"Hohoho, I came to visit!"
The boisterous voice of Odin echoed through the VIP area, located on the top floor of Gilgamesh's house.
The King of Heroes could barely resist the urge to facepalm at the sight before him.
After returning with Sebas from the brief conversation he had with Zekram, Gilgamesh came face-to-face with Odin, who was now in his house.
Apparently, Odin had business in Japan and was just passing through the city. Given that the city was under the protection of the Three Factions and the Avalon Faction, it was a safer place than others.
Additionally, Rias's entire peerage, along with Azazel and Barakiel, were present to escort Odin, accompanied by Rossweisse.
"Here's your tea," Rias said with a smile as she served Odin.
Currently, Odin was seated on one of the sofas with Rossweisse by his side, while Azazel and Barakiel sat on another. Gilgamesh occupied a different sofa, with his group gathered around him, while Rias's peerage stood near Azazel as she served Odin.
Though Gilgamesh wanted to know why everyone had gathered specifically at his house.
"You don't need to worry about me. But this place is really grand~. Those are grand too~," Odin said, leering lasciviously at Rias and Akeno's chests.
"Mou! Odin-sama, you can't look at them with such lecherous eyes! She's the sister of Maou Lucifer-sama!" Rossweisse shouted, smacking Odin with a fan.
"Geez, you're so uptight. The sister of Sirzechs is famous for being a beauty with a glamorous body, so there's nothing wrong if I want to ogle her chest. Oh, this is my escort, a Valkyrie. Her name is—" Odin said, rubbing his head where he'd been hit.
"My name is Rossweisse. I'll be in your care during our stay in Japan. Pleased to meet you all," Rossweisse said, bowing.
Everyone greeted her in return, while Gilgamesh gave a slight smile to Rossweisse, who blushed and smiled back.
Odin merely watched, laughing perversely.
"She's a virgin girl who's never had a boyfriend," Odin announced with a lecherous grin.
Rossweisse immediately descended into total panic.
"T-T-That's irrelevant! I didn't *choose* not to have a boyfrieeeend! I didn't *choose* to still be a virrrrrgin!" Rossweisse shouted, dropping to her knees and pounding the floor.
"Well, the business world of warrior maidens is going through tough times too. Even though some are beautiful, most aren't exceptional. Lately, the number of Heroes and warriors has dwindled, and with that, the Valkyrie squad has shrunk due to lack of funding. So, even this girl, who was just standing in the corner until recently, became my escort," Odin said, nodding.
Azazel jumped into the conversation, laughing.
"It's been decided that while the Old Man is in Japan, we'll be his guard. Barakiel is a support member from the Fallen Angels' side. I've been busy lately, so I can't always be here. That's why Barakiel will keep an eye on you in my place," Azazel said, smiling.
"I hope to count on all of you for this task," Barakiel said, introducing himself briefly.
Gilgamesh merely narrowed his eyes at this.
"Wait a moment," Gilgamesh said, drawing everyone's attention. "I didn't agree to be a bodyguard, and besides, what are you all doing in my house?"
Odin burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, don't be like that, stormy brat. You've got to treat your elders well, you know," Odin said, laughing.
Gilgamesh's eyes narrowed in irritation.
"We informed that girl over there that we'd be coming, and she agreed," Azazel said, pointing at Mordred.
Gilgamesh immediately turned to Mordred, who started sweating nervously.
"Uh, didn't I tell you?" Mordred said nervously.
"No," Gilgamesh said coldly.
Mordred began to sweat, trying to think of an excuse but quickly gave up, blurting out everything on her mind.
"Well, yesterday you locked yourself in that room for hours, then left with Sebas and only showed up now. I couldn't have told you even if I wanted to!" Mordred shouted, spilling everything.
Gilgamesh merely sighed and waved a hand. He couldn't argue with that, and even if he did, Mordred would just retort.
Besides, Mordred could communicate with him telepathically, and with the Ultimate Skill [Lord of the Blazing Sun Amaterasu], which had the ability [Unified Command], any of Gilgamesh's subordinates could communicate with him telepathically.
Though Gilgamesh hadn't yet told his companions about his evolution into a [True Hero] or his Ultimate Skills.
As Odin laughed at the scene along with everyone else, Azazel's eyes narrowed.
The leader of the Fallen Angels noticed that Gilgamesh's aura was very different from usual. Normally, Gilgamesh emanated an overwhelming aura, even unconsciously, due to his inability to fully control his power.
But now, his aura was so null that Azazel thought he was standing before an ordinary human. Even the auras of Gilgamesh's Sacred Gears weren't emanating—it was as if he were a normal person.
For him to have changed so much in such a short time, something must have happened, likely something that greatly increased the demigod's power.
Sighing, Azazel stopped thinking about it. It was a hassle to try measuring Gilgamesh's power.
"Hoho, this is really interesting, Gilgamesh, but…" Odin's serious voice snapped everyone out of their focus as they turned to him. "Have you already slept with any of them?"
Odin's question brought silence to the room as Gilgamesh sighed at the question, and everyone burst into laughter.
Except for Mordred, Arturia, Le Fay, and Asia, who blushed intensely at the question, while Tiamat and Valerie wore suggestive smiles.
"I slept with your wife, Odin," Gilgamesh said with a grin.
The eyes of everyone, except Sebas, Enkidu, and Valerie, who knew the story, widened as they turned to Odin.
Contrary to their expectations, Odin merely burst into laughter.
"It's true. Freya's been crazy about you ever since. Lucky for you, I managed to hold her back, but it won't be long before she comes after you," Odin said, laughing.
"Another problem," Gilgamesh said, sighing as Odin laughed.
"True," the God said, nodding.
Meanwhile, the others wondered how Odin seemed so calm while talking about his wife cheating on him with the very man who slept with her.
Seeing that the conversation could drag on too long, Azazel coughed, drawing everyone's attention.
"Old Man, don't you think you arrived a bit early for the visit? Your arrival was supposed to be in a few days. The reason for your visit this time is to talk with the Japanese Gods, right? Michael and Sirzechs will be the mediators, and I'm supposed to be with you in that meeting… Right?" Azazel asked while sipping his tea.
"Almost. Our country's been a bit troublesome… Actually, there's a problematic guy who's against my ways, so I thought I'd speed things up before he does something. That's why I want to discuss various things with the Japanese Gods. So far, we've basically been unsociable with each other and had no connection," Odin said, stroking his long white beard.
"When you say troublesome, do you mean the Vanir are after your head? Old Man, I beg you not to start 'Ragnarok' on your own," Azazel said with a sarcastic smile.
"I don't care about the Vanir… Well, there's no point talking about it. By the way, brat Azazel. It seems the Khaos Brigade is increasing the number of those who can use Balance Breaker. That's scary. But I heard it's a rare phenomenon!?" Odin said with a thoughtful expression.
"Yes, they're rare. But some idiot used the quickest, yet most terrifying and easiest, method to force this rare phenomenon to happen. It's something anyone with knowledge of Sacred Gears would think of at least once, but no one could do it because they'd be criticized by every faction. You'd definitely be harshly criticized, whether it succeeded or not," Azazel said calmly.
"What would that method be?" Arthur asked curiously.
"The plan is to eventually succeed by repeating it multiple times. First, you abduct humans who possess a Sacred Gear against their will and brainwash them. Then, you send the Sacred Gear possessors to places where strong adversaries gather… critical locations where superior beings reside. You keep doing this until someone achieves Balance Breaker. When someone does, you forcibly summon them with a magic circle," Azazel explained.
Azazel continued.
"These are things no faction could do, even if they thought about it. If I, who have an alliance with angels and demons, confronted them and did the same in critical locations, it would spark a war. That's why no one, even if they wanted to, did it. But they were able to because they're terrorists," Azazel said, sighing.
While everyone listened attentively, Gilgamesh didn't seem to be listening or caring about the conversation.
He didn't care if more people achieved Balance Breaker. After all, mere extras weren't even worthy of the King of Heroes' attention.
Unless it involved a Longinus, Gilgamesh didn't care, and since he already knew who the Longinus possessors were, he truly didn't mind.
The [True Longinus] was with Cao Cao, the leader of the Hero Faction, and allied with him was the [Dimension Lost] with Georg.
The [Zenith Tempest], [Regulus Nemea], [Boosted Gear], [Telos Karma], and [Innovate Clear] were with Gilgamesh himself, along with the [Sephiroth Graal] and [Incinerator Anthem] with Valerie, and the [Annihilation Maker] with Leonardo.
The [Divine Dividing] was with Vali, while the [Canis Lykaon] was with Tobio, and the [Absolute Demise] with Lavinia.
"Well, this is still being investigated, so nothing will be resolved even if we discuss it here. Old Man, is there anywhere you wanted to go?" Azazel asked, turning to Odin.
The Chief of the Norse Gods wiggled his fingers with a lecherous look on his face.
"I definitely want to go to a 'brothel'!" Odin said excitedly.
"Haha, you sure have good taste, Chief of the Gods-dono! Of course, let's go right now! Recently, some young girls from my organization opened one in this city for VIPs. So I'll take you there!" Azazel said, laughing perversely.
"Uhohoho! As expected of Azazel's brat! You really know your stuff! Get me one with big breasts first! I'll squeeze plenty of them!"
"Follow me, you old fart! Welcome to Japan! Want to untie their kimono sashes? That's something you've got to do at least once when you come to Japan! I'll show you the Japanese style!"
"I can't wait for that~… I really can't wait for that~!"
Both started talking excitedly, only for someone to put their arms around their shoulders.
It was Merlin, with a highly enthusiastic smile.
"Well then, I'd like to join you guys too," Merlin said cheerfully.
"Hoho, a fellow appreciator of the female form?" Odin asked, laughing.
"Of course, there's nothing better than admiring a beautiful woman," Merlin said, laughing jovially.
"You're a man of culture, my friend," Odin said, nodding wisely.
"Let's go, boys, to the promised land!" Azazel said, grinning widely.
Before anyone could say anything, the three rushed out of the room, running excitedly.
"Aren't you going to stop him?" Gilgamesh asked Arturia, referring to Merlin.
Arturia merely sighed in resignation.
"He's a lost cause. I don't even interfere anymore," Arturia said, sighing.
Seeing this, Gilgamesh and everyone else laughed nervously.
Truly, nothing could change Merlin.
**Several Days Later.**
The days passed quickly since Odin's arrival, who made the most of it, always dragging Gilgamesh into his antics.
So, on a certain night, Gilgamesh and his group were with Azazel, Rossweisse, and Odin in the famous chariot of the God, pulled by the legendary eight-legged steed, Sleipnir.
Outside, Barakiel was flying, escorting the chariot.
"Japanese Yamato Nadeshiko are certainly beautiful~. Foreigners are the best~," Odin said with a lecherous face as Gilgamesh sighed.
Since Gilgamesh and his group were turned into Odin's "bodyguards," though the King of Heroes denied it at all costs, they were dragged to various places in Japan by this giant steed. They went to a kyabakura in the metropolitan area, amusement parks, and sushi restaurants. Basically, they were touring Japan as Odin saw fit.
"Odin-sama! We'll soon meet with the Japanese Gods, so please drop this vacation attitude. This way, you'll be scolded by others when we return to our homeland," Rossweisse said seriously.
In recent days, Rossweisse had responded calmly and followed the old man Odin, but it seemed she was at her limit and about to explode.
"Geez, you're a woman who doesn't know how to take it easy. How about relaxing a bit? That's why you can't get a man," Odin said, huffing.
"That has nothing to do with me not having a b-b-boyfriend! I'm not s-single because I want to be!" Rossweisse said, falling into tears again.
Gilgamesh merely sighed, reminded of why he tried to avoid the Norse Pantheon—they were a pain to deal with.
Then, the chariot they were all in suddenly stopped, to everyone's surprise.
"What happened!? Don't tell me it's terrorists!?" Rossweisse shouted, confused.
"I don't know! But when things like this happen, it's never good!" Azazel growled.
Gilgamesh and everyone quickly exited the chariot, except for Asia and Leonardo, floating with magic and looking at the one responsible for the attack.
It was a handsome man with delinquent-like eyes. He had light blue hair flowing behind him with two small bangs. He also had a blue jewel on his forehead and yellow earrings.
Seeing the man emanating a divine aura, Rossweisse made a distressed expression, while Azazel narrowed his eyes.
And Gilgamesh quickly recognized who it was.
Loki, the Evil God of Norse Mythology, the God of Trickery.
"Pleased to meet you! I am the Evil God of Northern Europe! Loki!" the God introduced himself.
Everyone's gazes were filled with surprise at seeing such a being before them; a God was something no one expected.
Azazel spread his black wings as he exited the chariot.
"If it isn't Loki-dono. Who would've thought we'd meet you in a place like this. Do you have business with us? In this chariot is the Chief of the Norse Gods, Odin-dono. You're aware of that, aren't you?" Azazel asked calmly.
The God, Loki, spoke while crossing his arms.
"Not exactly. Our Chief left our organization to wander with other factions, and that's painful to bear."
Hearing this, Azazel's eyes narrowed.
"You're pretty arrogant to say that so openly, Loki," Azazel's voice was practically filled with anger toward Loki.
Upon hearing this, Loki laughed with pleasure.
"Fuhahahaha, if it isn't the Governor-dono of the Fallen Angels! Normally, I wouldn't want to meet you or demons, but there's no helping it. Just like Odin and the others, you must receive my punishment."
"So it's fine for you to wander with other factions? That's contradictory," Azazel said in a sarcastic tone.
"It's fine if it's to destroy other factions. I don't agree with peace. After all, it was your religion that invaded our territory and spread the Bible," Loki said angrily.
"…There's no point saying that to me. Tell that to Michael or the late God of the Bible," Azazel replied, scratching his head.
"Anyway, it's a problem that Chief Odin is negotiating with the Far Eastern Gods. That way, we won't be able to have 'Ragnarok.' What's your desire in exchanging information about Yggdrasil?" Loki asked seriously.
Azazel merely pointed at him and asked.
"I'll ask one thing! Are your actions related to the Khaos Brigade? Wait, if I recall, you're an Evil God-sama who doesn't tell the truth."
Unfazed, Loki replied.
"I'm disgusted that you'd mix my opinions with those idiotic terrorists. I came here of my own accord, and Ophis has nothing to do with it."
Hearing this response, Azazel lost the tension in his body.
"…So you're not with the Khaos Brigade. But either way, that's also a problem. Old Man, I see… So this is the issue the Norse Faction has, huh."
When Azazel looked toward the chariot, Odin had just stepped out with Rossweisse. He activated a magic circle beneath his feet and moved through the air with it.
"Hmm. There are still hard-headed people, and that's why we're facing problems. There are still fools like that one," Odin said, stroking his beard.
"Loki-sama! Your actions exceed your authority by turning against the Norse Chief! That's unforgivable! You must argue at the official meeting!" Rossweisse said, switching from her suit to armor.
But the enemy paid no heed.
"A mere warrior maiden shouldn't interfere with me. I'm talking to Odin. Do you still intend to do things outside our Norse world?" Loki said seriously.
But Odin merely responded casually.
"Aye. Talking with Sirzechs and Azazel is a million times more interesting than talking with you. I want to learn about Japanese Shintoism. They're also interested in our Yggdrasil. After we form a peace agreement, I'm thinking of doing a cultural exchange between our people."
Hearing this, Loki smiled sarcastically.
"…So I confirm your plans. Such a foolish act. Let's compare our powers then."
A deep magical aura began to surround Loki's body as he increased his power.
"So I can take this as a declaration of war, right?"
With Azazel's final warning, Loki smiled sarcastically.
"Take it however you want."
But before anyone could react, an intense holy aura struck Loki, causing a massive impact.
Looking back, Gilgamesh saw Xenovia and Arthur, each with their holy swords, Durandal and Caliburn, respectively.
Both had swung their swords, releasing an intense holy aura at Loki.
"Victory goes to the one who strikes first," Xenovia said calmly.
"Agreed," Arthur said, nodding.
"It seems that didn't work. As expected of a Norse God," Arturia said, looking at where Loki stood.
Loki stood calmly as if nothing had happened.
"Two Holy Swords, huh. Impressive power, but still not enough to handle a God. It's no different from a light breeze," Loki said, laughing.
Loki extended his hand, compressing a deep magical aura into it to unleash a massive beam of light.
Seeing the beam of divine power approaching, Valerie extended her hand, creating a massive protective magic circle that blocked the God's attack.
"Hoho, to think a mere half-breed could block my attack," Loki said with amusement as Valerie narrowed her eyes.
With a snap of Valerie's fingers, a massive pillar of purple flames erupted in the sky, advancing toward Loki, who quickly dodged.
"Hoho, the Purple Flames that can kill even a God, one of those Longinus. She's truly troublesome," Loki said, creating a magic circle to defend against the flames.
"Karna," Gilgamesh called.
"Understood."
In a single leap, Karna lunged at Loki.
The Evil God anticipated what was coming. Karna emerged from the Purple Flames unscathed, swinging his lance at Loki.
The God's defensive circle was shattered, but the shockwave pushed him away from the strike.
Looking at Karna, the Evil God laughed.
"Hah, a demigod, isn't it? And by the aura, a Hindu one. What's a Hindu demigod doing here?" Loki asked curiously.
"I'm here to kill you," Karna said neutrally, pointing his lance at Loki.
The Evil God burst into laughter.
"You think a mere demigod can defeat me?" Loki asked with disdain.
"What about two demigods then?" a voice asked from behind Loki.
The Evil God's eyes widened as he hadn't sensed anyone approaching.
Turning quickly, the God came face-to-face with Gilgamesh.
The King of Heroes swiftly delivered a kick at Loki, who created a barrier, but the force of the kick shattered it like fragile glass and sent Loki flying.
Loki quickly regained his composure and faced Gilgamesh again.
"The King of Heroes and Leader of Avalon is here too? Seems I forgot about you," Loki said seriously.
"How's it going, Evil God Loki? The last time I was in Asgard, I didn't get to meet you. That was a shame," Gilgamesh said with mock sadness.
"Ah, so you're the one who defeated Thor? For him to lose to a mere child, he must have underestimated you greatly, Celestial Dragon," Loki said, laughing.
Extending his hand, Loki expanded his magical power, concentrating it in his hand and generating a massive sphere of divine power.
Gilgamesh did the same, unleashing a golden burst of divine energy against Loki's power.
The two powers collided violently and exploded.
The massive shockwave from the collision swept across the battlefield.
Red smoke was rising from Loki's hand.
Seeing this, Loki gave a smile.
"…It's not like I was holding back completely. This is really fun. This definitely makes me happy. So, I'll laugh. Fuhahahaha!"
Gilgamesh laughed at the Evil God's amusement.
Loki prepared to attack again but stopped just in time to dodge an attack.
Looking back, he saw the one responsible for the attack, and his eyes darkened with anger.
"So this is where you were hiding, my hateful son," Loki said with rage.
It was a massive gray wolf, about 10 meters tall.
It was Fenrir, the "God-Devouring Wolf," Loki's son and one of the "Top 10 Strongest Beings in the World."
Fenrir wasn't even intimidated by his father's words.
"After escaping me, you joined these beings from other mythologies," Loki grumbled with disgust in his voice.
"But I don't need you anymore. After all, I have someone more loyal," Loki said, smiling widely.
Snapping his fingers, a massive rift appeared behind Loki, and from it emerged a giant wolf identical to Fenrir, to everyone's shock.
"Another Fenrir…" Azazel sighed, stunned.
"Impossible," Odin shouted in disbelief.
Gilgamesh's eyes merely narrowed at what he saw.
"So he was able to clone Fenrir, huh," Gilgamesh said, narrowing his eyes.
Even Fenrir was surprised by what he was seeing.
Seeing the clone of the God-Devouring Wolf before everyone, Gilgamesh began to increase his aura even more.
Beside him, Karna and Enkidu positioned themselves, their powers also rising in preparation for battle.
And seeing this, Loki's smile grew sharper.
"I'm already satisfied seeing the Red Dragon Emperor. For today, I'll retreat," Loki announced.
Loki called the wolf to his side.
When Loki swung his cloak, as he turned, a large distortion appeared in the air, enveloping Loki and the Fenrir clone.
"But on the day of the meeting with this country's Gods, I'll return! Odin, next time, Fenrir and I will definitely tear out the throat of the 'Chief of the Gods'!"
After his announcement, Loki and the wolf vanished without a trace as Gilgamesh sighed.
**Some Time Later.**
After Loki's attack and the revelation that he had created a clone of Fenrir, everyone returned to Gilgamesh's house.
In the living room of the King of Heroes' house, Rias's peerage, the members of the Avalon Faction, Azazel, and Barakiel were gathered.
Odin and Rossweisse were in another room, communicating with their Faction to report what was happening.
Loki coming to Japan had also become a major issue for them.
Thus, everyone began discussing countermeasures against Loki.
The Maou, Sirzechs, was already aware of the situation. It had also been communicated to Heaven and the Fallen Angels' side.
To ensure Odin's meeting went ahead, it was decided that the Alliance of the Four Powers (Angels, Demons, Fallen Angels, and Avalon) would cooperate and protect him.
Thus, everyone's mission was to deal with Loki.
"So we have to handle this," Azazel said, sighing.
Fighting Loki with just them could be a problem.
Reinforcements were something they couldn't count on from any Faction. The terror caused by Sacred Gear users sent by the Hero Faction was still ongoing, and every faction was in chaos because of it.
Every critical area was on maximum alert, which was why they couldn't send anyone to help against Loki.
"No need to worry, Azazel," Gilgamesh said, drawing the attention of the Grigori's Governor.
"What do you mean?" Azazel asked, reflecting everyone's doubt.
"My friends and I will deal with Loki," Gilgamesh said calmly, as the demons' eyes widened in shock.
"What?" Rias shouted in disbelief.
"Are you really going to do this?" Azazel asked seriously.
Gilgamesh merely sighed. "After seeing my fight against Sirzechs, do you really think someone like Loki would be a worthy opponent?" Gilgamesh asked, looking at Azazel.
For a few seconds, they stared at each other before Azazel burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha, you're right. If you're that determined, who am I to stop you? I'll talk to Odin, Sirzechs, and Michael. If you can handle Loki, it'll be a big help," Azazel said with amusement.
Gilgamesh merely laughed, looking at Azazel.
"Don't worry, Azazel. Tomorrow, Loki will be history," Gilgamesh said with a smile.
With the threat of the Evil God, the King of Heroes would make his move.
And his opponent would be one of the most powerful Norse Gods.