The terrifying divinity covered the entire world like a gigantic hand.
Skadi stood before her throne, eyeing Hel coldly. "You challenged me. Are you ready to die?"
She still has such immense divinity... Hel broke into a nervous sweat, letting out an awkward laugh. "Y-you're as formidable as ever, Scathach."
Skadi just stared back impassively.
The Council member gazed anxiously at the Great Temple, beads of sweat on his forehead. "She still has such tremendous divinity...could the declining blueberry crops have been a ruse all this time? This isn't good. If Hel falls here, we won't be able to summon another God."
He gritted his teeth. "Adam...that's right, we can use Adam! With his Noble Phantasm, we can stall Skadi for a bit. And Hel also said that Eternal King was here. If we get them to help, Hel can escape at least! Damn it...things shouldn't have gotten this bad. Hmph, those fools on the Council are to blame, always wanting to go it alone. If they had learned to support each other, we could've achieved our goal ages ago!"
Grumbling, the Council member used his wrist bracelet to contact Adam and the others.
...
Underground, Adam took the Council member's call.
After a brief chat, Adam ended the call and turned to Shirou and the others. "The Faceless Men want us to help out at the Great Temple."
"Then let's get going," said Shirou.
Adam and Salter glanced at him and nodded.
With the three in agreement, Sigurd naturally had no objections as the odd man out.
The group set off for the Great Temple.
As the temple grew larger before them, Shirou felt a knot in his stomach.
The power flowing from Skadi was truly terrifying - so oppressive it reminded him of the invasion of Fuyuki.
He'd never imagined such immense divinity could exist!
Even the combined power of the tainted gods in Fuyuki back then was dwarfed by the sheer scale of Skadi's might.
With such monumental divinity, it was no wonder Skadi could sustain humanity for two millennia simply by providing for them.
Outside, hordes of abominations recoiled in panic from Skadi's overwhelming aura, too frightened to approach the Great Temple.
Seizing the chance, Shirou's group slipped inside.
He had expected the dense bounded fields encircling the temple to impede them, but strangely enough they passed through without the slightest trouble.
Inside, they saw Skadi descending slowly from her throne, divine spear Gungnir in hand. A woman cloaked in shadows retreated warily before her.
Skadi dragged Gungnir behind her, sparks flying violently as its tip scraped the floor.
"C-calm down, Scathach!" the shadowed woman cried out nervously, backing away.
Then Adam conveyed a message to Shirou via the black mud.
—Mr. Assassin, the woman veiled in darkness is our summoner, Hel.
—I see.
Shirou acknowledged, though his brows were knitted in puzzlement.
He wasn't surprised to see Skadi dominating given her fearsome aura. But he found Hel's manner of addressing her very odd.
Why call Skadi "Scathach"?
Was it because Skadi was similar to Scathach in some way?
His thoughts flashed briefly before more pressing matters took over, as Skadi had noticed their presence.
"Escaped your inescapable prison, Eternal King?" Skadi turned to him slightly.
"Yes I have," he gave her a smile, the corner of his mouth quirking up slightly. "But inescapable? It would seem its reputation was...exaggerated."
She frowned and demanded. "Still claiming to be from Chaldea?"
"No need for that ruse anymore," Shirou shook his head, then regarded Skadi curiously. "But I'm rather puzzled — I thought my disguise was decent. And since you have some of Scathach's memories, surely you might have had a doubt and wondered if I was telling the truth. Even so, why were you so certain I'm with them?"
"Because you were brought here by Thrud," came Skadi's calm reply.
Thrud...Shirou glanced over at Thrud who had disarmed Ortlinde. I see how it is.
—The Nordic faction has a turncoat?
Salter asked, clearly surprised.
—Obviously.
—Now what? Seems Skadi has the upper hand here... Should we come clean and withdraw?
—No. If we retreat now we're done for - Hel's side has the true advantage! Don't do anything rash!
—Aren't you saying the opposite?
A puzzled Salter surveyed their surroundings before asking.
—I'm not mistaken. Haven't you noticed? Aside from attacking us initially, Asgard's defenses have left us be. Hel clearly controls them now. And there's still another mole who hasn't shown themselves!
—Another traitor?
Salter was stunned.
...
Clad in snow-white attire resembling an Ice Queen, Skadi slowly descended from her divine throne, dragging her spear Gungnir behind her. Its sharp tip carved a clearly visible scar on the unbreakable floor with each step, the grinding echoing through the grand temple.
Slowly making her way towards Hel, terrifying divinity erupted from Skadi, warping the space around her into a raging blizzard. Howling winds and swirling snow created a chaotic scene as she approached.
—"What should we do, Mr. Assassin?" Adam asked, feeling unparalleled pressure bearing down on them. Although Skadi's face was as tranquil as a still lake, the horrifying divinity and overwhelming mana she emanated carried a dreadful, murderous aura. "She's on our side, but at this rate, she's going to wipe us all out!"
—"Don't act rashly, see what your Master does," Shirou responded to Adam telepathically. He would never believe that Hel was unprepared and daring enough to provoke Skadi.
As Skadi descended from her throne, Hel kept retreating.
She had no choice but to fall back. Skadi's divinity was terrifying. Even the God King Odin would stand no chance against her now.
Divine light flickered in Skadi's eyes. With a slight movement of her mind, Thrud's spear went "pop" and burst apart.
Thrud was briefly stunned before Ortlinde grabbed her. She swiftly rose up, pulling out her own spear and thrusting straight at Thrud.
However, Thrud was no novice either. She stretched out her hand, summoning a black spear similar to Hel's, and swept it across in defense.
Two cold rays of light sliced through the air, clashing mid-flight with a resounding "clang." The impact reverberated with the ring of metal on metal.
"She even has Hel's spear now..." Ortlinde grieved in her heart, but her hands didn't falter as she thrust at Thrud again.
Thrud crossed the black spear at her neck. With a twist, there was another "clang" as she deflected Ortlinde's strike.
Clearly, compared to Thrud who often fought on the front lines, Ortlinde was outmatched. Not to mention she was already injured.
Seemingly aware of this situation, Skadi glanced at Thrud.
With just that one look, there was a "crack" as Thrud's feet were frozen in place. Then in the blink of an eye, Thrud was completely encased in ice, transformed into an icy statue.
Shirou raised his eyebrows.
—"Mr. Assassin, did you sense any mana fluctuations?"
Adam felt his scalp go numb. In principle, whether God, human, Heroic Spirit, or even magical beast, casting spells should produce mana fluctuations – this was basic knowledge. But Skadi had frozen Thrud with a mere glance...and he hadn't noticed any fluctuations at all.
It was as if Thrud had been an ice sculpture all along.
This went against the established fundamental laws of magecraft!
Shirou didn't reply because he didn't sense any mana fluctuations either. This went beyond magecraft and he had no experience or knowledge in this area. But if he had to compare...it reminded him a little of Crimson Moon and Arcueid's "Moonfall" and the curse Hinako had previously put on him —something from nothing.
"Isn't this going a bit overboard, Skadi?" Seeing frozen Thrud, Hel laughed and pointed, "No matter what, she's been loyal to you these past two thousand years."
Skadi looked coldly at her. "When did you turn Thrud against me?"
"Turn against you? Does it really take that much to make it happen? Humans, giants, Valkyries, even you...haven't we all hoped this world ends sooner? Longing for someone to stab you, to end our misery?" Hel questioned, anger seeping into her words.
Skadi unconsciously tightened her grip on Gungnir.
"This world is like a terminal cancer patient. It's already over, yet you insist on prolonging its suffering. Do you know how painful that is? It's been two thousand years. You've kept me trapped in this godforsaken world for two thousand years! Because of you, my soul has been sealed here for two millennia! Two thousand years!"
Hel stared at Skadi, hatred flashing in her eyes. She gnashed her teeth, saying, "You may be able to endure it, but I can't take it anymore! The people around you can't either! You were the one summoned by the Council, not me! Why must I suffer this punishment with you? Release my soul! Set me free so I can leave this place!"
—"W-What's going on, Eternal King?"
—"Something doesn't feel right, Mr. Assassin?"
Adam and Salter frantically @ Shirou with the black mud, alarmed by Hel's words.
But Shirou frowned, replying:
"Don't speculate randomly or reveal anything. We should just wait calmly."