Chapter 63 - Agni & Runa vs World Serpent

An hour before Jormungandr started to rampage and destroy Asgard.

Standing in front of a bounded Loki, was a man in his late fifties, he had brown hair and a full beard. He wore armor similar to the Aesir gods, showing signs that he was someone that they trusted and someone they felt a sense of camaraderie to. This will be something they will regret in less than one hour from now.

Loki looked at the old man, staring at him with half-dead eyes as he continued to endure the torture that befell him.

"Why are you here?" Loki stared at the man before him, someone who just suddenly appeared out of nowhere and is now an honorary member of the Aesirs. He was there when Loki was captured as well, he joined in restraining him though only slightly.

The old man looked towards the snake right above Loki, before taking out his sword and killing it. Loki looked in shock at what the old man did, why would he do something like that, he would surely be killed if someone saw what he had just done.

Yet he did, to prove something to Loki. "I," His rough voice echoed through the cave. "I came here to ask you a question Loki."

"And what is this question?" Loki still suspicious of the old man inquired, "Is this question worth putting your life in danger?"

"Soon, Ragnarok will occur." His words resounded in Loki's head before it could fully process his words. "If it starts and you are not there... the chances of them succeeding lowers." He explains he means that Loki's children who will bring the end of everything will most likely lose without his support. He knew this of course, but why would an outsider know of this?

"And? you still have not asked your question."

"Do you want to be free from those chains?"

"hah?" Loki could not hold his voice, then he began to laugh loudly. "What you're saying is, you'll set me free?"

Loki with a joking tone asked the old man, though the way he worded it was in jest, his eyes were serious taking in everything about the old man.

"Of course, I want Ragnarok to succeed." The old man answered matter-of-factly, he sheath his sword and folded his arms in front of his chest. "Tell me Loki, what do you desire?"

"I want... To kill them all..."

"I couldn't hear you? It seems that's the extent of your hatred for them." The old man turned and slowly walked out of the cave.

"Wait!" Loki shouted in distress, he felt it the old man was serious in leaving from the way he walked. This is his only opportunity to escape from the chains that bind him. "I want to kill those Aesirs!"

The old man stopped walking and turned to Loki, he unsheathed his sword. "So you want to escape?"

"Yes."

"You want to kill them all?"

"Yes, I want to kill them all!"

"Do you want revenge Loki? Or will you stay there chained up till the end?"

"Yes, yes, a thousand, a million times yes!! Get me out of here!"

The old man who this whole time had a stoic expression, plastered his face with a smile. "hahaha but of course!" he laughed as he slashed through the chains that held Loki. "Go, your children await."

Loki left and the old man remained in the cave.

Then someone entered the cave, a woman who carried a bowl with no content inside. "Who are you?" She stopped in her tracks after seeing the old man, then she saw the broken chains that her husband was once bound to.

"You don't need to know," The old man spoke as he slashed her in the throat. The woman died on the spot, the old man's blade dyed by her blood.

In the old man's sight, something came out of the woman's body. It was pink with a hint of silver in it, the old man reached out his hand and grabbed it.

"Such a pure soul, loyalty and love." The old man analyzed the soul before devouring it. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the taste and feeling of the soul being consumed into his very being.

Then, he opened his eyes. He began to change form, his beard started to decrease in length, and his body grew smaller in size into something more feminine. His overall features changed into the form of the woman earlier. He took her appearance, something that no one would believe if they did not see it happen.

The now woman licked her lips, "Let Ragnarok begin, and the spoils of war be mine." She had a grin on her face. An expression that had a certain allure to it, as the previous owner of the body never showed such a sinister smile before.

"My lord, preparations have been completed in here." She contacted someone, informing the situation of Loki's freedom and the incoming war.

"That is good, well done. Continue your work and the spoils are all yours."

"Fufufu as long as their souls are mine," She left the cave and hid in the shadows preparing for the battle that would unfold.

.....

....

.....

Agni and Runa rushed in to support the Norse in Jormungandr's rampage, once they arrived they saw Thor resisting the onslaught of the world Serpent.

Thor was a bearded man who had the build of what clearly gives the image of a warrior of the Aesirs. He had his hammer on his hand invoking his ability as the god of thunder.

"Thor-san!" Agni rushed beside him, "We've come to help."

Thor looked to his side to see the red-haired djinn. Bringing him to a sense of relief as the battle has given them some chance of winning.

This wasn't what Ragnarok was supposed to be, that was what everyone who lived in Asgard believed in their heart. Something was wrong, something that was not supposed to be here.

"Agni, Jormungandr is much stronger than I last recalled, I can't see myself defeating him," Thor admitted as he readied himself for another one of Jormungandr's attacks. "Something wrong is happening!"

"We know," Agni answered as he brandished his Axe on his shoulder. His gaze was directed at Jormungandr the entire time similar to Thor. "Runa has come and helped the others, we'll buy some time until she and I take this one down."

Agni's words brought joy to Thor, as not only is Agni of the Sun here, but Runa of the Moon as well. He couldn't ask for anything more than this.

Jormungandr roared and fired poisonous breath at the duo, they jumped out of the way and backed up several meters to move away from the deadly gas. The poisonous breath spread across the land, and the people nearby whether it be enemies or friends died on contact.

Thor raised Mjolnir in the sky, and the rumbling of thunder could be heard. Then, a lightning strike at Jormungandr's head appeared. The snake barely took notice of the attack, showing its durability and its newfound immunity to lightning.

"Since when did it grow immune to lightning?" Agni who used Thor's attack as a distraction flew to the sky and dropped down to the center of Jormungandr's body. "Continental Eruption." an explosion erupted on its body, a large deep wound that was showing signs of smoke in how hot it was rested at the center of the snake.

Jormundandr roared in pain, the entire battle had just been playing with the God of Thunder, and yet someone had managed to injure him and inflict pain like never before. it turned its body to the culprit and focused all its attention on Agni.

Runa was having a hard time trying to distinguish enemy from ally, as the event happening right now is Ragnarok. A battle that will determine the fate of Norse in its entirety, normally they would not even interfere in such an event. Yet, right now Runa was fighting the giants as well as the army of the dead.

What is more, a large number of snakes keep on coming and attacking everyone in sight. The warriors of Valhalla have been bitten by the snakes and have turned sides, even the supposed ally of the enemy, the giants, have also been bitten by the snakes.

Runa does not know who to protect and who to eliminate, all she knows is that the snakes need to be killed off first.

That is why, with the new powers that she gained from the Great Spirit of Water, she will unleash new techniques that have never been seen before.

Unleashing her aura, she changed form. Her short blue hair, increasing in length and her clothes changing in form. It was her new battle form, Serene Raiment of the Moon Goddess.

It boosts all types of water manipulation capabilities of its wearer and lessens the required magicules for most skills and abilities. Not to mention the durability and defense it gives to its wearer.

"Phase One: Weeping Moon Priestess." As she chanted those words, the surrounding atmosphere started to lower in temperature, and a veil of clouds covered the horizon.

Droplets of rain started to pour down until it became a full-blown cyclone. The raindrops turned into bullets made of water, piercing through the enemies. The accumulated puddles in the ground started to take form, and human figures made of water started to rise.

They have a vague human face, but it was identifiable that they were screaming and crying.

"Ahhh!!"

Their hands, changing form into whip-like tendrils, aiming for the enemies and slaughtering them.

"That should do it for their numbers," Runa who was watching the result of her new technique nodded her head.

Then a monster came to attack her from behind, it was a large wolf. In the wolf's mouth was an arm holding a spear-like weapon. It was Fenrir, the wolf swallowed the arm and the weapon fell to the ground with a clang.

"So Odin has died.." Runa could only guess from the weapon. She stared at the wolf, from afar it would look like the normal Fenrir that was once bounded by Gleipnir, but its snake-like eyes would tell a different story.

"These snakes are annoying." Runa aimed her bow at Fenrir, then a large blazing sword came from behind her.

Surtr the fire giant teamed up with Fenrir to battle Runa. And from behind him, an army of giants and what looked like Aesirs and Vanirs had been turned by the snakes.

"These snakes..." Runa pointed at them, the humanoid water beings that she created earlier went to work to lessen the enemy. However, once they reached near Surtr, they all evaporated into steam.

Runa went and battled both the fire giant and the god-killing wolf.

Meanwhile, a lone woman walked through the battlefield, as if walking through the park, and grabbed the weapon of Odin that fell to the ground, as its previous owner lost his life. She looked around and found his soul wandering the area.

She licked her lips and marched towards it, she hummed as she slowly walked towards the soul. Not one of the snakes bothered her, she was ignored and even helped whenever a warrior from Valhalla came to attack her.

Agni was looking at Runa's situation, as much as he wants to help her, he needs to keep Jormungandr in place. "If only I could perfectly control most of my abilities.."

He turned to Thor who was looking exhausted, "Thor-san, could you assist Runa?"

Thor looked at Agni and then at Runa. Who then nodded his head, as he knew he was not providing any real support to Agni besides as bait.

Agni seeing that Runa has used one of her new techniques as a Moon Djinn, motivated him to at the very least try to change form.

"Here we go," Focusing all of his energy on his chest, his clothing started to change form.

His short hair, increasing in length, and his build getting bigger with his height more than half larger than his original. The Sun God's Raging Garments.

"It worked!" Agni levitated himself and away from the ground, looking below he could see that the ground was already melting with a wide radius and meters deep. "Hahaha this has just become much, much easier." Gripping his axe with both arms, he rushed towards Jormungandr.

"Agni asked me to assist!" Thor rushed in and he fired a lightning strike at Fenrir, the wolf was shocked and wavered for a moment. It started to retreat behind Surtr who was blocking the arrows of Runa.

"Thanks, my attacks are mostly for groups, so they rely more on quantity than quality." Runa fired multiple large arrows meters in length from her bow. "Just give me time, I can kill them with one blow."

Surtr with his other hand that did not hold the sword, outstretched his arm and fired a wave of fire. Runa seeing this fired her arrow, and the impact froze the flames in place, like a sculpture of fire falling to the ground shattering.

Several of the other giants and turned Aesirs are continuing their attack on her. Knowing that the others are just a simple matter for her, Thor focuses on the one he can at the very least contain for a few minutes.

"Got it," Thor went to face Fenrir. "Dog you may be stronger than me now, but buying time is easy with my strength." Thor raised his hammer, and Fenrir ran in a zigzag pattern to confuse Thor before launching itself towards him.

Thor seeing the claws of Fenrir, swung his hammer sideways, the attack managed to hit Fenrir in the head and sent it flying. However he wasn't left uninjured, as his arms have large claw marks on them.

"Well, it looks like I need to interfere." A man with short spikey hair was standing beside Fenrir as he caressed its fur. "A lightning user is it? Just perfect for me." He grinned as he walked towards Thor.

"Don't underestimate me, newcomer." Thor aimed his hammer towards the man and lightning came out.

The large voltage of electricity directed at the man was halted. "Guess I never introduced myself? Orochi of lightning~" He said as he absorbed the lightning by having his palm in front of him. "Not bad, that had some power in it."

A thunder sound was heard, and then Orochi disappeared from where he was standing on. Thor looked around, side, behind, even above he was gone. Then someone crashed into him, pushing him down to the ground, he tried to see who, but no one was there.

"Didn't see me did ya?" Orochi appeared in front of Thor, a type of yellowish trail of aura slowly returning to his body. "Lightning isn't just about powerful strikes ya know? it's bout the suddenness and the speed, ya never know where or when it may appear."

Orochi's eyes shined yellow, as he started his onslaught on Thor. "Let's have some fun!"

Runa was slowly gaining momentum, her battle form was mostly to increase her magicules and accuracy than actual power. Though, for some reason, she can't manage to deal damage to Surtr, as if someone is interfering without her notice.

She fired several arrows at the flaming giant, as he blocked a few with his sword, the ones behind just suddenly disappeared.

Runa frowned, "Someone really is interfering," I'll just have to finish it in one go. She spread her mist, to camouflage what she was about to do.

Surtr tried to prevent that from attacking her with his flames, yet no one was there anymore.

A large bow was above the sky, reaching space. Runa showed herself, pretending to still be battling Surtr like earlier. Then she moved to her needed place, and as Surtr arrived, "Crescent Bow: Lunar Tide."

A large pillar of water, even less than a fraction of a second, crushed Surtr with the strength and intensity of a large amount of water. The pillar has not stopped crushing the remains as it digs deeper into the ground.

Runa nodded to herself satisfied, she turned to see Thor, but she was too late. Orochi has already had Thor bitten, an ally turned into an enemy just like that. Thor and Orochi came to attack her, with Thor as the vanguard and Orochi as support.

Agni was about to finish up Jormundandr, the world serpent was missing flesh in more than half its body, and dark burns surround its body, trying to bring down Agni with it at the very least.

"Leave no trace, Flame's of Departure." Agni swung at the very head of Jormungandr, the head exploded and everything started to be burned to ashes. "Well, Runa may have finished it much easier if she was left here, but she is better with groups." Agni nodded to himself.

Runa flew dodging Thor who was dashing towards her, swinging his hammer to get even just one hit. With Orochi watching from a safe distance, also flying, he points his right finger towards Runa and his left arm pulling like a bow. He shoots at her whenever he sees an opportunity.

Agni ran up to Orochi, "That's not fun, try me instead!" He grins as he swings down his axe powered by his magicules towards Orochi. Orochi saw the attack before it reached him and dodged as quickly as he could, the area and below it where he previously was, burned and a fire pillar rose into the sky.

"That is hot, too hot," Orochi commented as he nodded to himself. He ran up to Agni and fought him in melee, as he covered himself with lightning.

As the two battles go on above, the woman from earlier watched as Fenrir leaves the battle and goes to her side. "That's a good boy~" She smirks as she holds onto Fenrir. "Now be a good boy and give me an opening for him, okay~?" She pointed towards Agni.

Fenrir ran up to Agni with as much speed as he could, there wasn't even a blur to see it run to the sky. The woman equipped a spear on her hand, raising it above her shoulder.

As Agni battled with Orochi, he sensed Fenrir coming from behind, he waited for the right moment before turning. Then with his axe, sliced through the wolf as it had no time to react. As Agni managed to cut up Fenrir, Thor who was fighting Runa found the opportunity to attack Agni.

Agni seeing this readied his axe once again, yet Thor did not dodge the attack of Agni. A large hole in Thor's stomach was made, yet he continued towards Agni and held him with both hands and legs.

Runa who was confused by the suddenness of Thor's shift of attention, noticed the woman below throwing her spear. "Agni dodged!"

The woman whispered, "Gungir." the spear flew straight, and with Agni's speed managed to avoid a fatal injury and only an injured shoulder. Runa fired at Thor in the head, and the thunder god finally died.

The woman clicked her tongue, she had the spear returned to her. "I'm retreating," She said as a portal opened in front of her. Then, a sword glimmers and slashes the portal.

A hooded figure, covered in all black except the arm holding the golden blade. Their figure is unknown covered by the large cloak atop their body.

"The Excalibur? I wondered where it went back then," The woman laughed as she pointed the spear to the new enemy. She started to change forms once again, this time to someone of male gender, her hair returning to being short and forming more of a man. "You must be able to jump universes as well."

"!!!" The hooded enemy's body language suggested shock from the new form that he had.

"Oh, you know this form? Have we met?" The man laughed as he pointed to himself, "Well, for now, let's call me Mordred, for convenience's sake." The man introduced himself with an exaggerated bow.

The hooded figure swung Excalibur planning to end the battle quickly, but Mordred blocked the attack with Gungir. "In terms of quality, wanna bet which weapon is stronger?"

Then a lightning strike was fired toward the hooded figure, they dodged and looked above.

"What the hell are you doing? I thought we were retreating?" Orochi asked as he pulled Mordred and the two escaped.

"Yeah sorry, just found someone who I may or may not have known before." He laughed as he made Gungir disappear. "Skoll, Hati." He called and two wolves appeared beside him as they ran, then they were swallowed up by a magic circle.

The hooded figure saw them leave and ran to chase after them. As they opened a portal to leave from, the hooded figure reached them.

"Toru, dodge." Pushing him away, Orochi got impaled in the stomach as all three passed through the portal before it disappeared.

Leaving Agni and Runa wondering who were those and why were they fighting.

A/N: The hooded person and shapeshifting person will have their strength confidential for now.