Chapter 3

Wiping the blood off his face with his sleeve, Ozymandias gripped his mother's dagger tightly in his hand, replaying Guðrun shooting his mother with lightning over and over again in his head. "Why didn't I do anything?" he asked himself mentally, not noticing the surge of energy that flowed into his body "Mother could have been killed and I did nothing" he took a step off the porch, his crimson and purple eyes locked on Grid who was saying something to the villagers while pointing at his mother who was currently grinding Guðrun's face under her boot. "I won't fail her" he muttered to himself in an emotionless tone while taking another step forward, his eyes slowly growing dimmer as they locked onto two villagers who were taking aim at his mother with their crossbows, "I can't" and with that, he dashed towards the two villagers with speeds that didn't belong to a child.

Hákon shakily aimed his crossbow at the menace known at Ordria, his finger twitching nervously as fear gripped his heart. "Don't miss" he repeated to himself over and over again as he knelt on one knee, trying to steady his aim, imagining what Ordria would do to him if she got her hands on him.

"Hurry up and shoot" his partner Tyra hissed, her shaking crossbow revealing how truly afraid she was. "Just take the shot already you" her words were cut off suddenly as a dagger sank itself in the side of her head. Her dead body leaned over and fell on Hákon, startling him and causing him to miss his shot completely.

"Damn it Tyra" he cursed, only for whatever he wanted to say next to get stuck in his throat as he saw the dagger sticking out of the side of her head. Turning his head to the direction where the dagger came from, his eyes widening as a knee rapidly accelerated towards his face. Unable to react, the knee crashed into his face, not only causing his brain to rattle around in his skull but also breaking his nose and causing blood to spurt out of it. Crashing to the floor with his hands clutching his broken nose, Hákon rolled on the floor in pain only for his life functions to cease as a foot was brought down hard on his skull, caving it in.

"That makes two" Ozymandias mutters to himself before turning his glazed purple and crimson eyes to the remaining villagers who were staring at him with fear and rage in their eyes. Kicking up Tyra's crossbow into his waiting arms, Ozymandias took off towards the group who had their axes and swords drawn with his eyes dancing between each member, looking for his next target.

Spotting a female villager who was paying attention to his mother's fight rather than his charge, he took aim and fired the bolt at her before throwing the crossbow with all of his newly acquired strength at a male villager who was charging towards him with a two-handed great sword clutched in in his hand. The crossbow bolt plunged into the center of the unsuspecting woman's forehead, killing her instantly while the male villager used the flat side of his great sword as a bat to knock the crossbow aside, his eyes widening in surprise as the impact not only numbed his arms but also caused a spiderweb of cracks to appear on the weapon. Glancing at the boy who had thrown the weapon, his eyes widened as he noticed the distance between them was almost nonexistent and that said boy's fist was now sailing towards him. Having already witnessed what a punch from him could do, the man swung his weapon at the incoming fist, any and all reservations he had about killing a child buried by the instinctual desire to survive.

The great sword and fist collided and the result was as everyone expected; the great sword cleaved through Ozymandias's fist and forearm, effortlessly cleaving through bone, flesh and muscle like a hot knife through butter before lodging itself in the bones at his elbow. A feeling of relief washed over the villager as he realized that his attack was effective. Emboldened by this, he tried to pull his great sword out of the boy, only to realize two things; the first was that the weapon was now stuck in the boy's bone and no matter how hard he pulled, it refused to budge. The second being that the boy didn't even acknowledge that most of his arm had been destroyed, no screams of pain, no attempts to pull his arm away from the blade, nothing at all except for blank eyes staring at him, the crimson and purple orbs staring at him like he wasn't even fit of their recognition

Unnerved by Ozymandias's eyes, the villager tried to pull his sword out of the unresponsive boy's arm, only for hiss eyes to widen as he witnessed something that would remain with him for the remainder of his life, provided he managed to live past today. Ozymandias's wounds were healing; the pieces of flesh and bone that were hanging to the sides by his elbow were rising and knitting themselves back together, growing around the great sword that had cleaved through them moments ago "D.d.demon!!" the villager yelled before letting go of his sword, backpedaling to put distance between him and Ozymandias before turning around and running towards his remaining allies rapidly while Ozymandias stared at his retreating form. Moving his gaze to the great sword which was now sticking out of his arm, he gripped its handle and pulled it out with an expressionless face. Freeing it from his flesh, the wound on his arm closed rapidly.

Gripping the sword with both hands, he took a deep breath and let it out before chasing after the villager who was now closing the gap between him and the others who were gathered around Grid who was chanting something. Raising the great sword above his head with both arms, he threw the great sword at the retreating villager and ran after it. The villager fell to the ground as his great sword plunged into his back and emerged from his chest. Crushing the dead man's skull under his foot, Ozymandias turned his attention to the remaining villagers who were now gripping their weapons fiercely with rage in their eyes while Grid stood behind them, a triumphant look in her eyes. "Four down" Ozymandias emotionlessly drawled as he stared at the villagers who were now advancing towards him.

Throwing the great sword aside due to its cumbersome length, Ozymandias clenched his fists and dashed towards the four villagers who unknown to him had been empowered by Grid. Rushing forward to meet him, the villagers spread out to surround him, bloodthirsty expressions on their faces as they prepared to avenge their friends. Rushing towards the villager in front of him, Ozymandias threw a punch at the villager with every intention to kill her in one hit, only for the villager to catch his fist with one hand causing Ozymandias's dull eyes to slightly widen. Dropping the axe which was held in her other hand, she caught Ozymandias's second fist and kneed him in his stomach hard enough to knock the wind out of him. Not satisfied with the amount of damage she had done, she grabbed his head and repeatedly slammed his face into her knee before throwing him towards the waiting arms of another villager. Said villager thrusted their sword forward into Ozymandias's approaching body, a look of satisfaction on his face as his sword slide into the boy's back before letting it go.

Stumbling in an attempt to right himself, he was unprepared for neither the axe that was swept towards his legs, cutting all the way to the bone nor was he prepared for the wooden club that smashed into the back of his head. The force of the blow sent him to his knees which created an opening for the villagers to gather on his downed form and unleash various attacks on his body, venting their anger and grief on him.

Ozymandias's body was currently in a constant state of healing and getting damaged with each attempt at getting back up being met by a club to the back of the head. "Damn it" he thought as his body was assaulted "How dare these insignificant dogs" his train of thought was broken as the club smashed into the back of his head. "Guess I have no choice" he gritted his teeth and began to channel mana through his body, causing the surrounding temperature to rapidly rise. Just as he was about to cast his spell, he heard a voice which commanded respect and fear from every part of his being speak two words directly into his mind, breaking him out of the trance he had been in since he stepped off the porch.

"Fall flat"

Normally such a command would have been questioned if not flat out ignored by Ozymandias, but these words demanded only one thing from those who heard it; complete obedience. Falling flat to the floor without hesitation, Ozymandias was subjected to even more assault from the villagers for a few seconds before they all suddenly stopped moving. For a few seconds the villagers shared a confused look with one another before their upper bodies slowly fell away from their lower bodies, baptizing the young boy with blood and viscera and stunning Grid. After a few seconds of silence Ozymandias slowly got up, using the same club that had been used to beat him senseless a few seconds ago, his body aching as his accelerated healing was no longer working while his eyes had returned to their original dark brown color. Using the club as a crutch, he walked towards Grid who was now aiming her two hands at him while chanting something.

Desperate to stop whatever she was doing, Ozymandias broke out into a sprint with the club dragging behind him, ignoring the screams of protest from his battered body. Finishing her chant before he could reach her, a triumphant look appeared on Grid's face as a red beam emerged from her hands and sped towards the approaching Ozymandias. Swinging the club at the approaching beam, he watched in horror as the club began to rapidly decompose in his hand. Throwing the rotting club in his hand at Grid's face before the decay could touch his hand, he continued his charge at her with murderous intent in his eyes.

"He's too close for me to use any blessings or curses" Grid mused as she attempted to retreat, ignoring the thrown club which decayed to nothingness midair several feet away from her. However, her retreat was impeded as the injury she received from Ozymandias sent waves of pain through her. Holding the bandaged area with her left hand, she berated herself for the umpteenth time for not learning any healing blessings despite Guðrun telling her over and over again not to always rely on Tryggr for healing. Glaring at the rapidly approaching boy, Grid tore off the bandage that covered her eyes, the cloth shimmering with faintly glowing markings. Opening her closed eyes, she revealed her gold and platinum orbs which were glowing with power. "Halt" she commanded with a powerful voice, her eyes imposing her will on Ozymandias, forcing him to submit to her.

Feeling her will impose on his own, Ozymandias stopped in his tracks, his expression morphing to one of agony as he grabbed his head with both hands. Seeing his plight, Grid took several steps towards him with a triumphant look on her face. "Kneel" she commanded, her eyes pulsating with power as she drew closer, ignoring the throbbing blood vessels which strained against her temple while her triumphant expression slowly faded, only to be replaced by an expression which was a mixture of anger and disbelief. "How are you still standing!" she roared, picking up the dagger that Ozymandias had used to stab her from the floor with every intent to use it to finish off the boy. Standing in front of the bloodied Ozymandias who was grabbing his head in agony, Grid raised the dagger above her head and brought it down on his head only for the boy to tackle her to the ground, knocking the knife out of her hand.

"How!" Grid shouted as Ozymandias straddled her, deliberately digging his knees into her sides in an attempt to cause her as much pain as possible. Feeling his hands wrap around her throat, Grid punched and clawed at her assailant's face in a desperate attempt to get free of his grasp to no avail. "Let me go" she gasps as her attacks slowly grew weaker and less frequent, channeling as much mana as she could to her eyes, gritting her teeth in pain as she did her best to ignore the blood leaking from her eyes as the blood vessels along with the veins around her eyes ruptured.

Receiving the extra mana, her two orbs shone brighter than ever as they forcibly imposed her will on Ozymandias, causing his nose to bleed under the stress that his mind was under while he tightened his grip around her neck. "Why won't you obey me?" her raspy voice barely above a whisper as she began to black out, her attacks ceasing as her body began to shut down due to lack of air.

Hearing her question and feeling the life leave her, Ozymandias's body stiffened as his eyes glazed over, changing from their original dark brown color to the former crimson and purple color. Leaning over, he placed his mouth next to her ear "Why should the strong listen to the weak?" a voice far older than the boy's replied through his mouth as death overtook Grid "Pass on from this world knowing that death by my hands is the highest honor any being can receive." With those words, Grid's eyes dimmed as her life was extinguished. With Grid dead, he collapsed on her body, his dark brown eyes heavy with exhaustion as the beatings and injuries he received took their toll on him.

Ordria's entire body screamed in pain as she crashed through several trees, the sounds of her bones and trees breaking filling the air before her body was stopped by a large tree, her body denting the tree. The ground shook as something large made its way towards the tree where Ordria's body was indented, felling whatever trees were unfortunate enough to stand in its path.

"I kill you!!" a deranged voice roared as a giant fist crashed into Ordria's body, sending her crashing through the tree and into the ground. Coughing up a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of teeth, Ordria dragged herself out of the crater that had been made with her bodh as a cheshire grin broke out on her face, her crooked and obviously broken left arm hanging limply by her side as her crimson eyes glowed even brighter as excitement coursed through her body.

Gripping her left arm tightly, Ordria straightened the broken bones as the large figure drew closer, the ground quaking with each step that it took. "You hurt Tryggr" the voice shouted, causing her to wince at its volume "Now Tryggr hurt you!" the large figure now revealing itself as Tryggr roared as he swung his massive fist down on Ordria in an attempt to flatten her.

Any normal person would have done everything in their power to dodge the descending fist but Ordria had proven that was far from normal. Standing her ground with the insane cheshire grin still plastered on her face, Ordria raised both her hands to the descending fist. Catching it, Ordria's legs buckled under the weight of the fist as she caught it, blood spurting out of her mouth as several of her organs were jolted. The force of the blow created a crater around her feet while weight of the hand caused her to sink knee deep into the ground.

"Show me more" Ordria laughed as she tightened her grip on the colossal hand and with a grunt threw Tryggr's body which was now around ten meters tall several feet away. In a surprising display of agility which wouldn't be expected from something of his size, Tryggr righted himself as best as he could midair which resulted in him crashing on the floor with his knees. Glaring at Ordria with hatred in his now pale blue eyes, he began to throw one punch after another towards the rooted woman who responded with a myriad of punches of her own, the purplish substance coating her fist.

The smell of burnt flesh along with loud booms filled the air as her coated fists came in contact with Tryggr's own which had regrown following his transformation. For each fist that he threw, she threw ten in return, then twenty and then thirty, her fists moving in a blur as they turned chunks of his flesh and bone to ash while steam rose from her body due to her rapidly increasing body temperature. "Yes" she hissed as she uprooted her feet and began to slowly step forward as she kept punching, her evaporated blood escaping from her pores in the form of red steam.

The exchange went on for minutes, with Tryggr trying to retreat while Ordria kept advancing step by step, tearing through her opponent's arms. Digging one of his stumps into the snow, Tryggr threw snow and dirt in Ordria's general direction, a cloud of steam enveloping her as her body heat evaporated the snow. With the steam obstructing her vision, Tryggr did something that he had boasted that he would never do; he turned around and ran.

Taking huge step as he ran, he ignored the bodies that were crushed under his feet in his attempt to get to the village, away from the monster in human skin. Racing down the path leading to the village for what seemed like an eternity, relief flooded his body as he saw the wooden walls of the village, the villagers atop the wall yelling orders for the gate to be closed as they saw his giant form approaching. "Thank the gods" he cried as he drew closer to the village, only for him to suddenly fall as everything below the knee of his left leg suddenly disappeared. Crashing to the floor with tears running down his face as he saw Ordria standing in front of him, red steam rising from her body which was coated with the purplish semiliquid flames.

"How dare you run from a fight!" she roared as she kicked his face, tearing off his lower jaw while the heat of her body cauterized the wound. Climbing on his body, she placed her foot on his right shoulder ignoring his tears. "Where is your honor as a warrior!" she brought down her foot on his right shoulder, blowing it clean off from the rest of his body. "Where is your will to fight!" she brought her foot down on his left shoulder, separating it from his body, placing her foot on his neck, the heat steadily burning a hole in his neck as she stared down at the pitiful creature below her. "I was originally planning on letting you live, but cowards like you don't deserve to exist" she raised her foot slightly, aiming to finish him off in a single stomp "Though you cannot hear them, your ancestors are thanking me for removing such a stain from their bloodline" she brought her foot down.

"Ordria stop or I slit your boy's throat" Guðrun's voice cried out causing Ordria's foot to stop just above Tryggr's throat. Turning around to look at the woman who had her blade resting against her son's throat, Ordria slowly put her foot down, her body slowly growing colder due to loss of blood. "That's good. Now get off of him" she pressed the blade against his neck, drawing a thin line of blood from Ozymandias's unconscious body. Gritting her teeth in anger, Ordria stepped off the giant's body while doing her best to avoid showing that she was struggling to avoid collapsing from exhaustion.

"Now step away" Guðrun commanded as she made her way towards the downed Tryggr, making sure to keep Ozymandias between her and his mother, panic evident in her eyes. Reaching his body, Guðrun placed her back against his body before taking a hand off the unconscious boy and placing it on Tryggr, the earing with the runic symbol for journey began to glow softly, the space around the trio's bodies started to warp. Seeing the disrupted space around them, Ordria attempted to sprint towards them in a desperate attempt to reach her son, only for her to suddenly fall to the ground due to exhaustion and blood loss, steam rising from the floor as the heat of her body and the purplish semiliquid flames.

Watching space warp around her son, Ordria tried to get up again, only to cough up a mouthful of blood which turned to mist due to heat. "Ozymandias" she croaked weakly as she dragged her body towards the trio. "Give him back!!" she roared, tears fell from her eyes, turning to steam as soon as they touched her skin.

As the spatial distortion wrapped around the trio, a pitch-black spear with deep purple markings lining its body sped through the air, impaling Guðrun through the chest and pinning her to Tryggr, the impact causing her to let go of Ozymandias. "Nooo" Guðrun cried as the distortion swallowed her and Tryggr, taking the spear with them