Amidst the thunderous roar from above, within the fortress behind the waterfall, Ainen-dor, the dwarves who had been preparing for some time suddenly sprang into rapid action.
"The battle has begun!" The stern voice of Dodan boomed, drowning out the tremors of the earth. "Farran, Grimm! Follow me. This time, we must send God Modi to victory!"
"I need to get my bow first!" Farran shouted through the chaos as the dwarven warlords dispersed to their agreed battle stations.
"Grimm and I will wait for you at the East Gate," Dodan instructed with a sharp gaze. "Bring only your trusty weapon. Nothing else! I have prepared this plan for a long time; there must be absolutely no delays... Supplies and mounts are already there... Go!"
Farran acknowledged briefly before dashing down the stone stairs to his private quarters. There, his companions were already waiting. Fiona handed him the Tvíh?gg bow with a steady hand. It was the weapon Farran had received from Blár, his Wild Elf senior disciple who had now defected to serve the High Elves.
"Thanks, Fiona," Farran said, slinging the bow over his shoulder.
"Are you still going to follow Dodan to fight Vidar?" Galdur asked to ensure the plan was still on track.
"Yes, I am still designated as the archer. But I will find a chance to break away from that fight and regroup with you all... to drag Torvin out," Farran paused slightly before asking about the other group. "By the way, how is Berlynda's plan going?"
"Berlynda and her disciples went ahead to observe the High Elf military camp several times days ago, but there was no progress. As soon as the battle of the gods begins, I believe she will surely go out to hunt for Enya," the old wizard replied.
"Then let's hurry. Dodan is meeting me at the East Gate. You should detour another way; avoid that gate," Farran didn't want to risk Dodan seeing his companions sneaking out of the fortress at this time.
"We are going to the East Gate as well, because if we go another way, we won't catch you in time," Galdur smiled slyly. "But don't forget, I am a wizard with the spell of invisibility."
"But you have to ride horses too?" Farran objected, not fully understanding the scope of Galdur's magic.
"This time, I will have Fiona hold the Apple of Idunn, and I will ride pillion behind her. Believe me, this great-granddaughter of mine can hold her breath for a very long time... The invisibility spell will last until we are far enough away from the fortress," Galdur explained the principle of using the Golden Apple for invisibility, which involved breath control.
Fiona nodded with a smile full of confidence. Usually, she was a talkative person, but in front of Farran, she often became someone who only smiled.
"If you're ready, let's go," Farran cut the conversation short. He knew that if he delayed any longer, Dodan's wrath would erupt, and the plan might change.
Meanwhile, when Berlynda saw the dark grey clouds forming, she guessed that Modi would start the war today. She and her disciples left the fortress of Ainen-dor before anyone else. They rushed to the high hill by the stream where the High Elf military camp was located. However, before reaching their destination, they saw the massive army of the Elves moving toward the Lunagard grassland once again.
Even though the Elf army had learned a costly lesson from facing the gods, upon knowing that God Modi and God Vidar would clash at Lunagard, they still moved their massive forces to support God Vidar, the patron god of their race.
Dodan believed with all his heart that his intervention would end the hundred-day war and grant victory to God Modi. However, in reality, the power of the strongest dwarf in Midgard was but a flickering candle compared to the radiant power of the gods. If Dodan had realized even slightly that the red-haired woman standing behind Farran that day was Berlynda, the legendary former Number One Valkyrie, it is feared that the person he chose to join the battle would not have been Farran, but her instead.
The Elf military camp was massive. Berlynda had snuck in to observe at night twice before, but still could not identify where Enya's tent was located. As the main army moved to the battlefield, she believed Enya and Dark Asanee would join the fight to back God Vidar, not unlike Dodan's plan.
Berlynda was familiar with God Modi as Magni's friend, but she had never conversed with the stoic God Vidar. However, Vidar was the one who slew the wolf Fenrir to avenge the High God Odin, her former master. When Enya brought Gungnir to summon the warrior, she could not refuse... Had she known from the start that the goal of summoning Dark Asanee was to destroy Magni and Modi, she would never have performed that ritual.
Berlynda scanned the lines of the Elf army but still did not see Enya's personal flag. Finally, turning back to look at her companions, Amanda and Aki, she couldn't help but worry about them, especially Amanda, who was just an apprentice witch.
"We will not face the Elf army directly. Our targets are only Enya and Dark Asanee," Berlynda reminded her disciples again.
"Eh!" Amanda cried out. "Master... that blonde man in the grey cloak over there isn't an Elf."
"What did you say, Amanda?" Berlynda turned to ask.
Amanda pointed to the forces on the left flank. "There. His ears aren't pointed like the Elves."
Berlynda looked and found a blonde human in a grey cloak indeed. Her eyes turned icy cold. "That must be Torvin, whom Farran is looking for."
"What should we do, Master? Should we capture him and hand him to Farran immediately?" Amanda suggested.
"For Torvin to blend into the Elf army, he must have received permission from Enya. This man is a coward. If something happens, he will surely run to Enya for protection... We will keep an eye on him. He will be excellent bait to lead us to Enya!" Berlynda concluded with a decisive tone.
As for Aki, who had been silent all along, as soon as she received the order, her eyes shone with seriousness. All her senses were gathered to lock onto the target: Torvin alone.
The battle between Vidar and Modi remained similar to their first encounter. Modi used the hammer Mjolnir to attack violently and frantically, while Vidar used footwork to circle and attack with kicks. Both had unique strengths, making it hard to predict who held the advantage.
Dodan, who specialized in hammers like Modi, watched the fight with deep analysis. He realized the advantage that came with the silent danger of using a hammer... Although this weapon had earth-shattering destructive power, every breath lost swinging the hammer and missing the target was a costly gamble. If evaded continuously, the wielder's stamina would be drained until they were too exhausted to recover.
Even more worrying was Vidar's skill. Using the power of his metal boots to attack alternately with left and right feet was incredibly difficult to handle, as fighters who truly mastered footwork were rare. This was a chilling advantage; the longer the battle dragged on, the more the chance of Modi faltering from a single missed rhythm multiplied.
But as stated, Dodan specialized in hammers and had limited archery skills. While Grimm, who usually used dual swords, was decent with a bow even atop a charging boar, compared to Farran on his red-furred horse, Farran's archery was superior to anyone's. Thus, the hope of intervening in the gods' battle fell primarily on Farran, with Dodan providing cover, watching to ensure Vidar didn't double back to deal with the two archers.
Farran unleashed a continuous volley of three arrows. The first flew straight at God Vidar, while the other two were calculated to intercept anticipated paths, both left and right, predicting that no matter which way the god moved, he could not escape.
At the moment Vidar used his right foot to kick and brace against Mjolnir, the first arrow arrived but was deflected harmlessly by the god's aura. Vidar twisted to the left to dodge the trajectory, but the second arrow rushed toward that spot as if knowing beforehand. The god had to veer right, where the third arrow lay in wait. Vidar was forced to switch to his left foot to kick and destroy that arrow, shattering it, before spinning to slam his right foot into Modi again, clashing violently with Mjolnir.
However, this time Vidar used the recoil from the impact to launch himself like a gliding bird toward Farran on his horse. He spun in mid-air before stomping his footprint violently onto the red horse's neck, sending both man and horse flying from the massive impact, before returning to fight Modi once more.
Farran realized immediately that his horse could not withstand the divine power. He decided to jump off the saddle before his body hit the ground. But in that split second, a strong metal hand reached out to scoop him up just in time.
The rescuer was Dodan, soaring on the back of a Wyvern!
"You did well, but the enemy is too fast. Even I on a flying dragon can't keep up," Dodan said calmly while steering the Wyvern to swoop low. "Since you have no horse, hurry and withdraw back to Ainen-dor!"
Farran jumped to the ground quickly. He knew the distraction mission was over, so he rushed to the rendezvous point agreed upon with Fiona and Galdur immediately.
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On the other side, Grimm led the rapid-movement boar cavalry to crash into the left flank of the High Elf army. Chaos ensued in the blink of an eye. Although Elf warriors were renowned for their archery accuracy, the arrows rained down could not scratch the skin of the dwarves or their mounts. Not only were the warriors armored, but the war boars also wore thick armor on their heads and front legs, turning them into mobile fortresses that mercilessly rammed and destroyed everything in their path!
This attack collided exactly where Torvin was blended in. Although he survived being trampled, the Elf infantry was instantly thrown into disarray. Prince Torvin had no intention of staying on the battlefield; he decided to run back to the rear lines immediately.
Naturally, when Torvin fled to the rear, the Ruby Team, who had been watching for a long time, immediately pursued.
"Aki, you hurry and follow Torvin first. I will carry Amanda and follow behind. Do not engage until you see the female Elf warrior wearing full gold armor," Berlynda ordered Aki before hoisting her eldest disciple onto her back.
True to her status as the legendary Number One Valkyrie, holder of the title "Red Dream," even carrying a disciple, Berlynda continued to run behind Aki at a consistent distance.
Torvin was unaware he was being stalked. Meanwhile, Galdur and Fiona, lying in wait for Farran, saw the Ruby Team running past—led by Aki, followed by Berlynda and Amanda.
Berlynda saw Galdur as well. Their eyes met without a word spoken. Just a slight tilt of the head while running past, and Galdur understood the message immediately. He turned to tell Fiona, "They found Torvin and are pursuing."
"Then what do we do?" Fiona asked quickly.
"I will follow them. You wait here; inform Farran," Galdur, though old, still had the spirit of an adventurer. He mounted his horse and galloped after Berlynda.
Fiona watched her great-grandfather's retreating figure with anxiety, praying for Farran to arrive quickly.
Torvin did not disappoint. Finally, Berlynda saw the flag pole with the black sword symbol, signifying the "Night Sword." She immediately called her prime disciple's name. "Amanda, get ready. Ahead is our battle."
Amanda, on her master's back, though her heart pounded, tried to gather her focus to prepare a magic circle spell.
"Aki, charge in and capture Torvin!" Berlynda shouted the order to Aki.
Aki, who had been conserving her strength the whole way, immediately drew short swords in both hands upon receiving the command. She launched herself from the edge of the forest toward the troops under the black sword flag.
Enya's troops, seeing a few enemies charging in, unleashed arrows from a distance, aiming at Aki who was in the lead. However, Aki was now faster than the arrows. Dozens of arrows passed through her silhouette, but all were merely illusions, not her real body.
When the first two volleys missed, shield-bearing spearmen switched to the front to clash with the incoming enemy. Even so, the archers fired a third volley, this time aiming at Berlynda and Amanda.
Amanda didn't need to wait for an order. She created an orange-yellow magic circle that spread out like a large umbrella, withstanding the rain of arrows from the opposition.
The commotion of the soldiers caused Enya, who was in the middle of the formation, to come out and check the situation. Seeing the familiar red-haired woman carrying a young girl under a magic circle, she exclaimed, "That's Berlynda."
Aki clashed with the Elf shield-spearmen. Her body moved as if flying. No shield or spear could stop her. Even though her weapons were merely short swords, they continuously pierced the soldiers' vital points.
Torvin, running up panting, cried out to Enya, "Help! They are hunting me!"
Enya barely paid attention to what Torvin said. She looked back and forth between Aki and Berlynda, having a strange premonition that Aki might be a summoned being like Dark Asanee.
"You lot take Prince Torvin to hide first. I will handle that red-haired witch myself."
Enya finished speaking and stood her ground, awaiting Berlynda's arrival.
Aki was still entangled with the shield-spearmen, so it was Berlynda and Amanda who faced Enya first.
"Berlynda, why did you come here? Do you intend to be enemies with our God Vidar?" Enya greeted first.
"I came to avenge Magni," Berlynda said with a face that was expressionless but serious, letting Amanda down to stand behind her.
"Haha, even at this late hour you still seek revenge? Wasn't it you who summoned the assassin who beheaded Magni to this universe?" Enya laughed mockingly, recounting their past.
"I never thought anyone could kill Magni," Berlynda said while scanning around. She feared the appearance of Dark Asanee.
"You have yourself to thank for summoning Dark Asanee for me back then," Enya said, then focused her mind and called out sweetly, "Return... Dark Asanee."
Crash!!
A sound like a thunderclap erupted behind Berlynda. She turned to see a golden spear rushing toward Amanda.
Clang!
Two short swords shattered, but it was enough to resist the gleaming golden spear from harming Amanda before the spear returned to Enya's hand.
Those two short swords were Aki's weapons. She had dealt with the shield-spearmen force just in time and doubled back to save her senior disciple's life. Even though her personal weapons were destroyed, Aki still stood shielding Amanda from behind.
"Wow! Who is this little girl in the red skirt? Is she someone you summoned too?" Enya asked, probing Berlynda about the red-skirted girl in front of her, while she placed the golden spear down. The spear slowly transformed into a tall young man in a golden suit.
Seeing Enya control Dark Asanee to attack from a distance, no different from High God Odin using Gungnir in ancient times, caused cold sweat to soak Berlynda's back with anxiety and dread.
"Aki, hurry and take Amanda and run!" Berlynda assessed the situation as far worse than expected. Originally, she thought she could handle Enya and Dark Asanee, but what she saw now made her lose a significant amount of confidence.
"What? Berlynda, we meet for just a moment and you're fleeing already?" Enya teased the other party.
"Untora!" Berlynda cast a Level 9 spell, an explosion spell, at Enya immediately. "Hurry! Both of you, run!" The Number One Valkyrie urged her disciples, and Aki immediately carried Amanda and leaped away to flee as ordered.
The blast from the Untora spell covered the area in thick smoke. When the smoke cleared, it was seen that Dark Asanee had used his back to take the force of the explosion to protect Enya.
"Heh heh, not bad. The skill of the Number One Valkyrie can use the Untora spell too," Enya laughed with satisfaction before ordering, "Go kill both of them!"
At the command, Dark Asanee dashed in the direction Berlynda's two disciples had fled.
Berlynda moved to block the path, but another golden shadow followed her, accompanied by an arc of indigo light slashing down from above. It was Enya swinging the sword Gradius at her.
Berlynda could not stop Dark Asanee, who rushed after her disciples. Now, her two hands had to grab the wrists of Enya, who was about to strike her with the sword, holding them tight!
"Play with me for a bit longer, Berlynda. Dark Asanee will bring the heads of your two disciples back soon enough," Enya continued the psychological warfare to unsettle her opponent.
Berlynda gathered strength in both arms and pushed violently, sending Enya stumbling backward. "You alone are no match for me. Hurry and call 'Dark Asanee' back."
"Haha, so worried about your disciples!" Enya laughed heartily while slashing her sword in at high speed.
Berlynda drew the short sword at her waist to parry the opponent's blade with precision before shouting, "Hurry and call your magic spear back, before you lose the chance to ever use it again!"
"Give him some more time. We haven't finished playing, have we?" Enya twisted her left wrist, casting a gleaming golden ring spell, and hurled it immediately, following up with a charging attack.
Berlynda used her left hand to cast an orange-red ring spell to clash until the magic of both sides shattered into the air. She extended the sword in her hand to block the slash, but in that blink of an eye, the Number One Valkyrie's sword vanished like an illusion. Enya's blade slashed into empty space, leaving her side blatantly exposed.
Berlynda's left knee rose high, smashing squarely into the midsection of the Elf assassin leader. Then she spun, swinging her blade toward Enya's throat instantly!
Enya decided to do the splits to drop her body low to the ground while leaning back desperately. The short sword cut only a lock of her hair, scattering it. Though she saved her life, Berlynda, a veteran of Ragnarok, did not stop there. She spun back around and kicked Enya in the chest, sending her flying.
Enya rolled on the ground, bruised and battered. She scrambled up in panic... realizing that her skill was still a vast distance away from the red-haired woman before her.
"Come on, Berlynda. Let's fight another round. It should be just enough time for your two disciples to be killed by Dark Asanee," Enya circled back to the same topic, believing anxiety would shake the other's mind and open a chance for her to counterattack.
"Your time is up, Enya," Berlynda said with calm eyes. The Valkyrie had finished assessing the entire situation. The phrase "time is up" also implied that the time for her two disciples was up as well.
Berlynda looked at Enya and cast another spell.
"Holy!"
A yellow-white beam of light shot up from the ground where Enya stood. The beam expanded into a wide circle, about twelve to thirteen paces in diameter. Now, only Enya and Berlynda were trapped inside this magical territory.
Enya was panicked to find herself trapped in this soft white light territory.
"As expected. Since your heart is very evil, the Holy spell cannot purify you. It can only confine you inside," Berlynda spoke first.
"Is this the Holy spell? Another Level 9 magic?" Enya tried to control her trembling emotions.
"You probably don't know. This Holy spell was actually invented by Elves. Valkyries then learned and practiced it," Berlynda recounted the ancient legend.
"What are you saying? Valkyrie magic was invented by us Elves?" Enya looked skeptical.
"It is a pity you must die here. Otherwise, you might have had the chance to go back and ask the mysterious Elf in the Illusion Castle," Berlynda said while moving closer with the sword in her hand.
"It's just a territory creation spell. Do you think it can hold me?" Enya focused her mind and said, "Return, Dark Asanee!" She trusted the destructive power of Gungnir; nothing could withstand it.
"Sorry, Enya. Your telepathy cannot pass through this territory," Berlynda explained why Enya could not call Dark Asanee back.
Berlynda twirled the short sword in her hand in a circle. In the era before Ragnarok, this was called the "Valkyrie's Dance of Death," consisting of 49 continuous moves derived from combining 7 forms: stabbing, slashing, blocking, prying, piercing, parrying, and flicking. When mastered, the sword moved as if alive. The Number One Valkyrie was the only one perfectly skilled in both magic and swordsmanship.
She moved toward Enya seemingly slowly, but in a blink, the sword arc slashed up from below. Enya, a top swordswoman among Elves, used her instinct to slash down in counter. The sound of metal clashing rang out. Berlynda's short sword slipped from her hand, but it climbed along the blade of Gradius in Enya's hand as if it were a living thing!
Enya decided to drop her sword to shake off the enemy's weapon. But that was a huge mistake, because Berlynda's short sword and the Gradius sword spun and deflected toward her. First one sword, now two swords were attacking her.
Enya cast a golden ring spell at both swords, but a shadow rushed in from another direction. She flicked her right hand at it but found only empty space, before feeling a hand touch her back.
"Untora!"
Boom!
Enya's body was blown against the edge of the white light territory before falling face down. She was in pain all over from the explosion power. But when she looked up, the two spinning swords had already reached her. The blades slashed into her critically injured body continuously until they severed her final breath.
Berlynda walked over to retrieve her short sword to its sheath, causing the other sword, Gradius, to stop moving. It was all over. She turned to look at Enya one last time. The beautiful, skilled Elf and leader of all Elf assassins was now a bloody corpse, barely recognizable. Then, as soon as Berlynda opened the Holy magic territory...
Crash!!
The sound of lightning struck immediately, accompanied by the return of the golden spear. It stabbed into the ground near Enya's blood-soaked body. But this time, it did not transform back into the tall, thin young man in the golden suit.
Berlynda was worried about her two disciples because the battle had taken too long. She feared they would not be fated to meet again...