My Wives are Beautiful Demons

The silence that followed was dense enough to make even the distant sounds of the towers seem to disappear. Freya remained motionless, paler than Heimdall. Vergil merely adjusted the sleeve of his coat where the chains had touched him, as though the rebellion were not a complete surprise.

Heimdall tried to speak without moving his neck.

"How..."

Brynhildr pressed the spear a little harder.

"I told you to be silent."

Vergil allowed a brief smile to escape.

"It seems you made your decision. Although I thought you could have warned me first."

Brynhildr looked at him and, for the first time since ordering their release, her expression softened. Not much. Only enough to show that the remark was not an unexpected accusation.

"I needed to convince all the Valkyries before deciding this," she replied. "A rebellion carried out by half a dozen warriors would be crushed before the end of the day. A decision made by all of us is something else."

Heimdall raised his voice, ignoring the spearhead.

"Traitors! All of you swore loyalty to Asgard!"

Several Valkyries tightened their grips on their weapons.

Brynhildr did not lose her composure.

"We swore to protect the Nine Realms, guide the worthy dead, defend the living when necessary, and maintain the routes under our responsibility. We never swore to accept eternal servitude while Odin changed the meaning of our orders whenever it suited him."

"You serve the All-Father!"

"We have served him for ages." Brynhildr’s voice grew harder. "We fought in wars we did not begin. We collected the dead from battlefields created by the mistakes of gods. We carried souls to halls where men were celebrated while our names were forgotten. We were sent against giants, demons, monsters, kings, and armies. When we returned wounded, we received another order. When one of us died, Odin called it a necessary sacrifice and sent another to take her place."

Heimdall clenched his teeth.

"That is the duty of a Valkyrie."

"No." Brynhildr leaned closer without lowering the spear. "That was the duty chosen for us."

The warriors around her maintained their positions. Some had fresh marks on their armor. Others carried wounds that had not healed properly, probably the result of attacks along the routes of Helheim. These were not women convinced by a sudden speech. They were soldiers who had accumulated centuries of obedience until there was no room left for another order.

Brynhildr continued.

"When the routes to Helheim began to fail, we asked for reinforcements. Odin sent contradictory instructions. When our sisters lost contact with Midgard, he demanded that we maintain the flow toward Valhalla. When some became trapped between realms, he ordered silence to avoid panic in Asgard. When we asked to search for the missing, he called us undisciplined."

Freya looked at the Valkyries as though seeing them for the first time. She knew the system. She knew the orders. She knew the way Odin treated alliances, oaths, and soldiers. Even so, she had never imagined that the Valkyries would openly break away.

They were part of the structure of Asgard.

Symbols of obedience, glorious death, and service.

Seeing all of them pointing weapons at Heimdall was like watching one of Yggdrasil’s roots refuse the tree.

"This is madness," Heimdall said. "Odin will destroy you."

Brynhildr answered without hesitation.

"He can try."

"You have no realm."

"We will."

"You have no army."

Brynhildr looked around.

"You are surrounded by it."

"You have no protection."

This time, her eyes moved toward Vergil.

Freya noticed.

The answer came before Brynhildr even spoke.

Vergil.

The only reason a rupture of that scale would not immediately end in execution was him. The Demon King, the man who had already confronted gods, overthrown authorities, and created a realm capable of receiving those who had no place in any other system.

Brynhildr had not merely decided to abandon Odin.

She had found another option.

Freya looked at Vergil, trying to understand when that had happened.

How had he convinced Brynhildr?

When had he found time to speak with her?

What had he promised?

Vergil did not appear surprised enough. He did not know every detail, but he had clearly expected that such a decision might happen. That meant there had been an earlier conversation.

An agreement not yet revealed.

Brynhildr returned her attention to Heimdall.

"We are tired of living a life of endless servitude. We are tired of receiving orders from men who never set foot on the battlefields to which they send us. Tired of being remembered only when they need bodies to fight or hands to collect the dead. Tired of receiving neither recognition, choice, nor rest."

The spear pressed more firmly against his throat.

"We are not Odin’s little toys."

Heimdall fell silent.

His face showed a mixture of shock, anger, and something close to fear. Not fear of dying in that instant. Fear of what the rebellion meant. Without the Valkyries, the routes of the Norse dead would lose much of their structure. Valhalla would no longer receive warriors with the same efficiency. Asgard would lose military strength and symbolic authority.

And worse, other servants might realize that they also had a choice.

Freya finally managed to speak.

"Brynhildr... all of them?"

"All who can still answer," the Valkyrie said. "The units trapped between routes were not consulted. But those in Asgard, Midgard, and the accessible borders have decided."

"You are betraying Odin."

Brynhildr turned her face toward Freya.

"No. We are abandoning someone who betrayed us for ages."

Freya did not find an immediate answer.

She knew Brynhildr. She knew her discipline, her loyalty, and the burden she carried as a leader. If that woman had reached the conclusion that obedience could no longer continue, then the problem was deeper than a simple political revolt.

Heimdall tried to move.

Three spears came closer at the same time.

Brynhildr spoke without looking at the others.

"Remove your hand from the sword."

He slowly obeyed.

"Hand over Gjallarhorn."

Heimdall’s eyes widened.

"No."

The spear pressed into his skin until a drop of blood appeared.

"That was not a request."

He looked around again, searching for any support.

He found none.

At last, he reached for the horn attached to his waist and carefully removed it. One Valkyrie stepped forward and took the artifact, retreating immediately.

Brynhildr finally moved the spear back several centimeters, although she remained ready to strike.

"You will remain in custody until we decide what to do."

"You cannot imprison me in Asgard."

"We just did."

Vergil watched the scene with some interest.

"You planned this well."

Brynhildr looked at him.

"I learned not to begin a war without controlling the doors."

"Is Odin in Asgard?"

"No."

Freya frowned.

"Where is he?"

"No one knows for certain. He left two days ago with a small group of Einherjar and did not reveal his destination. Before leaving, he ordered the arrest of anyone connected to Frey, Helheim, or the interference within the routes."

Vergil narrowed his eyes.

"He knew we were coming."

"Heimdall sees almost everything that crosses the Nine Realms," Brynhildr said. "Odin probably knew Freya would try to use the Bifröst."

Freya glared at Heimdall.

"You lied when you pretended you were merely evaluating our request."

"I fulfilled my duty."

"You took us directly into a prison."

"By order of the king."

Vergil walked toward him.

The Valkyries made room, but kept their weapons pointed. Heimdall raised his head, trying to preserve some dignity as Vergil stopped in front of him.

"Did Odin give any orders concerning Frey?" Vergil asked.

Heimdall did not answer.

Vergil tilted his head slightly.

"I will not ask again."

The pressure in the environment increased. There was no explosion of energy, but Heimdall felt the weight. The circles of the Bifröst beneath his feet began producing small cracks. The runes recognized something capable of tearing through that route without depending on them.

"He ordered that any information about Frey be taken directly to him," Heimdall replied. "No one was supposed to search for the Vanir without authorization."

Freya stepped forward.

"Why?"

"I do not know."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"I do not participate in all of Odin’s plans."

Brynhildr looked at Vergil.

"He is probably telling the truth. Heimdall sees much, but Odin tells him little."

Vergil nodded.

"Typical."

Freya breathed with difficulty, trying not to let her demonic energy respond to her anger.

"Odin knows something. He always knows something and hides it until he can use it."

Brynhildr agreed.

"That was one of the reasons for our decision."

Freya looked back at Vergil. The questions remained in her expression. He had spoken with Brynhildr before. That much was clear. But this was not the moment to demand explanations. Asgard was at the beginning of an internal rupture, Heimdall had been arrested, Odin was missing, and Frey remained somewhere beyond Helheim.

Vergil noticed her gaze.

"Ask," he said.

Freya hesitated.

"How did you do this?"

Brynhildr answered before him.

"He did not."

Freya turned toward her.

"Vergil did not convince me to hate Odin," Brynhildr continued. "Odin did that by himself over the course of ages. I have no reason to continue this farce. I was already tired of being belittled in this miserable place."

She looked at Vergil and then at Freya.

"It is more honorable to become a demon than to continue living this wretched life."

Not only she, but every Valkyrie nodded.

Vergil smiled.

"And here I thought I would have to kill Heimdall."

He murmured, then continued.

"Gather your things. We are going to Helheim. It is time to begin repairing every Underworld."

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