After the battle with Hela and her army the forty sixth base had undergone a lot of modifications. In a short period of time it no longer had any trace of the old base, with a gigantic fortress taking its place.

The defences were cranked up to the max and surveillance towers were placed every few miles to detect anything trying to come close.

The human to Valkyrie ratio was flipped as well. Though nothing was said about the Nephilim, many were quick to draw a connection between them and the Valkyries, and once it was known that Odin was a fugitive from the other world conspiracy theories that were so close to the truth started to spread.

Many already saw the Valkyries as a danger, owing to the fact that they’re autonomous weapons as far as the public was concerned. Knowing that their creator is an enemy only served to justify people’s concerns over them, and after a while every surviving Valkyrie was sent to the forty sixth base while the human soldiers left.

Putting aside the problems that will inevitably arise from having all of them gathered in one place, Sam had successfully achieved his goal of gathering an army to help him in the battle against Loki. If he manages to convince the Nephilim to land him a hand then he would be finally ready to go after her.

Peace and reparations weren’t the only things that would be discussed during today’s conference. Both sides had to come to an agreement on how they would approach Loki’s case, and if things don’t go well they might end up fighting another war.

Only a few minutes left before the Nephilim queen arrives. The Valkyries selected to greet her were already gathered at the Bifrost, the interdimensional gate that links the two worlds.

At the front were Sam and Elina, with Five, Nana and CS as their guards. Normally he would’ve selected his personal Valkyries to stand by his side, however when considering the importance of the event he decided to take their abilities into account.

Nana was the oldest among the Valkyries and had the most experience. She has been managing the forty sixth base since the last battle and thus proved to be a valuable assistant. Five and CS on the other hand were chosen for their combat abilities and reaction time. If anything unexpected were to happen it would be up to those two to make the first move to protect their leaders.

“Sorry I’m late!” Miku said as she took her place at the front beside Nine and the others.

“Barely safe, huh?” B3 said with a grin. “Did you oversleep, perhaps?”

Hearing that comment, all eyes turned to the petite blond Valkyrie causing her cheeks to flush.

“Actually, I woke up at the same time as Doctor, but…” She held her cheeks in both hands, smiling bashfully as she explained herself. “He told me to rest some more, since we were up the entire night.”

She didn’t need to say more for the others to understand what she meant. Her date with the doctor was a hot topic among the Valkyries and they were eagerly waiting for the chance to ask her what happened. Just by looking at her expression they could tell she had a great time, and though they were happy for her many felt jealousy of her progress.

“Congratulations, Miku. You finally got to experience the joy of serving Doctor.” Nine spoke with a smile. “However, as his personal Valkyrie, you need to set an example for the others to follow. Be sure to arrive on time from now on.”

“Understood.” Miku replied, standing straight and saluting.

“Everyone, I’m sure you’re dying to know the details, but now is not the time. We have a task to perform so please remain focused!”

“Yes!” The other Valkyries answered in unison and saluted as well.

Having heard the entire conversation, Sam exhaled as a hint of annoyance faded from his mind. Elina was barely holding in her laughter as she stood beside him. She wanted to tease him a little but decided to save it for another time.

When the clock hit 11:55, Sam stepped forward toward the Bifrost.

“I’ll now activate the gate.” He said, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. No matter how many times he practiced he still found the process somewhat difficult.

Unlike the gates the Nephilim used during their invasion, which allows one side to enter the other from any location of their choosing, the Bifrost connects two gates with set coordination. To travel between the worlds one needs to activate the gates on both sides.

Limiting the travel destinations was one of the conditions necessary for peace. It was the first step toward building a relationship of trust, something they would need to prevent any conflicts in the future. That said, the gates on either side could still be used to travel to any location in other dimensions so a lock is still needed.

Stepping forward, Sam held his right hand up and focused his mind. Blue particles began to flicker around him creating a series of symbols that joined together to form a halo over his head. Others gathered into multiple rings around his extended arm.

Creating, maintaining and moving the symbols was a feat that required tremendous concentration and mental power. While he could’ve created something to carry the burden for him, Sam ultimately chose not to do it.

The rings around his arm are the key to activating the gate. By limiting the number of those who know how to create them he made sure that no one could access it without permission.𝚘𝐕xt.𝒞𝗈𝑚

‘Hm?’

As soon as the platform began to glow, Sam noticed that something was off about the symbols engraved on it.

He carefully stepped back as the pillar of light appeared, and once he was back beside his guards he raised a hand signaling for the Valkyries to take battle positions.

“Wha- what’s happenin!?” Elina asked as she stepped behind him.

“The gate on the other side is already open.” Sam answered while checking his wrist watch.

He was hoping that it was just a mistake, that he took a bit too long when opening the gate. However he was exactly on time.

As the guests, the Nephilim were supposed to wait for the gate on the other side to open before activating their own. It might be nothing more than a simple mistake, however Sam had a very bad feeling about it.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have opened it…’

Just as that thought crossed his mind Five swung her blade at lightning speed hitting something that was heading straight for Sam’s head.

All eyes turned in the direction the projectile came from, but by doing so they almost missed the figure that emerged from the pillar of light.

“Three!!!”

A triangular shaped barrier spawned at Sam call blocking the intruder who launched forward thrusting a large lance toward him. Sam only got to see her for a moment before she teleported away avoiding CS’ claws. The face was unfamiliar, but the halo over her head informed them that she is a Nephilim.

“Dr. Brians, please come with me.” Nana said as she grabbed Elina in her arms, teleporting away the next moment.

Three quickly jumped in and took her place while Nine and Miku aimed their guns at the sniper who fired the first shot.

“Oh-ooooh! Take a look at this!” A voice came from beyond the light. “If I knew a welcome party was prepared I would’ve dressed up for the occasion!”

Stepping out of the interdimensional portal was youthful man of medium height. Despite his words, the clothes he wore seemed tailor made for special occasions, and with his wheat blond hair slicked back it seemed like he made a stop at the hair salon before coming. In his hand he held a stave of a strange design adorned with a large crystal on top.

“Greetings, lower realm residents.” The youth said, bowing dramatically as his eyes fell on Sam. “My name is Perseus. I’ve come today to accept your surrender.”