Act 1: Fire Valkyrie's New Beginning Part 2

**Act 1: Fire Valkyrie's New Beginning Part 2** is the second chapter of *The Rise of Luna Nova Valkyries*, the first story of *Little Witch Academia: Witches of Midgard*.

## Summary

*Even with her own Valkyrie Armor, Diana is cornered while combating one of Naglfar's elite acolytes. Akko steps in to rescue her best friend along with the whole Luna Nova.*

## Full Recap

Back at the library, Akko, Lotte, and Sucy continued reading the old book the Manbavaran brought to them after watching few more WitchTube videos of Hereweald Potter series. In addition of Valkyrie Corps., the three friends learned other intriguing facts such as Pomokai Holoholonas of Hoddmimi's Holt, the pagan cult Naglfar mentioned by Asger and Ursula, and the conflict the same cult perpetrated which remembered by those in magic community as Thapoli-Naglfar War.

"I remembered the professors mentioned about Pomokai Holoholonas in History of Magic but, I never thought we would encounter two of them today", Lotte commented.

"Of course, you didn't. It's rare to see those peace-loving bunch outside their homeland that many are skeptical about their existence", Sucy explained. "Not to mention you'll find the idea of them being part-Yggdrasil which explained their immense magic and how they turned into a small forest upon death extremely preposterous."

The red team was no stranger to the fact that a magic user would turn into a tree upon death; rather than physically becoming one, a deceased magic user would manifest a tree that grow over their grave following their burial with its appearance reflected on the amount of magic power they accumulated in life and roots that shield their remains. Even those who cremated and subsequently had their ashes spread somewhere still able to manifest their tree typically at such location. In some cases, the same tree allowed the spirit of its deceased magic user to return to the mortal plane in order to guide their successors as sort of gateway between both planes which only they could cross over. However, no magic user ever manifested more than one tree upon death.

"Many people think of Pomokai Holoholonas as savages because of their boorish and primitive ways, yet they ironically displayed unmatchable understanding of the world at large through choosing ascetic life in touch with nature and old ways over material wealth", Sucy continued. "Not to mention their familiarity with magic-mechanical equipment utilized by Thapoli since the kingdom was responsible for their advancement as much as their creators Nine Olde Witches themselves. Those creatures even adopted Luna Alphabet, a language very few witches and wizards could read nowadays, as their very own native tongue."

"Their native tongue?", Akko repeated in disbelief.

"It is the first language Pomokai Holoholonas picked from Nine Olde Witches themselves, after all", Sucy nodded matter-of-factly.

The Manbavaran flipped the next few pages of the old book until she stumbled upon the illustration of another banner. The banner in question had blue and white color scheme along with the Mark of Mistletoe at the center. "Then this Naglfar, the one who started Thapoli-Naglfar War. It's naturally fitting the cult called itself after the mythical ship of the same name from Norse Mythology and even designed its symbol after mistletoe dart Loki crafted specifically to kill Baldur since both are associated with their patron deities, the Jötnar."

"Jötnar? You mean, Norse giants?", Lotte wondered.

"Or trolls, ogres, orcs, blah blah blah... They're absolutely none of those", Sucy grimaced. "Some do resemble trolls since they barely related while others beast-like. However, I must tell you that, I repeat, Jötnar ARE deities as much as Gods of Asgard themselves albeit embodying primal and destructive aspects of nature. Though many were more placated than worshiped in the old days, they can gain power from tributes just fine. Even without their worshippers, Jötnar are still immensely powerful adversaries that you actually need the power of a god to at least stand a chance against them. A Mjölnir — Thor's Hammer — for example... "

"Or Shiny Rod?", Akko suggested. "Nine Olde Witches used it to seal the Grand Triskellion long ago as we know it but, that's not it all. Being the manifestation of Big Dipper itself, Shiny Rod's magic alone is so great that you can supposedly challenge the might of higher beings with it. Diana told me that when we studied together at her room on the other day."

"That's true but, you also said that staff already returned to the stars from where it came from. Isn't that ri — uh, Akko?", Lotte pointed out only to see the brunette abruptly walked away toward the nearby window, prompting the Finnish witch to share a glance with the similarly confused Sucy.

With a heavy sigh, Akko looked on the starry night sky on the outside which adorned by the brilliant full moon, though her gaze focused at the Big Dipper constellation — the very pattern seven orbs of Shiny Rod arranged after. Such constellation reminded her to the very legendary artifact that changed her and Ursula's lives along with the quest for both Seven Words of Arcturus and Grand Triskellion itself. She had long come to terms with Shiny Rod's departure given that it already completed its purpose on Midgard, yet there was still a pang in her chest when she remembered the staff. Her helplessness over the inability to aid the dying German the Heart that late afternoon only served as the harsh reminder to that fact.

*If I still have Shiny Rod with me, he didn't have to die, did he?*, Akko thought sadly.

=ᚢᛁᛐᛍᚼᛂᛌ ᚮᚠ ᛘᛁᛑᚵᛆᚱᛑ=

"Priest rank... That explained why Asger the Swift had some difficulties against those two, more so since one of them happened to be a deceased veteran acolyte revived with some form of necromancy... "

"Necromancy? Does that — urgh, what's this horrid smell? It's like... "

"Death? The downside of being revived with magic from Helheim... which mattered little so long I have a second chance to ensure our patron deities' dominion over this realm and beyond."

Diana and Mr. Castellanos found themselves confronting two acolytes of Naglfar right during the former's conversation with Headmistress Holbrooke through her earring-like communication device. The Cavendish could tell their ranks and patron Jötunn through their apparel; a fur hood adorned with deer skull bearing blood-red markings in addition of Algiz (ᛉ) rune carved on the forehead, green tunic with golden outline and mistletoe motifs on the hem and sleeves, brown belt with round buckler emblazoned with skull motif which left half missing carrying a pouch and black and grey seax in light brown sheath; and black and cyan boots. One of the acolytes, a tall young witch with blue eyes whose short black hair dyed in purple complete with strands framing her face, wore black leggings unlike her shorter, hunched cohort dark green trousers instead.

The female acolyte's cohort stood out more not just thanks to his pair of mismatched black and orange prosthetic arms which had icy blue meridians on them (the bulkier prosthesis replaced the entirety of his right arm whereas slimmer, nastier-looking one which claws more talon-like just elbow-down of the left), but also the fact that he was nothing more than a revived corpse whose tunic's bottom and left sleeve tattered presumably from whatever incident that killed him. His pants were tattered in similar fashion, exposing his skeletal left leg. His bald, bearded visage didn't look any better, as a gaping slash wound could be seen on his left cheek and his right eye had since decomposed to the point of nothing left but an empty eye socket. The sclera of his still-intact left eye blackened while its pupil shine in ominous purple — the same glow emanating from both his aforementioned eye socket and cheek wound.

"It seems those rumors are true. The latest Ice Sword Valkyrie Eir and one of two witches who revived Yggdrasil are the same person", the female acolyte smirked.

"And I believed I know why you are here, Naglfar acolytes", Diana addressed her enemies as she tightened her grip over her twinblade, correctly suspecting the duo to be up to no good.

"You'd better be more willing to follow our demands than that defiant sly deer, Cavendish!", the hunched acolyte barked. "Even in his last moments, he still managed to outwit us... "

"You killed German the Heart... ", Diana gasped, not believing what she just heard.

"That's right! My new obsidian arms are itching to kill more of those Wrath of Thor scums", the hunched acolyte boasted as he showcased his prostheses. "And looks like my next target of vengeance has just arrived."

In a quick motion, the hunched acolyte procured what appeared to be a triangular object from his belt pouch and raised it defensively. The object flew few centimeters from his grip and generated a transparent, circular neon orange round shield around it in time to deflect an incoming barrage of sharp projectiles aimed at its owner. Turning around for the source of the attack, the startled Diana and Mr. Castellanos saw it being none other than Asger the Swift himself, who emerged from branches of a nearby tree with unraveled metallic ribbons in both hands.

"Colborn... ", Asger addressed the hunched acolyte coldly before violently whipping his metallic ribbons, rearranging them into a number of floating knives trained at the hunched acolyte in a flash of emerald light before instructed the heiress and Luna Nova's minotaur custodian, "You two, don't get in the way."

"U-understood!", Diana nodded.

Even though they were allies in the fight against Naglfar, Diana had always unsettled by Asger's grim disposition. But the look upon his face as he addressed the hunched acolyte, Colborn, along with his recent display of brutality (the squirrel-like Pomokai Holoholona's projectiles would've pierced through his skull had he not fast enough) were as terrible as it being uncharacteristic for the member of a pacifistic race; from what the Cavendish read about them, Pomokai Holoholonas of Hoddmimi's Holt had strict principles to use aggression only as the last resort and keep their emotions in check so as not to be blinded by the feelings of rage and hatred. Yet it appeared Asger didn't follow such things as not only he attacked first, but the feeling the squirrel-like Pomokai Holoholona emitted as he demanded her and Mr. Castellanos not to deter him and about to continue his assault on the hunched acolyte also made her skin crawl.

The others were similarly affected by Asger's ominous aura. The female acolyte's left hand was shaking and she had to use her right hand to stop it. Both Mr. Castellanos and Colborn tensed up to the point of neither of them were able to move, though the latter eventually composed himself with great effort and growled, "Something's wrong with you, Wrath of Thor. Really, your kind's devil champion was the only one who could emit such lust for bloodshed. I don't know whether you and that champion are one and the same but, letting you around will be a terrible mistake!"

Holding his triangular magic item with both hands, Colborn dispelled its barrier before conjured an intense blast of fire which melted Asger's next volley of knives before they could reach him. Raising his left hand that held the magic item, he summoned three boulders which burst from the ground beneath them. The heat that radiated from the boulders along with glowing cracks all over their surfaces indicated them being extracted straight from the lowest layer of magic realm's crust.

"Priest Colborn, what are you doing?!", the female acolyte hollered as her undead cohort hurled his summoned projectiles at his opponent and charged.

Evading first two projectiles by leaping about, Asger cleft the last one with an enchanted sword formed out of metallic ribbon in his disposal. Before he could retaliate however, Colborn unexpectedly grew in size while both being engulfed in purple aura and literally launching his similarly enlarged clenched fist at the squirrel-like Pomokai Holoholona like a cannon ball, prompting the latter to raise his weapon in defensive position and simultaneously conjured a barrier for a good measure. Unfortunately for him, the attack proved too much for his defenses as not only the launched fist broke through both the barrier and the sword as if they were nothing, but also violently sent him flying backwards. The hunched acolyte shrunk back to normal in a flash of purple light afterward, as was his launched right fist which he immediately reeled back to its stump with what appeared to be chains made of solid, icy blue energy.

"Go get those Bracelets, Priestess Turid. I'll keep that vermin busy for as long as I can!", Colborn exclaimed before rushing toward his downed opponent.

"And letting you squander your second chance?", the female acolyte, Turid, argued indignantly.

A sudden flash of green light accompanied by a loud bang nearby interrupted Turid before she could argue with Colborn further. To her dismay and frustration, she discovered it to be the result of Diana conjuring a horse-sized wolf made of stone for her and Mr. Castellanos to swiftly (and hastily) flee the scene with. Her undead cohort and the squirrel-like Pomokai Holoholona on the other hand, already brought their fight to other parts of the woods.

"Fine. If you die here, our Goddess won't forgive you for your foolishness", Turid sighed before chasing the Cavendish and Luna Nova's minotaur custodian.

=ᚢᛁᛐᛍᚼᛂᛌ ᚮᚠ ᛘᛁᛑᚵᛆᚱᛑ=

"What the? What just happened?"

A moment earlier, Mr. Castellanos got paralyzed in fear upon Asger's dreadful presence. In the next, he and the heiress were riding a majestic-looking wolf golem which galloped through the trees at high speed.

"I conjured a mount with Ehwaz (ᛖ) Rune Stone for our quick retreat!", Diana explained before musing grimly, "To think that two Naglfar acolytes of priest rank managed to enter Luna Nova grounds and one of them, German the Heart's killer, has been revived as a draugr judging from his state of being and curious manner he enlarged himself... It's clear our situation is far worse than we expected to be."

"Draugr?", Mr. Castellanos parroted.

"Scandinavian sagas mentioned about undead warriors who rose from their grave to either guard treasures buried with them or worse, terrorize the living. These undead beings, draugar, are similar to revenants for retaining their memories and personality instead of reduced into some 'mindless brain-eating zombies'", Diana explained. "Majorities of them were unpleasant and greedy people in life, though ones which motivated by vengeance against those who wronged them back when they were alive do exist. What further set draugar apart from revenants in addition of being stronger than their appearance suggested is the fact that they gained Trollskap Magic — a type of magic attainable through such unholy state of existence — upon resurrection, effectively making them more dangerous. Even the most capable of heroes, magic users and mundanes alike, had a hard time in putting them back to rest."

"Then, what are that squirrel's chances?", Mr. Castellanos asked.

"Assuming that acolyte was resurrected quite recently and therefore has yet to fully master his new undead powers, it's possible for Asger the Swift to win against him", Holbrooke's voice rang through Diana's earring-like communication device.

"My apologies, Headmistress! I almost forgot that we are still connected", the heiress hastily replied while holding the device.

"There's no need to apologize, Miss Cavendish. Neither of us expected things would escalate this quickly", Holbrooke reassured. "For now, both of you need to regroup with the others so you can assist Asger the Swift together."

"That's what I intended to. I'm not sure about his female cohort on the other hand but, I have a feeling that she is just as formidable given to her rank", Diana agreed.

"It would be even better if we regroup at OUR position. Look!", Mr. Castellanos grimaced, pointing at their right in alarm.

Turning at said direction, Diana couldn't believe her eyes. The female acolyte was flying after them without a magic broom carrying her and her whole body — her left hand in particular — shone in icy blue for some reasons... Then the heiress realized Turid propelled herself to the air with aid of swirling cold mist she conjured via. triangular artifact not unlike Colborn's on her left hand.

"Using frost element channeled through Talisman of Three Elements on her hand in order to fly like that is decidedly not a minor feat", Diana commented on their enemy's curious means of transportation.

"Not a minor feat?", Mr. Castellanos parroted, confused by what the heiress meant.

"The magic discipline she and her draugr cohort demonstrated, The Way of Three Elements, is reputed to be so tempestuous it puts the skills of even a gifted magic user who attempted to master the craft into a test. The challenge to do so matched only by benefits the magic discipline provides", Holbrooke explained.

"I'm sorry but, I'm afraid I won't let you leave without following our demands", Turid smirked before waving her Talisman of Three Elements, materializing three floating javelins made of solid ice she promptly hurled at the heiress and Luna Nova's minotaur custodian one by one.

Swinging her twinblade upward, Diana conjured a barrier of magic energy around herself and Mr. Castellanos and willed their shared ride to perform evasive maneuvers at the same time. The first projectile missed the duo and their summoned steed while another got deflected by the barrier, fracturing it and allowing the last to pierce through. Turid's third ice javelin skewered the wolf golem's neck, startling its rider and her occupant. To make matter worse, a layer of ice began to spread from where the projectile found its mark.

"Jump!", Diana exclaimed.

Luna Nova's minotaur custodian didn't have to be told twice to bail out of their shared ride alongside the heiress. Rolling through the ground, Mr. Castellanos and Diana watched as the wolf golem eventually froze mid-air and crashed onto a tree in front of it. Their crippled steed then reduced into a smoking, smoldering rock in a burst of green magic before disintegrating completely, much to their dismay.

Looking at what remained of their shared ride, then the main building of Luna Nova not far ahead, the two realized they had no choice but to fight their pursuer lest they put the well-being of everyone back in the academy into the risk.

"Seems that we had to fight her, after all", Diana concluded grimly as Turid gracefully descended in front of them with the swirling frost she flew and hover around with dissipated under her mental command.

"And not to let her reach the main building", Mr. Castellanos agreed before readying his gauntlet.

As Diana raised her weapon in a combat stance, Holbrooke warned the heiress and Luna Nova's minotaur custodian through the former's earring-like communication device, "Be careful, you two! We don't know what she truly capable of."

"Understood. Inform the others to reach our position as soon as possible. In that meantime, we'll do our best to keep her busy", Diana nodded before signing out with a single rub on the earring.

Swiping her Talisman of Three Elements once again, Turid conjured a twinblade of her own made of magically reinforced solid ice which she grasped with her free hand. Unlike Diana's which actually a pair of identical short swords combined at the pommel, Turid's weapon consisted of a cylindrical handle with a pair of diamond-shaped blades each on its top and bottom, giving it a striking resemblance to twinblades utilized by some Wild Hunters during the previous year's Wild Hunt event.

"I'm giving you once chance to save your pathetic school, Cavendish. Tell your teachers to hand over the package they received from Sword of Laeradr's emissary this afternoon", Turid demanded.

"You know it's not something that I can do", Diana responded.

"Then, I'll just have to search the whole place myself. Or perhaps I beat you into a pulp and use you as my hostage to negotiate with them instead? Neither of those old hags can bear the loss of their precious top student, can't they?", Turid smirked. "Oh, and I also brought something for that cow to play with."

"WHO DID YOU CALL A —", Mr. Castellanos thundered upon such insult before being interrupted by a loud roar — one that sounded not unlike a bull's hoarse bellow — accompanied by loud flapping noises from behind him, prompting him to turn around in time to intercept a huge Farbjodr who attempted to tackle him.

Unlike the ones Luna Nova's minotaur custodian and the heiress vanquished earlier, this particular insectoid creature was as large as the former, sporting primarily dark brown and grey color scheme with vermilion wings, bulky carapace with proportionately robust main legs where the front-most pair encased in gauntlet-like armor plating made of hardened lava, a bovine-looking head complete with a pair of curved large horns and smaller lower jaw protrusions, and a proportionally huge back apparatus grafted on its back.

"Gah! What the hell is this thing?!", Mr. Castellanos yelped incredulously, disturbed by the creature's appearance as they engaged in a contest of strength.

"It's you and me, Cavendish", Turid exclaimed while twirling her ice twinblade a bit before assuming a combat stance of her own.

With her only backup got occupied by his own fight, Diana knew it's up to her not to let her enemy from reaching the three Valkyrie Bracelets and their unexpected heirs.

=ᚢᛁᛐᛍᚼᛂᛌ ᚮᚠ ᛘᛁᛑᚵᛆᚱᛑ=

"It's about time they broaden our school's menu. Wished they did it sooner."

To cheer up their friend a bit, Lotte and Sucy brought Akko to the academy's cafeteria since the dinner time was already around the corner and that there were recent additions in its menu as of late. Among them were venison & ratatouille, breaded fish fillets, meat stew, fish soup, seafood buffet, and forest barbecue. There was also special hotdog consisted of a round bun filled with a deer sausage, lettuce, a slice of a hard-boiled egg, cucumber slices, shredded cabbage, bits of radish sprouts, and mayonnaise. This change pleased Akko greatly considering she already tired with potato-based dishes which dominated the cafeteria's menu throughout her previous year.

The Japanese witch filled her plate with some seafoods whereas Lotte and Sucy fish soup and forest barbecue respectively. As they helped themselves with their meals, Akko noticed Blue Team entering the cafeteria with Diana missing from the group. Remembering their conversation with Asger and Ursula at the latter's office earlier, Akko wondered whether her absence had something to do with their current predicament.

"Do you guys think Diana knows something about Valkyrie Bracelets in our hands? I just remembered the headmistress mentioned that she will join the meeting in her office alongside Professor Ursula and Asger or something", Akko hissed.

"And the reason why German the Heart brought those Bracelets to our school? Who knows?", Lotte shrugged. Sucy on the other hand, remained silent, visibly in deep thought.

Not wanting to dwell on such matter too much, Akko continued munching her chopped squid when loud explosions sounded from the outside. Some students stopped eating and went to nearby windows to see the cause of such commotion, prompting the brunette to do the same while the uncertain Lotte and Sucy remained at their table.

"What was that?", Lotte wondered.

Peering through one of cafeteria windows, Akko saw flashes of magenta light which somehow caused some trees to fell on the distance along with bright green and bluish white explosions. That was when she and her fellow students noticed what appeared to be a blue and emerald object flying toward them, alarming the brunette that she yelled, "Everyone incoming!"

The blue and emerald object crashed into the cafeteria window they peered through with a force not unlike a cannon ball, plowing through several unfortunate tables and chairs in its path splashing whatever previously placed on them to the floor. Akko and her fellow students managed to scramble out of the way at the last moments, which was a good thing as what remained of the same window got reduced into perfectly cut pieces by flashes of magenta light that followed soon after.

The cafeteria was silent for a moment, and then everyone flew into a wild panic, screaming and running.

As Lotte and Sucy helped her on her feet and siren blared all over the academy, Akko looked up and saw the perpetrator of the mayhem — Turid — entering the cafeteria while being suspended by four octopus-like tentacles made of solid magenta energy manifesting from her lower back, each sporting two rows of suckers and a single curved blade on the tip. The manner she moved around with them before gently descending to the floor was unusually rigid, almost spider-like because she crawled on her tentacle tips, along with her eyes that glow in the same color as her bladed tentacles, further establishing her already menacing presence.

Closing in for the crash site, the female acolyte raised her energy tentacles defensively when a French student whose pompadour golden blonde hair ruined by her own splashed dinner angrily (and unwisely) confronted her with a wand drawn, "Hey, *spectacle de monstres*! What is the meaning of this?"

"Are you addressing me?", Turid replied disdainfully — a reaction contrasted Akko and Lotte's who watched the scene with their jaw dropped.

"Yeah! Do you *sac à merde* have any idea how much hair gel I had to spend for this?", the French student, Chloé, ranted as she gestured at her now ruined hair.

With an indignant (and exaggerated) eye roll, the female acolyte spewed forth a jet of black slimy, ink-like substance at the angry French student in a swiping motion. The stream knocked Chloé's wand off her grip and soaked her face, adding an insult to the injury.

"Don't worry about my sticky ink blast. It is not poisonous anyway", Turid sneered to the French student just as her roommates Elfriede — a student with dark grey hair — and Sarah — a tall student with red hair — showed up to drag their snobbish friend to the safety.

"*Mikä idiootti*. That tentacled freak could've chopped her into pile of minced meat", Lotte bummed.

Just then, the three friends noticed whatever crashed into the cafeteria earlier emerged from the rubble with a groan, revealing itself to be a blonde witch clad in a battered ornate blue and silver suit of armor. Said armor curiously resembled blessed robes Akko and co. wore as preparation to stop Noir Missile back then albeit with additional features in form of black gloves whose fingers ended with white talons, a black bodysuit underneath the tunic, and blue and silver armor plating with emerald meridian lines unlike German the Heart's armor consisted of a helmet with visor concealing her eyes underneath the witch hat, a pair of shoulder pads, four-piece breastplate with glowing yellow orb above the center, a pair of three-piece tassets suspended by the belt around the hips, a pair of greaves and sabatons encasing the pointy boots, and a pair of bird wing-like ornaments adorning ankles and witch hat. On her back were a pair of trailing blue ribbons, a pair of stumpy mechanical appendage, and what appeared to be a triangular ventilation grill. Lastly, on her witch hat was a circular symbol with golden outline and matching four-pointed star at the center which curiously resembled the one on three Valkyrie Bracelets in Akko, Lotte, and Sucy's possession.

The armored witch hoisted herself up with her twinblade for the support only for Turid forced her back to her knees by stabbing her abdomen and shoulder with two of her bladed tentacles. The three friends gasped dramatically upon such display of violence as she screamed in pain but, the next thing that happened shook the red team to the core. Almost without warning, the blonde witch's armor disengaged in a flash of bright green light with its parts sucked into a portal above her, both leaving nothing but her black and grey apparel and revealing her identity to them.

"Diana... ", Akko whispered, unable to believe what just transpired before their very eyes.

"No way!", Lotte added.

"That explained why the cabbage head joined Professor Ursula and Thane Asger's meeting at the headmistress' office tonight. She is one of them. The Valkyries... ", Sucy muttered.

If their situation was not so chaotic, Akko would bombard Luna Nova's top student and her fellow Shiny Chariot fan with lots of questions. But the sight of injured Diana who defiantly glared at the female acolyte made the image of the dying German the Heart flashed in her head. Not wanting the person who have become her best friend in the past few months ended up suffering the same fate as his, Akko chose to do something she admitted to be both very brave and very stupid.

"Akko!", Lotte yelped upon seeing the Japanese witch-in-training rushed toward Diana with her wand whipped out.

"*Metamorphie Fociesse!*"

In a puff of smoke, Akko turned into an orange elephant with large wings for ears before taking off to the air and snatching the heiress with her trunk just in time before the female acolyte could attack her again.

"Diana, are you okay?", Akko asked urgently.

The heiress was startled by the brunette's unexpected interference that she asked back, "Akko, what in the Nines are you doing here?!"

"You won't get away!", Turid exclaimed before hurling her twinblade at them.

The weapon grazed both Akko's left wing and foreleg slightly, more than enough to make her lose control over her flight. Seeing that they were about to burst through another of the cafeteria's window and crash-land on the outside as the result, the two braced for impact with the winged elephant shielded the heiress with her own Volkswagen Beetle-sized body. Plowing through the grass, Akko involuntarily changed back to her human form in a puff of smoke while the groaning Diana laid beside her.

Bad luck was still on Akko's side as despite relatively unharmed apart from small cuts and bruises, the brunette's left sleeve torn badly to the point of exposing her Valkyrie Bracelet underneath, much to the female acolyte's shock.

"One of those Bracelets have chosen a new heir! The others must have found theirs at this point", Turid exclaimed, visibly less than thrilled by the revelation.

"Ow ow ow...", Akko groaned, unsteadily pushing herself up her feet before noticing the already standing up Diana looking at her intently. "I know I know what I did was reckless and stupid but, you looked like you need help."

"Of course, you shouldn't. But I appreciated why you did that", Diana responded with a faint smile, before uneasily glancing at the approaching female acolyte. "As the matter of fact, I urgently need all the help I can get to stop her."

Akko was about to say something when Diana unexpectedly answered her thoughts, "Being good at everything doesn't guarantee that you won't make mistakes, let alone able to handle everything by yourself."

The Japanese witch-in-training thought quietly about what the heiress just said, which admittedly based on the latter's own experience. Everyone always praised Diana for being a prodigy and heir to the very magical family descended from Beatrix Cavendish herself, but no one ever took into consideration that she was still a struggling human beneath and therefore far from perfect. In fact, she once mistook Pappiliodya chrysalises which infested Jennifer Memorial Tree as harmful parasites and even underestimated the gravity of her family's succession crisis back then. Not to mention her uneventful childhood because of her parents' untimely passing and being the only one among her family members who took their legacy seriously, hence her motivation to become the best of the best and forced to grow up fast in the process. Fortunately, Akko's arrival into her life helped her realizing her flaws and with it, becoming the better person than she used to be.

Akko's reverie soon broken by Diana's comment upon noticing the red Valkyrie Bracelet on her left wrist, "It's no surprise Kara chose you, Akko."

"Pardon?", Akko asked.

"Kara the Blazing Flame Valkyrie. It is the title of the Valkyrie who wore the red Bracelet on your arm", Diana explained. "Now, prepare yourself. The acolyte in front of us might have other nasty surprises up her sleeve. Let me guide you in summoning your Armor."

=ᚢᛁᛐᛍᚼᛂᛌ ᚮᚠ ᛘᛁᛑᚵᛆᚱᛑ=

**Author's Note: I always knew Diana embodies All-Rounder archetype (a versatile character who not best in any field yet has no weaknesses at the same time) since she is remarkable at everything as we know it. But of course, she is by no means a Mary Sue since she still makes mistakes at times, be overpowered/outperformed by rivals and/or enemies alike, and awkward on certain things more than she let on, both in this fic and canon. I had her overpowered by Turid and subsequently enlisted Akko's assistance in dealing their common adversary to cement that point and importantly, as the warning that Akko and co. are seriously going to face threats worse than Noir Rod.**

**Regarding the scene where Chloé got humiliated by Turid twice (first as part of collateral damage resulted from the latter's fight against Diana and the next being deliberate) along with Lotte's sardonic remark in the same scene which involved cursing in Finnish, it was meant to be sort of therapeutic writing I desperately needed after being unsettled by Chloé's portrayal as a bully who tormented Lotte to the point of developing PTSD in Pvt\_Winters' *Atsuko Kagari and the School For Witches*. No, it's not that I don't like Pvt\_Winters' take on the character in their aforementioned fic nor this had something to do with their controversial Dianakko Week entry back in 2020. I was certainly intrigued by their fan remake of *Little Witch Academia* series as well as their other works in AO3 despite admittedly, well, for a lack of better word, taken aback by their resentment toward DiAkko ship which sadly once got out of hand leading to controversy in question, their belief of Diana being a Mary Sue even though such assumption was never a case to begin with, among other things. Despite everything, his Little Witch Academia fics, *Atsuko Kagari and the School For Witches* in particular, worth reading.**

**There will be more actions in the next chapter so, stay tune! Oh, and by the time I posted this chapter, I made another minor revision on the previous chapter a bit and hopefully, it was the last.**

**All comments and feedbacks are greatly appreciated!**