Inside the room, Loki sat on one of the sofas with the file open in her hands. Her gaze moved steadily across the pages, not with her usual casual curiosity, but with clear focus as she began connecting what she was seeing.
After a moment, she looked up from the file and glanced at Hephaestus, as if asking why she hadn't been informed earlier.
She closed the file with a light tap against her knee, the hint of a smile returning.
"Alright," she said, almost lazily. "This might actually be fun."
Her gaze shifted between them for a moment before settling back.
"I'll go talk to my lot later," she added, as if it were nothing. "See if anyone is interested as I can't force them to join."
A small shrug followed.
Then she tilted her head slightly, thinking.
"As for that Mephisto problem…" she went on, more curious than concerned, "I'll need to see that world properly before I decide anything."
Her eyes flicked briefly toward Luthar.
"No point guessing how that place works when I can just walk in and take a look."
A brief pause followed.
"You sound like someone who wants to have fun instead of planning to kill someone," Luthar said.
Loki's smile didn't change. "There's not much difference. I can have fun in that world while thinking about how to deal with your problem."
He didn't reply to that.
She stood, stretching lightly as if the conversation had already served its purpose.
"I'll go check with my people," she added. "See if anyone is interested."
She turned and started toward the door.
Finn rose with her without a word, falling into step beside her as if this had already been decided.
"You're not even going to think this through?" he asked quietly as they walked.
"Thinking time is over," Loki replied just as lightly. "Now it's action time."
The door closed behind them, and the room fell quiet.
Hephaestus let out a small breath, her gaze still on the door for a moment before shifting back to Luthar.
"That went easier than expected," she said, her tone thoughtful rather than surprised. "She didn't argue or try to bargain."
Luthar didn't react. "She didn't need to," he said. "If she wants something, she'll wait for the right moment to ask for it."
Hephaestus considered that for a moment, then gave a slight nod. "Then we keep moving as planned."
Luthar nodded in agreement and rose from his seat, his attention already shifting to the next matter.
Hephaestus watched him briefly before standing as well.
"You're going to see Freya," she said.
"Yes."
That was enough.
They left the room together and moved through the church without slowing, neither of them interested in filling the silence with unnecessary conversation.
Outside, the streets were still busy, but the earlier chaos had eased, and movement had fallen into a more consistent rhythm.
The walk didn't take long.
By the time they reached the Pleasure District, the change was immediately noticeable.
The usual atmosphere had shifted.
Workers moved with clear purpose, dismantling older structures while others were already rebuilding. Materials were stacked in ordered rows, while a few girls watched over them.
Both of their gazes moved across the area, taking in the details.
"Looks like you can finally get a group of girls trained with weapons," Hephaestus remarked.
Luthar didn't look at her.
"It's Freya," he replied. "They'll follow her more than me."
Without lingering any longer, both of them moved deeper into the district. The further they went, the more organised the activity became. The outer sections still held traces of their old purpose, but further in, everything had already changed.
At the centre of it, Freya stood.
She wasn't doing anything dramatic, just watching silently as everyone worked.
Luthar slowed slightly as they approached, Hephaestus keeping pace just behind him. As they drew closer, Freya's attention shifted toward them, her gaze moving briefly to Hephaestus before settling on Luthar's face.
A faint smile touched her lips.
"So," she said, "when are you getting rid of those?"
Luthar didn't slow.
"When my skin is fully regenerated."
His gaze shifted slightly.
"Loki's joined us."
Hearing this, Freya's expression didn't change much, but her eyes moved to Hephaestus.
"I still don't see the need for her."
Hephaestus met her gaze without hesitation.
"She's useful," she said. "Another mind that can keep up means less work for us."
Freya didn't look convinced.
"She might cause trouble for us."
"She always does," Hephaestus replied. "Better to have her involved than deal with her constantly interfering."
A brief pause followed.
Freya exhaled lightly, her attention drifting back to the activity around them.
"So you brought her in to avoid the trouble," she said. "Let's hope she at least makes this interesting."
Luthar let out a faint cough, more deliberate than necessary.
"I think it's time we move to the second stage," he said.
That drew both their attention.
Hephaestus frowned slightly. "Second stage?"
Freya's gaze sharpened just a little, interest replacing the earlier indifference.
Luthar didn't pause.
"We start moving beyond this world," he said. "Exploration first. There are materials out there we don't have access to here."
Hephaestus's expression shifted, focus replacing curiosity.
"Different compositions," she said. "Different properties."
"Yes."
Freya tilted her head slightly, the faintest hint of a smile returning.
"New worlds," she said. "That does sound more interesting."
Luthar continued as if neither reaction mattered.
"Some of them should be useful against entities like Mephisto," he said. "At the very least, they increase our chances."
That was enough.
Hephaestus was already thinking ahead.
"Well, if you find something worthwhile, don't forget to send some to me," she said.
Freya didn't speak, but her attention had fully settled on exploring other worlds.
For a moment, none of them moved.
The work around them continued, steady and controlled.
Luthar's gaze lingered on the scene, then shifted.
"Let's finish this quickly," he said calmly. "Then we can start exploring, and if we're lucky, we might even get a chance to test the combat effectiveness of those Amazonian girls."
Author's Note:
I feel like I've hit a wall, both creatively and realistically. I've been trying to write this chapter since Monday, but constant interruptions have slowed things down.
So I decided to share this chapter here for feedback.
Just to be clear, I am not abandoning the Marvel storyline. I plan to finish the demon arc first. I do think the characters have room to explore other worlds before Luthar returns to deal with that problem, and we can decide the next world together.
If anyone has ideas, feel free to share them. I'd genuinely like to hear your suggestions. If not, I'll continue with the current plan.
Also, I don't really have knowledge of newer worlds, modern anime, or recent movies since I haven't been keeping up with them.
Author's Note: read this as my apology for not checking the chapter 232 before uploading