I Can See the Comments on the Doomed Novel - Chapter 163



The Legacy of the God

After some time had passed since Jinwoo and his party set out.

Hela sat on her throne, gazing at her opponent with a weary expression.

“It’s been a while, Hela.”

A voice that was neither human, nor divine, nor truly belonging to a giant—an unwelcome sound.

The man with blue hair greeted her, his hand gripping a blazing sword.

The cursed sword that had brought ruin to her world.

Only one person in existence could wield that blade.

“Surtr, you look rather out of place.”

“Is that so? I’ve been told I’m quite the handsome one. But I wouldn’t know.”

“To take on the form of a dead god. How grotesque.”

“I had my reasons. It’s not like I enjoy appearing in this pitiful state. Now it’s time for me to kill you and claim your power to become perfect.”

The current owner of the body Surtr occupied was Freyja.

A member of the divine lineage that had been defeated by Surtr in the past Ragnarok.

A horrific monster that had destroyed the world and vanished.

And now, it had reappeared before her once more.

He chuckled, as if amused by something.

“By the way, Hela, you really are quite foolish.”

“Foolish?”

“Didn’t you already know you were going to die?”

Surtr raised his sword mockingly, as if to taunt her.

Beside her lay the corpse of the warrior who had fought to protect her.

The rest had been sent away to deal with the siege, leaving only the bare minimum of guards.

“If you know you’re going to perish, why not just run away? I don’t understand why you insist on enduring this, knowing full well what’s coming. Have you taken after Odin?”

“Do not utter that b*stard’s name in my presence.”

Hela rose from her throne.

“I am the queen who rules Niflheim, and the last remaining god in this world. Even if the end is destruction, I have a duty to witness it.”

“Even so, it’s all in vain. Look, in the end, everything is destined for destruction. Why bother trying to protect a world that’s already fallen?”

“It’s because there were those who taught me that it’s important to keep struggling without giving up.”

Hela suddenly recalled the humans who had appeared out of nowhere.

A world fated for ruin.

Hela could only move toward death.

Even knowing that, all she could do was wait.

Nights spent drinking had become a natural routine.

Drinking just to forget tomorrow.

Honestly, it didn’t even taste that good.

In a place she would have enjoyed alone.

Until those guys had barged in.

They had shared many stories.

Seen many sights.

Watched each other strive.

Felt and learned so much.

“You know, a god like you or me isn’t always better than a human.”

“What?”

“Heh! In the fate I once knew, there shouldn’t have been a single warrior left in Niflheim. This castle should be burning, and my surroundings should be filled with corpses.”

“…….”

“Originally, this world was meant to burn away. But look, this world is still full of greenery!”

Hela laughed confidently as she gazed at the impending ruin before her.

“In the end, you were supposed to kill me, and you would have been left alone to witness this world’s downfall. But look. The hero meant to defeat you is rushing here now.”

In his eyes, there was a vibrant energy that made it hard to believe he was someone who had vanished.

“This is all the result of effort and struggle. You will never know these things.”

“What does it matter? Gods will disappear and be destroyed anyway.”

“Just because that existence fades away doesn’t mean that ‘value’ disappears too. Even if all stories come to an end, the next story will continue. Even if our myths vanish, there are humans who will carry what they’ve learned here. That alone is enough for a god’s role.”

As if there was no more worth in listening.

Flames erupted from Surtr’s sword.

“…Even so, the outcome remains unchanged: you will die. You are not a god skilled in battle.”

—

“I must have told you. I will struggle until the end.”

Magic surged from Hela’s body.

It almost felt like her black hair was rippling with the energy.

“I am Hela, Queen of Niflheim. Do not think I will quietly offer my neck.”

We hurriedly disembarked from the ship and rushed to the castle.

We ran towards the throne where Hela would be.

In the corridor, there were blazing flames and fallen soldiers.

The thick smell of blood was palpable.

A foreboding aura emanated from everywhere.

The now familiar presence of death.

With each step, it became more vivid.

No one spoke as we ran.

Even though we hoped otherwise.

Deep down, we already knew the outcome.

Finally, I reached the throne and opened the door.

“Ah… you have come?”

Hela was still sitting on the throne.

Her face, already pale, was now ghostly white.

A large wound from a sword pierced her chest.

The blood from it had soaked her black dress.

For an ordinary person, it would not be strange to die immediately.

I ran straight to her and pressed the wound with my hand.

“Eve, Eunbyul! Treat her immediately…!”

“Stop it.”

But Hela pushed my hand away.

With a face like a mother soothing a child.

“It’s already too late. I know my body best.”

“We don’t know yet! If we treat you, maybe…!”

“This is my fate. The battles from now on will be even fiercer. Do not waste your strength.”

—

Outside the window, a giant of colossal size was rising.

From its body, flames erupted in a continuous surge.

If a volcano were to be transformed into a giant, would it look like this?

The sheer enormity of it instilled terror in anyone who beheld it.

“Heh, at least my struggles weren’t in vain. I thought I was destined to die alone and lonely. To die while so many of these creatures mourn for me…”

My companions approached Hela.

They wept at the sight of her wounds or bit their lips in anguish.

Everyone present already sensed it.

Hela’s story was coming to an end.

“I’m sorry… I forced this upon you.”

Yuri spoke, her face twisted as if her heart were being ripped out.

Hela, on the brink of death, couldn’t help but chuckle at her.

“Don’t be mistaken. This was my fate from the start. I was going to die anyway… I just thought of a way to give that damned fire giant a bit of a hard time. If I hadn’t, I would have simply met my end in vain.”

Hela turned her gaze to Hyena.

“Hyena.”

“Yes, I’m here.”

“You’ve had a hard time keeping company with a goddess of such a foul temperament.”

“It was a good time for me as well. I will engrave every word you’ve shared in my heart, Hela.”

“Heh, this is my final gift to you.”

A black sphere formed in Hela’s hand.

It soon nestled into Hyena’s embrace.

“What is this…?”

“It’s the power to wield Niflheim. It’s one of the few abilities I possess. When fighting such a monster, one should at least have a ship to sail.”

“Hela…”

Tears streamed down Hyena’s face, unable to be contained.

Hela looked at her with compassion before turning away.

Standing there were the warriors who had served her.

“Thank you as well. For serving such a goddess until the very end.”

“Serving you, Hela! It has been an honor beyond compare for us!”

At their spirited response, Hela smiled with satisfaction.

“Ha ha! I thought this world and fate were damned… but, well, it turned out to be quite a decent life.”

Gradually, her eyes began to close.

“Finally… I can meet Dad and my brother.”

With her eyes fully shut, Hela remained still.

Soon, her body slowly transformed into particles of light and vanished.

We continued to gaze at the throne even after she had completely disappeared.

The goddess who had watched over the world until the very end, even after Ragnarok.

Her absence was far greater than we could have imagined.

This world, now without her, would surely struggle to endure.

– KWA-aaaNG!

As if to declare that there was no future left in this world.

Surtr swung his sword with great force.

With that single blow, a part of the castle was obliterated.

It was truly a disaster, or rather, the very essence of destruction.

Could we even win if we fought?

I had never thought such a thing before.

For the first time, I couldn’t figure out how to move.

‘If only I could do something about that sword…’

“What… are we supposed to do now?”

Suddenly, the one who spoke was Hild.

Her face, previously devoid of emotion, now seemed almost unrecognizable.

It was filled with an expression of deep anxiety.

“If there are no gods left… I… we…”

“We have to fight.”

Yuri had drawn her sword and was looking up at the giant.

“The one who killed Hela is that fire giant. Surtr, was it? We can’t just leave it like this.”

Yuri, I, everyone.

We owed a debt to Hela that we could never repay.

Now, all that remained for us was to bring down that monster.

“…….I don’t know.”

However, Hild still shook her head.

“I am a Valkyrie. If there is no one to give me orders… I can do nothing.”

Her hands trembled faintly.

“I don’t know. I don’t understand emotions. I can’t make any decisions on my own.”

Her eyes were like those of a child who had lost their parents.

“The only one left, Hela, has vanished. What are we fighting for… why… should we fight? I don’t understand.”

I tried to respond to Hild’s words.

But faster than I could.

Eunbyeol grabbed her by the collar.

“Ugh, Eunbyeol?”

“Listen well, Hild. Hela is dead!”

In terms of raw strength, Eunbyeol was no match for Hild.

Yet Hild was lifted so easily by her.

“She’s not coming back. There are no simple gods left to guide your life! Are you just going to stand by?”

“Then… what should I do?”

“Do what your heart tells you! Think for yourself, and do what you want! Hela always wanted that! Why are you the only one who doesn’t understand!”

“My heart? What… what does that even mean?”

“What you hold in your chest right now! That’s what I’m talking about!”

From noble mtl dot com

As Eunbyeol looked at Hild, whose face was on the verge of tears,

She herself pointed at the throne where Hela had vanished, tears streaming down her face.

“Damn it! Hela, who was so kind to us, has ended up like this! Aren’t you angry? You’re just going to stand there, indifferent, while that b*stard of a fireball is still out there! Don’t you want to kill that b*stard?”

Hild quietly stared at Eunbyeol.

Soon, her gaze shifted to the throne, and this time to Surtr.

“I…”

Then her small lips slowly parted.

“Hela took me in when I was lost and wandering. She guided me when I didn’t know what to do. She made a place for me when I was no longer needed…”

Her eyes gradually regained their strength.

“Is it true that I can never see her again? Are all the gods I serve dead? Did that giant do this?”

White wings unfurled from her back.

“What burns in this heart… is that what you call a heart?”

Hild gazed at the spear that Hela had entrusted to her.

She caressed it as if it were a treasure that could not be exchanged for anything else.

– Here, take it.

– Why are you giving this to me?

– It is the spear used by Odin. Who better than you to wield it?

– Can someone like me really hold this?

– What nonsense are you talking? You are the one I trust the most.

Gungnir.

The divine spear said to have been wielded by Odin.

The first time she grasped that weapon.

It felt strangely familiar in her hands.

“Indeed. I have been… receiving it all along, and I have known.”

As she raised the spear, said to never miss its mark against any giant.

Hild shouted for the first time.

“My name is Hild. The last Valkyrie. The one who carries out the gods’ commands. I will fulfill that destiny… right here and now.”

With her wings fluttering, Hild soared into the sky.

Without giving anyone a chance to stop her, she flew straight toward the fire giant that would bring about the world’s destruction.

Her figure resembled a blue meteor slicing through the heavens.

Soon, Surtr swung his sword at Hild, who had pierced him with Gungnir.

The two collided, unleashing a brilliant light.