After a few days from their arrival at the realm of Valkyries, there was no sight of Atlas's body being handed back to them anytime soon. Stranded in their tent for days, only leaving to be dragged back in again, Razor as well as Michael were teetering at their wit's end.
"I doubt we're getting the body anymore," pacing restlessly around the room, Razor bit down on his thumb, trying to suppress his agitation. "I bet that fucking bitch was lying about the curse!"
Turning to the entrance curtains, a bit exhausted, Michael was surprised that none of Helga's underlings marched in despite the insults from Razor. It wasn't as if he was being conservative with his tone either, every word he was saying was screamed intentionally for them to notice.
"I guess we don't have any other potion," rising from the chair, Michael looked back at Razor. "Follow my lead and keep your mouth shut for a second."
"What-What do you have in mind?" Razor asked, frowning his eyebrows.
"What did I just say?" Pressing his finger onto his lips, Michael gestured Razor to shush his mouth.
And although that only irked him more, his curiosity forced him to keep his mouth shut. Following Michael with his eyes, he saw him walk up to the tent's entrance and hold his hand upward to cast a spell.
'Hopefully, I can pull this off…' His confidence was receding as his use of time magic was getting scarcer by each day. Much like any other skill, if the trend continued he was bound to get a bit rustic. Thankfully, while pouring his mana into a magic circle, everything seems to be going just as planned.
"Alter plane: Slow down reaction!" The moment Michael cast the spell, the magic circle grew a thousand-fold and covered everything under it for miles. Dissipating like smoke the mana-fused dust from the circle fell on countless Valkyries, pulling them under its command.
"That should do it," lowering his hand, Michael turned to Razor. "I've slowed them for a while, but the spell will grow weaker every second."
"Wait, but what's your plan now? Don't tell me we're just leaving this place," masking his shock over the spell, Razor questioned Michael with a straight face.
"No, we're gonna find the body right now," saying that Michael pulled the curtain to the side and ventured out.
Stepping into the seven suns, the rays of light were already burning him after having lodged inside the tent for so long. Especially sensitive to the sun because of his pristine skin, Razor winced with a grunt and covered his face.
"Dammit, wasn't there only a single sun on the day we arrived?" Razor complained, following behind Michael as he began to walk.
"There was, and coincidentally it was also the first day of the changed season," Michael responded, a bit of a conspiracy building up in his mind. "Either way, I suggest we leave before the increase anymore in numbers."
Passing through the sluggish Valkyrie guards walking like zombies, the two scattered into different paths to find where the corpse could be. At a glance, the city was filled with expansive tents akin to what you'd find near a battlefield, but the more the two looked around, the more curiosities they uncovered through the ruined pillars and ever-flowing fountains.
'Demons, everywhere…' At every corner, every stone, every path, all Razor saw were the engravings of demons and the winged Valkyries clashing against each other. In between the two, the sun shone bright, almost as if trying to turn both parties to a crisp. 'The obsidian castle walls, they have the same style of engraving, could it be prophesy or something that has already happened?'
Having lived in the obsidian castle, Razor's bemusement was more than valid. After all, the artistry that appeared there on the stained glass only came after the events had already happened, while the engraving in this land reminded him more of the kind of prophecies he'd once seen on Protherious' colossal body.
"What are you looking at, did you find anything?" Walking up to him from behind, Michael glanced at the engraved pillar Razor was looking at. Glancing over it, he reached the same conclusion as the other general. "I wish the creator wasn't such a big fan of riddled prophecies."
"That and creating backstabbing angels who'd lose sight of their true purpose," rising to his feet, Razor continued on with his search again.
As Michael's grasp on time began to slip, the two finally arrived at something that could potentially hold the emperor's corpse. Built atop a flight of a thousand stairs, there was a lonesome shrine with heavily armed Valkyries stationed outside.
From the looks of things alone, it was clear the place had some sort of significance, and given that they hadn't encountered Helga yet, someone who could easily break through the time spell, the generals were sure about her presence inside the reclusive space.
"Ten seconds, that's all we have left," Michael informed, taking the first step up the stairs.
"Ten seconds in slowed down time or the natural flow?" Taking out his fencer, Razor jumped into a realm tear portal.
"Slowed down flow," Jolting forward with lighting, Michael caught up with Razor at the top of the stairs as he appeared out of the realm tear portal. "Now fight!"
Without another second more of their thought put into it, their weapons were directed inches from the sluggish guards, but before they could slit their necks, all of a sudden their weapons disappeared out of their hands. Landing on their feet from their flight, the generals quickly turned around to the sounds of clanking armor behind them.
"Children shouldn't use magic to extend their bedtime," standing behind them with their weapons in her hands, Helga shut her eyes and turned their beloved equipment into pure light's dust. Falling to the ground with a spark, what remained of the saber and lance was but charred ash.
Dusting her hands by clasping them together, the queen of Valkyries turned around and undid the time magic with a simple gaze into Michael's eyes. Stripped of his control, the dragon slayer felt the command pass onto her before she undid the spell with a second more of wasted time.
"Didn't I tell you you'd get the body, hmm? Then why the bloodshed?" Moving closer, she raised her vision to reveal her emerald gaze. "It's not as though you can keep on fighting till the end of time because believe me, us Valkyries can. That's what we were designed for."
If need be, the generals could fight her without their weapons, but given how easily she'd stolen their equipment, both of them knew better than to try their luck against her. To further their surprise, she walked past from between the two and headed towards the entrance to the sandstone shrine.
"I told you, you will get his body and you will just follow me," Helga ordered without even turning around as she kept walking and disappeared inside.
Looking at each other for a brief moment, Razor and Michael tried to read each other's thoughts about the situation. However, neither of them knew what they would encounter once they stepped inside the darkness of the shrine.
"No turning back I guess," huffing a frustrated sigh, Razor was the first to move forward.
"Yeah…You're right," Michael followed soon after.
Despite the doubt in their minds, Helga led them through a dark passage into a room with the rays of suns beaming down on a lonesome coffin. Engraved with gold linings and made of a striking golden-brown wood, the coffin appeared a worthy vessel for the passing of an emperor or a king.
"So this is it? We're going to take him back?" Still not too trusting of Helga, Razor couldn't help but ask directly.
"Yes, just make sure not to open it or who knows what kind of plague would befall the world he's left behind," Helga warned, her hand brushing against the coffin's wooden frame. "And trust me, I do not care if your world dies, I've been waiting for that to happen for a while now, so don't expect any mercy if you fuck this up."
Hearing her swear struck the two a little odd. Even the way she said it seemed a bit forced as if she wasn't too used to uttering bad words.
"Well, I doubt anyone would want to see him after the mess he has left behind," letting a bit of his rage out, Razor moved closer to the coffin and spread his hands across its length. "Reality alter!"
Changing the very fabric of the plane, he squeezed the coffin between his hands and turned it small enough to be held in a pocket. However, storing it in a realm tear he avoided that blasphemous mistake.
"Now, before you go," holding her hand forward, Helga conjured exact replicas of their weapons and handed them back to the two. "I suppose it's time for you to pay my Valkyries for the harm you sought to cause."
"What do you mean?" Keeping a firm hold on his lance, Michael tracked her every movement with great caution.
"Ahaha, you mortals are too easily scared," once again moving past the two, Helga began making her way out of the shrine. "My warriors are hungry for a battle, and where would I find any better candidates to sate their hunger?"
Looking at the generals with a gentle smile she continued.
"Consider it payment for hanging you that body," chuckling to herself, the queen of Valkyries began walking away once more.
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