"Völundr led you here to die!" Joanne's mocking words echoed in Kyrie's ears, and his frown deepened as he watched her approach Steve. His heart twisted with anger as she caressed Steve's hair, a cruel display of power over his paralyzed body which laid helplessly against the snowy ground. Joanne pulled Steve up by his hair, forcing him to meet her gaze.
"Why did you come to Paasilinna in the first place? Wasn't Völundr sending you to Africa?" Joanne's voice dripped with disdain as she reached out towards Kyrie, her grip tightening around his neck. Kyrie's blood boiled with anger, and he struggled against the bindings that tied him together with Alouqua.
"You fucking bitch, I will kill you!" Alouqua growled, her voice filled with raw fury. She shook violently, her desperation mirroring that of a rabid mother bear. "Where are my children? What did you do to them?"
"Isn't it more important to know where Völundr is and why he brought you here?" Joanne sighed, her patience wearing thin. But Alouqua's rage knew no bounds, and she spat in Joanne's face. In a swift response, Joanne's hand lashed out, delivering a resounding slap across Alouqua's cheek.
"Spanto!" Joanne's voice dripped with venom as she cast the spells, "Tepes!". First, a flash of white light hit Alouqua, paralyzing her instantly. Then, a surge of black energy pierced Alouqua's right thigh, tearing through flesh and carving a deep gash, causing blood to spill uncontrollably. Alouqua couldn't move or scream not even blink, but tears of agony welled up in her bloodshot eyes.
"So, why did Völundr's apprentice, Zakkariyas, come here threatening with his flashing bombs?" Joanne's words hung in the air, and Kyrie's mind raced for an answer. He gritted his teeth, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on him.
"I suppose the samurai without a master or the leech guy with anemia might know something, am I right?" Joanne's eyes landed on Damon, seizing him by his hair. Damon's grin only fueled her amusement.
"You are such a smart girl," Damon said.
"Oh!" Joanne's voice carried a sense of curiosity. Kyrie could see her smile stretching from ear to ear.
"When Zak arrived in Paasilinna, the newly elected mayor was shot by a sniper, right Snip? Or should I call you Xia?" Joanne's gaze shifted to the paralyzed Chinese man.
"It just so happened that I had already killed the real mayor a few weeks ago. You, my dear, killed one of my pawns, very unpolite of you. How Zak found out is anyone's guess." Joanne circled the group, finally reaching Hatta and gripping his neck.
“I keep wondering why Völundr sent Alice my way. I have no idea where you came from, pesky little old man, but you’ve been guiding this group of morons on how to kill the beast Alice summoned.” She began shocking the powerless Hatta, causing bubbles and saliva to form in his mouth.
"Stop!" Kyrie's voice rang out, surprising even himself. To his astonishment, Joanne obeyed his command.
"Why did Zak come here in the first place? Why did he threaten everybody with his bombs and then... disappear?" Kyrie's frustration seeped into his words, his glare locked onto Joanne.
"I don't know," he admitted, frustration and confusion knitting his brow.
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"I don't know either, but I have my theories. Perhaps you should question Völundr about it. There's no way he didn't know about Zak's plans," Joanne smirked, her confidence unwavering. "What I do know for certain is he wasn't expecting any of us from the D'Arc Order to foil his plans."
"Why are you here in Paasilinna?"
"Oh? We were always here. Many of us have been living in this city for years. I've called this place home for about a decade. You're welcome to come and have some tea with me, by the way. Although, with all this destruction, I doubt I still have a house. Thank God I bought an insurance policy in case of damage," she cackled, her own joke bringing her amusement.
"Why risk your peaceful life and your beautiful house?" Damon interrupted, his voice laced with curiosity.
"We merely used the chaos created by you guys to steal this thing," the man who had accompanied the maid and the boy carrying the trident stepped forward, revealing their true intentions. "I had hoped to steal the Sampo as well, but the government of Paasilinna evacuated it."
"What is that?" Kyrie's frown deepened as he stared at the glimmering blue trident.
"Oh, you can ask Völundr about it," the man smirked, his eyes gleaming with mischief.
A sudden thud caught Kyrie's attention, and he looked up to the fortress. “Habondia?” Joanne turned her face towards the sound, but before she could react, Völundr appeared behind her, causing the clone to disintegrate into a black mist. The cry of agony from the remaining Joanne atop the fortress echoed in the air, sending shivers down Kyrie's spine.
Silent and ominous, Völundr revealed his face, hidden by the hood of his gabardine coat. His right arm rose to shoulder height, conjuring a pentagram with an Ouroboros inside, both rotating in opposing directions. "Loga!" he cast, unleashing a scorching blast of energy towards the fortress. Kyrie could feel the intense heat on his face as the blast struck the giant tree summoned by Alice, obliterating the left wing of the fortress tower. The tree screeched in agony as it burned.
"Loga!" Völundr cast almost immediately, but this time, someone shouted, "Clipeus!" A shield of Aether formed in front of the fortress, blocking and deflecting the beam of light toward the lake. The collision resulted in a massive explosion, sending a geyser of bubbling warm water shooting into the air.
"You are very clever, using your minions as bait," The man next to the maid and the boy sneered. "I command you to stop!"
For a few seconds, the air around Kyrie warped and suffocated him, leaving him stunned. He noticed that Völundr froze, completely immobile. The same unknown man continued, "That young man named Zakkariyas gave you some valuable clues, but he ended up deserting your cause. Look at all your lackeys, lying there and tied to each other! You should stand down with them!" The pressure intensified, weighing heavily on Kyrie, he could also notice that Völundr remained motionless once again. The other Janas members of the D'Arc Order surrounded Völundr, their wands pointed at him. The man reached the maid and the boy. He used a spell to appear next to Habondia and the others atop the fortress.
"Where are Anna and Leonardo?" Völundr's voice held a hit of concern. "Ravi and Bietka?"
The old man glanced at Kyrie who shook his head. "Alouqua needs help," he said, his voice strained.
Alouqua continued to bleed from her thigh, unconscious and paralyzed. Her breaths were so faint that Kyrie could barely hear them, and a trail of saliva fell from her half-open mouth while keeping her blank wide-open eyes.
"Watch out!" Damon's warned.
As the old man tried to approach Alouqua, a sword pierced him from behind, impaling him through the chest. He dropped to his knees, coughing up blood.
"Cristina?" The old man's desperate gaze turned towards the old Jana.
Cristina withdrew her sword from Völundr's body and cast the spell Spanto. The old man slumped forward, paralyzed.
"What are you doing?" Kyrie's scowl deepened, his eyes fixed on the old woman.
Undeterred by his glare, the old woman began searching Völundr's clothes until her hand closed around a necklace with a jewel. The jewel encased a small, radiant flame, embedded in a delicate pendant of metallic blue.
Lifting the necklace towards the fortress, the old woman seemed to be showing it off to someone hidden from view.
"Tempus fugit, sicut nubes, quasi naves, velut umbra!" Alice's voice boomed, her words echoing in Kyrie's ears. In an instant, the Janas, the half-destroyed fortress, and the burning tree vanished, leaving only an empty expanse behind.