“Manifest light! Engulf me in your power and protect me!” Odin lifted his staff and began to spin it. Bright white light began to emerge from under Odin and surrounded him. Odin’s staff continued to spin and a wall of light surrounded him in circular motion. It expanded in radius… Farther and farther until Odin stopped and hit the pavement with one of Laevatin’s ends. Munin and Hugin flew in circles, screeching above their master.
“Turn back now.” Odin told the officer on the black stallion with red eyes. It was more of a command than a warning but the enemy did not budge, threatening to charge with his stallion instead and saying, “You have no business here. Go back to Asgard, oh, Aesir!”
“Such impudence!” Odin’s eyes narrowed. But true enough, he was no high level battle Aesir and all he could do was cast spells and he did not know if he would be able to conquer a throng of angry Svartalfheim Dark Elves while making sure the people were safe in the shelter. Munin and Hugin were of help but not to an extent of beating such a large army. It would have been easy if he were against humans but these are magic wielder elves… evil magic. It would kind of be easy if all he had to do was spell cast but what if these elves jump on him and take him on physically? That would be quite… disturbing.
But in spite of this, Odin knew he had a sure win as he looked at the streaks of light in the sky… Streaks of light that only Aesirs see and only he could command in superiority right now.
Simply because, it is a time of war.
The officer commenced the attack and more than a hundred dark elves responded with a determined battle cry… and immense morbidity. Odin stretched out his arms and held Laevatin in front of him and began chanting as light began to surround him and a symbol drew itself from light on his forehead. Pillars of light appeared randomly from nowhere, eating up ten or more elves in one shot and the uproar of battle blood was tinged with those of pain, shock and death. The souls escaped from their corpses, the brave and useful gathered to Valhalla while the others swooped down to Hel.
Odin continued chanting, Laevatin firmly in front of him as he gripped it tightly. Munin and Hugin circled him and guarded him, swooping down and assaulting the closer elves. Three Valkyries stood by him to smite those who bring harm to their master. All those who died in these defending Valkyries’ hands would have no seat in the feasts of Valhalla.
“I bring fate to this battlefield…!” Odin announced, his eyes narrowed and set on the charging elven officer, “The humans in this village are under my protection and in this battle they shall win. The souls of those pure and worthy of heroic feasts shall gather in Valhalla and fight alongside the warriors of Asgard! Thus I have spoken! My word shall manifest and to the spirits I beseech! My word be empowered!”
Odin looked up and in the opening night sky was a large hexagram, a grand circle with inscriptions. And from Odin’s forehead turreted a beam of light to which the grand circle in the sky accepted. And this acceptance signaled that Sky and Gaea, the spirits of heaven and earth, had granted Odin’s invocation and that his word will be part of the weaving and the tides of the battle will favor the humans.
“The command has officially been given. Heaven and Earth has permitted the Master’s word.” Nataku said out of the blue right after Odin’s declaration.
“Should’ve known better than to cross Odin at war.” Loki asked, watching the Valkyries below, “So what do we do now, goddess of war?”
Nataku pulled out ofudas and threw them in the air. They hovered and gleamed as Nataku chanted and danced gracefully in mid-air. The inscriptions lifted from the parchments and hovered around the battle goddess as she said her chant.
In the name of Odin, do vest upon me the power to tide victory upon the battlefield before my eyes.
Loki swooped down and helped Goku fight off hordes of Dark Elves. The god of darkness kept backing-up with spells, counter spells, formidable attacks and counter-attacks. Goku’s Nyoi-bo dealt a great deal of damage with it stretching and spinning as if part of Son Goku's body.
I relinquish my pride and subordinate to your power.
“Hey, monkey boy, how are you doing?” Loki called Goku while still being occupied by three Dark Elves that were all planning to tear his limbs apart.
“Who’s the monkey boy!” Goku pouted at Loki. Nyoi-bo shot five feet at both ends and Goku swung, dealing considerable damage to bands of elves.
Eliminate the adversaries of those to whom the battle tides for. Lend your strength to comrades and gather the souls to Valhalla.
Loki looked up. Nataku was almost done chanting. He savored the moment for a while as she danced gracefully in mid-air. And as she danced her way above the battlefield, it seems as though she had scattered handful after handful of fireflies. And the fireflies drifted down to war, somehow aiding the humans in one way or another.
Heezdarfa azou-kin ardzeoliea!
The goddess of war had spoken her word. Her prayers had been heard and only moments after she spoke, there was a blast from a trumpet and the Elves were beginning to retreat. The goddess of war was now goddess of victory and she was dancing for the men of Midgard.
“Nataku looks so beautiful up there.” Goku sighed mindlessly as he looked up at Nataku.
Loki’s right eye twitched a bit but it was nothing that made him turn away from the waltzing Battle Aesir. Moments and moments more he stared, not even looking at the retreating Elves or the celebrating Humans. The hurrahs, the victory cries and the trumpet blast seemed not to come close to his ear. Goku was talking but he was not in the mood to understand it. On and on she waltzed and waved and danced as the fireflies continued dancing down from the sky and for as long as she remained as beautiful as she was, Loki continued watching. By and by she slowed down, finally putting a close to her short performance but just as she turned to look at Loki and Goku way below, there was a pillar of dark energy that shot from the ground and ate Nataku.
“NATAKU!” Loki blasted in all different emotions. By the time the pillar dispersed, Nataku was crashing down in full speed. Loki charged, going as fast as his feet could ever go but still he seemed to be so slow. His arms were behind him in free, his body bent forward and his feet being pushed to limits. But Loki did not make it and Nataku crashed with a sound and impact that thundered through Loki’s entity.
“NATAKUUUUU!!” Loki shouted, slowing a little to endure the force that swept the perimeter. And as Loki began reorienting himself with his surroundings, he realized he had neglected one factor: Odin’s word did not include the gods.
And Persephone was making her way towards the Battle Goddess as Cerberus slowly recovered in background. Loki was shot with worry and alarm. But just as he began to think of his next move, he heard a curse, a whack, Persephone’s small scream and her hitting the ground.
Loki checked. It was Goku. He was in a very imposing stance that meant he would protect Nataku. His golden eyes were narrowed and angrily looking at Persephone as she recovered. Nataku was moaning but Loki could not tell whether she was unconscious and he didn’t plan on guessing long. The moment he grabbed his senses back, he dashed towards the Battle Aesir and picked her up. Her eyes were wide open but lifeless as the symbol of darkness swirled and glowed in what was once dark blue. Nataku let out an ear-piercing scream before going unconscious.
“Nataku…!”
He was very careless. He knew that by the moment Nataku was done with that chant, she would become vulnerable. Any attack on her would be more fatal than usual. Of course Persephone knew that and she obviously seized the moment the second it came. And that pillar was no Silent Melody. It was Persephone’s higher darkness spell, Babylon Tower, probably at its highest level.
“Insolent monkey!” Persephone cursed afterwards, took out her flute and barraged Son Goku with Silent Melody. Son Goku held out his staff and shielded Nataku and Loki who were behind her. Loki was astounded for some moments and his curiosity was piqued deeper. How could he stand this lot of Silent Melody? He did not look like he had cast a barrier spell around him and yet he was holding position.
Who was this Son Goku?
Nataku’s groaning brought Loki’s attention back to her. She hadn’t woken up. What was wrong? Loki’s heart was seized with worry. He laid her straight and set his hands over her. He then began chanting to heal her. But it wasn’t long before Goku gave in and he fell back first onto the ground. Loki ducked, clutching Nataku as Silent Melody whizzed above them. And even before Persephone could strike a pose, Loki decided to be quicker. Out stretched his hand and to Persephone went a numbing darkness spell. It wouldn’t last long. Loki knew. He picked up Goku and Nataku and dashed to Odin’s direction.