VALKYRIE SMASH

"That black armor…" Sigyn said, her eyes on the large floating screen.

"It's different." Mimir replied. "Now I see why she was chosen for this task…"

Same as all Nephilim who stayed behind on the ship, those two were busy watching the battle to free their brethren, especially the battle against their queen, which was what was keeping them on the edge of their seats.

Saying Thor is powerful would be an understatement. On top of her natural combat sense which was far more advanced than any other Nephilim, she wielded a unique halo capable of producing cold lightning, something that went against the known laws of physics. The Runes making it up were impossible to replicate, same as Hela's gravity manipulation halo which still remains a secret to this day.

The halos themselves were powerful, but the Obsidian Armaments were on a whole other level. Same as the Runes, those capable of using them knew how to do so instinctively. Mimir had only seen three so far; the Lance belonging to their crimson haired queen and two sets of armor, one used by the ponytailed Valkyrie and the other worn by the leader of the enemy forces, Atropos.

The Obsidian Armaments were especially durable and resilient. Thor's lance was a weapon that could destroy anything, capable of overcoming the protection of Force Fields with ease. The only time it faced something capable of resisting it was during her battle with the raven haired Olympian who used an armor made of the same material as well as her ability to separate the world.

Knowing they wouldn't be able to win the battle, Thor asked the rest of her forces to retreat. The situation was too confusing and they had no way of knowing how to deal with it so in order to stop the enemy from capturing more of them they disappeared and waited for the right time to fight back.

Before meeting with the Valkyries and the Doctor the Nephilim had no idea on how they should proceed with the war against the Olympians. The only conflict they had been in before was one where they were the ones doing the invasion, but this time it was different. Their stronghold was taken over and they were forced to flee. Their enemy wasn't just a bunch of clueless humans As well, which meant they couldn't rely on their old tactics.

In order to turn the tides in their favor they needed more reliable information and what better source could provide said information other than someone capable of seeing the future. Thanks to the Valkyrie named Nino they had a better understanding of what needed to be done to maximize their potential for winning the war. Her ability still confuses Mimir and the others, but all of that doesn't matter at the moment. All they had to worry about was whether they reached the future they were aiming for or ended up losing their lives to failure. The enemy seems interested in using them for their Rituals so they would most likely try to keep some of them alive, but looking at their captured comrades the Nephilim agreed that death was a much better fate.

"It's starting…"

Sigyn's remark brought Mimir's attention back to a second floating screen. This one displayed the alien entity surrounded by enormous rings of Runes. The Primordial was reaching for the ground, each of its tentacles decorated by a halo of its own. After just a couple of minutes a new wave of stone giants was created, this one dwarfing anything they had seen before.

"The Titans…"

~[]~

The palace walls shook violently prompting Sam and the others to halt their advance. A small window appeared in front of him, conjured by the glasses he wore, displaying the footage captured by the drones he left behind.

"It started…" he said with a neutral expression.

The Valkyries understood what he meant in an instant and tensed up as a result.

They were fresh out of another fight that didn't last long. More random Olympians appeared only to be slaughtered. Some were more troublesome than others, but in the end they were unable to do anything besides slowing the intruders.

It was a bit of a disappointment considering that most of them were capable of using halos and Force Fields. Their abilities weren't much to speak of, and that was something Sam knew very well since Nino had informed them of the targets they should be wary of.

That's not to say that the Olympians were so weak they couldn't do anything. It simply showed that the Valkyries were levels above them, and that only the enemy's elites had the ability to resist them.

The other reason was that most of the capable fighters were outside trying to prevent the Nephilim from disrupting the Ritual. Those left in the palace were either soldiers who had only received their halos recently or those waiting for the Whispers of Madness to grant them the ability.

"Let's keep going." Sam said and a second later they left the blood covered hallway as they marched for their destination.

The ground shook once more after a while. A third quake followed soon after, then a fourth one followed as well. Ninety seconds were left until the next Divergence, a hundred and twenty before the Ritual is completed and the Primordial is completely absorbed. The battle would change completely after that.

Sam had to reach the Bifrost before that point. Once the Key is formed, the Olympians would change their tactics and go on the offense. Unless he manages to summon reinforcements before that happens their odds of winning are extremely low.

"Doctor." Three spoke as she came to a stop, holding her triangular shield up. The other Valkyries halted as well and each when of them prepared for battle.

They had navigated their way to the section where the portal room was located, and looking at their surroundings Sam could guess what enemy they were going to encounter.

They had yet to reach the boss room so it was just another mob they were up against, but the moment the obstacle made its appearance Sam couldn't help but grimace.

Walking from behind the corned was a young slender man. He wore the same clothes as the Spartans they encountered before, but unlike the muscular bunch he seemed quite malnourished with his body covered in bruises and cuts. His back was hunched, his head was lowered and he staggered with each step. He looked like a walking corpse, but that appearance did little to let the Valkyries lower their guard.

Triska raised her rifle and fired in the same motion. A thin yellow beam struck the young man in the head and he fell to the floor the next moment without making a sound.

"Three, set a barrier." Sam ordered.

"Understood."

The young Valkyrie did as she was told and a blue box appeared around the group. As instructed before she made it into an anti-teleportation barrier and as soon as it came to life the reason for creating it became apparent.

Someone teleported right in front of the group and swung a bladed weapon at them. The barrier had prevented them from entering the space it encased, but that didn't stop them from launching their attack and following it with a few more as if the translucent wall didn't exist.

Someone else appeared right after, then another, then another. Before long Sam and his Valkyries were surrounded by twenty individuals. Each of them had the broken crooked halos over their heads, showing that they were the ones who succumbed to the Whispers of Madness and became Fallen as a result.

The Olympians were still willing to make use of their soldiers even if they failed to Awaken. A merciful death wasn't something those poor souls were afforded, instead they were forced to continue fighting even in their madness, serving a king who never cared about their fates.

A single look was enough to tell that the Fallen Spartans were different from the survivors of the Sanctuary. Their movements might've seemed erratic and unpredictable, however they had a certain sharpness to them showing that the skills those warriors acquired through their gruesome training weren't just lost along with their sanity.

"It's not going to work, huh?" Sam sighed, the halo over his head slowing down until the Runes making it became visible. "Ichigo."

"Yes!"

Straightening her back, the pink haired Valkyrie took a deep breath then activated her halo, expanding her Force Field until it covered most of their surroundings. The Fallen immediately dropped their weapons, screaming in pain as they held their heads in their hands. An instant later the barrier dropped and Venti went out with her spears, decapitating them one after the other and putting an end to their suffering.

More Fallen appeared soon after. Triska fired at them, slowing their movements as her green haired friend finished off the first batch. The second wave was larger and much more energetic. Zero Three handled most of them, erasing them within the confines of an invisible barrier while Venti took care of the rest the moment they entered Ichigo's range.

"You know you can't stop us with this much." Sam spoke. "Show yourself already already."

There was a moment of silence, but then someone walked out from behind the corner. His face was one the Valkyries recognized instantly as he was among those who had invaded the forty sixth base a while ago.

Behind him were two others, one a huge mass of muscles while the other a tiny person who was smaller than most people with dwarfism.

"Well, color me surprised." Perseus said, a bright smile decorating his face. "To think you would be able to eliminate our soldiers so easily. Now I feel like I've wasted their lives for nothing."