https://youtu.be/w3r4MEjA21I

Under Freya's guidance, Oz landed in a burst of lightning, as was the norm for him, and as he got up, bowing from Freya's applause, he gazed at the area he'd found himself in. As things stood, he was in the middle of a path that had split into a pair of crossed roads, surrounded by a field of green grass and small, wild beasts - horses, cows and sheep, making nary a sound as they fed under the blue sky.

Right in front of Oz, where the road split, there was a wooden sign that seemed in rather poor condition. Despite its make, it was covered in moss, and seemed more green than brown. It had two arrows pointing in the rough direction of the two paths - on the left, there was 'Cynrio', and on the right, 'Eadred'.

"And so, we arrive." the einherjar sighed, stretching his arms over his head as he stared at the sign, gaze alternating between the two arrows. "I await your guidance, Freya. I do not currently know which of these settlements Anwin has taken residence in."

"You make it sound like he lives there - which I'm pretty sure he doesn't." Freya commented in return. "Now, you're going to have to make a choice here. At Cynrio, a church is in the process of burning down. At Eadred, there's a massacre."

"The burning church sounds like a very Anwin thing to do..." Oz murmured, before shaking his head, looking to his right. "However, I-"

"Now, I know what you're going to say. 'I cannot ignore the massacre', right?" Freya interrupted, putting on a brief imitation of Oz's voice as he cleared his throat. She was almost spot-on - he was going to say 'that' instead of 'the', but, eh.

"Ever the mind-reader, Freya." Oz sighed, placing a hand on his head and frowning ever so slightly. "I suppose, then, that you have a fiery rebuttal that'll leave me thinking myself a fool for not having considered it?"

Freya giggled quietly at that, before suddenly turning more serious, her voice lowering as she said, "Do you trust me?"

"...I do?" Oz replied, unsure where she was going with this. "Are you about to challenge that, Freya?"

"I hope not. But what I'm about to say may seem...questionable." Freya cleared her throat. "Go to Cynrio, and just...be yourself. I've got things covered."

"Oh? What will you be doing?"

"Come now, can't a girl have her secrets?" Freya replied, and Oz just knew her words were accompanied with a coquettish wink. "I'll make sure something is done about the massacre. I have my ways."

"...well, then." Oz took a deep breath, nodding slowly as he turned to his left, beginning down the path to Cynrio. "I'll trust you."

Freya smiled as she looked into the crystal ball, knowing exactly what may transpire - not because of seidr or anything. Just call it...a woman's intuition.

.........

Compared to Peuma, the town of Cynrio was somewhat more developed, and the damage less severe. With sturdy stones making up the ground, its houses polished and carved from sleek white foundations, it did indeed seem like a nice place to live in. And as he entered, it did seem like the majority of the town had been left untouched. If not for the smoke cloud billowing closer to the centre, Oz wouldn't even know the Angels had been here.

He smiled, placing a hand on his heart and gesturing widely to the town. "Welcome to the town of Cynrio! Known for its craftsmanship and exports of coffee and stones for your every stony need, it truly is a cornerstone of Midgard's society!"

He held his pose for a little while and looked up, as if waiting for a response. One that did not come. He'd been expecting some kind of snarky remark from Freya, but now that he was paying attention, he didn't even feel her presence. So she'd left him after all. But that wasn't so bad, right? She must've been busy doing whatever she was up to in Eadred instead. So this was a good thing!

https://youtu.be/cl0_cp40QMA

Sighing, he snapped his fingers, his mask appearing over his face as he began to progress with its manufactured smile, though his movements were much less animated and more focused. He remained quiet, bowing his head as he quickly made his way to the church. If there was a silver lining here, it was that it was Anwin he was about to face down - not someone like Svafrlami. And this church wasn't in Muspelheim, so he was safe, he thought.

He took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves, telling himself to cast his feelings aside. Even if he had no audience right now, he was Oz Abendroth. He was the Comic Mask. He was the one who was going to save the day, even if his sworn brother was the one in the way of that. And maybe he could save him, too, and things could be like the good old days. Wouldn't that be heavenly?

A smile crept onto his real face at the thought of that, but it faded away as he looked at the rising smoke and remembered the reality of their situation. He had to stay focused. Things would turn out fine if he played his cards right, but right now, they were going to shit. For more people than himself and Anwin, to boot. Right now, they were what mattered. He was their hero.

The smell of burning wood and stones filled his nostrils as he drew nearer, and he could feel the heat and sheer blasphemy in the air. He stopped his advance as he stood in front of the church, with multiple cackling clowns gathered around the building holding flaming torches and spewing flamethrowers. The building itself stood tall - for now, anyway. It was once white like the rest of the town, but the flames licking it threatened to darken its hue. The door was open, and inside, he could see the interior was a positive inferno. But not a single scream. He hoped that meant everyone had successfully evacuated.

Standing in front of the open flame was Anwin, who stood with his back to Oz, waving a conductor's stick made of pure, flickering fire. At a glance, the einherjar made out what each movement was meant to signify, but while mentally commenting on how well-choreographed it was, he knew he had to put a stop to it. Twirling his gun, he fired a magic bullet at the stick, knocking it out of Anwin's hands and immediately pausing the assault as the ifrit turned around to face the masked gunman standing in front of him.

Though surprised, the clown-faced Anwin quickly composed himself, smiling a little as he clapped his hands together. "Alright, everyone, that's a wrap! You can go home!"

"But what of you, ringmaster?"

"I said go, dammit. I'll handle this guy." Anwin sighed wearily, pointing at Oz, who opted to remain silent for now. The clowns began to look at each other strangely, seeming to feel odd about this request. Maybe he could lend his buddy a helping hand, thought Oz.

"Can a man not confront his arch-rival in peace?" he exclaimed, posing grandly. "The grand duel to decide who comes out on top between the circus and the theatre should be done in privacy, no?"

"...exactly!" Anwin agreed, catching on quickly. "Don't you guys have any respect for narrative convention? This could be the final boss, for all we know."

The clowns nodded at that, muttering among themselves as they put their weapons away and fleeing the area, Oz not lifting a finger to stop them as he and Anwin faced one another. A wave of the ifrit's hand and the furnace within the church disappeared, leaving a thick cloud of smoke to slowly seep out as he gazed upon him with a smile. "'Sup?"

"We meet again, Anwin von Brandt." Oz replied, taking a bow while keeping his mask on. "Engaging in some mass destruction?"

Anwin chuckled quietly, his hands in his pockets. So they were doing this again? He wasn't about to lose, now. "What can I say? It's quite the testament to my convictions." he said, before raising his fist and grinning almost mischievously. "You see, fuck organised religion!"

"Holy smokes, Anwin!" Oz declared, his mouth agape beneath his mask. "Such language!"

"What's wrong?" Anwin raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly. "Scared of a man who expresses himself without hiding behind a mask?"

Oz placed a hand on his heart in mock astonishment. "This mask is my altar ego, thank you!"

"And yet you can't even prophet from it." Anwin shrugged.

"Preaching to the choir, I'm afraid." Oz lamented, removing the mask and smiling sadly. "Back on topic, though...I have arrived to stop you."

"...figured as much." Anwin shrugged once again, putting his hands in his pockets. "You always did like playing with fire."

"As do you. I do hope you evacuated the people inside that cathedral beforehand." Oz frowned slightly, looking at the smouldering interior. "What do you stand to gain from such carnage? Such...bloodshed? Does this help you break the cycle?"

"It's not about the cycle, it's about sending a message." Anwin explained calmly, gesturing towards the church. "We, the Hel's Angels, will burn away your obsolete traditions and beliefs."

"And here I thought you were just indulging your hatred of religion." Oz sighed, prompting a chuckle from Anwin. Knowing what he did about him, it was increasingly less surprising that he'd joined an organisation dedicated to stopping the control that the heavens held.

"Well, that too." he said casually. "But enough about me. Let's talk about you."

"Who, me? Let's see, I'm an angel..." Oz began. "My favourite colour is green, my hobby is gardening and my mask was given to me by-"

"I know, man." Anwin rolled his eyes playfully. "You remember what I said last time we met?"

Oz closed his eyes, reflecting on the words spoken, and nodded quickly. "It was some delicious food for thought."

"Yeah, I'm an excellent cook." Anwin grinned slightly. "What'd you think? Let's say, hypothetically, you knew your fate, and it was just awful, I mean, literally the worst! What would you do?"

Unbeknownst to Anwin, that scenario was much less hypothetical than he thought, but Oz decided not to share the knowledge and stress him out with it, instead giving him a solemn nod. "I would do everything in my power to prevent it."

https://youtu.be/pcORQjSRzto

Hearing this, Anwin's smile grew only larger, satisfied with that response. "Really?"

"I understand what grievances you may have with the wyrd. I won't say that you're wrong." Oz bowed his head. "But I believe there must be a way to go about this that doesn't involve killing Odin."

"You had me, and then you lost me." Anwin sighed, a hand on his hip. "Odin himself is the problem. As long as he lives, the cycle will only continue."

"Wyrd notwithstanding, is he not a benevolent king?" Oz countered. "If he can be shown the error of his ways, I believe he can change for the better! Am I meant to accept that killing him is the only way?"

Anwin listened closely, crossing his arms as he considered Oz's viewpoint against Ragnar's, weighing the two up while Oz continued. "Tell me, Anwin. Do you believe that fate, as it stands, is infallible? Do you believe that such extremism is the only way?" he asked rhetorically. "I do not know for sure. But I want to put it to the test. If I could break the cycle, then wouldn't that mean nobody would have to die?"

"...I always thought I was the risk-taker between us. But this...I guess this is madness." Anwin said, a faint smile still on his face. "Gotta say, I'm impressed - with the audacity, mostly. Do you really think this'll work?"

"I can't say I'm certain. But if we both want to break the cycle...I'd rather risk my own life than everyone else's." Oz declared, the smile on Anwin's face fading as he remembered the lives that had been lost for this cause. How many had he snuffed out at this point? He couldn't say for sure, but...could he afford to falter right now?

"...a very 'Oz' response." he murmured, looking up at Oz and raising his hand as three daggers flew out of his jacket pockets. Now regarding his friend more seriously, he shook his head. "But you've already got the Angels hunting you down. I, for one, can't afford to come home without having at least tried to capture you. You really wanna create even more trouble for yourself?"

https://youtu.be/ICwnlNitmUw

"Need you even ask?" Oz said, putting his mask back on his face and creating a pair of light daggers in his hands. As he watched Anwin, he couldn't help but wonder what was going through his mind. "If you want to stop me, Anwin, then do it. Here and now."

Anwin's daggers slowly began to rotate around him as he looked at Oz, his hands spread out. "It's not even that I want to. But it's a fight or a pit of acid for me, so a clown's gotta do what a clown's gotta do."

"Then we fight!" Oz exclaimed, keeping an eye on the ifrit, who generated flames in his hands and poised himself to strike. "Onward..."

"To freedom!" they both declared in unison, and at once, the battle had begun.

Oz immediately opened fire, rapidly launching sacred bullets at Anwin, who leapt to the side with a twirl before firing all three daggers at him. Oz dodged with ease, but as they came back around to strike again, he closed his eyes and focused on the surroundings, moving out of the way. He was Oz Abendroth, and dodging blades was nothing to him!

While he was focused on that, Anwin snapped his fingers and began moving to an imagined rhythm, flames dancing around his feet before they took the shape of a troop of orange housecats before him. Creating a new conductor's stick, he pointed directly at Oz before retreating inside the church, so when the latter opened his eyes, he saw those familiar-looking cats sitting there with mouths agape.

Not going to be outdone, he assumed a runner's stance, legs crackling with lightning. The cats bellowed, a mewling sound piercing his ears as he felt a wave of heat travelling through the air. He immediately began rushing towards them, calling a blade to his hand. Before he could use it, however, the cats stopped screeching and began emitting great fireballs from their mouths. Unable to dodge, he took the hit head-on, but still he did not falter.

As the flames cleared away, he disappeared in a flash of light, reappearing behind the cats and driving his sabre through one of them. It disappeared, an explosion of smoke and embers filling its place, and the other two stood up straight, their hairs raised on end and catching fire.

One of them jumped up towards him, swiping him with claws of fire which he parried away with his sabre before pointing one of his guns at it and firing away point-blank. A couple of bullets later, and it vanished, blowing up into another smoke cloud right in Oz's face.

This was just the distraction the other needed. Having curled up into a ball, it spun around on the spot like a blue hedgehog as the flames around it intensified. Once Oz was blinded by the smoke, it took its chance and accelerated, ramming into his chest, clinging onto his jacket and leaping up. It launched a rising uppercut to his chin, then a double roundhouse to his face.

Once the shock of having the stuffing beaten out of him by a cat wore off, Oz took action, teleporting backwards and drawing both guns before opening fire from a distance, destroying the fiery cat in a shower of bullets. With that taken care of, he looked at the church entrance and ran towards it, knowing he'd meet Anwin there. He charged inside, noticing the utter lack of pews or anything holy as he entered, but right as he came in view, he saw Anwin standing behind the altar, clapping his hands together above his head. Immediately as he did that, a small stone idol depicting a hammer fell to the floor, shattering to pieces.

"Welcome, Oz, to this divine comedy!"

"...holy cow, Anwin."

Oz looked up and saw a most unusual sight: all of the seats, symbols and idols were floating in the air. Anwin began to rapidly clap his hands together, letting out a wicked laugh as one by one, the objects began to fall down. Oz made a run for it, guns in hand as he evaded the falling debris and took shots at Anwin, who created a flaming whip and got out from behind the altar to lash at Oz, hoping to impede his movement by cracking it at Oz's feet.

Oz leapt up at every whiplash, narrowly avoiding the debris in the meantime, but with each dodge, he could feel himself slipping. Right as he dodged a particularly large idol of Odin, he saw Anwin simply throw the whip at him, only for it to transform into the enormous head of a lion. It opened its mouth wide, and several cats made of fire swarmed out of it, hoping to overwhelm Oz. The einherjar watched them coming closer and snapped his fingers, pulling out a Berstan grenade and tossing it into the formation, forming a burst of green smoke.

Anwin, not seeing Oz leave the cloud of smoke, psychically hurled a swarm of debris into it. Statues, amulets, chairs, stones with runic patterns carved on them - today, they were all ammunition. Right as he did so, however, Oz appeared in front of him, having warped at the last second, and with a brass knuckle made of light, he drew back and punched him square in the jaw.

Anwin, startled, staggered backwards, and Oz, forming an identical knuckle on his other hand, lunged forth to deliver a rapid flurry of punches to his torso, green lightning slowly shrouding his arms. Anwin summoned two of his daggers to hand and parried Oz's fists away, at which point Oz reached forward and touched both blades with the tips of his fingers, discharging a massive surge of electricity that travelled through them and shocked Anwin's body. With Anwin startled by this, Oz grabbed onto his arm, sending forth a mass of lightning that extended like a serpent opening its fangs and bit down on him in a single, sharp strike.

Unable to take much more damage, Anwin crumpled to the floor, bowing his head in acceptance of his defeat and raising his hand. "Enough! I yield!"

Hearing those words, Oz wasted no time in ceasing his attack, smiling brightly and internally relishing his victory, only to stop as he remembered what might happen the next time he triumphed over Anwin in a church. Taking a deep breath, he smiled at his sworn brother nonetheless, extending a hand towards him. "Well, then...at this rate, you may have to call yourself 'An-lose', no?"

"Piss off." Anwin rolled his eyes, dusting his clothes off as he took Oz's hand, helping himself up and looking around. He knew none of his clowns had seen his failure, but even so, he couldn't help feeling troubled. He remembered Gardariki had his sights set specifically on Oz. Even after this battle...he couldn't just return empty-handed, could he? But he couldn't defeat Oz, either. Placing a hand on his hip, he sighed, shaking his head and beginning to walk away from the scene. "I guess this is it for now. Congrats on the win - I guess theatre was better, after all."

"Returning backstage, are you?"

"Pfft, no." Anwin replied, as though the very premise were inane. Shaking his head, he made the slow walk out from the premises. "I'm out. If you wanna go looking for me, check Muspelheim. I'll be there, maybe."

"Muspelheim?" Oz asked, once again harkening back to the prophecy with a troubled look on his face. "But...what are you even doing there?"

"Evil shit." Anwin replied with no emotion in his voice, turning back to Oz once he was outside and flashing him a peace sign. "Peace out, man."

"Anwin, wait-" Oz began, only to stop himself as Anwin turned out of view. He took a deep breath, wondering what business Anwin had there in the first place. He almost wanted to rush over there and find out himself, but he realised one thing: he had time. Time to plan his next move, and stop the Angels' attacks. Time that he now knew Anwin would give him, because he was all the way in Muspelheim.

So, at that, he put his mask back on, walking back out. He needed to make sure he was done saving lives, after all.