She turned back towards the giant tree. "Father, why have you summoned a Beast at a time like this?"
No response came.
Kiara laughed. "Obviously, it's because you failed in your duties, so Ogelmir summoned me instead."
"You've no right to speak of this!" Hel snapped.
"Oh dear, such a temper," Kiara smiled coyly, pink bubbles emerging around her. "But I do love that about you."
"Disgusting worm," Hel scoffed.
Just then, the massive tree began to move.
Hel whipped around in shock as the tree's trunk violently expanded, revealing a gigantic golden slate covered in six empty circular slots.
With three ringing chimes, golden light erupted from Hel as the three origin wheels within floated out, pulled toward the slate's vacant slots. They shone radiantly like three suns.
And at that moment, Hel suddenly reached out and took control of the three wheels, absorbing them back into her body.
"Oh my," said Kiara, smiling after seeing this, "Are you not planning to return the wheels to him?"
"Stop speaking nonsense!" Hel said coldly. "There are still three origin wheels that have not been taken back. To return them now would only hurt him!"
At that moment, several loud "cracks" rang out as huge branches burst out from the ground, reaching toward Hel.
Seeing this, she took out her black spear and swung it once, instantly sending out hundreds of cold lights that directly cut apart those branches.
Then seventeen more massive branches burst out of the ground into the sky with more cracking sounds.
Hel shouted, "I will return to you what's been taken from the gods. I will revive you, but you must return my freedom to me as well. But not now. You understand - even if I return the three wheels now, you'd still be trapped in this imaginary space, unable to escape. Let alone break free from the Connection Point. The Council won't help you, Svadilfari said so! He's your hand on the Council, ask him and you'll know!"
The seventeen massive branches stopped in midair, then fell back into the ground with more "cracks," and the golden slate was withdrawn back into the tree.
"Oh my, it seems Ogelmir has agreed to you keeping the three wheels for now. Congratulations," Kiara clapped her hands together and smiled.
Hel stared at her coldly with extreme disgust, then turned and left.
Seeing Hel's stare, Kiara put away her smile. "It seems Miss Hel doesn't like me."
"You make me sick!" Hel pronounced word for word. Then, disgusted, she added: "Although Father summoned you, don't interfere with my business! That's my only demand of you!"
"Please, rest assured on that. My asking price is very high, and the price Ogelmir paid only covers helping him with one thing." she smiled.
Hel looked at her with extreme disgust, then turned and left, leaving Kiara sighing there alone.
At that moment, Kiara suddenly said: "Oh right, friendly reminder."
Hel stopped and turned to look at her.
Putting a finger to her lips, Kiara pondered for a moment, smiling coyly like a sixteen-year-old girl playing cute: "Watch out for that lost soul... oh no, I should call him Eternal King. Be very, very careful of that man."
Hel gave a cold laugh: "No need for your fake concern. Eternal King - that man - is now under my control!"
Having said that, she turned and left, leaving Kiara alone sighing there.
"Oh my, I kindly gave a real warning for once, but she didn't listen. She's going to suffer a big loss. Mmm but that's not my business," she laughed.
"Hm? You ask how she compares to Skadi? Ugh...so hard, I want them both. Oh yes, why not add her to our trade list as well? Refuse? How stingy. Hm? If I help you with more things, she could also be added? Of course that's possible. No naughty stuff of course - I still have a bet going with my favorite person."
"Hm? You ask who that person is? You're so gossipy, Ogelmir. Could it be because Odin exiled you here that you became such a gossip-loving pervert? Fine, I'll tell you - my favorite person is... of course myself! Other than me, who else would I love?" she laughed.
"Eh? You ask who the Eternal King is? How rare - the resurrection-obsessed Ogelmir actually cares about someone other than himself! Alright, I'll tell you - that Eternal King is a very sly man! But he was also the first person who told me he would open the path to my freedom. Yup...he's especially nasty!"
...
In the great snowfield of Valhalla in the far north, two human caterpillars carefully wriggled forward.
A pair of eyes poked out from the snow, looking left and right, before burrowing back into the snow and writhing onward.
"Be vigilant, B-224. Beep. C-11475 reminds her little sister to be careful."
With a "whoosh" another pair of eyes poked out from the snow. She looked puzzledly at the wriggling caterpillar ahead while carefully moving forward herself, asking: "Question - didn't we agree to simplify verbal communication? Why haven't you simplified, C-11475?"
The one in front also poked her head out. She stared intently at the one behind and said earnestly: "Good question, B-224. Because I forgot."
These two were none other than Valkyries C-11475 and B-224, who had guarded Valhalla and fought against Sigurd earlier.
"Idiot! C-11475 is a super idiot!" said B-224.
"Don't call your big sister an idiot! And stop arguing. What if the other sisters find us? That would be bad. We need to leave Asgard quickly - there's no place for us here anymore."
B-224 nodded.
The two stopped messing around. They hid in the snow, ready to move forward, but before they could start, someone blocked their way.
C-11475 poked her head out and saw Shirou smiling at them, obstructing their path.
C-11475 swallowed expressionlessly and said: "The pervert is here, run!"
The two burst from the snow with a "whoosh" and turned to flee.
C-11475, a combat C-type, was quite fast. However, the support B-type Valkyrie B-224 was slower. While C-11475 had already turned and sprinted a hundred meters away, B-224 had just started running.
Of course Shirou couldn't let them get away. Seeing B-224 turn with her red braided ponytail fluttering in the wind, he instinctively grabbed it.
As he grabbed it, B-224 instinctively tried to run.
And tragedy struck.
"Ah!" a scream of pain came from B-224's mouth.
"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts so much!"
B-224 covered her hair, hopping on her feet. This was originally a tragedy, but paired with her expressionless face, it turned into a comedy instead.
He grabbed B-224's shoulders with one hand, staring painfully at his palm.
He was supposed to change! Why, after vowing in the dimensional rift to break this habit, did his instincts make him break that vow now?!
Damn it! He was pained inside.
At this time, C-11475, who had escaped, came running back. Wielding a spear of light, she took a stance and said flatly: "Let my sister go, or I'll make you pay!"
B-224 was deeply moved.
And then...
There's no "and then".
Shirou easily and happily captured the two escaped Valkyries. Though he couldn't beat Skadi at her peak, apprehending these two was not difficult for him.
After stuffing them into the black mud, he carefully transferred them through a tunnel to the hideout he shared with Adam and Salter. And the whole time, B-224 kept staring at C-11475, repeating like a machine gun: "Idiot, idiot, idiot..."
"I'm not an idiot," C-11475 protested.
"Then why'd you come back?"
"Because you're my sister. I had to save you."
"Idiot, idiot..." B-224 repeated.
Shirou transferred them to his hideout. Adam and Salter were quite surprised he'd brought two Valkyries somehow - was he planning a show or to expose himself?
Using the chat group he'd invented, Shirou explained the situation.
Only then did Adam and Salter understand.
It turned out Shirou had helped the two Valkyries disconnect from the network early on when conflict erupted in Valhalla. That allowed them to escape unharmed and stay on Asgard's side.
As he explained, he also undid the black mud holding the two. The instant she was free, the green-haired Valkyrie tore open her feathered cloak, revealing cloth strips binding her chest. She said expressionlessly: "Don't hurt my sister. Take me instead."
She even thrust out her chest toward him.
Seeing her fair neck trailing down to an alluring white crevice that could easily pull someone in, Shirou was stunned speechless.
...
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