"Snake, would you mind creating a barrier so Zeus and I could duke it out?" Odin inquired politely, glancing at the red-haired woman who spectated the showdown with a bored expression.
"Would you stop calling me a snake?" She protested, pouting. "I'm the leader of the Holy Land, for fuck's sake. Diya, The Blood Queen!"
"Snake," said Vesto, the leader of the Shimmering Dragons. Watching such banter, the leaders of a few powerful mid-rank clans couldn't help but shake violently in their boots, wondering if they would perish.
A single flick of the Divine Rankers' wrist would render them dead.
"Watch it, Vesto, or I'll clip your fake dragon wings off," Snake–Diya, threatened, baring her fangs as she leaned forward, summoning a pair of tweezers cloaked in heavenly light. "And you're one to talk. Your parents named you Vesto, as a female!"
Ahriman and Daniel, the leaders of the Demonic and Heavenly Order respectively, remained silent, their gazes motionless. Despite having a blood feud, the two were capable of controlling themselves.
'They are arguing like children,' Ahriman clicked his tongue, adopting a disdainful frown as he repeatedly tapped the table as a form of self-stimulation. A faint murderous intent flashed across his crimson eyes.
Daniel noticed the flash of hostility. Although he was more timid, or as he liked to phrase it–" good-natured–" than his counterpart, he, too, was somewhat perturbed by the sheer incompetence of the Divine Rankers.
Although their power was great, their intelligence was lacking, in Daniel's opinion. 'Olympus was much better in the past…'
"Diya, do you mind?" Odin persisted, his eyes gentle and his tone polite. Shivers shot down Diya's spine as she heard the old man's voice. Although he seemed virtuous, Odin was not the man he acted like.
In reality, he was vile.
As Diya was about to form the barrier, a certain displacement of mana suddenly caught her interest. Her expression bled into that of amusement while a strange feeling caused her heart to race.
The doors to the hall swung open, while the gazes of all turned towards them.
Light interacted with shadows, blending together while repelling each other simultaneously. A certain waltzed into the hall. With a charming smile and a lighthearted attitude, he immediately caught the attraction of most females in the hall.
The Divine Rankers clicked their tongues, glad they didn't bring their wives to the meeting.
With curly, white hair and refreshing, blue eyes, the man held more charisma than any other human. His porcelain skin and well-toned body only complimented his features, while his black suit was a true eye-catcher.
"Did I miss the party?" Felix inquired, his eyes darting around the hall. "Snake, fill me in, would you?"
"Of cou–I mean, shut the fuck up before I beat your ass," Diya replied, realizing her mistake while calming her racing heart. Her cheeks reddened in embarrassment, to which Felix–the Saint Sealing Devil–smiled.
Felix observed the hall, eventually adopting an expression of confusion. "Where's Jacob? Did the Paragon Of Vengeance get destroyed in the few meetings I missed? Zeus, you need to control your temper. You can't go destroying clans."
"Shut up, boy," Zeus grumbled. "Jacob is a lazy man."
"That doesn't excuse him, but okay," replied Felix, shrugging his shoulders as he plopped atop a throne. "Odin, are you planning on shooting your shot on Diya? Have you already done it? Can I expect a baby soon?"
Silence descended upon the hall, the glares of all the Divine Rankers piercing Felix's soul. Yet, he wasn't affected in the slightest, maintaining a frivolous smile. Diya's face contorted, revealing immense rage directed towards both Felix and Odin.
Odin seemed unaffected. "Shoot my shot? Please, I have a wife."
"You didn't mention that a few weeks ago when we had this conversation, but it's fine," Felix shook his hand in dismissal. "Diya, do you fancy this old man."
At that moment, Ahriman and Daniel–their eyes containing immense fury–stood up simultaneously. The gazes of the Divine and High Rankers turned towards them, hints of fear visible within them.
A few were unaffected, though.
"Halt this immaturity this instant," Ahriman's demonic voice reverberated across the hall, causing glass to shatter, and the ground to shake.
Daniel remained silent, yet his support of Ahriman's statement was glaringly obvious.
Felix nodded, releasing a deep sigh. "It seems the overlords have spoken. You guys can't just shut the fuck up, can you? Anyway, let's begin without Jacob, then. He's really wasting our time, isn't he?"
A vein bulged from Zeus' forehead, but he remained silent, suppressing the urge to burst into fury.
"For the first topic of this meeting, I would like to mention the dynamic shift on the 98th floor," Odin mentioned, his ravens whispering a few words in his ear. "A few forbidden lands have begun oozing an unknown substance."
"Not only that, but the climate is also shifting. Asgard is experiencing warmer winters, even though it used to drop down to almost Absolute Zero. Now, Asgard experiences winters around -250 degrees Celsius, which is almost a twenty-degree increase."
"Summers have also been much hotter."
"But that is the least of our issues. The laws of the world have also begun changing, while the three Norns have mentioned a drastic change in the future. Many talents have begun rising from the lower floors, which the Norns mentioned was a reason."
"Well, as they say, each generation is a torchbearer, passing the flame of wisdom, knowledge, and innovation to the next," Vesto admitted, her expression melancholic. "I'm not even that old, though."
Sensing the piercing gazes of all the Divine Rankers, Vesto couldn't help but assume a protective stance. "Are you guys saying I'm old? Fuck you! Anyway, as Odin said, the Shimmering Dragon has also been noticing such a change."
"It's a surprise that Odin decided to mention the Norns. Usually, he's as protective of them as his wife."
"I can concur with his statement, though," Zeus announced. "The Moirai, or the Fates, have also announced something similar."
