The wolves and the beavers continued their relentless battle. Massive explosions and shockwaves erupted as the two factions clashed without respite.

  Hundreds of wolves, drifting upon clouds, arrived to reinforce their comrades, while more beavers swarmed out of the hole like a cloud of bees.

  “Someone seal that cursed hole!” a furious wolf shouted, only to be struck down moments later by energy spheres fired by the beavers.

  A group of wolves formed a pyramidal formation. As they opened their jaws, spheres of energy poured forth and merged into a single, massive orb. From it, a colossal beam erupted, annihilating hundreds of beavers in an instant.

  The beavers retaliated by spiraling together in flight. Their motion forged a great sphere of energy that descended slowly, mowing down wolves in its path as it advanced.

  More and more wolves assumed the pyramidal formation, using their techniques to destroy the enormous energy spheres the beavers created. It was a merciless war, with no clear victor in sight.

  Ana and Epona watched the conflict from behind a massive mound of rocks. The Irish goddess clutched tightly the chains that bound Loki, who hung across her back like a pack.

  “What do we do, Ana?” Epona asked anxiously.

  “We can’t do anything. We don’t even know whom we should fight,” the dark-haired goddess replied, equally worried.

  “How can you not know what to do, my beauties?” Loki interjected. “Those wolves threatened you, did they not? Use that. Defeat them and show them you are stronger.”

  “The wolves seem to be the inhabitants of this land,” Epona snapped.

  “And how do you know that?” Loki asked cynically. “How do you know it wasn’t they who stole this land from those flying rodents? Those furry creatures fly, and this is the sky—unlike wolves, which are ground beasts.”

  “We’re not intervening, Loki. Forget it,” Ana said sharply.

  “And what will you do, lovely? Stay here and let everyone die?” the god of lies pressed.

  “Well… he has a point,” Epona admitted.

  “Don’t listen to that idiot,” Ana countered. “He wants us to fight so one side will hate us and he can slip away.”

  “But if everyone dies, how will we get out of here?” Epona replied, twirling a blond curl between her fingers.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “That… I don’t know,” Ana admitted.

  “Just go kill some little wolves,” Loki laughed.

  The goddesses fell silent when a mental message reached them from Tania.

  “Girls, where are you?” the fire-haired goddess asked.

  “Thank goodness! I thought you couldn’t hear us,” Epona replied with relief.

  “Rodrigo and I can hear you, but we can’t locate you. We’ve seen thousands of flying rodents rise from the lakes and head toward a huge tree near where you said to regroup,” Tania explained.

  “We’re above the tree, but there’s a war going on between those flying rats and some wolves who live up here,” Epona answered.

  “You’re joking, right?” Tania asked.

  “She isn’t,” Ana said. “I know it sounds absurd, but both sides are fighting, likely because we broke the illusion magic protecting this place.”

  “So it was you, then,” a voice said from behind them.

  Ana and Epona turned. A one-eyed gray wolf stared at them—larger and far more intimidating than the rest—flanked by two silver wolves.

  “No, sir… wolf,” Epona said nervously. “It’s not what you think.”

  “I heard your mental conversation,” the gray wolf replied. “I heard that you broke the illusion in the lower world.”

  “Yes, but we were only trying to escape,” Ana said, trying to stand her ground.

  “Nunieh, Dehlgai—restrain these girls. We’ll decide their fate later,” the wolf leader ordered.

  “Wait! We only want to leave this land and reach the human world,” Epona pleaded.

  “And you expect us to trust you, demons?” the wolf snarled.

  The two silver wolves lunged at Ana and Epona, jaws wide.

  “We’ll have to fight. There’s no other choice,” Ana said, and Epona nodded.

  “And in the end, I was right—as usual,” Loki remarked.

  Ana instantly summoned her shield, Dubán, blocking one wolf’s attack, while Epona allowed the other to bite her arm, clamping its jaws shut.

  “Ow! That hurt like hell!” Epona yelped.

  She swung her arm with all her might, hurling the wolf away. Ana, using her shield, forced the other back. Both wolves landed near the gray leader and rose again at once.

  “I can tell you’re no ordinary demons,” the one-eyed wolf said. “But that won’t save your lives.”

  “We told you—we don’t want trouble. We come in peace, and we can help you against those rodents,” Ana said, raising her hands again.

  At that moment, a group of beavers swooped down and opened fire on gods and wolves alike. The wolves dodged, but the blasts struck Ana, Epona, and Loki squarely.

  “What weak allies you have!” one beaver shouted.

  Before it could fire again, Ana and Epona burst from the smoke and struck the beavers with their fists, sending them flying.

  “Don’t worry—we’ll protect you,” Ana shouted.

  “Don’t think we trust you yet,” the gray wolf replied stubbornly.

  “That’s fine. We’ll earn it,” Epona said brightly.

  A cloud of beavers descended, forming their spiral formation to attack. Before they could strike, hundreds of chains erupted behind them, binding each one. Not only those nearby—every beaver in the sky was ensnared. The chains surged up from beneath the ground, from the hole where the great tree emerged.

  Before everyone’s stunned eyes, the beavers were dragged toward a single point, crushed into a massive writhing mass, then pulled down through the hole until they vanished. All that remained above was ruin and fire.

  “Who did this?” the gray wolf asked.

  Bellona burst forth from the hole, followed by Tania, Rodrigo, and Menrva. The Roman goddess of war still held chains in her hands.

  “Behold! Bellona, exterminator of rodents, makes her grand entrance!” Bellona shouted, flying high and raising her left arm in a victorious V. She began to sing in Latin—likely a hymn from the days of the ancient Roman Empire.

  The characters don't know what a beaver is (being a creature native to the American continent), so they simply call them "rodents".

  ===========================

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