Although he had already decided to flee, Loki still left behind some parting threats. Hearing such bluster, Yoru could only shake his head with a mocking smile.
"Leave? Did I say you could go?"
"I want to leave. What can you possibly do to stop me?" Loki replied with disdain, ignoring Yoru entirely. Every extra second here meant more danger—better to retreat now. As for Odin, there would be plenty of chances to deal with him later. No way could this strange kid protect that old fossil forever.
"You want to leave… Are you sure you can leave?"
The moment Yoru said that, Loki's expression shifted. He realized that the space he should have been able to tear apart with ease now felt as solid as steel—completely unmoving beneath his hands.
"Impossible… why is the space—"
"Seems you still haven't grasped your situation. You've already… fallen into my cage."
Yoru slowly raised his hand. A sharp, brittle cracking sound filled the air, like something delicate shattering. Only then did Loki notice the faint layer of frost covering the surrounding space.
Thin as a sheet of glass and webbed with cracks, the ice looked fragile enough to break at a touch—but in reality, it sealed the entire area completely, preventing Loki from leaving.
"Damn it… What the hell is this thing?!"
Loki's fist slammed into the frost, but the seemingly delicate prison was unyielding.
"This… is ice," Yoru said with a faint smile. Then, pointing his raised palm toward Loki, he flicked his finger.
"AAAAAHHHHHH!!"
A piercing scream tore from Loki's throat. The sound of freezing and fracturing filled the air again—but this time, it came from Loki's own body.
"What… what is this power?!"
From the very start, Yoru had completely overwhelmed the evil god, controlling the battle as though Loki were nothing more than a toy in his grasp.
"Yoru… he's really this strong?" Rias murmured in disbelief.
Azazel stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Looks like this kid's hiding a lot. The dragon power that made Ophis submit… this evil power that even Loki can't resist… and that mysterious frost. I really wonder just what he is."
"Terrifying… to freeze a high-class devil like that from the inside out. This kid… can't be judged by normal standards," Odin sighed. Though Loki had tried to kill him, he was still a god of Odin's own pantheon. Seeing him fall so far stirred a twinge of sadness.
The screams grew fainter, until at last they stopped entirely. Loki was now a beautifully crafted ice statue, covered in fine cracks, and slowly began to fall from the sky.
"It's done."
Yoru returned to the carriage with a calm smile, speaking as though nothing unusual had happened.
"A-ah… it's done…" Rossweisse was the first to find her voice, still in shock that Loki and Fenrir had been dispatched so easily. He's incredible… If I could become his woman… Her face flushed bright red at the thought, and she quickly crouched in a corner, giggling to herself.
"What about this one?" Azazel asked, nodding toward the barely-breathing Fenrir. "He's not dead yet, but if we leave him like this, he'll die sooner or later."
Technically, the spoils belonged to Yoru, so it was his choice how to deal with the wolf.
"You know, you could take him as a familiar. If Fenrir became yours, your strength could grow even further," Azazel suggested.
"Forget it. I've no interest in keeping such dead weight. I doubt this mutt could give me any real help."
The words were arrogant, but Azazel couldn't refute them. After all, this was a wolf that could slay even high-class devils—and Yoru had dismissed him as worthless.
With a helpless shrug, Azazel turned to Rias. "If Yoru doesn't want him, you take him. He'd be a powerful addition to your forces."
Rias nodded immediately—she wouldn't refuse a familiar like this.
Meanwhile, Odin kept Loki's frozen statue, planning to show it to those in Asgard who opposed him, as a clear warning of what awaited traitors.
The carriage rolled away into the night, leaving behind only dried blood and shattered ice as the last traces of the infamous Norse evil god's visit.
Before long, silence fell—until a fearful voice spoke in the darkness.
"H-how… how could this happen? Why were Lord Loki and Fenrir defeated so easily…?"
"Seems that guy's reputation is no exaggeration," another voice replied with a hint of awe. "No wonder Vali's team fears him… and even Ophis avoids him. If he became the leader of the devils one day, it wouldn't be surprising at all."
"At the very least, the Infinite Dragon God is no longer a threat," the first voice said. "We just received contact from Lord Cao Cao… Oh? This is…"
"What? Don't tell me—"
"That's right. We've found the Dragon Eater. With that, Infinity will soon meet its end."
"Excellent. If we can bring down Infinity, then who else in this world could possibly stand against Lord Cao Cao?"
---
Access more chapters at patreon.com/dzeref887