I do not own the Ah! Megami sama / Oh! My Goddess series

Asgard

"W-What did just… happen?..."

It was a simple question, yet one that echoed all across the Tree's chambers, as the gathered Celestials scanned their surroundings for Nidhogg's avatar, but in vain. As far as anyone could tell, Nidhogg-Hild was about to strike down one of them, only to completely vanish without leaving the slightest trace of her demonic presence behind. In all fairness, some amongst the group have already concluded that this must've been Yggdrasil's doing -perhaps as an act of self defence- yet without contacting the Tree to verify their suspicion, it was best to exert caution and make sure that she wasn't still hiding somewhere within this vast chamber.

While this could be seen as a victory by some, the more level headed Celestials present didn't perceive Nidhogg-Hild's disappearance act as anything remotely positive. Frigg and Tyr in particular seemed rather peeved by this turn of events, while Ansuz and Thor remained eerily quiet, although it was still evident from their body language that they were no less annoyed than the rest. Still, with nothing to gain from pouting about, the latter two went ahead and gathered the Fighting Wings present, leaving the Daitenkaicho and his stepmother alone with their thoughts for the time being.

"Well… isn't that just great?" scoffed the elder goddess as she pivoted on her heels to look at her stepson. "We just managed to corner her, and now she's gone!"

"I feel that this wasn't just something she pulled off on her own," said Tyr while throwing a pointed glance at the Tree's massive form, before turning back to Frigg. "At the very least, I can assume that she didn't get what she was looking for, but… did Loki even tell you what was that in the first place?"

"Unfortunately, she never explicitly told him. Aside from her need to meet up with Yggdrasil, I don't think she mentioned anything particularly useful from our point of view. Then again, Loki's been under a lot of pressure from being her… accomplice," replied Frigg, while she attempted to recall all the details from the somewhat concealed messages Loki managed to slip during his 'infiltration' process.

All in all, Tyr couldn't exactly pin any blame on Loki on this occasion, given that at the very least the trickster did manage to warn them about Nifhogg-Hild's intentions. It was unfortunate that nothing else came out of this opportunity, although at the same time, Tyr had to admit that as a leader he should be happy that the immediate threat to his people seem to have passed. "Do you think the deal he made with that avatar is still on? He did mention something about that, right?"

"Unless I got it wrong, it was about bringing Vili and Ve back to life," replied Frigg while offering him a solemn nod. "Personally… I've got my doubts about this whole thing being real to begin with. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't wish to uphold her end of the deal, even if her main body is capable of bringing immortals back to life. And while I don't want to sound this harsh… nothing gained, nothing lost."

"I suppose you've got a point," agreed Tyr with a heavy sigh, as dealing with one mess after the other was starting to take its toll on him. First Thrivaldi's plotting, then the resurgence of Fafnir, and now even Nidhogg decided to take a turn tormenting them. With that in mind, it became quite clear that their first priority was to reduce the number of threats, allowing them to focus more time and effort on the remaining ones. "Now, on a different note, I remember you saying something about father going to the mortal realm. What was all that about?"

"Odin's ravens spotted some kind of unusual activity on Earth, which prompted your father to go and check it out. Well… that, and there are some rumors about said activity that reached him, too. However, before I could join him, this whole crisis took place, so I don't exactly know what's going on over there right now." Truth to be told, Frigg did find the whole thing a bit sketchy, given that she got the impression that her husband was deliberately vague about some of the details concerning those rumors. More specifically, she was almost certain that their source was none other than the middle Norn's demonic doppelganger. And while she has nothing personal with Verthandi, all these lookalikes were starting to make her somewhat apprehensive, especially given how expendable they made everyone seem to be.

"Wish I could take a look into this matter myself, but I've got this incident's aftermath to take care of. And you know how important it is to re-establish a sense of security right now. That being said, I do believe it's for the best if you head over there and handle this little… issue in my place." He didn't even have to try to further convince her, since they both knew that this is exactly what the elder goddess has been waiting for. One might even claim that this was her intention from the moment she voiced her concerns about Verhandi, although Tyr suspected that she most certainly has other business to attend to once there. Whatever the case may be, as long as Frigg takes care of Thrivaldi, that's one less issue to worry about. "Any questions?"

"None whatsoever," replied Frigg, and promptly offered her Daitenkaicho a formal bow. "If there's nothing else left to discuss, I'll be heading for Midgard. It's better to use this opportunity to check on my granddaughters as well. Given that I'll become a great-grandmother from Bell, I'd love to see how she's coping with her pregnancy." Making a pause when she suddenly remembered a certain detail about one of those granddaughters, Frigg's lips curled up into a smirk, much to Tyr's confusion. Especially when she approached him and leaned to whisper against his ear. "You know, since I've been a while since last time, why don't you try to get Ansuz in the mood for expanding your family a bit? The whole fact of becoming a grandparent can have an effect on your mind, so, a new addition to the family can put you back in a much positive way of thinking."

At first, Tyr was almost certain that he was imagining things -most likely from all the stress he's been through these last couple of days. However, as he kept staring at the elder goddess with an incredulous look on his face, Frigg's subtle nod in Ansuz's direction verified his notion was quite correct. "Wait… you are serious!" uttered the flaggabasted Tyr, as the realization hit him like a brick wall; a particularly well-built one of that.

"Why not? It's the perfect opportunity for you to have another kid, only this time around take a more active role in their upbringing." Despite how pleasant she sounded at the moment, her last comment did cause her stepson to wince, even if he desperately tried to hide it. And for the matter, this actually brought a content grin on her face, given that this was indeed her intention in the first place. Worse yet, a totally oblivious Ansuz chose that very moment to approach them, once she was done issuing her orders to the Fighting Wings. "Ah, just the goddess I wanted. Come closer, dear."

Fully expecting that this was related to Nidhogg-Hild's attack on Asgard, the teal haired goddess approached her mother-in-law without the slightest idea of what the latter has in mind. In fact, the only thing that piqued her curiosity was just how pale Tyr looked all of a sudden, but she also credited that to the direness of this situation. "Yes, mother?"

"I'm heading to Midgard in order to deal with Thrivaldi once and for all. According to Verthandi -that Dryad copy of Belldandy- he's hiding in the mortal realm, and I need to give them a hand pinpointing his exact location."

"Do you want me to come along?" asked Ansuz, given that it felt the obvious thing to suggest in a time like this. However, when Frigg shook her head in response, Ansuz found herself wondering just what the elder goddess had in mind, and a quick glance at Tyr's expression deepened the mystery. Her husband's face was white like a sheet, and the way his eyes darted between her and Frigg clearly displayed a level of nervousness that she wasn't expecting. After all, they were in no immediate danger -at least to the best of her knowledge- and thus it seemed strange to see Tyr fidget like this for no apparent reason.

"Actually, that's not necessary. With that avatar of Nidhogg on the loose, it's for the best if you, Tyr and Thor stay here and ensure Asgard's safety." So far, nothing indicated that she had any intentions other than handling this conversation in a most professional manner. She even heard a heavy sigh of relief from Tyr's direction, much to her satisfaction. After all, the moment her stepson felt that the proverbial storm has passed and went over to Thor to further ensure that the topic remained on something other than his personal life, Frigg decided to gesture at Ansuz to get closer.

Once again, Asgard's second-in-command found herself wondering just what was going on here, but eventually her curiosity got the better of her. As such, she leaned closer to listen to what Frigg wanted to tell her, and for the next couple of seconds, Ansuz merely nodded along. However, the moment her mind processed the elder goddess' request, her winglets went in a horizontally flat 'what' expression, along with her eyes that turned the size of dinner plates. She was in fact so lost for words, that it took her a couple of attempts to remember how to talk, all while making a passable impression of a fish. "Ah… Uh… Hm… Eh…"

"You forgot Oh, if I may add to the list," idly commented Frigg, almost as if she was talking about the weather. Then again, it took all of her self-control to avoid busting out in laughter from just how hilarious Ansuz's reaction was, especially given that she was already a mother of two. "Still, I'm astounded that you're making such a big deal about it, dear. You've been through this process twice already, for goodness sake! And even more, it's the best opportunity to introduce a new member to the family, now that you're about to become a grandmother. The first time is always tricky from what I gather, although later on it's not such a big deal. You kind of get used to the idea."

"Even so… that's no reason to just drop such a bombshell out of the blue. More so in the middle of an emergency!" Despite the intensity of her objection, Ansuz somehow managed to keep her voice down to avoid drawing everyone's attention to this… unique conversation. In fact, she shot a quick glance in Tyr's direction to make sure that he was still talking with Thor, although in the process she also caught sight of the last god she wanted to see right now: Loki. While the infamous trickster's mannerisms allowed them to corner Nidhogg-Hild in this chamber, and somehow get rid of her, Ansuz really didn't want him around to join Frigg's side just for the lulz. And just as it seems to be the case in situations like these, the worst actually happened when her mother-in-law also noticed Loki, and gestures for him to approach.

For his part, Loki was almost certain that his mother wanted to talk to him about this latest mess, so he didn't even notice Ansuz winglets flap like a hen's in a fox slumber party. Sure, he did kind of hear something as he approached, but easily dismissed it as being part of the rest of the activity around them. So, when he came to a stop in front of the two goddesses, he was totally unprepared for the fiasco he was about to take part in. "Yes, mother?"

"Can you please help me convince this stubborn girl on a… particular subject?"

Before her brother-in-law could ask for more details, Ansuz stepped in to bring an early end to this conversation, as it was already too ridiculous for her liking. "I hope you're ready to submit a full account of your interactions with that thing. Any details that could give us an insight of her motives and possible goal, since Nidhogg-Hild herself is now gone."

"Ah, yes… paperwork. Yay…" sarcastically noted Loki, even though he knew better than to expect something different from his sister-in-law. Strangely enough though, Frigg's miffed expression betrayed that there was more going on than that, and a quick glance between her and Ansuz confirmed his hunch. There was indeed some tension between the two goddesses, and despite his survival instinct telling him to stay clear, his curiosity demanded to get to the bottom of this. "You're also excited about paperwork, mother?"

"I'm more excited to get another grandchild from her," said Frigg while shooting a pointed glare in Ansuz's direction, who returned it with a pretty scandalized one. "But she's being difficult."

"Difficult?!" Ansuz all but shouted in sheer embarrassment. "Excuse me for not wanting to discuss my love life with anyone other than my husband!" By this point, it was becoming apparent that she had no desire to stick on the defense, so her best bet is to turn to the offensive. Conveniently enough, Loki's presence provided her the opening she was looking for, which she immediately exploited by -literally- pointing at the proverbial elephant in the room. "Besides… if you have the time to spare poking your nose in other people's business, why don't you convince him to get married? He already has a daughter with that other Hild look-alike; Angrboda."

"Wha-?!... Excuse me, but that's a totally unrelated matter!" objected Loki, even if his protests fell on deaf ears.

"Fair point," agreed Frigg, much to her stepson's chagrin. "Although, I can only tackle one problem at a time. And right now it's far easier to convince you to get it going with Tyr, than dealing with Loki's unique… relationship -for the lack of a better term- with Angrboda."

"I don't have a relationship with her!" interjected Loki, continuing his line of protests about the others' sudden interest in his love life; or rather, lack of. Regardless of creating Hel as per Angrboda's request, they weren't involved in any shape or form. Which was already bad enough, considering that Hel found them cute enough together, despite his attempts to convince her that this was highly unlikely to work due to Angrboda's aggressive personality, that would naturally clash with his mischievousness. Unfortunately for Loki, his daughter was not only aware of it, but she even uses the fact to further her argument by claiming that pissing off Angrboda every now and then would do wonders to satisfy his inner masochist. A claim that he didn't fully accept, although he did see Hel's point.

"More of a reason to start working on getting into one with her!" said Ansuz, and for the first time in the last couple of minutes, Frigg nodded along with her. It seemed as if the two goddesses totally forgot about their differences and joined forces for the greater good. Although whose good that was, remained to be seen.

"Yes, dear. It's such a pity that you didn't grab the opportunity to get closer to her," added Frigg, and continued with an example of her own. "Even our Odal is trying to do his best with his own marriage to Hagall, that was supposed to be for show. And look at them now! They're practically a married couple!"

"That's because they are literally a married couple," pointed Loki out with a frustrated sigh. "Hild tricked them into an actual marriage, rather than the fake one she initially proposed. And yes, they do look cute together. Although, that's a totally different matter altogether."

Meanwhile, Tyr and Thor watched the trio from a safe distance away, especially now that Loki got dragged into a fiasco they had no desire to take part into. In fact, even Fenrir took a seat not far from them, and he didn't look any more willing to approach the others, choosing to scratch the back of his ear with a hind leg instead.

"So, let me get this straight…" started Thor after a prolonged pause. "Mother is putting the pressure on you for more grandkids? That's strange… Doesn't she already have more than enough? Plus, Baldr is still single, and so is Loki. Well… it's no surprise with that one, as I'm not sure what kind of woman would like a troublemaker like him for a husband. Still, she's got more than enough targets for her matchmaking hobby. Are you sure you haven't done anything to piss her off?"

"Trust me, I would've known if I did," said Tyr with a shake of his head, only to see that his brother remained rather skeptical.

"I don't know about you, but last time I happened to walk by Peorth, I got Sif, Thrud, and mother glaring at me. And it's not like I even tried to steal a glance or anything, either! All I did was to exchange greetings with her." Noticing the pointedly flat stare he was receiving from Tyr, the god of thunder scratched his chin in deep thought. "Okay, she did also ask where Lind and that living weapon, Excalibur was, but that's about it. It's not my fault she wears as little as she does."

"The way I heard about it, is that you didn't exactly avert your eyes from her hindquarters when she departed."

"But! She was wearing a skirt! Sure, it was a tiny one, but I've never seen her wearing one before. So, it kinda caught my attention. That's all!"

As if the topic of their discussion couldn't get any sillier than that, Fenrir decided it was interesting enough to poke his snout in this matter. "Last time a chicken fillet caught my attention, I ended up having a BBQ dinner. And while Peorth is no chicken, you can still take her out for dinner. Just saying…"

This unexpected intersection caught both gods totally off guard, as neither of them paid too much attention at the wolf pup that was currently so happy about himself. In fact, as they slowly turned their heads to glare at the impudent canine, they found him wagging his tail so carelessly that it was downright agitating.

That was moments before they ended up chasing the darn wolf around the Tree's chamber, much to the onlookers' stunned surprise.

XXX

Unknown area above the Amazon river, Earth

Squeezed inside a human-made C130 aircraft that they somehow got their hands onto, Ratatoskr's task force was about to drop themselves on top of Thrivaldi's alleged hideout. Still, there were a few unexpected inclusions in the group, with the most notable being Urd and Mara, along with Gunnar -the cybernetic Dryad. And if that wasn't odd enough, minutes before taking off from an unmarked airport in a neighbouring country there was another odd inclusion to the team: Verthandi.

For some unconscious reason, the middle Norn's lookalike chose to sit next to Urd, with Mara sitting on the other side of the eldest Norn. Right across the craft's cargo bay was none other than Ymir with his wife Njorun by his side. This left Gunnar sitting in between the groups at the far end of the aircraft's cargo bay, allowing 'her' a privileged view of this unique sight.

While everyone kept to themselves, the sound of the engines resonated across the entire craft, filling the bay with more noise than some wished to deal with. A fact that was especially true in Urd's case who was already tired of her grandfather's antics. "As if it's not bad enough that we spent hours on a wild goose chase to find you, we're now stuck in this mission."

"I'm sorry that I got you involved in this mess, but at the same time it's nice to let you have a part in apprehending one of Asgard's most wanted criminals," casually replied Ymir, much to his granddaughter's chagrin. Of course, the nudge he got from his wife acted as a warning to cut the nonsense, and with a heavy sigh he carried on. "Anyway, it's for the best if you see with your own eyes what's really going on."

Seeing the puzzlement in her granddaughter's eyes, Njorun decided to speak up for the first time since she boarded the aircraft. "Remember when I told you how I turned into a demoness? Well, it does have something to do with that, although I can't say much for now."

That earned a raised eyebrow from the Norn, but she avoided pushing the matter any further. Even if she was naturally impatient and curious, Urd knew better than to try harder to gain information that was likely going to present to herself later on. Furthermore, she saw nothing wrong to help her grandparents apprehend Thrivaldi, since that idiot's been a thorn by their side for a while now. Furthermore, when one of the demonic operatives got up and approached the cargo door, it became apparent that they were approaching their destination.

Meanwhile, Mara was wondering how she managed to get herself into this kind of mess. Even by her standards this was a tad too ridiculous -to say nothing about dangerous- and if it wasn't for Urd's sake, she would've gotten herself out of this by all means. Still, the last thing she needed was to make her girlfriend think that she's a wuss, and thus put on a tough expression and just hoped for the best. Not that luck was ever on her side, but at the very least, she could make something out of this.

The relative peace inside the cargo bay was interrupted when Njorun's comm set started to beep, prompting her to get up and head for the cargo door. This immediately grabbed everyone's attention, with the Ratatoskr operatives preparing themselves for a low altitude jump, leaving Urd and Mara to stare at each other, until they nodded at each other and with a deep breath got up as well, lining up with the others.

Without further ado, Njorun opened up the cargo door, revealing the rainforest beneath them, while the deafening sound of the rushing air dictated for the demoness to shout out her orders. Then, one after the other, the demons went over the lowered cargo door, with Ymir giving his granddaughter and Mara a 'helpful' push, which caused the former to scream bloody murder back at her impudent relative. Strangely enough, Njorun seemed pleased with Urd's attitude, and gestured for Ymir and Gunnar to jump, before she left the plane last.

XXX

Earth

After seeing off Verthandi, under the excuse that she had some demonic business to attend to, Odal finally got a chance to relax in what used to be his old room in his timeline. Quite incidentally this was also his mother's old room, before she got married and moved to Keiichi's. Sure, the whole place looked pretty bare, as Belldandy never decorated with anything beyond what was absolutely necessary, although the same thing couldn't be said about Odal himself. He always used to stockpile anything he could salvage from his father's projects, and then Skuld's, when he started to better understand the complexity of the latter's machines.

Then again, he didn't exactly spend as much time in his room as most other kids his age do, given that he regularly slept in his aunts' rooms, who often 'fought' over the privilege of telling him a bedtime story. Naturally that was back when he was really young, and over time he did actually spend more time in his own room. Stil, there was the occasional draw between them, and in that case, Urd and Skuld would move their futons next to his and spend the night in his room. One memorable occasion, Urd's bedtime story managed to put Skuld to sleep, before Odal even got drowsy, leaving both him and Urd staring at the blissfully asleep Norn of the future. The teasing Skuld got the next morning was simply legendary.

His moment of reflection came to an end when the doorbell rang, and his father's voice came from the corridor.

"I'll get it!"

Wondering just who was at this time around, Keiichi cautiously approached the front door, just as whoever was on the other side rang the bell again. "I'm coming, I'm co-" he managed to say, as the moment he opened up the door, a pair of feminine legs slammed their heels right in front of him, taking a rather bold step forward, all while Keiichi took one back.

Those legs belonged to a pair of teenage goddesses, who in human terms looked like fifteen years old, although by far their most striking feature was their uncanny similarity to one another. In fact, this pair of celestial twins even moved in perfect synchronisation that was simply mesmerising to watch. Furthermore, the look of determination and self assertiveness in their eyes was nothing to laugh at, giving them an air of superiority that matched their otherwise pristine school uniforms they wore. That alone was another peculiarity, since for some reason these two goddesses chose to dress themselves in something akin to the type of uniforms found in high-class private schools in Japan, even if their skirts were a tad shorter than the norm. "Greetings. You're Keiichi, right?"

"Huh?!" was all that the dark haired god could offer in reply, as the girls' aggressive attitude totally caught him off guard. He stared between the two twins, noticing that aside from their hair color -one being light blue and the other light pink- and their similar -yet reversed- facial markings, they were all but identical. Even their hairstyles were exactly the same, having them gathered in two short pigtails on either side, although the front fringes were mirrored between them. "Yeah, that's me but… who are you two?"

"I'm Eir," said the blue haired twin, with her sister immediately continuing after her.

"And I'm Saga."

Picking up from the moment Saga finished her sentence, Eir reached into her uniform, and together with Saga who practically mirrored her gesture in perfect synch, they produced their business cards. On them, written in runes were their perspective name as their licenses: Second class goddesses, first category, limited to administration only. "We've been assigned to pass our Earth training with Keiichi senpai. So, we came here to discuss our training schedule."

"W-Wait!... Keiichi senpai?!" asked the wide eyed god, as he suddenly found himself involved in a totally ridiculous situation, the likes of which he never even imagined possible.

"Yes!" chirped the twins, giving him a kawaii pose, much to the utter astonishment of the former mortal.

In fact, even Terrestrial Spark had to materialize behind his host's back to take a look at this spectacle, and then hurried back inside muttering 'I'm not getting involved in this nonsense.'

Due to the pointed stare they were receiving, the twins turned to look at each other, wondering what they have done wrong to get this kind of reaction. "Hm… do you think this is because we didn't give him a panty shot?" suggested Eir, making Saga rather nervous at that prospect. "Should we really do it though? Isn't he a married god or something?"

"Nah," replied Eir, pulling out a manga out of her uniform to let her sister take a look at it. "Remember the stuff we read here? It's customary for people here to fool around with as many pretty girls as they can."

"Whoa, whoa! Time out, you two!" cried the embarrassed Keiichi, grabbing the manga from Eir's hands to take a better look at it. Which proved more than enough to verify his suspicions. "Are you seriously telling me that you're using a harem manga as cultural reference for social interactions on Earth? Where did you get that from anyway?"

"A first class goddess called Peorth," replied Saga. "She's an odd one, but also the biggest source of manga and Earth board games in Asgard."

"The older goddesses also mentioned that she's got something called doujinshi, but they keep saying that it's too much for underrage goddesses like us," pouted Eir, folding her arms in front of her in a perfect imitation of how Skuld tends to react when someone calls her a kid -minus the explosives of course.

Lo and behold, the Norn of the future heard the commotion and decided to investigate what was going on. And on her way to the front door, she found Odal, who was equally curious about what was taking place at the front door. Together, they walked towards Keiichi, who was still trying to deal with their uninvited guests, and shared a confused glance at the sight of the twins, that also noticed them in turn.

"Hey, Keiichi… who are those girls?" asked Skuld, even though the way she said it was mostly directed at the two newcomers. After all, it was not every day that she saw two goddesses dressed in Earth-style school uniforms, and the added fact that those also happen to be identical twins made the whole experience even more bizarre.

"That's Eir, and this is Saga," said Keiichi, politely pointing at the two teens, who cautiously eyed the younger goddess. And no sooner than he introduced them, the girls took a confident step forward, stopping just in front of Skuld who just got next to Keiichi, and calmly stared back at them. "They're here for their Earth training," he added after he realized that neither side took the initiative to carry on with the introductions.

Before Keiichi could even react, Skuld reached to grab the manga he was still holding, and quickly went through is pages, until she let out a snobbish snort and turned her attention back to the twins. "Heh… that's your typical ecchi harem manga. I suppose it's yours?"

"Hey, don't make fun of us for not knowing much about Earth's culture! That's why we're here, after all!" protested Eir, with her sister adding. "Besides, what do you know about that kind of stuff? At least, we're old enough to know about the bees and the flowers!"

"It's the birds and the bees, and sorry to ruin your fun, but I probably know more about the subject than you," casually replied Skuld. And knowing all too well that the twins would try to counter her argument, she reached into her blouse, and proudly produced her own Earth training certificate. "And here's the proof! I've been studying here for years to get it, but better late than ever. Which… also means that you're years behind me when it comes to that sort of stuff."

The twins' expressions turned from mild surprise to awe, and then a hint of shame, given that this younger goddess actually surpassed them at something like that. In fact, they quickly exchanged a few words, whispering at each other, before Eir decided to ask for more details. "Say, who's your mentor? Can we talk to them?"

"Huh? Well… that would be, Peorth, I guess," replied Skuld, even if she was fully aware that this was a relatively new development, and had little to do with her prolonged presence here on Earth, which is the main contributing factor for her acquisition of this certificate. Even so, it was the proper thing for her to name Peorth as her mentor, even if the rose goddess has just started to take care of her education. Still, she was unsure what to say about Peorth's current status, so she tried to cover it up with a white lie. "Although, she's currently busy, so you can't talk to her."

However, the moment the rose goddess' name was uttered, Eir and Saga backed off, with their faces turning into a peculiar shade of pink that almost caused Skuld to start sniggering. "Peorth's your mentor?!" they said in perfect unison, waiting for the Norn's extremely casual nod to verify what they thought was their ears playing tricks on them. "No way! You look so innocent!"

"Appearances can be deceiving," was Skuld's cryptic reply, leaving the twins to speculate just what she meant by that.

Meantime, Keiichi and Odal quietly watched this whole scene unfold before their astonished eyes, until they noticed Laguz poke her head out of her pond, and then turn her gaze in their direction. Neither of them found the surprised expression on her face to be out of the ordinary, given what was going on, but when she started to point behind them, the two gods began to realize that something was amiss. At first they assumed that the Lake Goddess was trying to warn them that Belldandy was behind them, and while they did kind of feel the presence of another goddess nearby, when they turned around to offer an explanation about what was going on, both nearly jumped out of their skin. "Wha~?!"

The commotion immediately caught the others' attention, although it was Skuld the first to react, letting out an excited "Grandma!" with the twins bowing down to properly greet the elder goddess. "Frigg-sama!"

"Good Heavens, aren't you two fast or what?" chided Frigg, as she let out an annoyed huff at the twins. "I just finished with your papers, so that you're allowed to stay on Earth, and you're already here! Now, please tell me you're not causing any rackus."

"No, of course not!" replied the twins, with such an innocent tone that left Keiichi staring hard at them -his very expression translating into you ain't fooling me.

However, knowing all too well that saying that out loud wouldn't do him any good, Keiichi turned his attention back to Frigg and offered her his most charming smile. "I assume this was your idea, Frigg-sama?"

"Indeed. Although, there's no need for such formalities, Keiichi-kun," said Frigg, as she approached to give Skuld a tight hug, much to the young Norn's delight. She even gestured for Odal to join them for a group hug -given that he was her first great-grandkid- but the rogue god politely declined. Which only prompted her to let go of Skuld, and impolitely grab him into a hug that would've caused more than enough inconvenience to anyone who's not an immortal. "And you, need to listen to your elders a bit more than that. Refusing great-grandmother's hug, for crying out loud! Such poor manners…"

"Grandmother!" Unaware that she arrived just in time to save her son's ribs from their family's matriarch, Belldandy offered her a bright smile and extended her arms. This prompted Frigg to let go of Odal and immediately move to pull Belldandy in a hug, albeit a much gentler this time around. "It's so nice to see you again! Are those girls with you?"

"Yes, I thought it would be a nice opportunity for Keiichi to learn more about our world, if he got to teach some of us about Earth in return. But before we start with the introductions, how about we head inside and serve everyone a nice cup of tea."

"Of course. That would be delightful!" agreed Belldandy, and remembering about Skuld, she also added. "Oh, and some ice-cream as well." That was something she didn't need to repeat, as Skuld all but rushed inside the house, with Laguz laughing in the distance, before she too prepared to head inside.

Left alone, Keiichi found himself wondering just what he has done to deserve this. The moment he thought that his life would finally get back on track, that very moment something would happen to prove him wrong. And this time around, it was a development so out of left field that he had no idea what to make of it. Sure, it wasn't exactly the first time that he got to play the role of the senior student, as his experiences with the Motor Club in the post 'Tamiya and Otaki' era granted him some valuable lessons in leadership. Even so, there was a stark contrast between his rather extensive knowledge on everything mechanic, and magic.

To complicate things even further -as if the situation wasn't bad enough already- those twins seemed to have no idea about social norms here on Earth. Which simply meant that they've got to keep a close eye on them before they somehow make a huge mess of themselves. Worse yet, with those girls having the potential to greatly surpass Tamiya and Otaki, it was entirely feasible for them to undo years worth of effort on his part to keep the true nature of Belldandy and the others a secret.

"Ugh… why me?" sighed Keiichi, albeit rhetorically. As such, he wasn't exactly expecting a reply from anyone… until he got exactly that and nearly jumped from his surprise.

"By this point… do you even have to ask?" Approaching his father from behind, Odal chuckled at the sight of the startled god floating slightly above the ground in preparation to make run for it. "Ah, sorry about that. I thought you heard me walking by."

"There's no need to apologize, I was just not paying attention," replied Keiichi and shook his head for extra effect. After all, he didn't wish to make his son think that he was intruding, and better yet he could use this opportunity to learn more about him. It was ridiculous to think that despite being related to him, Keiichi knew very little about the man -or god in this case. Sure, Odal told them more than enough to understand where he came from and the circumstances behind his presence here, yet there was much to learn about his personality from small talk. "Come to think of it, was this place this hectic in your world as well?"

"In a sense. Although, I suppose it's more accurate to say that you were the weirdness magnet, not the temple itself." Try as he might, Odal felt that he was only telling him half of the truth, even if he really didn't wish to bring up the other half of it. But with his mother inside the house, the rogue god felt somewhat confident that he could carry on without risking a hurricane upon them. And so he did. "Still, I have to point out that weirdness wasn't the only thing you were capable of attractive. Forgive my bluntness, but you're still as much of a chick magnet as you used to back in my world. Uh… just don't tell mom I said that."

"Don't worry, I won't-" Coming to a stop in more than one sense of the word, Keiichi replayed his son's statement in his mind, and realized that his ears weren't playing tricks on him. "Wait, I was a what?"

"Come on! Don't tell me you haven't noticed just how many girls surround you. And they all seem to be quite attractive; hence the term chick magnet," cordially explained Odal, much to his father's chagrin. He was pulling his leg of course, and for once Holy Bell didn't mind it, as in all seriousness it was just harmless fun. What he didn't expect though was to have the tables turned on him.

"Huh… now that you mention it…" Unlike the past where he would vehemently refuse such allegations, Keiichi maintained his cool and thoughtfully scratched his chin. It was mostly for show, as Terrestrial Spark advised him that pulling off a scholarly look of contemplation would only help him teach that upstart son of theirs some manners. "You know, we should both consider ourselves lucky that we didn't take after Keima. In a situation like this, our lives would've been a living Hell with so many attractive ladies staying with us. And that goes double for you, being married to a demoness and a pretty… healthy one at that."

That last comment earned a raised eyebrow from Odal, who for a moment wondered if his father finally snapped. Then again, he did start this, so getting a taste of his own medicine was fair game. "I suppose you're right. Having Hagall for a wife isn't for the shy or faint hearted." Leaving his admittedly vague statement like that, it didn't take long for his father's cheeks to light up in a brilliant blush, as he must've gotten the wrong idea. After all, he didn't exactly lie to him, given how scary Hagall could be if agitated. But without any context as to what he meant, he could easily see why Keiichi got a totally different interpretation of his words.

"O-Odal?..." Asked Keiichi when a thought entered his mind, and no matter how silly it was, he just couldn't dismiss it.

"Yes, father?"

"Please tell me I'm not gonna be a grandfather so soon."

The rogue god stood there perfectly still, his face turned into a stony expression fitting for a statue of old, all while his mind struggled to comprehend just what kind of nonsense he evoked from what originally started as a joke. "No, not yet. We're… not in such a hurry."

Awkward silence filled the temple grounds as father and son stared at each other, waiting for the other to start first, only to end up in a stalemate that lasted for longer than it was necessary. In fact, it wasn't until someone got curious about their absence that decided to check on them. And judging by the looks of it, she wasn't terribly impressed.

"Goodness gracious! What's taking you boys so long?" asked Frigg, while approaching them with a tired scowl on her face. It was more than evident that she was having second thoughts about her decision to bring those two here, and the last thing she needed at the moment was more trouble. Not that she personally considered that Keiichi was capable of misbehaving, but the same wasn't true about Odal. "Everyone's inside, waiting for you to join us for a cup of tea."

This interruption proved all that was needed to make both gods snap out of it, with Odal having a bit of a head start. "Ah, sorry for that, great-grandma. I was just messing around with dad, so we kinda lost track of time. Anyway… I…" It took him a while to realize it, but the longer he went on the more obvious it became that there was something… odd about the way the others were staring back at him. "Is there anything on my face?"

"No, it's just that I'm happy to hear you address me and your father in such familiar manner. Given your rather unusual circumstances, it's really encouraging to see you adapt to your new life here with us," said Frigg in such a hear-warming tone that could only be described as motherly. And she didn't even need to look in Keiichi's direction to see his attentive gaze, as the young god was taking mental notes on parenting. After all, it's a skill he's going to need in the future, and for that very reason, Frigg thought that a practical lesson was in order; especially if it didn't even feel like one. "Oh, and by the way… I'm fully aware that as a married god your priorities lies elsewhere. And with your lovely wife living in Niflheim, I suppose it might seem natural to you that it's hard for us to spend any amount of time together. However, I should point out that we do maintain diplomatic relationships with the Infernal Realms. As such, there's a great deal of opportunities for us to interact if you choose to help Hagall-chan by delivering important documents in her place."

"From the most wanted rogue, to a mailman? I'd say, that's quite a career change, great-grandma," laughed Odal and then shook his head before he accidentally mentioned anything other than what the others knew. There were still things about his backstory he kept a secret, if not for their shake. And he planned to keep it like that. "Still, I'm actually looking forward to spend any amount of time with you; all of you. Back in my world, I rarely got a chance to meet -let alone interact- with my Celestial relatives, aside a select few. Most of the time, I was hanging around my aunts, and Siegel. Although, I have to admit that my parents weren't exactly absent from my life. I suppose running a successful business to provide for us, did take a lot of their personal time, especially since they didn't wish to cheat by relying on magic."

"Wait! Are you telling me that my counterpart in your world… didn't even spare the time to coddle her great-grandson?!" asked the astonished Frigg, since in all seriousness she couldn't fathom how any version of her could simply ignore the latest addition to her extended family. Being the de facto matriarch of Asgard's most influential family is a source of great pride for the elder goddess, and as such she took her responsibilities very seriously. Although to be absolutely fair, it's not that she ever saw said responsibilities as a chore, but an act of affection towards each and every new addition of her extended family.

"It's not such a big deal-" Odal attempted to say, only to have Frigg interrupt him before her even finished his sentence.

"Nonsense! You were given a second chance at having a semblance of normal life, so I'll have none of this attitude!" Though undeniably strict, Frigg voice maintained enough of its previous warmth to avoid sounding was too harsh. This actually reminded her audience of the rare occasions where Belldandy was lecturing someone, which would have been where the otherwise gentle Norn got her sterner attitude from.

Seeing that any attempts at discouraging her would only get him into deeper trouble, Odal decided to appease her. Then again, it's not that he didn't understand where she came from. Up until now he remained adamant at maintaining a safe distance from everyone else here, no matter how much he actually wished to be with them. After all, this was the very wish that got him in this world to begin with, yet on every occasion he found himself interacting with his family he did his best to keep a distance. Be it out of fear of rejection, due to how strange his existence must be for them, or simply for attempting to steal his counterpart's position in this world. 'Come to think of it though… does my sister count as an alternative version of me? Or are we totally unrelated entities? Not that I wouldn't like a little sister, but is it really fair to act as her older brother when in reality she's my parent's firstborn in this world? Sure, we're not nobles, so it's not like I'm stealing her birthright or something, but it still feels wrong to me.'

So lost in thoughts Odal was that he didn't notice Frigg wave a hand in front of his face. At least not right away, as he eventually did snap out of it with a start. "Goodness me. You're almost as bad as Tyr whenever he has those deep contemplation moments of his. Perhaps you need some help in opening up to others, rather than shutting into your little world. After all, I was planning to help your father improve his social skills while I'm here, and I might as well do the same for you."

At the sound of this, the two gods shared a look of concern as it was becoming quite apparent that the twins weren't their only concern. "Lessons?" they all buy simultaneously asked, and much to their horror Frigg merely nodded.

"Yes, lessons. I feel it's necessary for both of you to gain some social skills. And that's why I also brought those two girls. They too need a lesson in social interaction, since their attitude can be… problematic at times. That being said, you don't have to look this worried. I promise I won't allow it to turn into a terrible experience. Which is another reason I came along to supervise them."

Once again, Keiichi and Odal shared a look, but this time around they seemed much more at ease with the whole idea. After all, neither of them got a chance at being properly raised in Asgard -which was more obvious in Keiichi's case due to his very origins. "Very well, I think it'll be an interesting experience," concluded Keiichi, with his son merely offering a reluctant nod. Apparently the latter knew better than expect nothing bad to come out of this, yet he tried to remain somewhat positive about the whole idea.

And with the matter settled, Frigg gestured them to follow her inside, where they could finally join the others for a relaxing cup of tea.

XXX

Asgard, in a different timeline

The sound of battle echoed across the forest, as death and carnage replaced the relative peace of the ongoing downpour. Circling Lind's dilapidated house like giant vultures, the dragons descended upon it with fangs bared and claws aiming at the celestial duo defending it. Although to be fair, that was not due to choice, but a necessity, since the house itself provided little cover for the two warriors -especially in its current state. Even so, their assailants failed to land a hit, given that most of them ended up maimed as soon as they got within axe range, and yet they kept coming. In fact, it was getting to the point where even a battle-hardened Valkyrie like Lind started to wonder what was wrong here, since her opponents seemed totally indifferent not only to the sight of their fallen brethren but their own self preservation.

"Watch out, there's something off with those things," she offhandedly noted while dodging a dragon's vicious lunge, only to backflip onto its snout once it narrowly missed her. And without much of a second thought, she dispatched it with a swift swing of her battle axe, buying herself a moment's reprise to check on her comrade. Given all the chaos around them, Lind didn't dare take her eyes off Nidhogg's spawn -lest she paid the price of carelessness- and thus only kept Excalibur in her peripheral vision. As such, she was unable to properly check his status, and given how quiet he was, she had no other option but to directly ask him. "Excalibur? Are you alright over there?"

"Just… peachy," replied Excalibur, who was fighting not only the dragons, but his own feeling of disorientation as well. "Because it wasn't confusing enough that I've turned into an Earth Spirit… now I'm a god too."

"Technically, the way I understood this, deep down you've always been an Earth Spirit. Although, your current nature…" said Lind in her characteristically stoic tone, until she absently addressed the proverbial elephant in the room. The moment she did though, Lind immediately cut off her sentence, as she had no desire to distract Excalibur by reminding him of his current situation. "Listen, if you're not feeling alright, try to hold back and let me deal with them."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not hiding behind you at a time like this," said Excalibur without even batting an eyelash, even when a dragon attempted to whip him with its tail. Being more powerful than ever, Excalibur merely sidestepped the attack and immediately launched a lightning spell at the reptile's head, blasting off the back of its skull. Lifeless, the dragon joined its fallen brethren, allowing the god a brief break. Still, more than just catching his breath, Excalibur grabbed the opportunity to take a look around and assess their situation. So far they have the upper hand, yet the tables could easily turn should their opponents go for a war of attrition. "Actually, how about we get the heck outta here?"

"And go exactly… where?" countered Lind, even though she didn't exactly disagree with the suggestion. More specifically, the Valkyrie took a moment to scan her surroundings with her eyes, hoping to find a way out of the pinch they were in. With the torrential rain going strong outside, it was hard to tell which way they should go, in the event they made a run for it. However, before she could even take another look to make sure that she hasn't overseen anything, the sound of a dragon coming crashing onto the ground outside caught her attention. And sure enough, the aftershock of the impact shook the entire house, causing debris to come loose all around them. Yet none of that mattered, as another dragon fell to its muddy grave outside, leaving her with a stunned expression on her face, since a fleeting glance in Excalibur's direction revealed that he wasn't the one who felled that lizard.

"Sheesh! And here I thought I'd be the one to get caught first." Much to the onlooker's sheer shock and surprise, Peorth used one of the broken windows to enter the room, leaving a pair of vine-wrapped dragons outside -both of them twisted in a manner that their spinal cords simply weren't designed for. "Are you two alright?" continued the rose goddess in such cordial manner that was a far cry from the violence that took place here, and to say nothing of her own contribution to the death toll. Still, the moment she took a better look at Lind and Excalibur, it was her turn to experience shock from the mere sight of the facial markings that the latter now possessed. "What in the name of Heavens is going-... You changed? Again?!"

"Trust me, I'm as surprised as you," dryly replied Excalibur, and even offered a shrug. Of course he knew how unlikely it was for anyone to let go of such a thing as him becoming a god for real, but given that he had absolutely no idea how this happened in the first place, he doubted that he could give Peorth a convincing explanation anyway. "And speaking of surprises… Is it just me, or did you kill a pair of dragons right now?"

"Actually, I took out three of them. But I guess the first one was a bit further down the forest for you to take notice. Still, that was me, yes," calmly replied Peorth, before she put her hands on her ears. Just in time to block the sound of a powerful explosion that was immediately followed by the dying screams of a dozen dragons. "On the other hand… that wasn't me."

As if on cue, Hild came crashing through the roof in all of her demonic splendor. Her eyes light up with the brilliant crimson of her powers, irises in the shape of a cat's, and hair absently crackling by the unrelenting force of the Hellfire thunder strike that claimed the lives of those dragons outside. Even so, the moment she laid eyes on Excalibur, her entire demeanor changed as even she wasn't expecting such a development. "Wait a second!... What happened to you?"

"Frankly, I've got no idea." Casually shrugging his shoulders, Excalibur shot a glance in the direction of the Celestial capital. Of course, with the heavy rain it was impossible to actually see anything outside the window, yet his message was clear. Especially when he noticed that Hild and the others followed his gaze, and soon enough their eyes light up in realisation of what he was hinting at. "But, if I have to take a guess, I would say that I'm just like Keiichi. Sure, we're far from the Tree right now, although… who says that distance really matters? If Yggdrasil can keep Nidhogg tied down across entire realms, then this much should be trivial. Right?"

Though she remained skeptical, Hild couldn't exactly dismiss Excalibur's argument. When she learned about Keiichi's ascent to godhood -and so suddenly too- it almost felt like someone was pulling her leg and that the whole thing was nothing more than an elaborate prank. Yet the fact remained: Keiichi became a real god. And judging by the looks of it, the same exact thing happened to Excalibur as well. "Hm… I guess that's true. And it's nice knowing that at the very least Yggdrasil is still tracking us. This might prove to be our ticket out of this hellhole. Uh… pardon my language." Even if she tried to lighten up the mood with that tongue-in-cheek apology for her choice of words, Hild felt deeply troubled by this development. In her opinion it was too naive to expect that this was Yggdrasil's doing -not after coming into contact with Nidhogg herself. "You know… I'm kinda curious now. Do you remember anything strange around the time you turned into a god? Anything at all?"

Letting out a sigh, Excalibur decided to humor Hild's request, no matter how unlikely it was that he actually knew anything about this. Not to say that he wasn't curious about his own nature per se, but given just what kind of entities were involved in his deification, Excalibur was all but certain that some there were times when the pursuit for answers simply wasn't worth it. "Like I said, I have no idea how exactly this happened. If I knew anything I would've told you, or at the very least Lind. Besides, I have a feeling that it's more likely that you've got more to do with this, than myself. Am I… right?"

The subtle accusation in Excalibur's tone caught Hild off guard, since few dared to say such a thing to her face. Worse, the curious looks she was getting from Peorth and Lind left her little leeway to lie herself out of this situation. After all, both goddesses knew that something must've happened when she and Surt infiltrated the Tree's chambers, yet Hild found it prudent not to explain everything to them. An action justified by the harsh reality around them that dictated a unified front against their adversaries, rather than bicker among themselves. And because of that, Hild felt the need to drop the subject as painlessly as possible, before they ended up playing the blame game. "I won't deny that it was my intention to talk to Yggdrasil. However, that was for a personal wish that has nothing to do with you - any of you."

"Sounds fair," was Excalibur's simple reply. As much as he wanted to know more, satisfying his curiosity wasn't a priority. And for the sake of getting out of this situation intact, cooperation was of the essence. "Anyway, now that you two are here, how about we leave this place?"

"That's right. It won't take long until more dragons swoop by to see what took out their brethren?" added Lind while casting a gaze skywards in case her worries became a reality sooner than anticipated. Thankfully, none could be seen in their immediate vicinity, but with visibility being so low due to the adverse weather conditions she didn't wish to risk any surprises.

"I agree. Since the cat's out of the bag, we can now use magic as we see fit. And we did get a glimpse of the city on the way here, so it's not like we don't know which direction to go either," said Peorth, pointing in the aforementioned direction.

XXX

'They must be close. Perhaps a klick or two, but no more than that.'

Using a collapsed building at the edge of the capital as a vantage point to survey his surroundings, Surt narrowed his eyes as he struggled to make out the lights he could barely make out across the valley. And with this once forested area being reduced to a waterlogged wasteland, traversing it on foot was next to impossible at the time being. Then again, he didn't exactly need to worry all that much about mobility, as his two synthetic companions proved more than capable of dealing with the elements. How exactly he managed to run into them after he jumped off their transporter along with Peorth remains a mystery. The only thing he was actually sure is that he somehow he must've gotten separated from the rose goddess, and and then almost slam onto SA-δ, who was not that far from its leader. 'Come to think of it… how did that skank end up all the way over there? I swear I didn't even notice when we split in mid air, and worse… when I lost my combat knife. I mean, I hope I actually lost it, because if she somehow managed to grab it from me, I… no… Hild's not gonna let me live this one down. Being disarmed by the rose goddess -even if she only took a utility knife- isn't something I want to be added in my autobiography.'

"Oi, ya broody boi! Heck's goin' on up there?" came SA-δ's booming voice from below, forcing the dark haired to turn his head in its direction. "It's taking ya ages to say anything. So? Did ya find them or what?"

"Yes. And I'm not brooding." Snapped Surt back at the synthetic, who merely shrugged off the glare that accompanied his statement. However, before he forgot himself and ended up exchanging verbal jabs with that loudmouth, Surt turned to quiet SA-α who was likely contemplating their next move. "Well? What now? Should we join up with them, or go ahead and expand the area of engagement?"

"A good question. As much as I'd like to head over there and help the others, we might do them a greater service by creating a distraction. That way we'll force our enemies to spread their forces thin in hopes of dealing with all of use at the same time." Seeing that its analysis was leaning towards Surt's idea of carrying on, SA-α gestured for the demon to approach as it began to turn into its vehicle mode. "Climb on. We'll cover a lot more distance this way."

Wasting no time, the dark haired demon jumped off the building and right onto SA-α's turret. Behind them, SA-δ was already in his vehicle mode and ready to follow them, despite the road ahead having turned into a quagmire by this point. Then again, these synthetics were indeed Skuld's inventions, and thus came with all sorts of convenient functions that included an anti-gravity field generator. And though it wasn't strong enough to allow actual levitation -mainly to save space for all the rest of the machinery in their bodies- it did allow them to reduce their effective weight in order to traverse such tricky terrain.

With that issue covered, their next concern were the silhouettes in the skies above. By now, dragons patrolled the area looking for them, since the raging storm did wonders to conceal their presence as long as they weren't using magic. Which was also the reason why Surt chose to hitch a ride one SA-α, rather than fly across the city on his own. Sadly the same couldn't be said about the others, who already made their presence known moments ago, and now they have a swarm of angry reptiles homing onto their location.

"Should we create a diversion? At this rate they'll have their hands full before they even reach the city." Suggested Surt, seeing the number of silhouettes above them increase in not just number but size. And given the delay in SA-α's reply, it was more than evident that even a synthetic was having trouble analyzing their options.

"As much as agree, we won't make an effective diversion if we're this close to them. At best, we'll just spread them out a bit more, although most of them are likely to end up in the same general area with the others. Our best bet right now is it get inside the city's perimeter before we cause a commotion of any sorts," eventually replied SA-α, as it pivoted its turret around to face the direction the Yggdrasil Complex was supposed to be located, and began to charge the particle cannon. Steam shot out from across the barrel's surface as rainwater instantly evaporated with an angry hiss, alerting Surt that it was about to open fire. "Unless… we improvise."

The shot blazed through the air at incredible speed, disappearing almost within a blink of an eye, until the distant scream of a dragon revealed that it actually made contact. Despite all odds, that single shot found an unsuspected dragon that must've been heading this way, and though highly unlikely that it caused too much damage, it was more than enough to attract some attention. Yet the best part came when Surt realized that this particular method of attack involved no magic whatsoever, and thus their opponents had no means of accurately tracking the shot back to where it came from. "Huh… I like the way you're thinking."

"Oh, yeah? Hey, boss!" Called SA-δ from behind them. "How come ya never lemme improvise?"

"Because of the collateral damage you always cause is far too indiscriminate?" calmly replied SA-α as if it was the most obvious thing in the world to say, causing the other synthetic to reconsider its argument. "Regardless, we should restrain ourselves at creating distractions like this, until we further into the city where we can make a proper diversion."

"Oka~y… Can I get indiscriminate then?" asked the stubborn SA-δ, since it didn't want to spend what could be its potential last moments being too held back by its leader's overcautious strategies.

"Yes… Yes, you can. After all, I doubt that we'll be capable of taking down Fafnir's hordes without the use of extreme violence."

At first, Surt thought that it was the sound of the heavy rainfall that caused him to misinterpret that name as something else, perhaps a different way of pronouncing the Infernal Dragon's terrible name. Yet no matter how much he tried, he just couldn't find a way of actually making a connection between the words 'Fafnir' and 'Nidhogg' as they sounded too different from one another. "Hold on a moment! You must've meant Nidhogg… right?"

"Actually… no." Truth to be told, SA-α had been dreading this very moment from the very get go, yet one could only postpone the inevitable for so long. "I meant Fafnir, the demonic dragon."

"Fafnir. That joke of a Daimakaicho I personally kicked off his lofty throne before Hild took over. That Fanfir?!"

"Uh… yes?"

"Are you seriously telling me that the reason both Celestials and Infernals alike were driven to extinction is… Fafnir?" If he had been angry before, Surt was now furious. So much so, that he needed to hurt something; anything. And those damned dragons flying overhead were starting to appear a very appealing target to vent his anger at.

"We don't have the full story I'm afraid, but from what we gather he must've gotten his claws onto something that originated from Nidhogg. And while I do have a theory, this is not the place nor time for such talk," replied SA-α in its calmest voice setting, in a desperate effort to diffuse the situation before it got completely out of hand. After all, they were already in deep trouble as they were, to have a berserk demon added in the mix. "Let us at least find a more secure location to-"

The synthetic didn't even manage to finish that sentence, when the shadow of a particularly large dragon proved too tempting for the already agitated demon to resist shooting after. Surt practically launched himself into the air after the dragon, causing SA-α's whole chassis to rock from the sheer amount of force applied against it. "Oh, no…"

"Ya just had to go there, now didn't ya?" said SA-δ after an awkward pause that followed a bloodcurdling scream from above. And soon enough, a dragon's severed tail landed not too far from them, leaving the loudmouth synthetic no other option but to switch back into robot form. "Well… that one lost his warranty. Better watch out before we lose ours too, right boss?"

Amidst the cacophony of dragonian screams, the distant crack of thunder, and the roar of rushing water, SA-α reverted into robot mode, and turned its head skywards. Above them dozens of dark silhouettes circled them like hungry vultures, leaving even a machine with an odd sense of dread. "This is it, δ. We've spent countless years preparing for this, so… let's meet on the other side."

"Oi oi! Ya picked the worst moment to get all emotional, άλφα," chided SA-δ, pausing its preparations for the imminent fight for just long enough to take a look at its fellow synthetic. "We still haven't made our maker proud, so less talking and more tail whooping. Kay?"

"You're right my friend. It's time for payback."

Less than an ideal position for engagement or not, the synthetic duo raised their weapons high and started picking targets. Around them the water slowly turned crimson from the remains of those who fell, and yet for each to die, two more took his place. Both in combat, and death.

AN: I would like to thank everyone here and the Goddess Relief site for offering their continuing support.

Trust Frigg to try to convince Ansuz to have more kids. Few goddesses have the gall to pressure Asgard's second-in-command on such topic. Then again, she is the matriarch of that extended family, so it must come with the territory.

The twins mentioned in this chapter are none other than the ones shown in the late OADs (mostly on OAD 2, but they did show up briefly on OAD 3). Having those two act as Keiichi's cohai… could be interesting to say the least.

Have I even mentioned that Nidhogg was the main antagonist in Odal's timeline? Because if I did, that character was lying. Well… it's not exactly a lie, more like a case of a possible interpretation of the situation, and I even dropped several hints here and there as to what SA-α was talking about. It's in previous chapters of course, and I'll get back to it once we see more of what's going on in that timeline.