The giant presented himself.

  “My name is Surtr, commander of Loki’s armies—lord of Muspelheim and ruler of the fire giants. And this blade of flames will be your end,” the giant declared, lifting his burning sword.

  “He’s not using a totema, Ana. We can beat him. Quick—prepare an alternate dimension so we can fight this monster!” Tania ordered the freckled goddess.

  The giant swung his sword with terrifying speed, releasing a massive wave of fire. The goddesses dodged with little difficulty, and at the same time Ana unleashed her dimensional spark, opening an alternate space for the battle.

  Tania leapt toward the ceiling of the pocket dimension, using it as a springboard. She hurled herself downward and smashed her knee into the giant’s jaw, sending him flying several meters back.

  “You’re not beating us, you bastard! I’ll tear you apart for what you did to Epona!” she yelled.

  Surtr laughed.

  “You’re as strong as they said… but you’re still no match for me,” he growled.

  Then, from inside his trousers, he pulled out a necklace.

  His totema.

  A figurine of a warrior wielding a sword.

  “NO!” Tania cried, leaping backward just as the giant activated it.

  Flames engulfed his entire body. His appearance transformed instantly.

  Surtr’s skin turned bluish, his frame swelling into a monstrous armored figure—icy in shape, yet radiating heat intense enough to warp the air. His sword grew enormous, glowing like molten steel.

  Now he towered over three meters tall.

  “Damn it… damn it!” Tania cursed, unleashing her fire claws.

  “Tsemp Dalaq (Claws of fire)!” the Punic goddess roared as she rushed him, but her blows didn’t even make him flinch.

  The giant caught her arm in one hand—

  and slammed her into the ground, creating a massive crater.

  Tania coughed up blood from the impact.

  He lifted her again to strike once more, but Ana appeared behind him, attempting to slice his neck with her sword. Without even turning around, Surtr swung Tania like a weapon and smashed her into Ana’s body.

  Both goddesses were flung across the battlefield, crashing into the dimensional wall. Blood spilled from their mouths.

  Then the giant raised his blazing sword and fired a massive beam of fire, striking both women.

  The explosion shook the entire dimension. Stones flew. Smoke swallowed everything.

  Rodrigo could no longer take it.

  As the dust cleared, Ana stood—barely—her body covered in burns, shielding Tania with her arms. Tania had taken the full force of the blow to protect her friend. Her body was blistered and charred, yet she smiled.

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  “You’ll… need… more than… that… to kill us… bastard…” Ana wheezed, struggling for breath.

  Tania grabbed Ana’s leg.

  “No. Leave this to me. If I die, I’ll die here,” said the fire goddess, forcing herself upright.

  “We die together,” Ana replied, manifesting her sword again.

  Surtr began laughing.

  “What a lovely sisterhood the two of you have,” he said, raising his sword toward the sky.

  “Very well. You’ll go to Hel together—just as you wish.”

  His blade erupted in a blinding crimson light.

  “Eldr geisl (Fire beam)!” the giant roared.

  Ana shouted back, “Crág Dubán (Dubán Shield)!”—and summoned a shield over her arm.

  But just as Surtr was about to release his attack…

  Rodrigo appeared behind him

  and, with every ounce of strength he possessed,

  he kicked the giant—sending him flying.

  “Get out of here, you idiot! That attack shouldn’t have affected him at all!” Tania yelled again.

  Rodrigo then pushed his power to the absolute limit.

  The ground shook violently—massive tremors cracked the earth beneath him. Stones rose into the air, swirling around him as bolts of lightning sparked from his body.

  “Raios de luz (Beams of Light)!” he roared.

  Dozens of bluish-white energy spheres materialized in his hand, firing one after another at the giant with explosive force.

  Each impact detonated with blinding white flashes, tearing the ground apart and leaving deep fissures everywhere. Rodrigo kept firing—relentless, like a divine ballista unleashing an endless volley.

  Finally, his manná ran dry.

  His body collapsed to the ground.

  When the smoke cleared, the battlefield was a massive crater carved out by Rodrigo’s assault—

  but the giant was nowhere in sight.

  And then—

  Rodrigo felt every bone in his body shatter.

  Surtr had appeared right in front of him.

  One kick.

  A single, monstrous kick.

  And Rodrigo was sent flying several meters through the air.

  The young man couldn’t move his arms or legs. The strike had drained the last of his icor.

  His mind flashed back to Ana’s lesson—how she had once incapacitated him with just a finger.

  Rodrigo had trained with her for two months.

  His icor had grown.

  But he was still nowhere near the level needed for a battle like this.

  Surtr now had visible bruises across his body.

  “Damn, kid… that did hurt!” the giant shouted as he raised his sword, ready to finish Rodrigo off.

  But at that moment—

  Ana leapt in front of him.

  Her shield flashed, absorbing the killing blow.

  “I’ll protect you, Rui!” she screamed.

  And behind the giant—

  Tania stood back on her feet, arms raised straight toward the sky, hands pressed together.

  Her hair ignited.

  The air began to tremble.

  The goddesses weren’t done yet.