Chapter 473: Loki
Sirzechs' speech concluded quickly, without long-winded elaborations.
Formalistic practices had no place here, and every attendee was a pragmatist who had no need for such hollow ceremonies.
"Lord Odin, if you have no objections, please imprint the Covenant Stele."
"Hmm."
In response to Sirzechs' inquiry, Odin, the chief god of the Northern pantheon, naturally nodded immediately.
Having decided to attend this banquet, these matters had already been discussed and agreed upon in advance.
The earlier proceedings were merely procedural, intended to ensure the younger generation understood the context of the events.
Otherwise, while the upper echelons forged a peace treaty, those below might still be locked in life-and-death struggles.
Just as Odin touched the gray-white obelisk on the stage, a sharp cry of "Objection!" shattered the solemn and dignified atmosphere of the venue.
Odin halted his action, turning to look in the direction of the voice. With a tone tinged with resignation, he remarked calmly, "As I expected... What a foolish fellow."
Above the banquet hall, dark blue magical energy surged, and a vertical magic circle appeared.
It then split open from the middle like two doors swinging open, from which emerged an eerie young man with long, pale blue hair.
The male deity who voiced his opposition looked down upon the leaders of various factions and declared, "I am the Norse god, Loki."
The Fallen Angel governor, Shemhazai, smiled faintly. "What an unexpected guest."
"Lord Loki, even as a Norse god, you have no right to cause trouble here," Michael reprimanded.
Loki arrogantly replied, "Allowing our chief god to interact with other mythologies is an unbearable agony for me."
"Loki, return to Valhalla at once, and I may still forgive you," Odin issued a final warning, his gaze fixed on Loki.
"Forgive me? Don't make me laugh, you old fossil."
Odin remained silent, calmly observing Loki.
In contrast to Odin's composure, Rossweisse beside him grew agitated. "How dare you speak to the chief god like that!"
"If we forge peace with other mythologies, how can we achieve the Twilight of the Gods we are destined to face?" Loki stated as if it were obvious.
Over tens of thousands of years of evolution, the individuals within each mythology had changed generation after generation, yet those who ascended to corresponding divine positions seemed to share similar personalities and behavioral patterns.
Odin was not at all surprised by Loki's desire to stir trouble.
No one present was shocked when he personally mentioned the Twilight of the Gods.
In this era, humanity had gradually taken center stage, and the affairs of various mythological factions were no longer secrets.
Haruto even suspected that the factions sought to establish a peace treaty as a way to prolong their own era.
If left unchecked, the age of decline would soon arrive.
When that time came, all supernatural beings would inevitably fall into silence without exception.
The powerful might have a chance to revive in the next era, but those lacking sufficient strength would truly vanish from the world.
Of course, this was merely Haruto's speculation.
After all, judging by the overall state of this world, it was in its prime, with countless geniuses and powerful figures emerging one after another.
Perhaps Michael and Sirzechs were genuinely peace-loving.
The Twilight of the Gods or some chaos might merely be excuses for the Khaos Brigade and Loki to cause trouble.
It was also possible that something had happened in the Eternal Battlefield, putting the DxD world at risk of invasion, prompting them to preserve their forces and form an alliance to confront the impending war.
Haruto couldn't be bothered to investigate which scenario was true. Regardless, enhancing his strength was never a mistake.
Whether facing the age of decline, enemies of the Khaos Brigade, or invasions from other worlds, formidable power was the ultimate solution.
"Hey, that line sounds familiar," Shemhazai glanced at Loki. "You must have colluded with the Khaos Brigade, haven't you?"
"I admit we have a mutually cooperative relationship," Loki openly acknowledged. Having appeared here to voice his opposition, he was already prepared to tear off all pretenses.
With that, he swung his right hand forcefully and shouted, "Come forth, my dear child."
A blue-black magic circle, crackling with lightning, reappeared, and this time, a giant wolf-like magical beast emerged from within.
Unlike an ordinary wolf, it had a pair of horn-like spikes growing from its back.
"Attack!"
At Loki's command, the Magical Beast began its assault.
Faced with the attacks from a deity, the younger generation could hardly fight back. Even the Satan-Class group led by Rias could only protect themselves while barely covering for Sona's group who were with them.
Seeing Loki shamelessly attacking the younger generation, the leaders of the three major factions grew furious.
Baraqiel alone managed to block the rampaging wolf-shaped Magical Beast.
"Full of openings."
Beelzebub, one of the Four Great Satans, snorted disdainfully and effortlessly trapped Loki in another dimension.
He hadn't bothered to greet anyone earlier simply because he couldn't be bothered.
As one of the Four Great Satans, even if his power was slightly inferior to Sirzechs', his strength was still not to be underestimated.
Similarly, Serafall, who appeared somewhat unreliable, possessed true power far beyond the Satan-Class.
Just like Michael - though still an angel, his strength was in no way inferior to that of a deity.
Without power at this level, it would be impossible to establish their race's foothold among the numerous mythologies.
But their existence served more as a deterrent, as they rarely took real action.
To draw an analogy, they were like nuclear weapons - even if they had to be used, it absolutely couldn't be on their own territory.
Through the Soul Network, Haruto learned that the commotion at the banquet had ended.
Though he didn't know where Beelzebub had sent Loki, it seemed certain that the other party wouldn't be able to cause any more trouble at this banquet.
"Time's about up. I'll play with you another time."
Haruto hadn't attacked at all, merely defending, yet Kuroka and Bikou had exhausted themselves with their frantic assaults.
This was absolute power suppression - there wasn't the slightest chance of victory.
When Haruto learned through the Soul Network that Loki had been exiled and sealed, Bikou also received the news through the Khaos Brigade's unique communication method.
He had been counting on Loki to come help them, but now...
Summoning his nimbus cloud, he grabbed Kuroka and prepared to escape.
"Hey now, just because I said I'd play with you next time doesn't mean I'm letting you go."
This was Haruto's first time seeing the nimbus cloud - he didn't know if it was the same one the Great Sage used - but its speed was indeed impressive.
However, it still fell slightly short against a serious Haruto.
Just as the two were about to fly into the teleportation magic circle, Haruto arrived in time, pulling a certain black-haired, large-breasted cat girl into his arms.
Kuroka naturally tried to resist, but to Haruto, it was as powerless as a kitten's struggle.
"Stop fussing."
"Nya..." Kuroka's voluptuous body stiffened, an unnatural blush appearing on her face.
Giving Kuroka's long, pale thigh a firm squeeze, Haruto shouted toward the magic circle: "Bikou, pass a message to Vali for me - I'm taking Kuroka. Don't worry about her, I'm just reuniting the sisters."
Whether Bikou heard him before teleporting away or not, Haruto carried his "spoils of war" over to the cat-eared loli.
"Koneko, I'll leave her to you. You can let her go if you want."
Kuroka had nearly exhausted both her magical power and physical strength, making her no match for the fully recovered Koneko.
Haruto handed Kuroka over to Koneko, leaving the two sisters to resolve their family issues themselves.
"By the way, Koneko, you don't need to participate in what's happening over there next. Just take Kuroka back to the human world directly."
"What about you, Haruto-senpai?" Koneko asked, supporting her suddenly silent sister with a puzzled expression.
"The Khaos Brigade matter is resolved, but there's still the most troublesome one left to deal with."
Through the Soul Network, Haruto had been continuously monitoring the situation at the venue.
Loki's banishment and sealing wasn't the end of the incident - this famous Norse evil god wasn't something that could be dealt with so easily.
Right now, Sirzechs and the others were waiting for Odin to bring Thor's Hammer, the specialized Sacred Gear against Loki, to suppress him completely.
By the time Haruto arrived, the banquet had already concluded, leaving only the faction leaders frowning at the pyramid containing the sealed Loki.
The pyramid was entirely green, with magnificent magical light constantly flashing across its surface.
Shalba Beelzebub, the new generation Satan who inherited the title of Satan Beelzebub, possessed green magical energy, and this seal was being maintained by him.
But even he could only seal Loki for about a day at most.
"One day? Such a short time?"
Rias furrowed her brow, looking concerned.
Due to her insufficient strength and status, she was only learning about Sirzechs and the others' conversation now from Haruto.
Although Haruto was nominally her Familiar, both his identity as the Red Dragon Emperor and his strength were sufficient for him to participate in discussions among faction leaders.
Not only Rias, but everyone from the Occult Research Club who had come along, as well as Sona and her group, were all present.
Haruto becoming a god-class powerhouse wasn't a secret, but only Sirzechs knew he had reached Quasi-Dragon God Class.
After all, with that incident involving the Ten Chief Gods, it was impossible to hide it from everyone.
If not for Sirzechs covering for him, everyone would probably already know his true strength.
"Yes, they also said that if Loki breaks the seal and attacks again this time, there's no choice but to confront him directly..."
Haruto spread his hands, looking helpless.
"If all the Satan-Class powerhouses from various factions go to intercept him, I'm afraid the great war from before will repeat itself..."
Rias crossed her arms and asked, "Is that about right?"
Of course, the Satan-Class she referred to were all the leader-level existences from various factions comparable to Loki.
"Right. If it comes to that, it will be just like Ragnarok that Loki mentioned."
Haruto nodded, equally helpless about this situation.
He could understand this scenario - it was just like wars between countries in his previous world.
Fighting was one thing, but once nuclear weapons were deployed, that would mean World War III.
"Just as the Khaos Brigade proclaims - the chaos born from war, the beginning of the end."
Sona, who had come with them, analyzed: "This is probably his goal."
"If only Thor's Hammer could arrive in time," Akeno said.
Rias looked at Haruto. "Is there no other way?"
"No choice. Last time it was in a different dimension in the divine realm, but this time even if I want to take action, I can't."
Haruto wasn't sure exactly how strong Loki was, but he guessed he hadn't reached Dragon God Class.
If Loki had Dragon God Class strength, with top-tier power like Ophis, he would have rebelled long ago - even if Odin had Thor's Hammer that countered him, it would be useless.
Haruto had also suggested that he take action to suppress or even kill Loki, but the result would be the same.
He was deeply connected to the Underworld, particularly the Gremory family. If the two were to engage in a life-and-death battle, it would act like a fuse, quickly igniting a full-scale war.
With the Khaos Brigade secretly stirring trouble, the leaders of various factions couldn't fully control their subordinates.
"Actually, it's not entirely hopeless."
After hesitating, Haruto said, "We can delay Loki's breakthrough from the seal. As long as Odin arrives with Thor's Hammer, Loki won't be able to cause any trouble."
"However, only those below god-level can enter the barrier, and at most ten people can go in. Otherwise, Beelzebub's seal won't hold."
He hadn't wanted to mention this method because once he did, Rias would definitely insist on going.
But even if he didn't say it, Rias would soon figure it out on her own and still volunteer for the mission.
Even while sealed, Loki remained an extremely dangerous threat to Rias and the others.
Entering the barrier to disrupt his breakthrough was essentially risking their lives to buy time.
If not for the safety net provided by the Soul Contract, he would never have agreed.
Sure enough, Rias immediately demanded to see Sirzechs.
Besides her, Sona also volunteered.
And Sirzechs and Serafall actually agreed.
It was unclear whether they had confidence in their younger sisters or were simply being reckless.
With ten slots available, aside from Rias, Akeno, Xenovia, Sona, and Tsubaki, Irina and Rossweisse also volunteered to join the mission.
Though they hadn't gathered ten people, no one else volunteered to join.
In truth, if Rias had wanted to, she could have easily summoned Asia and the others from the human world. Finding three more people would be no issue—she could even gather thirty if needed.
However, this wasn't a situation where more people meant better results. Sona had only brought Tsubaki with her, leaving the rest of her Familiars behind.
After a brief preparation, armed with the intelligence provided by Grayfia and three bottles of Phoenix Tears generously donated by the Phenex family, the team of seven beauties set out.
It's worth noting that unlike Rias and the others, whose uniforms doubled as combat attire, Rossweisse, as a Valkyrie, possessed her own set of exclusive battle armor.
However, this armor inherited the characteristics of Japanese anime, appearing more provocative than some ordinary women's clothing.
Among the seven on the mission, only she and Rossweisse lacked the safety net of a Soul Contract.
Compared to the Valkyries serving Odin, Sona's abilities were still somewhat lacking.
Thus, the bottle containing the three drops of Phoenix Tears was entrusted to her.
While the battles within the sealed barrier remained invisible to the outside world, communication was not severed.
Besides Haruto, who could communicate with Rias and the others via the Soul Network, Rossweisse could also maintain contact with the outside world using her Valkyrie equipment.
"It seems we'll be fighting together again, Xenovia," Irina said, blinking at her friend beside her.
"Yeah."
Xenovia hesitated before adding, "Though it might be odd for me, a reincarnated devil, to say this..."
"You think it's too dangerous, right?"
Irina didn't mind, immediately seeing through her friend's concern.
Everyone understood the revival effect of the Soul Contract, but unless absolutely necessary, no one wanted to actually die once.
"Sona, are you sure you want to participate?"
Tsubaki pulled Sona aside, trying to persuade her. "You haven't dual-cultivated with Haruto, nor do you have a Soul Contract. If something were to happen..."
"Tsubaki, I know you're worried about me."
Sona stated firmly, "But to achieve my dream, this is a necessary step."
Hearing this, Haruto's curiosity was piqued, and he moved closer to ask, "The student council president's dream?"
"Establishing a Rating Game school in the Underworld that even Low-class Devils can attend—that's the president's dream."
"I see..."
"But what does that have to do with the current situation?"
"For a school for Low-class Devils and all..." Tsubaki looked at Sona's determined expression and whispered, "A significant portion of devils consider the president's dream foolish."
Haruto nodded, "Indeed, after all, devil society is hierarchical."
"Therefore, after forging peace treaties with other mythologies, even the stubborn devil society will undergo some changes."
On the other hand, peace is an essential prerequisite for developing education and similar endeavors.
Haruto didn't try to dissuade her further, merely stalling for time. With three chances for a full resurrection and Sona's combat intelligence, it was unlikely anything would happen unless the entire team was wiped out.
As for wiping out all seven members of Rias's team...
Perhaps Loki, unrestricted and able to unleash his full divine power without restraint, could manage it.
But as long as Rias and the others bought time, and he couldn't attack at full strength, there was no way he could annihilate everyone in a short period.
Even so, Haruto remained prepared to force his way in at any moment.
If Sona were truly in danger, he would break through even if it meant destroying this space and risking the outbreak of a large-scale war.
"Let's move out."
Rias' voice snapped everyone's attention back to the task at hand.
There would be plenty of time for casual conversation later, but now, if they didn't stay focused, they could very well die.
The green pyramid emitted a powerful surge of magical energy, and then Rias and the six other women appeared inside the sealed barrier.
Seeing Loki floating mid-air, draining the barrier's energy, Rossweisse was the first to speak.
"Lord Loki, pointing your sword at the chief god is unforgivable. You should state your views in the proper forum."
Loki completely ignored her words, speaking to himself, "A Valkyrie who follows Odin. Though I've heard you're excellent, you're still far from being a god."
Rossweisse's eyes narrowed. "Not listening to a single word, are you..."
"Hmph, as an appetizer for Ragnarok, this is rather meager."
After saying this, Loki directly summoned his army of magical beasts.
First was the giant wolf Fenrir with horns on its back, followed by Fenrir's sons, Hati and Skoll.
Before anyone could finish being shocked, a flash of blue lightning appeared, and an enormous serpent, larger than Fenrir and as big as a small mountain, was summoned.
"That's one of the Five Great Dragon Kings, the World Serpent, Jörmungandr."
Rossweisse explained the origins of these magical beasts to everyone.