Chapter 2086: Steady Progress
With Fenrir eliminating virtually every group that appeared within her range, Vahn was beginning to think Hime wouldn't even get a chance to act. Fortunately, it wasn't long before spiritual versions of the people she had eliminated began to rain down from the sky, seemingly unrestricted by the rules prohibiting flight above a certain height as they attempted to assault the fortress.
"So these are the Einherjar? They seem stronger now than when they were previously eliminated..."
Though it was just an observation of his, Hime mistook Vahn's remark as confusion, explaining, "It is most likely a type of blessing. The word Einherjar translates to "army of one". They are meant to be mythical warriors who have distinguished themselves on the battlefield. Upon death, the Valkyries of Sigrun would descend from Valhalla to escort them to Odin's Longhall. There, they would feast upon the meat of the resurrecting-"
Placing his finger on Hime's mouth, Vahn adopted an amused smile as he said, "I know. There is a reason Fenrir is named as such. I'm intimately familiar with the legends and lore related to Norse and Icelandic mythology..."
Freezing in response to Vahn's words, the tips of Hime's ears became red as the former issued an amused chuckle and wrapped his hand around her waist. Then, before she could recover, he moved his hand closer to her bottom, gently caressing it as he said, "You should lend a hand. Fenrir might have unlimited mana while we're together but her most powerful attacks would break the rules of the game. Besides, I want everyone in the Little Garden to know that I have a remarkably beautiful Water Goddess on my side..."
Though a part of her wanted to stay seated next to him, Hime nodded in response to Vahn's words before rising from her seat and spontaneously transforming into a massive white serpent. This was actually her true form so it was more cost-efficient to maintain than her humanoid transformation. She also knew the people in charge of broadcasting the game wouldn't hesitate to take liberties with the viewing angles, so, while she had no problem showing off, she didn't want people staring at her with their lascivious gazes. She was a Goddess, after all. She could literally sense when people were having such thoughts about her...
Taking advantage of the functionally infinite supply of ice and water produced by Fenrir, a massive vortex appeared around Hime as she ascended towards the sky. Anyone that got close to her was instantaneously shredded to pieces, and, thanks to the excess Ice Elemental Energy saturating the atmosphere after Fenrir's attacks, the sky above the fortress became a veritable ocean that froze anything that attempted to pass through it.
"Mmm...she's strong. With training, she could be even stronger..."
Nodding in response to Fenrir's remark, Vahn continued to stroke her unbelievably soft and pliant fur as his senses briefly linked with Siegfried and Scathatch. He doubted they would have any real trouble dealing with the Einherjar but it never hurt to check...
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After cutting down dozens of foes, Scathach had managed to single-handedly secure one of the altars located on the Northern side of the mountain. Under normal circumstances, this would have resulted in multiple people teaming up to attack her. Instead, her surroundings had become eerily silent as even the Einherjar had given up attacking her after experiencing the excruciating pain of having Gae Bolg pierce their bodies.
With nothing better to do, Scathach was sitting atop Sigurn's Altar with a listless expression on her face. It wasn't that she was particularly bored. The enemies had just failed to couldn't excite her. She was used to battles against beings that exceeded the Gods and even defied common sense. Normal opponents were remarkably mundane no matter how great their numbers.
While staring up at the mountain, Scathach's eyes widened ever so slightly as she sensed a familiar presence overlapping with her own. It took a tremendous amount of effort to prevent herself from smiling, but, thanks to her exhaustive training in mastering every single faculty of her body, she was able to play it off as if she hadn't noticed Vahn's presence.
Demonstrating an acting ability that would earn the approval of her original self, Scathach exhaled a melancholic sigh as she laid across Sigrun's Altar and muttered, "Master..." in a longing, ostensibly anguished tone. She even placed her hand over her heart, its steady rhythm becoming increasingly unstable as her serotonin and dopamine levels dropped.
Though it was impossible to discern from her physiological reaction, Scathach couldn't help feeling amused when the senses that had overlapped with her own suddenly radiated a concerned, slightly apologetic vibe. At the same time, she could feel a sudden and spontaneous longing from Vahn, an indicator that he was thinking about all the times they had spent together, and, most importantly, apart.
Taking advantage of the vulnerabilities in Vahn's mental state, Scathach moved her hand from atop her heart to her breast. A warmth that didn't belong to her immediately suffused through her body, and, though there was a chance she was being spied upon, Scathach didn't particularly care as her free hand crept towards the darker purple fabric covering her lower body. Humans were covetous by nature and there was little you could do to prevent the Gods from spying on you. Thus, the only gaze she really cared about was Vahn's. She also knew that he could feel everything she was feeling right now, so, without any hesitation whatsoever, she began to unabashedly caress herself through the fabric of her clothes...
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"..."
"Master...?"
Sensing her Master's arousal, Fenrir sneakily took a big whiff of his aroma before turning her head up and calling out to him.
Offering a wry smile in response, Vahn grabbed the sides of Fenrir's face, shamelessly squishing and massaging her cheeks as he said, "We may need to speed things up a bit..."
Understanding the implication within her Master's words, a familiar longing spread through Fenrir's abdominal region as she hopped from his lap and said, "Leave it to me!" in an excited tone of voice. Then, stunning everyone spectating the scene within the ice fortress, Fenrir began shaking her body like a wolf that had just submerged from a river. This caused her already fluffy coat to become even fluffier, but, more importantly, several nebulous wolf pups began spreading through the area until a rather sizeable pack had formed.
Though the pups appeared similar at a glance, closer observation would reveal that the runes and patterns on their bodies were distinctly different. Some had patterns reminiscent of scales, wings, and other racial markers. Others had complex magical formations that glistened like icy blue light or destructive flames against a backdrop of black fur.
As ridiculous as it sounded, each of these wolf pups represented one of the people in Fenrir's pack. The one with angelic markings on its back originated from Jeanne while the version producing fiery red flames actually drew power from Mordred. She had grown into her own woman, but, much like her respect towards her Mother, Mordred had never lost her appreciation for Fenrir. She was, after all, her first girl crush...
"Go. Bring victory to our Master."
Since the nebulous clones were effectively amalgamations of energy, they lacked the sapience to converse with words. Instead, they howled in unison before spontaneously turning into shadowy puddles that moved along the ground and passed through cracks with startling speed. The only exception was a pup with amber eyes and pale gold markings that formed the shape similar to a sword near its bottom.
Ignoring Fenrir's adorably pouty expression, the disobedient pup mozied on over to Vahn before rubbing its body against his leg and jumping into his lap like a cat. This caused Fenrir to bare her teeth as she muttered, "Altria..." in an overtly threatening tone.
Looking over at Fenrir, the pup based on Altria adopted a slightly taunting expression as it plopped down and made itself comfortable on Vahn's lap. It had inherited its original's mischievous and lazy personality, so, unless the situation was serious, it had no intention of exerting itself. It would much rather just laze about in Vahn's lap and receive his pampering. Just like the real Altria...
Though she was tempted to bite the disobedient pup, Fenrir's anger faded in an instant when Vahn placed his hand on Altria's head and said, "Don't fight. The others will be able to handle things. For now, let's just relax until the Bifrost is active. There are still a few hidden objectives that have yet to reveal themselves. No sense in getting worked up before the climax."
Ignoring the smug look on the clone's face, Fenrir returned to Vahn's lap before snuggling next to the annoying pup and making herself comfortable. The only thing she really cared about was her Master's opinion, so, understanding that she could always deal with the real Altria later, Fenrir didn't mind cuddling up next to the traitor if it meant she could receive additional headpats...
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A stark contrast to the situation on Scathach's side, Siegfried was beginning to feel pressured as dozens of Einherjar persistently raided his position. This had nothing to do with a lack of strength on his part. Rather, the moment he reached the Altar, Siegfried discovered that another Community had already claimed it. More importantly, they were barely holding on as they desperately resisted a siege.
Though the Community was technically his enemy, Siegfried was unable to simply ignore people in need. He also refused to raise his sword against the innocent, so, until he could ascertain what kind of people they were, he intended to help them. After all, there were a total of eight altars. Even if he gave one up, there were five others he could claim.
With such thoughts guiding his actions, Siegfried released a three-hundred-meter wide blade of energy towards the group of Einherjar descending from the sky. This was far less effective than if he had targetted the ground, but, as an Anti-Army ability that could erase small islands from the map, he didn't want to get the people he was protecting or the altar caught up in the aftermath.
Taking advantage of the momentary lull, Siegfried exhaled an ostensibly fatigued sigh as he casually blocked the sword of a young man with fox-like ears and clothing reminiscent of a ninja. The runic circle behind him denoted him as an Einherjar, but, rather than deal a fatal blow, Siegfried parried the young man's blade to the side before chopping the back of his neck. This added to the pile of unconscious individuals encircling his body, people he had chosen to spare due to their relatively young ages or overall weakness...
Looking around, Siegfried confirmed there were no other enemies nearby before turning toward the purple-haired woman that had attempted to guard his back but was too stunned to actually do anything. Her slack-jawed expression caused his to own soften considerably, and, as a result of his handsome appearance, a rather potent blush developed across the woman's face as she averted her eyes and muttered, "Thank you for helping us...we wouldn't have been able to defend this place without you..."
Shaking his head, Siegfried adopted a kind smile as he said, "I didn't do much. I'm sure that, even without my assistance, you and your friends would have been able to manage. I can sense great power dwelling within you. If you released it fully, even an army of Einherjar might not be able to match you."
Though she believed Siegfried was just being polite, the purple-haired beauty couldn't suppress a smile as she said, "Thank you very much. My name is Dorothea, by the way. If it isn't too much to ask, I would be honored to hear the name of my savior. Who knows, maybe our Communities can work together in the future?"
Returning a polite smile of his own, Siegfried's aquamarine eyes shifted towards the other members of Dorothea's party before answering, "Siegfried...my name is Siegfried..."
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Hime is adorable...','Scathach is too bold (O////O)...','A very mischievous little pup...')