with the StormBorder soldiers that will land at that time.

"Are you ready?"

Meanwhile, Skadi had Valkyrie prepare to open the gates of Valhalla.

As beings who welcome the souls of fallen warriors into this temple, they bear the responsibility of opening the gates and preventing unauthorized persons from freely entering and leaving Valhalla.

The gate, crafted from heavy stone and encased in ice, began to glow with light, which seeped through the cracks, guided by three Valkyries.

On the top beam of the door, a string of words written by Rune lit up.

"Become your own master..." Shio realized the meaning of this phrase at the beginning of the year.

“Or rather, ‘taking control of oneself’,” Scáthach added. “It’s all the same thing. Although I think my beloved student definitely needs to learn how to take control of himself.”

Shio-mi immediately felt a little deflated: "That's not what I meant, is it..."

Then, the four of them patted her on the back one after another to encourage her. Shiomi took a step forward and walked to Skadi's side, waiting with her for the door to open.

As the three Valkyries sang ancient melodies in soft voices, the gate slid open with a heavy thud.

The ice, which never melts, suddenly shattered at this moment, falling to the ground and smashing into pieces.

Even as thick icicles brushed past their cheeks and fell to the ground, the three Valkyries remained unmoved, faithfully carrying out their mission.

After a near-earthquake-like tremor, the mountainous area returned to calm.

The bright light from inside the open door made it impossible to see what was inside.

Shio felt a chill run down his spine. He immediately became alert and reached out his hand to Skadi.

"What do you mean?" Skadi frowned.

"To prevent us from drifting apart after entering the gate due to the inner trials," tide Jian said seriously. "Take my hand."

"...This is far too cautious."

Skadi hesitated for a moment, then slowly placed her hand in Shiomi's palm, which he then grasped.

The two stepped into the door together.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, it disappeared into the light, and the door closed again afterward.

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Process of Getting to Know Each Other

As the goddess of ice and snow, Skadi prefers the cold and is not used to things that are warm or even hot.

So when they entered Valhalla, Shiomi held her hand in her palm the whole time. Skadi was quite uncomfortable with the warmth of her hand covering her palm.

As the last goddess of the Norse world, Skadi ruled this world for 3000 years. She regarded all life, including the Valkyries, as her own children and loved them equally.

This applies to all kinds of giants, as well as the tens of thousands of humans remaining in those 100 villages.

Skadi loved all life equally, yet she never let any life get so close to her, or even hold her hand.

As the gates of Valhalla closed behind her, Skadi's eyes gradually returned to their original focus from the dazzling light. Though only a few seconds had passed, it felt surprisingly long.

After seeing the scene clearly and confirming that Skadi was also there, Shiomi naturally released her hand.

Skadi seemed to wake from a dream as her tightly clenched hand suddenly loosened, and pulled her hand away.

"This is strange. Is this the interior of Valhalla?" Shiomi started walking, slowly but surely, along the stone-paved path. "It's not quite what I expected. Do you know where we should go next, Skadi?"

“Hmm?” Skadi paused, “I don’t know much about Valhalla. Odin just entrusted me with the prophecy and this place, that’s all.”

Her tone was somewhat hurried, as if she was afraid that Xijian would notice that she was daydreaming.

"Are you really okay, Skadi?" He turned around and looked at Skadi, who was about five or six meters away from him.

“It’s alright, it’s just a little…” Skadi began to answer, but met Shiomi’s eyes, and her words involuntarily stopped.

Star-like patterns appeared, and his eyes were one red and one blue.

Magic Eye.

Shiomi is scrutinizing Skadi with her magic eyes.

“Star Eyes.” Skadi recognized the eyes and quickly calmed down. “Who exactly are you? As far as I know, these eyes are something that no human can bear or control.”

"That's a long story." tide Jian blinked slowly, her magic eye closing again. "It seems to be the real deal. I thought that the moment I held your hand as I entered, Valhalla switched you with someone else."

Skadi was slightly displeased: "This level of response may not be outside Valhalla's expected range. If you underestimate it because of this, it will not be good for me."

"Then could you please stop being so distracted, Skadi?" Shio chuckled. "You've been absent-minded ever since you came in."

“You were in the wrong first for touching me without permission.” Skadi walked towards Shiomi unhurriedly. “As the mother of all things, no one in this world has ever had the honor of touching my hand.”

tide Jian looked at her, somewhat speechless: "Yes, yes, I'm really sorry for contacting you without permission in order to be wary of Valhalla's traps."

“...I don’t need you to apologize, because you were originally mine—” Skadi’s voice trailed off, and by the last half of the sentence, her lips had stopped moving.

Clearly, there's something she can't say openly for the time being. Perhaps due to her goddess-like reserve or something else, she needs more time to prepare herself mentally.

Even goddesses cannot escape the formalities and rituals.

"What?" Shio was concerned. He hadn't heard clearly at all, since Skadi had stopped talking halfway through her sentence.

Skadi frowned slightly, raising her eyes to refuse Shiomi's question, but suddenly paused in surprise: "After—"

Before she could finish saying "behind," Shiomi, who was holding the Star Holy Sword, changed her hand position on the hilt and suddenly turned around to slash out with her sword.

The warrior's spirit, clad in armor, was severed at the waist by Shiomi and rolled to the ground.

The glowing body, made of magic and filling the inside of the armor, vanished in an instant, losing all its vitality.

"The souls of fallen soldiers? No, they're just spirit soldiers made of pure magic." Shiomi slightly adjusted the way she gripped her longsword.

His habit of using a long spear does not mean he is not skilled with other weapons.

As Scáthach's disciple, Shiomi has been honed by her master to be proficient in all kinds of weapons, and longswords are no problem for her.

The last time I used a longsword was during the Fifth Holy Grail War, when I borrowed Durandal from Archer's Reality Marble to kill Heracles.

"My skills aren't rusty yet," tide Jian thought to herself.

"It seems the trial has already begun." Skadi gripped her wand, which resembled a pointer.

She also possesses dual pistols, which seem to be derived from Scáthach, a constituent element of her being. This origin is similar to the origin of her Noble Phantasm, possibly a blessing of power from vanished gods.

"This should just be an appetizer, otherwise, with only this many spirit soldiers, it wouldn't be a trial." tide Jian raised her sword and looked at the spirit soldiers emerging from the thick fog.

They were now deep inside a place that resembled a dilapidated temple, surrounded by mist.

“It seems you are not only skilled in magic, but also an excellent warrior,” Skadi said slowly. “Fight with peace of mind, I will support you with magic.”

tide Jian smiled: "Provided there's still time—"

"what?"

Before Skadi could react, Shiomi had already charged into the spirit soldiers like a beam of light.

Whether the opponent's weapon was a giant axe or a hammer, or an archer standing on high ground drawing a bowstring in an attempt to ambush Skadi, Shiomi killed them all with lightning speed.