98 How Dare She.

--- Alexia ---

Thanks to the information we managed to gather beforehand, I have the general idea on who's who.

The woman with hair and eyes as dark as the night must be Hel.

She quietly summoned a scythe, our eyes briefly meeting.

Seems like she wants to size me up first.

The imposing man with dark hair and orange eyes charging towards me must be Jormungandr.

Each of his steps caused the ground to tremble beneath him.

The axe he wielded seemed almost like a plaything in his massive hands, despite being one of the heaviest weapons one can wield.

Impressive strength, but I know someone stronger.

The pinkie dressed like a little doll must be Freya.

For some reason, I found myself less concerned about the charging bull and more fixated on her.

Despite her emotionless expression, I felt a sense of unease.

Intrigued, I directed more of my attention towards her until I realized something.

Since the barrier went up, she hadn't spared me a single glance. Her focus was on...

I see.

The realization made my blood boil.

My gaze icy cold, and I clenched my fists so hard my knuckles turned white.

How dare you covet what's mine, you fucking bitch.

Jormungandr, the massive man resembling a gorilla, launched the first attack.

His colossal axe sliced through the air in a wide vertical arc, threatening to cleave me in two along with the ground.

Such an attack could easily reduce me to pieces if it connected, but...

It has a significant weakness.

As Jormungandr's axe descended, I swiftly ducked beneath his legs, narrowly avoiding the blade as it whizzed past me.

The impact of the axe with the ground was immense, causing a small shockwave to ripple outwards and leaving a deep crater in its wake.

Using the momentum generated by the impact and the boost from my augmented Magical Power I had already prepared, I launched myself towards Freya, my target, at an insane speed, faster than she could possibly react to.

In a flash, I reached her and clutched her head with my hand, slamming it into the ground with all my might.

The sound of bone crunching and flesh tearing filled the air as blood splattered all over my body.

But I didn't stop there.

"How dare you, little bitch"

With a snarl, I raised her head from the ground, only to slam it back down again with even more force.

The impact was so strong that the ground shook beneath us, creating a spiderweb of cracks that spread out in all directions.

Dust and debris flew into the air, obscuring our figures momentarily.

But even through the haze, I could see the surprise in Freya's eyes as she stared at me like I was a curious animal.

I could feel the rage coursing through my veins intensifying, fueling my every movement as I continued to pummel her head into the ground, over and over again until her skull was completely crushed inward.

As a result, the blood had splattered all over my body, but I couldn't care less.

Her face was a bloody pulp, barely recognizable as human. And yet, despite the damage I had inflicted, she still clung to life.

Those damn immortals.

As I sensed the cold metal of a scythe aimed at my neck, I reluctantly released my grip on Freya's head.

Tch.

I had hoped to snap her neck in half before dealing with this nuisance...

Drawing my sword, I deflected Hel's strike, our weapons clashing in a shower of sparks.

Hel's expression remained impassive as she regarded me, her eyes flickering with a hint of surprise. "You are stronger than I anticipated," she said, her voice devoid of emotion. "We did not underestimate you, yet you nearly killed Freya"

I smirked at her, my grip tightening on the hilt of my sword. "Flattery won't get you anywhere," I replied, my tone dripping in sarcasm. "You should focus on staying alive instead."

With a swift movement, I pushed against Hel's scythe, forcing her to take a step back. I took the opportunity to retreat as well, knowing that Jormungandr was rapidly approaching and Freya was already starting to partially regenerate, a cold glint in her bloodshot eyes.

Oh? so you didn't learn your lesson yet, pathetic bitch.

I wonder if you'll still be able to stay that calm for long.

Kekeke...

--- Hel ---

As I watched Jormungandr keep that Princess occupied, I took a moment to check on Freya.

She was typically untouchable, but this Demon Queen had inflicted serious injuries upon her. It must be because of the armor she's wearing that allowed her to remain sane despite prolonged contact, even holding her head for that long.

If we intend to unleash our true abilities against her, we must find a way to destroy that armor.

That's where Jormungandr's ability comes in handy.

He may seem like nothing but brute force, but he has quite a special power.

He can destroy any defense, regardless of the type.

If only she had fallen for his dumb demeanor and used her Magical Power to protect herself instead of using him as a distraction, she would be dead already.

But I didn't expect her to fall for such an obvious trick.

Thus, we need to create a situation where she's forced to take on one of Jormungandr's blow directly.

Since she seems to hold a peculiar grudge against Freya, we can use her as bait...

This plan took but less than an instant to be formulated in my mind.

"Are you alright, Freya?" I asked, turning to her as I prepared to give further instructions.

She nodded, attempting to stand up, but before I could say "Good, let's go then", blood suddenly started gushing from her nose like a small fountain.

Freya's eyes widened in shock as she raised her hands to touch her nose, feeling the warm, sticky liquid flowing between her fingers. Her heart began to race as she realized something was seriously wrong, and she was no longer in control of her own body.

"W-What is happening..." she stammered, her voice trembling with fear and confusion.

It's expected, since she thought she was in control all along, while in reality, she has none of that.

I raised an eyebrow, my emotionless expression cracking slightly as I could hear laughter coming from the battlefield, but I ignored it.

This was unexpected.

Now that I looked at her, although she had mostly regenerated, part of her head was not regenerating further.

Her regeneration was being negated.

But how is this possible? I can't detect any Magical Power, otherwise Freya would have swiftly eradicated any lingering traces from her body.

We're not so unaware of our own bodies as to overlook such a thing. Despite this, I couldn't pinpoint the source of the issue.

It's incredibly concerning.

Now, I don't have the luxury of delving into cause and effect. I must adjust my approach accordingly.

"...I'll go ahead. You try to restore your body as much as possible before joining back and calm down. I will cover for you as well."

I had to give up on hiding my powers any further.

---

Author's Note:

Freya really had to pick the fastest way to death by angering Alexia.

Poor soul.

Yeah, as you expected, this is only part of the fight :(

My goal of 103 chapters... :(

But I need to cook well, soooo

What do you think so far? Although not much happened yet...