The Sun Squadron had been more than just quiet since the beginning of the operation, it was more like their presence vanished entirely.
Shangguan Yu had taken his squad directly to Asgard and integrated with them when the mission began, but of course, back then he didn't know the situation in Asgard at all.
With his mind, he was naturally able to deduce it rapidly after seeing it for himself, but knowing something and truly acting upon it were two different things.
As Shangguan Yu was organizing his forces to begin stabilizing and conquering Asgard, he was met with fierce opposition.
And not just any opposition.
He met the first Demigod of Asgard a month after arriving in the world, and though it wasn't Odin, this person was a powerhouse in his own right.
When he understood what Shangguan Yu was attempting, he acted without care for face and directly threw him and his people into a dungeon thousands of feet below Asgard's main headquarters.
This is where they'd stayed even until now, when the situation was on the verge of exploding.
Although it was called a dungeon, the treatment wasn't cruel at all. Every squad member would receive three meals per day, had a soft bed to sleep on, many recreational centers to visit, and even a personal servant to tend to their needs. If anything, this place was a 7-star resort.
But this was only on the surface. Regardless of how they were treated, they were still being forced away from the surface. Their position was taken away from them entirely.
For the first few days, some held hope that more noble souls would rescue them from confinement, but that hope faded away long ago.
Because it was a Demigod who acted.
Even if there was a Demigod willing to aid them, he wouldn't be able to do so unless he wanted to blow the powder keg that was Asgard.
"Haa…" Shangguan Yu sighed to himself. In his hand, he twirled a strange item that looked like a golden metal pencil without an edge.
'Things are getting chaotic. I wonder if Bai Xieren will be able to take care of things without my guidance?'
His sleek blonde hair already fell to the ground and then some. He got bored and decided to grow it out as a more fun measure of telling the time.
According to the strand length, it should almost be time for the main show to begin. Yet, he wasn't being given the opportunity to participate.
'And I thought I'd finally get to see something fun. With how the old man has been going on about seed this, seed that, I wanted to be there when it blooms…'
Shangguan Yu sighed once more and put down the small golden object in his hand. His pupils dilated as his gaze extended to its limit.
'At least they're kind enough to let me watch them crumble from the inside. If you were going to do it even without my help, then was there a need to ever lock me up in the first place.'
A small grin spread on his face. 'But this is fine too. I quite like this new feeling of being a spectator. Besides, it's not like my harvests were small.'
The golden pencil on the floor began rapidly spinning like a drill, drilling a hole into the dungeon floor below. As Shangguan Yu controlled this action, the light of curiosity in his eyes became more and more pronounced.
'How can such an inconceivable thing be possible? How could such a secret remain hidden for eons? Hahaha, how interesting!'
Shangguan Yu soon became enamored with his task once more. Since being thrown into this dungeon, he'd rarely ever left his room.
The elites outside were slowly becoming acclimated to their new lifestyles, completely forgetting about the original mission.
But this wasn't some kind of conditioning done by Asgard, it was entirely by the fault of those elites.
They had witnessed a Demigod casually manhandle them as he pleased, and this Demigod wasn't even Odin! What did that mean? It meant there was an unknown number of Demigods in this world that would actively be involved in the coming struggle!
With this kind of information, it was impossible not to get demotivated.
But things wouldn't always go how one wished. On one fateful day, the massive cellar-like door of the dungeon was blasted open and sent flying across the room.
Through the entrance walked a bumbling old man who looked like a homeless beggar. A large gourd was present in his hand, the stench of the liquor within alone causing many elites to become intoxicated.
"Yo~ little brat YuYu! Where are you?!"
His voice reverberated through the dungeon. If it wasn't for his fear of breaking into the dungeon, perhaps nobody would've taken this old drunk seriously.
"YuYu~! YuYu~! Come out for this father!"
The old man kept yelling, confusing the elites. Just who was the YuYu he was looking for, and why would they be in a place like this?
At this time, a lone door near the back of the area slowly opened. Shangguan Yu walked out, his face pale as paper.
The elites suddenly had a thought. YuYu…couldn't have been…?
"Ah! YuYu, come give this grandfather a hug! How long has it been since we've seen each other, yet the first thing you call me for is my power? You brat, you've really become arrogant, huh!"
The old man slapped Shangguan Yu on the shoulder heavily and pulled him into a hug. Seeing this, the elites were once again flabbergasted.
Shangguan Yu was actually letting this old man hug him? Wait, how did the old man get over there?
It had to be known, there were many hundreds of meters between the two just a second ago, but the old man had traversed that distance so rapidly that the elites didn't even notice he moved!
Gasp!
"Is he…the Demigod senior who will be joining us?" One curious Elite muttered.
Hearing this, the rest also widened their eyes in realization. Right, the Cloud Plane also had a Demigod! It was just that the sheer number of Demigods in Asgard made it hard for them to trust the might of one man.
But Shangguan Yu was different. Even though he looked angry on the surface, he was elated to see his grandfather here.
Although they referred to each other as grandfather and grandson, they were actually separated by many generations. Shangguan Yu was simply a descendant of his that gained the qualifications to personally meet him. And after they met the first time, they hit it off.
"Geezer, get the hell off me. We have work to do." Shangguan Yu muttered.
"Hah? Brat, don't be so cheeky. Actually, you've been locked up so you don't know. There isn't much left to do besides sit back and enjoy the show."
"Hm?" Shangguan Yu's brown raised curiously. "It hasn't been that many months, are you saying the situation has been fully saturated?"
The old man grinned. "Saturated or not, who cares? Come, let's go watch the good show. If something of note happens, we may even have a chance to intervene."
The old man grabbed Shangguan Yu without another word and disappeared, leaving the rest of the elites behind in the dungeon.
They looked at each other still shocked about the preceding events, but in the end, even though the dungeon door was clearly open, none of them decided to leave.
They had comfort and safety down here, and according to the old man's words, things were far more chaotic on the surface.
And if it came to a choice between their lives and their duty, none of them would hesitate to pick the former.
But their presence didn't matter at all.
From the starry sky, two starships and a lone angel were infinitely close to arriving.
From Niflheim and Asgard, 4th class forces were being moved without reservation. Perhaps even Demigods would be allowed on the battlefield soon.
From Shadow Garden and the Moon Squadron, forces unceasingly to further the ongoing conflict and blow it out of proportion.
And from Avalon, a pulsating light covered the entire city and tinted it red. It seemed as if a massive metamorphosis was on the verge of happening.
In this unnamed world, fate seemed to be especially playful. With all the main players finally congregating where they needed to be, it was almost time for the game to begin.
