Ah! Archfall! Chapter 36, an oh my goddess! fanfic

Chapter 36

Here Comes Titanium Rain

Heimdall sat down quietly, leaning on his sword. His armour was rent and torn, his blood pooling around him, mixing with the rain. Around him lay the corpses of a full Jötunn battalion; more than a thousand giants, all who had died trying to defeat the ancient Guardian. And his mission had been a success. He had seen the twins slip into the base of the tower and then the great building had collapsed, its internal supports blown through and sending the hundred-thousand ton edifice crashing down, creating an insurmountable road block; one that even the tallest of Jötunns would be unable to scale. And now, he could rest.

"Good evening man". Heimdall looked up wearily through the rain, into the grinning face of Death.

"It has been a long time, little brother" Heimdall said wearily. "I guess you're here for me now?"

"Aye, sorry man. It's time for us to go". Heimdall nodded and slowly stood, leaving his broken body slumped against the ruins of tower.

"Time to go?"

"Aye man". And turning away, D led his older brother away.

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Bob sighed as he killed the CRARRV's engine.

"Well, it looks like we're done here. All three roads are blocked so we can't go back and we can't go forward in this thing". Chrono nodded sadly as she inspected the front of the vehicle. They had survived numerous attacks, the tank's thick armour absorbing incoming rockets and bullets while the tank itself had been fast and heavy enough to crush most enemies beneath its tracks and Chrono's axe cutting down anyone who had tried to board the vehicle. But then they had run into the enemy armour. Rounding a corner, they had been dropped almost on top of a pair of T-55s, one stuck in a building and another trying to recover it. They had needed to get out fast, even as shells struck the side of their vehicle and they had gone through several vehicles. But in their hurry to escape, they had been struck in the tracks by an RPG. They had escaped but a few streets over, the track had shattered, immobilizing the vehicle behind enemy lines. "So what do we do?"

"Well we can't stay here" Chrono said, thumping the side of the tank with her fist. "This thing will attract every Jötunn and Praetorian for miles. We need to find somewhere to hold up away from here and try and secure a rescue".

"Alright" Bob said and he reached down the side of his seat, unclipping his brother's shotgun from the side of his seat and then slotting a bayonet to the bottom of the barrel. "I'll follow your lead. So where do we go?"

"You should follow us". The pair looked up as Eir and Saga dropped from the roof of a nearby building, landing nimbly beside them.

"I thought that after you two would have headed back to the plaza once the towers went down" Chrono said.

"We would…" said Saga.

"… but we can't get past the Jötunns there" said Eir. "So we thought we'd team up with you and hitch a lift back. But…"

"… it looks liken that's not going to happen". Bob nodded and climbed down from the CRRAV.

"Yeah, this beast isn't going anywhere any time soon. So do you two know somewhere we can take cover?"

"Yep, we-"

"Good, you can tell me on the way" Bob said. "But now, we need to move".

"What's up?" Chrono said.

"Well I just set a C4 charge on the tank's power-pack with a one minute fuse. We've got about thirty seconds until it blows sky high". The twins glanced at each other and then turned, setting off at a jog, away from the CRARRV, not bothering to check that the other two were following them. A few seconds later, the tank exploded as the C4 charge blew apart the on-board fuel supply, thereby preventing the tank from falling into enemy hands.

"So where exactly are we going?" Chrono asked as they began to slow, now longer in danger from the now burned out tank.

"The central palace" Eir said.

"WHAT!?"

"Well of course!" said Saga. "The closer we are to danger, farther we are from harm! It's the last thing they'd expect!"

"That makes no sense! The enemy are coming OUT of the palace! So why are we going IN?"

"Don't argue with them" Bob said. "Just follow them. They probably have some mad reason that makes sense to them".

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There was silence as Valmeyar and Lind explained their plans to the temporary council; the various commanders of the Niflguard and Valkyries, Urd and Hagall as the regents of Hell and Jeiko as the Earth spirit representative. Jago in the meantime, had gone to check on Weth. Someone coughed. And then a Valkyrie Captain stepped forward.

"Almighty One, Lady Valmeyar, would you mind terribly if I gave you an honest opinion to your plan?"

"Go ahead" Valmeyar said blandly.

"Thank you. Now; HAVE YOU BOTH LOST YOUR MINDS?" There were a number of shouts of agreement. "Expose our existence to the humans? Evacuate? Nobody in their right minds would even consider a plan like this!" Valmeyar sighed.

"Look, do you have any other suggestions?" she asked, exasperated.

"Well with those roadblocks in place and a strong force on the main road, we-"

"We were nearly defeated by a half-dozen tanks" the Praetorian said. "If it hadn't been for luck and bloody-mindedness, you would have been overrun. We know that there are at least two more tanks out there somewhere, possibly more and we have almost nothing left that can knock out heavy armour like that. Humans can".

"Didn't Mara use some kind of rocket to knock one out?" a Niflguard asked. "If-"

"We only have a handful of launchers and almost as few anti-tank rockets if the Paladin's descriptions are to be believed… and considering he seems to know tanks better than any of us, we should probably take his word for it. Apparently high-explosives aren't effective against armoured vehicles".

"Where is the Paladin?" Hagall asked. "I thought that he would want to be in on this discussion".

"He's seeing to the wounded" Lind said, speaking for the first time since they had explained their plan. "But he has made his view known; he likes the idea even less than you do but he says that under the circumstances, it might just work… plus he's made an observation; we've raised the island of Avalon and it won't be long until the humans discover it, if they aren't already there". There was silence for a second.

"Supposing we do agree to this plan" one of them said, "and this is not for one minute suggesting that we do, but if we do, then how will this work? How will the humans get here? And how do WE get out?"

"The plan is we hack a Gate and use her to let the humans through. And as most of us are so low on magic we can barely fly, the humans are going to have to help us to evacuate". Lind sighed again. This was going to be difficult. "Look, I know this is possibly the worst scenario that we will ever have to face but unless we can evacuate NOW, we're going to be overrun in the very next attack".

"Lind's right" Jago said, approaching the group, a battered tin mug in his hand. "I know that you're loath to abandon Heaven but as it stands, we-". He stopped as a bullet shot past him, punching a hole through his mug. "Bugger" he said and plugged the holes with two fingers. "As I was saying, as it stands, we don't have anywhere near enough fighters to hold here. So the choices are this; stay here and die in droves or run and survive". He paused, emptying the last few drops from his mug and then tossed it away.

"But revealing ourselves to the humans? It's-" Jago snapped. Jupiter came out. The unfortunate Niflguard found herself being lifted into the air by the angry man as he ground his teeth together.

"ONE-THOUSAND, THREE-HUNDRED AND FIFTY-SEVEN!" Jupiter bellowed. "THAT'S HOW MANY PEOPLE I HAVE SEEN DIE TODAY! AND THAT'S JUST ON OUR SIDE! THE ENEMY CASULTIES ARE AT LEAST TEN TIMES THAT!" Jupiter suddenly released her and she dropped to the ground. "Here's something I've learned; Deaderuss is trying to bring back Kronos. News flash right?" There was muttering amongst them. This was indeed news. "From what I understand, to bring him back, Deaderuss must kill ten-thousand goddesses, the same number of demons and a million tarnished souls. I don't know about the million but if this keeps up, he's going to fill his goddess and demon body bags within the hour. Now, I may be a vicious bastard but that's something I'm not particularly keen on seeing. I mean, by all means, I would fight Kronos myself given the chance… might even be fun, but as it stands, by that point, there won't really be a great deal of point. You'll all be dead see?" And with that, Jupiter faded away again, Jago taking his place.

"Now then, you've heard my peace. I suggest now that we make the best of a bad situation and get it done. What do you say?" He looked at every assembled being there. Reluctantly, each nodded in turn. "Good". He turned to Valmeyar. "Make the call".

"Well that's another problem" the Praetorian said. "We can't… the communications are being jammed. The only way to get the message through would be for someone to go to Earth and contact Belldandy, then she would have to put the call through to our spy and then-"

"Oh bloody Hell!" Jago said. "Somebody find Skuld already! Tell her to start evacuation flights again but when she arrives, she needs to pass the message on to Belldandy". With that he turned away, leaving them to argue the particulars of the mission. Not that it mattered; his word was final now, especially with Jupiter having put the fear of god into them. Lind and Valmeyar were on his side, as were Hagall and Urd. That was all that mattered. He sighed wearily as a hand was laid on his shoulder. "Hey Lind" he said.

"I agree with your sentiment Jago; we both agree that this is the best solution to a bad situation. And I'm glad for your support". Jago turned and faced his blue haired goddess and for the first time, Lind realised that he looked tired. Bone tired.

"Thanks" he said simply.

"No, it's me thanking you, not the other way around. You've the lynch pin of this whole operation; you steadied the line before we could fall into disarray, you turned back the first wave of attack, you brought the most unlikely of reinforcements, you've turned this place into a fortress and between you, Lamb and Mara, you knocked out an entire column of heavy armour". She brushed his cheek with one hand and kissed him gently. But then she took a step back, her face becoming stern. "But you must remember Jago, that even with all you strength and prowess, you're still just human. I'm amazed that you're still alive after what you've been through in the last few days. I know for a fact that you haven't slept for at least four days and haven't eaten anything substantial for at least three". She steeled herself. "Paladin Jago, for the next hour, you are relieved of duty. Eat something and get some rest. Let me worry about getting the humans here… if I need you, I'll send for you". Slowly, Jago nodded.

"Alright" he said. "But make sure that Skuld gets this". He handed her his phone. "It'll get her Belldandy into contact with this spy of your mother's". Lind nodded and then grunted as Jago keeled forward, having fallen asleep, the sedative patch on his cheek having finally taken effect. With her wrist still damaged, Lind couldn't catch him but she didn't need to; her angels did it for her.

"He's stronger than I thought he'd be… how the Hell did he resist the sedative for that long?"

"Good question" Lamb said, appearing behind him, Damascus beside her. "But you realise that he's going to be APOCALYPTICALLY cross when he wakes up. For now though, we need to prepare to get these reinforcements in".

"Aye" Lind said. "Let's just hope that they get here in time". The angels nodded as they heard the noise in the distance; the sound of a million Jötunns bearing down on them. But then the angels heard a message from their Master. Even through the sedative, he was still trying to help. The pair grinned.

"Master says he has a plan…" Lamb said. "Use the Tanngrisnir to bring in the first wave reinforcements, as soon as they become available". And then Damascus piped up.

"He says; ask for the Ghurkhas".

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Belldandy and Keiichi looked up as the Tanngrisnir emerged once more from the portal, touching down in the ruins of the city of Valhalla. The rear door dropped opened and the latest group of refugees filled out to be greeted by them.

"Put the wounded over there" Belldandy said, gesturing to the a pair of Valkyries who were being carried on stretchers by four others in only slightly better condition and then towards a building that was being used as a field hospital.

"All the children and mothers are to follow me" Keiichi said, leading the way to where they had set up a portable shelter between a set of broken pillars. It was at that moment that Skuld emerged from the rear of the plane, pulling her helmet off and running her fingers through her raven hair. She looked around and spotted Belldandy who was busy treating the injured.

"Big Sis!" she called out, hurrying over to them. Belldandy didn't look up immediately, instead concentrating on healing the injured Valkyrie. She chanted softly to herself, letting her blue healing light glow from one hand as she ran it over the surface of the Valkyrie's skin and Skuld watched in amazement as her wounds knitted back together, not even leaving a scar. Only when she was finished did Belldandy finally turn to look at her little sister, a smile playing across her lips. She looked tired but that was of no surprise; it had been a tiring few days for her, yet she was still smiling.

"Hello Skuld" she said warmly. "What brings you here?" Skuld pulled Jago's phone from her flight suit and tossed it to her.

"Big Sis, you need to make a call! It's getting really bad up there!" And she quickly explained the plan to her older sister. Belldandy listened intently, nodding her head occasionally but otherwise not saying anything.

"I've head of this plan" Belldandy said softly, "when I doing my training in the Auxiliaries. But I never thought I would live to see it happen". She paused. "You say our father has been captured but the plan has gone into effect. How is that possible? It needs the Almighty One's seal of approval before it can begin". Skuld looked down at her feet, twisting one foot in the dirt.

"Well… it turns out Lind is actually our half-sister. She's accepted the responsibility as the Almighty One as you weren't there at the time, while Urd and Hagall are sharing power in Hell". She looked up, distraught. "I'm sorry Big Sis, I should have told you sooner". But Belldandy shook her head.

"No, it's alright Skuld. Both Peorth and I already know that Lind was our sister; Valmeyar told us. She said we were to look after her as best we could and keep her from harm". She paused and nodded her head carefully. "Yes, Lind will make a good Almighty One. It will be good for their baby too". Skuld looked dumbstruck.

"You knew? And Peorth does too? Does this mean-"

"If you're going to ask if Peorth is our sister too then no she isn't. You met her parents, remember?" Skuld thought back and then wished she hadn't. Peorth's parents were almost as big kinks as she was. But then she shook her head.

"We're wondering off topic her; Titanium Rain". Belldandy paused and nodded.

"Yes, of course" she said. She clicked open the phone and glanced at the key pad. "What was the number?" Skuld told her, shocking her older sister. "HER?" she asked. "She's our spy?"

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Miss Sayoko Mishima sat quietly in her luxurious apartment, gently sipping at a glass of wine, soft music filling the air. To her annoyance, her phone startle to jingle, interrupting her thoughts and her eyebrow twitched in irritation as she flipped it open a checked the number. It wasn't one she recognised so sighed with irritation before answering.

"Hello?" she snapped.

"Hello, is that you Miss Sayoko? It's Belldandy". Sayoko looked confused.

"Belldandy? How did you get my number? And why the heck are you phoning me?"

"I'm calling you on behalf of Lady Valmeyar" Belldandy said. Sayoko was quiet for a moment.

"Valmeyar? What is it she wants?"

"She says "Titanium Rain". She then rattled off a set of coordinates relating to the location of Avalon. Silence.

"Understood". She ended the call and then dialled a new number. "Hello? Yes, this is Miss Sayoko Mishima. Put me in contact with Secretary of Defence". A few minutes later, a gruff sounding voice came through the phone as she was successfully transferred.

"Yes?" the man asked.

"Mister Secretary, it's Sayoko".

"Yes, I know" he said irritably. "What is it?"

"Titanium Rain is a go". Silence.

"Roger that" the man said. "I'll contact the other commanders at once".

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In the Atlantic, the UNS Africa Mobile Sea Base cruised with the steady assurance of a continent. It might as well have been. At over a mile long and several million tons in weight, the ship was by far the largest mobile vessel ever created. And in the high tower that sat in the centre of the vast ship, flanked by two runways, they had just received a message.

"Sir" the chief communications officer said to the Captain. "We've just received a priority message from NATO".

"What is it?" the Captain said.

"They say that they have received a message from the head of the Japanese Self Defence Force. Apparently, Operation Titanium Rain is a go". The Captain paused for a second and then nodded.

"Tell them it is understood and confirmed. Tell them to patch through coordinates ASAP". He then turned to the director of flight controls. "Scramble MQ-9 and the ready-five immediately for a reconnaissance and strike mission. In the meantime, tell them to start fuelling the transports and CAS units. We're in for one Hell of a fight". The Captain turned as he finished his finished his instructions, just in time to see the MQ-9 Reaper drone rumble down the runway and off into the sky as the ready-five, the fighters which were kept fuelled and ready for a launch with five minutes of warning, rolled into launch position. It was time for battle.

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"Take care of him" Lind said as the medics gently laid Jago out on the camp bed. "He hasn't slept for four days so make sure he doesn't leave until that patch has worn off. I can't have him dying from exhaustion before our support gets here". The medics nodded as she turned away.

"We'll take care of him Almighty One. He'll be fine". Lind didn't bother to turn back around, just strode out of the field hospital and past the cordon of Specials and Trainees who formed the last line of defence around the huge tent… and straight into the middle of a battle. On all sides, goddesses, demons and Earth spirits were locked in combat with traitors and Jötunns; hacking, slashing brawling, spiting. Blades met in a flurry of thunder and spells were hurled, casting their foes aside. Less than ten paces from cordon, Lind was forced to draw Mjolnir, her broken wrist preventing her from using her halberd. It mattered little though; the hammer was more than powerful enough a weapon. With a crash, she struck down a Praetorian, crumpling her helmet under the force of the blow. Time to hold the line.

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Deep inside his head, Jago was fuming.

"God damn it Lind! You're gonna get your arse scragged!"

"Something the matter?" Jupiter asked coyly.

"Bugger off!" Jago's ID told him. "I don't have time for you!"

"Why do you hate me so?" the Opal-essence asked. "I'm as much a part of you as those Archs of yours. Why not accept me and let me help you?"

"You tried to kill Lind for a start" Jago said. "Why the hell should I trust you Jupiter? You have already been let out once today… I have no intention of letting you out again!"

"Two reasons. One; I'm more than strong enough to overcome this sedative in less than five minutes. Two; if you don't hurry up and do something, you'll be killed in your sleep, along with the rest of them".

"You have a good point" Jago's ID said. "But I still can't trust you".

"Of course you can't!" Jupiter said with more than a touch of humour. "I am a monster! An evil, uncivilised, blood-thirsty monster! But I am YOUR monster Jago". He paused and thought for a second. "I'll do you a deal; so long as you let me get blood-drunk, I promise that I won't hurt those friends of yours. Does that sound like a fair trade".

"Blood-drunk?" Jago asked.

"Why yes. I wanna break some bones". He sighed. "But I won't hurt anyone on our side. I swear by… I'm not entirely sure. As an Opal-essence, there's not exactly a lot I can swear on". He paused and thought for a second. "Our daughter's life. While I would have no problem with killing Lind, I can't kill the girl. I suppose you could call it biological and spiritual imperative. Will that do?" Jago paused and nodded.

"Alright, deal. But try anything and-"

"Don't bother with threats Jago. Save it for the battlefield. Oh and do me a favour; check Damascus's spell bank. Find something that can cause some REAL damage".

"Ok… now get me out of here!"

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The battle raged on. The lines seesawed back and forth as attack and counter-attack broke against one another. Beings on both sides fell by the dozen. And all the time, the allies were being driven back. Jeiko used his arm-cannon to blast a rocket out of the air and then rolled, ending up back to back with Mara as she fought, sword in hand, to drive back her own enemies.

"I never thought I would see you here!" she said snidely, hacking down her enemy.

"I would say the same!" the Earth spirit replied. His right arm morphed once more, becoming a spinning blade while he grasped his own sword in his left.

"There's no point talking to me!" the demon said gleefully. "I'm deaf! Can't hear a damn thing!" She cackled manically and then back slashed as a giant loomed large above them, taking off its right knee. Jeiko then turned and use his arm-blade to remove the monster's head.

"She's good" he muttered to himself, grudgingly. But then he grasped her by the collar and dragged her down as a ripple of machinegun fire spat past them. He then stood and jabbed both blades straight out, impaling an enemy on each side and then used his strength to hurl them both away. "But I'm better!" But for all their strength, they were outnumbered and outgunned. It was getting to be hopeless. Then Lind jumped in, smashing aside a wall of foes with her hammer before letting fly with a bolt of cold thunder that coursed through the enemy ranks.

"Get back you two! I need you alive!"

"I thought it was my job to save you from monsters" Jeiko said as he grasped Mara by the collar and dragged her away. "Remember Tobruk?" Lind spun, her eyes glowing gold and for a second, he thought she was going to attack him. But then she hurled her hammer, smashing down a giant as it went to strike him from behind. And as she caught her returning weapon, she glared at him.

"NEVER mention Tobruk to me!" she said. "I still blame you for that!" She turned away before he could reply, covering their retreat.

"That was harsh Lind" he said when they finally reached the friendly lines once more. "If I hadn't shown up then that dragon-"

"What did I just say?" she snapped. "You're a damn fool!"

"As are you!" But they stopped there as the sound of the Tanngrisnir filled the square once more. Lind snatched up a loadstone radio from a dead Valkyrie and tossed it to Jeiko.

"Make yourself useful! Tell Skuld to bomb the enemy position; one pass, haul ass!" The Earth sprit Lord nodded, finally releasing his grip on the struggling Mara who leapt back into combat and prepared to call in an airstrike. But then he saw something. He stopped and pointed to Lind.

"Look!" he said. "What's that?" Lind looked up and saw the smaller shape that was following the Tanngrisnir.

"I don't know" she said. "It looks like an aircraft".

"It is!" They both turned to see Damascus, as she drifted over. Her wrap was stained with blood and she was clutching her an enemy rifle to herself, her magic having given out completely, forcing her to take up a real weapon. But her eyes lit up as she spotted the tiny plane that was following the Tanngrisnir.

"It's the humans… a recon drone. We don't have long to wait".

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Word quickly spread amongst the ranks of the defenders and all eyes went skywards as the drone buzzed overhead, completing a circuit of Hero's Plaza. And then a cheer went up as it let fly on the enemy positions with Hellfire missiles. With renewed hope and vigour, the warriors waded into battle, driving back the enemy into pockets as the missiles rained down. But victory was short lived. A Praetorian was seen to rise from the ranks of the Jötunns and she shot skywards, her blade flashing in the sunlight. And the drone exploded as she collided with it, hacking its wing free of the fuselage.

"Well that didn't last long" Urd said grudgingly as she swung her hammer, knocking back a foul Jötunn.

"Well it could be worse" Hagall said. "At least we know that the humans are here. It won't be long now". And they were right; it wasn't long. At least, it wasn't long until disaster. A disaster that came in the shape of Frost-fiend.

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With a terrifying shriek, the Frost-fiend roared forward, blood streaming from its wounds.

"Didn't I kill you already?" Damascus asked, shouldering her stolen rifle. She fired, watching as the rounds snapped against the monster's thick hide. The beast was unperturbed however and just kept coming shredding its way through the ranks of the allied fighters. It grabbed a ten foot Jötunn by the leg and swung the screaming giant up and around, using him as a club, smashing aside all comers. Within seconds, he had breached the lines and turned back, facing the remaining fighters. But it was disappointed. Most of the Jötunns had fallen back, putting them distance between themselves and the monster. The defenders however were pretty much defeated. Anyone who had stood before the beast had been crushed or wounded. There was nobody left. Except one.

"Hello chum" Jupiter said, emerging from the field hospital. "Didn't I kill you already?"

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Lamb gave a gasp as she yanked the length of rebar from her side and then slapped a hand to the bleeding wound, instantly healing it and then looked up to see Jupiter in the middle of a battle with the Frost-fiend that had just broken its way through their ranks; a Praetorian helmet on each hand, using them as boxing gloves.

"Lamb, are you alright?" It was Lind, dragging herself across the ruins.

"Yeah… Jupiter's saved our arses again. Lind nodded as the Opal-essence talked the beast and bore it to the ground, throttling it with the fibre wire he kept in his hat. Finally, the monster stopped twitching. Lind gulped.

"This is getting real old, real fast" he said to them as he stowed his fibre wire and approached them. "If it weren't for the fact that I promised Jago personally that I wouldn't hurt you, I'd give you such a pinch Lind". He growled to himself and snarled. "As it is however, I'm gonna get blood drunk and then I have no intention of ever coming out again". He rolled his shoulders and then nodded at Lamb. "Keep her alive" was all he said. And then he shook himself, summoning his new gun-club, now modified with a handle part way down and making it a giant truncheon. "Don't worry, we'll be probably be alright". With that he took off, revolver in one hand and truncheon in the other.

"I guess we're in his debt" Lind said then glanced around as the survivors were beginning to recover. "Come on; we'd better get ready. Even Jupiter can't hold them back forever".

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"Bloody Hell" the drone operator said as they watched through the infrared camera. "It's a bloody warzone down there!" It was indeed. Shattered buildings of once shining marble were blackened by flame. The burnt out remains of a dozen armoured vehicles fill the streets below with smoke. They could see the flashes of bullets and the smoke streams of shoulder fired rockets, mixed with strange flashes of light and electricity. And they watched as the strange looking transport plane they had been following turned side on and rained down a wall of fire on one of the armies. "What do I do sir?" the operator asked the Captain, who was silent for a moment.

"Engage the same targets as the transport. They appear to be the enemy so concentrate all fire on that position.

"Roger sir; Hellfires away". With that, the drone shook as the Hellfire missiles were released, surging forward to crash into the ranks of the as yet unknown enemy. "Direct hit!" the operator said, but any elation that they had at this small victory was quickly washed away as a tiny, dark shape soared upwards, heading straight towards the drone. For a second, it looked like a missile but they soon realised that it was a woman, dressed in a flowing white skirt and armour, her face covered by a high peaked helmet. And they were equally shocked as this woman engaged the aircraft, hacking off one wing with a long, straight edged sword. The picture spun crazily as the drone plummeted to Earth and then the picture blacked out.

"We did just see that, right?" an officer asked, inspecting the screen. "Some chick in a medieval cosplay outfit just killed our multi-million dollar Reaper with a sword?"

"Yes, I think we did" the Captain said. "And now, I think it's time we got in gear". He turned across the bridge to the head of flight operations. "I want the ready-five launched NOW! Get them into radio contact with friendlies immediately and establish air superiority. And put us in contact with the nearest AWACS plane. There should still be a flight of B-1Rs in the region; have them vectored in for a bomb run. Once that space is clear, we send in the choppers. They need reinforcements ASAP".

"Roger that sir" the flight commander said. And outside, the UNS Africa's fleet of aircraft roared into life. The ready-five launched and behind them, the big transports started to lumber up and into the air. Time to unleash Hell.

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"If the Paladin's alter-ego is really that powerful, why didn't he just use him from the beginning?" That was the question that was on everyone's lips. And from the evidence, it was a good one. Jupiter was laying about himself with his club, killing five Jötunns with each swing. They couldn't understand why he had let so many die when he had the power to turn back this invasion himself. It was up to Lamb to explain it to them.

"It's true; Jupiter is formidably strong… but he would be just as at home with killing you guys as he would the enemy. The only reason that he is choosing to fight them rather than us is that there's more of them than there are of us and so he might be able to slake his lust for blood".

"Would he really do that?" a goddess asked, looking sceptical. Lamb didn't bother to answer, just crossed to her and tapped her forehead, instantly flooding her head with a memory… that of Jago's future predictions; the one of the destruction of Mombasa. The goddess staggered back with a yelp, grasping her forehead at the sudden rush of memories.

"Believe me now?" the angel asked. The goddess didn't answer; just nodded, wish dearly for some brain bleach. She was a wish granter and that level of destruction… it was something she never wanted to see again.

"Ok Lamb, I think we get the idea". It was Valmeyar who said this and they watched as Jupiter finished dispatching the latest wave Jötunns. And then he turned back to face them, after stamping his final enemy to death, slinging his truncheon across his shoulders. Slowly, he started to make his way back towards them… and the majority of them backed away. They had just seen him curb-stomp an entire Jötunn battalion on his own, so they were naturally feeling a bit nervous.

"Talk to me, not about me" he said as he approached them. Then though he saw the horrified looks and with a sigh he reverted back to being Jago.

"If you don't like what you see, that's your problem" he said. "Jupiter is just as much a part of me as Lamb and Damascus and if I hadn't used him, then you would all be dead now. If there are any complaints, I don't care anymore. It's my job to keep you alive; not be your friend". He turned to face the way that the enemy were coming, unslinging his club. "They'll be back soon and I can't pull a stunt like that twice. So I suggest you all nut up and shut up, get your arses back in line and get ready to fight for your lives". Reluctantly, the allies reformed, preparing for the final onslaught.

"That was harsh Jago" Lind said. Jago shrugged.

"I gotten to the point that I don't care. It's the straight truth; I'm not supposed to be their friend. All I'm supposed to do is keep them alive for as long as possible. If they don't like my methods, that's fine but they'd better not complain about it". He glanced upward. "Well at least the rain's stopping". He then paused and then turned to face the fearful crowd, thinking. "Look, I'm sorry. This has been one Hell of a day. I won't apologise for my actions; there's no doubting their effectiveness but I will admit that they were brutal. I can't help that… I'm a vicious bastard at heart. But this is what this situation calls for; me. Always pray for vicious bastard over a good man when it's time for to fight.

"Why's that?" someone asked.

"Because demons run when the good man goes to war" Jago said.

"Steven Moffat" Jeiko said, coming to stand beside the pair, earning him a sideways glance from Jago.

"I didn't know you knew poetry" he said absently.

"Just a little" the Earth spirit said. "And thought I'm loath to say it, we're going to need the demons as much as anyone else". Jago nodded but then paused, thinking and then turned back to the wavering army behind him. And then he asked possibly the strangest question of the day.

"Hey, who can sing?"

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"How goes the battle?" Deaderuss asked his scout. "Why has the shooting stopped? Have we defeated our foes yet?" The scout bowed her head low.

"No my Lord… the Paladin used Jupiter to drive back the last wave himself, after the Frost-fiend was defeated. However, their moral is broken and their powers are weak. One more push and we should have them". Deaderuss nodded.

"Good. It is a shame that our tanks proved so ineffective". And then he drew his short wakizashi, stabbing her in the chest. King Surtr sighed as he watched the scout collapse.

"That's the third one today" he said with distaste. "Not to mention both Angrboða and Pandora. Since you killed them , we have lost much of our tactical ability". He furrowed his brow. "If I'm honest my Lord, your own tactical skills seem to be severely lacking and perhaps it would be best if I took over command…" Deaderuss turned on the giant king, glaring.

"DO NOT forget who you are talking to, Jötunn" he hissed. "I will command this army; no other! And if you think you can take it from me…" He raised his short sword and pointed it at the Jötunn who simply folded his arms.

"I have no wish to challenge you" he said. "But at the rate you're going, you'll have killed an unnecessary number of my people. Now, I'm not squeamish about casualties but it does seem a tad unjust that your forces get preferential treatment". But by then, Deaderuss had turned away, having caught something on the wind. It was the sound of singing. And it made his blood boil.

"Those fools! They continued to mock us!" He then turned to a nearby Praetorian who cringed under his gaze. "Tell every Praetorian to take to the skies; we will destroy them from the air! And you…" he turned to Surtr, one finger raised, "I want EVERY one of your warriors on the attack NOW! We will overwhelm them in once last, glorious battle! We will make them suffer!" Surtr growled but nodded. He disagreed with Deaderuss's methods but in the end, it mattered little. Either way, this battle was now almost over.

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"OK! LET'S GIVE THIS A GO!" Jago said, raising his hands and then brought them down, the signal for everyone to start singing;

"Swing low"

"Sweet chariot"