Brynhildr remained still for several seconds after Heimdall was taken away from the platform. The other Valkyries still held their weapons, but the tension had changed. They were no longer surrounding an immediate enemy.
They were waiting for an answer.
Vergil noticed before Freya did.
Their silence was not hesitation.
It was expectation.
Brynhildr then turned fully toward him, held her spear close to her body, and lowered her head. The movement was slow, deliberate, and heavy enough to make every other Valkyrie pay attention. Then she placed one knee against the golden stone of the platform.
One by one, the warriors around her did the same.
Weapons were held close to their chests. Shields rested against the ground. Heads bowed before Vergil, not like defeated prisoners, but like an army that had made a collective decision and was now accepting the consequences.
Freya went pale.
Vergil merely watched.
Brynhildr raised her face just enough to speak.
