Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

The same hand, with a decisive gesture and a rotation of the wrist, bent half the young man's neck, breaking it and dropping his corpse to the ground.

It was the hand of Sander, whose physical strength was incredible: his body, during that battle, had managed to withstand multiple enemy attacks without even trying to parry them, during which the blades of the enemies' weapons bounced on it emitting little sparks as if it was made of metal.

After hearing the word 'commander' coming out of the young enemy's mouth, Dag had no more doubts about the identity of the man on the ground in front of his feet, who despite his high rank, at that moment trembled like a frightened rabbit, moving his hands forward and begging him to spare his life.

Dag rested a foot on his chest and waved the axe at his neck.

When Gridd and Freydis killed yet another enemy by looking over each other's backs, now exhausted and completely covered in blood, they heard the sound of a battle horn crossing the sky above their heads.

On the other side of the village, hundreds of allied soldiers, who had landed in the island harbor some time earlier, had finally arrived on the battlefield, ready to fight.

Gridd breathed a sigh of relief, as did her companions, who looked at each other smiling at the sight of the reinforcements.

All the warriors left alive, hearing the sound of the horn, stopped fighting, and turned to the troops as soon as they arrived at the site.

The Crows Of Odin were now outnumbered.

"Horns Of Heimdallr!" shouted Dag, from the top of the hill, drawing the attention of the enemy soldiers, who, gripped by despondency, turned to him, noticing the trophy he was displaying.

With their commander's head in his hand, pointed upwards, he continued: "Your Masters have been defeated, as has the commander of your army! Your end is near! Surrender to the Crows Of Odin and the Iron Alliance!"

All the warriors present, enemies and not, began whispering, wondering what Dag was talking about, whose words certainly had considerable weight, since Sander and Kjell stood beside him, without saying a word as if they were his subordinates.

At that exact moment, after Dag's words and a few moments of reflection and a general pause, the enemy warriors began to flee in panic, running in every direction.

Many of them, during the escape, were killed by allied warriors, while others were allowed to escape freely, as the battle finally came to an end after hours of uninterrupted combat.

Dag threw his enemy's head to the ground, making it rolling down the hill and began to walk towards his comrades, putting his weapons back on his belt.

The crowd of allied warriors widened as he passed, looking at him with questioning but satisfied air at the same time, not knowing the details of the Iron Alliance and the role of the young Dag, who had nevertheless proved his worth in battle.

Gridd and Reidar looked at him, smiling and not paying attention to the numerous wounds their bodies were scattered, from head to toe. 

Karl was on his knees and looked upwards, squinting and then breathing slowly, enjoying the temporary peace after the victory.

Freydis deftly twirled the spear in his hands, sticking its tip into the ground and then walking towards Dag, stopping a few inches from him.

Dag tried to say something, but immediately Freydis's hand moved towards his mouth, resting two fingers on his lips.

"I don't care, you'll have plenty of time to tell me what happened to you. I'm not going to let you go again. Look around you, Dag... you made it!" she exclaimed, launching into his arms, hugging him hard, and breathing deeply on his neck, making him realize that it was finally over, they were reunited again, forever. And all of that was real.

After a few moments of silence, the crowd began to scream in unison, waving their weapons upwards and celebrating victory.

Dag knelt before his woman, hugging her and resting his face on her abdomen.

When the dark fluid re-entered his body, he felt a feeling of fatigue, caused by the energies expended during the battle, which although it lasted only a few hours, was incredibly intense, considering the number of enemies.

Hands touched his shoulders and he turned his face, rising to his feet. 

Some of the Crows Of Odin warriors were there, beside him, to congratulate and thank him amicably, for the success of a feat that, without his help, would probably have been impossible.

It had happened again: Dag heard his name being uttered by many, who thanked him and asked him questions, knowing nothing of his identity other except for his name. 

Freydis looked at him smiling and continued to caress him, with tears streaming down her face, without yet realizing that she had finally been rescued, that she had overcome that nightmare that lasted several weeks.

"Hahaha! Did you see, Kjell? I knew the boy wouldn't disappoint my expectations! When I heard that he had indeed left for Vaeren Island in the middle of the night, I had no more doubts. The love he feels for this girl is authentic, as is the proposal they made to us" Sander exclaimed, chuckling and approaching Dag, followed by the other Master, who, despite being happy with the victory, still had a reluctant expression.

"So, this is a thing? The Hammers Of Thor and the Sons Of Freya united in an alliance?" Kjell asked, watching Dag.

"Yes, right. He is the Warchief of the Iron Alliance, the one who first pursued the goal of reuniting the Clans' forces to achieve a greater goal" Gridd interrupted, putting herself between Kjell and Dag, who was still shaken by the battle.

"And you? What are you supposed to be?" he asked again, looking at Gridd from head to toe.

"I am Gridd, Master Of Offense of the Sons Of Freya and sister of Master Dag" she replied, with a stern tone and menacing look towards the man who, despite his good alignment, seemed to hide devious thoughts.