"Let's proceed with the next phase," Loki said, his voice dripping with malice.
Hel perked up from her seat but kept silent.
It had been more than a month since Leon Mishima had become their captive. Many torture methods had been used—techniques that would have broken even immortals. Divine punishments designed to shatter the will of gods themselves.
Hel had witnessed it all.
She'd seen her father employ methods that had made deities beg for mercy within days. Yet somehow, this human endured. Week after week, he held on. His body should have given out long ago. His mind should have fractured under the weight of it.
But he was still alive. Still conscious. Still defiant in his own quiet way.
It was remarkable. Admirable, even.
Hel kept her expression neutral as she watched her father pace the room, but internally, she felt something she rarely experienced: genuine respect. This human had proven himself stronger than beings who had lived for millennia.
And now her father wanted to move forward with their original plan.
"The Mishima boy has proven more resilient than anticipated," Loki continued, his tone casual despite the implications. "So we'll motivate him differently. His lovers—the Nekoshou, the Valkyrie, the Sitri heiress. We'll bring them here. Let him watch what happens when his protection fails."
"But Father," she said carefully, keeping her voice neutral, "didn't you oath to let the Nekoshou and the Valkyrie leave unharmed?"
Loki's lips curved into a cold smile. "I did. And I upheld that oath perfectly. I let them leave Helheim unharmed, just as promised." He paused, his eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. "But there was nothing in that oath preventing me from bringing them back."
Of course. The loophole.
As the God of Mischief and Trickery, her father was a master at exploiting the exact wording of oaths and contracts. The oath had only bound him to release them that one time. It said nothing about recapture. Nothing about ensuring they stayed free.
Hel's chest tightened, though her face remained impassive.
Shame. That's what this feeling was.
She'd admired Leon's strength, his unwavering commitment to protecting those he cared about. And now her father would use that very commitment to destroy him completely.
He would die. Not from the torture itself, but from watching them suffer. From knowing he'd failed to keep them safe.
It was inevitable now.
"Prepare the retrieval," Loki ordered, glancing at Hel. "We'll start with the Nekoshou. She'll be the easiest to capture."
Hel nodded slowly, her voice steady. "As you command, Father."
But inside, something twisted uncomfortably.
=====
Leon's Mansion
Issei slammed his fist against the table, the sound echoing through the room. "This is bullshit!"
Asia flinched at the outburst but said nothing. Her hands were clasped tightly in her lap, her expression pained.
"Issei..." Irina started, but he cut her off.
"No! It's been weeks!" His voice cracked with frustration. "Leon's been trapped in Helheim for over a month, and we're just sitting here doing nothing!"
Father Dante remained calm, his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall. Xenovia stood beside him, her jaw tight. Across from them sat Koneko, Kuroka, and Rossweisse. The tension in the room was suffocating.
"We're not doing nothing," Rossweisse said quietly, though her voice carried an edge of steel that hadn't been there before.
Issei turned to her, his eyes blazing. "Then what are we doing? Because from where I'm standing, we're just waiting around while Leon—" He stopped, his throat constricting. "While he's..."
He couldn't finish the sentence.
Asia's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Leon-san has saved us so many times," she whispered. "When I was taken by the Fallen Angels, when we faced Kokabiel, when—" Her voice broke. "And now that he needs help, I... we..."
"We're useless," Issei finished bitterly. "That's what we are. Useless."
Koneko's ears flattened against her head, but she didn't speak. Her fists were clenched so tightly her knuckles had turned white.
Kuroka's tails swished restlessly behind her. "Nya... it's not that simple, Red Dragon Emperor."
"Then explain it to me!" Issei shouted. "Why can't we just go there? Why can't we—"
"Because you'd die," Rossweisse said flatly.
The room fell silent.
Issei stared at her, his jaw working. "I don't care—"
"You should." Rossweisse's violet eyes were hard, unyielding. "Because dying accomplishes nothing. It doesn't save Leon. It doesn't free him from his oaths. It just adds more corpses to Loki's collection."
Her words were brutal, but they carried an authority that made everyone pause.
"So we just give up?" Issei asked, his voice raw.
"No." Rossweisse stood, her posture rigid. "Now is not the time to act recklessly. But I have a plan."
Everyone's attention snapped to her.
"What we need to do," she continued, her tone measured, "is get stronger. This is Loki we're dealing with—a god. Not some rogue devil or fallen angel. A god. Rushing in unprepared would be suicide."
Xenovia spoke up for the first time. "What kind of plan?"
Rossweisse's expression remained unreadable. "One that requires patience. And preparation. Leon bought us time with his sacrifice. We can't waste it by throwing our lives away."
There was something different about her. Issei couldn't quite place it, but Rossweisse seemed... harder. More focused. Like something fundamental had shifted in her since Leon's capture.
Asia noticed it too. She glanced at Irina uncertainly, who gave a small, confused shrug.
Even Father Dante's eyes narrowed slightly, studying the Valkyrie with newfound interest.
"What aren't you telling us?" Koneko asked quietly.
Rossweisse met her gaze without flinching. "Everything you need to know. When the time comes."
Kuroka's eyes gleamed with suspicion. "Nya... you're hiding something, Valkyrie."
"I'm protecting something," Rossweisse corrected.
The room fell silent again, tension crackling in the air.
Finally, Issei let out a long, shaky breath. "Fine. Tell us what we need to do."
Rossweisse nodded once. "Train. Get stronger. Prepare yourselves. And when I give the word..." Her voice dropped, cold and determined. "We go to war."
"Interesting."
Everyone's heads snapped toward the doorway.
Vali stood there, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed. His silver hair caught the light, and his expression was calm—almost bored.
But his eyes told a different story.
They burned with barely restrained fury.
"Vali," Kuroka said, surprised. "How long have you been—"
"Long enough to hear something very interesting." Vali pushed off the doorframe and stepped into the room. "Someone want to explain what I just walked into?"
The room went silent.
Vali's eyes swept across their faces, taking in the tension, the exhaustion, the barely concealed desperation. His gaze lingered on Koneko's flattened ears, on Asia's tear-stained cheeks, on the rigid set of Rossweisse's shoulders.
"Where's Leon?"
No one answered.
Vali's expression didn't change, but something shifted in the air around him. The temperature seemed to drop.
"Where. Is. Leon?"
Rossweisse was the one who finally spoke. "Helheim."
The word hung in the air like a death sentence.
Vali went very, very still. "Explain."
"He's been Loki's captive for over a month," Koneko said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "He... he traded himself. To save us."
For a moment, Vali didn't react. His face remained blank, unreadable.
Then his eyes snapped to Kuroka.
"Over a month," he repeated slowly, his voice dangerously calm. "My rival has been in Helheim, in the hands of a Norse god, for over a month." He took a step forward, his gaze locked on the black-haired Nekoshou. "And you didn't tell me, Kuroka?"
Kuroka's tails stilled. Her usual playful demeanor was gone, replaced by something more guarded. "Nya... Vali—"
"Don't." His voice was cold. "You're part of my team. You knew what Leon means to me. And you said nothing."
"It wasn't her decision alone," Rossweisse interjected, but Vali didn't look away from Kuroka.
"I'm not talking to you right now," Vali said flatly. His golden eyes bore into Kuroka. "Why?"
Kuroka met his gaze, her usual confidence wavering. "Because... nya... because we needed time. To prepare. To plan. If we'd told you right away, you would have—"
"Gone after him immediately," Vali finished. "Yes. I would have."
"And that would have made things worse,"
Vali's jaw tightened, but he remained silent.
Kuroka's voice was quiet when she spoke. "Nya... we didn't tell you because we knew you'd go. And we knew that if you did, Leon would pay the price for it."
Vali's hands clenched into fists at his sides. The air around him crackled with barely suppressed energy.
The silence stretched between them, tense and suffocating.
Finally, Vali looked away, his gaze sweeping across the room once more. When he spoke again, his voice was low and controlled. "So the Valkyrie has a plan. How convenient."
No one responded.
"When you're ready to move," Vali continued, his tone leaving no room for argument, "you let me know. Because I'm done waiting."
It wasn't a request. It was a promise.
"Leon's my rival," Vali said, each word measured and deliberate. "My friend. And he's been in Helheim for over a month." His eyes swept across the room. "So when you make your move, I'm coming with you. And if anyone has a problem with that, speak now."
No one did.
Vali turned and walked out of the room without another word, his footsteps echoing down the hallway.
The door slammed shut behind him.
No one spoke for a long moment.
Finally, Asia whispered, "He's really angry, isn't he?"
"Yeah," Issei said quietly, staring at the empty doorway. "He is."
====
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