Throughout his entire life, including his time now spent as an undead Lich, Odin couldn't think of a time he had ever felt as excited as he did right now. He had felt other emotions more strongly of course: depression, hope, anger, but never excitement, not on this level. With his newly acquired colossal axe held in one hand resting over his shoulder, his shield strapped across his back, and some new magical powers granted to him by his guildmate Venus, Odin was stronger now than he had ever been. Always evolving, always improving. He could not be stopped.

The day had started off as simple as most. Odin had been staying in the capital city of Bosco: an admittedly beautiful city named after the ruling family from which Hildegard had been born into. From what he understood, each foreign member of the Beastmaster's team had been given temporary lodgings in the capital and a personal invitation to her coronation as thanks for the invaluable assistance they had all provided. Not to mention the quite frankly ridiculous pay-out Odin had received for his aid, but who was he to refuse a queen. The lodgings had been quaint, fairly central and likely rather expensive when not given to the queen's allies. He had simply been sitting in the living room, resting on an armchair reading a book he had found about the history of Bosco and its tenuous relationship with Stella when he had heard the commotion.

Peering out of his window, always interested in anything that sounded like a scrap, Odin saw the banners, the fires and the bodies, all three of which standing high as religious zealots fought through the capital, likely aiming to breach the palace gates. It was fairly obvious to see that they supported Brunhild: if the banners of her branch of Illumin didn't give it away their clothes certainly did. Odin was the leader of a cult, he knew the outfits well. These guys were zealots, no doubt in his mind. That meant they were enemies. That meant he could fight them.

Wait, that meant he could kill them.

Spoiler:

The exhilaration filled Odin from the core of his being to the maniacal smile etched onto his skull. His phylactery, comfortably and securely sitting back in Oak City in Fiore, resonated briefly from the pure elation he was feeling. He fetched his axe, his shield, and his finest suit. He wouldn't require his soundless cloak for today, he had no intention of being quiet. As he stepped into the streets, some of the zealots instantly recognised him. He had made quite a name for himself in his aid for Hildegard after all. The ran at him and Odin wasted no time in cleaving a path through them, basking in the bloody gore as severed arms, legs and heads flew to either side of him. He had heard of Brunhild being a Nephilim, so his axe wouldn't grant extra power against her, but that clearly wasn't a courtesy extended to her followers. Perhaps many civilians would be burned by the zealots, but the blood that would run through Sachsia's streets would belong wholly to Brunhild's followers. As Odin made his way to the palace, only one thought entered his mind, one that elevated his excitement to even greater heights.

Brunhild would be here too.

Jin gazed at the ceiling of the inn. His hands rested behind his heavy head. A weary smile was on his face. They had done it. Hildegarde was going to claim the throne. It was still hard for the light mage to believe but after the long battles, he was glad things had come to an end. He hoped it would all be worth it. A bitter-sweet taste in his mouth from the violence that had plagued the land. That he had been a part of. He sighed and shook his head. Rocking upward he, swung his feet over the side.

"We did it. You can rest now," He spoke to the elven symbols etched onto the spear from the woman that saved his life in the fields of battle against zealots. He grabbed the simple spear. it illuminated a dim light, cast upon the window sill. Orange and red light reflected back into the room. "What the," He sat forward and his eyes widened. It was her. The zealot herself. Brunhilde marched down the streets toward the coronation.

His knuckles turned white, grasping the spear. In the distance, he could see an odd ally cleaving his way through the masses. The undead warrior. Looks like it would be the two of them against the odds once more. Screams echoed below Jin as fire burst out in the streets. Zealots heaved fire at civilians and then aimed their intent at the Inn. The paladin lifted the window and leaped out into the street, his spear pierced downward like a valkyrie into the leg of the zealot. The man howled in pain and Jin spun around with the blunt side knocking him out, along with another one.

Odin made his way up from the street across from him. Jin dashed down his own street toward the palace. All roads led to the gate and Brunhilde. The light mage rushed forward with a spiraling spear that knocked out zealots one by one. He didn't want any more blood on his hands from people that were ignorant followers. There was only one woman responsible for this chaos.

Jin rushed in front of the gate, intercepting Brunhild on the way. "Lock it up," he spoke softly to guards of the palace. He held his spear out front and aimed at the unwavering Brunhild. "I hoped it wouldn't come to this. But I'm not surprised you've turned fire onto your own family. I can't let you pass. Brunhild...it ends here," the normally jovial paladin had nothing but a stone heart and contempt for the woman before him. His worst fears about her were realized as fire was left behind in her wake.

Image:

It took a few minutes, but eventually Odin was able to determine the origin point of the zealots. After all, they all had to be coming from somewhere, and that somewhere was likely where their leader would be. Sure enough, as Odin looked directly down the long street, he would be able to make out a faint shape in the distance. She was perhaps fifty metres away from Odin's current position, although she would've been closer had the Lich not started making his way to the palace before considering the path the zealots were taking. He cursed himself silently for his mistake, but seeing the paladin Jin head towards the palace allowed Odin to relax a bit more. Even if he was late to the Brunhild party, he'd be able to ensure the safety of Hildegard, and that was paramount. It also allowed Odin to let loose a bit more. After all he was, first and foremost, a dark mage. Someone many couldn't trust. Here, with civilians either running the other way or already dead and only enemies in front of him, he could unleash hell.

He activated two spells in that moment. The first he had copied from Kazimir, and it would halt any surprise attacks from coming his way. The second was entirely his own magic, the one spell he had not copied, and the one that was unique to him. Greed. With his armoured coating protecting him from any physical attacks, and his senses attuned to any change in the winds around him, Odin started running towards Brunhild. It wasn't his full sprint, but neither was he moving slowly, as he hoped to end this long before the coronation started. Once he was within range, perhaps 15m from Brunhild, having cut down any zealots who tried to get in his way with each swing of his cleaver.

From there, he chuckled, having wanted to find the right moment to unleash this spell. It had devastating effects and, even though it likely wouldn't kill Brunhild, it would likely injure her immensely and eradicate all of the zealots she had protecting her. Stretching his right hand out towards the Bosco Divine, magic seals would surround her in an area of 16m diameter, before which Odin would instantly clench his outstretched fist. All around his target an implosion of lightning magic would erupt, dealing massive damage to everyone caught within. It took a lot out of Odin to use this spell, but damn had Venus made it worthwhile. He was wary of Brunhild surviving, but even then she would not be at her strongest anymore. And she would be alone.

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Jin slowed down, realizing that the zealots had become fewer and fewer. They were taking a different path towards the palace. He spun on his heels and darted toward the center where he had seen Brunhilde walking. "A trap maybe?" He questioned why the woman would stop her advance, but maybe she hoped to battle on her own terms.  

A massive barrier of lightning sprang to life in the town center. Jin studdered in his advance and gulped. He steeled his nerves and charged forward once more. The barrier collapsed and a burst of lightning ripped across the area. Jin dashed around a corner to see the lich, covered in strange armor and lightning crackling around him. Brunhilde was standing in the center and her zealots were at her side. The burst of lightning rattled the area and left the zealots that accompanied her down and out.  

Jin Summoned forth a shield of light around his arm and held his spear outstretched in his other arm. He knew he couldn't just rush in, and he knew the power that the Lich possessed. He stepped to the Lich's side, "I got your back," Jin replied and waited for the lightning spell to resolve as he stabbed his spear into the ground. As the area would settled from the lightning spell, jin would already be rearing his hand back like holding a baseball and threw is hand forward once Brunhild was in sight, assuming that the lightning attack hadn't finished her off. A 4 meter dome of light would appear around her, dealing B-rank damage as Jin viewed her as an enemy.

Unfortunately for him, being a healing mage made him more reactionary but he was ready.

Spells:

Odin supposed it made sense that Brunhild escaped from the confines of his spells: it would've been far too easy had it actually been enough to destroy her. At the end of the day, the Divine of Bosco likely hadn't reached that level of respect through simply being royalty. She possessed power, and the Lich was getting to experience it first-hand. As the smoke cleared, Odin had seen Brunhild's almost lifeless body in the centre of the spell, surrounded by the corpses of all her cultists who had tried, and ultimately failed, to protect her. It seemed to easy for Odin, but he had no reason to expect anything beyond what he was seeing before his eyes.

That was his mistake, and one he had made multiple times in the past. He presumed to know what was going on, and it had allowed him to be trapped and attacked. In this instance, Brunhild reappeared further away from the two mages before firing off her attacks. Five blasts of fire erupted from each of the woman's fingertips, darting through the air towards Odin and Jin. The distance between the two groups gave the Lich enough time to notice what was coming, but not enough time to grab his shield to nullify their effects. Three shots, directly aimed and hitting the Lich's chest. Instantly his brand new suit was charred and singed, with part of the shirt burning off of the skeleton's body. He lurched back, feeling the pain for a moment as he tried to right himself. His shield was now attached to his left arm, ready to defend himself, but he knew the damage was enough to weigh him down.

"Heh, no more quick dashes from me it seems."

It wasn't enough damage to take him out though, as he righted himself and looked directly at his foe. Somehow she had warped reality and survived the attack, with an apparition of her own form taking the brunt of the damage. That was an impressive skillset, not that he would ever actually tell her that. The Lich would then begin to walk towards Brunhild. Of course, he couldn't dash and she could see him in perfect view, but he had to close the distance and there was no other way for him to do that. Chuckling as he walked, the Wizard Lord would raise his left arm and point his own finger directly at Brunhild. From his fingertip, a bullet made of dark energy would fly out, travelling faster than Brunhild's own attack, and being capable of outputting more damage in a single strike.

"If that's how you want to play it, so be it."

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Jin rose his hand over his eyes to get a clear view of the battlefield. "Come on," he whispered to himself as the dust settled and all that remained was an image of Brunhilde unaffected. "What?" her spells seemed as belligerent as she was.

He was about to turn and ask Odin if he saw anything when five beams of light appeared at the other end of the area. Fire swirled as Brunhild held out her hand for an attack. "Two...alright...OH, Crap," the fire beams burst forth. Two spiraled straight for the light mage. There was no dodging these. 'Should have gotten real armor,' he grumbled as he saw the nice outfit Odin was wearing.

He rose his light shield to take the flames head-on. His spear pulled high over his head and he slammed it down on one of the beams of fire. The bolt split into and sent searing heat rippling through the spear. Knowing the shield would do little to block the attack, he tried to side-step as his spear hit the first beam of fire. The second beam was too fast. Jin howled in Pain as the beam burned into his leg and sent the mage tumbling forward with steam billowing from his burn wound.

Jin rolled to his feet and hobbled onto his good leg, only to see the lich having taken damage also. Jin left his spear on the ground and pressed his hands together. Before Odin could get out of range, Jin extended his hands outward and created a rush of healing injury, that restored 1x A rank to Odin and Jin, but didn't heal their hindered conditions.

"I'll stick behind you and do what I can," Jin said to the lich and was ready to keep the heals coming, even if they would be progressively less impressive. He couldn't cast that one again so soon. he picked up his spear and watched Odin cast an accelerated beam of energy. As that spell shot forward, Jin grabbed his wrist and targeted a heal to Odin's hindered Torso (for what it was worth).

Spells and actions:

Now things were starting to move in Odin's favour. For one, he heard Jin step behind him and felt the power of the boy's magic, healing power coursing through the Lich's bones as the damage from Brunhild was somewhat mitigated. It didn't do anything to fix his dashing inability, but he had other ways of sorting through all of that. He was being healed and he had the momentum, and that was only part one. Part two was arguably even better, since Brunhild had reacted to the bullet fired directly at her. Not only reacted, but used a defensive spell to halt the damage, even accounting for the extra oomph that came with Bullet Magic. She was lucky, but she had showed her hand. If she could phase out of existence whenever she wished, using whatever magic had saved her from Odin's previous lightning spell, she would obviously use that. But she wasn't, which meant she couldn't. And that gave an opening.

Twenty metres was now the distance between the two. A Lich and a Nephilim, not quite mortal enemies like the latter and daemons but, especially in Brunhild's eyes, Odin was the worst thing in existence. He had halted her plans time and time again, stopping her from taking the Bosco crown, and standing in her way even now. The flame wall that erupted between the two felt like it contained all of her rage at the undead. Fire now stood before them, but it wouldn't for long.

Due to the flames, Odin couldn't see Brunhild clearly, merely make out her shape and know her location. He would miss her uttering a command word, which normally would've caught him off guard as the wall advanced onto his position. However, he wasn't waiting around for that to happen. Physically he had been weakened by her attacks, but magically? He was unstoppable, and he dashed forward by pushing off one foot, moving at incredible speeds for the twenty metre distance that separated him from his foe. As for the wall of fire, Odin had brought his shield in front of him as he dashed at 25m/s towards Brunhild. The shield would touch the fire before Odin, and would instantly nullify the spell even as the Lich pushed through it. He would be unharmed, and now next to Brunhild, instantly twisting his body after stopping to bring his cleaver in a sweeping motion away from his body across the Nephilim's chest. With his right arm spreading out away from his body, Odin would bring his left arm directly forward, looking to bash Brunhild with his shield on her face. While it wasn't wholly necessary, there would be a poetic feeling if the Lich had managed to break her nose, ruining that otherwise 'perfect' appearance.

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Jin peered at the lightning-fast shot from Odin. His mouth slid ajar as the woman blocked it with a magical barrier. Her reaction time was outrageous. Jin began to realize how unprepared he was for the fight at hand. The woman then uttered a single word that sent a shiver through the light mage. A wall of fire engulfed the edges of the street. The flames flickered in Jin's eyes. He gulped, searching for anywhere to dive out of the way too, but they were trapped in the street and his leg was still throbbing in pain.

Odin wasted no time. Jin covered his eyes as wind burst out from behind the mage. Yet another elemental gift the lich could command. Jin knew whatever was going to happen, this would be their opening, but he was spent for anything at this range. The light mage followed along at a slower pace seeing Odin unleash a flurry of attacks on the woman. Jin needed some time and distance to be able to launch another attack or support measure, but hopefully, this would give him more time to close than distance. He hobbled forward five meters and prepared himself for what Brunhilde would do after Odin's attack.

Combat:

Odin's attacks collided with Brunhild in expert fashion: his shield bashing against her once perfect face and his cleaver slashing through her flesh, cutting deep and hopefully proving fatal. Odin was not naïve, however. He had not initiated this attack thinking he would end the fight here, or that he would get out unscathed. Brunhild was too strong for either of those things to occur. Except, she didn't attack, she didn't react. She didn't move. Scanning her face in that moment Odin saw something that he had hoped he would provide to her himself: fear. But her eyes weren't locked to Odin's skull as she showed this fear. This was something else, someone else perhaps. Her mouth was coated in the blood she had coughed up but, when her mouth opened, it was not her voice that Jin and Odin heard. At least, it wasn't alone. A second voice, overlapping with the host's, could be heard, as her eyes became beams of light and her skin started to crack.

Unsure if this was her counterattack, some final suicide spell to take out Odin along with her, the Lich jumped back. He had no idea what was going to happen, but then he heard the words of the being. One word specifically, Morrigan? The owner of a staff Odin had once wielded, but why would Odin have her 'stench' on him. It took but a moment, but the legends of Morrigan started to align closely with that of another, one close to Odin's no longer beating heart. HER. SHE was Morrigan. The one who had saved Odin, the one who he was trying to free. All this time.

Odin was so stunned by the revelation he didn't even listen to the rest of what the angel was saying, and barely registered the flames which consumed Brunhild. Once it was done, the battle was over, and the Lich had a lot to uncover. He had to get back to Oak City, back to his library. He didn't event wait to speak to Jin, as no doubt they would meet again, there was just too much he had to do.

-Exit-