Our sharp gazes clashed. My eyes were locked on Anitra, standing proudly before me, as I tried to scrutinize even the smallest movements that might reveal her weak points in the midst of battle.
The girl raised her shield to chest level, while her sword extended forward in a straight line aimed directly at my face.
I took the first step, walking leisurely toward her. Isskadi was gripped firmly in my right hand, no different from Muramasa, shaped like a katana, in my left.
Swish.
Before the blink of an eye, I was already standing in front of her. I thrust my spear toward Anitra's face, but she dodged by slightly tilting her head. A thin line stretched across her cheek, red liquid seeping from it.
The girl retaliated by slamming her shield into my body.
Thud.
I quickly responded by blocking her attack with the back of Muramasa. Even so, I was still pushed back several meters. My feet dragged through the snow-covered ground, leaving a straight line behind. My knees felt numb, nearly dropping to the ground.
I narrowed my eyes. Her strength now far surpassed what she had shown before.
"This girl... what has she done?" I thought, observing her with curiosity.
Since she delivered her speech to the Valkyries, all of them had displayed extraordinary determination. Strength, speed, magical energy, everything had drastically increased, as if they had gained some kind of additional power from elsewhere.
"You must be wondering why we've become this strong, aren't you?"
I closed my eyes briefly and gave a faint nod. "You're right. What have you done?"
"Let me explain a little before you die so your curiosity can be somewhat eased." Anitra scoffed, a wide grin spreading across her face. "Our master, Odin, created us by placing seeds into the still-closed petals of Yggdrasil's flowers. After several months, we were finally born from them, coinciding with the blooming of the flowers."
"And then?" I raised an eyebrow, cutting off her explanation. "Everyone already knows that, don't they?"
Everything Anitra said was exactly as recorded in one of the books in Utgard's library. If that understanding was in books, it surely must have been passed down orally as well.
"Huh," Anitra sneered disdainfully. "Too bad that information leaked a few centuries ago. But there's something else the Traitor didn't manage to reveal."
I tilted my head, countless questions flooding my mind. The Traitor? Did she mean Tyr? Or…? I quickly shook my head. There was something more important right now. No, no, I'll think about that later. I was certain this girl was about to reveal something far more significant.
"The reason we Valkyries become so strong in our final moments is that we all come from a single entity," she said, grinning confidently. "That means if some of us die, those who remain alive will temporarily gain the strength of the fallen."
My pupils widened at her explanation.
"It seems you understand. Well, no matter, since you'll be dead soon anyway. Te~he." She winked playfully, mocking me with an innocent posture.
Cold sweat ran down my temples. "Damn it, this is going to be troublesome."
"That's enough explanations." Anitra raised her weapon and spread her silver wings, now enveloped in a golden aura. "Now, let's kill each other once again."
Before I could blink, the girl shot toward me, her movements almost too fast to track. Her sword came close to slicing my head off. If not for my incredible reflexes, my head would have already been severed before I could block her attack.
I channeled mana into my feet, quickly planting them firmly on the ground, ready to prevent myself from being flung or losing balance due to her deadly attacks.
Anitra immediately maneuvered mid-air, spinning rapidly toward me. Her sword was aimed straight at my heart.
Fighting her with the katana was not a good choice. I had to focus on defense.
Realizing the difficulty of parrying her attacks, I quickly transformed Muramasa into a large shield, opting for a defensive stance rather than an offensive one.
Our weapons clashed, the metallic ringing echoing through the empty air. Sparks scattered as our weapons collided. Anitra staggered, nearly losing her balance.
"I didn't expect you to have magic like that," she said as she steadied herself after being thrown back mid-air. "No, it's more like a rune than magic. Am I right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
My brief response made her bite her lower lip. "I didn't expect you still had so many hidden tricks."
I could only reply with a faint, thin smile.
Our battle resumed.
Anitra darted through the air, attacking me relentlessly with her sword. I deflected her strikes by angling my shield to meet the direction of her blows. Occasionally, I created ice walls to anticipate her unpredictable attacks.
Her movements were far more varied compared to our first battle, making it difficult to predict her next move. Perhaps this was why Valkyries were among the most legendary warriors of all time.
The metallic clash between us resonated continuously, mingling with the sound of other clashing weapons in the distance.
Honestly, though I knew this was a fight to the death, I found myself enjoying the battle a little.
*****
[PoV Anitra]
"Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn!" I clenched my jaw tightly.
No matter how many times I tried to land an attack on him, that infuriating man always managed to block me. Even when I thought my sword was about to reach him, he used Isskadi's ice magic to close the distance and counter with a thrust that nearly hit my vital points.
"What the hell is wrong with you? I'm sure I've become several times stronger because of Valkyriens arv av kamp, but why won't you go down?"
"Valkyriens arv av kamp?" Yatagarasu repeated my words. "So that's the name of the rune, huh?"
The muscles in my face grew even tenser as if he was extracting information in the middle of our battle. "This is bad. It'll be a huge problem if information about Valkyriens arv av kamp leaks to the enemy," I thought.
I maneuvered in the air again, lunging at him relentlessly from above. My heart pounded hard, and a fierce desire to end this man's life before he escaped and spread knowledge of Valkyriens arv av kamp flooded my mind.
I didn't give him any openings, not even enough to stand. But that damn man fought defensively, like a turtle retreating into its shell. He seemed intent on waiting for the effects of Valkyriens arv av kamp to wear off.
"After all your talk about the knight's code of ethics, aren't you ashamed of such a cowardly way of fighting, huh?"
"Even in war," he retorted while holding his defensive position, "it's perfectly legitimate to use a fortress for protection. Didn't Asgar build a fortress for defense too?"
Instead of being provoked, he turned the insult back on me with a sharp and accurate jab. I couldn't counter his argument at all.
Suddenly, a giant eagle's head flew out of nowhere, plummeting toward Yatagarasu. The man immediately jumped several meters back.
Seeing the opening created, I dove once more, this time using my shield as a weapon to slam into him.
But the damn man moved in a way I had not anticipated. He shifted the tip of his spear toward my shield, not to pierce it but to use it as leverage, twisting his body in the air to evade my attack entirely.
"W-What?" My eyes widened as I followed his circular motion that allowed him to slip past me. My mouth hung slightly open, stunned by his unexpected movement.
"Surprised?"
"A bit." Honestly, I couldn't lie after witnessing such surprising and impressive moves.
His faint smile was calm yet unsettling, like ocean waves that seemed gentle but were, in truth, deadly. "Thank you."
I tightened my grip on my weapon. I didn't know why, but his gratitude sounded so genuine that it tore at my chest, making me clutch my sternum.
"You... you're so damn annoying!" I screamed hoarsely. "I'll end this battle right now."
I threw away my shield and ascended as high as I could, breaking through the clouds. Up above, I closed my eyes and relaxed my muscles. My wings fluttered, caressed by the cool winter breeze.
I clasped my hands around the hilt of my sword, channeling all my mana into it. A glowing radiance enveloped the blade. I raised it high, its brilliant light piercing through the thick clouds, descending far below.
"Valkyrie kjøretur."
After opening my eyes, I let my wing muscles loosen. Slowly but surely, I allowed myself to fall, holding the glowing sword tightly in my hands. My body automatically adjusted itself to land a vertical slash aimed directly at the enemy below me.
The man raised his large shield high, intending to block my attack using nothing but that shield.
It was futile. The shield would split in two.
I knew the shield was strong, but Valkyrie kjøretur didn't rely solely on magical energi, it also incorporated slashing techniques and the forces of nature, amplified by height. Surviving this attack would be nearly impossible.
I continued descending, my sword lifted high. Finally, I delivered a powerful vertical slash, using all my strength, directly into the center of Yatagarasu's shield, and then...
Slash.
The shield split in two.
Yatagarasu's eyes widened, but before he could react, I twisted my body and delivered a horizontal slash aimed directly at his unprotected neck.
Slash.
That round object finally detached from the neck that connected it to the body. Blood spurted out like a fountain in the middle of a royal garden.
The headless body stood for a few seconds before collapsing onto the ground. Its hands writhed erratically as blood continued pouring out from it. Then, after a brief moment, the body finally ceased all movement.
I touched it to make sure. Cold and rigid. The man was truly dead. The sacrifices of most of the Valkyries had not been in vain; I had finally managed to kill this seemingly dangerous man.
Right after that, the effects of Valkyriens arv av kamp ended completely. The golden aura enveloping me vanished entirely. My physical stats returned to normal.
The battlefield grew noticeably quieter. The clanging of metal, the explosions, and the anguished screams that once filled the air were far less frequent. It seemed this battle would soon come to an end.
"It's finally over," I murmured, accompanied by a tired but relieved smile. "I'm glad my juniors' sacrifices weren't in vain."
The strength of the Jotun had undoubtedly dwindled. There should be no problem even though the effects of Valkyriens arv av kamp had ended. I was confident we would still win this war and together behead Fenrir.
I tried to stand. Exhaustion and pain coursed through my entire body. My steps were still unsteady. Even so, a wide smile adorned my gaunt cheeks.
"We won... yeah, we wo–"
Thud.
A glowing spearhead pierced through my back, mercilessly jutting out from my chest. A mixture of searing heat and icy cold coursed through me, freezing and burning my body all at once. My vision blurred, but I could still see the bright blue spearhead, glowing cold and soaked in my own blood.
I glanced behind me to see a man in a black cloak standing right there. His hand gripped the shaft of the spear that had impaled me.
"I... killed you," I whispered weakly, blood staining the corners of my lips.
No reply. Or perhaps, I couldn't hear whatever words left his mouth. I collapsed to the ground, sprawled weakly as my blood continued to gush out. My vision dimmed, and finally, my eyes were swallowed by utter darkness, an endless void that consumed my soul.