I stared at Loki, my jaw clenched tight.
The god looked exactly as I remembered from the brief encounter months ago. Gray hair floating behind him like a tail. Yellow eyes gleaming with malicious satisfaction. That insufferable smirk plastered across his face.
"Loki," I said flatly.
"In the flesh." He stepped into the chamber, hands clasped behind his back. "I must say, you made excellent time. I expected at least another hour before you arrived."
"Release her. Now." I felt my aura beginning to flare. The pressure building inside me, ready to crush this bastard into the ground. My power surged, responding to my rage.
"Ah, ah, ah." Loki raised a single finger, his smile never wavering. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
His other hand made a casual gesture toward Koneko.
The green energy cage flickered. The runes on the floor pulsed with sickly light.
"One wrong move from you, Leon Mishima, and I activate the ritual immediately." His yellow eyes locked onto mine. "Your girlfriend—such a sweet little thing—will be trapped in Helheim for eternity. Her soul bound to this realm forever."
I froze. My aura pulled back instantly.
"That's better." Loki's smile widened. "I can see it in your eyes. That calculation. Weighing whether you're fast enough to stop me before I finish the spell."
He took a step closer, completely relaxed. "You're not. Even with all that power of yours, even with that impressive speed, you're not fast enough. My finger twitches, and she's gone."
My chest tightened. He was right. The distance between us, the time it would take to cross it, the split second he needed to trigger the ritual—the math didn't work in my favor.
"What do you want?" I asked, keeping my voice steady despite the rage burning in my chest.
"Want?" Loki tilted his head. "I want many things. Revenge, for one. You killed my sons. My children. Did you think there would be no consequences?"
My hands curled into fists. "If you hurt her—"
"You'll what?" Loki's smile widened. "Kill me? You're welcome to try. But the moment you do, that soul-binding ritual activates. Your precious nekomata will spend eternity trapped in Helheim."
"So here's how this is going to go." Loki circled around us slowly. "You're going to stand there like a good boy. You're going to listen. And you're going to do exactly what I say. Because if you don't—"
The cage pulsed again.
"—you can say goodbye to your nekomata girlfriend. Permanently."
Rose's hand found my arm. "Leon..."
I forced myself to breathe. To think. My enhanced cognition ran through scenarios, calculating probabilities, searching for any opening.
Nothing. Every path led to the same result. Koneko trapped forever.
"Good." Loki stopped in front of me. "I can see you understand your position now. Powerless. Completely and utterly powerless."
He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "How does it feel?"
I met his eyes. "What do you want?"
"Now we're getting somewhere." Loki straightened up. "What I want is simple. I want you to suffer the way I suffered when you killed my children. I want you to feel helpless. Broken."
He gestured toward Koneko again. "And this little nekomata? She's the perfect leverage."
"You're going to trade her for me,"
"Smart boy." Loki's smile returned. "Yes. You, in exchange for her freedom. Your power, your will, your everything—all bound and stripped away. And she walks free."
Rose's grip on my arm tightened. "No. Leon, don't—"
"But—" Loki held up a finger "—there are rules. Conditions. One false move, one hint of resistance, one clever trick..." He made a cutting motion across his throat. "The ritual activates."
My jaw clenched. "I'm listening."
"Excellent." Loki began to pace. "First, you'll kneel before me. Submit willingly. No resistance, no struggle."
"Leon, please," Rose whispered. "We can find another way."
"There is no other way," Loki said cheerfully. "I've made quite sure of that."
"Second, you'll allow me to bind your power. All of it. Every last drop of that cultivation, that magic, that strength you're so proud of. Gone."
"And in exchange?" I asked.
"In exchange, I release the girl. The ritual is dismantled safely. She goes free, unharmed." Loki tilted his head. "I'll even let your Valkyrie friend take her home. Isn't that generous of me?"
"What about me?" I asked.
"You?" Loki's smile turned vicious. "You stay with me as my guest. For as long as I see fit. However long it takes for me to feel... satisfied."
Rose stepped between us. "Absolutely not. That's not a deal, that's—"
"That's the only offer you're getting." Loki's voice hardened. "Take it or leave it. But decide quickly. My patience has limits."
There was no choice. It was this or Koneko dies.
Kuroka would never forgive me if I let her sister die. Hell, I'd never forgive myself.
But right now there was no other option. For now.
I needed time.
That was the core of everything. The Celestial Workshop—my ability to manifest any item I could imagine—required time to create something powerful enough to matter. And what I needed right now was something that could turn this entire situation on its head.
But right now, my hands are tied. Koneko's soul hung in the balance. One wrong move and everything fell apart.
While I had a plan.
It required time.
And time was something I could only buy one way.
"How do I know you'll keep your word?"
"You don't," Loki smirked. "But what choice do you have?"
My expression went completely cold. The air around me stilled.
"Then we all die here."
Loki's smile froze on his face.
"If I don't have your word, your binding oath as a god, then there's no deal."
My voice came out flat. Dead. "And if there's no deal, I'll kill you right now. The ritual activates, Koneko's soul gets trapped, and then I burn this entire temple to the ground with everyone in it. Including myself."
Rose's hand gripped my arm. "Leon—"
"I mean it." I didn't look away from Loki.
The temperature in the chamber seemed to drop.
Loki's yellow eyes narrowed. "You're bluffing."
"Try me." I took a step forward. The cage around Koneko pulsed in warning, but I ignored it. "You want to test whether I'm serious? Go ahead. Refuse the oath. See what happens."
"My patience for it ended the moment you took her. So here's what's going to happen—either you swear a binding oath, right now, that she goes free unharmed the second I submit... or I end this. All of it. Right here."
And I meant every single word.
Loki was silent for another moment. Then he laughed.
"Fine." He raised his right hand. "You want an ironclad oath? You'll get one. But—" his smile turned sharp "—if I'm swearing an oath, so are you."
"I swear to release the girl, safe and unharmed. You swear to submit completely. No escape attempts. No resistance. No clever tricks or plans."
There it was. Exactly what I'd expected.
Gods never gave something for nothing. An oath demanded an oath in return. Balance. Reciprocity.
I'd been counting on it.
Because the Celestial Workshop existed beyond oaths. It was an ability that functioned in conceptual space, not bound by physical restrictions or sworn promises. Loki didn't even know it existed.
And right now, in that space beyond reality, it was already weaving together something magnificent. Something devastating.
Rule Breaker. Divine Authority Negation. A dagger that could cut through oaths sworn by gods as easily as a hot knife through butter.
Three months. That's all I needed.
"I don't care." My voice was ice. "As long as she's safe."
The air around Loki shimmered with divine power. This wasn't magic. This was the full weight of a god's authority being invoked.
"I, Loki of Asgard, swear upon my true name and divine authority as a god of the Norse pantheon that I will release the nekomata Koneko Toujou from her bindings, alive, unharmed, and completely free, the moment Leon Mishima submits to my power and swears his own oath."
The golden light intensified.
"The soul-binding ritual will be dismantled safely and completely. She will be allowed to leave this realm without interference, harm, or pursuit from myself or anyone under my command. This I swear by my true name, and may my divine essence be torn from me should I violate this oath in any way."
The oath sealed itself with a pulse of golden light. Binding. Absolute.
"Your turn," Loki said, lowering his hand.
I took a breath and chose my words carefully.
"I, Leon Mishima, swear upon my own power and name that once you bind my abilities, I will not attempt physical escape from my imprisonment through my own deliberate actions, nor will I actively resist your direct authority as my captor, until such time as you choose to release me or the natural terms of this imprisonment are fulfilled."
The key phrase: "through my own deliberate actions."
If something facilitated my escape—say, an artifact that manifested on its own, a tool that simply appeared in my hand—that wouldn't violate the oath. I hadn't sworn not to use tools that came to me. Only not to deliberately attempt escape through my own actions alone.
Using Rule Breaker to dissolve the oath itself wouldn't be escaping through my own actions. It would be using a tool to nullify an invalid contract.
"I accept this imprisonment as payment for Koneko Toujou's freedom, and will not seek outside aid to forcibly break free during this time. This I swear."
Again, the loophole. "Seek outside aid" implied asking others for help. Rule Breaker wasn't outside aid—it was a tool I'd create myself. And it wouldn't forcibly break me free. It would simply... nullify the contract that held me.
The oath completed itself. I felt it lock into place. Binding, yes, but with enough space to breathe.
Loki smiled widely, not catching the subtle distinctions in my wording. "There. Now we're both bound by our words. Civilized, isn't it?"
"You got what you wanted," I said. "Now honor your oath."
"Gladly." Loki gestured toward the center of the chamber. "Come. Kneel before me. Submit as you swore."
I looked at Rose one last time. Her eyes were swimming with tears, but there was something else there too. Trust.
Then I walked to the center of the chamber, directly below Koneko's suspended form.
"Kneel," Loki commanded, his voice thick with satisfaction.
I knelt.
Three months. Just three months.
"Hands behind your back."
I complied, lacing my fingers together behind me.
Three months until Rule Breaker manifests.
Loki circled around me slowly, savoring every moment. "You know, threatening mutual destruction, forcing me to swear an oath, and then agreeing to be bound by one yourself... I have to admit, you handled this better than most."
"Just get on with it," I said defiantly.
"Oh, I will." He stopped behind me. "But I want you to understand something first. That oath you swore? It means you're mine. Completely. Just you and me and all the time in the world."
His hand pressed against the back of my neck. Cold. Burning cold.
"Let's make it official."
Green light flowed from his palm into my body. Divine energy burrowing into every fiber of my being.
The binding spread through me like poison. Layer after layer of restraints wrapping around my cultivation, my magic, my power. Sealing everything away behind walls I couldn't break.
Normally this wouldn't work without my permission, since I'm way stronger than Loki. But with my consent, the binding immediately took effect.
But even then the Celestial Workshop kept working. That ability existed in conceptual space, beyond the reach of physical bindings and sworn oaths. Loki couldn't touch it because he didn't even know it was there.
And in that space, Rule Breaker was taking form. A dagger of crystalline elegance, similar to the one Caster had wielded in the Fifth Holy Grail War, but evolved. Enhanced. Capable of breaking not just magecraft, but divine authority itself.
My power flickered. Dimmed.
My cultivation—sealed.
My magic—bound.
My strength that let me face gods—gone.
The binding tightened one final time. My power went completely dark.
I felt hollow. Empty. Like part of my soul had been carved away.
But my mind remained sharp. My enhanced cognition still functioned. And in the back of my consciousness, untouched by oaths or bindings, the Celestial Workshop continued its patient work.
Weaving together concepts. Breaking and remaking. Creating something that shouldn't exist—a weapon that could nullify the word of gods.
"Perfect." Loki stepped back, admiring his handiwork. "Absolutely perfect."
He walked around to face me, crouching so we were eye level. "How does it feel? All that power you were so proud of—gone. Locked away where you can't reach it."
I met his yellow eyes. "You honored your word. Now honor the rest of your oath."
"Of course." Loki stood and snapped his fingers.
The green energy cage around Koneko vanished instantly. Her small body dropped.
Rose caught her with supernatural speed, cradling Koneko gently against her chest.
"As promised." Loki spread his arms. "See? A god of my word. The ritual is dismantled. She's free to go."
Rose looked at me, tears streaming down her face now. "Leon..."
"Take her home," I said quietly. "Get her to Kuroka. Make sure she's safe. That's all that matters."
She stared at me for a long moment. Then nodded slowly, understanding something in my expression even if she didn't know what.
She summoned a teleportation circle, its blue light cutting through the darkness of the chamber.
"I won't forget this," she said to Loki, her voice cold as ice.
"Save your threats, Valkyrie." Loki waved dismissively. "Your lover made his choice. He's mine now, bound by his own word."
The circle flared bright. In a flash of light, both Rose and Koneko vanished.
Silence fell over the chamber.
Just me and Loki now.
====
Author's Note:
I'm back! I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday.
Anyway, here's the chapter. Sorry for the late update, and thank you so much for your patience and continued support. I really appreciate you all.
If you'd like to read ahead and support me, feel free to check it out: [email protected]/VashFF