The Valkyrie Returns and Slays (Raven) novel Chapter 148

A few moments later, a boy draped in a pure white robe appeared before Raven.

He looked to be around twenty, with short, silvery–white hair that shimmered beneath the overhead lights, casting a soft, almost holy glow around him.

And beneath that hair was a face so flawlessly sculpted, it could only be described as beautiful—an ethereal, almost inhuman kind of beauty.

But it wasn’t just his delicate features that drew the eye. It was the contradiction.

For all the purity he radiated, there was something dangerously seductive beneath the surface. Something that whispered temptation, as if with just a crook of his finger, people would willingly fall to their knees, offering up their lives in worship.

He was a paradox made flesh–sacred and wicked, all at once.

Under normal circumstances, Raven might’ve paused to admire such a rare face, maybe even been amused by the strange clash of divinity and decadence. But not now.

She had just finished adjusting her clothes after being interrupted. Her expression, as she looked at the boy, wasn’t curious or appreciative–it was murderous.

Her voice was quiet, but her words held the weight of absolute threat.

“Go on,” she said coolly. “Pick how you want to die.”

There was no jest in her tone. Not even a hint of irony.

The boy stared at her, a smug glint flickering in his crystal–clear eyes as he chuckled softly. “You’re quite fortunate,” he said. “Had you arrived a little earlier, I wouldn’t have given you a second glance. But you came just in time–right when I was growing bored of this place. So, congratulations. You now have the privilege of becoming my partner. Form a contract with me, and I’ll help you rise to the very top.”

Raven snorted, the sound sharp and cutting.

“Partner?” she echoed, a cold smirk playing on her lips. “You’re not even qualified.”

Her expression darkened, and with a flick of her wrist, something sparked to life beside her “Earth” Starcard.

A vibrant green glow flared–and a second Starcard appeared, this one etched with the character for “Wood.” The boy raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

“Two Starcards?” he murmured, interest briefly flaring in his eyes. But then he shook his head, dismissing it just as “Even so… in this primitive little world of yours, people with two Starcards still can’t use them simultaneously. It’s a novelty, nothing more.”

quickly.

But as the words left his mouth, the “Wood” and “Earth” Starcards began to shift–gliding toward each other, drawing closer.

A sudden burst of light flashed between them.

In the blink of an eye, the two cards fused into one.

The boy’s eyes widened. The light in them wavered, no longer so serene.

“Starcard fusion?”

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13:04 Mon, 21 Apr

Chapter 148

Only those with the ability to fuse Starcards could wield two–or even more–at once. In his world, that kind of talent would’ve made her a target of every major power.

And now, standing before him, was a girl from a world he had once deemed beneath him–performing a feat he thought impossible here.

He felt something rare. Something he hadn’t experienced in a very long time.

For the first time in years, he regretted something he’d said.

And yet, even having witnessed the fusion with his own eyes, disbelief lingered in his gaze. Because even in the advanced realm he once called home, those capable of Starcard fusion were true monsters–legends in the making.

And now, one had just appeared in this… backwater plane.

But before he could voice his astonishment again, a thick vine–about the width of an arm–suddenly shot out from the fused Starcard.

It snaked toward him, and as it neared, countless smaller tendrils unfurled from its tip, spreading like a net of living wires. In a matter of seconds, the boy was completely surrounded. But he didn’t panic.

In his hand, a gleaming longsword materialized out of thin air.

With a swift motion, he slashed forward–the vine shattered instantly, dozens of tendrils falling limp to the ground, sliced into useless scraps.

As they hit the floor, the smugness in the boy’s eyes faded. His gaze shifted, studying Raven with a new level of seriousness. “You may have fused two Starcards,” he admitted, “but that’s still not enough to hurt me. Accept my offer. Become my partner, and I’ll give you everything you desire.”

Raven laughed. There was no humor in it. Just dark amusement.

“Hurt you?” she echoed, lifting her hand once more. “Then what about this?”

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