Once the black light dispersed, everyone finally saw what had been concealed within it.
To their horror, an enormous gray wolf was advancing toward Odin's position.
"Th-This is..."
A chill rapidly spread through Rias, Sona, and the others.
Their hearts felt as though they had been seized in a crushing grip, leaving their chests heavy and tight. Even the surrounding air seemed to thicken into mud.
What shocked them even more was the overwhelming aura emanating from the enormous wolf.
Terror, panic, shock, fear, and countless other negative emotions welled up from the depths of their hearts. The wolf had merely appeared, yet their bodies were already trembling uncontrollably.
Even High-Class Devils like Rias and Sona reacted that way. Their peerages fared even worse.
Even Xenovia and Irina, who had reincarnated as Angels, were so overwhelmed by its aura that they couldn't move.
Fine goose bumps rose across the exposed skin of their necks and arms.
"Shirone... it's terrifying, nya! It's too terrifying, nya! There's no way we can beat that thing, nya!"
Before the wolf appeared, Kuroka had been completely relaxed, even joking around with Koneko.
Now, however, she was so frightened that her ears and tail stood straight up, while her long black hair bristled like needles.
"Damn it! Loki actually brought this thing here?!"
After recognizing the wolf, Vali gritted his teeth and struggled against the crushing pressure radiating from its body.
"The God-Slaying Fang, Fenrir. That bastard Loki truly intends to kill Odin!"
Albion's voice was equally grave.
"Be careful, Vali. That wolf's power far surpasses your current level. Even at my peak, I couldn't say with confidence that I would defeat it."
"Holy crap! If I'd known this thing would show up, I never would've come!"
Every hair on Bikou's body stood on end as he shouted at the approaching demonic wolf.
He was already considering running away.
Rod also stared at the wolf.
"How could this happen?"
Rossweisse's body trembled slightly.
As a Valkyrie, she understood better than anyone just how powerful that wolf truly was.
At the same time, a system notification sounded in Rod's mind.
[Warning: A Boss has appeared.]
[Target: Defeat Fenrir, the God-Slaying Fang.]
[Reward: Determined by the amount of damage the host inflicts upon Boss Fenrir. The greater the damage, the greater the reward!]
"So it really is Fenrir."
Rod murmured to himself.
The demonic wolf Fenrir was an extremely famous monster in Norse mythology.
It was the first child of Loki and the giantess Angrboða. Because of its vicious nature, the gods sought the aid of dwarves skilled in forging magical weapons. Using six extraordinary materials, they created a chain called Gleipnir and used it to bind Fenrir.
During Ragnarök, Fenrir fought Odin and devoured him, only to be slain afterward by Víðarr, the god of the forest.
Since Loki had released Fenrir, it was clear that he was utterly determined to kill Odin.
Odin was equally shocked.
After the initial surprise, however, a trace of sorrow appeared on his face.
He had always treated Loki as one of his own, yet Loki showed no affection in return and was determined to take his life.
"Odin-sama, you must leave immediately!"
Rossweisse forcibly resisted Fenrir's oppressive aura and spoke sternly to Odin.
But before she could finish, Fenrir had already drawn near.
The enormous wolf advanced while opening its gigantic jaws.
Its lower jaw nearly scraped against the ground, while its upper jaw seemed tall enough to touch the sky. Huge, savage fangs and a dark throat were exposed as a nauseating stench spread through the air.
A tremendous amount of energy rapidly gathered inside its body.
Sona, Rias, and the others immediately sensed that something was wrong and erected magical barriers in front of themselves.
Kuroka, however, screamed,
"Dodge, nya!"
That single warning saved them from suffering devastating injuries.
BOOM!
Scorching flames erupted from Fenrir's mouth and nostrils, blasting toward the girls' former positions at astonishing speed.
In an instant, the ground melted into a massive, charred crater. At the hottest point, the material had even blackened and crystallized.
Elsewhere in the crater, molten rock bubbled and flowed.
Aside from the scorching waves of heat spiraling within the barrier, even space itself trembled violently around the devastated area.
Everyone gasped when they saw the enormous crater, which was nearly ten meters in radius.
Bikou gripped the Ruyi Jingu Bang while sitting atop his Flying Nimbus, staring down in shock.
He had previously been afraid that the old man would catch him.
Now, however, he desperately wished that the First-Generation Sun Wukong would appear before him immediately.
The expressions of Rias, Sona, and the other girls were even uglier, as though a shadow had fallen across their faces.
They had originally believed that their recent improvements in strength meant they could finally stand on their own.
But after seeing Fenrir, they realized just how laughable their previous confidence had been.
No wonder Rod hadn't wanted Rias to participate in this battle.
He had genuinely been afraid she would die.
Standing before the window, Rod pondered for several seconds before saying,
"Rossweisse, why don't we hand Odin over?"
"Maybe once Loki gets Odin, he'll take Fenrir and leave. Odin is the All-Father, so even if Loki captures him, he probably won't die immediately."
Rossweisse froze.
For the briefest moment, hesitation actually appeared on her face.
Odin, however, recovered after a second and immediately declared righteously,
"Don't be ridiculous! Loki is no longer the Loki he once was!"
"He even released a vicious monster like Fenrir. He is no longer a righteous god of Asgard. We must stop him!"
Rod fell silent.
"..."
Where had Odin's earlier melancholy gone?
Rod didn't know whether Loki had changed, but Odin's attitude certainly changed quickly.
"It's no use. The surrounding space has been sealed. We can't teleport out."
Rossweisse suddenly reported anxiously.
"Obviously. Loki is a Chief God and the God of Mischief. When it comes to schemes and divine techniques, how could a Valkyrie like you possibly outplay him?"
Rod wasn't surprised in the slightest.
Meanwhile, after Fenrir fired the opening shot of the battle, Rias, Sona, Vali, Xenovia, and the others launched their counterattack.
Unlike her older sister Serafall, Sona specialized in water magic.
After chanting an incantation, several enormous azure magic circles appeared before her, summoning multiple water dragons that surged toward Fenrir.
Crimson energy swirled around Rias as the Power of Destruction gathered in both hands before being fired like artillery shells.
Akeno fused lightning with the power of light, launching several lightning-infused Spears of Light.
Irina strengthened her Holy Sword with holy light.
Xenovia directly drew the Holy Sword Durandal and instantly released its seals.
Empowered by the power of light, Durandal's aura erupted dozens of meters into the air, transforming into a colossal blade fit for a giant as Xenovia swung it down.
Explosions and flames erupted one after another.
Yet none of their attacks had any real effect.
They merely broke a few strands of gray fur from Fenrir's body. Every other attack was blocked by its incredibly durable hide.
Even the Power of Destruction fired by Rias was swallowed whole by Fenrir.
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