"You brought one of them along? No, firstly, you're letting them live?" Freyja asked, her tone laced with annoyance.
Apparently, she was more inclined toward killing them off.
"Well, letting them stay alive is actually a good idea. Midgard is one of the realms under Asgard, and protecting the humans here falls under our duties." I spoke calmly. "And they are called the Eternals. The reason they attacked us is because they serve Arishem, the Celestial. Father has some enmity with him. They're here to protect and help humans grow, which, to some extent, aligns with our wishes. So letting them stay here, protecting humans and killing Deviants, is much better."
"But... they attacked you," Freyja protested.
"Those that attacked me are already dead," I replied, shrugging. "They were insignificantly weak. And if we kill them all, I'd have to launch a military operation here to kill off every last Deviant, which would be much more troublesome."
"That still doesn't explain why you brought one of them along," Freyja said, folding her arms, finally revealing her real concern.
"She has interesting abilities. And I was just asking for her. They betrayed her without a second thought. So, she's coming with us from now on." I kept my face blank, revealing no emotion.
Okay, fine—maybe I liked Sersi a bit. But that was mostly because I'd seen her in the movies and comics. This was only my second time meeting her here.
So having her come with me because I liked her abilities wasn't entirely a lie.
Her being a beauty? Just a plus.
"Interesting abilities? Like what?" Freyja asked, genuinely curious. She knew me well enough to figure out that if some ability caught my attention, it had to be something awesome.
Meanwhile, Sersi simply stood silently to the side, looking a little depressed.
"We'll check it out later. Let's go first," I said, opening a gate spell and stepping into a desolate area.
Then, I placed my hand on Sersi's head. She flinched, startled, but before she could react—
'Raph, do it.'
[Yes, Master.]
[Scanning complete.]
[Celestial control and influence eliminated completely.]
[Scanning transmutation celestial powers...]
[Scanning complete.]
[All procedures complete.]
[Done, Master.]
'Good job, Raph,' I praised.
This was necessary. I couldn't have Sersi joining me while still being under the Celestials' thumb.
I'd do the same for Thena later too.
As I lifted my hand, Sersi snapped back to full consciousness, looking utterly confused.
"What did you do to me?!" she demanded.
"Shhhh," I hissed, putting a finger to my lips, signaling her to be quiet.
"Now, we're heading to our next destination," I said, opening another gate spell with a casual wave of my hand.
This time, we were headed far east—to one of the earliest civilizations: the Indus Valley, also known as the Harappan civilization.
"This is the Harappa you mentioned?" Freyja asked, gazing down at the town thousands of meters below us.
Unlike Babylon, Harappa was much more systematic, almost like it had been built from reddish-brown Lego blocks.
It had some differences, but overall, it was similar.
Oh—and they had already built a large temple here.
Just... not for me.
"Yeah. Most human civilizations look like this. But hey, at least they have those giant baths. We can enjoy them if you want," I said casually.
"You want to use public baths now?" Freyja asked, one eyebrow raised.
"On second thought, let's skip that..." I muttered.
It wasn't that I thought it was disgusting—but after getting used to the grand Asgardian royal baths, this was just... hard to settle for.
"Thought so," Freyja said smugly.
She wasn't wrong.
"So, what are you planning here? Same act as before?" she continued.
"Of course not. How unoriginal would that be?" I said. "I'm going to bless them instead. They follow early Hinduism here. I can easily become one of their highest gods and casually gain a billion followers over time."
"Oh? So what exactly are your plans? And don't forget to include me this time," Freyja said, smirking.
"Of course. I'm just going to build a few temples across the civilization, hand out a few blessings, and then we can move on. I want to head to Egypt next—there's something I need there. So let's finish this quickly," I said.
"Alright. But how long are we staying in Midgard?" Freyja asked.
Good question.
I'd have to go back soon. Father mentioned we were preparing for another war.
But first, Egypt.
I needed mutant genes—especially Apocalypse's.
Once I collected them, I could create my own secret civilization—maybe hidden in Australia, Norway... or maybe I'd just create a whole new island.
Still undecided.
Anyway, my schedule was getting tight.
The next war would require me to be at the forefront, showcasing my power.
I doubted it would end quickly, especially with Father getting more excited about it lately.
I had a feeling this war would stretch over multiple planets—probably years.
Which meant... this little vacation might be my last for a while.
"A month... give or take a few days," I finally answered thoughtfully.
'Raph, plan some temple designs for here. They should be different from the ones in Babylon.'
[Yes, Master. Starting the planning. We should use Hindu-style architecture—it will fit the region and era. It would also boost your image as one of the oldest and most important gods.]
'Great idea. Do it.'
After lots of planning and execution, we finally completed our plans in Harappa.
I blessed the people—around the same level as Babylon—and soon enough, I was the most important god across their cities.
This time though, I wasn't alone.
Freyja also had her legend created—the goddess of love and war—becoming one of the most revered goddesses.
A good start, honestly.
Sersi didn't get a legend of her own, but she was becoming much more sociable with us.
It seemed she was starting to forget about the other Eternals.
She rarely spoke of them anymore.
If this journey continued, Freyja and I would soon be among the few gods worshiped across every religion.
And what would I gain from it?
Apparently... nothing.
Except shits and giggles.
Anyway, onto Egypt.
I needed those mutant genes.
The plan was simple: copy them, have Raph modify them into a pseudo-divinity, and then use that to create more minor gods in Asgard.
The main and important gods—essentially my family—would all possess the God Force, the ultimate symbol of supreme godhood.
Then, the minor gods—my loyal subordinates—would be rewarded with divinity.
Basically mutant abilities... but upgraded Asgardian-style.