"A demon god descended upon Midgard?"
Angela froze, then looked at William suspiciously. "How's that possible? Why didn't we receive any alert?"
Odin walked over, smiling warmly as he explained, "Set is a cunning one. The fallback plan he left on Earth was laid down over five thousand years ago.
Fortunately, although he managed to slip past Heimdall's watch, he couldn't evade the eyes of Earth's mages.
William captured and controlled the vessel Set descended into, then took her to an uninhabited star system several hundred light-years away from Midgard. There, he held an expulsion ritual and successfully drove Set back to Hell."
Angela trusted Odin's words, and her expression toward William softened noticeably.
"Gargoyles are indeed guardians left in the material plane by Heaven. But the ones on Earth… there probably aren't many left, right?"
As she said this, Angela subtly glanced at Odin.
Odin, unfazed, chuckled and explained to William, "As I mentioned before, we had a conflict with the Tenth Realm. Angela was taken by their people as an infant, so in my fury, I severed the Tenth Realm from the World Tree and sealed off its connection to the material world.
Since then, the angels have been confined to their own independent dimension, unable to descend to Earth. Although it did plunge your world into chaos for a time,
that hardship gave Earth's people a chance to grow stronger. It was during that period that magic spread rapidly among humans, giving them a means to fight back against demonic creatures.
That's the only reason Earth managed to survive through torment and hardship without being swallowed by Hell."
William took this explanation with a grain of salt—at most, he believed half of it.
And events from over a thousand years ago were none of his concern. He didn't care how many ancient humans had been sacrificed due to Odin's fury.
What mattered to him was knowing how to identify demons so that he wouldn't unknowingly shake hands with one in the future.
"How can I detect demons hiding inside human bodies, and how do I kill them?"
Hearing this, Angela finally smiled. She removed the cross necklace from her neck and said, "This is a magic necklace blessed by an archangel. Wear it, and you'll be able to see through any disguised demons or devils.
As for killing them…" Angela drew one of her daggers, revealing the rune resembling the character '丰' on its blade. "Weapons engraved with this symbol can deal with most demonic beings.
And the most direct and universal method is holy light. If you can wield light magic, no demon would dare appear in front of you—unless they have a grudge or want something you possess. Ultimately, though, it all comes down to strength."
As Angela finished speaking, William held her necklace in his hand under Odin's expectant gaze and infused his spiritual sense into it, carefully studying the holy magic energy and enchantments within.
As he understood more about the magic array, William began channeling his own magic power. In mere seconds, his entire body lit up like an enormous spotlight,
illuminating the night-darkened plaza as if it were broad daylight, making it almost impossible for the nearby Asgardians to keep their eyes open.
It was at that moment that these Asgardians truly experienced what it meant when Odin said William was a legendary Grand Mage.
Just as William was about to retract the holy energy, a small portion of it surged into his eyes, momentarily forming the '丰'-shaped rune before vanishing.
The rest of the energy flowed naturally into his body and into his shining golden armor, giving the already dazzling armor a divine, sacred glow—leaving everyone around him stunned, Odin excluded.
Even Angela couldn't help but reach out and touch his armor. When William turned to her, she withdrew her hand sheepishly, muttering with envy, "From now on, as long as you wear this armor, all mid- and low-level demons and devils will avoid you from afar the moment they see you."
After saying this, Angela shook her head. "You've already banished a demon lord. Those lesser demons who manage to sneak into the material world will tremble at your name and instinctively steer clear of any place you frequent."
"That's for the best." As long as those devils didn't mess with him, William had no desire to start a war with them. It was like vampires—if you can't wipe them out, then just stay out of each other's way.
Still, some level of defense was essential.
With all the statues he had at home, if he could replace them with gargoyles—beings that didn't need rest and watched the area 24/7—that would be true peace of mind.
With that thought, William looked at Angela as if she were a pile of glittering gold coins. Raising the necklace in his hand, he flashed what he believed to be his most charming smile. "Thank you, Angela. May I help you put the necklace back on?"
Angela rolled her eyes at him. She was over a thousand years old and had seen every trick in the book—seduction didn't work on an assassin like her.
After learning she wasn't an angel but an Asgardian, Angela had left the Tenth Realm and started wandering the universe. It was then that she became an assassin.
Having walked through the darkness, she'd seen plenty of filth. So when she saw William flash that smile, she immediately knew he was trying to butter her up.
Without a word, she snatched the necklace back from William and put it on herself. "Go ahead, what do you want to know?"
Staring at the completely unfazed Angela, William couldn't help but wonder if she swung the other way.
But since she was being direct, William didn't beat around the bush either. "What would it cost for me to get the method to create gargoyles?"
"You? Even if I told you, you wouldn't be able to make them," Angela said, looking down at her necklace in surprise. She could feel that the holy magic within it had nearly doubled—and for the first time, she looked at William with a hint of admiration.
"To create gargoyles, the most important ingredient is a holy spirit or a heroic soul. Otherwise, all you're making is a mindless magical puppet."
"Holy spirit or heroic soul?"
Odin had plenty of those. Asgard had an enormous Hall of Heroes. Though he couldn't exactly go ask Odin to give him sentient souls,
he could ask if any of the souls would be willing to leave the hall to fight demons. That should be fair game.
Even if there weren't any, the priority was still getting the production method.
"So tell me, dear Angela, what do you want?"
"Um… that is…" For once, Angela began to stammer at William's persistence.
"You don't actually know how to make them, do you?"
It only took a few seconds for William to figure it out. Angela had been raised and trained as a warrior—why would she have learned magic or crafting?
"Haha! William, didn't you always want to see my treasure vault?"
Seeing that his daughter had just played a prank on William, Odin quickly stepped in, clapping William on the shoulder to defuse the awkward moment. "Come, child. If we wait much longer, opening the vault might get complicated."
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