The Innkeeper

As inconvenient as it was having to go through a rain of killer insects, Lex was not only going because of Gisele. He needed a cure for the poison if he was going to treat his guests, and the Jotun empire was the most likely to have one. Or at least know of one. This was completely not an excuse for him to show off in front of a pretty girl.

"You keep mentioning wanting to retreat. If you wish to head back, you can go. I can manage on my own," said Gisele. She had been using the ride to recuperate and had recovered much of her spiritual energy. This was a completely foreign concept to Lex, as he always had such massive spiritual energy reserves that he barely ever came close to depletion. If he ever did, it was mostly because of how ridiculously extreme his situation was.

"It's not me I'm worried about. I am well aware of what I can handle, but typically, going straight through thousands of enemies is reason enough to give others pause."

He looked at her to see if she reacted, but her gaze was completely fixed on her objective. Lex's mention of the number of enemies did not phase her at all.

"I can take care of myself. I am no stranger to a tough fight."

She paused for a moment, then turned to look at Lex.

"As you said, facing so many enemies is no cakewalk. Is there a particular reason why you're heading to the stronghold? If it's just curiosity about what happened, you can always find out after the fight is over."

"A strange poison was spread across Polebitvy. It even affected those that I rescued. I'm hoping the Jotun have the cure for it. After all, someone definitely acted out to stop the spread, or the damage caused would have been much worse."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lex's expression changed as he realized something.

"Wait a minute, are you also poisoned?" he asked, although he believed he already had an answer. Both times when it came to the matter of the poison, even he was affected, so how could others avoid it.

"All the more reason to reach the stronghold," Gisele said calmly, as if her words were explanation enough.

Lex shook his head disapprovingly. Exertion would most likely only make her situation worse, but if she wasn't willing to listen to reason, who was he to force her otherwise?

He, instead, turned his attention forward. The stronghold, by which he meant the small area protected by the Jotun empire, was not yet in view, but it was close.

"We cannot let them slow us down," declared Lex as his ship continued to move towards the raining insects. For a moment, he could not help thinking that he was glad that he didn't have entomophobia.

"I'm strongest at close range combat, though I can still do some damage at a distance."

"My shields don't really work well with a moving object, so they're out of the picture. As it happens, what I'm best at is also close range combat, but well, I'm sure I can manage something."

Gisele nodded and summoned a vial from a spatial equipment she had, before drinking it. Clearly she was making preparations for the fight. Lex, too, decided to prepare for the fight, so he entered his state of flow.

When he told her that what he was best at was close range combat, it wasn't wrong since he only recently improved dramatically in the field. But even so, that didn't mean he was lacking in other areas. He did not know why, but his instincts warned that it was best he keep his identity hidden while fighting, so he used Notorious Anonymity - the technique that covered his face with a particularly devilish mask.

Gisele suddenly got goosebumps and looked towards Lex. For some reason, the aura he was giving out changed, and quite dramatically. Two arrays appeared around him, one in front of each hand, and his eyes hidden behind the mask became dark.

Without Regal Embrace holding him back, it was time to let loose and see what he could really do.

*****

While Lex only had to face a newly forming horde, and even then he only had to cross them rather than defeat them all, the situation in the Jotun stronghold was much, much worse. Five separate tears in space surrounded the stronghold, unleashing five massive armies of the very same insects.

A massive formation protected the stronghold from the immediate threat of the horde, but it was unknown how long the formation would hold out, for five immortal insects were constantly bashing it.

The stronghold did not have many soldiers, but the few that were stationed there were all geared up and standing ready for their orders. Even facing such a tremendous force, there was not a hint of fear that tainted their resolve. If anything, a sense of excitement and anticipation filled every street and corner.

To become a Jotun soldier was not something that could be achieved by the faint of heart. Or rather, the Jotun took those weak of heart and turned them into spectacular soldiers.

The number of insects had grown so immense that no one could guess how many there truly were. They could not climb the formation, but so many of them piled up against it that they at first began to cover the sides. But slowly and steadily, as their numbers increased, they began to truly cover the entire formation, slowly and steadily blocking all the light that was entering within.

It was this scene and this environment into which Alexander stepped when he was finally released from his interrogations. Behind him six blades floated, now with the very edge of their blade glowing red.

After fighting Lex last time, he had thought of ways to increase his attacking power, and this new technique was what he came up with.

Within the center building of the stronghold, Belle, who was going by the code name Valkyrie, received an emergency call. It was her ancestor, and the founder of the Williams family.