Cosmos in the Lostbelt: Gotterdammerung

Plot Summary

Chaldea receives a message from a member of the Wandering Sea, a society that studies magecraft from the Age of Gods. To reach there, the Shadow Border has to go through Scandinavia. Goredolf intends to interrogate Kadoc about the Crypters, he is stopped by a sudden impact as the Priest arrives on top of the vehicle. Kadoc is about to compromise but the Priest, who reveals himself as Rasputin, gives a stab on the back and carries his body away.

(Yorokobe Rasputin)

2 days after the incident, the Chaldea team has made some investigation around the area as they are heading towards Scandinavia. Everything was erased into a state of whiteout, where no living beings existed. They hope they can find some survivors on the way as well. As they are about to reach their destination, Mini Vinci detected a Tree of Emptiness with a magical barrier surrounded it. Hence, they decide to dive into the Void Space, leading them to a land of ice and blue flames where the giants from Nordic Mythology roam around freely.

(White-out)

They soon detect a Heroic Spirit approaching the Shadow Border, which Holmes and Mash are ready to confront along with the MC. It is a Masked Saber whom Holmes identifies as Sigurd, the legendary dragon-slayer of the North. The ruthless warrior severed Holmes's arm with his blade and attacks the Shadow Border. Goredolf gives the Paper Moon to Sigurd before Mash makes her counterattack. However, she loses. The Saber is about to kill both Mash and the MC, but he halts and leaves the scene.

Sigurd heads to the castle and gives the Paper Moon to his Master, Ophelia. The Lostbelt Queen and Ophelia order the knight to refrain himself from killing anyone on this land, especially Mash, whom Ophelia treasures. Once the mage returns to her quarters, a Valkyrie asks her about Ophelia's desolation. The woman reminds about her loyalty and love for this land.

Meanwhile, the Chaldea team is facing jeopardy from major losses. Mini Vinci gives 3 tasks to the MC and Mash: retrieving the Paper Moon, destroying the Tree of Emptiness, and finding the North Sea. Equipping the new gears, the MC sleighs down the snowy land with Mash and Fou. They find this land both beautiful and eerie, as two contradicting elements co-exist together.

As they are fighting the giants and the ice monsters, they rescue a young girl named Gerda. She leaves her village to find a rare herb to cure her sick friend, which is located in a green area near the fiery mountains. Yet it is dangerous as it is a gathering spot for the giants. So they have to stay quiet as they slowly advance to the area. Nonetheless, Gerda is too excited about the advanced technology in which her voice startles the gigantic creatures. Mash fights while Gerda seizes the chance to gather the herb. Swiftly, all of them sleigh down in one go to her village.

Village 23 is a place full of young children and they would never leave their village unless they are over 20 years old, who will leave and die. The residents would do whatever they are told to and carry out their responsibilities. Goredolf, who listens through the transmitter, feels this situation disturbing. At Gerda's home, he proceeds to question the girl if she ever wants to be free and makes a decision about her future. Yet, Gerda could not understand any abstract concepts.

The next day, Gerda is busy with the important ceremony in the village as young children make flower crowns for the adults as farewell gifts to Valhalla, the land of the dead. They gather in front of the gate, waiting for the envoys to come and take the souls. A Valkyrie descends and instructs the adult to get crushed by the giants to ensure their souls going to the glory land of the dead. The MC interrupts this inhumane ceremony, even Mash points out the cruelty of this tradition as Valkyries are supposed to guide the heroic spirits from battlefields, not the defenseless commoners with no weapons to defend themselves. The Valkyrie soon recognizes them as enemies and proceeds to attack them, but she is defeated by Mash. However, this alerts an army of Valkyries. Luckily, they are aided by a huge man with a rainbow cannon, who introduces himself as the French Emperor Napoleon. Without saying goodbye to Gerda, the team escapes, and Napoleon joins them.

Napoleon takes Mash and the MC to his lair and they begin to form a tactical plan into the castle. The next morning, they sneak into the castle through the dungeon and have a hearing with the Queen, Scathach-Skadi, in her throne room. The MC tries to reason with her to settle things peacefully, but she is not interested in killing them, only orders a Valkyrie named Thrud to arrest them. After the battle with Thrud, Ophelia appears with Sigurd. Napoleon announces that the female Crypter is his fiancée, in which Ophelia denies his claim.

(That's random)

Sigurd asks for Ophelia's permission to unlock his restrains, which his Master agrees to ascend his Spirit Origin. After a battle with Napoleon, she uses her own Mystic Eyes to bound Mash, reducing her ability to fight. After being defeated, Skadi is about to give them punishment with her authority, but she is soon interrupted by Caenis who bright a message from Crypter's leader.

The Chaldea team is locked in the dungeon, which goes according to their plan. Napoleon decides to make a temporary pact with the MC, which they pass out into a dark void, only to meet Dantes and a Berserker guard. With the help of the Cavern King, they successfully go to the test and allow Sitonai to materialize herself. Sitonai tells the group about another goddess in captivity before letting them escape the dungeon with her protective rune. However, they are discovered by Konyaskaya, who leads a team of giants to attack them. Before they get exhausted, they flee with the ski equipment.

The MC and the other reach a mansion surrounded by an impenetrable fire, as well as giants and unidentified floating objects attacking them. Soon, the resident of the mansion, Brynhildr, comes out and helps them defeat the monsters. They rest themselves in a nearby village while the MC communicates to the Shadow Border. Goredolf tells them Village 23 is about to be surrounded by giants that could destroy the villagers. When they reach there, there is no sign of invasions but there are signs of monsters roaming around the village. After cleaning up the mess, they receive another message from Chaldea that they are attacked by a swarm of creatures.

Once the MC and the others return to the Shadow Border, they find Valkyries hovering on top of the vehicle, ready to set aim. Together, the Heroic Spirits fend off the mass-produced envoys. Then, three of the original Valkyries, Thrud, Hildr, and Ortlinde, descend from the sky and confront their sister. They are angry at Brynhildr for being selfish and stray away by her own emotions, and believe that she will kill them because they are different. Napoleon quickly defends Brynhildr by saying her real intention to avoid conflict and killings, contrary to what the Valkyries think. With rage, Thrud and Hildr release their mana and fight their sister, but they are killed by Brynhildr's spear. However, they accept their tragic fate as they figure out their incomprehensible feeling inside them is nothing but envy. Ortlinde grieves for her fallen sisters while retreating with the remaining Valkyries.

The MC quickly introduces Napoleon and Brynhildr to the Chaldea crews. Mini Vinci also announces that the vehicle is fully repaired and can mobile at anytime soon. This time, they head to the Castle to retrieve the Paper Moon as well as reason with the Queen one more time.

Once the Shadow Border reaches the Castle, they are soon greeted with hostility by Sigurd and Ortlinde. Brynhildr uses her Noble Phantasm on Sigurd but it is no use, as the knight reveals himself that he is not the real dragon-slayer. 'Sigurd' asks Ophelia to ascend him one more time, which she complies. However, it is a fatal trick. As the last restrain is released, Sigurd's Spirit Core is no longer useful and it eventually frees the giant Surtr, who is sealed within the Sun. Ophelia is shocked by her own miscalculation and disappointed for letting Wodime down. Surtr grabs Ophelia away and summons his kin to destroy Scandinavia and its inhabitants.

(The oddly weird sun)

Sigurd's Spirit Core is healed by Ortlinde with a healing rune. He professes his undying love towards Brynhildr, causing the Valkyrie to get flabbergasted and red with shyness. Skadi appears and willing to cooperate with Chaldea to take down Surtr, which Odin supposedly had him sealed off centuries ago. She also tells them she has been hiding the tree with her own magic from the villagers' sight. At the same time, Surtr swallowed the Tree of Emptiness, thus gaining control of the Lostbelt. The unidentified probes are the seeds from the tree, which Skadi uses her powers to destroy them. Sitonai also joins the battle, defeating the giants and the probes.

Ophelia has given up on her hopes and values, allowing Surtr to destroy everything on this Lostbelt. He targets on the humans, ready to aim a fireball to destroy them. Before he could launch his attack, Napoleon releases his NP and blasted the giant's head off. The Emperor believes that Ophelia has a desire to be rescued from her misery and he cuts off her and Surtr's bond before vanishing into the thin air. Touched by the Archer's words, Ophelia frees herself from the Giant's shoulder and helps Chaldea by destroying her own Mystic Eyes. The female mage commands Sigurd to defeat the giant, then releases her own Sirius Light.

(Noble Phantasm, unleash)

(So colorful Opheliaaaa)

(Bon Voyage)

(Ophelia disabling her Mysteric Eye)

With Skadi and Ortlinde's aid, the MC, Mash, Sigurd, and Brynhildr flew mid-air to face Surtr before he could regenerate again. After the fatal battle, Surtr places a Death Rune on the MC, hoping they could not continue their journey to save PHH. It turned out that it is an illusion created by Brynhildr's rune, making him strike only to a non-living thing or a small creature. Together, the couple gives a final strike on the giant, causing it to fall. At the same time, Sigurd and Brynhildr say goodbye and vanish. Mash returns to the Shadow Border to give her final goodbye to Ophelia, who is dying. She is proud of Mash for maturing into a fine lady and wishes to befriend her.

(Surtr's fall)

(Ophelia's last words)

Despite their efforts, Skadi still refuses the Chaldeans to destroy the Tree of Emptiness. She already knew about the nature of her Lostbelt and this unusual tree. She had been trying to keep her country alive by controlling the number of people for thousands of years. After the death of Surtr, she wants her land to flourish and reborn again. Hence, she challenges the MC to fight as she defends her own land. However, her weak condition from the previous battle puts her at a huge disadvantage. Thus, making the Chaldeans being able to remove the Tree of Emptiness. The Queen admits her own defeat and asks them to leave her land.

Under Skadi's instructions, every villager is required to return to their homes and go to bed. However, Gerda is curious about the MC and the other guests, as she leaves her home to find a quiet village with no one around. The girl smiles as she vanishes in the wind along with her homeland.

The Shadow Border makes its way to the Wandering Sea, in which the vehicle falls into the stormy ocean as they reached the appointed destination. Later on, the gates to the institution rise up as the inviter, Sion, welcomes the Chaldeans to enter the premise.

Storytelling & Gameplay

New features updated in the game, yay! Now I can have better screenshots without the dialogue box.

The chapter's name Gotterdammerung (Twilight of the Gods) is based on a play by Richard Wagner with the same name, which narrates the saga of Sigurd and Brynhildr (in some cases Siegfried and Brunhild). This Lostbelt sets in an alternative ending of Ragnarök, the apocalyptic end of the cosmos in Norse Mythology, in which the wolf Fenrir is swallowed by the fiery giant Surtr and Odin being defeated at his hands. Before the All-Father's death, his power and knowledge are passed to Skadi, the goddess of snow, bowhunting, and skiing (yes, you hear me right) and he sealed off the fiery giant in the Sun. Afterward, Skadi creates a systematic society where its population limited to 10,000 people, divided into 100 different villages. Each human has a very short lifespan; thus, they are forced to be independent and functioning as an adult at a very young age. Once they have reached adulthood, the Valkyries would descend and guide them to their death as they are guaranteed to live happily in Valhalla, the afterworlds for heroes. In return, Skadi will build magical borders around the villages to protect the residents from the giants and monsters.

(The world of fire and ice)

Originally, I thought the central theme of this chapter is Love. I was wrong.

Everyone in this Lostbelt has their own fixed responsibilities and duties, there is no room for going against what is set up for them. Both the original and the mass-produced Valkyries are like machines, they could only follow whatever their master command. They could not speak or do anything for themselves. Brynhildr, who acts by her own heart and emotion, is stripped of her ranks by Odin and banished from Asgard to Midgard. Even Ophelia has to withhold the duty as a mage and a Crypter. She refuses to listen to her own heart and desires and prioritizes their tasks and duties. Her own burdens eventually caused her downfall and failure.

As previously mentioned, the Valkyries would guide the adult villagers to face the giants and their souls would be sent to Valhalla. Mash points out that they do not wield any weapons to defend themselves or fight the giants, which are not qualified as worthy heroes. Besides that, everyone has to follow the stages of life which are already pre-determined and their short lifespan does not allow them to make choices of their own. Hence, the concept of heroism does not exist in this land.

Most Heroic Spirits introduced in this chapter are from the PHH, whether they are an ex-Valkyrie, a mythical dragon-slayer, or a French Emperor. They have their own achievements and unique stories to tell. They have their own unique adventures that no villagers in this Lostbelt could experience. Napoleon, in particular, is a human being with no deity bloodline or magical abilities. Yet he still can achieve many impossibilities that not many mortals can do. The lack of heroic symbols to change the world makes this Lostbelt determined to be pruned away.

Characters

Ophelia Phamrsolone

One of the female Crypters who is in charge of the expansion of the Scandinavia Lostbelt. Growing up with strict parents, she devotes herself to her duty and mission as a mage. After her rebirth, she still continues to put Wodime's visions as her priority. Ophelia is one of the mages who possesses a Mystic Eye, which she covers with an eyepatch. Her Jewel-Ranked Mystic Eye narrows down every possibility with a targeted existence to a singled course or a reduced state.

From her monologue, it is revealed that she does not like Sundays. I initially thought it has something to do with her childhood, but it turns out to be the day Surtr arrives and destroys everything she works hard on. Since the summoning of her Saber-class Servant, she has known of his real identity hence she uses her Command Seal to restrain him. Her action is recognized by Wodime and he praises for her quick reflexes. Upon his praise, Ophelia works hard to sustain her land, which she does not know that she has slowly fallen into her Servant's trap.

Despite her ice personality, she develops secret romantic feelings towards her leader and wishes to befriend Mash since their encounter in Chaldea. Konyaskaya and Pepe call her out for ignoring her feelings and desires and encouraging her to be more relaxed (for once I agree with the foxy secretary). In the end, Ophelia is willing to sacrifice herself for the sake of the people she cares about, especially Mash, whom she is happy to see her again.

Napoleon

Oh la la! Our French Emperor, the man with the big guns (no pun intended). The Archer-class servant is the embodiment of every Napoleon legend, the great man who conquered any impossibilities. He is also a master of war tactics who refuses in giving up. If he fails, he would have a temporary retreat to come out with a new plan.

A surprise he brought is his one-sided engagement with Ophelia. Despite her many rejections, the French Emperor insists her to be as beautiful as his wife Josephine. It is most likely that Napoleon has seen underneath the female mage's cold mask and her fiery desire to be close with others. He wishes to help her distress and save her from the misery and pressure. His final gift to Ophelia is a cannon to Surtr to severe her ties with him before Napoleon disappears. They may not look like a good pair, but it is hard to deny the man's good intention to save a person's life.

A running gag around Napoleon is his disdain towards dog-like animals like Fou as they remind him of his beloved Josephine's pug. If you ever want a Napoleon, please do not use your dog as your catalyst.

Sigurd/Surtr

Ophelia's Saber-class Servant. Based on his debut in the chapter, we see Sigurd as a ruthless knight who would slay anyone on sight. He is very attached to Ophelia and can be stalkerish at times. Aside from his long demonic sword Gram, he wields several daggers to attack his opponents which are as deadly as his Noble Phantasm. When his second restraint is released, he can control fire runes, which Brynhildr finds it unsettling. Turned out that the Sigurd Ophelia summoned is a host whom her real Servant, Surtr, possessed.

Surtr is the guardian of the fiery realm Muspell. This giant carries a bright sword with flames that is destined to destroy the Nordic lands and the pantheon. In this Lostbelt, Surtr has swallowed the Fenris wolf and locked away by All-Father Odin before his death. During his imprisonment, he meets Ophelia, who dies in the flames during the Command Room Incident. When she accidentally summons her, Ophelia places a restrain on him to limit his activity and bloodlust. Despite that, she does not notice that he has placed a curse on his Master to stay by him at all times. With the combined forces of Chaldea and Skadi, they defeated the giant before he destroys the world.

Now let's talk about the real Sigurd, the blue eye white dragon.

Sigurd is the Nordic counterpart of the Germanic Siegfried. They shared a similar origin story and both died in a tragic death. However, Sigurd is cool and collected in every situation. He is a hero who utilizes his wisdom for good purposes, even if he gains knowledge that could destroy everything. He is also the man who teaches Brynhildr to become more human and emotional. For a human, he made the Valkyrie go soft for him. Have you seen him being so confident about his beloved falling for him? That is a big chad move right there!

Valkyries

The Valkyries are known as Odin's female warriors who guide the heroic spirits to Valhalla so they could fight aside from the Gods during Ragnarök. However, they only obey and carry out orders and no room for questioning or making decisions of their own, like machines. Anyone who fails to carry out their fixed responsibilities is deemed to be expelled and malfunctioned.

There are three special Valkyries in the Lostbelts: Thrud, Hildr, and Ortlinde, as they once served the All-Father before obeying to Skadi. Being the originals of the mass-produced copies, they lead the team to carry out simple functions and sharing the same memory space with them. A fun fact that I found is Thrud and Hildr are from the original Norse Mythology while Ortlinde is a character created by Wagner in his other opera play, The Valkyries. This is why Thrud and Hildr react profoundly on Brynhildr's departure as they are older than Ortlinde, who still has not to comprehend human emotions.

Scathach-Skadi

The Queen and the last goddess of this Lostbelt, who governs the land of Scandinavia after the death of Odin. Fused together with the Irish figure Scathach, she rules the land for thousands of years with her magical barriers to ensure humanity continues.

She claims to love everything alive on this land, whether allies, villagers, or enemies, like a mother would do for her children. Despite knowing about the pruning of her reality, she still grasps on the last string of hope. Her utilitarian rule minimizes the number of people residing on this land and decreasing their mortality rate. She also gives them a magical barrier and protection from the giants roaming outside of the villages. The paradoxical rule of Skadi makes the Lostbelt has the potential to thrive, as Wodime suggests.

I know Skadi is in everyone's bucket list as she is a good Quick team booster. Most of my friends already got her, but my luck has given to Sanzhang and Uncle Vlad.

Brynhildr

As the First Valkyrie to serve besides Odin and the first to act against the All-Father's wishes. Unlike her sisters, she has learned to comprehend human feelings and able to think for herself. This is why her strong reaction against her mass-produced counterparts and their soulless state.

This chapter has explored Brynhildr's character better than before in-game, which she is depicted as a love-obsessed maiden who had a tendency to kill anyone she loves. In truth, Brynhildr refuses to kill anyone but it is her nature and fate to hurt the ones she cares. Besides, we all thought she would go all Yandere mode when she sees Sigurd. Instead, she cannot hide the heart of a young maiden whenever he shows his unconditional love.

Gerda

One of the older children in the village and a representation of the residents in this Lostbelt. She is curious about the new things and welcoming to the guests, regardless they are the locals or foreigners.

Like any other children, she has her own responsibility to ensure her life goes on as it has planned. She never questions her short lifespan or future. The appearance of Chaldea is the point when she begins to see her world differently. Her life only revolves around young children and adults who have not passed the age of 25. Envoys arrive at her village only to take away the adults. The MC, Mash, and Goredolf show her that life is more than just live until death to get into Valhalla. Instead, humans can live more than that. They can go for an adventure, get married, grow old enough to have grandchildren, and so on.

Unlike Paxti who has his own way of defying the status quo and his life condition, Gerda has minimal character development. However, she has her own way to show change in character. At the end of the chapter, she defies the Queen's command for the first and last time by leaving her own house. Yet she does not regret her actions and welcomes the end of her world with a smile.

Sitonai

An Alter Ego servant hosting the spirit core of 3 goddesses: Freyja the Norse Goddess of love and war, Sitonai the dragon slayer from Ainu Mythology and Louhi, an evil witch queen and alter-ego of the Finnish goddess of death Loviatar. She is guarded by a Berserker, just like the Fate/Stay Night Illya.

Her presence in the story is more of a Deus ex Machina which is an easy method to solve the story's problem with her godly powers. She could have been written in a better way to show her worth and power.

Extra:

Goredolf

This chapter shows more of Goredolf's leadership. He can be boisterous at times, but he is protective of his crew and make sure everyone is safe and sound. Despite being an aristocrat, he has his own humanistic values and deeply concerns the unnatural way of how the villagers live and die.

Before I end this review, here are some Scandinavian cheese for you: