Valkyrie Smash

"Very perceptive of you." Said Selene.

The tension between them seemed to rise drastically. His taunt didn't yield the intended results despite that as the woman didn't release the pressure from before. He began to think that what happened previously was nothing more than a test.

Turning away from him, the mysterious woman started walking. As soon as her right foot touched the ground, the scenery around them changed for the second time.

Power left Sam the moment he laid his eyes on their surroundings. The sky was dark, an endless cloud of smoke blocking the light from reaching them. Whether it was the left or the right, back or front, in every direction there was nothing but piles of burning rubble. Countless buildings lit up with raging azure fires, casting an ominous blue glow on the trashed vehicles.

For an instant, the nightmares returned to torment him, bringing memories of that harrowing day. Something ugly raged inside him, striking violently at the chains restricting his emotions as it fought to free itself, but his hold didn't waver and he soon regained his calm.

After observing his surroundings a little, Sam extended his right hand toward a pile of blazing debris. He felt no warmth from the dancing tongues of fire which confirmed his doubts about the things he was seeing being real.

"We aren't so different, you and I." The enchanting voice drew his attention back to the mysterious woman. "Neither of us want the despotic tyrants to get what they want, and peace is all we desire."

"That we can agree on," Sam replied. "But was there a need to bring us here? I can't help but think such scenery is nothing but bad taste."

"It's awfully easy to forget the reason for why one must continue to fight." She answered. "This place serves as a reminder. I go back to it whenever I need to strengthen my conviction."

'Bullshit…'

Strengthen her conviction? To him, it appeared more like she was trying to weaken his.

"Those are some ominous words." As he spoke, Sam was careful of every word he chose.

"You don't have to worry. Neither I nor my allies have any intention of getting in your way." She turned to him with an elegant smile. "I believe the other types will be enough of a hurdle."

Sam frowned despite himself. She was right; even if her goal was to ensure no one reached Akasha, it would be far more efficient to let the other participants fight it among themselves instead of trying to stop each and every one of them. With his Realm still going through its first Ascension, he was still at the very last spot in the race making him an easy target for the other participants.

"So you'll let the others try their luck, and if I survive, you'll take care of me yourself?"

"So far we don't have anything to justify disposing of you," Selene replied. "I still hold the hope that you'll change your mind and side with us."

"And I assume your justifications aren't for me to know."

"Power corrupts, Doctor Sanderson. Sooner or later you'll find yourself bathed in blood, and once that happens, we the Devas will come for you."

Before he knew it, Sam was back in the hallway. It was a drastic transition just like those that came before, with no signs or forewarning, reminiscent of a simple slide change during a representation.

"Wohoooo! You're the best, Doctor!"

A slap on the back shook him out of his stupor. Turning around he found CS giving him a wide grin. Trenta was there as well, looking as disinterested as ever.

"A-ah… right…"

He couldn't help the puzzled look that took over his face and the two Valkyries were quick to notice.

"Is something the matter, Doctor?" Trenta asked, her eyes turning sharp.

"... No, I just spaced out for a second, that's all."

He brought his phone out and checked the time only to see that not a minute had passed. The signal was back as well so he guessed that he was back in the real world.

'This is getting out of hand…'

The illusions Selene showed him were so real that he began to question everything around him. Though it seemed like he was back, the possibility that the mysterious woman still had him in her trap pulled on his nerves, escalating the stress he felt and adding to his exhaustion.

Thinking about it was a waste of effort. As he had no way of sensing the influence of a being on her level, Sam had no choice but to go on with his life and hope that he didn't discover he was living in a simulation all along.

"Hm?"

Just as he was about to put away his phone, he noticed something peeking out of his pocket. It was a folded sheet of paper, one he didn't remember having before. As weird as it seemed, he went and opened it out of curiosity. Not long after a frown took over his face and he put it away.

"I need some sleep."

~[ ]~

In the days leading up to the award ceremony, Sam had to go without sleep most nights. There was a lot to do and very little time so a sacrifice had to be made, and thanks to his new body, the physical exhaustion that would've killed him before didn't pose a threat.

That said, his encounter with the mysterious white-haired woman had drained him mentally, so much so that he decided to drop everything he had and hopped into his bed the moment he arrived at his room.

'... I want to go home…'

Sadly the magic of a good night's sleep didn't seem to work this time, leaving him as stressed as before. Knowing what he had on his schedule for that morning, he lost any interest he had in leaving his bed.

'The Devas, huh…'

Sam wanted to avoid thinking about the conversation he had with Selene as much as he could, mainly because no good would come from dwelling on it. The gap separating them was far too wide, and with his Realm being only one rank away from the bottom, trying to search for a way to fight back was a fool's errand.

'Space and time manipulation, huh…' The urge to urinate got to him just then. 'The tea was real, at least…'

He pushed himself up but froze just as he was about to remove the blanket. Heaving a sigh, he slowly shook his head and reprimanded himself for not noticing earlier.

"... Miku…"

He expected Nino to be the one who sneaked into his bed so it came as a surprise when he saw the petite blonde instead. Things have been a bit awkward between them lately so it warmed his heart to see her join him, but at the same time, it was somewhat bad news since he warned his personal Valkyries to keep their special relationship a secret for the duration of their visit to the first settlement.

'Well, whatever…'

He spent a couple of minutes watching the sleeping beauty before leaving to prepare himself. While brushing his teeth, he checked the headlines using the augmented reality function of his glasses and thankfully nothing major happened while he was out of it.

'The Aurora's video is causing an uproar, huh…'

With everything that has been revealed it only made sense for the public to be in a state of unrest. It made him feel bad for resting when the entire world was in such a state.

Opinions were divided, but the least vocal among them were those skeptical of everything pertaining to the Awakening. Credibility was one of the major concerns when it came to his plans for the humans so Sam felt relieved when he saw that barely anyone questioned the reveal.

The Resistance was bombarded with phone calls asking for clarification but thankfully things didn't escalate to complete chaos. For the time being, at the very least, it didn't appear like they strayed from the path Nino had foreseen.

"Do~ctaa~~~" A drowsy voice called from the other room.

Waving his right hand, Sam dismissed the windows floating in front of him and rinsed his mouth with some water.

"Why didn't you~… wake me up…"

Miku entered the bathroom with a hand on her mouth, yawning with her eyes still closed. Her light pink pajamas were in a mess and its top seemed like it was about to fall at any moment.

"You were so cute I just couldn't." He replied. "Make sure you're fully awake before teleporting, okay? I don't mind that you sneaked into my room, but you have to be careful when going back to yours."

"Oka~~y…"

From the looks of it, the petite blonde needs some more time before she fully awakens. Because of that she slowly walked back to the bed and dropped face down on it, hoping five more minutes would help.

"... I guess it'll be Trenta and… Five, huh…"

While all of his personal Valkyries took on the role of guarding him during this trip, Sam had to choose the two who would get to stand behind him throughout the upcoming press conference.

He had to be careful with his selection as they would appear in the broadcast and photos captured by the reporters, and since they were the best at keeping neutral expressions, Trenta and Five were his choice this time.

This chapter upload first at NovelBin.Com