Rias thrust her hand forward, unleashing a powerful blast of crimson energy imbued with destructive force toward one of the mass-produced Jormungandr, eliciting a howl of agony from the serpent. She immediately turned toward Jeanne and shouted urgently.
"Watch out, Jeanne-san! That's—"
"Fenrir, the God-Slaying Wolf, ranked among the world's top ten, the most ferocious monster with fangs guaranteed to kill gods once bitten—I've heard it all far too many times!"
Jeanne wore an irritated expression. What's with them all? It's just a damn mutt, yet everyone's acting like she's a weakling who needs a constant reminder.
Amid the flames, Loki's figure slowly emerged.
"Tch! Attacking at the slightest provocation? Barbarians from this uncivilized backwater truly lack refinement."
"Personally, I don't mind it," came Odin's voice, echoing cheerfully through the flames. "Isn't this youthful vigor refreshing? The world could use more spirited youngsters like this to keep things lively."
As expected, Jeanne's Noble Phantasm didn't seem to trouble these two much. She had anticipated it, but it still annoyed her.
Odin appeared as a white-haired, one-eyed elderly man with a flowing white beard, while Loki took the form of a much younger man with blue hair. However, contrary to their portrayals in Marvel movies, these two were sworn brothers rather than father and son. Odin sought to prevent Ragnarök, while Loki actively pushed for it—just as in this world.
"You're as irritatingly confident as ever, Odin. Let's see how long you maintain that calm facade when Ragnarök truly arrives. But unfortunately, you won't be alive to witness it," Loki sneered contemptuously.
He then turned sharply toward Fenrir, commanding in a loud voice, "Fenrir! Tear that woman apart immediately, then finish off that decrepit fool, Odin!"
Fenrir released a deep, oppressive growl, its chilling murderous intent washing over everyone present. Even those far away felt a shiver crawl up their spines.
If distant observers felt such dread, Jeanne, who faced Fenrir directly, was naturally under even greater pressure.
Moving as swiftly as the wind, Fenrir lunged forward with terrifying speed, its massive jaws aiming to crush Jeanne instantly.
"Ranked among the world's top ten, yet your attacks are surprisingly straightforward. Truly, you're just a beast—a brute force specialist with no tricks."
Jeanne commented calmly, as if the monstrous jaws weren't aiming at her head.
Suddenly, Jeanne plunged her hand into thin air, grasping and pulling out a slender chain emanating a peculiar aura.
The chain sprang to life, swiftly binding Fenrir's massive body. Despite appearing delicate enough to snap easily, Fenrir found itself utterly immobilized. The beast roared furiously, shaking the air, but couldn't break free from the chain's grasp.
"What?!" Loki's expression twisted into shock as he stared at the chain restraining Fenrir. "That presence... it can't be mistaken! Its form might be different, but that's definitely [Gleipnir]!"
[Gleipnir], also known as the "absurd chain," "deceiver," "entangler," or "wolf-binder," was forged by dwarves at the Norse gods' request to restrain Fenrir. Crafted from impossible materials—cat's footsteps, stone roots, a woman's beard, fish's breath, a bear's vigilance, and bird's saliva—it contained immense magical power.
"So, that's why you came as reinforcements. You brought [Gleipnir] with you," Loki hissed, shooting Odin a venomous glare. After all, [Gleipnir] belonged to the Norse gods; there was no way it could reach here quickly without Odin's assistance.
Odin, sensing Loki's accusatory gaze, could easily guess his thoughts. But the problem was—this had absolutely nothing to do with him! Even Odin himself was utterly baffled by [Gleipnir's] sudden appearance.
Moreover, wasn't the divine aura radiating from that [Gleipnir] chain a bit too strong?
Loki wasn't alone in noticing—the chain's divine aura surpassed even the original [Gleipnir's] power.
"I can sense it. [Gleipnir's] power has been considerably enhanced. So, you predicted this scenario and secretly strengthened it behind my back, Odin? Truly, the God-King of the North shouldn't be underestimated, even in old age," Loki spat, clearly misunderstanding something.
Realizing Loki's misinterpretation, Odin's expression stiffened awkwardly. But knowing any explanation would be futile, he wisely chose silence.
Both Loki and Odin sensed something was amiss, but only Jeanne knew the truth: the chain she wielded wasn't this world's [Gleipnir], but rather from the world of Campione!, extracted directly from the [Salvation Blade].
After spending enough time in this world, Jeanne had become familiar with its power rankings. Compared to when she first arrived, hesitant and cautious, she now understood clearly: if the gods and god-slayers from Campione! appeared here, their strength would easily place them in the world's top ten—ignoring specific counters.
The [Salvation Blade] contained divine artifacts from countless gods, allowing them to fully unleash their power in a world where gods, devils, and fallen angels existed.
With Fenrir restrained, everyone—including Rias—felt immense relief. Fenrir's sheer presence had pressured them unbearably. Even with Odin, the God-King himself, their chances of victory had felt slim.
Observing their relaxed expressions, Loki smirked mockingly.
"Hmph! Do you fools think you've already won? Did you really believe I wouldn't have prepared contingencies against [Gleipnir] when fully aware of Fenrir's weaknesses?"
Having sent the mass-produced Jormungandr to hold off Odin, Loki spread his arms wide, magic surging violently into an elaborate magical circle.
"Their abilities might be slightly inferior, but... "
The air rippled dramatically.
Suddenly, space distorted on either side of Loki, and two massive, shadowy figures emerged.
Gray fur, razor-sharp claws, cold, emotionless green eyes—
"Sköll! Hati!"
Answering Loki's call, the two wolves roared skyward.
In Norse mythology, Fenrir had two sons: Sköll, the wolf chasing the sun, and Hati, the wolf chasing the moon. Legends claimed Ragnarök would begin once these two devoured the sun and moon, allowing Fenrir to break free.
These two wolves, appearing now, were like weaker versions of Fenrir—but their fangs could also slay gods!
"I transformed giantesses from the Iron Forest into wolves to breed with Fenrir, producing these two. Although their overall strength is inferior to their father, their fangs remain equally lethal—capable of killing gods and certainly you all."
Loki reveled in the fear his words brought, smugly enjoying his superior knowledge as he stroked Sköll's and Hati's fur affectionately.
Then, glaring directly at Jeanne, he ordered:
"Go forth, Sköll and Hati! Tear that woman apart and free your father!"
With sharp wind-slicing sounds, both wolves lunged forward—one at Jeanne, the other at Fenrir, attempting to free him.
Facing the wolves that would swallow sun and moon, Jeanne's expression grew serious as she rapidly searched her memory—how did these wolves die in mythology?
She suddenly realized... Norse mythology never explicitly described their deaths—or had she simply forgotten?
During Ragnarök—the most legendary moment in Norse myths—the Aesir faced three primary threats: the Fire Giant King Surtr, Loki's eldest son Fenrir, and Loki's second son Jormungandr.
Jormungandr was killed by Thor's hammer, but its venom simultaneously killed Thor. Fenrir killed Odin, only to be slain by Odin's son Víðarr, who tore its jaws apart and pierced its heart with Odin's spear. Surtr faced Freyr, who, lacking his sword after trading it to marry Gerðr, fell easily. Surtr ultimately destroyed the World Tree itself.
In this world, Fenrir was a top-ten being due to his god-slaying fangs; his sons, also possessing such lethal teeth, ranked within the top twenty. Yet Jormungandr, despite his pivotal role, was merely Dragon King-class (equivalent to Maou-class), far weaker than his nephews—truly shameful. As for Surtr—Jeanne hadn't heard of him appearing here at all.
Had it been Jormungandr, Jeanne could wield [Mjölnir]; had it been Surtr, she could use the [Sword of Victory].
As Jeanne hesitated, Hati's terrifying jaws drew perilously close, icy fangs reflecting death in her eyes.
"Gahhh! To hell with it! Whatever happens, happens!"
With a frustrated shout, Jeanne reached again into the void, drawing another weapon from the [Salvation Blade].
Fire. Jeanne now wielded fire itself.
This wasn't the hellfire of Jeanne's usual wrath. It was the [Flame of Ruin], the world-ending fire destined to consume all existence.
It was a weapon of giants and gods alike, the harbinger of destruction itself.
The sword shone like the sun, blazing with heat rivaling the true sun yet carrying the aura of apocalypse. Its scorching radiance descended rapidly, swallowing Sköll, Hati, and Fenrir whole.
"Blaze radiantly, Sword of Flames—[Laevateinn]!"
This wasn't Surtr's Noble Phantasm from Fate/Grand Order; rather, Jeanne wielded the Laevateinn from Campione!, known also as the [Sword of Victory], [Branch of Ruin], [Sword of Flame], and [Staff of Disaster].
The blazing brilliance of this fiery sword truly tore the heavens apart—literally.
Specifically, the artificial Rating Game dimension split apart, losing an entire third of its mass instantly, with the remaining portion rapidly collapsing.
Observing the crumbling space, Jeanne's expression turned complicated.
"I swear I didn't even use full power… How fragile is this space, anyway?"
By "not using full power," Jeanne meant she hadn't poured all five [Holy Grails'] worth of mana into [Laevateinn]. Yet, even so, only Hati died outright; Fenrir and Sköll survived, though gravely wounded.
"Ah, I see… Because Fenrir and Sköll devour the sun in mythology, they must have high fire resistance, huh?"
Fenrir was indeed sometimes equated with Sköll in myths. In Fate/Grand Order, Fenrir devoured the sun, only to be betrayed and consumed by Surtr afterward.