A Nascent Kaleidoscope

Chapter 503:

The hush that came over the battlefield was not my intention. I think literally every set of eyes was staring in our direction at this point.

Well, at least we can say that the initial momentum of the enemy had stalled.

The Frost Giant The Jotun, Thiassi, held their missing arm. I was sure they could regenerate it somehow, considering their body seemed to be made of ice, but maybe I was overthinking things.

I looked around myself to sear the overall image of the battlefield into my head, that's when I met the eyes of Thor who was looking right at me, and realization dawned on me.

I didn't know Thor very well, but I think at this moment, there were no words needed to be spoken, this was a chance.

My muscles flexed, and my leg pushed back, my Lightning crackled, and I shot off at Thiassi with my highest speed using Shunpo.

Almost exactly the same time, another, 'booom' shook the air, a thunderclap following me.

Two streaks of Lights slammed into the wounded Jotun Queen.

A hammer covered in lightning collided with the side of her head, and my Sword of Destruction erupted in my Bloodline as it cleaved into her leg.

The Jotun nearly fell over, but credit where it was due. It was one of the Warlords of Jotunheim for a reason and quickly responded. A barrier sprang up, pushing us away, it looked delicate as if a large snowflake. However, the amount of Magic woven into it was praiseworthy.

It was enough to rebuff us, Thor slid across the ground, using his Hammer to halt his momentum, and I quickly moved out from underneath its legs as the Jotun clenched its remaining hand, uttering something completely foreign to my ears, and the snowflake-like shield shattered.

The pieces didn't simply fall to the ground, rather, the shards floated and took aim at both of us, shooting through the air at breakneck speeds.

Both Thor and I moved quickly to deflect them, the 'shards' of the shield shattering upon colliding with our weapons, but that didn't diminish their lethality. My Aura could probably hold without issue, but they would probably be able to pierce my skin without it.

It didn't take long for the enemies to regain their wits. The ground shook as another Jotun stomped over, and this newcomer was large.

Easily twice as 'big' as Thiassi, part of which was actually muscle, in addition to a large and bouncing belly.

Each step turned the ground to ice, and he reeled his arm back with a roar, punching forward at Thor. "Thunderer!"

"Johul!" The Thunder God swung his hammer to meet it, the cataclysmic collision caused the entire area turned to ice with sharp icicles protruding from the ground.

The Jotun let out a pained shout as he stumbled backwards, however, Thor too was about evenly matched by the strike and his Hammer was deflected.

I took that chance to call upon my wings, and I shot forward again, Sword in hand, I stabbed towards the eye of Thiassi. The Female Jotun held her remaining hand up, as if she were clawing at the air, hundreds of ice shards manifested in the form of razor sharp blades, surrounding me.

My Aura fluttered and my Semblance activated.

The Blades merely went through my body that crackled with the Element that made its home in my soul.

The Jotun did not expect this whatsoever, the confusion obvious as it flashed across her face. She attempted to dodge, to block, to move out of the way, but my Sword of Destruction, surrounded by my Power of Destruction, slashed across her face.

She let out a heart wrenching screech of pain, her hand swatting me out of the air in a panic, but the damage was already done.

Thor's Hammer sailed across my vision, colliding with a shadow that loomed overhead as the other Giant attempted to slam his fist down on top of me after I hit the ground.

I was about to thank the Thunder God, but a gigantic serpent made entirely of poison emerged from a Spell Circle that was cast far too quickly and escaped my perception.

" "

A shield similar to the one that encompassed all of Asgard appeared in front of me in a different state. The Poisonous Serpent splashed against it harmlessly, even if the poison seemed to eat away at the spell itself gradually.

I recognized the voice too, even if I only met her once. Odin did claim that Freyja was one of the greatest Sorcerers in the Nine Realms.

Many more attacks came at me from various angles, Thor was standing at my side, Hammer in hand, ready to defend and I was on my feet as well.

I could see three different Divinities mixed in, and probably eight different spells in addition to that all coming our way.

However, all I heard next was a barely audible 'flick' of a string, and light pierced through all of them.

Unconsciously, my head jerked back to the Old Elf that was holding my bow.

With just a tiny flick, he was able to produce a much more toned-down version of the attack used previously, but it was still devastating.

I wanted to call bullshit, but the chaotic nature of this battlefield was forcing my attention elsewhere.

" " Freyja's voice carried again.

It was in Ancient Norse, and I could barely understand the meaning of it.

Something roughly about, falling sky rock.

I grabbed Thor by the arm and used Shunpo to get as far away as possible, and with just enough time to notice the shadow overhead becoming larger.

On both ends, everyone threw up all the shields.

However, over all the shouts and panic, the mad cackling of a certain woman was heard over all of it.

A meteor fell from the sky, landing right on top of the hurt Jotun from before.

The shield she erected in panic, it was like trying to stop a speeding car with a glass wall.

Thankfully, the sheer amount of magical shielding that pervaded the battlefield was enough to stop it from becoming a wasteland at the impact, and contained it somewhat.

There were only a few pieces of the Jotun remaining, but they were now scattered, and it could be assumed that one of the Eight Jotun Warlords was dead.

The Jotun Thor tangled with, he got a bit of the payload to the face, mostly unharmed, but that's not something you can immediately walk off even for a God or rather Jotun in this case. He stumbled slightly, falling to a knee, but remained active.

"You crazy bitch!" The Jotun roared. "You used a spell like that right in the middle of the battlefield!?"

"And I'll do it again!" She shot back, a large Spell Circle I wasn't able to see before appeared, and a massive amount of Magical Energy fluctuated around her.

The Jotun's eyes widened. "You're insane!"

"Then screw off, this is my home!"

A second Meteor came falling down from the sky.

"My dear, Freyja, let's not resort to such brutish means." Loki appeared next to the Jotun with a shimmer of Green Fire.

He held his hands up, and an equally large Magic Circle appeared, no in fact, it was exactly the same in all aspects, except, it was opposite.

Like a reflection.

A similar meteor appeared from his Magic Circle, but instead of falling to the ground, it went up, right towards the Meteor falling from the sky.

They both collided, sending molten rocks falling from the sky.

"Come up here and I'll show you brutish." Freyja practically snarled.

"Now, now "

A bright light pierced through the silhouette, causing a small explosion of flames as it hit the ground he was standing on.

I glanced at the Old Elf who had just fired an arrow at him.

"What?" He asked. "Did you really want to hear him run his mouth?"

I just threw a thumbs up his way.

The falling rocks hit the Shields that remained and didn't cause much damage overall, and after all of that, it was a victory on our end.

Thor and I hoped back up to the wall, The Thunder God patted my shoulder and went back to his spot, cheers erupting in his wake.

There wasn't time to relish the small victory, the main fighting hadn't even started yet, but we grabbed a small lead.

"Hold back now." The Old Elf stated, surveying the battlefield. "Your job is over for the moment."

"I might be able to drag another one out into the open." I offered.

He shook his head. "Save your stamina for now. In a fight like this, if you don't pace yourself, you're going to end up dead. Look at the others, do you see Thor running out?"

The first waves of Asgard's Warriors clashed with the combined forces of our enemies. Yet, the Thunder Thor stood still, watching.

"Things swung in our favor ever so slightly, and you did a good job. But don't take that as a reason to push yourself too hard. Our true enemies haven't yet appeared, and we know they're lurking around."

I relented, even though everything inside me told me to go out and help.

Loki made a small appearance only and I couldn't see him anywhere. The others, yeah, they weren't popping up. Other than the leaders of Jotunheim who were springing up gradually at the edge of the battlefield, a lot of the heavy hitters on their side were still hidden.

"As much as it's a shit thing to say, the lower end warriors, in a situation like this, they're not going to be doing much. They have their own pride, their own desires for Glory, but it would take far too many to hold back the likes of even Thiassi that was slain, and she's one of the weakest of the lot. Understand, that in conflicts of this scale, they are more like arrows than blades. A resource that will be spent, not a carefully prepared weapon at your side."

"Does that mean I should stand back and do nothing?" I admit fully that a battle of this scale was something I didn't have any experience in. One where my actions influenced the battlefield and could ruin the plans of my allies if I acted rashly.

The Old Elf put Auriel's bow onto his back and took out his normal one. "Know when to commit and when not to. The moment you start throwing around your power, it's going to force them to act. The way Odin is acting right now, it's not what he wants. So, take a more subtle approach. Small advantages are barely seen, but they can stack up. But if an opportunity presents itself, don't hesitate."

He started firing arrows, along with the lines of Warriors across the walls that had their own bows and magics.

I held out a finger, pointing at a Troll that was being ganged up on several Einherjar and was particularly large by their standards.

"Had #4, Byakurai." A bolt of lightning shot out, ripping across the distance, and penetrating its chest.

The Troll stumbled, and those Warriors took the opportunity to lay into it, weapons stabbing deep into its body and defeating the Troll.

Kid was probably a good bet right now considering it was something completely foreign to all of them.

And as effort went, the ones on the lower end of the scale were not particularly difficult or draining to cast.

"Bakud #4, Hainawa!" I cast another, a rape made of Spiritual Energy shot off, wrapping around the legs of a Giant, forcing him to fall over before it dispersed. The Warriors around him were quick to capitalize on the opportunity.

"O Lord, Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter wings, you who bears the name of man, Inferno and Pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march onto to the south." I held my palm up facing a particularly grotesque Troll even by their standards. It was running around with four arms, one of which was significantly smaller and its stomach that protruded out very far from its belly. "Had #31, Shakakah" The Red ball of Spiritual Energy shot at him, like a cannonball, and blew a hole right through its stomach.

My other swords flew out of my Ring and joined into the fray, with a thought, they pierced through the air, finding their own targets.

Draugr were decapitated, other monsters were sliced up, and plenty of trolls had their vitals stabbed, allowing the Warriors of Asgard ample opportunity to finish them off.

I was getting into the Rhythm of it. The Staff of Magnus quickly entered my grip, and my Spell Circles appeared.

There were plenty of 'smaller' spells I was capable of that had fallen to the wayside once my opponents became Godly in nature.

Just from Skyrim, I had a plethora of spells in my repertoire.

"Chain Lightning." The Lighting arced across dozens of undead, zapping them and finding a Giant about to stomp on a Valkyrie, shocking him to a pause that allowed her to escape unharmed.

"Lightning Cloak. Flame Cloak. Whirlwind Cloak." Weapon enhancement spells that I haven't used in ages, they enchanted various Einherjar and Valkyrie I eyed across the battlefield, temporarily enchanting their weapons with the corresponding element.

"Wall of Flames!" I noticed the left side of the fighting directly in front of me was slowly losing ground, I conjured a wall of fire, allowing them to group and reform their lines. "Fire Thorns." Followed up, many smaller fire projectiles about the size of fireballs launched at the furthest back lines I could see to avoid friendly fire.

Lastly, Two simultaneous Spell Circles swirled around above my staff as I cast them at the same time.

"Fire Storm, Lightning Storm." Two different spots erupted in hellfire and Thunder, burning and disintegrating anything caught within.

It seemed like they were the ones who couldn't wait anymore, because a large anchor-like object connected by a chain flew across the battlefield, aiming right at me and the section of the wall I was on.

"Bakud #44 Sekisho." A fast-forming wall of Spiritual Power sprang up, blocking the bow, but even so it shuddered at the impact.

The Anchor was retracted quickly, following the descent of a Jotun who stomped forward, cracking the earth.

It was the first Jotun I've seen that wore true Armor.

The Anchor was used like a mace, and the chain wrapped all the way up his arm as he swung it around.

As if a signal, the remainder appeared.

I jumped off the wall, realizing that it was time for me to step forward.

"Oooh, Thor!"

"That's not Thor, you idiot!"

"Valhalla, I'm coming!"

"We already came to Valhalla!"

The various warriors seemed completely fearless despite the situation.

"Warriors of Asgard, Shields up!" The Valkyrie commanding them shouted and they obeyed her orders without hesitation.

Their Shields were quickly deployed, and Magic shimmered around them as a wave of frost slammed into their front, hitting an immovable formation.

They were fine, my target was elsewhere.

Thunder clapped overhead, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see Thor hit that Jotun from before Johul, across the face with his hammer as they restarted their fight.

I eyed the Jotun with the oversized Anchor as a weapon, and his eyes bore into me.

My staff was put away, and I grabbed hold of Mirage, calling upon my Magic to facilitate the Dimensional Refraction Phenomena.

With a flick of my wrist, an Ether Cannon shot out, deflecting a swing of his weapon.

It came around again, and another Ether Cannon shot at it before it could tear into the formations around me. I jumped up into the air, my wings springing out of my back and I shot forth another quick Ether Cannon, sending his Anchor sailing off to the side.

The Jotun roared and charged at me, twisting his body to use his momentum to swing the chained weapon my way again.

I held Mirage up high, gathering significantly more Magical Energy. "Ether Cannon!" I roared in return, slamming into the Giant's mid-section, sending him falling backwards onto his ass. And his weapon harmlessly landed at the side after he lost his grip.

Landing on the ground, I met his eyes as he got up, snarling.

He wasn't the enemy I was prepared for, but for now, he would do.

[***]

Odin POV

"Damn bastard." Freyja cursed under her breath towards Loki, and I didn't say anything to rile her up in this instance.

"You did your job well." I surveyed the battlefield.

Three sides of engagements. Our backs to the World Tree.

And not much here could escape my eye.

"Focus on the ones with Gold Sticking out of their heads, it's a sign of their higher positions. The more gold and crown-shaped, the higher the Trolls are up." I whispered, my words reaching the ear of that young woman sent over from the church. Her ability to make Firearms out of Holy Power was interesting and quite practical as she sniped from atop the walls.

Disgusting creatures those things.

A pest and vermin that would have been eradicated many years ago if they didn't reproduce so quickly with nearly any species of female able to survive their lusts.

They mutilated themselves by shoving gold into their heads. The Troll King had the fullest and largest gold 'crown' sticking out of their head.

But they were excellent fodder for this kind of situation. It wouldn't have been difficult for Loki to persuade their king if he promised the women of Asgard as their trophies, along with whatever Gold they could carry.

"Father, the left side is showing signs of faltering." Vidar's voice echoed out from Huginn upon my shoulder.

That's the side with the brat.

I rubbed my beard and cast my gaze over there.

Very quickly, the situation changed as he began to make a move. Various spells hitting spots precisely where they needed to. And he was able to give them ample time to regain their formation to fill in the gaps that had formed from the first clash.

"It's fine, focus on the center." I replied.

"You have a lot of faith in him." Freyja grunted, her own Spells being weaves even if it looked like she was casually chatting with me.

"It's well earned." I said simply. "And because of him, we gained the early advantage."

She flipped her hair back. "I guess I get no credit then?" She rolled her eyes. "But I can't deny it either. That Bow certainly made an impression. We may as well have another God over there with the Former Elf King wielding that thing."

If only she knew.

"But as beneficial as it is to remove one of the Jotun's Warlords early on, it's still far from enough."

Far at the right side, the other kids were fighting too. The Devil wielding the Nemean Lion was a fantastic Warrior, holding off a Giant that he had no right to be fighting at his age.

The Grandson of the Old Monkey joined him, showing skill that could only be admired even by many warriors hundreds of times his age.

The wielder of Divine Dividing had his own fight, learning very quickly that his weapon had a flaw when dealing with multiple opponents of a certain level simultaneously, but quickly gaining the advantage.

The namesake of the Greek Hero didn't do his ancestor injustice as he swept through the back line of the battlefield with light steps, claiming kills before the slow witted Draugr and Monsters could properly react.

Lastly, the young woman that came from Nuwa's side of the world showed excellent skill and tactical prowess by not holding back and using her attacks precisely where they would do the most damage and cause the greatest disruption.

Still, it was not enough to turn the tide.

Numbers were powerful in their own right, and we were outnumbered Twenty to One overall. It was unfortunate, but we had no opportunity to call up our allies. The Light Elves were busy warring with their Dark Elf Cousins. And if we called upon them, Loki would usher in the Dark Elves to his side, making the situation unchanging. The Dwarves were too few in number and not focused fighters. Their additions would be minimal and not worth the effort to gather them from their caverns.

Lastly was Vanaheim, but they were keeping pressure on Muspelheim from the rear.

This was all we were able to bring to bear at the moment.

"Another time, far into the past, you would have used those children as sacrifices to draw out Loki or someone of significance." Freyja eyed me. "Now, you're keeping them at probably the safest spot, far away from the focus. What happened to the Ruthless War God?"

I let out a chuckle, not losing my focus on the battle. "Do you hate me for not using every means at our disposal to ensure victory?"

She gave me a long look, but a genuine smile slowly appeared. "I like this you that I see right now."

There were some things more important than 'winning'.

If we won, what was the point if we had to sacrifice everything we considered worthwhile about ourselves in the process?

It was something I didn't understand when I was younger.

"All-Father, requesting reinforcements." Heimdall's voice came through Muninn on my other shoulder.

"What do you see, Heimdall?"

"They attempt to flank us then divide us through the middle."

Freyja frowned. "Guohildr."

"Yes, Lady Freyja." A Valkyrie with large boobs knelt down, waiting for orders.

"Take twenty of your sisters and ten thousand reserve troops to fortify Heimdall's location." She stilled. "Wait, order another Fifty of your sisters to do a fly by attack through the middle and round to the right. Don't linger, attack and leave."

"As you command, my Lady." She quickly departed.

"Vidar, send twenty thousand of your warriors to the right side." She continued. "If they want to push through the middle, let's welcome them."

We only have Three Hundred Thousand Warriors in reserve.

It's not enough and we all knew it.

"Send three thousand of those to the left side." Heimdall quickly ordered.

"Will do." Vidar responded. "Middle is slowly losing ground. Proceed or push out?"

"Let it collapse naturally."Freyja stated. "We can't keep this kind of battle going forever, and we'll be at a disadvantage."

"Father, Johul has returned to the fray, do I engage?" Thor's voice came through Muninn's beak.

"Take him." I ordered.

"Kari, the Tempest has appeared on the left side." Heimdall added.

I cast my gaze over there and saw the Brat immediately respond before I could even say anything.

"Kari is handled." I told him.

Worse case scenario, Tyr was there to provide support to the brat. But he will not move unless the situation becomes dire or the traitors make their appearance.

"Orifta the Snowdrift appeared in front of our allies from outside." Heimdall continued. "I am in a position to assist, but Frosti has also appeared near me and has yet to join the fight."

"Orifta is the weakest of their kin, let the kids handle it. But keep an eye on them, and if they can't handle it, force their retreat." My gaze landed upon the kids, but I had a feeling they would surprise me.

"Odin, this is unlike you to put so much faith in outsiders."

I didn't need to look to see Loki's Illusion leaning against the side of the wall nearby.

"Hello Pot, this is Kettle. I fucked your mom." I deadpanned.

Loki merely rolled his eyes. "True, I suppose. I did break that taboo first. Which is why I'm not targeting those children specifically. I do have some manner of pride and honor. However, unlike you, I didn't put my faith in them. I have contingencies and backup plans. Which proved to be wise."

"Feel free to target the brat over there currently handing that butt buddy his frosty white ass." I pointed to the left.

Seeing him frown, I took far too much joy in it.

"He will get what's coming to him soon."

"Ominous!"

"Father, are you speaking with Loki?" Thor's voice came through Muninn.

"Hello Thor." Loki casually greeted.

"Brother! Why don't you come visit me down here, I have a great many things I wish to discuss with you."

"Yes, I'm sure they involve that Hammer of yours." Loki snorted. "Don't worry, brother, I am in good company here with your other brother!"

Thor did not respond, but the wail of Johul from this distance was enough to express his anger.

"But All-Father, I'm surprised you haven't joined the fight. Surely a battle hungry War God like you isn't afraid, hmm?" Loki began to taunt us.

"You're welcome to come up here like Freyja said. I would gladly show you my battle prowess."

Loki shrugged. "Oh well, I can't fault you. You probably felt that cold sensation of Death, huh?"

"Hmph."

He wasn't lying, I could feel it just as vividly as I did in the Roots.

That Mutt of his was around, and it would appear the moment I made a move.

"Freyja, drop some more meteors."

"More meteors?"

"More meteors." I nodded.

"Really?" Loki rolled his eyes again. "We could play this song and dance some more, but remember, you're the one who wants to skip to the end of this story." He put his fingers into his mouth and whistled.

It wasn't particularly loud, but it carried a certain weight to it.

Two howls shook the battlefield.

Very quickly, two wolves that looked frighteningly similar to his Mutt of a child took to the skies, running upon the air.

Hati and Skll, the two children of Fenrir, destined to devour the Sun and the Moon.

"Freyja!"

"On it!" She began casting one of her strongest spells, targeting the two offspring of the World Wolf.

"Come now, did you really think I would allow that?" Loki chuckled, and a Runic Circle appeared overhead, wrapped in Loki's aura and Divine Power.

Both Freyja and I had to cancel our original actions and move to support Asgard's Shield as Fire burst out onto the barrier.

With another Howl up in the sky, the two wolves turned into shadows, merging with the very cosmos and they opened their maws around the two celestial objects.

Skll clamped down, and sunlight disappeared from the world with a cry from somewhere behind the enemies' line. I recognized Sl's voice, but I had no sympathy for her. The shadow of the Child of Fenrir collapsed onto itself, disappearing along with the Sun.

Hati too, opened its jaw, about to clamp down, but a new source of light appeared, moving across the sky.

It came from the direction of the left battlefield, as an arrow made of Sunlight collided with the shadow of Hati about to devour the Moon.

A howl and a whimper echoed across the Nine Realms as the second of Fenrir's children fell from the sky, wounded.

Loki's eyes widened and his head snapped at the Old bastard.

The Old Elven King raised up his middle finger with a mocking smile.

"Hahaha!" I smacked my knee. "Looks like one of your grandkids is a fuck up, eh?"

Loki's expression twisted back in a silent rage. "Again, that mortal."

It was obvious he was talking about the Brat as everyone knew who gave the Old King that Bow.

"Even after all your plans, you just keep getting L's, huh Loki? It's like a reflection of your entire life represented in a few days."

I could tell he was fuming at this point, even if he didn't overly react.

Loki was vindictive and vengeful, even if his anger simmered coldly and he was willing to wait for his revenge.

Even with purely Starlight and Moonlight filling the Nine Realms at this point, it was a win for us.

It was possible to mend the Sun after Ragnark.

"Let's begin the next stage then." Loki sounded casually, but he couldn't escape my sight.

From wherever he was, new orders were issued, and the enemies' troops all around shifted slightly.

From Vidar's frontline, Baldur appeared.

On the Left a titanic figure stepped out of the void. The brat that had been fighting the Jotun and winning, stopped to look at Kronos in his full Titanic form that loomed over even the Jotuns already on the battlefield.

On the right side, Thor encountered the remainder of the Jotun Warlords, along with Heimdall.

And the various traitors appeared throughout, forcing Tyr and the others to finally step forward.

The Middle finally collapsed, and the enemies pushed at Asgard's barrier.

A streak of light weaved between them, and slammed not it, cracking the shield.

Hyperion stood at the forefront, landing blows upon Asgard's defenses.

"Magni!" Freyja yelled, and the God of Strength came from behind where he was with the reserve troops.

He would not win in a fight against the Titan, but he could stall long enough. He charged with reckless abandon, a Berserker if there ever was one, and collided head first into the Titan.

However, there was a problem, we were undermanned.

Sl, who had cried out earlier, she appeared, calling upon her sunlight, as destitute as it was and as winded and haggard as she was after having the Sun devoured, she used her Divine Powers to attack the Barrier as well, forming cracks on another end of it.

Mni, the Moon God, moved to intercept, using his Moonlight to counter her sunlight. Normally, he would be much weaker than her, but the fact that the Moon remained allowed him to equal her in this moment.

Sl wasn't the only God on their side, or perhaps even ours, that was lessened by the loss of the Sun, but they were still Gods.

Dagr, The God of the Day joined in with her, pushing back the Moon God.

Beyla made herself known as vines sprouted all over the battlefield, sweeping up our Warriors and disrupting the carefully laid out formation. Valkyries were pulled from the skies, and shields were ripped from the hands of the Einherjar. Small actions that were having a cascading effect.

Gerr appeared and the earth rumbled, causing quakes to shake at our foundations, and the walls began to tremble and waver.

Ullr began to fight Sga.

Tyr took over the Jotun while the Brat squared up against Kronos.

And Modi was preoccupied with his other brothers.

There were still enemies that needed devoted attention that were free to attack at their leisure, and Asgard's barrier was quickly failing.

"Are you going to join, Odin? How about I make your choice for you." As soon as Loki said that, another howl carried across the battlefield. This one contained far too much bloodlust and rage to be mistaken for the last two wolves.

Fenrir appeared amidst the various monsters.

It still looked wounded from our last encounter, a bloody hole in its side was hard to completely recover from, but it had healed a certain amount and I unconsciously tightened my grip around my spear.

"It would be a mercy to just give up now, Odin. I'll let this be the last act of our previous relationship. I'll make it quick and painless, you have my word."

It's funny, Loki was being both mocking and genuine. Oh, he was relishing in his perceived victory, but at the same time, he truly believed what he had just spoken.

I peered off into the distance, despite the thumping of my heart at my mortal enemy appearing, I couldn't help but smile.

Loki narrowed his eyes. "What are you planning, Odin?"

"Me?" I laughed. "Nothing. The thing is, I knew you would account for me. We spent far too much time together, you knew how I would think, how I would respond, what I would do. I admit I failed in my duties; I wallowed in my own self depreciation for so long and stayed around, giving you all this time to scheme and plan. So, I let the brat come up with the plans. Honestly, I thought some of them were farfetched, but I guess I've been proven wrong."

A mist started appearing from far away.

It was thick, unnatural, and full of magic.

I was right, it was a cool addition.

It started with a Dragon's roar.

A Dragon like the ones I saw from Skyrim appeared, riding atop of it was the brat's Dragon friend.

Quickly following, The Brat's ship broke through the mist, cannons starting to rain magical fire down upon the hundreds of thousands of enemies still marching towards Asgard's walls.

The Blue skinned Spirit of his, and the Samurai stood proudly at the front..the Rabbit of his was apparently steering.

More ships appeared from the mists.

These ones looked to be made of flesh and bones. Ominous but numerous, ghosts filled every spot upon the vessel with their ghastly weapons raised up, roars of fury upon the winds.

And at the forefront, Hel stood at the helm, looking a mite pissed off.

The way Loki's eyes widened, It wasn't hard to guess the source of her annoyance.

"How " Loki stilled. "You.she should not be free! Jormungandr.and" He looked at me. "How did you overcome the trap I planted?"

"Who do you think I am?" I looked at him unphased.

Truthfully, I had no idea what he was talking about at all.

But I would gladly take credit for when things went my way.

"I underestimated you." Loki's expression darkened. "It is my mistake, I was caught up in my own arrogance. I can admit this much. However, Hel's assistance is far from enough to sway this battle."

"Is that so?"

Loki looked concerned for the very first time.

There was another roar that sounded the arrival of something amongst the fighting.

It was no Dragon, it was no Jotun, and it was certainly no God.

Loki's head turned, and many other eyes followed.

A pathway opened up on the Trunk of the World Tree, a certain squirrel came running down.

It would have been funny in any other situation, the way he ran and panicked but.right at this moment, I couldn't help but admire his courage.

Ratatoskr appeared, and very quickly the source of the roar came as well.

A massive Deer came barreling out of the passage.

It was big enough to match any Jotun on the Battlefield, Truthfully, I didn't realize it was still alive, I had thought all the Great Red Deers of the higher leaves were all gone.

Like many things I've found these past few days, I was wrong. I had heard that the last of them, Duneyrr, had disappeared centuries ago and never bothered to check up on this.

Along with it came many more Deers of a similar descent and of varying degrees of size and strength, but it was a stampede that couldn't be ignored.

And just barely, I could make out the figure of the Cat-Eared huntress that the brat brought along with him, she was riding upon one of the large Stags.

Duneyrr charged with his children, plowing through the side of the enemies lines, cutting a bloody swathe through one end of the battlefield to the other. Its massive horns lowered as all manner of monsters were impaled upon its sharp antlers.

And it didn't stop, charging right towards the World Wolf itself, ramming right into it, sending it rolling across the ground with a yelp of pain.

The surprises didn't end.

A shrill cry heard high above our heads, followed by an uncountable number of shadows that blotted out the sky.

The winds swept up around us, some violent, some subtle. Some specifically targeting the enemies of Asgard and turning into blades between them.

Two massive wings that could cover Jotuns in their entirety flapped and hurricanes followed in its wake.

"Gods of Asgard, Hrsvelgr and the Highest Branches answers your plea for aid!" The King of the Highest branch descended with his army.

At the side of the King, and among the many birds that filled the sky, a Chariot pulled by Three horses flew through the air and sitting upon it was the other Greek Hero that came along for this adventure.

Loki turned to me.

He then looked down as my spear pushed into his side.

"..when did you figure it out?" He whispered, blood dripping down the edge of the spear.

"Loki, just as you know me too well, I know you just as well." I flicked the spear away, and I knew following up was pointless as he already replaced himself with an illusion. Only Loki would be cocky enough to sit up here and talk shit like this so openly.

"Let me speak some words to you that were given to me not long ago. First to the finish line." I cut apart his illusion.

@***@

A/N

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