At this moment, there was a "shk" sound as a black spear suddenly jutted out from the ground, stopping Ortlinde in her tracks.
Hel arduously tore her way out from the ice mountain and walked out from within.
She landed on the ground and went to stand before the fallen Skadi. "You lost."
"Not yet." Skadi struggled to get up, but Hel stretched out her hand, pressing down firmly on Skadi's neck to pin her to the ground.
"This look suits you better, you malicious woman," Hel mocked coldly.
Skadi stopped struggling, her exquisite face pressed flat against the icy cold floor. She looked like a bandit who had just been tackled by the cops.
She was silent for a moment before speaking. "I see... Hildr abandoned me as well?"
"Of course," Hel replied calmly, though her tone was mocking. "Who doesn't want freedom? Though thanks to her, we were able to restrain you."
Yes, it deserved mockery. Two battle maidens had already defected.
As Hel subdued Skadi, the surrounding snowstorm vanished. The ice mountains Skadi created disappeared one by one, and the frozen Sigurd and Adam returned to normal.
Salter glanced at the restrained Skadi, then looked to Shirou,
—"What should we do?"
—"Nothing. Remember, we're on Hel's side."
She looked at him in surprise.
...
Ortlinde, Thrud, Hildr - these three Valkyries were Skadi's most trusted subordinates, the true battle maidens, while the others were expendable copies.
However, for unknown reasons, Thrud and Hildr betrayed Skadi.
Hildr's betrayal was the most devastating. She somehow tricked the previously invincible Skadi, directly draining her of power. Skadi didn't even have the strength left to stand, allowing Hel to easily subdue her.
Although Skadi seemed powerless now, Hel still felt uneasy. She took out the crystal chains Skadi had used to bind the Devil's bodhisattva and heavily shackled Skadi. Then she sat down on the throne.
Hel caressed the golden armrests gently, almost obsessively, with a smug yet relieved sense of pleasure. The throne once belonging to Odin and Skadi had finally fallen into her hands.
Meanwhile, the former ice queen Skadi sat miserably on the steps below in shackles, along with her only loyal follower Ortlinde.
Seated high on her new throne, Hel announced loudly, "Now, I am the only God!"
Though Skadi was now as helpless as a peeled shrimp, her crimson eyes still stared coldly, saying: "No, you're not."
"Still so stubborn, even in defeat?" Hel languidly lounged on the throne, gazing at Skadi. She licked her lips and said, "Don't worry, under my rule there will be ample suffering for you."
"I haven't lost yet," Skadi stated flatly.
"Haven't lost yet?" Hel stood up and gazed coldly at Skadi. "You mean that group from Chaldea at the Muspelheim Gate? Or Brynhildr? Haha... I didn't expect you'd start relying on others! How the mighty have fallen! How pathetic!"
Skadi glared at Hel coldly. Even though she was a prisoner now, she still carried herself with the bearing of a proud queen, not like a defeated loser.
Hel felt provoked by her defiant attitude. Angrily, she gnashed her teeth, strode down from her throne, and shoved Skadi roughly to the ground.
Shirou watched the scene unfold with an impassive expression.
—"Should we do something? Mr. Assassin?" Adam instinctively looked at him.
—"Staying out of it is our best move right now," Shirou replied calmly.
—"Got it."
Shirou watched expressionlessly as Hel pushed Skadi to the ground.
Beside them, Ortlinde gritted her teeth and shouted, "If you have a problem, take it out on me instead, Hel!"
"None of your business!" Hel replied coldly.
Ortlinde tried to rush to Skadi's defense, but suddenly felt the cold steel of a spear tip pressed under her chin. She glanced over to see Thrud holding the spear's hilt, her face an emotionless mask.
Thrud bowed her head slightly and murmured, "It's over, sister. There's no point fighting anymore."
Hearing this, Ortlinde seemed to deflate in resignation, unable to continue resisting.
Hel pinned Skadi down, glaring furiously into her lovely face. "I've despised you ever since I was born," she spat. "I hate everything about you. And over the last two thousand years, that hatred has only grown, Scathach!"
"You've mistaken me for someone else, Hel." Skadi replied flatly.
At the name Hel, she gritted her teeth. She grabbed Skadi's shoulders and headbutted her savagely.
Without her powers, the vicious blow left Skadi stunned and dazed.
Hel looked coldly down at her helpless enemy. "I'm not Hel," she said. "My true name is Aífe!"
Aífe? Shirou raised an eyebrow.
He knew that name well - she was Scathach's mortal enemy!
Back in Camelot, Scathach had mentioned Aífe many times, saying she was both her lifelong enemy and friend. It seems the reason Scathach could leave the Shadow Lands was because she'd asked Aífe to watch over that realm in her absence.
And Aífe agreed without complaint for six long years.
But why? Why did Hel claim to be Aífe, yet call Skadi "Scathach"?
Shirou pondered this, thinking back to the words Skadi had said before their fight. His frown deepened as he recalled the erotic dream about Scathach after eating that blueberry. He had an instinctive sense that these things were connected.
Skadi didn't answer Hel. Hel glared furiously at her, but eventually released her collar and stood up without further violence.
Maybe for Hel, acting against someone now completely powerless was too shameful.
"It's been taken care of, right?" a hoarse voice suddenly rang out by Shirou's ear. He turned to see a figure in a black cloak walking slowly in from the entrance.
Salter moved closer to Shirou and whispered, "That's..."
"Yes, it should be the one who summoned us," he whispered back, "Someone from the Council."
Hel paid no attention to the Council envoy. Instead, she ascended the steps and sat back on her throne.
The envoy was irked by her blatant disregard, but he didn't make a scene. He walked over to stand before Skadi, looked her up and down mockingly, and said, "Skadi, Skadi. You've ended up in quite a mess! Traitor, you deserve this!"
Skadi slowly sat up without responding to his taunts. She gazed at Hel with an indifferent expression. Though now a prisoner below the steps, her bearing was still as noble as a queen's.
"What's with the attitude?" the envoy cursed and reached out to slap Skadi.
Seeing this, Shirou frowned. But a black flash suddenly streaked by. The envoy instinctively retracted his hand as a black spear pierced the wall next to them, buzzing.
Still shocked, the envoy glared up at Hel on her throne and demanded, "What do you think you're doing?"
Hel lazily stretched out a hand towards Skadi and said coldly, "She's my spoils of war. Yet you dare touch her?"
"You—!"
The envoy took a deep breath. "I won't argue with you over this. Where are the origin wheels?"
"They're all with me," Hel replied. As she spoke, three wheels of light radiated from her body—essentially three slabs identical to those that had fallen from Nidhogg: a golden eagle, a golden squirrel, and a black three-headed hound.
The envoy greedily eyed the slabs. "Hand them over then. That would complete half the plan."
"Oh, you want them?" She narrowed her eyes lazily, exuding a coquettish aura.
"Of course!" The envoy nodded.
"Hehehe..." She laughed. Her previously coquettish aura instantly turned cold as frost. "I refuse!"
Hearing this, the envoy was stunned.
...
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