Chapter 944: Can we kidnap her? 2
As Odin's war council meeting progressed, the girls could see that he was indeed a God-King who had sacrificed an eye for wisdom. If one overlooked the stupid mistakes caused by paranoia, Odin was indeed a competent God-King.
Odin's entire war plan was a solid defensive strategy that would bring less harm to Asgard. Due to the 'prophecy,' Odin believed that his enemies would focus their efforts on him and Thor, and he was not wrong. However, it wasn't because of the prophecy that this would happen but rather due to his foolish actions that harmed the three siblings.
In fact, if you were to ask the siblings whom they hated the most, the answer would come so quickly that they wouldn't even have time to think, and their response would be that they hated Odin and Loki.
They hated Thor as well, but in their view, Thor was Odin's strongest dog, preventing them from sinking their fangs into the old man.
This same sentiment was shared regarding all the other Asgardians who would be fighting; they were nothing more than obstacles preventing them from killing the old man.
At least, that was Fenrir's and Jormungandr's personal opinion. After all, these two didn't interact much with the other Gods of Asgard. Hela's opinion was completely different from her brothers since, as a former Goddess of Asgard forced into service by Odin, she not only hated Odin and Loki but also despised all of Asgard.
Odin's plan was basic but effective. He and Thor would divert Fenrir and Jormungandr's attention away from Asgard, and an ambush would be set up at the intended location where Odin would gather his forces.
It was a solid plan that exploited the creatures' hatred, but there were two problems.
Hela and Nidhogg.
Due to the events of Hela invading Asgard with Nidhogg and destroying the Bifrost, they knew that the Ancient Dragon trapped in the depths of the abyss where the roots of Yggdrasil lay was an ally and would also participate in the war.
Furthermore, Hela would not sit idly by as a spectator. As a Norse Death Goddess responsible for the Norse Underworld, she had control over the Souls residing there, and it was obvious that she would bring an army of these Souls against them.
This wouldn't be a problem if not for the fact that, even if these Gods destroyed these Souls, they would only return to Helheim and be summoned back by Hela, effectively creating an immortal army.
Odin had considered using an Artifact that could destroy Souls, but the risk was too great. Because, even if he won the war, he would create a problem with the Primordial Beings responsible for the Souls, The Judges of The Abyss.
If one were to think about it properly, this situation could also be seen as Hela's plan. She might lose Ragnarok, but she would do her best to cause mutual destruction for Odin.
"Damn brat, I should have eliminated her when I had the chance... Stupid feelings of pity," Odin growled internally.
Due to these variables, the final battle plan was not finalized, so they opted to create several plans that would be used according to the situation in the war.
In Scathach's opinion, this was a much better option than having a fixed plan. Many things could happen in a battle of this scale, and adaptability was important.
It seemed that Odin and Freya understood this as well.
"Are the Dragon Slayer weapons ready?" Odin looked at Thor, who was responsible for this, as he had a good friendship with the dwarves.
"Yes... But due to the urgency of the situation, the dwarves were only able to make four weapons strong enough to deal with the Ancient Dragon."
"That's good. Just in case, we should give our most capable warriors a pair of Dragon Slayer weapons from the previous batch. Although they are not of the same quality as the ones we ordered now, they can still damage the Dragon."
These words sent alarm bells ringing through Nyx and the women who were observing.
"As expected, these idiots have started mass-producing Dragon-Slayer weapons to deal with us," Nyx growled.
"From Odin's words, it seems that these were hastily mass-produced weapons. It looks like he was expecting a possible invasion from us... In fact, I think all the Pantheons were expecting it, considering that Darling attacked two Pantheons and subdued them," Eleanor said.
"They are foolish. Common Dragon-Slayer weapons cannot overcome our natural defenses, not to mention that we are not so stupid as to let these weapons attack us," Scathach scoffed. There are several ways to deal with these weapons, the most efficient being to use Draconic Runes to neutralize or even destroy the weapon.
"Not to mention that this weakness to anti-Dragon weaponry will be completely neutralized when the customized armors I'm making enter production," Velnorah added.
The group did not deny that if several Gods came at a True Dragon equipped with Dragon-Slayer weapons, they would be able to cause damage or even kill it.
But this situation would never occur, considering that the Dragonesses never traveled alone and were always accompanied, either by the assassins of Clan Blank, the Shadow Demons, or another True Dragon.
A scenario where these Gods could isolate a Dragon of their Faction to kill it would never occur. They were not like Nidhogg, who had no allies of the same species.
This meant that they might use these methods to neutralize Nidhogg, but they wouldn't be able to do that with the members of The Dragon Nest.
After all, they were not stupid. They knew their weaknesses well and worked to ensure they were never exploited.
"These idiots are too optimistic. They are dealing with 3 Beings of The END, and they are not Darling, who has the Divinity of Beginnings to eliminate them completely," Violet spoke.
"I don't think they are too optimistic, Violet... I think they are doing everything they can without sparing any resources," Sasha commented.
"From what I could see, Odin must have backup plans that could be considered suicidal or plans that could affect him or the Norse Pantheon as a whole, but he won't use them until the situation is completely out of control," Sasha said.
"... How do you see that?" Violet asked curiously.
"From their expressions. I'm not as proficient as Darling, but I noticed slight indications of these thoughts when Odin was discussing the war plan," Sasha said as her draconic eyes scanned the gods.
"Although it's just a presumption based on the current situation and the discomfort he has when talking about Hela's army."
"I see... It looks like you're learning to read body language," Violet said.
Sasha nodded. "My grandmother is teaching me. She said it's an essential skill for the Heirs of our Clan, especially for those who perceive Time more slowly like me."
"That's a valid assumption, Sasha. Considering we're talking about Odin, he won't make half-assed plans and hope they work out. After all, he's a paranoid man," Aphrodite said.
Sasha nodded in agreement with the Goddess, having the same thought.
"Odin, about the Apples..."
"I know, Idun. I know..." Odin sighed, looking at the blonde Goddess with his one eye. "I'll be honest with you."
"This is a battle that will determine the future of our Pantheon, so all the stored resources will be used. I don't mind going without fruits for the next 1 million years, but we must win this war."
"... You fool, you don't understand... If I force my harvest even more, it won't be just a million years; it will be for all eternity."
Odin fell silent at Idun's words, a shocked silence. He didn't expect the situation to be so dire.
"What happened?"
"The vitality of my Apples is decaying rapidly. It's not just the trees themselves; it's the soil," Idun spoke extremely seriously, completely ignoring her lack of disrespect.
"Don't you realize? The air, the soil, the water, all the Nature around us is losing vitality... This Dimension is dying, Odin."
An incredulous silence fell around.
"If I force the trees to bear fruit even more than I already have, even if we win the war, we won't have land to live on anymore. Everything here will be barren."
The Apples that provided vitality to the Gods were a product that drew a lot of vitality from the Dimension itself. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem as Idun, with her Divine Power, could force some trees to bear fruit, and it wouldn't harm the Dimension. However, lately, she noticed that the vitality of the Dimension was declining.
... Which wasn't a problem either because this always happened before it eventually returned to normal.
However, she only realized that it became a problem when she started preparing more Apples for the war, and the vitality that used to replenish itself no longer returned. It was as if the Energy that was once limitless had now become limited, and she didn't know what to do about it.
Chomp, chomp.
Sounds of something being eaten were heard all around as the women turned the camera towards Nyx. They saw the Golden Apple's basket on the Goddess's table while she ate as if she were on a picnic.
"... What a sad situation, isn't it?" Nyx took another bite of a Golden Apple with her sharp teeth.
"Mm, this is good."
"Nyx..." Eleanor just looked incredulously at The Goddess of The Night, sure that if the Norse Gods saw this image, they would have a stroke.
"Oh, I apologize for my lack of consideration. I didn't even offer to share some of my snacks... Would you like some of Idun's Apples?" Nyx's smile was pure mischief.
"I accept." Violet was the first to speak with an excited smile as she raised her hand.
Nyx grabbed herself another apple and then said, "War, please."
"Okay." Victor's Herald appeared, took the fruit basket, and in the next moment, he appeared in the girls' room, leaving the basket there without saying a word before disappearing again.
"Enjoy~," Nyx smiled.
Violet was the first to move as she picked up an Apple and took a bite. "Ohhh! This is really good. Even though Darling's blood is delicious, very nutritious, and likely all we'll ever need, this is still very good. We can make juice out of this, right?"
Scathach followed right after, picking up an Apple for herself. She took a bite, and her eyes opened slightly. "This is really good... I can feel my Energy being boosted, even if it's just a little by our standards..."
Velnorah approached as well and took two Apples. She bit into one and analyzed the other with her A.I. "Good," she nodded, satisfied.
"These women... You're pure evil," Eleonor shook her head, then moved closer to take an Apple and ate it. "Hmm, good."
"How many Apples do we have in stock, Idun?"
"722," Idun replied.
"Correction, you have 666," Nyx said as another Apple basket appeared on her table. However, no one in the war room heard her words; only the girls did.
Nyx set aside three Apples for herself and instructed War to take the rest. What was happening here was simple: Nyx had instructed Victor's Heralds to fetch the Apples for her, and while they were shielded by her Divinity, no one here would be able to sense them. Since War was the only one who could easily jump between Dimensions, he was the one delivering the Apples to the girls.
"Lady Nyx, should I get more?" a female Herald asked.
"No need; these are enough," Nyx replied.
"According to my analysis... If refined with other ingredients from our world, we can create an Elixir that enhances our Divinity comprehension. Furthermore, if mixed with herbs found near Victor's Dragon Energy-rich volcanoes, we might be able to further strengthen our bodies."
"... Which means, on a smaller scale, we can create potions to enhance our army."
"Yes. However, if we were to give the complete version of this Elixir to other Beings, they would explode due to being incompatible with Dragon Energy. So dilution is indeed the more sensible approach," Velnorah explained.
"... Therefore, through this, I propose a vote to abduct Idun," Velnorah announced.
"Agreed!" Violet immediately voiced her support.
"Agreed," Eleonor said. Though she was uncomfortable with the idea of kidnapping people, it wasn't the first time she had done it, so it was acceptable.
"If Idun collaborates with Demeter, the Fairy Valeria, and Gaia, I foresee many unique items that can only be created within our Faction... Agreed," Aphrodite said while eating an Apple.
"Agreed," Scathach spoke, seeing many benefits in having this woman not left alone.
"Don't talk about kidnapping... We're just going to invite her to our group," Sasha said, feeling uncomfortable. It had been a while since she forcibly invited someone to the group, and she felt somewhat against it. But her Family would always be her top priority, so even if it was hypocritical of her, she thought the decision to invite the woman was a good one.
"Agreed."
Violet, Scathach, Eleonor, Aphrodite, and even Velnorah rolled their eyes at Sasha's words. What was the point of sugarcoating it? Everyone knew that, at the end of the day, it was just pure kidnapping.
"Agreed," Nyx said while biting into an Apple. Her Draconic Eyes stared at Idun as if she were a golden goose.
"It's decided." Violet clapped her hands. "As soon as an opportunity arises, we'll 'invite' Idun to our group. Nyx, you already know what to do, right?" She asked with a gentle smile and a glint in her violet eyes.
"Yeah, I know," Nyx nodded with the same gleam in her eyes.
Idun, without knowing why, felt a shiver down her spine. 'Must have been the wind,' she thought.
"Save these Apples for the beginning of the war, and don't allow any Gods to eat more. "Save these Apples for the beginning of the war, and don't allow any Gods to eat more. We'll use them for our top Elites."
"Yes, Odin," Idun nodded.
...