The green-haired Valkyrie weaved through the crowd against the flow of people. The artificial people created earlier hadn't vanished; instead, they continued to obstruct her path. Driven to desperation, Wendy leaped onto a wall and began leaping across rooftops.
She finally stopped atop a clock tower, where a silver-haired girl with crimson eyes, clad in black feathered robes, floated in mid-air, blocking her way.
Muninn, her face twisted into a scowl, glared at the green-haired Valkyrie darting erratically before her. The green-haired girl, in turn, stared at the seemingly empty space in front of her, where the mysterious silver-haired girl stood. Suddenly, courage surged back into her heart, and she returned the glare with equal defiance.
"What are you looking at?! Haven't you ever seen a Valkyrie of Schicksal before...? Move aside already! I'm trying to escape!" Blocked from her path, Wendy lost her usual composure in her desperation and lunged forward, attempting to bypass the silver-haired girl. Predictably, she was stopped again.
The green-haired Valkyrie, seething with frustration, could only glare helplessly at the silver-haired girl blocking her path.
You could at least say something... Wait, who even are you...?
"My name is Muninn," the silver-haired girl announced in a haughty tone. "I am the Venerable God's eyes and ears, the Divine Master's Apostle, the Monarch of Memory—the Chosen One. Come with me. Lady Othinus wishes to see you."
Then, Wendy's words completely shattered Miss Muninn's composure.
"Oh, Muninn? Isn't that Odin's bird...? So you're a bird person?"
Wendy's interest in the silver-haired girl suddenly surged.
"Bird... bird... bird-person?! Even if the Venerable God has chosen you, that doesn't give you the right to insult me!"
Enraged, Muninn's black feathered cloak surged with gray mist, which coalesced into a silver hammer in the girl's hand.
"Huh? Miss Bird-Person, can't we talk this out nicely? Why do you have to hit people for no reason?"
Boom!
"Memory Erasure Technique (Physical)!" As Muninn's furious shout rang out, the thunderous roar of her swinging hammer followed, golden lightning crashing down on Wendy's original position.
"Memory Erasure Technique (Physical), my ass! Miss Bird-Person, one swing of that hammer would send anyone straight to Valhalla—!"
Boom! Thunder roared again.
"And wait, aren't you Muninn? Where did you even pull Thor's Mjolnir from—?!"
Muninn wielded the silver hammer, summoning lightning that chased the insolent green-haired Valkyrie across the rooftops, driving her all the way toward Asgard's Golden Palace.
"Still calling me bird-person... I see you don't take me seriously at all, you impudent wretch!!!"
Seething with anger, Muninn accelerated, catching up to Wendy, who was darting erratically ahead. She reached out and grabbed Wendy by the collar.
The green-haired girl twisted her head to look back, only to see a small face with crimson eyes and murder written all over it.
"Waaah—!"
Wendy's scream, as if she'd seen a demon, was cut short as her rear made intimate contact with Mjolnir, the silver-haired girl's thunder hammer. The butt and hammer engaged in a frank exchange, fully sharing their opinions and enhancing their mutual understanding...
...culminating in the green-haired Valkyrie being flung into Asgard's Golden Court at supersonic speed, skidding to a halt face-first right in front of the golden-haired girl as the final act of this exchange.
"..." Snow tilted her head, observing the Valkyrie sprawled before her in a pose that seemed to beg for more.
"It seems you and Muninn are getting along quite well..."
The God on the Divine Seat nodded, drawing her conclusion.
"Getting along my ass! Which of your eyes saw us getting along? That electrified hammer to my butt nearly made me piss myself!"
It seemed Miss Muninn had ultimately held back. At least Wendy still had the strength to shout and scream, and hadn't actually wet herself... Of course, as a disembodied consciousness, Wendy probably couldn't even pee at this point anyway...
"...Aren't you enjoying yourself? Muninn rarely wields that hammer... She even pulled it out just for you?"
The golden-haired God shook her head, amusement dancing in her eyes as she regarded Wendy.
"Do you perhaps have some... misunderstanding of what 'friendly interaction' and 'pleasant companionship' mean? Are you... Odin... or the Honkai Will?"
Wendy's expression turned serious.
"Ha ha... Why do you always think I'm the Honkai Will, you adorable little thing?"
The golden-haired God flashed an amused smile, scrutinizing the Valkyrie before her.
"According to Schicksal's records, every myth and legend in this world is connected to the Honkai... In ancient tales, these supernatural beings—Pseudo-Herrschers and Honkai Beasts—were mistaken for gods by ignorant people, who even worshipped them."
"God enthroned upon the Divine Throne, you can't deceive me! You'll never break my will! Honkai Will!"
The Valkyrie's green eyes glared at the young goddess before her.
"...!"
The goddess stared silently at the Valkyrie until Muninn stormed back into the Golden Palace, clutching her hammer.
"Master! She called me a bird person!" The silver-haired girl, seething with indignation, immediately reported to the two locked in their standoff.
"Bird person... Hmm... That seems accurate, doesn't it? Muninn, my child, aren't you a raven by nature?"
The golden-haired goddess pondered for a moment before nodding, cutting off Muninn's prepared retort mid-sentence.
"Aaaaargh..." Unable to find comfort from her Divine Master, the silver-haired girl shot Wendy a venomous glare before stomping off in a huff.
Just you wait!
Wendy could read only this one meaning in the girl's eyes.
"The little one's growing up... Sigh, even raising birds is hard these days..."
The golden-haired goddess shook her head and turned to Wendy.
"No matter what you think... those are merely your thoughts. Gifts a god bestows sometimes leave you no choice but to accept..."
The God before her flashed a mischievous grin, extending a finger to tap the green-haired Valkyrie's forehead.
"Hey! Wait a minute! This is highway robbery!" the Valkyrie protested loudly.
"Heh... I respect your choice, but I will still give you this gift. However—whether you open it, when you open it, and why you open it will be entirely up to you."
The golden-haired girl smiled serenely.
"Those are wings—wings that will allow you to soar like a bird to the heavens. Wings that will free you from the shackles of the mortal world."
"Ah, one more thing—I'm not the Honkai Will. My fellow resident wouldn't waste time lecturing Apostles or mortals like this. He's a riddle-maker."