Chapter 2328: Ultimatum

After briefly considering his approach, Vahn brought his hands together before spreading them as if opening a book. As he did so, the ground unfolded away from itself in a non-destructive manner, almost like the pages of a pop-up book.

Interrupting Vahn's actions, at least for a short moment, a massive wolf comprised of darkness and flames lurched toward him, its maw opening to reveal a magmous interior framed by glowing, white-hot teeth.

Though it started off around the size of a large dog, the wolf was nearly the size of a small mountain by the time it reached Vahn. Several spears, swords, and other piercing weapons adorned its back like the quills of a porcupine, and, due to the intense heat contained within its body, most of its fiery, fur-covered frame appeared translucent.

Recognizing the beast as the legendary Garm, guardian of Hel, Vahn took a moment to admire it before raising his right hand, smiling as he made a grasping motion.

Just as Garm was close enough to snap its maw around Vahn's frame, an invisible source surged into its body. 0.02 seconds later, its colossal frame had been reduced to the size of a wolf pup.

Catching the startled and confused pup out of the air, Vahn cradled it in his left arm like an infant, gently scratching its chin as he said, "Behave. I'll return you to your original form once I've disciplined your master."

Though it was tempted to bite Vahn's finger, Garm immediately became docile. It was widely regarded as one of the most prideful and malicious creatures in the Nine Realms, but it was intelligent enough to know things wouldn't end well if it attempted to oppose someone that could restrict its power with a casual wave of their hand.

Seeing Garm rotate their head to the side in an obvious attempt to appear cute, a soft chuckle emanated from Vahn's throat. He was half-tempted to tease the fiery-breasted beast further but promptly decided against it as a dreadful aura emanated from the depths of the parted ground, followed by the appearance of a rather frightening woman surrounded by several demonic-looking individuals and a veritable horde of hellish beasts.

With half her body resembling a breathtakingly beautiful woman and the other half a rune-covered skeleton, Hel, the Norse Goddess of Death, was a scary sight for anyone unaccustomed to the macabre. Odin had cursed her after a failed attempt to conquer Midgard and the Nine Realms, so her outer appearance, once considered the most beautiful in the Nine Realms, perennially reflected her innermost qualities.

Glaring at Vahn with her singular, pitch-black eye, Hel practically growled, "Vahn Aldrnari Mason...why have you invaded my Helheim? I do not recall extending you an invitation."

Adopting an impassive gaze, Vahn replied, "I am capable of knowing your most private, innermost thoughts. Don't think you can talk your way out of this, Hel. I promised consequences to anyone who wantonly targeted the innocent, and I'm here to make good on my word."

Narrowing her eye, Hel retorted, "Am I supposed to be intimidated? I have suffered all forms of punishment ten-thousand times over and have been cursed to watch over this Realm of death and corrosion for eternity. Even if you were to tear me apart and erase my existence, you would simply be freeing me from my suffering, dooming another to take my place."

Halfway through her retort, Hel manifested an eerie black claymore that exuded an abyssal black, highly corrosive ooze. She might be a prisoner within her own Realm, but that didn't detract from her status as a Principal Goddess of Death. Even Odin dared not face her directly.

Though he was half-tempted to remove Hel's curse, allowing her a moment of reprieve before her death, Vahn concluded that would be a little too extreme. Instead, he shifted his gaze to the androgynous figure hovering in the air next to Hel, earning a disgusted look from the ghostly-haired individual as he asked, "How do you suppose I should handle this, Loki...?"

"Ugh...seriously, man? You know I was against this from the start. Why'd you have to draw attention to me? Couldn't you have just let me slip away without saying anything...?"

"You despic-"

Angered by Loki's words, Hel brandished her eerie black claymore with the clear intention of cutting her father/brother/sister down. Loki was the type of entity that never stayed dead for long, so Hel felt no qualms about killing them whenever she was angry or upset.

Shifting their attention to Hel's blade, Loki showed no signs of fear or panic as they raised their hand to grasp the edge directly. The flesh of their palm sizzled as their hand and forearm visibly decayed, but they showed no indications of discomfort as they exhaled a weary sigh and muttered, "How troublesome..."

As it was rare for Loki to offer any meaningful resistance, a surprised look marred the faces of Hel and her subordinates. Ever since their initial death at the hands of Heimdall, Loki had made minimal effort in their day-to-day life. They still plotted and schemed, but, understanding the 'system' was rigged against them, they rarely exerted themselves.

Taking advantage of Hel's stupefaction, Loki returned their gaze to Vahn and replied, "Killing us has no meaning. Unless you can completely erase our legend, wiping all iterations of us from existence, other versions of us would inevitably pop up. If you want my advice, you should defeat us in a Gift Game, broadcasting it to the entire Little Garden as a deterrent."

Though she recovered her senses long before Loki was finished speaking, Hel waited until the very end before hissing, "You despicable piece of shit! How dare you try to curry favor with the enemy...!"

Rolling their eyes, Loki dryly retorted, "I know your brain is half-rotted, but even a complete dullard would understand the futility of scheming against a guy capable of taming those three tree-hugging giantesses. So long as we're affiliated with the Nine Realms, he knows everything about our past, present, and future. Believing we could trick him into attacking the Nine Realms was beyond stupid."

Sidestepping Hel's attempt to cut them in half, Loki adopted one of their characteristic expressions of disgust before dissolving away, reappearing next to Vahn. They knew attempting to teleport away was pointless since Vahn could pull them across Realms, so Loki determined that the 'safest' place was at his side.

With Loi-chan revealing that Loki had absolutely no intention of trying to backstab him, Vahn just gave the ghostly-haired Jotun a sidelong glance before returning his attention to Hel and asking, "How about it? It doesn't matter to me, so the question is whether or not you want to die fighting or if you want to die a dog's death."

Though it might seem contrary to publicize their defeat/death to the Little Garden, it was far more beneficial than dying in obscurity. Going out with a bang, even if you suffered a crushing defeat, left a lasting impression on the hearts and minds of others. This strengthened the Fragment of Origin possessed by many Gods and Goddesses, so, even if they were killed, they would eventually be revived or replaced by a version of themselves with comparable power and purpose.

Gritting her teeth, Hel didn't need to consider Vahn's proposal for very long before answering, "The denizens of the Nine Realms are no cowards. We shall fight and die with glory...!"

Hearing their leader/mother's response, several of the demonic-looking individuals hovering around her showed reluctant expressions. They were willing to fight and die for their cause, but they failed to see how fighting Vahn benefitted their penultimate aim. If anything, it would set them back millennia...

Sensing the reluctance from some of her children, Hel adopted a hateful glower as she turned to them and said, "If you wish to flee, then flee. Just know that if you do, each of my incarnations will seek vengeance against you without fail."

Imagining being haunted by Hel's vengeful spirit for all eternity, the looks of reluctance faded from her subordinate's faces. Vahn was half-tempted to point out he could completely annul any curses she might inflict upon them, but, understanding they weren't exactly innocent in Hel's schemes, he allowed them to be cowed into the conflict.

Releasing Garm from his grasp, allowing it to return to its original form, Vahn said, "We already have a venue set up outside the Aldrnari Empire's primary Gate. I will explain the situation and give you until then to make a formal request for a Gift Game. If you fail to do so before then...well, let's just say, even my patience has its limits."

Finished with what he had to say, Vahn vanished into thin air alongside Loki. He didn't teleport with them, but, understanding Hel would give them grief, Loki timed their departure alongside Vahn's, making it appear as though they had been abducted. Their actions wouldn't let them avoid the Gift Game, but they would at least be able to enjoy some peace and quiet before their inevitable death.

Seeing Loki disappear, black miasma began to exude from Hel's body as she trembled with rage. If not for the precarious predicament they had found themselves in, she would have immediately recalled Loki to teach them a lesson. Instead, she bottled up her anger, turning to one of her subordinates and saying, "Inform Surtr. We will have our Ragnarok, one way or another..."

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Contrasting the increasingly chaotic atmosphere outside, the interior of the Sage Dragon's Hearth was comparably tranquil. Most of Vahn's wives and lovers had returned to hear the explanation regarding his designation as a Last Embryo, but none were particularly concerned about it. After all, it was Vahn they were gathering to discuss. Even if he suddenly replaced the Demon Dragon God as the 'Absolute Evil,' they knew it was ultimately just a title thrust upon him by others.

Demonstrating just how little they were concerned by the events taking place outside, the atmosphere within the Sage Dragon's Hearth was like an impromptu reunion. Some of the girls hadn't seen each other for years due to time shenaniganry, so it was an excellent opportunity for them to catch up while Vahn discussed the specifics with the Council of Wives.

Fortunately, while girls like Eva gave Vahn a rather severe chiding, even she couldn't blame him for taking out someone like Zeus. The main reason she and many others were upset was that the rules and restrictions of the Gift Game made it so that they couldn't help him. They were accustomed to Vahn handling things independently, but it was frustrating to know they couldn't help him in any overt manner.

Though he understood the girls' concerns, Vahn was secretly happy with the way things had turned out. Sure, there were a ton of easily exploitable loopholes within the rules established by the Central Network, but a bit of diligence was all it took to counteract them. He still needed to be careful when transitioning into the Inner Gates, but he already had thousands of countermeasures against everything from identity acquisition to existence erasure.

As an extra precaution, Vahn convened with Da Vinci and Will to discuss additional measures while the impromptu reunion took place. He might be supremely confident in his strength, but every single Master he had been blessed with had taught him the importance of never underestimating his foes. Three years of due diligence was a small price to pay for a veritable eternity of security, so Vahn didn't mind putting his nose to the grindstone and focusing on his objectives...

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'They're good dogs, Brent...','Hel hath no fury like a woman scorned...','Vahn activated the Cheat Engine 64-bit...')