Volume 4 – Chapter 3 – Part 2 – Dark Elves and trouble in Svartalfheim!

????

Ignia

"Hohohoho! So you got your 'butt' kicked by Papa-san, Ignia-san?"

"…"

It's been a few hours since I had met up with father. Lapis took Loki with her. She said she was bringing him to that Fallen called Avezza to get some Azrael— No, it's technically Mother's blood…

I— We were in a 'meeting' room that Lapis had picked, we rarely meet up after we all woke up, but when we do… It's always like this. Two of my other siblings were already here with me.

The room was plain and nothing special, just a rectangular table with four chairs. The head of the table was empty, that's where Lapis would sit. My other brothers were to the left and right respectively while I was at the end.

"…You should know none of us stand a chance against him."

"Hohoho ~ of course, but I would like to think I can at least even the playing field. After all, I am a conqueror."

"…"

I hate this guy. Damn lizard. In general, my other brother looks like a white lizard-like creature. His skin is pure, solid-white with purple sections on his head, shoulders, forearms, abdomen, and shins.

The purple-lined sections on the sides of his face vanish, though the lines on his cheeks remain intact, giving his face an almost mask-like appearance.

Kshhhhh ~

"My, no need to be so hostile, brother. Lapis should be here soon."

"…"

The other one is also quite strange. Hell, he probably looks down on all of us. I get the feeling he thinks of himself as a higher life form. He is muscular and toned, despite his relatively small frame compared to us. He has two long antennae on his ears and a large shell-like armor over his head that resembles a helmet.

There were dark pigmented areas on his arms, legs, chest, and head.  He possessed a powerful tail equipped with a stinger that served as his weapon. Both his hands and feet had only four digits each.

Slam!

"Sorry for the wait ~ Loki-chan wouldn't stop squirming so I had to knock him out ~ Let's get this meeting started, shall we ~"

Lapis came in… I still don't like her. As she stated herself, her personality resembles our mother's. The most unsettling thing is that even though she is the strongest of all of us, I believe we still have the advantage in actual combat.

…

Tobio Ikuse

Kzkzkzhshshs!! Boom! Boom!

"..."

"L-Lavinia… I think you should slow down a bit…"

Initially, I wasn't sure what I was looking at. In truth, Lavinia Reni, our magician was quite… Excited and irritated at the same time.

After the three of them had teleported back to Grigori, the one in the Underworld, she was quite eager to complete the mission. I had asked Shigune and Natsume earlier, they said she wanted to get this mission finished as quickly as possible…because she wanted to join Jin in Asgard.

I let out a sigh. She's really in love with Jin, huh? I never would have thought the day would come.

"She's really gung-ho about this, huh?"

Sae was beside me, as well as the other members. We were currently in Ireland since Jin's alliance with them, Azazel was contacted by them to clear up some Cryptids that had appeared in a place called Inistioge, County Kilkenny.

It was either us or Jin, and seeing as how he's in Asgard for the alliance with the Norse Gods…then we were called instead. Thankfully it was in a barren part of the place so we didn't need to worry about the locals finding us. However, it seemed endless, when one was killed, another was teleported in.

"Natsume, Shigune, switch with her. We need Lavinia to find the circles and disable them otherwise this will just drag on."

The two of them nod.

"Reni!! Switch!"

They dash forward, and grab Lavinia's shoulder surprising her, and flinging her backwards. She let out a small 'Kya' but landed safely by herself. She seemed a bit stunned but calmed herself down.

"What's up with you, Witch? I know you said you wanted to finish this quickly but… Being reckless isn't like you."

"Kouki's right, Lavinia…. Calm down and analyze those magic circles for us. Disable it or destroy it, once done we can clean up here."

"Sorry Tobi, Shark-chan. Huuuu… I'll get on it right away."

By using quick breathing exercises, she quickly regained her composure. Once she was done, she opened her eyes back up and looked around. She waited for both Shigune and Natsume to kill a cryptid and watched where the magic circles would appear.

"They seem to appear at certain points."

"Yes. I just need to go over there and analyze them. But I will need space for that."

I look at Kouki and Sae and nod.

"Kouki, you do your own thing, defend Lavinia. Sae, you're with me. You've recently reached Ultimate-class and you're doing quite well with Nattsu so don't get too reckless."

Clank~

I look to my side and stare at our newest member. He had a sword out that was given to him and created by Grigori.

"Ajamu. A few more missions before Azazel can clear you for Jin to restore your power. Defend Lavinia as best you can."

"I will, leave to me, Ikuse-san."

"…Just call me Tobio or Tobi."

"Very well, Tobio."

As we were about to go forward, a voice stops us—

"How about I lend you a hand, team Slash/Dog?"

?! Who—

"Who's there?!"

Everyone around me tenses up, suddenly… A flower comes from the ground and blooms— Out came a woman…? A young woman with emerald green eyes, slightly pale skin, and long dark green hair tied in a segmented ponytail that hangs down in front of her appears from it!

"I am Goddess Danu, you are Jin's comrades, yes?"

A Goddess?! She also knows Jin? The tension around us disappears as she smiles at us and then at… Lavinia? Lavinia also stares back at the woman.

"I will lend you my assistance, team Slash/Dog. We can talk later. Lavinia Reni… You will be protected by my powers while you analyze those magic circles, rest assured."

We look at each other and nod.

"You heard me earlier, let's get to it!"

I summoned Gin as he turned into his larger form. We followed Lavinia to one of the magic circles, she starts to analyze it. Meanwhile…. A transparent green barrier surrounds her along with some vines…?

She paid no mind to it and kept analyzing the circle. Kouki was already rampaging around and killing anything that came his way with Byakusa.

"Ora ora ora!!!! Out of my way you freaks!!!!!"

Slash! Slash! Zap! Zing!

While watching over Sae, I evaded an attack from a Cryptid. She has come a long way; she had also started taking lessons from Lavinia in the use of magic. While she can use fire manipulation through Nattsu, Sae wanted to be able to use other elements if certain circumstances arose.

Booooooooom!!!!!!!!!!

In front of us…roots came out of the ground and pierced the cryptids, killing them. I look at Ajamu but it wasn't him, he was still using his sword, then the Irish Goddess, Danu was the one manipulating them? Incredible.

Ajamu could do something similar as we had sparred a few times over the last couple of weeks. I could easily burn them so we were just a terrible matchup.

"…Do we even need to do anything…? Lavinia, how's the analysis going?"

"Nearly done, Tobi ~"

Not wanting to feel useless, I summoned a scythe and dashed towards some cryptids. Together with Gin, I hacked and slashed through them. I had been training with Sae these last few months so I wasn't slacking off in my own training.

"Oi! Lady, watch out!"

I heard Kouki shout and turn to see a number of cryptids had snuck up on Goddess Danu! Shit! I need to—

Swish! Slice! Cut! Slice!

Her eyes were still closed when she made a small motion with her right hand. The cryptids that were behind her suddenly were cut up into pieces...…. What was that? …Wind? Just now, a small breeze hit me... What kind of Goddess is she?

If I remember correctly, Azazel said that she wasn't a Goddess that could fight. But what she showed there was… Jin, do you know about this…?

"Mister Tobio."

….?

Ksh! Bam!

I turn around, and multiple cryptids were impaled by roots, Gin was standing on top of them as he slid a cryptid's body off his blade.

"Done! ~"

Shatter!

Lavinia announced happily as the magic circle in front of her shattered. Noticing this, Goddess Danu undid her barrier and roots as Lavinia walked around destroying the rest of the magic circles. Once that was done no other cryptids appeared.

"Shall we finish up then?"

Agreeing with the Irish Goddess, my team and I quickly killed the rest of the cryptids. Why did they send them here…? Are they gathering information? Causing chaos? I didn't feel anything special about these cryptids in particular… Unlike that one I faced months ago.

"Um, Danu…sama? Thank you for the help. I'm quite surprised you know Japanese so well…"

The rest of team Slash/Dog joined us as Goddess Danu also removed her roots and vines from the place. She smiled at us and shook her head.

"It's probably due to Jin."

"Jin?"

Lavinia points to herself, Shigune and Natsume.

"When he took us to his training spot, he gave us the ability to understand and speak all languages around the world. I would assume this happened with Goddess Danu too."

"That would be correct… Jin gave me that ability after his sparring match with Scathach, he also gave it to another Irish Goddess, before then he was using an ability on us so we could understand each other. With this it's much easier."

Amazing...would he give us that ability if I asked…? It would certainly make missions in different countries a lot easier if you could speak the language.

"Now then. I belong to the Gaelic Alliance and I no longer feel these cryptids in our country. You can report back to your superiors, Tobio Ikuse."

"…I, uh, I see… Sorry for asking but what kind of God are you?"

"I am the Primordial Goddess of Earth, Nature, and Wind. The winds of Ireland told me of your battle, so I came here. Normally I wouldn't, however… I have met two of your teammates before. It has been some time, Natsume, Shigune."

A Primordial God…. I didn't think I would meet one… She's also quite powerful. But it seemed that only Sae and I are surprised by this.

"Yeah, it's been a while, Danu-sama!"

"H-Hello, nice to see you again."

The three of them started to catch up while also dragging Lavinia with them…. I… What? What do I do in this instance…? I look at Sae and she just smiles at me.

"Haaaa… Bro's been busy. Even has a Goddess in his grasps, huh?"

"That is the kind of man Jin is… Even if our meeting and interactions were brief. That is what I sensed from him."

Kouki looks at Ajamu and shrugs. Regardless…I took out my phone and speed-dialed Azazel. He picked up instantly.

"Hey Tobio, what's up? Finished with the mission?"

"Yes, we had some unexpected help. Goddess Danu came here to help us. We just finished; we'll be coming back soon."

"Hmmm, is that so? She's not a fighter though? Well whatever, come back here and report everything."

"Right."

I ended the call and waited for the girls to finish their conversation. I held Sae's hand as Nattsu rubbed himself against her cheek and mine. I could see Kouki's expression change to one of irritation. But before I could say anything he—

"God… Am I the only single one in this team…?!"

"I am also single, Kouki."

Kouki looks beside him as Ajamu had his eyes closed.

"Oh, right. My bad man. But still…"

"Kouki, aren't you working towards romancing Kalawarna-san?"

"…I made zero progress… Even with Bro's advice…! Khhh! Am I cursed?!"

Kouki went on to explain what Jin had said and Sae laughed. Well… I don't think it's terrible advice. Act like yourself. But your own personality can be a bit much for some. You would really need to find someone who will accept that part of you, Kouki.

"We're done!"

While Lavinia dragged the two back, Goddess Danu had a smile on her face. She nodded to us before disappearing like how she came in— With a flower.

"Let's go! We're ready right?!"

"Uh, um, yes we ar—"

I was cut off by her forcefully teleporting us back.

…

Jin's soul

Jin Skyward

"I would really rather be sleeping in dreamland with Rose you know…"

I turn around to see chaos. My soul is safe, right? Ddraig and Albion were fighting, that wasn't anything new. What was new, well, Belzard and Garrett were also fighting. They didn't have the [Boosted Gear] or [Divine Dividing] anymore so… They were literally just brawling with their fists.

The female hosts were having tea with Cúntóir, Velgrynd, and Rudra. I shake my head and sigh; I turn to join the calmer bunch.

"Hey, so… What the hell's happening there?"

"Hello Jin, and as to what's happening… They got into a minor argument. Their past wielders sided with their past partners and now they're fighting."

Elsha answered me while sipping tea. Cúntóir offered me some and I agreed. Honestly… I kind of saw Garrett to be more logical and calm, I mean for a man his age…

"So, nothing new then, gotcha…"

Elsha smiles at me and continues.

"What are your plans when you wake up, Jin? You did get a new lover, huhu."

"Dark Elves Island, I'll also meet the Dwarves. If I have time, I'll also check the Agricultural and Industrial Islands. Brynhildr is getting updates through another Valkyrie who is Odin's temporary bodyguard. They're still working on reading all of the documents."

"I wouldn't be able to read all of that, so much hassle. I give you props, Jin for being able to sit down and sift through all of that and keeping anything relevant."

Amaris says as the rest agreed. Rudra had a strained smile on him as Velgrynd laughed and poked him on the cheek. We look at each other and knowingly nod, you suffered through this as well, huh? I feel your pain man…

"Someone's gotta do it… Well whatever, it doesn't matter. What's done is done."

"Jin."

Cúntóir calls my name out and she had an amused smile on her…. Why? I give her a strange look and she continues.

"You were quite—"

[Uwoooooooooooooooooooo Chichigami-sama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

She was interrupted by Ddraig screaming, we look back over at the guys and they had finished. They had their arms over each other's shoulders and walked back to us. Ddraig was grinning at me and I sighed.

[So, mind explaining your sudden perverseness, Partner? We know you're one but you upped it by quite a lot.]

"…I mean, Chimune Chipaoti is her real name and she's known as the Goddess of Breasts. I wasn't sure whether she would get in touch with me or not. But, the Breast Fairy did, and revealed some shocking stuff."

"Don't worry about it… I'll tone it done; I was just a bit surprised and excited. I also saw a kid touching… Never mind, anyway. I'll watch myself."

Ddraig snickers at me and I roll my eyes.

{Yes, it was quite shocking to learn that Nyarlathotep powered up the ExE Gods. So, we can assume they're Multiversal instead of Universal threats?}

Albion looks at Cúntóir and she nods.

"I would assume so. I cannot feel them, so they must have their own version of 'Azrael blood'. Will you be heading back to the [Pocket Dimension] soon?"

Cúntóir looks at me and I nod. I want to bring them back there after my stay in Asgard… I'm thinking ten years this time around. Hopefully, that gives everyone enough time to reach Multiversal, if not... I may add five more years, but we may need to take a break.

"Yeah… Maybe ten years, or fifteen."

I turned to Velgrynd, who had been watching me this entire time silently.

"So, why are you here, Velgrynd?"

"I was given permission to come here whenever I liked, so I did. I also found a different universe to lie low for the time being. Seeing as how I'll be prevented from reaching you and your universe. I shall spend time here instead. I will be a regular from now on."

She looks at Rudra and back at me.

"It's close to the technology of your world, so I'm also learning things when I'm not here…"

Rudra smirks at me… He probably put her up to that. I feel like you're playing matchmaker here, Rudra…but she clearly still loves you so whatever. Seeing as how I still have a lot of time left, I decided to chat it up with everyone else.

That's how the rest of my night unfolded.

…

Asgard

Next morning

Jin Skyward

"…."

I woke up first. Well, not in the entire household, but in my room. I felt Göndul and she was downstairs already as I could smell breakfast. Now I was in a real bind.

"…."

Brynhildr woke up, and like her usual strict self, she came to wake me up. However, during the night Rossweisse had crawled up on top of me and was currently sleeping while drooling. Normally that wouldn't be an issue, but at a glance, it looks like we're in the sixty-nine position.

So, Rose was drooling on my crotch. She kept on changing her gaze from me to Rose. She finally shook her head and left. I don't know if she understood what happened or just assumed something.

I breathed in—

"Boi."

Slap! Jiggle ~

"Iyyyaaan!! ~~"

I slapped her ass since it was directly in front of my face. Rossweisse woke up immediately and moaned. She quickly stopped herself and looked down. I'm sorry, morning wood is a thing. She quickly repositioned herself and cutely glared at me.

"Good morning."

"….Don't 'Good morning' me, like that! Why did you do that….?!"

She whisper shouted at me.

"….I mean, it was in front of me. It was practically screaming 'Slap me!' You know?"

She shook her head and we shared a quick kiss. My, I didn't think Rose would transition this fast! That almost seemed natural— Never mind she's blushing. I told her what, or who was here just now and she looked horrified.

She quickly got up and ran back to her room.

"I guess she really likes her senpai, huh?"

I chuckle to myself and get changed. I made the bed and left my room. Once I did Rose was also back in her business attire. We both go down to the dining room, once down there everyone who was already there turned to look at us.

"Am I expecting grandchildren soon, Rose?"

Brynhildr's mouth started to twitch while Griselda just giggled to herself. Raynare… She drank a lot so she was blankly staring at the cup of tea in front of her while holding her head with one hand.

"G-G-Granny..."

"Don't expect any until I graduate college, but yeah, I can promise you, you'll get some in the end."

"Huhu, is that so? What a reliable grandson-in-law I have."

Rose who was standing beside me was completely red and lightly tugging on my sleeve, her way of telling me to stop. Sure, why not… Though it was a lie in a way. I have no idea when I'll have kids.

"I won't take no as an answer this time, 'Granny' I'm helping with the rest of breakfast. Look at it as a way to test my food for the future."

Göndul laughed at me but let me help her make breakfast.

…

"This is delicious, Jin. My Rose picked right… ~"

I'm glad that she likes it. It was a simple dish. She showed me her personal recipe and I just followed through with it. Everyone also felt the same, even Raynare who was acting like Kuroka as she was devouring the food made by me and Göndul.

"So, before we go to the Dark Elves Island, I would like to go to that lake… Anything special about it?"

"It's just a normal lake, Jin. However…you said you wanted to explore our realm more, yes? To what extent do you…know of it?"

Göndul answers my question but also asks me one…. To what extent…? Honestly, I have a basic understanding of it. The things I know are either incorrect because it's DxD and an alternate universe or for some other reason.

"I know there are nine realms. Asgard, Alfheim, Jotunhem, Midgard, Muspelheim, Nidavellir, Nilfheim, Svartalfheim, and Vanaheim. But I know this through, you know, human media."

Göndul smiles and looks at Rossweisse and Brynhildr.

"The humans are familiar with the names, but they are not familiar with the history. Rose, Brynhildr do you mind giving Jin a quick history lesson about our realm? I'll start making some snacks."

That left no room for argument on my part so I kept silent. I looked over at the two younger Valkyries. Both Raynare and Griselda were also quite curious.

"I will try to explain it as simple as I can while also using more modern terms, words, and phrases. Please bear with me."

Rossweisse says and looks at Brynhildr who agrees with her. The two of them close their eyes for the next few minutes. The only thing we could hear was Göndul doing her own thing in the kitchen. Everyone inside of me was also listening.

"Let's start with Asgard. Asgard… You can say it's a central hub for everything. A place of gathering by all the nine realms with a few exceptions. You know many of its primary Gods as you have already met them. These include Odin-sama, Loki-sama, Thor-sama, Vidar-sama, Baldur-sama, and the like."

"You heard Azazel mention the Vanir before we confronted Loki-sama, didn't you? But that's misguided since Odin-sama has made peace with them long ago, while we are still working towards better relations with them. It's better than having war, isn't it?"

Brynhildr nods and continues.

"Alfheim is a sub-realm of Asgard. In Norse mythology, this is where the elves live mainly. You have seen some here, in Asgard, yes? They, like the Dark-Elves, mainly reside in their own realm."

"Freyr-sama is the one who leads the Elves of Alfheim. They do not have a Queen or King, but have their own council to help govern the realm when Freyr-sama is not present."

Brynhildr finishes and Rossweisse continues… I guess they'll switch back and forth then.

"Jotunheim, sometimes referred to as Utgard is the realm of the giants and frost giants. Loki-sama is typically based there, but as you know he's currently sealed. However, not many venture there as it's riddled with chaos. Odin-sama and Thor-sama have journeyed through it before."

Odin geezer went there for…. I believe, Mímisbrunnr's eye, right? Thor…. Thor… I don't know. Too many myths and folklore that don't really lead anywhere.

"Midgard. The realm of humans in our mythology. Ask-sama, and Embla-sama were the first to populate it. Everyone else were descendants."

…Incest.

[Sweet home ~]

{Alabama ~}

[…Wait, doesn't that include Kunou down the line?]

[P-P-P-P-Partner!!!]

Ddraig.... Shut up.

[...…He acknowledges it— Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!]

{Are those… Mil-tans?}

'That's a bit too cruel, Jin.'

'…Mil-tan…?'

'I will explain, Velgrynd.'

"Muspelheim is the realm of primordial fire. Unlike what has been told in the human media, Surtr-sama is not a giant but just a regular God. He's the Primordial God of fire, unlike Loki-sama who is sometimes portrayed as such. He's only known as the God of Mischief."

"As the name implies, that realm is primarily made up of flames, and there are few places to stand within it. Individuals who have immunity to fire or have a high tolerance can enter the realm. Not many creatures or monsters are there, but the ones that are there, they are used to such conditions."

Rossweisse finishes as Göndul comes back with some cupcakes. She gives all of us one each, then places a large plate of them in the middle. Everyone takes a bit and then Brynhildr continues.

"Nidavellir. It's the home of the dwarfs. Like the elves, they mostly stay in their own realm, but many have started to move to Asgard and our many islands. They are known as master craftsmen and blacksmiths. They are the ones responsible for the creation of [Gleipnir] as you saw used on Fenrir."

"Their realm... How do I describe it…?"

Brynhildr was the one telling us this as she looked at Rossweisse for help. Rose closed her eyes for a bit before opening them up.

"It's steampunk-esque? Many homes are also shops that create weapons, tools, armor, and other such things. They are the ones responsible for making the trains of Asgard as well as many of our buildings and items. They are also helped by the Elves and Dark Elves. They are on good terms with each other now. Unlike many years ago."

"War?"

I asked and they all nodded. I guess some things just remain the same in history… Doesn't matter if it's humans or supernatural beings. Why though? Land? Resources? Greed? Pride? Everything?

"Next is Niflheim. The primordial land of ice, mist, and snow. Hel-sama is the one who governs that realm. She is the daughter of Loki-sama and almost never leaves the realm with a few exceptions. It's an empty realm mostly frozen… Even the ice giants do not venture there."

If I remember correctly, the Dragon Niðhöggr should reside there…. Well before he was killed by Ddraig, right?

[Yeah. In the past we met, I was still quite rowdy and we fought. In the end, I killed him. He was known as the Abyss Rage Dragon and the Extrajudicial Death Dragon.]

Right, and if my memory serves right, he's one of the Evil Dragons that Qlippoth resurrects. Looks like you'll have a rematch with him in the future, Ddraig.

[It doesn't matter. I will kill him again and rid the world of him. He is greedy and sadistic; he ate dragon eggs for crying out loud! Eggs! ….Partner, let me fight him when the time comes. I have a personal vendetta against him.]

Sure thing.

[Thank you.]

"Svartalfheim, the realm of the Dark Elves. Nidavellir and Svartalfheim are sometimes seen as one realm but, it is not. As mentioned earlier, Nidavellir is home to the dwarves while Svartalfheim is home to the Dark Elves. The Dark Elves that live in one of the Islands of Asgard and are ruled by a different Queen while in Svartalfheim they have a King."

"…The Dark Elves in their realm are peaceful as far as I know. They are being ruled by a King. They are a little old in their ways but are working towards modernizing their realm."

Is it really peaceful? Cúntóir?

Cúntóir: Answer: No, there is a problem. They have a tyrannical ruler. The last King and Queen have both passed away. There were two queen candidates but they were forced to flee.

Cúntóir: Answer: Many… Detestable things happen there, things you personally do not like. When that request comes, please prepare yourself. Please don't go barging in there, Jin. Though, I do hope the request does come soon.

...…What can you tell me about the current Dark Elf King?

Cúntóir: Answer: He is Half Devil Half Dark Elf, a hybrid. He is a cruel individual, to compare, treat him like the Old-Satan faction devils, add to the fact his hatred for dwarfs, light elves and other races…

I get what you're saying. I'll expect the worst then.

"Finally, Vanaheim. They are a group of gods associated with fertility and wisdom. As mentioned before, Odin-sama was once at war with them in the past. But we are on friendly terms now. Freyr-sama is an example as he's a Vanir God who mostly resides in Asgard or Alfheim."

"And that's all about our realm. If you wish to know more… Well, you may need to visit them in the future."

That's true, there's no way in hell I can visit all that in the next few days… I'll stick with Asgard for now. They seem interested though. During that short explanation, we had eaten through all the cupcakes and were ready to leave for the day. I quickly washed the dishes for Göndul, much to her protests.

I had stepped out into the hallway earlier than the rest. Seeing as how she'll be my family in the future, I don't want her to get hurt. I tap the ground and create the same barrier I had around my home. I then created a simple necklace for her.

If she dies because of my enemies or something, or maybe Khaos Brigade invading then I want to give her some protection. It has the same protection functions as the rings, minus the [Inventory] function and [Communication] function.

Finally, they arrived at the front door with her.

"We'll get going, Granny. I'll visit more in the future…I have a very flexible second job after all."

"Make sure to bring your husband with you, his cooking is top-notch... Actually, Jin. You said you would be opening a chain of restaurants in the future… Does that…?"

"Yes, it will also include one here. Truthfully, I want to hire Mama Mia to do it, or maybe merge the two? Can I have you try to convince her for me…?"

Göndul laughed and flexed her arm.

"Leave it to me, this sleepy town deserves more exemplary food. If we combined Mia's and yours… I can only imagine its success, maybe even attract more to move here?"

"Thank you, also here."

I give Göndul the necklace, and tell her what it does and what I did to her house. Safe to say she was shocked. The same with Raynare and Brynhildr, though the other two just shook their heads. It's par for the course for them.

Once the initial shock was passed, Göndul got on with it. She thanked me and Rossweisse. Rose hugs Göndul one last time— And also pulled me into a group hug. Once we were done, we quickly flew back up and flew towards the town. I saw Göndul putting on the necklace before we picked up speed.

…

We had just returned to town. It was early morning so not too many people were out and about yet.

"Why don't we just fly directly towards it?"

"Did you not want to see the scenery and views on the way there?"

Rossweisse answers me…. Well she has a point. We didn't cover all of the town yesterday, but the area we were walking through had mostly small shops, houses, and a salon and barber shop. The two Valkyries were greeted again and stopped to chat for a little bit.

We finally passed through the gates on the other side and in front of us was a short path. To the right stood a small house, and an old man and woman were there. The man was fishing by the lake, and both of them turned to wave at us.

"They are?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Nachtnebel. They chose to build a house near the lake because they both love fishing. The lake has many types of fish in it. Vidar-sama, when younger, decided to try to get as many types of fish in the human world and bring them to Asgard."

I didn't know he was that eccentric… Natsume would like this place; I should bring her here again. Also, how did these fish even survive the change in climate and other factors...?

Dwosh! Splash!

Suddenly a giant… Um, is that a whale? Came out of the lake and made a huge splash. I put a barrier in front of us and the water hit it. The old couple laughed as they were soaked.

"It's Berry, little Berry came to greet us~"

Looks like they gave the whale a name… On the other side of this lake… Is that a house? I tap Rose on the shoulder and point at the house, but instead of answering me, she gives me an awkward laugh.

"If you don't give me an answer, I'll just have to take a look myself you know."

"L-Lisa-san is over there…"

"Lisa?"

"Lisa-san is a human magician. She's famous for being our town's 'Witch'. As far as we can tell, she's either immortal or has some kind of longevity. I mentioned her once to Thor-sama when he first built his castle and he said 'So, the Purple Rose is hiding here, huh?'. I didn't understand what he meant by it."

Lisa, Purple Rose? …I wonder if she looks like 'her'. Well, I won't know until I meet her, but I can't waste any more time today. I need to get to that island.

"Let's go and wait for that bullet train then. We have a busy day ahead of us."

…

As we waited for the train, we were on the platform. According to both Valkyries, the train should arrive in five minutes—

Ring ~

My phone went off so I summoned it and answered it.

"Hel—"

"Uwaaa!!! Jiiin!!!"

A crying Reni came from my phone…

"…What's wrong, Reni?"

"I can't make it…"

Can't make it…? Did something else pop up?

"We have to follow up with our last mission… We met Danu-sama though!"

"Danu… Goddess Danu? You guys were in Ireland? How did it go?"

I wasn't expecting them to go to Ireland, but hey, life is full of surprises. Reni describes what they had to do and how Goddess Danu helped them.

"I see, I'm glad you guys are okay. Also, yeah, I'll come and unseal Ajamu's powers soon. I just need the final okay from Azazel. By the way, Reni, do you know someone called Lisa? Or Purple Rose?"

"…Purple Rose…? Oh! You mean Lisa-san? I haven't heard of that moniker in a long time. Is she in Asgard by chance?"

"You know her? So she's part of the Grauzauberer?"

"Yes ~ Lisa-san and I were the candidates to become Mephisto Pheles-san's right hand but in the end, Lisa-san declined so I was chosen by default. Not too long after she just disappeared. Some thought she went rogue but she's not the type to do things without reason."

Interesting…I hope to have a chat with her soon then…why did she suddenly disappear? It has to be for a good reason…right?

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!!!!!!

"Looks like my train is here. We can keep talking or—"

"Reni!!!!!! We have to leave! Say hi to Jin for us!"

From the background of Reni's phone, I heard Natsume shout. I guess they're busy now then…

"Uuu… I'll see you soon…?"

"Yeah, I shouldn't be here for too long, maybe a day or two and I'll be home."

"Mmm… I lo— Ah! Natsume! Give that ba—"

The phone got cut off...whatever, I put my phone back into my [Inventory] and waited for the train to stop.

…

It's been twenty minutes since our departure and… Raynare fell back asleep, she did get quite drunk last night. I was more surprised she managed to stay awake before we got onto the train…

"Which way are we going for the Dark Elves Island?"

"East, the island with the Dark Elves and Dwarves is that way. The North is the island where Odin-sama's sons live, not including the main island. The West is the Agricultural and Industrial Island, and it's where Brynhildr-senpai's home is."

"I see…"

Rossweisse finishes explaining and puts her head on my shoulder. The sleeping Raynare was also doing that. North is where those guys are at, West is Bryn, East is the elves and dwarfs and south is Rose's Island….

Then how the hell do I get to the other realms of Asgard? Whatever, I'll ask Odin when I see him again, unless I go to his son's island and meet them there, though it's unlikely unless they're done reading those documents.

Cúntóir, wake me up when we're around five minutes from the station.

Cúntóir: Answer: Yes, Jin.

…

?????

"This is…"

I was dreaming again and I was back in my old room but…

"Now, A----, be a good boy, okay? We'll be back soon."

My past self's mother kissed a very young version of me. If I had to guess, I would be around five to seven years old? She turns to another woman and they speak. It looks like they hired a maid to take care of me.

As the maid and I walk into the kitchen, my parents leave through the front door. She started making lunch, I believe. I glanced at past me and he didn't look too happy about this situation.

"…You had it rough in your own way, huh?"

Around me, the scene started to change. I looked older, around the same as before. I think I was still in high school, or as it's called 'secondary school' here in Ireland. Past me was lying on the sofa while reading…

"Konosuba, nice."

Looks like I was only on volume one. In an instant, my phone rang, and past me put the book down and got dressed. He puts on his shoes and leaves the house; I follow after him. Once outside we walk around the town while he periodically looks at his phone.

"A----!"

Aoife... It looks like it's a date, no… Ryan and another girl… A double date? Past me runs to them and they start walking away. They eventually get on a bus. We were on it for quite a while they were just chatting about random teenage gossip.

The longer they talked about it, the more I remembered… God, I cared about that crap when I was that young?

"Hey, A----, you still considering being an author? Or are you just hyped and inspired by reading all those light novels?"

"One can dream, Ry, one can dream. But I can't write for shit, so who gives a shit? I mean, Miss T said to go for it during guidance council but I think she's just saying that to you know, encourage me and shit."

Ryan nods sagely and laughs.

"Guidance council, huh? We're still 2nd years! Who cares about that stuff… Ask us when we're 5th or 6th years, fucking hell!"

"Right? Pure bollox."

Smack!

"Language…"

Aoife smacked past me and I began to get teased. He grumbled an apology and the scene started to change.

What was that about…?

Swosh ~ Kshshsh ~ Splash! Splash!

"It's night? Why am I outside at night…?"

Past me was idle standing there… I looked around and saw that we were still in… Dun Laoghaire but… This was a bit away from my home, around the north-west? Due to the fact that my home was near a tiny cliff and below it was the ocean.

I looked back at my home and all the lights were turned off. When I stood beside him, I looked into his face… Well, it seemed like he was dead inside.

"…"

I look below the cliff and the waves were crashing against the rocks below…. Jesus Christ, I got to this place back then, huh? He took a step forward, and another, then another… Until he was just at the cliff's edge.

It felt weird watching past me…. Was he planning to jump or something?

"Haaaa…."

But— In the end, he falls back on his ass and looks at the ground.

"Don't even have the balls to do this…. Should I just go be a terrorist or something…? Fuck that, too much effort."

.....At least I'm lazy in both my past and current life… Laziness prevented a potential terrorist from becoming real that day. Thank you, God of Laziness.

"….Haaa… I'm useless without, Aoife…"

The scene changed again…this time… Where the fuck am I? I look around me and there were a lot of rocky cliffs, trees and bushes everywhere.

"Hurry up!!!!"

I heard the voice of my past and glanced up... Son of a bitch, is he rock climbing? He looks really old now. Ryan was also just a little below me. I see, is this me 'living' my last few months however I like? It certainly looks like it.

"Shit! Holy fucking shit! I can't do this, A----!! Holy fucking shit! I'm scared of heights!!!!!"

"Say that earlier you fucking leprechaun!!!"

"Fuck you too!!"

Past me came back down and helped Ryan up after a lot of cursing and shouting. I jumped up to the top and waited for them. I could hear them cursing and arguing even more. But they eventually got up here.

"Never again! My god!"

"It wasn't that bad, you wuss."

"Aren't you scared of heights too?!"

"Well, I'm a man living on borrowed time. I don't have time to be scared!"

Past me laughed and smiled, but Ryan looked down instead of saying anything. Past me started patting him on the back.

"I'm the one dying here, so stop being sad about it. I'll be dead, but at least you'll still be alive. Keep my dumbass memory alive for me, will ya?"

Ryan punched me before laughing.

"Fine, be that way you dumb fucking walrus. Let's do this again!"

"Look at you being gung-ho. How about we do a triathlon?"

"…Are you trying to kill me?"

Kshhhhkshhhhh~

My memories came to an end… I guess Azathoth wanted to show me a bit of my past life's, well, past? I was now back in the infinite white void.

"Haaa… What a hassle…"

I fall flat on my back…Cúntóir should be waking me up soon.

"Rudra told me about that… Your past."

Huh?! I straighten up and see… Velgrynd with Irene?! Irene was smugly looking at me while Velgrynd had an apathetic look…. How the hell can she come here?

"Cúntóir gave me the ability to enter your dreams. She said it would give me a better chance of knowing more about you..."

I see…I nod at her, did she do it when those two spoke? I look at Irene strangely.

"I have been busy, Jin."

"…Right."

"Come now, do not be upset. I along with Ophis have been watching you. Do you know why she hasn't come out since she told you, her feelings?"

Truthfully, no. Irene smiles at me.

"She's embarrassed. Isn't that cute? The Dragon God of Infinity is embarrassed! She can't face her new lover at all. Ha-ha-ha!"

She laughed like Scathach, but… I see, that's why Ophis hasn't been out that much, huh? She's just shy and embarrassed. I guess I'll have to visit her myself soon before we go into the [Pocket Dimension], I also need her to come out for that too…

Afterwards, Velgrynd turned to Irene, as did she. They stared at one another; a strange tension appeared.

"A True Dragon… Interesting."

Irene just smiles without saying anything— She then disappears. Hold up lady, you didn't even tell me why you were busy! Velgrynd then walks over to me and pulls me up, she stares at me for a few seconds before letting go and sighing.

Dudududun~

"Hmm?"

"You're starting to disappear."

"Ah— Then the dreams ending, you better leave then. I have no idea what'll happen when I leave first."

She nods and instantly disappears. I mean, we spoke in amicable terms, right? Nowhere near friends or anything, but it's a start.

…

"…"

I opened my eyes and could see Brynhildr was staring at me. No, besid— She's drooling… Raynare was drooling on my sh— No, both of them were. I glance at Griselda and she was also asleep.

"How long?"

"Ten minutes after you fell asleep… They both started to drool…"

Ain't that nice… I glance at Rose and she had a happy expression on her while she drooled, so many of these girls drool…

[Drooling championships! Who will win?!]

{…And how does one decide on the winner?}

[…Whoever drools… The most!]

I don't get it. Do you have a drooling fetish or something, Ddraig?

[N-No! What the hell?!]

I ignore the complaints of the [Welsh Dragon] and look out the window. I could start to see the tall building again, so we were definitely close.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!!!!!!!!

Once the train rang again, the two of them woke up.

"I'm sorry…Jin."

"….?.....?!?!?"

Bang!

"Ow?!"

Rossweisse apologized and wiped her drool off herself. Raynare panicked and smacked her head on the window beside her.

"Are—"

"I'm fine!"

Alright then… All that commotion and ringing also woke up Griselda as she cutely yawned.  Next is taking the teleportation pad and going…east on the main island.

…

We were back on the main island. Rose looked around when we got off the train. She probably hoped to meet her parents. There weren't many people there on the teleportation pad so we managed to get back here relatively quickly.

This place was still pretty crowded though it's still only been a day so I shouldn't be too surprised. The two Valkyries started to walk away and we followed them. Since we're south we just needed to go east and get to the teleportation pad.

"Now that I think about it, will it teleport us directly there?"

"Yes, their island is probably the smallest. We won't need to do anything extra."

Brynhildr answered my question and we quickly reached the pad, it was weirdly empty. Even the south one had a few people, are they not popular or something? No, you would need an actual reason for traveling to the island, like why team Vali went.

We stepped onto the pad and we were sucked back into the portal.

…

This is certainly a bit different. Instead of being in that plain-looking building, the place that we were transported to looked a bit fancy. The furniture around us was white and green, so this may be the color scheme of this place?

Earlier, I had felt the same Gods were still in Odin's home so… They were either not done or were discussing what they had read. Either way, no one was here on this island, well, no Norse God. Brynhildr and Rossweisse started to walk away and we followed after them.

There weren't many decorations around, only a few as they consisted of flowers, a few strange-looking ornaments, and pictures… Of a female dark elf. I can assume it's the Queen of this place?

We quickly left the building and once outside, there seemed to be some kind of glowing tree with no leaves. An ethereal white and green glow emanated from it, and some sort of particle was visible.

Around us were buildings that had green roofs and grayish-white walls. There were trees around the island, and their roots covered some areas around us. To my right, what appears to be a church-like building and has some sort of glowing thing on it, perhaps a crystal?

"Hmm? Oh, Brynhildr-san, Rossweisse-san. How can I help you today?"

The female dark elf has white hair in a ponytail, she has red eyes. She wears a white, vest-like top with a snake-themed collar and a simple pattern on the back, the vest also has one red gem on each breast surrounded with a spiral pattern. The collar also has fur and she wears turtle shell shoulder plates with a red dot on the back of each.

Her skirt...? Is basically just a silver metal snake wrapped around her waist and nether region, I don't think she has underwear on… She has white shin guards with dull green thigh-highs underneath.

"Feluni. No, the man in our group is the Middleman. He's just here for a short visit."

She looks over at me and nods.

"I see, welcome to our solitary island. It isn't much, but I hope you enjoy your visit. The dwarfs are either underground or just around. The rest of the dark elves are also going about their daily lives. I will immediately inform the Queen."

Feluni nods at us before jumping away towards the tower-like structure in front of us, north-ish.

"Bryn, what does that tree thing do?"

She shakes her head. So she doesn't know, huh? Cúntóir?

Cúntóir: Answer: It is how the Dark Elves; the Queen performs the ceremony to strengthen [Gleipnir].

Heeee, is that so? I'll ask the Queen more about it then. But underground, huh? There was no doubt that I could feel quite a few auras down there. However, it did not consist entirely of dwarfs. I also felt some dark elves down there.

[Partner.]

Hmmm?

[I'm surprised that you're staying calm. You did freak out about elves when they were mentioned to you back in Ireland.]

….Ddraig… In all honesty, I'm barely keeping it together… Elves and Dark elves are a delight to be around. If I didn't say I would tone it down earlier, I would have freaked out already.

[I-Is that so…? Then good job…?]

"Let's go meet the Queen now."

I suggested and started walking towards where Feluni ran off to, but we were quickly approached by a man and another female dark elf. They look like guards. One has an old wine gourd around his hip and the other has a unique-looking sword on her back.

The male dwarf has a strong physique and he fits the stereotypical dwarf height, which is short. He has white hair as well as a long white beard that is tied in multiple sections. His outfit is eastern style and he wears what seems to resemble a type of cuirass on his waist. Most of the time, he carries a wine gourd.

The female dark elf also has white hair tied into a ponytail, she has red eyes and her skin tone was, well, brown. She has her typical elf ears and her outfit was… Unique. Her front side was… Fully covered, while her backside was mostly exposed with a few straps of white cloth covering parts of her body.

She also had multiple ornaments around her body which consisted of black, yellow, and blue, the front side of her attire was mostly red. The sword that she was carrying was also as unique as her… No, I would say that's a double-sided saber.

"Oh? You're the Middleman? You're certainly tall for your age. I'm Razzus, local dwarf, nice to meet you kid."

"Sephora. A pleasure to be of acquaintance, Middleman."

Both of them introduced themselves as they looked me over. I nod and introduced myself.

"Call me Jin. So, you guys here to get us? Also, I'm just here to look around, anything noteworthy I should look out for?"

"Jin, a fine name. Hmmm, apart from the leafless tree? That shining beacon to your left and my right. But nothing too noteworthy here, maybe the underground section? We dwarves did try to replicate our previous realms 'feeling' if you get what I mean."

"Steampunk?"

He grins.

"Steampunk. Anyway, the Queen's asking for ya. Feluni notified us after all. Just follow us."

We start to walk away and Razzus starts to explain some of the things around us, how they manage to get an island build with permission from Odin and the other Gods. Apparently, he just wanted to spread his wings. Explore other realms, so he left and set up shop on the main island, he just uses the Dark Elves Island as a home base.

Down the line he took up being a guard for the Dark Elf Queen here, he says he has more freedom than the rest… Whatever that means.

We go up a flight of stairs and were led down a long hallway. Razzus started to drink from his wine gourd. Everyone was curiously looking around, even Rossweisse. But not Brynhildr.

"Lad. You like Elves?"

When Razzus asked me, all eyes were on me.

"Uh yeah, I'm a big fan of them, why do you ask?"

"Ha! You've been staring at Sephora here since you saw her. You're gonna put a hole through her with all the staring."

"My bad."

Was I that obvious? I mean apart from like elves, her unique appearance also got me interested, even that sword…

…

[Item]:

Kaaliyah (Slayer of a Thousand Headed Dragon):

Durability: 786,871 / 999,999

Effects:

1. Consume: Consumes the blood of any enemy killed, repairing the weapon.

2. Tracker: Once an enemy or foe is wounded and draws blood, the weapon can locate them anywhere in the world.

…

Now that's an interesting weapon… Did the dwarfs make it? After I kept thinking about that, we eventually turned right and a large door stood in front of us. Razzus opened it, and we found ourselves in another throne room.

"It's been a while since I was in a throne room."

I believe the last one was the Orcs and Minotaurs, though that was a unique one… They were essentially just warriors. Neither of them answered me but Razzus made an amused grunt.

The Queen was on the throne with another dark elf beside her. The other dark elf from earlier was standing to the left and nodded at us. Strangely enough, there wasn't a single male dark elf here. But there were a few other dwarfs and dark elves around. Most of them looked generic, but a few stood out.

A dwarf to my right. He looked like a classic dwarf in appearance; short and stocky. His hair and facial hair are white and dense. Red eyes and wears a furry coat with shoulder guards and brown boots.

Another one beside him has a black helmet on, he also has the same furry coat and black armor around his body. What stood out was that he had an even longer beard, and it was orange in color… A ginger dwarf! My, how exotic!

A female dwarf. She appears to be a beautiful girl, but she only stands at a height of 140 cm (4'5); she is small and thin. She has thick black hair that is short and curls at her shoulders. An attractive face with a slightly raised nose, big, powerful eyes, and a small mouth.

Besides that female dwarf was another one, but she was taller than the rest of the dwarves here. She has brown skin, long black hair, red eyes, and wears an eye patch over her left eye, almost like Hephaestus.... However, her eye patch covers the opposite eye. She has a well-endowed chest which she keeps in a sarashi, and wears a red hakama and sandals.

She sees me looking and gives me a toothy smile and wave. Well, at least she's friendly. Now that I look at it. The Dwarves were on the right and the dark elves on the left… Why?

Nevertheless, to my left…

A dark elf with golden eyes, flawless light purple almost amethyst hue skin tone, long slender legs that ended at well-formed hips, and ample chest. Her waist-long snow-white hair is usually tied back in a ponytail. Her eyes are shorter than the others around her.

She carries a silver sword and wears maroon-colored corset-style leather armor with a matching-colored skirt and stocking, usually accompanied by a dark-colored cloak.

Beside her is another female dark elf. She seemed to be around her twenties. She has caramel-colored skin, silver hair, and a mantle and leather bindings.

I look back at the Queen and the one beside her. The dark elf beside her had a long white dress that complimented her white-grey hair that went down to her waist, she had peanut brown eyes.

The Queen looked has long black hair, amber-colored eyes, and a golden hair ornament on her. She had a very elegant but also erotic dress on. Her top was white and had a 'keyhole' that showed off her chest. Her 'bottom' was just a long fabric that covered her nether region but showed a lot of thighs.

She also had black stockings on her legs and arm-length black nylon gloves. She certainly didn't wear your typical 'Queen' attire, she's quite 'free' in this sense… If I take into account whatever their realm is going through right now.

"It's nice to meet you, Red Dragon Emperor. I heard you have come to visit our island?"

"Yeah. Odin and all are still busy with the documents I gave them, or maybe they're just discussing them? Well, they can contact me when they're done. So I decided to tour Asgard for a bit."

She nods and makes a gesture with her hands when she did. All the others in the room with the exception of the dark elf beside her and Sephora leaves.

"I am Queen of this Island. You can call me Freida. Beside me is my sister, Euanthe… The Middleman takes requests, correct?"

"Yes I do."

"Our realm, Svartalfheim. It is currently being ruled by a tyrant. It was kept a secret from the Norse Gods, Hel-sama, and Loki-sama turned the other cheek… In a way, they supported it. So they also kept the other Gods in the dark. Every time someone from our Island stepped forward, they were immediately turned away or threatened by those two Gods."

"However, once Loki-sama was imprisoned after his actions, we tried again. However… Hel-sama was the one who threatened to destroy our island if we tried to bring this subject up again. Our hands are tied. Please… Help us."

The Queen got up from her throne, walked down, and got on her hands and feet, she was doing dogeza. I look beside me and Brynhildr was shocked, her sister, Euanthe was also bowing.

"Please stand up and tell me what's happening over there before I go charging in."

I guess my vacation is cut short, huh? Will I have time to go visit any of the other islands…? Whatever, I can do it in the future, the same with the other realms. I also don't like people doing that, it feels weird.

"I can pay with my body!"

"E-Excuse me?! We can talk about compensation after you tell me what's happening!"

She got up and blurted out, she looked quite serious about it. Jesus Christ, what's with elves and throwing their bodies at me? First that weirdo Elf Queen in the Greek's realm and now here, though this matter is a little more serious.

"Around a year ago, the last King was ill, so they were in the process of looking for a new ruler. Normally, the Queen would be the one to inherit that position. But… She mysteriously died of an illness."

How fucking convenient. I'm going with poison, any other bets?

[Ditto.]

{Assassination and then covered up?}

'Either can work, let's keep listening.'

"So, the elders had me and my sister as candidates. We had been working towards improving our realm in many ways. While we may be behind some aspects, my sister and I were working towards integrating more modern living there."

"And I'm guessing, the current tyrant didn't like that?"

She nods at my question… If what Cúntóir said earlier about him being half devil and half dark elf, as well as having the Old-Satan way of thinking, and whatever grudge he has. That's just a recipe for disaster.

"He had a large group of supporters, the ones that were in opposition either, adapted, did as they were told, or were killed. My sister and I went against him, however… The ones with us started to fear him more and eventually betrayed us. We were forced to flee. We lost many good allies as we fled."

"But, their influence ends in our realm, anywhere else… They were nothing more than regular dark elves. So they can't spread their influence… The brief time we stayed there and as well as spies I've sent. Sephora is one such spy…"

Queen Freida looks at Sephora to continue and she nods.

"I spent a week there and what I saw was, disgusting. Rampant corruption, men, women, children, and the elderly being used as slaves. The truly unhinged did open killings and r—pe. It almost felt like complete anarchy. The Dark Elf King, Vunzor… He didn't care, no, he encouraged it."

"Maybe It's his devil side and twisted personality mixing but…he's an irredeemable scum."

Sephora started to shake, and her anger started to rise, a single tear left her eye.

"That sick bastard…! He and his 'subordinates' ate a newborn…! They took it away from its mother, killed and cooked it…! And were laughing at her grief….!"

….What? I thought elves only ate fruits and vegetables… Wait no, the ones in Greek's realm also ate meat… Euanthe walked over to her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Sephora came out of her retelling and calmed herself.

"Forgive me."

Cannibalism? Why? I sort of understand why with Nyarlathotep, she's just an unfeeling monster. Her 'love' is twisted, I wonder if it's the same for the other Outer Gods…? Whatever the case…

"Alright, I'll help…. Bryn can you return to the main island and tell Odin? I'll head there with these three."

"Very well. This is a problem in our realm. Nevertheless, knowing you personally and your role as the middleman. We would appreciate your help, Jin."

Brynhildr nods and leaves the room we were in quickly… I have no idea on how to reach that realm… Cúntóir, some help here would be great.

Cúntóir: Answer: I can teleport you there, Jin.

"You have my thanks, Mid— Jin, I— No, we will compensate you well. I promise you that."

"…I'll help anyone else that's against his rule. Anyone else will…be sealed or killed, depending on how they act."

I tell that to the Queen and she agrees. I relay that same message to Brynhildr telepathically and tell her to say that to Odin. I look at Raynare, she just seemed pale now. She has no powers… Do I leave her here?

"Raynare, you should—"

"I'm going. I don't have powers since you sealed them but… I want to help. Even if I die trying."

"…Fine. But stick close to me."

She nods and I put two Dragon Knights in her shadow. Griselda and Rossweisse gather around me and I look at the Dark Elf Queen one last time and—

"Jin-sama! Let me come with you!"

Sephora runs over to me. The Queen and Euanthe look uneasy but I reassure them I can look out for her, and they eventually let her leave with me.

"Stand beside me. Follow my orders, understood?"

"Yes!"

…

Nine Realms

Svartalfheim

When we teleported into the realm we were immediately floating. Sephora started to fall so I caught her along with Raynare. Rose started to float and Griselda had her angelic wings out. I create a platform underneath us and we land on it.

The realm is in a purple-ish light and hue, the night sky is ever present with stars as well as the moon. Beneath our platform is…water, most likely an ocean. In front of us was a massive tree. Is that their… 'Home'?

"That is our home, our city is inside the large tree. The floors are separated, and every floor gets wealthier; however, everyone was treated fairly. If you earned enough money, you had the option of moving up one level."

As Sephora explained and I examined it, I noticed some lights and a lot of greenery. To the left near the bottom, there seemed to be a waterfall of sorts.

"However, when I spied for my Queen… It didn't matter anymore. If you had the power or supported Vunzor, you had many luxuries and privileges. Everyone else was just a tool or toy for you to use."

She points at the top of the tree.

"Up there is where Vunzor is, along with his subordinates. In the past, that's where we buried our past Kings, Queens, and loved ones. But they made it their base of operations. They disturbed their resting place for their own selfishness."

"There are a few entrances however, we can use that cave over there. It's unguarded since the guards he deployed are lazy. That's how I sneaked in and out before."

"Alright give me a moment."

I closed my eyes and scanned the entire tree, locating anyone and everyone. Finding out if they were part of Vunzor's group or not. There were a lot of dark elves in there. Men, women, the elderly, and children… Even now, the degenerate behavior is still happening. A plaza on the bottom floor… There seems to be some sort of 'group' activity between many males and a none consenting single female.

"…How many do you think are in there total? How about those are against Vunzor? Just a rough estimate would be enough."

Sephora closed her eyes and thought about it. Suddenly—

"Brat!"

A magic circle appeared beside me, through it… Odin's voice resounded.

"Odin."

"We're still going over those documents you gave us. We're discussing it along the way. Anyway, I heard the situation from Brynhildr….we have Hel in questioning and sealed. I leave it to you. I'll owe you own, personally. I'll sen—"

"No need, it won't take long. I'll contact you once I'm done."

"…Is that so? Alright then."

The magic circle disappeared and Sephora answered me.

"There should be around nine thousand in total? Seven thousand against his rule and two thousand for it. But that may have changed since I was last here… Please keep in mind that some of them were against it and may have just changed sides to… Survive."

"I know."

Cúntóir, do that.

Cúntóir: Answer: Scanning all Dark Elves within the realm…. Reading memories….

Cúntóir: Answer: Scanning complete! 7500 are with Vunzor's group, however, the original 2000 are genuinely in it, while another 2000 joined it because…they liked his rules and ideas. 3500 joined for survival. The remaining 1500 are the ones against it.

I see, alright, run this plan by the four thousand five hundred Dark elves. The rest, I'll mobilize my shadows and the 'Electa', that's what I named the beings I made, like Antares and Lianne. Electa in Latin means 'Chosen one'. So, I went with it.

I summoned all the Dragon knights that I had in my shadow, as well as Greed. Shaula, Elsa, Antares, Zeno, Silva, Lianne, and Aurelia also came out of the ring. I tap my head and sent the instructions to everyone.

"You know your roles. Go."

The Shadows and Electa vanished from their spots.

The Shadow Dragon Knights will be spread across all the floors of the giant tree. They will be at certain points to guide them to safety. At the designated spot, Greed with Silva will be there. Everyone else had their roles of subjugating anything that was from Vunzor's group.

Antares will be the one leading everyone else. I with everyone else will go to the top with Lianne, Aurelia, and Elsa. Shaula and Zeno will stay out here and stop anyone from fleeing. Below the tree were boats. I can assume they are used for something other than fishing and recreational activities. I tap Sephora and give her the ability to fly, she seemed confused and I told her what I did. She thanked me.

"Alright. I'll run you by what my plan is."

I tell them what I had informed them and they agreed. I look back at Shaula and Zeno.

"Leave it to us, Jin-sama!"

"Capture first, if they retaliate violently, then subjugate. Don't worry about it, young master."

I nod and carry Raynare with me. We then flew towards the Tree; I could already feel the chaos start inside. We quickly arrived at the cave and enter it. It was overgrown with moss and shrubbery; it looked slippery but thanks to my clothes I didn't slip.

Once we reached the end, there was a metal ladder and a hole above it. Is this some kind of sewer or something? Sephora went first followed by the rest of the girls, I wanted until they all had climbed up and just jumped up. I covered the hole up again and we were in.

Many of my shadows had many men, women and elderly subjugated, they were tied up and on the ground. To the left near the fountain were Silva and Greed as they watched over the victims. Silva gave them some food and water, as well as blankets to cover themselves.

There were many buildings and shops here, however, due to the nature of the current ruler they were all in ruin. Many had their windows broken, the insides were much better, all of them were made out of wood, the walls were brown wood and the 'roofs' were dark purple in color.

Above us, was a giant light that was illuminating the entire floor. It seemed like a giant crystal of sorts. It was being powered by magic, making it float. The ground was made out of stone, but like the buildings and shops, it was cracked and destroyed all over the place.

This place will need a lot of repairing done…. I'll do that too. I'll save them some time. Greed and Silva nodded to me and suddenly a male Dark Elf ran towards me, he fell and ate dirt… I walk over to him and helped him up.

"Are you okay?"

When he grabbed my hand, I healed him up. He seemed surprised and nodded furiously.

"T-Thank you! But who are you…?"

"Middleman, Queen Freida asked me to help the Dark Elves. Odin also gave me his okay."

"M-Middleman… Ahhh… Ahhh… We're saved…"

He started to quietly sob. He went on to explain that both his son and wife were killed. His child for not wanting to do anything that was being forced onto him. Including forcing the child to sexually assault his own mother. The mother died of being overused in those sick sexual acts. He was forced to watch.

"…I'll end this, don't worry. Go rest up."

We start walking away, I could feel everyone's emotions were in a flurry, but they were all clearly pissed off at what they had heard.

"Can I cut his bowels open? ~"

"May I slice his lower half off?"

Elsa and Aurelia say at the same time. I was surprised to hear that from Aurelia… She has a lot of honor in her, so for her to say that Lianne had a dangerous glint in her eyes, she was silently seething.

"I can infinitely revive the guy, go for it…. Anyway, let's rush to the top then."

They silently agreed. I'm more surprised at myself, normally… I think I would be furious at this, but I'm strangely calm. I grabbed Griselda as she can't keep up with the speed I was going to use.

Dwosh!

As we quickly pass by each floor… I could see the same exact scene unfolding. Many cries of relief as their torture ended. As we reached the last floor before the top floor there seemed to be some sort of rally happening.

"We won't let you pa—"

Boom! Splat!

Both Elsa and Aurelia dashed ahead of us and….The guy just exploded. The Dark Elves who were shouting along with him, with their weapons just stopped and stared at the two women.

"You either put those weapons down and let us arrest you. Or we kill all of you right now."

Sephora says in a serious tone and glares at them. The two of them waited for their response— But they suddenly charged at them. So, that's what they chose? At least they stuck with it in the end…

Slash! Slice! Bang! Kshhhhh!!!!

In one quick motion, both of the women appeared behind the men and they all slowly started to fall apart, piece by piece, body part by body part. Blood started to spray everywhere as Sephora and Raynare looked on in shock.

"Let's go."

I didn't let them say anything and decided to quickly move on.

We enter the final room… A large spiral staircase. We start to run up it, the final level could be seen from where we started so it didn't take long for us to arrive. The inside of that spiral staircase had holes at certain points, perhaps they were used as windows?

There was a large crystal that was used as a light source like the ones on the previous floors. The crystal this time was long and vertical. The inside also had some vines and leaves scattered about.

Once at the top, it was a large open space, above us were the leaves of this enormous tree. Around us there were some gravestones but the majority of them had been destroyed and vandalized. Northwards, there was some kind of throne, it was made out of the tombs of the buried here.

"Vunzor!!!!!!!"

Sephora screamed as the Hybrid smiled at her.

"My, my, if it isn't Seph, did you finally come back here to be my cock sleeve? Hmmm? You even brought friends! Maybe they can join you, kukuku ~"

Vunzor had white and black hair, the left side was white while the righty was black. He had yellow eyes, typical elf ears, and horns on his head. He wore a long coat that was black and white. He grinned at us as black colored thorns started to appear around him. Had sad some sort of tattoo on both his hands.

In front of him were six other Dark Elves. All of them had different builds, two of them were tall, and the rest were around 5'6 to 5'8 in height. They all had the same hair color, white, pale to brown skin with yellow, blue, and green eyes.

They were all just exuding anger and lust.

"Allow me to introduce to you, my personal guards. I dubbed them the 'Sinister Six' it took me some time to come up with that, you know? They excel at certain elemental magic and are quite powerful~"

They're Ultimate-class, so I guess they are.

"Hmm ~ oh well, whoever that male is, kill him. We can have fun with the bitches he brought with him. Seph ~ you'll be my personal onahole, okay?~"

I put my arm in front of Raynare and Sephora.

"Let those two take care of the six. Leave Vunzor to me. I'd like to have the first 'kill' on him."

Sephora agreed as she had already seen what those two are capable of.

Boom! Boom!

The outside of the tree suddenly shook! Did some try to escape? I guess Shaula and Zeno had that covered.

"Let me see your ti—"

Shing! Slash!

One of the dark elves, who looked like they specialized in wind magic had dashed towards Elsa, she just made a small motion with her dagger and the dark elf stopped midair and exploded into a thousand pieces.

"Ara? I didn't mean to do that… I was meant to just slice your bowels open ~ how careless of me."

She licked the blood of her dagger and smiled at the other dark elves. Vunzor squinted his eyes at what had happened. The other five were a bit shocked as their ally was quickly killed.

"Shit! Fir—"

Clang! Bang! Crash!

Another one of the dark elves tried to use magic but was stopped by Aurelia who appeared beside him and smacked him with the flat surface of her great sword. The guy was sent through the walls and probably plummeted down to his death.

[Shaula, check if a dark elf corpse with this description is in this area for me. Thanks.]

I quickly spoke to Shaula using the [Communication] function of the ring and she gave me yes. I look back at the one-sided 'fight' in front of me as the other four start to scatter and fight the two women.

"Shit! These sluts are insane, kill them!"

The dark elf says while a magic circle formed in front of him, out came a torrent of ice attacks! Aurelia grunted and slashed the attack apart. The dark elf clicked his tongue and prepared another attack, but Aurelia instantly appeared in front of him.

"Wai—"

Slam!

She did the same thing to the guy as he was sent through the wall on the opposite side of his other comrade. But this time he was still conscious and we could hear his screams but it eventually faded.

"Three down, three to go."

[Jin-sama, all the dark elves that were part of Vunzor's group have been restrained. I will begin repairing each floor.]

[Go ahead. Good work, Antares.]

[It is my pleasure, Jin-sama!]

Looks like everything is settled down there. The only thing left is this guy and his fan club, or whatever's left of them.

"Huhuhu ~"

Elsa quickly maneuvered around the place and dodged the attacks being sent her way. She was having fun with it as she would occasionally and mockingly giggle at her opponent. Who kept on getting more and more frustrated with her.

Meanwhile, Aurelia ended hers. So, there was only one left. There were three left, she sliced one down vertically and killed him, the other… His head exploded as she tried to hit him through the wall, but instead hit his head and it exploded.

"Elsa, finish it already."

She glanced at me and swayed her hips… Erm… Is that a yes? Elsa quickly summoned some needles and threw them at the dark elf who didn't react in time. It pierces him in different places. In total, she threw 6, maybe mocking their group's name?

One on both shoulders, one on both knees, one on his crotch, and the last one on his forehead. The guy died instantly once it pierced his head, but Elsa, as sadistic as she was dashed forward and sliced open his bowels and smiled at him sweetly.

"Mission accomplished ~"

Clap ~ Clap ~

"Wonderful performance, how about we—"

Don!

"Guha!"

I appeared in front of Vunzor and punched him in the gut. The guy vomited and keeled over. The black-colored thorns then shot towards me but I slapped them away, destroying them. He had a look of disbelief.

Cúntóir: Answer: Those thorns seemed to have some kind of paralyzing effect. Perhaps that's what he used to restrain and then violate women.

I see. I summoned [Divine Dividing] behind me and raised my hand.

Slap!

{Divide!}

Once I slapped him, I also used divide on the guy.

"W-What?! [Divine Dividing]?! Are you the White Dragon Emperor?"

I then summoned the [Boosted Gear] and slapped him again.

Slap!

[Boost!]

Vunzor eyes glazed over but then he regained his consciousness, it slowly dawned on him in who I am.

"Fuc—"

Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!!!!!

[Boost!] {Divide!} [Boost!] {Divide!}

I casually slapped him back and forth, each time I did, I lowered my strength since a [Boost] and [Divide] increased them. I kept doing it until I put a bit more strength into it and his head exploded.

"Huu… My bad, come back to life. [Ingall]."

I summoned some blood on my fingertip and let it drop to the ground. Whose blood, is it? I dunno. Once the blood hit the ground a magic circle opened up and Vunzor was brought back to life.

"H-Huh? W-What happened to me?"

"Resurrection, a nifty tool, no?"

I restrain him with [Mana Chains] and read his memories… Hmmm, I see. He was just broken from the start then. The amount of sexual assaults this guy did, his history, and how he was brought up… It didn't make sense.

His parents were loving, he was brought up in a good and loving environment but he still turned out like this. He was literally wired wrong since birth. A devil from a low-class family left their family, and wandered the world for a while before coming to Asgard and going to Svartalfheim.

The male devil met a female dark elf, they fell in love and Vunzor was born. In the time he was born… The feud and hatred between the dark elves, light elves, and dwarves was long gone, but due to his own 'being' he fixated on it. His father, the devil did not have that kind of personality.

I guess this guy would have been fine with being a part of the Old-Satan faction if he did leave Svartalfheim and go to the Underworld… Though I have my doubts about them accepting him. His mother was a normal dark elf, a sweet and loving mother…

Slap! Splat!

I slapped him again and killed him again. I repeat this a few times and revived him using [Ingall]. Finally getting some anger out of me, I stepped aside as Vunzor kneeled there not moving. Perhaps dying and being resurrected took a toll on his mental health?

I glance at Aurelia and Elsa, but the swordswoman shook her head. Maybe she got her fill fighting his lackeys? Elsa, however, was more than happy in ripping and tearing him apart, and so she did just that.

She stood over him and started to slice him apart with her dagger. I had to use [Ingall] over and over as she would kill him instantly. This was the first time I've seen her like this, it almost seemed personal.

"One last time ~"

She announced in a singsong-like manner before cutting open his bowels and shoving them into Vunzor's mouth. She made some sort of satisfied grunt before walking away. I look back at the dead king and shook my head. I start to walk back to the girls.

[Antares, report.]

[The first two floors have been restored, Jin-sama.]

[Leave the rest to me. Check the outside and fix anything out there.]

[Yes!]

"Let's go. We're done here."

I started to walk away as I needed to repair and check out the rest of the upper floors. I only had a short glimpse when we rushed up here. I stop by the entrance and turn around.

"You guys go down first."

I put my hand out and restore the place, I put the body of Vunzor into my [Inventory] once in there, I looked around one last time… Everything seemed to be in order. The holes in the walls that were made by Aurelia and the tombstones were also put back where they once were.

Swhhhhhsh ~

[Thank you.]

Green orbs appear, and a humanoid shape is formed from them. It was a male dark elf… It's probably the former King. I nodded to him as he smiled and vanished. I finally left the area and jumped down.

I gently land and wait for everyone else to join me. I had seen them walking down but they apparently never saw me plummeting down. They eventually got to the bottom and looked at me in confusion.

"I jumped down."

"So that's what that breeze was."

Aurelia nodded and joined me. The rest shook their head and we started walking back down the dark elves' home. On each level, I restored the sections back to their former glory. I also made them a little stronger, so they won't be destroyed as easily.

Sephora told us a bit of history in each level. When I look back on it, the highest floor did look very fancy, like the devil's homes or rich homes of humans. I'll also trust in what she says about being able to work your way up to it.

Once we arrived at the ground floor, many of the residents were there with Greed and Silva. I summoned a communication circle and contacted Odin.

"It's done. We need Valkyries or a God to be stationed here or something."

"I heard from Michael-boy that you made them a new leader, would you make one for them? Hohoho ~"

Lazy little…

"I'll think about it. Anyway, I'll be contacting the Queen. Are you guys done yet?"

"I see and no, we'll be done by tomorrow. So come back then, Jin-boy!"

"I see."

I dismissed the circle and contacted Queen Freida. She quickly answered me.

"H-Hello? Jin?"

"It's done. I'll make a portal so come over."

I didn't wait for her to respond and create a portal that connects to their island in Asgard to here in Svartalfheim. She eventually steps through along with Euanthe. Once they came through the current residents of Dark Elves started to make a fuss.

"It's Freida! It's the Queen candidate Freida!"

More and more started to join in. The two of them walked towards the dark elves.

"Everyone… Forgive me. I failed you, I failed to stop this horrendous event from happening. I do not deserve to be called Queen. I will step down and let my sister—"

"No, I won't accept it. Even if I was a candidate, I always felt that you deserved it. I only helped you along with your campaign, I didn't do anything. Please, Freida."

The crowd begins to cheer her on even though they were just pulled out of a nightmare.

"You tried to do the right thing and was slowly convincing the past elders in modernizing our realm! We still support you, Freida!"

"You even had the Middleman help to liberate us! I always believed you had a plan to save us!"

Sephora leaves us and joins Freida and Euanthe. She spoke to her and she starts to shake. More and more dark elves started to speak until the area was covered in many voices.

Clap!

I made a loud clap that overpowered the chatter and everyone goes silent. They look back at me and I nod at her. She turns back to address the crowd.

"…I truly don't deserve it, but, if it's for all of you, then I will take the throne and do my best in leading our race, and realm to a better future. Please bear with me, everyone."

She bows to them and they cheer. I cover the area around them in a magic circle and healed them all. Looks like my work here is done… Now I can explore both places, well no, I already kind of looked at this place. Back to the Dark Elves Island then.

"We're done then. We can meet up with Bryn once we go back."

I look at Raynare and Griselda.

"You two okay?"

"Yes, I am Jin."

"…Yeah."

"Good, because I can't in good conscience have you hurt or I'd make Gabriel sad, as well as Irina and Xenovia… The school would be down if you were gone too."

Griselda smiles and I turn to Raynare.

"You too."

She doesn't say anything but turns away. I shake my head, why the tsundere act now? Well, whatever, let's go—

Grab ~

"Mid— No, Jin. Thank you for all of this…"

She bows to me again, as well as Sephora and Euanthe. I wave them off.

"After hearing what that guy did, as well as seeing it for myself. I was more than happy in killing him…. That came out wrong, I was more than happy in stopping him."

They stop bowing and look back up at me. Queen Freida smiles at me and speaks.

"Now for the compensation…"

She touches her chest—

"No, no, no. Like I said… We can talk about that. Yes, you probably heard me wanting a harem, no I will not just take anybody who throws themselves at me. Now then for what I want. Let me just come and go here anytime I want, as well as the Dark Elves Island in Asgard."

She stopped herself and look at me in surprise. She looks at Sephora and Euanthe and then laughs.

"I-Is that truly all you want?"

"Yeah! You probably didn't hear my conversation with Razzus earlier but, I like Elves in general, so…. If I can come here and spend some time without being hassled for identification or whatever, then that should be all I need, really."

She nods and—

Grab ~ Squish ~ Ompf ~

She grabbed my head and pulled it into her chest and started to laugh.

"I have no quarrels with that, Jin. I welcome you to our realm, Svartalfheim. Please visit anytime you like, as much as you like. I will inform the future elders and guards, as well as anyone else relevant!"

I squirm myself out of her grasp and awkwardly smile at her.

"R-Right, anyway, thank you. I'll go back and check out the rest of your Island."

"Yes, of course, please enjoy your time there, if you wish you can sleep there for the night."

"Then I'll take you up on that."

Euanthe steps forward.

"I shall guide you then! Wherever you want to go, I will be your guide there. I can also bring you to the inn you can sleep at."

Euanthe says and glances at Freida who giggles at her sister.

"Yes, I think that would be a fine idea. Are you fine with those arrangements, Jin?"

I glance at the girls and they didn't seem to have any problems with it. I nod.

"Sure thing, I appreciate it, Euanthe. I'll get rid of this portal, you can get back on your own, right?"

She nods. I'll ask Euanthe after we get back. She steps through first and the girls followed, I look back at the realm of the dark elves one last time...

[Mission complete, all of you come back.]

A large number of shadows quickly started to go back into my own. Silva and Greed who were with the dark elves walked over to me and vanished back into my ring and shadow. The rest followed suit.

Fwosh ~

"Hohoho ~ Young master, we brought those corpses with us."

Zeno says and drops the damaged bodies of the 'sinister six' that fell. Shaula also dropped another.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, Jin-sama!"

"I see, good job. You guys can rest now."

They smiled and nodded before returning to the ring. Lianne was still here and I look at her. She shook her head, Aurelia had left earlier I sort of thought she might want to stick around, but I have a feeling she may come out by tomorrow.

With all that done, I with Lianne stepped through the portal with Lianne.

…