Counter-strike

Heimdall remained calm as he stood with the Asgardian army. Their formation set and their weapons gripped tightly in preparation to defend their homeland from the invaders. Thanks to the help of the various Sorcerers they had brought with them to aid in the reinforcement of King Rugga's fortress, they had managed to take control of the barrier surrounding Asgard.

Now they were waiting.

As time ticked by, Heimdall watched as the battle on Asgard progressed. Just like he had expected, the sheer number of the enemy force made it all but impossible for a proper open battle. They did well, incredibly so, but no matter how skilled or individually powerful each Asgardian was, it could not circumvent the sheer number of enemy forces they were facing. Manning the walls would have provided a much better defensive position, but if even a single opening appeared in or on the wall, the battle would have been lost.

It would have also made their job of them, the reinforcements far more difficult to do. Not only would they have to charge the horde outside the walls, but by the time they would have cut through said horde, the enemy would have no doubt already taken the walls. Leaving them the task of trying to take the walls all the while the enemy ravaged the city.

So, Odin marched out to meet them, biding time.

But eventually the sheer number of enemy soldiers started to overwhelm the defenders.

Still, Heimdall waited.

His King had already engaged the leader of the Dark Gods and King Rugga, holding them off masterfully. The King's old age not even being a hinderance as he masterfully kept them at bay. But even he was having to split his attention between the three opponents and the various worshippers that attempted to sneak up on him and attack from all sides

They failed, but it distracted Odin enough for the Dark Gods to come close to landing a blow. It was only due to his years of combat experience that allowed Odin to escape unharmed for the most of the fight. But above all else, while doing all that, the King was also surveying the battlefield, calmly watching for that opportune moment.

He was not only fighting but defending and surveying the battlefield.

A feat that while seemingly small, was a testament to the All-Father's experience and power.

'Now, Heimdall!' Hearing his Kings command, Heimdall drew his sword and raised it in the air. The signal rippled throughout the Asgardian army as they tensed in preparation.

Closing his eyes, Heimdall focused on the barrier and pulled.

Everything around them was a blur as they catapulted through space itself and plummeted to the forest below in a beam of golden light. Without any pause, Heimdall began rushing forwards, the Asgardian army, disciplined and well-trained didn't even hesitate or take a moment to regain their balance. Instead they followed Heimdall and burst through the tree line with a battle cry that shook the very ground itself.

They were a tidal wave of gold that cut through the Dark Gods. Thousands died with that single charge as they cut a bloody path through the worshippers before the battle became chaotic.

Up above, Skurge, a young and upcoming Asgardian warrior saw the beam of light strike. A warcry boomed out from his mouth as he raised his battleaxe into the air, echoed by the Asgardians upon the Skiffs.

"Kill them all!" He roared, swiping his axe down, the Asgardians Skiffs diving down and opening fire, concentrating all their firepower directly into the path that the Asgardian army was set upon. The fire weakened and disoriented the Dark Gods' army that the Asgardians made quick work of what was left.

Skurge himself dives off the edge of the Skiff, accompanied by hundreds of his fellow soldiers. Each plummeting to the ground below as they dropped into the battle, crushing the Worshippers beneath their feet, Skurge swinging his axe around with a large smile upon his face.

Ducking under a wild swing, Heimdall rushed forwards already sensing that the worshipper had been taken care of and instead continued forwards. "To the King!" Heimdall cried something that rippled throughout the battlefield as the Asgardians pushed forwards even further.

Cutting one worshipper down, Heimdall spun round and parried another blow while gripping the grotesque being by its neck and slammed his head into the its face. Due to his enhanced strength and his own durability, Heimdall crushed the beast's face with that single blow.

Yet, he never rested.

Pushing forwards Heimdall cut down every beast he could as he tried to reach his King.

-X- Line Break -X-

Perrikos stumbled backwards clutching the deep cut to his side as he watched Odin knock aside his mother with ease, King Rugga swinging the splintered club he wielded with savage brutality. Only for Odin to mesmerisingly spin the golden spear, deflecting the attacks, the lightning bolts that rained down upon the All-Father caught upon Gungnir's end and were used against the Storm Giant.

They had underestimated the King of Asgard, believing that while still powerful, his aged body would slow him down. Yet, the All-Father was handling them all with ease that left Perrikos unable to fully comprehend just how wide a gap there was between them all and Odin. The only one that was actually putting up any measure of a fight was the Union, yet Odin focused much of his effort on ensuring the Union was separated and unable to properly reform.

Throughout the course of their entire fight, only the Union had been able to land a few glancing blows, but those blows were usually a result of Odin's own attacks causing bits of the Union's body to land upon his armour.

But even then, Odin just used his considerable power to remove the substance that was rotting his pristine armour. 'He's too strong for us to fight, even now when all four of us are attacking him at once.' Even the Union that had been the only to land even a blow on the King had spent most of the fight reforming after Odin blasted him with a beam of energy, or used a shield to stop the Union from swarming him with a mass rotting shadows.

'He's figured out our strengths and weaknesses already.' Perrikos thought with a snarl as he watched his mother rush forwards. Her clawed fingers were easily parried by the golden spear, Gungnir. Then she went round for a strike with her tail only for Odin to use the butt of his spear to knock it just slightly higher so that it went over his head.

Majeston Zelia did not like this and brought her tail down in a strike that would crater the ground. Odin himself raised the spear, gripping it in two hands as he held it horizontally. The tail slammed against the body of the spear and Odin's knees buckled under the force, the ground cratering.

But it was not due to the strength of his mother. 'He purposefully cratered the ground with his own power in order to better absorb the power of the strike.' Despite being enemies, Perrikos couldn't help but admire the tactical genius of the Asgardian King.

King Rugga's lightning was always caught and manipulated by Gungnir to enhance its already terrifying power, used to strike out against them all. The wind he used was ripped from his control to again, be used against them. Any energy attack that he or his mother fired was absorbed or redirected. Then when they came up close, Odin used his immense skills and experience to parry, block and dodge every attack they threw at him, often redirecting their own attacks at their comrades while he danced around them.

Odin knew that they were unused to working together and used that against them, forcing them to get in one another's way, just like how Majeston Zelia and King Rugga charged at Odin from either side. Odin stepped to one side, spinning slightly for added momentum as he used his free hand to strike at King Rugga's forearm. The powerful winds that had gathered around that fist unleashed bypassing Odin entirely, instead, striking and blasting the Union that had come rushing forwards back.

He then ducked under Majeston Zelia's tail swipe, it striking against King Rugga's face, sending the Storm Giant King stumbling back with a grunt. Odin steps round and aims Gungnir at Majeston Zelia's exposed back, a titanic blast of energy erupting outwards engulfing her body completely, carrying on and engulfing King Rugga's as well.

As things were, they stood no chance.

Hearing a shout, Perrikos looked to see a group of Asgardian soldiers charging toward him. "To the King!" They cried and with a grunt, Perrikos swung his left hand round sending three of the six flying with a backhand, their armour dented and bones crushed. His right hand, clenched in a fist swung round and upon striking the fourth one, caused him to explode in a shower of blood and gore.

The final two managed to avoid his kick, ducking underneath and one even managed to swing his blade round. Yet it bounced off his armoured skin despite the blade being forged from Uru.

Even so, he would admire the two Asgardian's for their courage as they didn't even take a moment to let fear cloud their minds. Instead, they continued on with their assault despite knowing their weapons would not pierce his skin.

Moving quicker than his big size would have you believe possible, Perrikos spun round and launched them at the Asgardian King with enough force that they were nothing more than a blur. They were already dead, the speed at which they moved having killed them and yet, Odin who having sensed the incoming bodies hesitated. They moved quickly, but Odin could clearly see that they were bodies of his kin and so, hesitated. Just for a moment but that was all, Perrikos needed.

The power he had been gathering was released and it engulfed the two Asgardians and then the King of Asgard.

As the blinding white light subsided, it revealed that Odin had skidded backwards a few meters, his feet having carved deep groves into the ground as he fought against the blast. His spear held diagonally across his steaming body as he looked at Perrikos with narrowed eyes.

He had come out of the blast relatively unharmed besides his skin being a little singed in areas. Nothing much, but it showed that Odin could be harmed and outwitted despite his centuries of experience and Perrikos smirked.

He, King Rugga and Majeston Zelia charged the King of Asgard from the front as the Union swarmed towards him from behind.

-X- Line Break -X-

Volstagg laughed joyfully as he swung his battle axe round with large swings that cut down numerous worshippers with each one. The speed in which he swung the axe made it move like a blur and the power sent worshippers flying backwards with deep cuts on their chests, some even missing heads and limbs.

To his left Volstagg could make out the sight of his friend, Fandral moving with great speed. His form weaving in and out of strikes while responding with fast and deadly thrusts. Each one riddling holes into any enemy in his path. So fast were his thrusts that they came across as a single thrust.

Then to his right, was his friend Hogun who swung his mace with enough strength to shatter skulls. Despite his smaller stature in comparison to Volstagg, Hogun represented the perfect balance between strength and speed. Not as fast as Fandral nor as strong as Volstagg, but certainly well above most Asgardians in both aspects.

"They are retreating." Hogun said as he smashed his mace into the head of another worshipper that had attempted to sneak up on Volstagg.

Fandral nodded his head as he too came to stand beside his two friends as they watched the worshippers rushing past them, the Asgardian's rallying behind Heimdall as he used this opportunity to lead the charge to aid the King.

The Warriors Three shared a look before joining their fellow Asgardians to give aid to their King. Their weapons continuously moved to cut, stab and smash any worshippers that got in their way. But all the while, the three couldn't help but wonder why the enemy was retreating.

Despite the battle having fallen into the hands of the defenders, the worshippers still outnumbered them two to one. Yet for every Asgard killed twenty worshippers were killed in turn. Even so, all it would have taken was one push and they could have broken through the centre and made for the capital. This would have forced the Asgardians to divert troops from the flanks to give aid and therefore, weakened them.

However, the worshippers were retreating and this wasn't a fighting a retreat. The Asgardians would recognise it if that was the cases. They themselves had used such manoeuvres often when facing a foe of greater numbers.

A fighting retreat helped in allowing them to regroup and then countercharge a disarrayed enemy force. After all, battle was chaotic and formations were disrupted, so it left the other in disarray when one side retreated. All it would take is one army to regroup quicker than the other and the advantage would fall to them. This is why the Asgardian military is one of the finest in the cosmos.

However, the enemy was not performing a fighting retreat and instead, they were routed.

Their morale broken.

"Shield Wall!" Heimdall's command reverberated throughout the battlefield and despite not knowing why, the Asgardian's were too well-trained to question and rushed to close ranks while turning around to face the direction of the retreating army.

Hogun and Fandral rushed back behind the forming shield wall, while Volstagg picked up a shield from a fallen comrade and joined the wall. All the while the two warriors spotted the sight of a hundreds if not thousands of creatures flying towards them. Each low and parallel to the ground as they shot across the battlefield towards them.

Behind them, the worshippers charged forwards once more, their morale increased at the sight of these creatures.

The speed at which they were moving meant that they would reach them before the shield wall was complete. "Move! Quickly!" Hogun shouted as more and more Asgardians rushed to the centre of the shield wall which was still forming. But it wasn't quick enough as the creatures screeched, clawed hands outstretched, wings flapped as they broke straight through the centre of the shield wall before it could have chance to fully form.

Rushing forwards, Hogun smashed his mace into one of the flying creatures and then swung it back upwards knocking another away.

"They're stronger than the others!" Fandral exclaimed and Hogun spared a glance to see that Fandral's rapier was dealing nowhere near as much damage as it did against the worshippers. It was certainly piercing the skin, but it seemed that while the worshippers lacked durability to match their strength, these creatures did not.

Out of the corner of his eye, Hogun could see the two creatures he had knocked to the side already getting up after shaking their heads. But Hogun could not spare it a thought as the revitalised worshippers charged against the Asgardian army like a hammer. Smashing directly into and through the broken shield wall.