Dante and Hela followed Odin into Asgard's inner hall.
Though just as luxurious as the main hall, the decorations here were noticeably more understated.
Odin led the way. After a long walk, they reached the King of Gods' private chambers.
It was only then that Odin turned to look at Dante…
Forget the Will Green Light, which even Odin had never seen before. Just by physique alone, this mortal was comparable to Asgard's strongest warriors.
But that wasn't the main issue.
Odin's gaze went first to Dante's hand, still clasping Hela's, suppressing the Mammon's blood and the Greed Orange Light.
Odin instinctively clutched his chest. Even the King of Gods couldn't keep his blood pressure down at a sight like this. His one remaining eye, lost long ago in exchange for knowledge and power, sharply sized Dante up.
In truth, after nearly two thousand years of having his daughter sealed, Odin's anger had long since faded. What remained was pride and stubbornness, the kind that comes from being gods.
But seeing her holding hands with this mortal so naturally… even his stubbornness felt like it was about to crack.
This insidious mortal.
He must have taken advantage of her vulnerability when she'd just been freed from the seal, deceiving her.
Odin told himself this, while conveniently ignoring that his daughter was the Goddess of Death.
Strength beyond question, and certainly not lacking in intelligence. How else could she fight wars and govern realms?
"You, what is your name?"
Odin managed a kindly expression, but the smile was fake.
"Dante Alighieri. As for my profession… let's just say I'm a senior peace officer from Earth."
"Peace Officer Dante, huh…" Odin nodded, then his expression flipped in an instant and he roared, "Dante! Your actions now defile the dignity of all Asgard! You actually dare to covet Asgard's sharpest sword of conquest!"
Dante nearly lunged forward to tell his future father-in-law to shove it.
But he couldn't. Hela had just publicly announced their relationship. No matter how unruly Dante was, he wasn't about to punch the King of Gods.
He gritted his teeth.
One opening, and the geezer pounced, boosting his daughter to the heavens while slipping in a jab at the new son-in-law.
No way was Dante letting him get away with that.
He turned toward Odin with a sinister grin, then faced Hela and held both her hands as if on the verge of tears.
"My beloved Hela, since your father opposes our union, I can only accept it in pain and helplessness, for this is the King of Gods' command. In his eyes, the glory and majesty of Asgard's divine realm stand above all else, even above your happiness… But until mountains crumble and heaven and earth merge, only then will I dare to part from you!"
Not one curse word aimed at Odin, yet with every sentence, the old man's face lost more color.
Odin hated him for it.
Anyone who could count to ten could see this handsome mortal, even more handsome than Loki, was acting. Badly. On purpose.
Hela, of course, saw it.
But she was more than happy to play along. She no longer hated Odin, but the resentment from being sealed away as his daughter hadn't completely faded.
"You! You…" Odin stammered, unable to finish. Finally, he sighed, looking every bit the weary old man, and sat down on a cushioned seat. "Forget it. Dante, right? You and Hela, sit."
Dante raised an eyebrow. Odin looked more and more like the version Loki had stashed on Earth in Thor: Ragnarok.
Or maybe this was just the true private side of an aging King of Gods.
Not much different from any old man.
Dante winked at Hela, and they both sat.
"Can't you two let go of your hands for now?"
"Dear King of Gods, I'm not entirely trying to show off my intimacy with Hela. My Will Green Light also helps suppress the Greed Orange Light in her."
"Will Green Light? Greed Orange Light? Interesting…" A flicker of curiosity passed through Odin's eyes. "I don't know what you mean by green and orange light, but I do know about the blood of the original Sin demons."
"Among the Seven Deadly Sin demons, Mammon controls the original sin of Greed, and is also a dimensional lord of hell."
"And I can faintly sense a trace of Cyttorak's aura from you, so I assume you've already encountered those dimensional lords." Odin nodded. "Then you should know that to nullify their power, either they die, or Hela dies."
Dante wasn't surprised. These beings were already among the strongest under the abstract conceptual gods.
"I'm not trying to remove it completely," he said, withdrawing the Will Green Light and letting the Greed Orange Light surge again inside Hela.
Odin watched as boundless greed filled his daughter's eyes, once calm, as if ready to swallow even the golden abyss.
At the same time, he could feel that her power, now boosted by greed, had surpassed his own current strength.
And she had only recovered maybe eighty percent of her Asgardian might since returning home.
"Will… Greed… Can emotions become power?" Odin murmured, then looked back to Dante. "You don't intend to eliminate it, so you've already figured out how to handle it?"
"As you can see, greed may be negative, but it holds extraordinary power. Instead of removing it, it's better to control it." Dante connected with Hela again using his Will Green Light. "Just like the two Lantern Rings on my hands — the Red Ring for Rage, the Green Ring for Will — I plan to forge an Orange Ring for Greed for Hela, so she can make it her own."
"So you already have a solution? Then why ask me for help?"
"I may have a solution, but I lack the materials." Dante leaned closer to Odin, lowering his voice. "Besides, I'm giving you a chance to mend things with your daughter."
Blunt, but it landed.
"If we're talking materials… there is one that would work."
Odin thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Since you and my daughter are so… hmph… close, then you should know mjolnir, used by Thor, was originally Hela's weapon."
"I've heard."
"It's made of uru alloy, highly compatible with Hela. I have some left in my treasury."
Dante noted the lack of hesitation. The old man really did want to repair the relationship.
So he didn't bother being polite.
"You… why are you holding your hand out to me?"
"Talking's useless. Give me your treasury key, old man."
(To be continued.)