Even William knew it was necessary to personally verify certain things. As for Mephisto, that ancient ghost who had lived for who knows how many years, he figured it out in just an instant—reaching the same conclusion as William.
While Iosef and two of his sleazy buddies used a few tricks to get John Wick's home address from some local lowlifes and drove over to prepare their scheme, they didn't realize a snarling demon had already attached itself to their car.
After leaving the gas station, John Wick took Daisy to the supermarket and began his shopping spree.
Far away in Asgard, William waited for nearly two hours before finally seeing Angela walk into the family home on Asgard's central plaza, her face showing an unusual excitement.
He immediately noticed the two daggers at her waist had changed into short swords, radiating an unmistakable holy aura.
Even though he already possessed the Heaven's Inquiry Sword and the Frost Hammer, William felt an overwhelming urge to just snatch those blades right out of her hands.
Seeing William's unwavering gaze fixed on her new weapons, Angela panicked slightly and quickly tried to cover them with her coat.
"I've completed what you asked. Archangel Gabriel not only agreed to your request, arranging that woman Helen in the Sanctuary, but he also marked that human's soul with a sacred seal.
As long as he dies and is willing to ascend, Lord Gabriel will personally guide him to Heaven."
"Very good," William nodded with satisfaction. Now he didn't have to worry about Mephisto pulling any tricks, and he almost hoped Mephisto would go ahead and kill John Wick.
That way, their wager would be settled, and William would have a perfect excuse to eliminate the demon god Set.
But then a question popped into his mind. "Wait a minute… Gabriel is the one in charge of matters in Heaven?"
Angela suddenly burst into laughter, and when William glared at her, she finally stopped and said, "Just like there's no true Satan in Hell—only the manifestation of the will of the Hell dimension, embodied in the Satanic Throne—the Tenth Realm also has only the 'Father God,' who is a manifestation of the realm's will.
Father God doesn't have a physical form. He's a divine consciousness, revered and obeyed by all in the Tenth Realm."
"A consciousness?"
William was stunned into silence for a moment. Then he grinned, "So, it's just like the Supreme Intelligence of the Kree—a higher-level artificial consciousness?"
"Blasphemer!"
Angela glared at William in fury. But as soon as her hand moved toward her new swords, a single look from William froze her in place using the Space Stone.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk… What kind of sweet deal did those winged bird people offer you to make you forget your identity as a god of Asgard?"
With a flick of his hand, Angela, now looking panicked and furious, floated into the air in front of him, suspended by telekinetic force.
Thinking of Captain Marvel Carol Danvers, who had once been brainwashed by the Kree's Supreme Intelligence, William mocked,
"I knew it. These feathered bastards are so good at seducing people. Turns out, that's where their secret lies."
Now suspicious of Angela's two short swords, William suddenly thought: could these weapons be part of a ploy, using Angela to get at him?
After a moment of thought, he said quietly, "Have Odin come here."
The guards outside the plaza were stunned for a second. Only when William repeated himself did they bow and say, "Yes, Lord Devonshire."
Soon, Odin arrived at the doorway holding the Eternal Spear.
William opened the door with a thought. Odin, wearing his usual warm smile, frowned the moment he saw Angela suspended in the air.
With a heavy stomp of his Eternal Spear, he shattered the spatial bind with divine power and silenced Angela with a look before she could speak.
He approached William and asked solemnly, "What's going on here?"
William shook his head and gestured toward Angela's waist, summoning the two short swords into his own hands and placing them before Odin. "I suspect these two blades have a problem—a big one."
Odin's frown deepened. Given their current relationship, he trusted William wouldn't say such things without good reason.
Holding his hand a few centimeters from the swords, Odin examined them through the air.
Several minutes passed before he finally sneered, "No doubt about it—these are Angelblades."
His gaze toward Angela grew harsh as he explained in a low voice, "Anyone who wields these will slowly become drawn to the holy light, eventually becoming a loyal servant of the Tenth Realm, completely under their control."
"And how's that any different from the methods demons use to control people?" William frowned. "One just looks more evil, the other more holy?"
"Fundamentally the same," Odin replied. "But you can't deny—posing as light is far more deceptive." He chuckled while storing the Angelblades. "As far as I know..."
"No," Odin corrected himself after thinking a bit, "You probably know this too. In the entire Tenth Realm, only Lucifer and his followers broke free from this control.
And what happened? They were hunted relentlessly, forced into hiding, and eventually fled to Hell just to survive."
William had already developed a deep understanding of how deceiving the so-called holy light could be.
Whether it was ordinary people or justice-driven individuals, as long as they saw William emitting holy light, they instinctively gravitated toward him—never mind how shameless or dark his intentions might be.
As for the story of the fallen angels, William had of course heard it before. But he didn't quite buy Odin's take that Lucifer had been forced into Hell only because he was hunted down by angels.
After all, the relationship between Odin and Heaven wasn't just bad—it was pure hostility.
If angels had the chance, they'd definitely invade Asgard to get revenge for being sealed away by Odin.
Now realizing that this so-called "God of Light" was essentially just a higher-dimensional consciousness—one step above the Kree's Supreme Intelligence—William couldn't help but entertain a new thought.
Should he help Odin reinforce the seal on the Tenth Realm?
But what did he need divine faith for? To become a god?
The moment he thought about the side effects of divinity based on faith, William shook his head hard.
That stuff was a double-edged sword. When faith was strong, yes, a god could slaughter other gods. But human belief? That was the most unreliable thing in the world.
When devout, humans could render demons powerless—every sacred miracle you could imagine could be found somewhere in human history.
But when they turned, they fell hard. A single slip, and you'd be cut off completely.
After thinking it over, William decided this matter wasn't something that could be rushed.
Putting the thought aside, he took out the adamantium he'd acquired from the Ancient One.
"Help me forge it into jewelry that can resist psychic magic and mind control.
If possible, make multiple pieces without compromising the effect. In return, let's call the matter of the Blood Orchid even, how about that?"
"Adamantium?" Odin took the metal, examined it closely, and looked at William in surprise. "You've actually had dealings with those incestuous freaks from Olympus?"
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