Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

Chapter 621: DCXXI. Godlike Training Session

"I'm so sorry it went like this... legends speak of Heimdall as a benevolent warrior loyal to the Alfather, but when I clashed with his disciples on Skjold, I realized something was wrong. They kidnapped Freydis, my woman, and used her as bait to lure me to their island and take away the dark power from me!" Dag exclaimed, briefly explaining his story to the two divine brothers.

"Things have changed since the days of legends. None of us have seen Heimdallr since that day... only the Alfather has the power to travel with his mind to Helheim and control the state of the old Guardian of the Bifrost, subjected to cold winds and rains, under the chilling gaze of Hel, daughter of Loki and Queen of the dark kingdom... but he never said anything about it and no one dared to ask him. So, Heimdallr question belongs to the past now" Freya continued.

The Goddess of Beauty's answer left Dag astonished, not believing that the Aesir still hold all that grudge against Heimdallr, who had been condemned to a sad fate.

Continuing to speak, Dag, Freyr, and Freya found themselves in the middle of a huge tree-lined square, in the center of which there was a large natural fountain, formed by a kind of geyser that threw hot water upwards and conveyed it on black rocks with a smooth surface, which made the water slide down to restart the cycle.

In addition to the prosperous vegetation and clear water show of the fountain, the afternoon sky helped make that atmosphere incredibly magical, reflecting its reddish colors on the glossy surfaces of the palaces.

After that place, other squares and streets in sparkling colors appeared before the eyes of Dag, who didn't know where to look, without ever stopping to marvel at all that architectural beauty.

Finally, at the end of the straight road from Vlaskjlf leading out of the town, he and his mentors arrived in front of a giant amphitheater-shaped structure, built with a shimmering white stone, which recalled the bright colors of Asgard.

"Here is the Arena in which your training will begin. At least for the next seven days, it will be your new home" Freya exclaimed, presenting to Dag that magnificent engineering work, wider than high, with many small windows along the sides of the structure and two gigantic arched gates carved into the rock, from which it was possible to enter.

Dag paused for a few seconds, trying to make a comparison between that Arena and Jernhest's, which was the biggest and most beautiful he had ever seen, but of course, the comparison did not stand up to him and the Arena of Asgard won the challenge.

Passing through the two doors with his mentors, the young warrior discovered with astonished eyes the interior of the structure, formed by many rock rings that rose along the walls to form a kind of funnel, consisting of small stone steps to make the audience sit.

"Before you, many of Asgard's greatest warriors walked on this ground. Remember to respect this place and thank the Alfather every day for the chance he is giving you" Freya said, interrupting that magical silence and bringing Dag back to the ground.

"It was in this place that Thor defeated his first giant, a mammoth being, more than 10 meters high. I was just a boy, but I remember that moment very well. I sat not far from the Alfather and Queen Frigg, who was the only one of the two to rejoice after her stepson's victory" Freyr said, who evidently had not entered the place for a long time.

"Wow... it must have been a great sight, I would have liked to have seen it" Dag replied, looking around and walking behind Freyr until he and his sister stopped in the middle of the Arena.

Freya walked slightly away, decentralizing and positioning herself to watch the two men standing still in the same position.

"What's going on?" Dag said, smiling and oblivious to what was about to happen.

As Freyr continued to look at him with his arms crossed, a metallic noise echoed through the air and, under Dag's astonished eyes, his sword floated out of the leather lining.

Dag stood still, with both hands resting on the handles of his two weapons, knowing that Freyr would immediately test him, without unnecessary explanation.

"The level of strength between me is my sister is very different, boy. I mean Freya's always been a better fighter than I was, no doubt about it. We have decided together that your training will start this way.

"How?" Dag asked, pretending he didn't understand what Freyr was referring to. 

Exactly after the last syllable of the young Midgardian's last word, Freyr's sword spun through the air, stopped with its tip pointing at his target, and was fired at Dag at very high speed.

Predicting a trivial frontal attack, Dag easily dodged the blow and the sword missed the target, touching his side and overtaking him.

He only managed to extract the Giantbane, lighter than the hammer, when Freyr's divine weapon turned on itself, stopping a few inches before the ground and returned to Dag, trying to hit him again.

Not believing that his opponent could strike two shots in less than five seconds, Dag failed to dodge again and parried the tip of Freyr's sword with the Giantbane's blade, diverting its trajectory and suffering a backlash that pushed him away.

Unbalanced by the blow, Dag dropped to the ground and nimbly, made a backflip, rising to his feet and also detaching Magni's hammer from his belt.

Freyr's sword, who was still stationary without even moving a finger, turned again and traveled to Dag trying to hit him with a side strike.

He crossed both of his weapons, preparing to parry the blow, and when the sword struck the metal surface of Magni's hammer handle, Dag's feet crawled to the ground for a couple of meters, dissipating the energy of the hit, which despite being successfully parried, had been incredibly strong.

"I must try to get closer to him, otherwise he will continue to attack me non-stop and break through my defenses... looks like he's getting serious... fuck this guy, I can make it! Oh, there it comes!" Dag thought, as he saw the sword coming towards him again at great speed.

Electrical sparks first enveloped the hammer, then the arm and finally the legs of the young warrior, who after lowering himself for an instant on his knees, snapped sideways, exiting the trajectory of the sword and slightly approaching Freyr, who turned to him, ordering his weapon to reach him.

Dag continued to run and parry the sword when, at one point, it began to shine, covered in a celestial aura.

"Don't try to fight me using that miserable power... Odin told me what you're capable of, remember you're in front of a God, not one of Skjold's warriors!" Freyr yelled, whose sword grew instantly, becoming five times larger and exceeding six meters in length, including the hilt.

The young warrior who was running safely to reach his target in time, when he saw that giant sword fall towards him, was forced to divert his trajectory and jump to avoid the impact.

The sharp blade of the weapon hit the ground and sank into it, lifting the first layers of soil and rising back into the air after missing its target.

"What?! His sword got huge and destroyed half of the Arena! It just seems that Freyr is going to kill me!" Dag thought again, trying to reason frantically and find a solution to counterattack.

Meanwhile, behind Freya, a group of people gathered in the stands, drawn to the loud noise triggered by Freyr's attacks, which echoed beyond the Arena's high walls.

Two tall, sturdy men sat in the middle of the bleachers, surrounded by dozens of slaves and servants, ready to watch the fight.

One of them greeted the Goddess of beauty, who reciprocated with a gesture of the hand, turning her gaze again towards Dag, slightly bored to witness that dull clash.

The giant sword again became of its normal size and headed for Dag, chasing him from his shoulders.

The Okstorm's warrior, trying to imagine an attack plan, charged his legs even more with electricity and snapped forward, letting the weapon chase him.

When Freyr was sure to hit him, the sword grew enormously and attempted to pierce Dag, who, as he had calculated, used the forces accumulated in his legs to jump as high as possible.

The tip of the blade pierced the ground, once again missing the target and Dag made a wide backflip in mid-air, stretching his legs and landing on Freyr's sword blade.

In an athletic gesture worthy of a warrior of his fame, Dag used his opponent's weapon to jump towards him, loading a powerful lightning strike, during which his hammer unleashed small purple flashes and accumulated energy to hit Freyr.