Starnheim initially feels like an answer Niko did not know they wanted: a home built from welcome, story and endless return. Its comfort makes the threat more concrete. The Valkyries dismiss a living outsider's warning until Avtyr's damaged arrival and the tearing sky show that Koma has already reached their realm.
The defenders cannot overpower a serpent that coils through the World Tree. Niko proposes a different target: not victory over Koma, but control of where it chooses to move. Valkyries draw its attention while Niko anchors mirror-forged javelins into its scales, converting the habits of an athlete into coordination for a force no arena could contain.
They drive Koma through a closing Omenpath toward the wider battle. Exhausted and falling, Niko is caught by the reaper they had imprisoned. Avtyr still speaks of fate; Niko answers through action, turning the fall into another attack. Freedom becomes more than refusal when it gives them room to choose responsibility.