After killing all the bandits, Aarron and his friends gathered in a large clean room. Everyone was covered in blood and breathing heavily, Aarron was also tired, but thanks to the constant killing, he was in better condition than his friends.
"Hah we hah have to leave the city Aarron, the other gangs will soon notice the absence of adult gang members. They will attack and pick up territories for themselves. We can not only be killed but also enslaved again."
"We have nowhere to go, other gangs will kill us and that's it. We won't be able to survive on our own in this city, let alone travel to other cities. The guards will kill us there."
"We don't have to go anywhere. We can try to defend ourselves from the attacks of other gangs and preserve the lands that we have obtained with such difficulty."
"You're crazy to fight face to face with adults, it's not the same when we attacked from behind while they were distracted by Aarron."
Everyone started arguing with each other out of fear and uncertainty about what to do next. All of them were single and had no relatives in this city, not to mention any connections in other cities.
Aarron examined his dagger and knew that if he did not give strength to his friends, they would not be able to help him fight other gangs. Not to mention the help against other magical creatures.
"We won't go anywhere and we will fight, but first you have to do something."
Aarron looked at the others and called out to them.
"Aarron, don't say that you agree with these madmen." One of the boys couldn't stand it and spoke out in a raised voice.
"Don't worry, I have a plan. You just have to get the same strength as me."
Aarron showed everyone his dagger and explained its history and how he got it. After listening to the story, everyone had strange facial expressions and some did not believe in such a delusional story. Others expressed greed and fanaticism, thinking about the direct service of the goddess and receiving power from her.
In the end, those who did not believe the story gathered and decided to leave the city when they have the opportunity. The others stayed and decided to trust Aarron. Seeing that quite a lot of people stayed with him, he couldn't help but smile.
"Let's collect all the corpses and start the ritual, after all, we don't have much time and what's left in my dagger won't be enough for everyone."
Everyone got to work. They dragged the corpses into one room and put them in one pile. The blood flowing from the corpses began to draw a circle painted with runes. Aarron gathered in the center of the ritual circle and seeing that everything was ready, nodded his head and everyone made an incision on their palms.
"I am Aarron, the servant of the Goddess of Death and the guide of souls to the world of the first Helheim, I ask my goddess to accept this small gift and accept the souls of all these dead. please reward these mortals with your strength."
All the runes in the circle caught fire and the corpses quickly began to rot until they turned into corpse dust. In the center, a handful of black worms appeared, which quickly spread out on the floor and crawled into the bodies of all the people present, except Aarron.
Everyone started screaming in pain and writhing on the ground. Aarron could understand their pain because Sosvem had recently gone through the same process. After seeing that everyone began to come to their senses and gradually get up, Aarron nodded his head, glad that no one left, and said.
"Now we will be called the Order of Death and our first task will be to kill all the gangs in the city and free our peers to also accept them into our order. After that, we will lay low, learn, and become stronger to eventually capture all the cities and spread across the country."
Everyone nodded their heads uncertainly, still recovering from the experience. They were glad to get such a chance; some have already begun to cultivate the energy of death in their body a little. Aarron saw it, but continued anyway.
"After all, our goal is to bring the souls of the dead to their home in Helheim and we will help in this. At the same time destroying everyone who will interfere with us. "
Hela found amusement in the name chosen by the Order of Death and the ambitious goals of these young individuals. Despite her amusement, she knew she had to continue her research on Helheim and strengthen her connection with it. This could potentially aid her in finding a way to escape her current predicament.
"I suppose there might be some potential in this situation. In the meantime, I shall focus on delving deeper into my connection with Helheim. It seems harmless enough, and it may provide an opportunity for me to break free. However, for now, I can only replenish this realm with souls and slowly enhance my bond. Based on my calculations, it will take approximately 100-150 years before I can exert greater control over this domain."
Hela wasn't entirely satisfied with relying solely on mortal capabilities, as it imposed certain limitations. However, she had no other choice for the time being. She hoped that during this period, she would discover alternative methods to strengthen her connection with Helheim and increase her own power.
Hela diligently drew souls to herself, honing her skills in guiding them to Helheim. She focused on refining her divinity, seeking ways to minimize the damage caused during the process of ego removal.
While her connection with Helheim grew stronger, Hela recognized the importance of expanding her magical repertoire. She delved deeper into the study of runes and spellcasting, eager to harness the full potential of her divinity. Though she remained partial to her sword and the art of combat, she acknowledged the immense power that magically held and the advantages it could offer in her endeavors.