Chapter 23
"Ai blyat!" exclaimed Nikolai as he narrowly dodged a wild punch that would sure to take off his head . He summoned his round shield just in time to block a follow-up cross punch—only for the blow to obliterate the shield in a single strike.
'What the blyat is with her punches?!' he gasped, backpedaling with his arms raised defensively. The sheer power behind her strikes was unreal—inhuman even. He barely had time to process what had happened when Sigrun stepped in again, launching an underhook aimed directly at his ribs.
He twisted his body and deflected the strike just barely in time—and that's when he saw it.
A glowing rune hovered in front of her clenched fist.
' That must be it.' he thought. 'That rune's powering her hits… I don't know what it does exactly, but I sure as hell can't let it touch me.'
Across from him, Sigrun growled low in her throat, frustration mounting. This wasn't like any undead she had ever fought. Not only was it dodging her attacks with uncanny agility, it was summoning weapons—a shield to be exact. The shield was also very durable, even if it broke.
She lunged at him again, with a flurry of powerful punches that would totally destroy him if he get hit, but Nikolai dodged and deflected them all with almost perfect precision.
Most undead she had faced since she came to Midgard were mindless, vicious and suicidal corpses with a grudge. This one? This one was fighting like a seasoned warrior.
"What in Odin's name is this thing?" she muttered, her brow furrowing.
"He's not an enemy!" Rosseweisse shouted in desperation from the edge of the glade, But her voice was swallowed in the chaos, lost on Sigrun, whose tunnel vision was entirely consumed by the fight.
"What?!" she barked, glancing momentarily toward her friend.
Then the sky darkened slightly.
WHOOSH.
"Reinforcements have arrived!" someone cried.
Nikolai's eyes darted upward just in time to see four more Valkyries descending like divine missiles, their armor shining in the sunlight, weapons drawn. He barely had time to curse before the first spear came stabbing toward his heart.
Steel clashed with chain and shield. Sparks flew.
He was now fighting five warriors at once.
A battle frenzy took over. Nikolai parried a descending axe aimed at his skull, the blade skimming his shoulder guard as he jumped back to gain distance. His breath was short, rattling inside his armor.
'These women are too strong… I can't fight them without hurting someone.' He thought. 'But they're Rosseweisse's comrades. I can't hurt them.'
He wanted to de-summon his armor, to show he meant no harm. He didn't want to fight them, not truly. But they weren't giving him a choice. If he showed weakness, they would overwhelm him. He needed to subdue them—not kill.
He summoned his chains. The cold linked metal rings that was dark as the night.
The Valkyries hesitated briefly, wary of the cursed weapon—but duty pushed them forward.
One with a long spear rushed in, eyes focused, her stance impeccable. She lunged, but Nikolai twisted sideways, spinning on his heel, and swung his chain with brutal precision. It coiled around her waist trapping her arms as well, yanking her mid-flight like a doll.
"CURSE MAGIC: GRIP!" he growled.
The chain tightened like a python. The Valkyrie grunted, arms pinned, struggling in vain.
Another Valkyrie came screaming in, sword raised high, aiming for his throat. He raised a fresh shield and caught the blade with a loud metallic clang. She punched him, but he ducked under it easily as he had anticipated it. In one fluid motion, he yanked the chain, dragging the entangled warrior straight into the path of the second Valkyrie.
Caught off guard, she instinctively caught her friend—but it distracted her.
Nikolai acted fast. He flung the chain around both of them, binding them together.
"CURSE MAGIC: GRIP!"
Another pair came—one with an axe, the other with a long sword. Nikolai roared, deflecting the axe's vicious blow with his shield, pushing her aside. The sword slashed down at his shoulder; he let it land against his armor, then caught her wrist mid-swing and heaved her over his shoulder into the axe-wielder.
CRASH!
Both women staggered from the impact.
Nikolai pulled the chain again—perfect timing—and yanked the already-chained Valkyries into their stumbling comrades, sending all four to the ground.
He wasted no time. He swung the chain and it wrapped all of them.
"CURSE MAGIC: GRIP!"
The Valkyries struggled, trying their best to free themselves, but the cursed chains held strong. They writhed and flailed to no avail.
"Release them, bastard!" Came a curious voice.
Sigrun roared and hurled her rune-powered fist forward.
Nikolai raised his round shield to protect himself, she slammed her enchanted hand into his shield... It shattered on contact.
He skidded back, stunned from the destructive power from her fist.
Sigrun was breathing hard, eyes burning. Her comrades, some of the best trained warriors in Valhalla institute, but they were all chained on the ground. And this thing—this creature—was still standing.
'I made it in time,' she thought, glancing quickly at Rosseweisse. 'She could've been killed. She's too reliant on her damn runes.'
The chain came flying toward her next.
'That chain's is dangerous I can't let it touch me!' She ducked low, slipping under the attack. She then lunged at him comming very close for hand to hand combat. He swung his chain again but she, ducked low again, slipping under the attack. Her eyes locked on the his exposed side. A perfect opening.
Without hesitation, she slammed her fist into his ribs.
CRACK.
The satisfying sound of breaking bone echoed through the clearing, music to her ears.
She drew another rune in the air, channeling its power into her next punch—aimed straight for his face.
Nikolai staggered, eyes wide behind the iron skull mask. The sharp pain in his side made it hard to breathe, let alone think. He had no choice.
"UNDEAD WILL!"
Pain vanished.
Focus returned.
Sigrun's fist came flying—he ducked, narrowly dodging the blow. He shifted around her and grabbed her from behind.
With a grunt, he wrapped his arms around her waist and suplexed her—lifting her off the ground and slamming her spine-first into the dirt with a heavy THUD!
Sigrun gritted her teeth. Pain shot through her spine, but she locked eyes with the him. He loomed over her, metal skull mask gleaming in the light.
He stood over her, unmoving. Towering. The skull mask obscured all expression, but the posture—it wasn't triumphant. It was waiting. Observing.
It made her blood boil.
"Come on!" she spat, coughing. "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? FINISH ME!"
Nikolai blinked, confused. The words meant nothing to him. He didn't understand her. The language barrier was a huge wall.
'I wish I had that translation magic… ' he thought. 'Then I could tell her I'm not her enemy.'
He turned toward Rosseweisse—finally approaching, face full of worry. He hoped that she could explain to her comrades that he has no intention of bringing them harm.
But Sigrun spotted her too. Panic surged in her chest.
"ROSE! GET AWAY FROM THAT THING! HE'S DANGEROUS!"
Nikolai just stood there, awkward and silent, paralyzed by the language barrier.
SWOOSH!
THUNK.
Something pierced his shoulder. He looked down—an arrow made of pure ice jutted through his armor, embedded deep in the flesh.
Even without pain, the sight made his stomach churn.
Floating above the treetops was a tall figure, regal and cold. Lady Eir, Rosseweisse and Sigrun's superior, stood with a hand outstretched. Another rune hovered in the air, humming with energy, an ice arrow formed, it size larger than the previous one.
"Die, foul monster!" she declared.
SWOOSH!
Another ice arrow launched. This one struck his other shoulder, flying straight through a gap in his armor. Dazed, he turned his head to someone moving to his side.
"Don't forget me, bastard!"
Sigrun was there, face twisted in rage. Her rune-enchanted fist slammed into his face.
CRACK!
A final punch from Sigrun slammed into his face with bone-shattering force.
His iron skull mask fractured, then shattered, and he flew backward, crashing into a tree with a sickening THUD.
Silence.
Then—gasps.
Both Sigrun and Rosseweisse stood still, staring at what lay beneath the mask.
It was Nikolai.
His face was battered. His lip was split and bleeding, bruises forming fast under his eyes.
And then came the worst moment of all.
"Papa!!!"
Two small voices cried out. From the edge of the woods, Artom and Igor emerged, their eyes wide with terror at the sight of their father, broken and blodied.