Athena replied with a confident smile:
— Of course I can, brother…
Though it may be a little difficult.
When Odin heard that, he shrugged indifferently.
— I don't care about the method…
I only want results, sister.
Poseidon looked at him in clear surprise.
— You truly don't care about the method, brother?
Odin turned to him with a sharp gaze.
— Only Athena's method is acceptable.
Any other method is not.
Is that understood?
Poseidon pursed his lips mockingly and said in a frustrated tone:
— I had a great method for that…
We just needed to hang them upside down for a few days,
and they'd follow our orders perfectly!
Hades burst out laughing.
— Hahaha! I don't think that would work with my children, Poseidon.
I've tried it more than once… and it failed.
Poseidon looked at him with boredom and replied sarcastically:
— Oh, and now the expert speaks?
Anyone who does something wrong should just clean up his dog's mess!
Then he added sharply:
— You were making the children clean that dog's filth, you exploiter!
Didn't you see how the ones you punished would vomit every day after doing that?
You heartless, black-hearted brute!
Hades' face flushed with embarrassment as he defended himself:
— It was an effective teaching method!
Did you see any of them misbehave afterward?
Did you?!
At that moment, a long sigh was heard.
Odin spoke coldly:
— Enough.
I've entrusted the matter to Athena. That's final.
Then he added as he walked toward the cave's exit:
— Let's go.
We'll find the children,
then head to begin building our new home.
We have much to do…
and no time to argue about who was right or wrong.
When Hades and the others heard Odin's words,
they nodded slightly, stood up, and followed him out of the cave.
As Odin saw them comply,
a small smile formed inwardly as he thought:
"I managed to make Hades forget what I said to his daughter about my son… hahaha."
A faint smile briefly appeared on his face,
unnoticed by his brothers—
and then vanished, replaced once more by his usual cold expression.
Odin and his brothers walked toward the place where they were hiding the children,
far from Asgard…
On the continent of Mira,
within the imperial human forests,
at the borders of the Empire.
And there…
Forn was breathing heavily,
struggling to catch her breath.
There was only one thought in her mind:
— Escape…
Escape from the Empire as fast as possible.
The moment that thought crossed her mind,
she frowned slightly and turned her head back.
She felt someone approaching her.
It wasn't a passing sensation.
It was a heavy, overwhelming, suffocating aura.
And the moment she recognized it,
her eyes widened in shock.
It was the Emperor's aura.
He was the one chasing her.
Without hesitation,
Forn quickly pulled a jewel from inside her clothes,
ignoring everything else,
and crushed it instantly.
The moment it shattered,
a strange vortex of light formed around her.
But it wasn't a normal vortex.
Its shape was distorted,
filled with terrifying ripples and distortions,
as if space itself rejected its existence—
as if something were trying to destroy it before it could stabilize.
When the Emperor of Humanity sensed the vortex,
he roared in fury:
— Don't you dare do that, Forn!
No matter where you run… I will find you!
In the next instant,
he drew a strangely shaped sword from his storage ring
and slashed toward her.
A terrifying aura shot forward at incredible speed,
reaching her at the exact moment the sword strike was unleashed.
The Emperor smiled as he watched the sword crumble in his hand.
True, it was a one-time artifact—
expensive even for him—
but it was a trump card he had saved for emergencies.
Keeping Forn here
and preventing her from using the teleportation jewel
was worth any price.
However—
What the Emperor did not expect
was that even after being struck,
Forn was still activating the vortex.
She was still escaping.
When he saw that,
he shouted as he rushed toward her:
— No…!
But it was too late.
The moment the word left his mouth,
Forn vanished.
Almost at the same time,
the Emperor arrived at the spot where she had stood.
He stopped, staring at the empty space.
He paused for a single second—
Then—
A terrifying aura exploded around him,
turning the entire area into destructive pulses that shook the earth and air.
He looked up at the sky,
his eyes burning with rage.
— How dare you, Forn…?
You have truly made me angry.
He waved his hand violently.
In an instant,
a dreadful golden vortex appeared,
beginning to destroy everything where he stood.
In the distance,
the knights saw that golden vortex
growing…
growing…
spreading toward them.
The moment they saw it,
they understood—
The Emperor was furious.
And when he was furious,
he saw nothing before him—
neither friend nor foe.
So the knights fled the area,
escaping beyond the reach of the spreading vortex,
waiting for the Emperor to calm down…
so they could ensure his safety.