VALKYRIE SMASH

"Damn… that tramp…"

Shards of red ice fell to the floor, taking with them a bit of skin each time. The cold had taken away his sense of pain, which was a good thing as it allowed him to keep walking despite the hole in his abdomen.

"Haha…"

It was a miracle, truly. If he had made a mistake while timing it his death would've been sealed, but in the end he somehow managed. That said, his life was far from being saved.

"Damn… you… this hurts…" Perseus cursed. "You're… going to… pay for this… I will… definitely…"

He was aware that his opponents had jammed the signal around the portal room to prevent him from blowing it up. That made him wish he had attached a timer to the bomb just in case, but he knew Lachesis would've warned them if were to do that leading to their actions being completely different as they rushed to defuse the bomb.

"Just you… wait…" he said, tapping on the screen of some terminal. "I won't… I won't let you… win this…"

The place he teleported to was quite far from where he was a minute ago. Currently he was on the bridge of a ship from the fleet led by Atropos. He had crawled his way to the Gate control and was in the process of opening a portal to his original world. Once he has done that, it wouldn't take long for reinforcements to arrive.

He didn't have a particular disdain for cold, but after being encased in ice twice in such a short time, he wished to never have to deal with cold weather. He felt himself slipping between the dream and the waking world, his sluggish thoughts demanding he give himself some time to rest. He was using every bit of mental power he had left to enter the activation sequence for the portal. Maybe because of that he never questioned the silence in what should've been their center of command, nor did he notice the bloodied corpses scattered all around.

He was done entering the activation sequence and was about to hit the final key, but when he reached for it he noticed that something was missing.

Or to be more specific, his right hand was gone.

By the time his mind registered the bloodied stump, his body convulsed at the sensation of a sharp object piercing his back.

His eyes moved down catching sight of the lustrous blade, still spotlessly clean despite cutting through his innards. He then strained his Neck and turned to look behind him, and at that moment it was as if the cold hindering his thoughts was completely gone.

"He…phaestus…"

The blade twisted and the pain flooded Perseus' nerves. The light slowly faded from his eyes, and after a brief moment of silence, his arms dropped to his side and his head hung lifeless before the rest of his body fell to the floor.

Behind him was a man, a tall one with a muscular body and broad shoulders. His skin was a lustrous brown, covered in symbols carved into his skin along with some tattoos. His head was shaved clean, but the beard on his face was long enough to be turned into braids. The tall man had a cross shaped scar on his face, one of its ends passing right over his left eye. A clear glass orb rested inside the socket, several rings of Runes intertwined at its center.

"Is this all of it?" He said, turning to the entrance behind him.

"It'll do." A feminine voice replied, followed by the sharp clicking sound of high heels striking the floor with each step.

"Zeus won't like this, you know." Hephaestus replied, his eyes narrowing.

"Only if he learns the truth."

Stepping into the light cast by the terminal, a young smiled at the tall man. Her raven hair was cut into a short bob and she wore a pair of glasses with a red frame. She was a bit on the short side with curves in all the right places, which complimented her Asian features.

"I don't really get it." Hephaestus spoke. "You guided us here yourself, right? Was this your plan all along?"

"Having four Keys is a bit too much, don't you think?" Said the young woman. "Being so far ahead isn't fair. It won't be a competition if no one else gets to participate."

"And here I thought you had a change of heart." The man sighed. "Don't you care at all about your sister?"

"Not one but. In fact, I'm quite angry. She gets to be with the man I love while I'm stuck with the disloyal ex label. Just letting her live is more than enough."

Hephaestus gazed at her for some time then turned away. As he returned his blade to its sheath, he couldn't help but think of how the name Loki fitted the girl perfectly. She was a trickster, one who could pull the wool over the eyes of anyone who didn't know her true nature. Though most knew she had something planned when she led them to this world, most didn't have the smallest clue as to what it was. Even Hephaestus was unaware of her goals despite agreeing to provide her with support.

He didn't trust her, of course, but the things they had in common were enough for him to play along with her game.

"What about the Key." He asked.

"We will leave it with Doctor for now." Loki responded. "No need to keep something like that around when we're pretending to be late to the race."

Turning to the big screen at the front of the room, the Asian girl watched in silence as the white orb above the palace contorted, shrinking in size inside the cage of runes. Light flashed and the image distorted, followed by a slight tremor that shook the ship in its entirety.

"Now, what are you going to do-" Letting a small smile play on her lips, Loki let her thoughts wander back to the man she longed for. "Doctor~?"

~[]~

Finding no trace of the blond youth, Sam and his Valkyries went on high alert. Their first thought was that he would spring out of nowhere to strike at them, but for all they know he could've made a run for it so, with no time to spare, they decided to advance with caution.

The battle was still going outside. The captured Nephilim were freed of the mind control, though their mental state prevented them from joining the battle so they had to retreat.

Now that the Ritual had reached its final phase, the Olympians turned their focus to the battle, but the Nephilim were in the same position so the fighting became more violent and destructive with the effects spreading far and wide.

"So, do you seek like apologizing now?" Apollo spoke in a mocking tone.

He was hovering in the air, a golden halo above his head, the shapes making it far more complex. He looked down on the destroyed battlefield, his eyes meeting those of a silver haired woman, the intensity of her glare showing no willingness to do as she was told.

"Apologize? For what?" Said Mjölnir, the corners of her mouth curving up. "All I did was say the truth. Were there any lies in what I said?"

Despite having no need for air, her breath was a little rough. Her right arm hung limply at her side and the rest of her body wasn't in a much better state. She was kneeling on the ground, unable to move from her place, and knew all too well that her end was near.

"Tche!" Apollo clicked his tongue, his face twisting with anger. After staring at her for a few seconds, the smile returned to his face and he spoke in a delighted tone. "Well, I will take my time training you. No matter how strong you think you are, by the end of it you'll be begging for it on your own."

At another part of the battlefield, another fight was gradually approaching its end. A young woman stood on a large boulder, surrounded by crumbled remains of the mighty Titans. Her white armor was full of holes and cracks, stained by the distinct red color of freshly spilled blood. In her mouth she held a severed arm, its slender proportions indicating that it belonged to someone not much bigger than her.

CS looked around the ruins for a while before tossing the arm. Spitting the mouthful of blood she almost swallowed, she clicked her tongue and began to yell.

"HEY!!! GET OUT YOU COWARDLY BITCH!!! DON'T YOU DARE RUN AWAY!!!"

She stumped with her feet until the boulder crumbled, and when that happened her anger reached a whole new level, prompting her to summon her Sabertooth and use its gigantic claws to toss the forest of black stone around.

"As if I would show myself to you, damned beast."

A long distance away, Artemis watched the spectacle from behind a large rock. Her entire body was a mess, covered in wounds and missing one arm and one leg.

She had been careful while hunting her opponent, keeping her distance and hiding after each strike she landed. Even so, the grey haired girl proved to her that she wasn't the only hunter in this battle. Despite all her precautions, Artemis still found herself in such a sorry state. It would be a massive blow to her pride, but even she knew when to give up. Her only choice was to retreat for the time being, heal her wounds and make better preparations, only then would she be ready to face that beast once again.

"Hm?"

Her attention was suddenly drawn to the giant palace at the center of the battlefield, specifically the Aether orb right above it. Even from a distance, the huntress still felt it pulsating with power. A moment later a wave of white light exploded from it, washing over the entire battlefield blinding everything for a few seconds.

Once the light subdued, Artemis opened her eyes and turned to the palace once again, but what she saw caused a deep frown appearing on her face.

"What are you doing, Atropos?"

The white light was the signal that announced the end of the ritual and the creation of a new Key. Normally this should've been a cause for celebration, but with the enemy continuing their assault there was no time for something of that nature. She didn't want to admit it, but their side was on its way to losing this battle. The best option they had was to secure the Key and retreat back to their world, or at the very least call reinforcements now that they had no reason to block inter-dimensional travel.

Either option was viable, but both depended on the fact that they had the Key in their possession. Securing it should've been their first priority, but the one in charge of this mission didn't seem to have the same idea.

Above Odin's palace, a giant blue cube formed in a matter of seconds. Anyone who caught sight of it knew it was a boundary no one could enter, a space separated from the rest of the world meant to isolate its inside from the outside.

The seven Olympians who worked on the final phase of the Ritual had lost their lives, leaving only two individuals inside the giant cube, each facing the other with a crimson weapon in hand.

"Well, I guess it's about time we finish this." Atropos said with a smile.

Nino didn't respond, staring back at her sister with a somber expression. The battle was nearing its end and she had yet to get her answer, but it seemed that, despite having achieved her goal, the raven haired Olympian had no intention of leaving without taking her life first.

The Japanese doll lingered for a moment, fastening her grip on the Needle and looking into her opponent's eyes.

"If you aren't going to tell me how I died then I have no choice." She said. "But before that, I still have one more question…"

"Hm?" Atropos tilted her head slightly, still smiling. "You don't know when to give up, do you?"

Nino didn't respond, keeping her silence as if to convey how serious she was. After a few seconds, she finally seemed to brace herself, and with every bit of courage she had, her lips parted and the words came out.

"Do you hate me?"

Atropos was stunned for a moment, her expression betraying bewilderment. Her smile returned the next second, and without hesitation, she gave her answer in a clear voice.

"Of course."

Feeling a slight pain in her chest, Nino closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and waited. Once she got her emotions under control, she gazed at her opponent and prepared herself.

"I see." She said. "Then let's end this. Once and for all."