Chapter 369 - 368: And Another One

"I… I think I want to see the birth of the 10th Realm after all."

"Ungrateful!"

The entire hall once again trembled as Odin tapped his spear on the floor. But with no furniture to move and parts of the walls already removed, the only quiver that resounded in the air were the people within it; with the blood that previously rained down upon them completely disintegrating in the air.

"This is farcical!" Odin's roars reverberated in the air once more, "Your thousands of years of glory and purpose. You're willing to throw that away because of a single boy that proclaims his sovereignty!?"

"W… well." As the pressure from King Odin's glare threatened to crush him, Tyr could not help but scratch his chin as his eyes slowly turned themselves towards the newly arrived uninvited guest, Sarah. More so than the boy, it was better to say that his heart was swayed by the sudden appearance of a goddess.

"Does anybody else wish to go!?" Odin's roars persisted, "Then go, you renegades! But it should be known to all of you that once you leave this hall, lightning will strike you until not even a single ash remains of your existence!"

"..." With their King's outbursts, all of the Aesir in the room could only keep their mouths silenced; with the only other sound whispering in the air coming from their sudden uninvited guest.

"I see you haven't grown up physically," Sarah muttered, her breaths of disappointment flowing through the air even as Odin continued his words, "Andrea would be clearly disappointed."

Hearing Andrea's name being mentioned, Van's head quickly turned to the ground, "How… was she?"

"She… never stopped searching for you. But sadly, she died before she found out the truth about this world, about how we got here," Sarah shook her head as she walked closer towards Van, "But still, she didn't lose hope that you would be back one day… and you did."

"I… see. How long did she live? Did she have a hard time?"

"At first. But you know how she is, she was able to adapt and thrive… before dying peacefully at 73 years of age."

"That's… good," there was a slight disappointment in Van's voice, but in the end, it ended with relief. Although Athena had already informed her of Andrea's fate, he was still expecting there was something more to it.

Even if Skylar wasn't as special or as strong as Evangeline, he was still hoping that some of her abilities or immortality was passed down to Andrea; but... it would seem that truly was not the case.

"...Thank you for staying by her side, Miss Sarah."

"No," Sarah quickly shook her head, letting out a tiny chuckle as she did so, "Andrea was… is the love of my life. There is no need to thank me for doing something I was born to do."

"...Hm."

Sarah then looked towards Latanya, with both of them nodding their heads before her eyes transferred to the woman behind Latanya.

"It has been a very long time," she then said.

"It has, Sarah," Skylar answered with a small smile on her face, "We haven't seen each other since my daughter's death."

As soon as Van heard Skylar's words, his eyes began to squint. Since Skylar called Andrea her daughter, did that mean that she recovered some of her memories after all?

Van was about to ask, but before he could do so, the other Aesir in the hall began to clamor.

"W… wait, I think I know who that woman is! Isn't that the Vampyr!?"

"What!? The Vampyr!?"

"Her hair, adorned with a luscious red color; caused by it being bathed in blood for almost an eternity. Wings made of blood; a beauty that transcends all of the 9 Realms… It can only be her!"

Most of the Aesir began slightly backing away. Their hands, reaching for a weapon that was not there. During gatherings that Odin was present in, no one was allowed to have their weapons beside them-- except for the King himself.

And with the way they were looking at each other with their eyebrows furrowed, most of them were probably cursing that custom.

"Enough!"

Their reaching hands then trembled as Odin's roar once again reverberated in the air, "I did not raise any of you to be cowards! Son, stop this madness, set an example for our people. You may have been defeated, but that does not mean your glory has faded!"

"..." Thor's eyebrows instantly furrowed upon hearing his father's words.

"Come to your senses! You are the mighty Thor!"

"All women…"

"What?"

"The little man's companions are all women," Thor then said as he gently stroked his ragged beard, "Not bad."

"Y… you…" Seeing his most prominent son acting like a fool, Odin could not help but take in a long and stuttering breath.

Was everything he did in life pointless? Tens of thousands of years of legacy, slowly withering away like the leaves of a dead tree.

Odin was but a child when the Allmother told the prophecy about Van; about how he would either lead or rescue the world they were in; and that no matter what he chooses, he could do nothing to stop it.

With his father's death, Odin vowed to himself that when the time of the prophecy comes; when the time Van arrives, he will overcome all travesties. But now, as the boy stood there mocking him… he found himself overwhelmed.

This kind of disrespect…

...is unacceptable.

"!!!"

The sound of thunder erupted in the air, leaving a lingering whistle as it disappeared. And as Odin's eyes slowly lit up, the sky above began to darken.

"This farce has gone long enough."

Odin's mouth remained still, but yet his words were being carried by air… by thunder.

"Kneel," he said. His words echoing through the skies. Not only in the Palace, not only in Asgard; but throughout the 9 Realms.

And they did-- the people of Asgard obeyed the words of their King as they all kneeled at the same time; abandoning whatever it was that they were doing; the dwarves did the same, even those that were deep inside their earth.

The rest, however, just looked up towards Asgard, with the hands they were holding their weapons with trembling in either fear or rage, tightening even heavier as their stares persevered.

The colossal trees in the territory of the Forest Giants also trembled, but they soon calmed down as Vanya gently caressed their roots.

"...Father," she whispered as her eyes turned to Asgard.

"I see your father finally managed to piss off the big boss." Gerald then appeared behind her; a smirk almost plastered on his face, "Did I ever tell you about the time that he pissed me off as well?"

"...Shouldn't you be with your wife?"

"She… is not going anywhere anytime soon," Gerald chuckled; a slight sadness seeping from his words, "I figured you'd want someone to talk to about all of this."

"I don't," Vanya quickly replied, but after a few seconds, a smile slowly formed on her face, "But still... I welcome it."

***

Somewhere in Midgard, Harvey and a few other people were sitting around a table; their eyes, all looking outside the window.

"It's starting," Harvey whispered, "They will battle it out soon… and whoever wins will decide our next course of action."

"And what fate awaits us if Van wins?" Victoria then quietly said as she placed her palms on the table.

"I don't know," Harvey muttered, "I… don't know at all."

And as all the curiosity of the people of the 9 Realms began to manifest, Odin's words continued to thunder in the air.

"You have made a mistake, boy."

Seeing all the Aesir in the hall kneeling before him, the authority in Odin's voice once again flourished. He was still the sovereign, he was still the ruler of the 9 Realms-- that will never change until the time for his eternal slumber begins.

Even his sons, who already proclaimed their allegiance to the boy, were still showing him the respect he was due. Tyr kneeled, while Thor bowed his head.

"You should have waited," Odin continued his sermon as he looked Van straight in the eyes, "You should have waited and gathered your forces in the darkness. But here you are, eating more than you could ever chew; proclaiming your sovereignty with nothing but scraps as allies!

I have been in more battles than all the minutes you have lived, boy! I have watched kingdoms come and go more than you have ever woken up in all the years of your existence! You are--"

"Then let's add another kingdom to that list."

And before King Odin could finish his words, Van took a step forward towards him, "And if you're lucky, it won't be the last time you see one come."

"You--"

"Pft."

"Hm!?"

King Odin's mouth started to open, but before words could form from it, a small and unfamiliar chuckle whispered in the air. Everyone looked to see where it came from, but no matter how hard they looked, the owner of the voice was nowhere to be seen.

Van, however, had his eyes wide open in shock; but after a few more seconds, a chuckle also escaped from his mouth.

"I see you still like your one-liners, boy."

A girl… or perhaps a young woman then suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Appearing behind King Odin, not even minding the look of wrath laid upon her as she casually walked her way towards Van.

"As expected…" Thor then muttered as his head was slowly raised,

"....Another woman."