Tyranny of Steel

Berengar stood on Bifrost and gazed into the distance, where a large mead hall stood before him. He had done it; he had survived the final of Odin's trials. No matter how much his mind had told him he would die, he had entered Valhalla safely.

His mind still couldn't believe it, every aspect of his character was fighting against his faith, and yet, he had somehow swallowed his pride, his logic, and his sense of reason, and dared to believe that Odin, a mythical figure, one which he had never set eyes upon before, would save him from his predicament.

As Berengar stood on the rainbow bridge and walked forward, he heard the sound of a horse neighing in the distance, where he looked towards its origins and gazed upon an eight-legged steed, with a rider on its back.

The rider was no man, but a beautiful woman, perhaps better looking than any Berengar had ever laid eyes upon. Yet this woman was vaguely familiar beneath her mask. It was only after the horse stopped in front of Berengar did the man recognize the mature beauty for who she really was. He could only stand there and gawk in disbelief as the name escaped his lips.

"Brynhildr..."

A seductive smile formed on the woman's lips as she grabbed hold of Berengar's wrist and hauled him onto the back of the mighty beast. Once he was firmly seated behind her, she nodded her head and responded in an affectionate tone.

"The one and the same..."

Berengar could hardly believe that the mother of his young guide, and the woman he had been flirting with the past few days, was none other than the Valkyrie herself. However, she did not say another word, and instead snapped the reins, which bridled Sleipnir's mouth, and ferried the Kaiser across the rainbow bridge.

Berengar wrapped his arms around the woman's waist to secure his position and continued to gaze in awe as the gates to Valhalla swung open to reveal a large gathering of men and women who welcomed their newest brother into Odin's hall.

Once inside, Brynhildr stepped off the eight-legged horse before dragging Berengar down and presenting the man to the leader of the Aesir. Sitting upon a throne fashioned from swords was none other than the one eyed god of war himself. Odin smiled as he witnessed his champion finally enter his hall. He was about to stand up and greet the man when a terrible cough overcame him, forcing the deity back into his seat.

There was a look of concern on Brynhildr's beautiful face, as she attempted to step forward, and yet her movements were halted when Odin raised one hand before gaining his balance and standing on his own two feet. He then glared at the woman for not introducing his newest guest.

"Well... Aren't you going to introduce this man?"

The hall suddenly became silent as everyone waited for an answer. As a result, Brynhildr nervously introduced the man kneeling next to her.

"Your majesty, this is Berengar von Kufstein, also known among our people as Berengar Sieghardson. The Emperor of all Germans, and the man you have chosen to be your champion."

When the word 'champion' escaped the Valkyrie's lips, a gasp of shock emerged from the mouths of every man and woman present, followed by a variety of whispers. Berengar struggled to raise his head so he could get a good glimpse of Odin's features.

The man was tall, and robust, with a large white beard, an aging face, and an eyepatch over one of his eyes. For a man who appeared as if he were in his sixties, there was no doubt that he was in considerable shape. Perhaps even greater than Berengar himself. There was a prideful smile on the god's face as he posed a question to Berengar, one that he had been waiting to the hear the answer to since he first reincarnated into this word.

"Berengar Sieghardson, or would you prefer me to call you by your original name? Julian Weber, do you know why I have used up a considerable amount of my power to drag you into this world?"

Berengar's heart began to palpitate rapidly as he heard this question posed to him. The first thing he did was correct the god, before answering honestly.

"That name no longer holds any meaning to me. Please, your majesty, call me Berengar. As for your question, I have been looking for an answer to it for a very long time."

The room echoed with laughter, as Odin began to bellow like a madman. Once he had finally calmed himself, he responded to Berengar's statement as if the two of them were old friends.

"I figured you would still have some sentiment towards your old identity. It would appear I was wrong. Berengar, the reason I have brought you into this world, was to fuck with that little cunt Loki, and what a marvelous job you have done! It was well worth the sacrifice!"

This reply only caused Berengar to have more questions. This answer was hardly what he was expecting, and because of that, he was quick to voice his thoughts.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand. I have never had any interactions with Loki, as far as I'm aware."

Odin began to cough again and took several moments to calm himself before clarifying matters further.

"Oh, don't be so sure. Have you ever wondered how Yahweh can be worshipped by his followers as all powerful, and all knowing, and yet leave so little of an imprint into this world? It's because he isn't real.

Yahweh, Satan, Jesus, they are all identities that Loki has created to divide the power of the Germanic pantheon, and cause chaos in the world. Thanks to that little bastard, the old gods of every religion have lost their power over this world, and all others like it.

Julian Weber, a brilliant engineer, who has dedicated his life to understanding how the world works. Politics, Warfare, Economics, Engineering, these are just some of the few subjects you have mastered in your previous life. You alone held the knowledge and abilities that were capable of building a mighty empire, and bringing down the christian faith once and for all.

You have dismantled the Catholic church and brought Europe under your direct influence. Meanwhile, you have fostered a culture of logic, reason, and science that will inevitably lead to the erosion of the western world's faith in Christianity all without me even needing to personally interfere.

Soon the Arab world will fall under your influence, or at the very least your descendants, and they too will have a scientific revolution, one which will further degrade the so called Abrahamic religions of this world. In the end, the power base, that Loki has spent a millennium fostering, will collapse on itself, and our time will come to reclaim our place in this world. And it is all thanks to you!

When the time comes, Iceland will become a bastion of our faith once more, then Scandinavia, and perhaps one day, even the German people will come to accept some reformed version of our faith, and traditions, that go along with their scientific ways of looking at the world. Even now, my power is restoring itself at a rapid rate, and it is all thanks to you. How can I ever repay you?"

Berengar was stunned into utter silence when he heard this revelation. The Christian god he was raised to believe in during in his past life, and whose followers he fought tooth and nail against in this life, was all a lie. It was a trick, by the world's most notorious trickster. All to sow chaos among the various pantheons of the world. Never in his wildest dreams would he believe this to be true.

Then again, this theory began to make sense, when he considered the fact that he was able to combat Lambert's soul, who should be in the Abrahamic hell. Why would Yahweh, or Satan, agree to Odin's request, unless it was a duel between two gods who despised one another and their mortal pawns?

Still, it took some time before Berengar could fully accept this theory, and move onto the more important matter. A powerful supernatural being owed him a favor, and all Berengar could think of was one thing.

"Promise me one thing, and I will consider us equal..."

Odin raised his brow when he heard this, expecting some lavish condition that he would have to work for centuries to fully repay. Thus, he had a bit of a concerned tone in his voice when he responded to Berengar's request.

"Name it, and so long as it is within my power, I promise to fulfill your request."

With a heavy sigh, Berengar made his request, half expecting that Odin would not be able to fulfill it.

"When I finally perish from the mortal world, and my family follows me into the void, I want an afterlife of my own, one where my family and I can live in peace and serenity for eternity. No more wars, no more worries, just our own little corner of heaven to live happily ever after together as a family."

Odin's response was one that Berengar had not expected. The man bellowed with laughter as he heard this request. It was such a trivial thing that he did not even need to lift a finger to fulfill it. Berengar took this the wrong way and instantly became concerned. He was just about to further interrogate the deity when the man calmed down and responded.

"That's it? That's all you want from me? Fine, I can make such a thing a reality with little effort. You don't need to worry. When you die, even if you haven't fulfilled your agreement with that jackal faced shit, I will make sure you and your family have your own little afterlife. No matter how many generations of your family perish from this world, they will be united with you for eternity. I assume you want your mother and father on this list as well, huh?

No problem. For what you have done for me, and my kind, it truly does not amount to one tenth of what we owe you. If you think of anything else down the road, just let me know, and I will make it happen."

Upon hearing that his most ideal ending would come true, Berengar smiled and bowed his head in thanks to the one eyed god before responding to him with a reverent tone.

"You have my thanks, your majesty. So... What now?"

Odin looked around at his hall, which was filled with whispers about what they had just heard. After which, he made an announcement.

"Tonight we feast! As for tomorrow, I believe you still have a war to fight with the Japanese. So I will let you go back to the mortal plane. Heed my words, Berengar Sieghardson, you must treat the Japanese Empress with dignity even after you have achieved your victory, for that little Albino bitch holds a secret identity, and if you were to end her miserable life, I'm certain that you would live with a heavy sense of guilt for the rest of your life."

Though Berengar could not fathom what Odin was referring to, he decided to keep the god's words in mind. In truth, up until this moment, he had not even considered what he was going to do to Itami after the war was over.

However, Odin would not have spoken these words unless they were important, and thus in that moment Berengar decided at the very least, he would not execute Itami after he emerged victorious in their petty dispute. As for what followed next, Berengar would have the party of a lifetime.