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"It's more satisfying to hear a single 'thank you' than a lot of 'sorry's."
— Emilia, (Re: Zero)
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<(Atem POV)>
"Almost a hundred thousand angels? That's a lot more than I expected. Although it is nothing special compared to the number of Asgardians I saw back in Asgard, however, considering the fact that an average angel is as strong as an average Asgardian if not stronger, and also since every angel is more or less a trained warrior, I would say that this new force is easily one of the most dangerous in the entirety of the ten realms." I muttered while lightly panting as I finished using my newest ability to strengthen the souls of the last batch of thousand angels. 'Oof, I am famished... Strangely, this feeling... it's almost like I have been doing heavy workouts for days. I guess that's the limit of my new Astral manipulation ability. I can only heal the souls of a thousand angels at a time.' I mused to myself.
"You look concerned for some reason, Atem. Is everything okay? You have been working too hard for the past week. Maybe it's time, you take some rest. You have already proved to us that you are a man of your word by following through with most of your promises. But that doesn't mean you need to achieve everything you have promised within a week. Also, you are a god to these angels now Atem, you can't afford to show weakness in front of them." Michelle, the Queen of the Angels who was sitting on her throne right beside me expressed her concern in a whisper so that none of the other angels could hear her before placing her hand on my shoulder.
"Hmm? I am okay, Michelle. I am just worried about what's happening back at home. I just hope that the time difference between the realms isn't too much, otherwise, I would be in for a really bad surprise." I responded after a few moments as I let out a frustrated exhale. "Also, just this much use of my power isn't enough to weaken me. Even in this condition, I can easily defeat every angel here."
Anyway, I had a feeling that this sense of frustration wouldn't last for long as I could feel a familiar connection getting stronger by the minute, a connection that was doing her best to approach me by piercing the fabric of reality, space, and time itself. "She really has a sense of timing, doesn't she?" I grinned while looking above as a small red hole appeared in the sky above the palace before it started increasing in size until the small marble-sized hole finally became a gargantuan pit that seemed to connect to a tunnel somewhere.
"W-what is that?" Michelle wondered out loud as she and the rest of the angels struggled to even comprehend what was going on.
"That darling is our exit out of here. I promised that I would free all of you from this prison, didn't I? Well, I now have." I responded as I stared at a small cube exiting the pit and flying straight towards me.
"Master, I have found you. I have been looking for you for so much time. We can finally return home." Zoya yelled in joy as she circled me like a dog meeting its master after a long time.
"Zoya, nice to see you again. It seems you have missed me just like I have missed you." I smiled at the flying mother box while ignoring the curious gazes of the other angels in the throne room including even the Queen's. "But before you say anything else, I need to know how long it has been on Earth since I was... trapped in this realm. I haven't been up here for years or centuries, have I because that would be really bad?" I asked, almost afraid of hearing the answer to my own question.
"No, it has just been a week. I think the metaphysical connection that I have with you as well as the fact that I have been trying to open a hush tube to this place for the entirety of the last week forced the time zones of the two dimensions to coincide and remain the same." Zoya informed. "Oh, and I also have some good news. I was able to complete the task you gave me. While you were fighting Odin, I was able to analyze the Yggdrasill and the Bifrost bridge connected to it. Now, I finally have the coordinates to all the nine realms including even Hel in Niffleheim. Honestly, I would have reached this place a lot sooner if it were still connected with the World Tree but unfortunately, Odin had separated this realm from the tree a long time ago."
"That's good." I could not help but release an exhale of relief. "Now all we have to do is just go back home and crush that one-eyed hypocritic son of a bitch." I muttered to myself. "But I think I have a much better way of taking revenge against him than just beating him into a pulp and that includes following my previous plan of getting to his daughter first. In fact, now that I think about it, Odin just technically made it easier for me to achieve my goals. Now, not only have I access to the coordinates of all the nine realms like I had initially planned but also an army of angels and the All-Father's second daughter under my command."
This entire thing with Odin was technically a blessing in disguise.
"My lord, we are all happy that you have finally figured out a way out of here to the other realms but now that we have got healthy souls, we no longer crave war and violence like we once did. We are not the same greedy and selfish creatures we once were. No doubt that we still have a long way to go when it comes to improving ourselves, but we now realize that Heven is not just our prison but also our home. We will gladly follow you into war and we still do want to take revenge against the All-Father for what he did to us, but we do not wish to conquer everything in all the realms like we once did." Michelle voiced her worries with a hint of concern on her face.
"Don't worry, I get it, Michelle. I am not crazy to just declare war on every civilization I come across and I won't force any of you to fight constantly until you die. I value both your loyalty and your lives, and I won't take advantage of you all just because I can." I replied, understanding what she was concerned about. "I myself don't like wars too much and I try my best to avoid them but if a war ever does happen, I will be one winning." I grinned, my face brimming with confidence. "Anyway, it's not like I am going straight to Asgard to have a rematch with Odin again. My last battle with the All-father has made me realize that I need to be a lot stronger than I am now. And I also need strong allies and subordinates to fight on my behalf. So, it's time I finish forming my pantheon."
"Wait, you aren't going to THAT woman, are you? Believe me, she might not be stronger than Odin, but she is a lot more dangerous and absolutely unpredictable. If Odin and that woman were still on good terms when we tried to wage a war against Asgard, we would have been completely wiped out instead of just being banished and trapped here." The Queen of the Angels gulped before continuing, "Maybe you should take Angela with you. Considering the fact that the woman had seen Angela as a baby before, there is a chance that she will be more inclined to hear you out before trying to kill you both. And since Angela has already sworn her loyalty to you after hearing your story and promised to do everything she can to help you get back at the All-Father, she won't say no to going with you. As a matter of fact, she might even be happy at being able to accompany you to meet her elder sister." She advised.
"That's honestly good advice but I don't think I need her help. There are some things that a man has to do himself and facing off against his elder sister is one of them. I'll beat my goth of a sister to a pulp if need be, but I will definitely make her see how Odin and I are completely different." I chuckled. After all, she might have some family issues but so do I and additionally, it's a brother's duty to take care of his sisters, right?
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