378 CCCLXXVIII. The Gap

Dag placed the Giantbane on the magnet of his belt and grabbed the hammer with both hands, holding it pointed downwards.

At that moment, the snow around his feet began to move and the solid particles of the soil vibrated, levitating upwards.

Trying not to give in to the rush of the moment and hoping to use that ability, Dag stood still in that position for a few more seconds, while the screams of his allies grew louder and louder, coming to the exhaustion of their forces, having used the maximum of their power to withstand the sudden attack.

Suddenly, one of the wolves hitting the barrier stopped, turning an ear backwards.

After him, another beast-man did the same, blocking his attacks and turning back.

Then another and another.

In less than a minute, the attacks on the barrier ceased and all the wolves stopped as if they were feeling something, a great energy source.

"Uhm? What's going on?!" Karl asked, who after drinking one of his potions, had begun to cast his healing spell towards Sander, whose body remained still.

Egill, who, making the most of his strength, had managed not to break the barrier, looked up at Dag.

"... Dag..." the Master Of Healing whispered, whose arms began to tremble.

Above their heads, the large cloud that covered the village began to rotate, until a kind of small vortex was created at their center.

The vortex widened more and more and became a real rift in the sky.

A few more seconds passed when everyone present began to hear loud noises of thunder.

The wolves, looking upwards, noticed that the dense gray cloud that surrounded the huge vortex in the sky was drenched in lightning bolts and sparks, which at a surprising speed traveled from side to side, covering enormous distances in a thousandths of a second.

Dag noticed that Magni's Hammer became much heavier and, holding it tight with both hands, tried to lift it up.

The more he lifted it, the more the weight of the hammer increased and the sky darkened, increasing the number of flashes inside it and the frequency of thunder, heralding an apocalyptic-sized thunderstorm.

"Haha... ahahah... hahahahahahaha!" 

Leaving everyone else open-mouthed, Egill began to laugh tearfully, holding his hands pointed on his staff and the barrier firm in its position.

"Master Egill, what's going on?! A huge storm is about to hit us! What do we do?!" Freydis asked naively, unable to understand what was about to happen and fomenting the fear of the soldiers behind them, unaware of Dag's true powers.

As Egill continued to laugh, Reidar again broke the silence: "He made it, Freydis! Dag is evoking the power of the mighty God Thor! He managed to make contact with him!"

The expression of Freydis, Karl, and all the other soldiers changed drastically and hope was rekindled in their eyes, now resigned to their fate.

The archer nodded and immediately began to scream: "Soldiers! We have to get the three Masters left out there inside the barrier! Master Egill will open a passage for a few seconds and we will have to fend off the enemies who will try to enter! C'mon! There isn't much time!" 

After processing the order in their minds, a dozen warriors came out of one of the two stone dwellings and ran to the edges of the barrier, taking courage to look closely at the huge werewolves, who were still standing there on their feet, enchanted by the spectacle high in the sky.

"Master Egill! We're in position!" Reidar shouted again, as Terje and Runa lined up before him to defend the rift.

"Go! I'll only be able to keep it open for a few seconds!" Egill yelled, who after these words, detached a hand from his staff and held his arm in that direction.

As imagined by Reidar, a kind of circular gap was created in the barrier, about two meters in diameter, which, judging by Egill's expression, required an incredible amount of energy to stay open.

"Come on! Fast! Take Master Sander!" the archer yelled as Freydis snapped out of the barrier, rushing toward her wounded Master.

Some of the wolves noticed the breakthrough and immediately tried to reach it, approaching Freydis dangerously, who in a desperate attempt to lift Sander's enormous body, failed to grab her spear in time.

An arrow hit one of the enemies on the neck and two other magical ones struck another, killing both of them, who when they fell to the ground were overcame by other wolves, heading in the same direction.

A dozen warriors came out of the barrier and with their help, Master Sander's body was dragged inside.

"Gridd! Master Kjell! This way! Come in!" Freydis yelled, who after a few seconds found herself in front of a huge werewolf, who roared fiercely.

The Shieldmaiden screamed in fear, but trying to keep her nerve, she moved her spear forward, trying to hit him on his side.

The beast-man grabbed the handle of the spear and pulled it out of Freydis's hands, disarming her.

He then put the weapon between his jaws and with a violent bite broke it in half, throwing the remains on the ground and continuing to look at the girl with his small and piercing red eyes.

He tried to hit her with his claws, but she managed to dodge him, rolling backward and falling to the ground.

A moment before he could pounce on her, a chain wrapped his neck, causing him to kneel.

Under Freydis's incredulous gaze, when Kjell immobilized him, Gridd jumped on his shoulders and thrust both of her swords into the enemy's eyes, crossing them and shattering his head, causing an explosion of blood.

"What's going on?! Why did a gap break through the barrier?!" Kjell asked, pushing the two Shieldmaidens forward and dealing with the enemies at their heels.