Chapter 141 Turning The Tides.

A devastating howl shook the sky scattering the clouds and putting an end to the blizzard that spread a blanket of frost throughout all of southern Europe.

With the Valkyries being a great hindrance to its advancement, Fenrir decided to deal with them first before continuing toward its destination.

The twenty nine Valkyries that came to intercepted it were reduced to twenty five, and that's when fighting wasn't the Herald's main focus. Thing were going to be different from now on.

Releasing another howl the black wolf began emitting a deep blue aura, looking as if azure flames had enveloped its body. A moment later a second head grew from the flames, no sound coming from it despite its open maw.

The new head split off growing a body of its own. Beside the black wolf was now another one made out of deep blue fire that emitted no heat or light.

A third head spawned creating another wolf and a forth one soon followed. The Valkyries were stunned by the effects of the howl leaving them unable to stop the beast from multiplying.

When the howling stopped the Valkyries were finally able to move. With the blizzard that provided them with cover gone they had no reason to hold back so they moved all at once diving toward the Herald with their weapons at the ready.

Several cannons were fired and explosions scattered the four wolves. Though Fenrir itself managed to evade every shot the others were hit several times, however that didn't seem to have much of an effect on them. In fact, the beams that came into contact with them didn't cause any explosions, as if the energy they contained seemed to disappear into thin air.

As the melee fighters were about to engage with most of them focusing on the main body, the blue wolves pounced on them and got in their way. Most of the girls changed course at the last moment and avoided colliding with the flame beasts, however some of them weren't so lucky, getting grazed by their claws and fangs here and there.

[Oh no…]

As the shaking voice spread throughout the communication channel, the Valkyries that got hit began to notice something strange.

Frost was spreading on their armor through the damaged parts, cracks appearing as small parts fell off.

Watching in horror as her right foot gradually crumbled, one of the Valkyries failed to notice the rows of blue fangs closing in on her. The cold flames swallowed her and in a second her body fell to the ground shattering like glass.

[Focus on the black one! Don't let the clones touch you!]

Some of the Valkyries had participated in the previous battles against the black wolf. They knew all too well the horror its cold flame clones brought but even with the Resistance doing its best to find a way to counter it the girls had no choice but to fight with their force field activated to its utmost.

Raising one of its front legs high above its head, Fenrir slammed the snow covered ground sending ripples through the white blanket. Spear like icicles jutted out spreading in a circle as they reached for the girls flying around.

One of the clones claimed another victim, though with this one being on guard against it she managed to avoid complete destruction by enveloping her body in her most powerful force field, though she ended up losing her armor and weapon as a consequence.

Another howl resounded rattling the Valkyries' innards, however this time the paralysis effect was warded by their force fields allowing them to escape the clones just in time.

The black Wolf prepared to launch another attack, but then its head suddenly snapped to the left. A moment later something collided with its flank, the empact sending its entire body flying a few meters away.

Flipping in midair the beast was able to land on its feet. Looking at its side it found a small red stick pierced deep into its body.

Fenrir didn't cry or bleed. It simple turned its eyes in the direction the attack came from growling as it searched for the source. The Valkyries were doing the same, wondering who could it be that delivered such an attack on the enemy they've been struggling against for the past couple hours.

A few miles away a single female figure descended from the sky. Four diamond shaped wings extended from her back, woven from rays of crimson light that contrasted the clear blue sky. Above her head a complex series of symbols and shapes gathered to form a strange halo with different parts spinning in opposite directions.

Seeing her the Valkyries were quick to guess that a new enemy has appeared. One of the so called Nephilim has come to aid the Ragnarok Herald, but if that really was the case then why did her attack hit the beast instead of them?

The woman raised her right arm, her palm held out as if she awaited something to be handed over to her. Small square shapes flickered into existence one after the other, their form stabilizing into a long stick with a sharp end. In a matter of seconds a red arrow formed in the woman's hand.

Fenrir glared and growled, following it with a howl as it put all its focus on the new enemy. That should've been the perfect opportunity for an attack, but the Valkyries found themselves unable to move, watching as the stranger in the distance lifted her left arm which held what could only be described as a large bow.

For a long ranged weapon it looked rather inconvenient, however its intricate yet simple design told them it wasn't anything normal. The stranger knocked the arrow and pulled the string. Fenrir lowered its posture preparing to dodge the oncoming attack.

Closing her eyes, the strange woman took a deep breath. Symbols began to form at the tip of the arrow at the same time creating several rings that expanded with the pointy end at their center.

Exhaling slowly, golden irises revealed themselves as she opened her eyes and focused on the target. The black Wolf flinched under her gaze despite the distance between them and taking that as her opportunity the woman released the string, a loud explosion resulting from the arrow being launched causing her long ponytail to flutter uncontrollably through the violent wind.

The black wolf jumped aside at the last moment avoiding what was more akin to a missile than an arrow leaving one of its clones to take the hit.

The resulting shockwave from the crimson projectile impacting the ground was so powerful that it snuffed the blue wolf like the weak fire of a candle.

"I'm not really good at this…" Zero Five mumbled as she formed another arrow. "Maybe I should try a different approach?"

Though she didn't seem to think so, her accuracy was pretty good. The next arrow she shot took down another clone, and the next one did the same. Only the black wolf was left, but it was too fast.

Fenrir howled once more. Strong wind began swirling around its body, clouds gathered in the sky. In a matter of seconds the area was enveloped in a violet blizzard again.

With the heavy snow blocking her sight the ponytailed Valkyrie couldn't rely on the bow and arrows anymore. Letting go of both caused them to flicker and disappear. The same happened with the four diamond shaped wings and in the next moment she began falling down.

Fenrir wasn't waiting in its place for its enemy to come. Using the storm as a cover it quickly dashed trying to reduce the distance as much as possible.

Reaching the ground, Zero Five placed a hand over her face. Dark red particles gathering together to form a strange horrifying mask with sharp white fangs and a pair of horns protruding from its forehead.

As the eyes glowed with an ominous red color, the ponytailed Valkyrie held both hands up over her head, crimson square shapes flickering into existence forming a long curved single edged sword.

Gripping the blood red katana, Zero Five closed her eyes and slowly breathed in. The world went silent, the howling of the wind filtered out leaving only the barely audible sound of the great black wolf as it got closer and closer.

When she opened her eyes Five witnessed the form of the Ragnarok Herald, which was hundreds of times her size, leaping down on her. She didn't panic, nor was she afraid of the monstrosity. Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as the jagged fangs closed in on her and with precise movement of a practiced hand the Valkyrie brought her sword down slicing the space in front of her.

The blade didn't touch anything, the only thing it cut being the frozen air blowing uncontrollably. As Fenrir dived down on its prey preparing to close its jaws, a red line formed on its body and in the next moment it split into two halves along with everything that was behind it.

The storm, cut in two as well, merged into a violent tornado that dispersed in mere seconds. Not long after the snow stopped and the sky cleared revealing the chopped corpse of the Ragnarok Herald which had once terrified humanity to no end.

Watching the state of her opponent, Zero Five gripped her sword once more and swung a few more times. The other Valkyries watched as the black wolf was cut into smaller and smaller pieces as if to make sure it doesn't get up again.

[Hey… is… is that thing on our side, perhaps?] One of them asked.

The scene was so unbelievable that they couldn't accept what their own eyes saw. Some of them had witnessed the power of their true enemies, the Nephilim, and the feeling they got from watching the ponytailed woman was much like that of those terrifying beings.

As they stood in their place wondering if what they saw was real or not, a massage was sent throughout every part of the Resistance.

[Ragnarok Herald, code name Fenrir, has been defeated.]

~◇~

On the eastern front Niddhog was having a much worse time as well.

"My~ you sure are a sturdy one."

Molten rock splashed around like water as the long serpentine body of the dragon wriggled uncontrollably trying to free itself.

A giant mechanical hands held it down as another clasped one of its wings and was in the process of slowly tearing it off. The dragon whipped its long tail trying to swat the insignificant creature causing its suffering, however it was met with an invisible barrier that formed a large sphere protecting the enemy from its wrath.

[Ragnarok Herald, code name Fenrir, has been defeated.]

As the message played from the small earpiece she wore, Nine pressed a hand on her left cheek an heaved a sigh.

"So Five is already done?" She said, ignoring the violent bangs of the monster's tail smacking her barrier. "Guess this is enough practice. We have to go save Doctor as fast as possible."

The moment she said those words the monster's wing came off and a devastating cry shook the burning sea.

The blond Valkyrie was standing in midair, two giant mechanical arms extended from the rings floating on either of her sides. They seemed to be made of some strange blue material that was transparent like glass yet much sturdier than any alloy known to humans.

Above her head was a halo made of numerous small symbols. Under it were several small diamond shaped spikes with long sharp ends pointing upwards surrounding the golden hair like a crown.

"Sorry but I no longer have the time."

As she spoke, nine waved her right hand causing the mechanical arm on that side to disintegrated into small particles. A moment later a new one started to form, however this time it didn't have a hand on its end and instead had what looked like the barrel of a gigantic cannon with a thick pillar protruding from the elbow joint.

"Now, hold still…"

Pressing the barrel against the beast's hand only caused its struggle to become more desperate. Niddhog slammed its tail on the lava lake causing several rocks to shoot up and fall toward the Valkyrie like meteors. Sadly the invisible barrier was still in place so the burning rocks never reached their target.

The monster continued thrashing but suddenly went limp as the muffled sound of a steam explosion spread along the circular wave traveling over the surface of the lava lake.

The right mechanical arm slowly retracted leaving behind the thick pillar which had pierced the dragon's head like a giant nail.

"Everyone! Is it okay if I leave the rest to you?"

Hearing the blond one's cheerful voice, the Valkyries who have been watching the spectacle in bewildered silence came back to reality. The Herald was motionless, its long snake like body sprawled on the ground not making a single sound.

Just then another message played through all communication channels informing them of the results.

[Ragnarok Herald, code name Niddhog, has been defeated.]

~◇~

Above the Atlantic ocean another battle was taking place.

Fafnir's rampage got worse and worse. Many Valkyries lost their lives to his dark flames, but everything changed when a new challenger joined the fight.

Without any equipment or armor many thought the young girl was one of the Nephilim, however when she started engaging the great black dragon they were convinced that she was on their side at the very least.

"First time I get to see the ocean…" she said while blocking a torrent of black flames with a gigantic green shield. "And it has to be ruined by the likes of you!"

The flames, fanned by the movements of the dragon's wings, ate at the at everything it touches and the triangular shaped, neon green shield was no exception.

Relying on the force field wasn't an option as the fire lingered waiting for the chance to burn, but the shield wasn't as strong and the chaos dragon knew that very well.

The torrent of flames came to a sudden stop as the monstrosity crashed right through the shield. Before she knew it the young girl found herself between the jaws of the dragon, and for a moment it seemed too late for her as the raws of teeth clashed.

"Whoa! That was close!!!"

Appearing right above the Herald, the girl held a hand out as green squares appeared one after the other generating three lines that linked together to form a large triangle.

With a twist of her arm the shape began spinning at an incredible speed turning into a giant saw disk which she immediately swung down at the black dragon's neck.

Sadly the obsidian shells covering it were too sturdy and the saw bounced off without doing any damage beyond a small scratch.

"Tsk! This thing is tough!"

With her attack failing, the young girl vanished a moment before the dragon turned its jaws at her.

[Ragnarok Herald, code name Niddhog, has been defeated.]

Just then a message arrived informing everyone that the second Herald was defeated which meant only one was left, and the girl wasn't so happy about it.

"Nine is done as well!?" Zero Three exclaimed, disappearing right before the dragon reached her. "You mean I'm the only one left!?"

The three of them had departed at the same time yet the others have finished and she still has yet to see any significant progress in her own situation.

Fafnir was the strongest of the Heralds so it isn't that strange for the battle to take much longer than the others, however the young Valkyrie didn't see it that way.

If she took any longer the other two would arrive soon enough and join her which would make her feel like she has failed despite insisting that she would be the one to take down the black dragon.

"That fire is the problem…"

As she thought of a solution to her predicament, Zero Three kept teleporting from one location to the other. The beast kept tirelessly chasing her every time spitting out torrents of black flames.

The longer that went on the more flustered she got. Feeling that it might result in her making a mistake she put some distance between her and the Herald then closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Alright, let's try 'that' one more time…"

Green symbols began to appear above her head one after the other. Forming a halo like ring, they began to spin clockwise with the speed gradually increasing until they became a blur.

More and more symbols appeared around the young Valkyrie forming rings of different sizes. Fafnir was approaching with a maddened roar as the black flames leaked from its mouth, however when it released the torrent the flames were met with an invisible wall.

Without a care in the world the dragon slammed head straight into it continuing to spit fire while clawing at the invisible barrier. It soon realized that its efforts were pointless and tried to go around the wall, however the next second it found itself running into another one to the left, then another one above.

Not understanding what's happening the dragon continued spitting flames that soon filled the square shaped box Zero Three had trapped it in. Placing her hands together in a praying position, the young Valkyrie exhaled as the rings surrounding her body continued to spin faster and faster.

With the fire filling the enclosed space the box took on a pitch black color. The dragon inside continued rampaging hitting the walls with everything it got, however resistance was futile as the box was created from the same force field the Valkyries use to protect themselves.

The only problem is that maintaining it takes quite a bit of concentration. Knowing she has to end things quickly unless she wants the dragon to free itself, Zero Three began shrinking the box a little at a time compressing everything that was inside. Her plan was to crush the monster and till it's no longer able to move, however she didn't take into account the air trapped inside and the black flames as well.

It's obvious that a dragon would be immune to its own fire, however the black flames weren't anything normal. Once they ate through every last atom in the air they turned on their creator slowly corroding its scales, moving on to its flesh then bones. With the inside of the box being isolated from the outside, once nothing was there for the flames to consume they slowly vanished on their own.

When she opened her eyes Three realized that at some point the box had became smaller than her with everything inside having disappeared.

She blinked a few times feeling a little dumbfounded, but the message that arrived the next moment put her at ease.

[Ragnarok Herald, code name Fafnir, has been defeated.]

"YESSS!!!"

Three pumped her fists in celebration. Having lost concentration for just a moment, the rings surrounding her disappeared allowing gravity to take ahold of her and she started falling down.

Quickly recreating the halo over her head, the young Valkyrie avoided an unintended dip into the salty waters. Though she was looking forward to swimming in the sea she didn't want her first time to be an accident.

Looking down at the deep blue, Zero Three resolved herself to come back one day and enjoy her time swimming in it.

"I see you're done as well." Just then a familiar voice spoke to her from behind. "Guess you didn't need our help after all."

Turning around Three caught sight of Five and Nine slowly descending in her direction.

"This much isn't a problem." She replied with a prideful smile.

"My~, but you were clearly struggling a few minutes ago." Nine commented, giggling a little.

"I wasn't!" Three shot back then pointed at the halo above her head. "It's just that this thing is really difficult to control!"

"Isn't that the definition of struggling?"

"No it's not! Anyways, I defeated it on my own, alright? I could've done it sooner, but I wanted to get some practice before we engage the real enemy."

"Well, one thing for sure is that we will need more practice." Five said. "For now we are able to mimic what the Nephilim did and produce our own weapons, however we have no control over how or what manifests."

Five was surprised when the first thing she created was a bow and arrows. The only ranged weapon she had used before was her proton cannon so it didn't really make sense. The same went for the mask and katana. For some reason their image was so clear in her mind that she was able to use them without fail. It was as if they were always a part of her and it was only now that she became able to bring them out.

The same went for Nine and Three. When the procedure ended and they came out of Eir, the moment they saw the runes used by the Nephilim a strange feeling enveloped them.

It was as if they knew what the formations did by instinct allowing the three to recreate them with ease. Though they wanted to rush to save their beloved Doctor his orders were clear so they had no choice but to deal with the Heralds first. Thanks to that they managed to test their new abilities before heading for what they believed to be the main battle.

"Are you ready, you two?" Zero Three asked, shifting her gaze to the distant land in the west.

"This is a rescue mission, understood?" Said Five, the diamond shaped wings behind her rising up.

"Let's focus on getting Doctor out of there first." Nine said, a set of wings appearing behind her as well. "We don't want him to get hurt by accident."

"Well, that's if he's still alive." Three commented. Though her tone had a hint of sarcasm, it was clear that she was quite worried herself.

"Let's go."

With Five giving the signal, the three Valkyries departed at maximum speed. The Doctor had done his best to buy them as much time as possible, going as far as visiting the enemy leader all by himself.

Now that they've obtained the power to face the self proclaimed supreme race it was their turn to put their lives on the line.