Episode 22: The Shield and the Wolf!
Obeying Thor's command, the red-caped Marémon Thunderthor thrust its hammer into the sky. In a matter of seconds, the area was covered by dark thunderclouds with lightning striking down. A few Svartelm got initially shocked by the lightning and flinched in pain, but the Kurseed didn't seem affected. Meanwhile, Odin had the Warriors Three charge down the field. Peter and the other Wielders sent their Marémon to follow them, as Odinspear remained behind along with Thunderthor and Thorina. The Svartelm reacted to the oncoming Marémon by raising their bent sticks, which fired blasts of dark energy, while Malekith, Ar-I, and White Wolf retreated behind two rows of Kurseed.
"That's Particle Rifle, the Svartelm's most powerful attack," Jane realized.
However, Fenwolf seemed to be unaffected by the Svartelm's Particle Rifle blasts and used its large claws to swipe away rows of Svartelm. Behind Fenwolf, Shieldsif had raised its head and a transparent shield-shaped barrier had appeared around it and the Warriors Three, which blocked the energy blasts that flew past Fenwolf. In turn, the other Marémon were protected as well.
"Amazing," Peter remarked.
"Well, there is a reason Shieldsif is called the Shield Marémon," Sif said proudly. "Her Shield ability forms a protective barrier that can vary in size depending on her strength. So because I trained her well, her barrier is quite large."
"But how long can it last against the Svartelm's Particle Rifle blasts?" Thor asked.
"I'm not sure," Sif responded nervously. "She's never fought against Svartelm before."
Just then, the Svartelm moved around Fenwolf and concentrated their Particle Rifles on Shieldsif's barrier causing it to bend from the amount of dark energy it was absorbing. Above the barrier, Quill's Starlure and Eddie's Hornetech were shooting at the Svartelm with their Quad and Stinger Blasts respectively. Noirstel helped by throwing Spider Webs to immobilize the Svartelm on the other side of the barrier while Spidermin jumped over the barrier and paralyzed them with his Stingers. The Warriors Three followed Spidermin's example by leaping over the barrier and taking on the remaining Svartelm, who retreated behind the first row of Kurseed that were protecting Malekith, Ar-I, and White Wolf. Yet Volstagg's axe-like mouth, Hogun's mace, and Fandral's rapier-shaped stick could barely penetrate the Kurseed's tougher endoskeletons. So Thunderthor and Thorina combined their Lightning Bolt attacks on the Kurseed, which didn't seem to have any effect.
"That Durance ability is making those Kurseed practically invincible," Jane muttered out loud. "It's just like what happened back at the SHIELD Station, where they used that invincibility to knock out Thunderthor and Thorina along with us. How will we ever defeat them?"
"With the Black Hole Grenades," Peter suggested. "Eddie and I encountered Kurseed in the basement of the SHIELD Station, but we sent them running after one of them threw a Black Hole Grenade that swallowed it whole. If we can activate their Black Hole Grenades without them noticing, it'll destroy them for good."
"But how can we do that?" Thor questioned. "We need a Marémon that is not only fast, but is also capable of making itself invisible. Something like…Lokeen!"
Looking to his left, Thor noticed Loki wasn't standing next to him.
"Did anyone see my brother Loki?" Thor said to the other Wielders, who shook their heads.
"He used his mental manipulation power to slip away unseen," Odin stated. "But your mother is currently pursuing him now with Friggablade."
Confused, Thor looked back towards the town and saw a green-clad figure holding onto a black bipedal fox that he quickly realized were Loki and his Marémon Lokeen. Chasing them was a wolf that looked similar to Odinspear, only its fur was golden in color and carried a short sword in its mouth instead of a spear while Frigga herself rode it.
"Will she catch him, Father?" Thor said to Odin.
"Perhaps, though Loki's escape attempt was not foreseen by Frigga," Odin responded. "Hopefully, Friggablade will be fast enough to catch up to Lokeen. After all, she is a wolf and they are faster than foxes."
"Speaking of wolves, is it just me or did Fenwolf get bigger?" MJ asked, pointing to the large black wolf Hela was still riding.
"You're right," Peter noticed. "Before, it was slightly larger than a normal wolf. Now it's almost the size of a house."
"That's because of Fenwolf's Size Change ability," Sif answered. "It'll grow larger the longer it's in battle."
"Hopefully, Fenwolf doesn't get too big," MJ said nervously. "Otherwise, it could hurt our Marémon along with the Svartelm and Kurseed."
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On the battlefield, Hela noticed Shieldsif and the other Marémon, giving them an annoyed look.
"Go back to your Wielders!" Hela insisted. "This battle is mine!"
"Very well, Fräulein," said Ar-I while Malekith still held the microphone-shaped device. "If you want these Marémon to go away, then I shall make it happen."
From the top of Ar-I's computer body emerged a camera-like device that emitted a green wavy energy that washed over Fenwolf, Shieldsif, the Warriors Three, and the other Marémon. With this, all their eyes changed to a sickly green color except for Fenwolf, whose eyes remained the same emerald-green color.
"What did you do to them?" Hela demanded.
"I used Brainwash to render the Marémon useless," Ar-I explained. "Now they will only obey me, though it seems your Fenwolf is unaffected."
"That's because he has a strong will, just like I do," Hela claimed.
"Really? Then let's see how well that will holds," Ar-I sneered. "Take her down, my pets!"
Nodding obediently, Sheildsif lowered her barrier and charged at Fenwolf. The Warriors Three, Spidermin, Noirstel, Hornetech, Starlure, and the other Marémon followed Shieldsif's example as they surrounded Fenwolf and Hela. Meanwhile, the few Svartelm that were still alive and the first row of Kurseed formed a circle around them. Back at New Asgard's southern entrance, Peter watched the whole thing with a perplexed stare.
"What's going on over there?" Peter wondered.
"It looks like Ar-I used Brainwash to hypnotize our Marémon into attacking Hela and Fenwolf," Jane figured. "But I'm not sure what the Svartelm and Kurseed are doing, unless — oh, no!"
Thor gave Jane a concerned frown. "Is it bad?"
Reluctantly, Jane nodded. "I think they're going to use the Black Hole Grenades simultaneously to swallow our Marémon with Hela and Fenwolf among them."
MJ clenched her fists in anger. "We've got to stop them."
As MJ tried to make a dash toward the field, she was held back by Sif.
"Let me go!" MJ insisted. "If we don't do something, our Marémon will die!"
To be continued…
