"How can this be…? What is that sword? How can such a weapon exist in this world?!"
Loki's face twisted in disbelief, his reality collapsing before his eyes.
Hati was dead. Fenrir and Sköll clung barely to life but had completely lost their ability to fight. His ultimate trump card had vanished, and even the mass-produced Jormungandr serpents were being held off by Rias and her group.
Loki wasn't a fool—he understood clearly he had no chance to turn things around.
Yet what infuriated him most was that the cause of his defeat was this mere human woman whom he had always looked down upon.
But compared to Loki, Odin's shock ran even deeper.
Why did that attack…carry the aura of Ragnarök itself?
Fenrir and Sköll were gravely wounded but still breathing... yet Jeanne was in no position to finish them off.
Because she saw clearly that the two giant wolves had fallen into the chaotic abyss—the dimensional gap.
The dimensional gap... the place where Ophis was born, and now occupied by Great Red...
She wasn't sure how entering that space might affect her, but this clearly wasn't the right time to find out. If they didn't quickly escape the collapsing artificial dimension, everyone—including Rias's group—would be trapped in the gap, and Jeanne doubted the others could survive that.
Outpacing the spreading chaos, Jeanne immediately turned, dashing toward the others.
Her attack with [Laevateinn] had shattered the artificial space and removed Loki's dimensional barrier, offering an opportunity for escape.
The first people she encountered were Odin and Loki, the closest combatants. Loki was now bound by a web of magical runes, with Odin standing nearby, clearly having subdued him.
Seeing Jeanne approach swiftly, Odin stroked his long white beard, offering a gentle smile. "We truly owe you this time, young lady. Without you, this battle—"
Before Odin could finish speaking, a blazing slash descended violently toward Loki.
"Woah! Wait, wait a moment!"
A defensive rune barrier instantly appeared in front of Jeanne's blade. Though unable to fully block it, the barrier slowed her attack just long enough for Odin to pull Loki safely aside.
Odin was utterly astonished—Jeanne had attacked without the slightest hesitation, clearly intent on killing Loki outright.
"You... intend to protect the very culprit behind all this?" Jeanne's cold, golden gaze was fixed firmly on Odin, filled with hostility. It seemed she might turn her blade toward him next.
"Hold on! Wait, calm down," Odin hurriedly interjected with a placating smile. "Loki can't die here. Despite everything, he remains an essential god of the Norse pantheon. Rest assured, he'll receive suitable punishment—one acceptable to everyone. So please, for my sake, spare his life."
Jeanne didn't respond immediately, merely holding Odin under an intense, oppressive gaze.
"Oh right, I almost forgot about you."
"Huh?"
Before Odin could process her words, [Laevateinn] swung down once more—this time aimed directly at him.
"Ahh!" Odin yelped, hastily raising his spear [Gungnir] to parry. Although he blocked the strike, flames erupted, igniting his hair and beard.
"Hot, hot, hot! My beard! What's gotten into you suddenly?! I'm your ally!"
"Shut up! You perverted old geezer—I haven't settled the score with you yet! I swore to burn you and pierce you a hundred thousand times, and I keep my promises!"
"You're way too petty, brat! With a body like that, isn't it natural people will take a look?"
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!"
Jeanne's sword suddenly froze mid-swing.
Not just Jeanne—everyone in the collapsing space abruptly felt a strange, oppressive sensation.
A gaze had settled upon them.
Through the widening chaotic rift, an enormous creature peered inside. Massive molten eyes swept impassively over the land.
A colossal dragon, its body powerful and resplendent in vivid crimson.
Its head alone was colossal—surely at least a hundred meters long.
Odin stared grimly at the dragon, hands clenched tightly around [Gungnir] as cold sweat poured down his back.
"Great Red? Impossible… why would that being leave the Dimensional Gap and come here?"
The Apocalyptic Dragon, True Red Dragon God Emperor, Great Red—the strongest dragon, who had expelled the Infinite Dragon God Ophis from the Dimensional Gap into this world.
Jeanne vividly recalled how Ophis had once asked her to help defeat Great Red.
Existences like Ophis and Great Red were so overwhelmingly powerful that their slightest movements could shake the entire world, putting every faction on high alert.
When Ophis, usually only interested in returning to the Gap, suddenly became head of a terrorist organization, Azazel and the others scrambled anxiously to form alliances among the factions.
Now, Great Red—equally indifferent, always soaring aimlessly through the Gap—had suddenly appeared here, acting on its own desires. How could Odin not be anxious?
However, after casting only a brief glance around, Great Red withdrew its enormous head, returning calmly to the Dimensional Gap and vanishing from their view.
Only after its departure did everyone realize their clothes were soaked through with cold sweat.
Those of weaker wills felt as if they had blacked out from intoxication; after the dragon's gaze, their memories blurred entirely, their bodies momentarily out of their control.
Such was the sheer pressure Great Red exerted.
Only Jeanne remained oddly calm, her golden eyes fixed blankly on the spot where Great Red had vanished, a peculiar expression crossing her face.
Because she had the distinct feeling... Great Red had specifically been looking at her.
And even stranger—
Its gaze just before leaving... how to describe it... like someone finally assured that a lingering worry had been resolved, a deep sigh of relief.
Why would it look relieved after seeing her?
Surely it couldn't be that seeing she was safe and living well had made it feel at ease, right? Were they really so familiar?
"Geez, I finally thought we'd reached a peaceful truce among the three factions, and now today's events... Do I really have to retire before I can finally research [Sacred Gears] in peace?"
The sound of flapping wings approached swiftly.
Azazel arrived, alongside Sirzechs and Grayfia. With Loki's barrier broken, they'd finally managed to enter the space.
This should have been a joyous reunion, yet Great Red's appearance had left them grim-faced.
"If you retire, that'll just mean more trouble for me," Sirzechs shook his head. "I have a feeling the world's about to get very unstable. Better not think about retirement anytime soon, Governor-General."
"Ha! Youngsters these days have no sympathy for an old man like me."
"Great Red's appearance certainly demands attention," Sirzechs continued seriously, "but for now, rescuing Rias's group and escorting the instigator Loki takes priority."
"Can't we just kill Loki right here?" Azazel asked impatiently, clearly annoyed at the inconvenience.
"I think we can." Jeanne brandished [Laevateinn] eagerly, but from her stance, she seemed equally keen to take down both Loki and Odin.
...
Jeanne's group had safely escaped back to the Underworld, thanks to Azazel and Sirzechs's assistance.
After returning, Rias and her group reunited joyfully with Koneko.
Koneko was relieved everyone was safe, while Rias's group was thrilled Koneko had recovered.
"How did you wake up, Koneko?" Rias asked gently.
Koneko replied softly, "Because… I don't want to be a burden anymore. I want the power to protect everyone."
Rias was momentarily stunned before her expression softened into profound warmth, deeply proud of Koneko's growth.
"Jeanne, why are you in the Underworld?" Rias finally had a chance to speak privately with Jeanne. "Are O—Asia and the others okay?"
"Relax," Jeanne replied casually. "I left behind a shikigami identical to me by splitting off a portion of my consciousness. No need to worry."
"Really? That's good—wait," Rias hesitated. "If you could always do that, why didn't you use it during school?"
Jeanne's expression twisted bitterly. "Because that spell reminds me of a certain disgusting black-and-white octopus. If not for emergencies, I'd never use it."
Though curious, Rias could see Jeanne strongly disliked the subject and wisely dropped it.
"Koneko mentioned you teleported directly to her when she was in danger... how did you bypass the Underworld's entry checks?"
"Those security checks? They're laughably easy to fool."
"Jeanne... that's considered illegal entry, you know," Rias smiled helplessly.
"I just hate wasting time on pointless things."
"Discussing illegal entry openly in front of the Maou and Governor-General really puts us in a tough spot," Sirzechs interjected amusedly.
Jeanne scoffed, "Eavesdropping on girls' private conversations? How tasteless."
"If you don't want people to overhear, speak quietly!" Azazel retorted. "Aren't you deliberately being loud?"
"No worries, I'll just kill everyone who hears."
"You're terrifying! Are you sure you're not secretly a fallen angel or Maou?"
Sirzechs smiled politely, approaching Jeanne. "We'll be meeting with Odin to discuss Loki's punishment and finalize our peace treaty. As the key to our victory, you have a right to join."
Jeanne hesitated briefly. "Hold on. First, there's something urgent I must do."
She reached once again into the void—
This time, Jeanne drew forth a golden spear radiating brilliant divinity: [Gungnir].
In the distance, Odin stared in horror.
Bathed in golden brilliance, Jeanne raised the spear.
"Go, [Gungnir]."
Instantly, it pierced through space and returned to her bloodstained—Fenrir's and Sköll's blood.
"Done. Let's go."
Facing their stunned gazes, Jeanne smiled coldly.
"There's only one punishment I'll accept: Loki's death. If he doesn't die, I won't sleep easy."
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T/N: im advertising for Fate/Ascend, go read it it has 40 chaps out rn