Lilith gazed at Haemon with a mixture of shock and utter confusion when he posed the question, "Can she resurrect someone killed by one of the firstborns?" For a brief moment, the demoness felt disconnected from reality as she retreated within herself, attempting to carefully process the information and offer the most accurate response. However, the right decision eluded her, and Haemon's intense stare only heightened the complexity of the situation.
"Can you do it or not?" the Olympian inquired in a hushed tone, drawing nearer to Lilith. "Well, technically, yes, but I wouldn't..." the woman began to mumble in reply, but Haemon's firm grasp immediately snapped her back to the present. "Yes, I can! However, I'll have to journey into the wild realm to retrieve the soul of the one who requires resurrection!" the demoness promptly exclaimed, her voice quickening as she struggled to extricate her hand from the warrior's grip.
"What is the wild realm, and how does it relate to her soul?" the warrior whispered calmly, still firmly holding onto the red-haired beast.
"It's challenging to articulate in words, but the wild realm is essentially a place where those who have fallen out of favor in heaven or hell often end up. It serves as a purgatory for all sorts of miscreants and outcasts from different worlds," the witch confidently explained, drawing closer to Haemon and allowing her hand to graze his chest, feeling his heart pounding with rage. "So, you desire to resurrect a woman, do you? Ha-ha, I wonder if Hel is aware that your heart already belongs to another!" she flirtatiously taunted, dangerously close to the warrior. Her predatory smile suggested that unless he took action, she would seize the opportunity and consume him whole.
"It's simply a matter of repaying a debt, nothing more," the Olympian responded uncertainly, clumsily running his fingers through the beast's vibrant red hair. At that moment, a foolish grin appeared on his face. "Oh, you've piqued my curiosity now! And what has she done for you that compels you to bring her back?" the demoness playfully inquired, gently caressing the warrior's cheek.
"Wait, why am I... suddenly... in Tartarus!" the Olympian helplessly cursed, realizing that his mind was slipping away from him. Countless words and thoughts tangled in his head, forming a jumbled mess that made him incredibly nauseous. "What happened, Haemon? You don't look well!" the beast anxiously exclaimed, noticing the Olympian's sweaty brow and rapidly fluctuating pupils, which alternated between shrinking like beads and expanding like saucers.
"Ha-ha, Aphrodite! Sister, have you changed your appearance? Ha-ha, those mustaches, and the goat head that suit you!" the Olympian suddenly spouted nonsensical words, gripping the demoness's cheeks. "Ouch, that hurts!" Lilith hissed irritably and in pain, swiftly removing the warrior's hands from her reddened face. If he had persisted, she could have suffered a severe injury. "What on earth bit you!?" the demoness angrily muttered, massaging her crimson, strawberry-like cheeks in an attempt to alleviate the burning pain. However, the warrior did not respond to this, perhaps logical, question. Instead, with a wild cry as if he had gone mad, he lunged toward the snake-shaped fountain and shouted, "The Great Serpent is once again planning to attack Asgard!"
"I've heard that the early years of a man's life can be quite challenging, but this is something else!" Lilith sarcastically remarked, observing the warrior's futile attempt to strangle the fountain. The beast and the two demons who had rushed over at the commotion turned their gaze to Haemon, then silently exchanged glances, confirming their agreement among themselves. "Shall we summon the mistress?" asked the short demon with a blue beard, his face devoid of emotion, resembling stone. "Absolutely!" curtly replied the other demon with one eye and a gray beard, his words simply affirming their agreement. Both creatures swiftly evaded the stones flying in all directions as the Olympian shattered the fountain, gripping it in a chokehold.
"I hope you'll repay me handsomely for this later!" Lilith exclaimed with an annoyed smile on her face, summoning two red whips into her hands. "Father, I have slain the Great Serpent. I request to be rewarded with your Valkyries!" the warrior triumphantly proclaimed, raising the stone head of the snake towards the sky. His breath quickened, and his eyes burned with sheer madness. Thick pink drool continued to dribble from the Olympian's mouth, and his fangs ground grotesquely against each other.
"Come to me, handsome!" the demoness called out, wrapping her whips around the warrior and sharply pulling him towards her. "You! You, Cexmet, have come again to challenge my title as the strongest warlord!" the Olympian growled, shaking his head from side to side. His sturdy legs firmly planted into the ground, preventing the fiery-haired beast from having her way easily. Veins bulged all over the warrior's body, transforming his already grotesque figure into a monstrous spectacle. "This clearly won't lead to anything good!" the demoness commented, witnessing such drastic changes in her battle partner's appearance. She decided to act swiftly, releasing an incredibly powerful kinetic pulse through her whips toward the madman, hoping it would at least cool down his demented mind a little.
A horrifying explosion resounded, sending a massive amount of dust into the air, shrouding Lilith in a gray haze. However, the woman was prepared for this and immediately clicked her tongue, altering her eyes to perceive the world in a completely different spectrum. Now she possessed the ability to detect any movement, regardless of its nature. Neither the haze nor the enchantment could hide her prey from her as she became the hunter with her crimson eyes. "I see you!" the beast cheerfully shouted before launching a massive fireball toward the area where she had detected movement. Another explosion echoed through the air, but this time the dust did not rise. Instead, the shockwave dispersed the haze, restoring Lilith's normal vision and clearing the surrounding area from the thick layer of dust.
As the smoke and dust settled, the Olympian knelt amidst the partially destroyed fountain, where water had once flowed. His body was charred almost to a skeletal state, and he leaned his elbow against the ground. "Ouch, that must be very painful," the demoness whispered with slight disgust, envisioning the terrible burns that covered the warrior's body.
"Haemon, I propose the following: cease your dangerous behavior, and in return, I shall treat you to the most exquisite meat pie for the rest of your days!" The beast spoke softly and cautiously, carefully choosing her words. Raising her hands to the sky, she approached the frozen warrior with a deliberate slowness. Haemon remained motionless as if transformed into a statue. His eyes were fixed on one point, denying him even the slightest movement.
"You're only missing frothy foam coming from your mouth," the demoness sarcastically remarked, pointing a finger to her own mouth. Descending into the remnants of the fountain, she drew nearer to the Olympian. Lilith deftly entwined him with numerous red threads, rendering him immobile except for his head. "After all, you devour other lords, don't you?" Lilith posed the question rhetorically, raising an eyebrow as she perched herself on the warrior's back. "Silence implies consent!" she declared, preempting Haemon's response. She then brushed away his charred hair and continued, "You see, by consuming others, you seek to fill your own emptiness, striving to become a recognized member of society, so to speak. But those born in darkness must remain there. Unfortunately, those are the rules of the cosmos!" Lilith released a heavy sigh, acutely aware of the weight carried by her own words.
The sensation of inadequacy, of something profoundly lacking, was unmistakably apparent to her. She realized that she was powerless to change this stark reality. Yet, she couldn't come to terms with it, and her fractured soul started to crave filling the void through any means available. This desperate pursuit led her to descend into such depths that even demons themselves felt repulsed by her.
Loud footsteps reverberated through the room, and to the demoness' surprise, Hel and Ulfrun materialLoud footsteps echoed in the room, and then, as if appearing out of nowhere before the demoness' eyes, Hel and Ulfrun emerged, their appearance betraying the toll of their arduous journey. Lilith's voice filled with joy as she exclaimed, "Wow, it didn't even take you two years for this!" She observed her two friends, their bodies marked with dried bloodstains and disfigured faces that bore wounds not inflicted by demons. The demoness quickly connected the dots and erupted into laughter. "Did you both decide to compete for the honor of sharing a bed with him?" Lilith couldn't contain her amusement. She pointed first at the two giantesses and then at Haemon.
"Shut your mouth!" the Valkyrie hissed in a weary and rough voice, delivering a punch to the fiery beast's jaw. With a powerful kick to the face, she sent the demoness flying, causing her to crash to the ground. Exhausted and unable to remain standing, the giantess collapsed, breathing heavily. "Sorry, dear, but I don't have time for your problems right now," Hel said with visible effort before settling onto her spouse's back, turning him into furniture once and for all.
"Give me just a couple of minutes, and I'll rip your nose off!" Ulfrun declared, her voice trembling as she vigorously shook her head from side to side. "Yeah, I bet you said the same thing to your sister before they tore her heart out right in front of you, huh!?" The venom-laced words of the queen pierced the valkyrie, but she simply smiled in response. "Haha, believe it or not, I did say that!" Ulfrun spat on the ground and wiped the blood from her eyes. "Damn, that's the second time today!" the frustrated demoness exclaimed, rising to her feet and readjusting her broken jaw.
"So why did you summon us, and what's wrong with him?" Hel quickly inquired, clearly not in the best of moods. The giantess patted her husband on the back and smiled slightly, realizing she could exact a little payback for his cold treatment towards her. "By any chance, did you show him your face without all this masquerade?" the Valkyrie asked, circling her finger around her own face, alluding to the smudged makeup adorning Lilith's visage.
"No, come on, you must be kidding! I would never allow myself to do such a thing! After all, I'm not as uncivilized as you, am I?" Lilith parried, a fake smile on her face as she covered her nose with her hand, seemingly sensing something unpleasant from Ulfrun. "What, did you sniff your own...!" The valkyrie was about to retort, but Hel interrupted, displaying impatience. "Let's continue this game some other time! Right now, it's much more important to fix the disturbance in this man's soul before he leaves me completely exposed!" The queen noticed the Olympian about to put a piece of her dress in his mouth and managed to stop him just in time.
"He has an excess of lord souls that he devoured!" the fiery-haired beast quickly and clearly explained, taking a seat next to the valkyrie. "Now it makes sense why I couldn't detect him with my own eyes!" Ulfrun added, studying the Olympian from head to toe.
"Well, you probably know how to fix it, don't you?" Hel smiled strangely at her friend, her demeanor carrying a sense of threat rather than a mere question. The queen gestured with her hand, urging her friend to provide a swift answer. To the shock of both giantesses, she calmly declared, "We all need to sleep with him!"