Angel Monarch-Chapter 524: The Proposal

"Come, sit," said Odin, while pulling out a chair at the packed dining table. "Let's eat while we discuss this proposal of yours!"

The Allfather sat near the middle of the long table. Bea and Sera seated themselves on the opposite side.

They all prepared to scoop some food onto their plates when Bea leaned in and sniffed at the meals. She came away coughing, her face flushing red for a moment, before returning to its usual greenish-tanned color.

"I suggest we skip the meal," said Bea, causing both Sera and Odin to glance at the food suspiciously. "It's pumped full of aphrodisiacs, and I don't think any of us are in the mood for an orgy."

Sera and Bea giggled, while Odin sighed with annoyance. He raised his right hand and snapped his fingers, activating hundreds of Runes carved into the dining table. All the plates of food and drinks suddenly disappeared without a trace, leaving the wooden surface barren.

"I'll skin that dumbass someday... Whatever, let's continue and just ignore everything that happened up until now!"

Both women nodded while trying to hold their laughter. The room was soon plunged into silence as the atmosphere turned serious.

They stared at each other with blank expressions until eventually Sera got bored and asked, "Would you like to help us destroy the other factions?"

"Well, you certainly don't jump around the subject," he said while his hand played with his long white beard. "Maybe, but first let me ask... why do you assume the Norse Pantheon will help you? Everyone else wants to kill and steal your power. Why do you think I'm any different?"

The two women glanced at each other, seemingly discussing something with their minds. After a few seconds, they turned back towards Odin with comfortable smiles.

"We aren't certain if you're different or not, but we've taken a few defensive measures... Let's just say that even though we're here, catching and killing us wouldn't be as simple as you believe." Said Bea and a moment later Sera took over the conversation.

"We don't trust you, but if you prove useful and willing to cooperate, then both of us could benefit... Tell me, Odin. What's your deepest desire? What's the reason for your life?"

The Allfather leaned back in his chair with a thoughtful expression. It seemed Sera's question intrigued him deeply, and he took a few seconds to answer.

"My goal is the same I had back in the Norse Revolutionary War... I want freedom!"

Odin's eyes turned reminiscent, but upon seeing both women's blank expressions, he chuckled and began telling a long story...

"The Norse Revolutionary War was how everyone referred to the time when the Northern Realms split. Our Realms' old structure supported a single ruling family who lived in luxury and cruelly controlled all Nine Realms. Every Empyrean was part of their family, so we regular folk had to suffer under them."

It was strange to hear Odin refer to himself as 'regular folk' since, while the ancient outlook wouldn't inspire danger, the Allfather was in fact an Ethereal.

"However, a few of the family members despised their relatives and, after a harsh argument, war broke out. The Empyreans themselves didn't fight, since that would cause the destruction of all Nine Realms...

"Instead, they sent their armies against each other, and made bets. The one with the most won bets would get control over the Northern Realms... We were basically entertainment for the family, used to settle their petty disputes."

This story made Sera recall something she had read about the now-destroyed Colosseum in Rome. Supposedly, the rich leaders of Ancient Rome made people fight each other for entertainment.

She wondered if there might've been a connection. Maybe the primordial deities brought that tradition over too. However, it was just as likely for humans to develop their own cruel killing sport... Nobody was a saint after all...

"Luckily, as time went on, the family became full of themselves. They began thinking they were above every other powerful race, and so when Aerin sent ambassadors, they kidnapped them. In the fighting arena, they used the ambassadors for entertainment, laughing and watching as each lost their lives while fighting."

As Odin told the story, a creepy grin stretched across his face...

"As you probably guessed, Aerin acted as a sort of police and judging force throughout the Realms. That's actually one of the main reasons they were destroyed... Either way, they sent an army of Heavenly Inquisitors, and... Let's just say the Nine Realms became the Seven Realms, and the cruel family was no more..."

Hestia told Sera about the Heavenly Inquisitors before. Supposedly, they worked in tandem with the Justiciars to eliminate entire rogue Realms and the most dangerous of threats. They were all powerful Celestials capable of holding their ground against weaker Empyreans.

"Then how did you end up in Dark Prism? You were a victim, so why did the Justiciars deem you a criminal?" asked Bea, causing the Allfather to chuckle at her naivety.

"Because I became a criminal when I killed one of the ambassadors... The family used us for entertainment, so obviously we were sent to kill those Angels. Everyone who's part of the Norse Pantheon fought against the ambassadors, and were later arrested by the Justiciars...

"We were given Marks of Judgement and got sealed away in Dark Prism!... That happened a couple million years ago. Last I heard, the Northern Realms expanded and are led by a much less cruel family. I've no intention of returning to those Realms though; instead, I would rather live a peaceful life here!"

A knowing smile spread across Bea's face as she glanced towards the Angel's confident expression.

"Well then, working together should seem like the best option... or do you actually believe Castiel, Abaddon, or one of the other factions' leaders would be a better ally? Do you think they will let you live peacefully?"

Odin smirked, which looked quite ridiculous on his aged face...

"Abaddon isn't the King of Hell anymore. Lucifer has taken over, at least that's what I heard... Nevertheless, you're correct. I would never trust any of those warmongering, power-hungry wannabe gods!"

"That's good to hear, then let's talk about the proposal, shall we?" asked Bea, her voice tinged with excitement, since they finally got back on track.

The Allfather nodded and gazed at Sera to introduce the proposition. The Angel leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. At some point during their discussion, she dismissed the golden armor and now wore her usual golden petal dress.

"Purity suggested something interesting when he recommended you. He said we could hold a tournament where every faction could participate and the winning prize is Earth. What do you think?"

Odin sighed and shook his head, a self-deprecating laugh echoing from his lips.

"That asshole... It's not a bad plan, but he only suggested it to poke fun at my past. Before we got locked away, Purity spent most of his time with our Pantheon. He considered us pure, since we lived while doing everything we loved, or in his words... we didn't lie to ourselves!"

"Huh... He's weirder than I thought..." mumbled Bea, while glancing at Odin with sympathy.

"Anyway, the idea isn't inherently bad, just because its source is a prick. But we'll need to discuss a lot, and most of all... we'll need Tyr's help!"

Both women stared at the Allfather with blank expressions. They clearly didn't know who Tyr was.

"Tyr is an old friend of mine. His speciality is restricting other people's abilities. He can also create contracts that can restrain even Ethereals such as myself. We can use his ability to restrict everyone's power to similar levels, which would make every fight somewhat fair."

A thoughtful expression appeared on Sera's face as she glanced outside through the open balcony.

"That could work... However, will those primordial gods sign this contract? I mean, we can't force them to participate in this tournament!"

Sera turned back towards Odin, awaiting his answer.

"Don't worry, Loki will convince everybody... Or more like he'll annoy and enrage them, so they'll sign the contract, giving us the opportunity to end this war without a single battle!"

"Is Loki reliable?" asked Bea while pointedly glancing at the couches, which had recently been full of naked Elves.

"When it comes to tricking people, you won't find anyone better. We won't even need to pay or convince him. He lives for chaos and to annoy people, so he'll gladly trick every major primordial god into signing some of their powers away!"

"I'm not even certain he'll need to convince them," said Sera, balancing her chair on its back legs. She placed her hands behind her head and stared up at the ceiling with a cunning grin.

"Those greedy fools will jump at the opportunity of controlling Earth, especially since I'm a prize too! They'll get a chance to fight me, which'll further sweeten the deal."

Odin nodded in agreement, while Bea stared at the Angel with worry. She wasn't a fan of letting her fight in the tournament, but instead of trying to convince her otherwise, Bea had a different idea... She wanted to help her win!

In the past two weeks, they talked through lots of ways to utilize the tournament plan. But they couldn't guarantee victory, and losing wasn't an option. This meant there was only one way forward...

"Okay, now that we've talked through the initial plan, let's discuss the most important detail," said Sera as a wide grin spread across both her and Bea's faces. "How do we cheat?"

The Allfather raised a bushy white eyebrow. He glanced between the two before bursting into laughter.

"I like where your minds at! No self-righteousness or overconfidence! Just cunning, rationality and logic!"

It seemed Odin had already thought about cheating, but he waited to see if Sera would reach the same conclusion. However, with his expectations met, he could continue the conversation with no pretense.