Piemaster981: A thousand apologies, please don't hurt me! xD I hope you enjoy the upcoming fights to round out the Siege of Olympus.

FenrisFiltiarn: I'll say, plot armor or no he'd stand zero chance against one of the top ten strongest beings of the DxD universe. That is what heroes do best...save the day in style :D

Sakra95: Hmmm, that would be interesting, though according to the original source material the curse of Achilles requires the consent/blessing of the bather's parents to work...alas a requirement Dorian cannot achieve at this time. :( I am glad you liked the fights...the identity of Despoina's unknown benefactor is not far away...

AxeLord20: It seems the best weapons of old mythology were crafted from the very things they were meant to hunt. Hecuba would cherish such a weapon indeed. Oh wow, if that had been Aphrodite, Ratatoskr would have been heartbroken! xD Worry not, for she is among the pantheon immobilized while tending the flame. In terms of Dorian's "blissful ideal"...could it be a serious intent, or merely that fantasy in the back of men's minds to make as many women he cares for as happy as possible?

Curse of Whimsy: Indeed, he overplayed his hand...and Dorian chose to fold. If you've read about Thor's exploits in actual myth he was rarely a kind person. My intent is in the DxD continuity those are the events of his overzealous youth. Seems' Thrud has that side to herself as well when sufficiently pushed.

naruto: I most certainly will!

ShadowSlayer666: I am so glad you think so. :)

fanficcyberman: Thank you! What luck you can see how things go today!

Guest: lol, who knows what the future will bring. The universe of DxD seems to have a knack for pushing people out of their comfort zone. xD

And with that...onto the show with an early update!

"It will not hold, stand back!" Erland cried as their scattered troops retreated from the door seconds before it exploded inward.

Their force was mixed between Spartan warriors and his own remaining soldiers that had come from Asgard. The battle outside had been hopeless, their best defenses overrun far too quickly. They made them pay every step, each one bringing down five enemies at least before falling, yet they were outnumbered by a far wider margin. It wasn't long before they had been forced to withdraw back to the Grand Hall. Hecuba had been dragged to the rear having passed out from her injuries, the most elite among her troops encircling to protect her. The enemy was so numerous they had the freedom to send overwhelming numbers after them while simultaneously spreading throughout the halls. No location was secure any longer and they lost contact with the other broken companies long ago.

The first wave advancing through the door stood no chance. Between the formidable shield wall of Hecuba's men and the support of the remaining Valkyries, they were stopped in their tracks and annihilated yet more ever followed. As the defenders slowly retreated to surround the still-incapacitated deities, the invaders spilled into the room, forming a wall of bodies filing into disorganized ranks of their own. Within a matter of moments, the room was a sea of the monsters and beasts of Greek mythology arrayed before them.

"I…am sorry my lady," Erland muttered to Freyja. Despite his years of experience and knowledge of the battlefield surpassing all save the gods, the grizzled veteran could see no means of survival. Even if they somehow slew every foe in the hall to a man, so many more times their number waited outside.

"I am sorry as well," Zeus sighed upon seeing the situation. Either they released their hold to fight and Olympus falls killing everyone, or they hold on until their defenders are slain and his family left vulnerable to whatever devices the enemy may have. He'd let his home plummet should that happen. "To have brought you into this caused by our past transgressions, forgive me."

A sudden spark in the air caught the Norse goddess' attention. It was faint, but she'd recognize the magic buildup anywhere. Unsettling everyone around her, Freyja allowed a wide smile to grace her lips.

"There is naught to be sorry for, King of Olympus." She proclaimed loudly in her booming enhanced voice reserved for when speaking as a goddess, allowing all in the room to hear her despite how painful it was to talk. "From this day forth we are allies, and those who call themselves friends of Asgard…are never alone."

On cue, a massive blast of rainbow energy blew through the ceiling, impacting the floor and killing everything caught within it.

Olympus' barriers had fallen.

The prism of light separated the beleaguered defenders from the invading army, forcing the attackers back to the door, but there was no salvation for them there.

A renewed beam of energy emerged from the Bifrost cutting through the hall. In the blink of an eye half the monsters to plague them ceased to exist, the remainder falling into chaos as the radiance began to diminish. A golden army of fur and steel stood before them, rank upon rank that filled the room with more appearing by the second. Unbeknownst to them, the bridge to Asgard was depositing many times such forces all throughout Olympus with numbers to spare and more.

A mighty eight-legged horse rode forth, rearing back to spread fear among their foes. The Allfather himself was mounted atop Sleipnir, his spear Gungnir still smoking from the first blast as he scanned the room alongside his blood-brother Loki. Finally, he spotted Freyja tending to the flame and his look of pure wrath softened to that of a concerned husband as he dismounted, rushing to her side. Touching her cheek, Odin passed the greater part of his strength into her, reinforcing not only the flame, but her own body.

"Are you alright?" he asked, whispering so only she could hear.

"I am husband," she graced him with a smile as the pain abated. "Though I worried you may have been delayed with your…extracurricular activities."

Odin smiled back actually looking a tad hurt. "I may adore all the breasts, thighs and butts of Asgard, but believe it or not there is only one whom I cherish more than them all…my Frigga."

Freyja's cheeks lit up, the first time she could recall him having that effect on her in far too long. If only he acted this way more often...

Across the room at the head of the army, a familiar giantess and the Einherjar she called husband stepped forward, holding his enchanted greataxe high. They led contingents fresh from Jotunheim and Valhalla respectively yet shared command of both.

"Three pints per kill lads!" Ragnar promised all those who followed him. "Just try to earn enough to drink me under!"

With a deafening war cry of approval shaking the chamber, the combined forces of Asgard and the nine realms charged forward, Ragnar leading the way. He clashed with the largest Minotaur, the king of their horde and forced him to hold his ground. It did not avail him, however as Ygritte spun around her beloved, twin axes whistling through the air and cutting him down in a heartbeat. Another attempted to slay her; however she locked up his blades, giving Ragnar ample opportunity to behead him in a single stroke. The two continued their dance of savagery and none could withstand them together.

Their forces had smashed into one another in the same moment. It was utter chaos as axe, spell and fury were exchanged. They appeared somewhat matched until Loki stepped forward, raising a single hand, an extravagant seal the size of the floor appeared beneath the invading horde's ranks. With a simple clenching of his fist, half the warriors of the opposing force were ripped to shreds as the gravity beneath their feet was destabilized with horrific yet effective results.

The last Manticore still living among them lunged at the deity, teeth bared as it neared the seemingly defenseless god. With the most casual of motions, he seized the beast by the throat, stopping its advance without a hint of effort.

"How quaint," he sneered, it had been so long since he'd actually utilized his Jotun strength. With a quick jerk he snapped the Manticore's neck, chucking it back into the enemy lines and knocking them aside like blades of wheat.

In the end, Asgard prevailed in the exchange, shattering their ranks and forcing the assorted rabble of beasts and men towards the door and gave swift chase.

More continued to pour into the Grand Hall through the Bifrost, all their strength available having been assembled at the sense of Freyja's danger. As the enemy withdrew, a new fighter rode down atop a legendary chariot pulled by a pair of colossal armored goats to cut off their retreat. He had burning red hair, an imposing full beard and more braids than could be counted. His armor radiated with light and power as he held aloft a short-handled hammer crackling with lightning, the same energy billowing from his eyes. In anger, he let out a mighty roar towards what few enemies had not immediately surrendered as the strongest warrior of Asgard took the field.

"Where…IS MY DAUGHTER!?"

Heart of Olympus…

Dorian held out Bright Star, unleashing a torrent of dark flame channeled through his Gear that swept across the hall, the anger in his eyes more than sufficient to call forth Musphelheim once more. The beasts and satyrs with no magical defense could not withstand it coupled with the remaining Asgardian soldiers and those surviving retreated, their reason for remaining destroyed. Rossweisse had too few men left to pursue yet no longer felt the need with their mission accomplished. The collected troops finally relaxed somewhat, utterly exhausted and only now starting to submit to the onset of fatigue.

Dorian saw her weariness, the anger in his eyes lifting somewhat as the molten red and black of his gear rotated to the gentle orange. It took only a passing thought for the orb of soothing heat to appear once more, drifting across everyone in the hall. Within a matter of moments, Rossweisse felt energy fill her body once more. Dorian held out a strong hand, helping the Valkyrie to her feet.

"Dorian, we thought you were…"

The young Einherjar stepped forward, wrapping the silver-haired beauty in a tight embrace. Her words died on her lips as she realized what he was doing. His hug felt frantic, almost desperate as if he truly needed it above all else. The Valkyrie who was still a novice towards men was not certain how to react. After a few seconds she reciprocated the gesture, pulling him close as she realized he truly was alive and well.

"I missed you…so much," he whispered. It took all of his willpower not to kiss her in that moment.

That wasn't real; he had to keep telling himself. Just an illusion, it wasn't real, we…aren't that close.

"Th-the forces of Asgard should be here soon," Rossweisse stuttered as they reluctantly parted, embarrassment settling in as her remaining men turned away along with a grinning Bennia to give them privacy. "It would be best to remain here until…"

"YO!" A familiar voice called out at the entrance. "I can't believe I'm saying this but show her a good time later and get over here!" Ratatoskr came skidding to a stop before them seeming to barely notice that Dorian had returned. He looked exhausted as if he had held a full sprint the entire way. "Thrud is in trouble at the armory! You gotta help her, that bitch Despoina and someone way out of my pay grade is with her!"

"We can keep the heart secure," the remaining soldiers assured them. "Do not remain on our account."

"Thank you," Rossweisse nodded in return.

"And we shall aid them," the leader of the four harts bowed, allowing all in the room to hear. "None shall retake this chamber."

"You four always were show-offs," Rat remarked, fist bumping the hooves of his long-time friends, able to tell what occurred. "Just think how much more menacing it would have been if he'd rode in on MY back."

"Don't think you are getting rid of me that easily!" Bennia asserted as she planted her scythe in the ground. "I'm coming too!" Dorian smiled at her enthusiasm as they hurried, it helped to cut through the pain he was still feeling inside if only a little.

"Well, I suppose this can make up for missing out on that rock climbing trip. Tell you what, we can have a race up the boughs of Yggdrasil sometime…my treat."

Armory…

"We are losing everything!" Despoina raged as they continued deeper into the Armory of Olympus. The guards were slain around them but even she could sense the Bifrost's energy permeating the palace. Their troops were being driven back with gods of a second pantheon joining the fray. "Your delay has…"

"We can still complete our task," the dark-suited individual seemed completely unfazed by the tides turning against them. "Not even the Asgardians can stand up to the mightiest weapon in Zeus' arsenal."

Despoina knew exactly of what he spoke, they were nearly upon the pedestal making up the central chamber of the armory. Before them stood a great field of light that should have been infinitely more powerful than even the one protecting the heart of Olympus. Held within its blinding depths was a shimmering white spear more prized than any other weapons in the hall.

The first thunderbolt of Zeus, a slayer of gods and Titans.

It had been from the mastery of the weapon that the King of Olympus had become feared during the war with the titans. In time he had even learned to generate its magics himself, though never with the primal fury and raw uncontrollable power of the first. After the war he had stored it away, his own strength more than sufficient.

"It will take far too long to free it and break the curse against anyone other than Zeus holding it," she warned him. "It would better to claim others and be gone."

"Nonsense, with the flame in such a weakened state the defenses powered by it have become quite…"

The pointed-eared man held out a single finger and flicked it forward. In an instant the field around the bolt shattered with no effort leaving only a final flickering golden barrier remaining.

"Impotent."

Outside the Armory…

"Thrud!" Dorian exclaimed as they came across her body. Rushing forward he propped her up, feeling her neck and leaning his ear close to her chest. "She's alive, thank the gods."

"Mustn't have been worth their time," Ratatoskr theorized as he rushed to her side. He would never admit it, but he'd felt terrible at having to flee from Despoina and whoever had incapacitated Thrud.

If she had actually died…

"I got her boss!" He stood as tall as he could and placed a hand over his chest. "If anyone tries to hurt her I'll go for their eyes, throat and crotch…not necessarily in that order."

"I like him," Bennia could not resist specifying with a wide grin.

Dorian nodded as he, Rossweisse and Bennia rushed within. From the look of things it had been an absolutely one-sided fight. Spartan warriors, Asgardian troops and even Valkyries were scattered all over unmoving. There was no sign of who they'd even been fighting though it did not take long to find them.

"Despoina!" Dorian cried as they entered the main armory. The fledgling goddess was floating high above alongside someone he did not recognize. She turned around, her expression one of absolute shock at his presence.

"How?" She demanded while raising Twilight to bear with complete frustration in her voice. For the first time her face reflected a look of complete defeat. "Is this a trick? You aren't supposed to be here...you CAN'T be here!"

"I had to punch my way out of Heaven…almost literally," he replied while gripping Bright Star all the tighter, aiming it towards her simultaneously.

Rossweisse stepped up, a cascade of energy erupting from the dozen seals around her making for Despoina and her mysterious benefactor. One by one the blasts impacted them, obscuring everything in a cloud of smoke. As the dust cleared, they realized that the unknown man had stepped up beside her to take the hits. Four pairs of black feathery wings had emerged from his back, folding around and shielding her. It did not appear that he had even felt the explosions.

"He's…a fallen angel?" Rossweisse gasped. "Who are you?"

A fallen angel? What is he doing here?

Fallen angels, those cast out of Heaven belonging to the same biblical religion as Azazel. Despite having fallen from grace, they retained their power over holy light-based magic. According to what he had been told by Lady Freyja, the highest class of angels had twelves wings; however this one must have still been quite powerful sitting at eight themselves. Rossweisse did not get a chance at a second shot as Despoina waved her hands, erecting a bubble around the two of them to prevent further attack. Dorian was well aware of her mastery over water.

"How rude of me," the former angel bowed politely. "My name is Forcas, formerly of the Grigori, though my Lord and I are currently associating with members of a different entity.

"The Khaos Brigade…"

"Precisely, we put quite a lot of work and effort into this little display. I hope it did well to exemplify our capabilities."

"It's over!" Dorian shouted. "Olympus' defenses are down; it's only a matter of time before the armies of Asgard arrive."

"It can't be over, it won't be," Despoina's entire body shook. He saw a glistening of tears in her eyes as all she had worked for came crashing down. "They deserved this! But you didn't!"

"My previous offer stands," Dorian replied, rotating his weapon so it was no longer aimed at her. "Please...I," he started, suddenly self-conscious of the audience. As much as he knew it was not true, the memories of his years with her flooded his mind. In a way it had been both her and Rose and his feelings between them bled together. "I know you wanted to become my ideal, but you HAD to know we could never have lived together after...this." He motioned to Olympus around them. "Please...just end this, I beg of you."

Despoina's face looked awash with emotions, her hand was actually shaking for several seconds. Dorian hoped in vain that his words may get through. After those uncertain moments her grip was steadied. "It was too late for that years ago." With a final burst of resolve, she rotated Twilight, no longer aiming for Dorian, but at the Valkyrie beside him.

Rossweisse raised a seal in her hand, scarcely absorbing the blast of Olympian lightning, due to the power she was unable to redirect it and the shield shattered instantly. Dorian took off, Bright Star reduced to its blade for as he leapt to defend her. His swing was stopped in its tracks by a long curved black katana Forcas unsheathed from somewhere within his suit and cloak as he stepped between them.

"Let the ladies hash it out won't you?" He sneered as he pushed Dorian back effortlessly one-handed.

"He needs help!" Rossweisse immediately started generating as many augmentation seals of defense and power as she could on the young Grim Reaper eager to jump into the fray. She barely finished before Despoina was upon her, unleashing another bolt of lightning.

He should have let me enhance him! Against an eight-winged fallen angel…

After the third bolt was successfully blocked, the goddess summoned a wall of water, sending the waves crashing towards her. Rossweisse countered with an immense bolt of fire, evaporating it into steam before getting close. Through the resulting vapors, Despoina brought Twilight down as hard as she could, pushing against a seal of protection.

"He trusted you!" Rossweisse accused Poseidon's daughter as they clashed, remembering the look on Dorian's face when he'd returned to Olympus. "What did you do to him?"

"I saved him!" She growled back, her features warped in frustration. "All he had to do was stay away until after the battle, we could have been happy together as gods!"

The two sparred, without a weapon Rossweisse used hand-held seals to deflect her blows, firing smaller projectiles at each opportunity. Despoina expertly avoided them when she could and deflected the rest.

Across the room, Dorian pushed against his opponent who was still one-handing their chosen weapon. Advanced seals of fire and ice appeared over each of the Einherjar's shoulders. Javelins of each element fired into the opponent point blank as they wrestled in mid-air. Each time, the impressive displays of magic were deflected by the very wings which surrounded him, not one even forcing a modicum of effort.

"An impossible weapon?" The Khaos Brigade representative mused as if mildly impressed. "How ever did you manage to acquire that?"

Dorian did not answer, his Sacred Gear rotating to Magenta as his seals grew in size, a lance larger than even Forcas' spear launched from over his head. This time it took two wings to block, yet still his attacks failed to scratch his opponent.

"Your tenacity is admirable, but I faced god himself alongside my Lord. You are not even a gnat against a foe of that caliber."

Forcas' black katana suddenly shimmered as it became infused with the same holy-energy that empowered his spears. As their blades remained locked, each of his wings lashed forward. Dorian ducked to avoid the first two; however the next four impaled him in various points on his body, each one razor sharp going clean through his armor.

"Oy, don't forget me!"

Bennia appeared behind the mastermind behind the attack, now capable of using her short-ranged teleportation once again with the barrier down. She hooked her scythe around his throat, forcing the fallen angel to pull back his wings to expertly deflect her attempted decapitation. Even the young Grim Reaper looked shocked that he could counter her weapon without even paying attention to her. He seemed completely immune to her ability to cut directly into the soul.

Forcas never missed a beat; despite facing melee combatants on both sides he held his ground. His dark blade swung expertly, always where it needed to be to counter their best attempts to bring him down. His strength and experience were far beyond both of them.

"Smokescreen!" Dorian shouted to the others in warning as his Gear switched to the opaque white of Niphelheim, releasing a tremendous cloud that quickly filled the room. Despoina and Rossweisse noticed the swirling fog too late as it consumed them, obscuring each other, neither one possessing the sight to see through it.

"I've known naught of men save those who look at you in terms of your position," Despoina's voice echoed through the murky soup. Rossweisse could not determine its source. "How knowing you will advance their own stature. Yet the thought of even considering thinking that way never entered his mind, it was written all over his face."

A series of lightning bolts erupting from deep within the clouds alerted her that Despoina was seeking the woman of Asgard, firing area-covering attacks in hopes of hitting her. Rossweisse slowly started generating a more advanced magic circle.

"Dorian would never be so shallow," She replied back, almost done with her calculations. "He has been that way since I first met him."

She is so adamant on him surviving, could she really be in…

"Then you cannot comprehend how lucky you are."

Another shockwave of lightning lit up her surroundings as Rossweisse completed the preparations. Throwing her arms out, an enormous, impossibly complex rune appeared overhead, a wave of flame spreading outward from her as the source. The two explosions of power met with and contended against one another, both women refusing to relent until the aftershocks of their attacks merged and caught up to them within the obscuring haze.

A Few Moments Earlier…

"Pathetic," Forcas held out his blade and swung through the fog, only hitting empty air as Dorian was no longer before him. Despite his superior power and magic, not even he could see through the enchanted mists. He spotted movement out of the corner of his eye, surmising it must be the Reaper Girl based on the size. Cutting sideways he sliced the shape clean in two.

Forcas was immediately suspicious as he felt no resistance to his attack yet was certain she was there. A sharp sting burned his back as a scythe struck home, leaving a small cut barely a flesh wound above his left upper third wing.

Damned clones, he groaned, recognizing her strategy as he was well aware of the capabilities of Grim Reapers from the Underworld. She was distracting him while they surrounded and attempted a death by a thousand cuts tactic. That won't save you.

Holding his blade up, the erstwhile servant of Heaven slammed his fists together. A blinding orb of light bubbled outward in all directions simultaneously evaporating the magic shroud and dispersing the dozen clones Bennia had summoned amid the fog to confuse him. The real one was caught by the explosion and sent flying, her scythe spinning to the ground. Dorian barely had time to raise his collapsible shield which shattered on contact with the holy nova.

Bennia sailed through the air, as another explosion erupted from the other match going on not far away. Rossweisse soared gracefully from the smoke; her armor singed and cracked with a burn on her leg but was otherwise unharmed as she scooped the Grim Reaper up before she could fall to the ground below. Lowering her gently, she started applying first aid for the burns spreading across the girl's body like an acid.

Despoina had been thrown clear of the blast, crashing near the dais where the thunderbolt of Zeus resided. Twilight was smoldering yet remained strong; her robe was torn and tattered, having taken the worst of the explosion. She clenched her fists in rage at the genius-technique of the Asgardian Valkyrie.

Dorian continued to fight, rotating to the power of Musphelheim once his friends were no longer in range, a funnel of black fire roared towards Forcas. The flames of that realm dispersed across the holy shield still present around his body, the smug grin never faded from the Grigori's face the entire time. With a groan of frustration, Dorian switched to gold and delivered a tremendous overhead swing which he caught with his sword wreathed in light.

"An impressive weapon Mr. Held," Forcas finally reinitiated discussions. "Such a mighty tool can only be broken by the power of the gods or an equal impossibility."

Dorian pulled back, performing cross-slashes, ripostes, overhead and underhand swings while rotating through every technique and style he had glimpsed during his time since awakening in Asgard. The higher Seraph matched him at every turn, blocking his attacks as if they were child's play. With each parry, block and counter, he scored several more hits on the young Einherjar who was bleeding from a dozen deep cuts. Despite the injuries, his resolve did not waver even as he was kicked square in the face, sending him crashing to the floor.

As a lull fell on the battle, the remains of the gold barrier surrounding the legendary weapon of Olympus dimmed further, finally going out completely.

"Once Forcas breaks the curse over Zeus' thunderbolt," Despoina threatened as her ally floated back down to the pedestal. "Not even your greatest deities will…"

"Oh that curse is quite strong," Forcas suddenly remarked as if remembering a minute detail. "It will take a very long time to break and wield, in the meantime, however at least it can now be moved."

Despoina fell silent, turning towards her benefactor within the Khaos Brigade.

"What are you saying?" She growled through gritted teeth. "Without that thunderbolt we are going to…"

"Die? I think not dear girl. You had your way out and you wasted it on the boy. This little coup of yours was never meant to succeed. We can't very well have a grand war if a principle party is wiped out now can we?"

Dorian and the others looked on, utterly confused as the partnership dissolved before their very eyes. Rossweisse was already starting to reinforce his defenses. She was no healer, but could stop the bleeding and augment him for the battle sure to continue.

"It was a splendid distraction," he continued. "They diverted the bulk of what few troops they had to the Grand Hall and elsewhere, the armory hasn't been so poorly defended in millennia. Our men would have lowered the barrier to allow their little armies in ourselves after claiming the prize but it seems their impressive weapon took care of that for us. The Khaos Brigade and my own Lord thank you for your service."

"You…did ALL of this…for a RELIC!?" Despoina was beyond enraged, twisting Twilight towards him. Her weapon crackled with energy as she brought it to bear on her treacherous partner. "Everything I did for noth…!"

She never finished her sentence, before her trident had time to fire, a burst of light erupted from Forcas' outstretched hand. The shining former radiance of Heaven took the shape of an immense spear, impaling the young goddess through her weapon and upper chest. It was so close she had no chance to dodge.

"Go on, fly and be free of your burdens little bastard daughter of the sea."

With that final word, the spear launched from his hand, dragging her limp body with it towards the edge of the room. Dorian's eyes went wide as he leapt, taking flight and intercepting Despoina before she could collide with the wall. As gently as he could muster, he lowered her to the ground. Fragments of her shattered weapon fell from the sky around them, she wasn't moving.

"Rose!" He shouted, heedless of having used her nickname. "Help her! I'll hold him off!" With a hurried motion, he handed Despoina over to the Valkyrie who looked at him with a defeated expression.

"Dorian, she's already…"

He wasn't listening; he refused to as he took off with Bright Star drawn. Releasing a tremendous war cry, he brought it down hard on the higher-tier fallen angel. The two locked eyes once more, Dorian's rage building while his opponent looked bored.

"Hope," Forcas muttered with a sigh, recognizing the source of the Einherjar's resolve. "Ever the bane of Heaven and Earth, do you truly believe you have a prayer to match me even with such an impressive instrument? Ignore my words all you like Mr. Held, it will not matter in the end."

"You are NOT getting away," Dorian growled as their back and forth continued.

"Oh but I most certainly will, your little hybrid weapon won't stop me and do you know why? I was cast out of Heaven, stripped of my title and left on Earth with my Lord, brothers and sisters. Yet as you can see, I still wield the powers of my former station. I'd say that is almost impossible…wouldn't you agree?"

Dorian barely had time to comprehend his meaning as a greatsword of white light emerged in his offhand identical in power to the spear that had struck down Despoina. Dorian quickly brought up Bright Star to parry it.

The head of the swordspear shattered on contact with the light, the fallen angel's power dwarfing his own to such a degree that it overrode the ancient laws and reduced his hard-fought for weapon to fragments. As with Despoina, the blade did not stop, lodging in his gut and shattering his breastplate before momentum carried the defeated Einherjar into the distant wall, pinning him to it.

"DORIAN!" Rossweisse generated a wall of seals stretching nearly the height of the room, causing even Forcas to look up with an expression of surprise before dozens of barrages of magic slammed into him. As the leader of the attack on Olympus worked to defend himself, she lowered down to her pupil.

"I-I'm fine," he lied as he covered the gaping wound in his side, his hands insufficient to stop the bleeding.

"I can help, you can't die…not after just coming back!"

"Look out!"

Dorian pushed Rossweisse out of the way, leaving a bloody handprint on her chest as a new spear whistled past her head, blowing a hole in the wall nearby. She quickly took to the skies, drawing his attention away from the incapacitated Dorian and Bennia. Her barriers were strong and repelling the barrage of smaller mass-produced holy projectiles.

Need to help…somehow, Dorian groaned. He was getting lightheaded and losing blood fast; looking down, the sword of light had gone clean through him before dispersing. Bennia…

The young Grim Reaper was laid out near the entrance; from the look of things Rossweisse had stabilized her from the burning nova. Her chest was rising and falling steadily, eliciting a gasp of relief from Dorian, she was alive. The feeling did not last as he glanced to the side. Despoina's breasts were unnaturally still, her skin deathly pale. Resisting the fire in his belly, Dorian dragged himself towards her, leaving a trail of red the entire way. He retained a death-grip on the shattered haft of his swordspear, the blade broken and unusable.

"Despoi…" he whispered upon reaching her body. Her eyes still moved as tears flowed freely, she turned towards the sound of his voice. Dorian could not understand as her lips spread into the fringes of a smile.

"We had...one good day," she whispered weakly before the light faded from her eyes.

There was no sign of life, as a goddess of Olympus she had no blood, but the ethereal liquid ichor running through her veins since first consuming Ambrosia. That beautiful golden fluid was pooling around her even more so than his own blood. Her eyes stared upward frozen in the final moments. With shaky hands, Dorian closed them before burying his fist into the marble floor in frustration. He did not notice several drops of the immortal substance splash onto the gem of his Gear, vanishing within.

"You…didn't have to do this." He lamented as the battle raged behind him. "No good father would wish this of his daughter, to choose vengeance for him over life. It just keeps the cycle going." Weakly he propped himself up against the wall, the view of the room opening up to him despite his blurring vision from blood loss.

As the strongest young magic user in Asgard, Rossweisse was holding her own but Dorian knew better from their time training. The Valkyrie who'd never had a boyfriend was a glass cannon, she could reduce an entire army to cinders if she had an opening, protection and no chance of hurting her allies. But up close and personal, her barriers were the only thing allowing her to stand toe to toe. Worst of all…she was exhausted from her protracted battles during the siege. Amazingly, Rose had even managed to wound him, a scorch mark on the commanding fallen angel's cheek betraying the fact that at least one of her attacks had gotten through.

Forcas was not holding back as he went onto the furious offensive. With his black blade he rushed Rossweisse, refusing to give her room to conjure more complicated seals and restricting her to quick close-ranged bursts. They weren't enough as little by little he pounded away at the magic circles of defense she had set up, the cracks growing larger and larger…

Finally, with a single calculated thrust the defenses around her shattered. Forcas balled his free hand into a fist, delivering a savage backhand to Rossweisse's cheek. The force of the blow shattered her winged-helm clips and sent Odin's bodyguard flying into the nearby wall and crashing through it.

Rose! Dorian groaned in pain at his uselessness. How…dare he….

And in that moment, amidst the blood, death and welled up frustration at all that had been lost that day, that singular act of witnessing the woman responsible for his new life among the gods being struck full in the face caused something in Dorian's soul to snap. Unbeknownst to the young Einherjar, he had found his radical catalyst.

That is it! Take hold the reigns of my power Dorian! As my mother was to Odin…I am your steed.

The explosion of energy was so raw and monstrous, even Forcas ceased his advance on the battered Valkyrie, turning towards the new threat fast approaching.

Laerad Ragnarok cracked again as it had during Modi's fight, the metallic roots spreading to cover Dorian's entire body. As it encompassed his flesh, minute tendrils of Yggdrasil like sutures danced their way across his skin, sealing the mortal injury incurred by Forcas' attack. The fallen angel and even Rossweisse looked on in wonder as Dorian slowly but surely rose to his feet.

"I feel that I should not allow this," Forcas remarked as he formed a javelin of holy-light, hurtling it towards Dorian mid-metamorphosis.

The transforming warrior of Asgard raised his right hand, the gem now a deep black from which nothing could be seen. The spear seemed drawn to the void, disappearing within without any sign of injury or discomfort to him. For the first time since he could remember, Forcas grew concerned.

It was in the darkness within the depths of Nidavellir from which light cannot escape that the dwarves found their skill at the impossible. I beg of you to use it sparingly, lest the shadow of that void taint your soul.

The tangling, warping, entrapping roots swarming Dorian's body finally started to calm and take shape. A new gauntlet molded over his left hand, additional gems appearing on the back of it as well as both elbows. The sleeves became sleek with uncountable rings resembling chainmail as thick layers of armor grew into being to protect his legs and feet. The heavy boots resembled roots at the base of a tree, one for each toe. The new breastplate was thick and imposing as were the bladed shoulder guards, no longer requiring an emblem of Yggdrasil as the very branches of that tree formed a new one along with a fifth larger gem in the center before wrapping around his back.

Only then did Forcas realize the young man's eyes had gone as black as the first gem, though the others began to light up gold, magenta, green and molten red. The growing arms of Yggdrasil finally consumed his skull, wrapping about until a winged-helm with great horns that curved outward and back took shape atop it covering his face. Even once finished, the darkness-filled pupils of Dorian pierced through locked onto the hovering former angel. He stood there at last in his new armor, a swirling teal-green matching his initial gauntlet save for the spikes at each elbow, intricate designs and horns which glistened ivory-gold in the shining light of the armory. Rossweisse could not help but recall the equipment of war fashioned by the first warriors of Asgard so closely did the design resemble the old texts.

"BALANCE BREAKER LAERAD RAGNAROK, RIDER'S REGALIA!" Boomed Dorian in his own echoing voice merged with Iggy's. The aura released shattered everything around him with a subsequent burst of power, but he was not finished.

Lastly, Dorian Held produced the broken haft of his swordspear, now covered with tentacles of Yggdrasil's branches. They snaked downward, latching onto the shattered fragments of Bright Star and Twilight lying nearby, bringing both up as a golden explosion quickly engulfed by darkness blinded all present.

When the Onyx light dimmed, he held a new weapon in his hands, the handle was the same as it had always been, however the head had been remade resembling Bright Star only now forged of the same crystalline diamond that Twilight had been crafted from. Its appearance had been refined, tempered and perfected using both Olympian and Asgardian knowledge.

Twilight Star…Dorian thought as he held the swordspear fused from the best of both mythologies in his left hand. At long last he took his first step forward, causing Forcas to float back in hesitation somewhat and Rossweisse to feel the goosebumps rise across the surface of her skin.

"Dorian?" She asked as if to confirm it were still he. Her young pupil and friend did not acknowledge her words, only remaining focused on the foe before him.

"I see only one bastard here," Dorian's voice reverberated menacingly within the new helm as he approached. "And we'll see how well you fly…after I rip off your wings!"

Dorian's rage at Despoina's death and Rossweisse's beating has broken his limits. Consumed by anger and the roots of Yggdrasil herself, he moves to end the instigator of the siege which has claimed so much. The Siege of Olympus concludes next time, and as always, Read and Review…but most of all Enjoy! :D