As the space bridge energy pillar began to warp under William's telekinetic pressure, Angela shouted in panic, "Wait! Stop! Damn it—I said STOP!"
She never imagined that just mentioning the Tenth Realm would instantly make William associate her with Heaven's intentions—and that he'd destroy the technology without hesitation.
"You're not even going to hear what they're offering in exchange?"
An offer? William paused for just a second, then let out a cold laugh. What could they possibly offer that was more valuable than the Reality Stone?
And if Heaven did have something on par with an Infinity Stone… all the more reason not to negotiate—he'd just take it.
Boom!
One of the two-meter-tall energy pillars exploded under his will.
"You bastard!" Angela cursed, realizing William was hell-bent on destroying them. She pulled two daggers from her waist and lunged at him.
But even in her rage, she didn't lose all sense—she aimed for his arms instead of vital points.
William, not intending to seriously hurt her either, simply summoned a portal in front of her. With a flash of psychic control, the portal sliced past Angela's stopped feet and pulled her into Asgard's Rainbow Bridge.
After destroying the remaining three energy pillars, and hearing Sunday report that a swarm of Earth fighters were incoming while the remaining Decepticons began scattering, William opened a portal and stepped into Asgard.
He emerged to find Odin in casual robes, chatting quietly with Angela.
Seeing William, Odin chuckled and greeted him warmly, chatting about mundane things, never once mentioning why Angela was trying to barter space bridge tech on Heaven's behalf.
William didn't press it either—he had no ties to the angels of Heaven. In this world, "angels" were just another race of high-level extraterrestrials who happened to have wings.
And Odin, relieved that William wasn't pushing for answers, felt even more frustrated with Heaven's people—for manipulating Angela with talk of her mother's lingering soul.
"For some reasons, the person I intended to station in London for regular contact may be delayed," Odin said. "Either until I find a suitable replacement… or finish resolving Angela's situation."
"No problem," William nodded. "Your family affairs are yours to handle."
He then turned to Heimdall. "Can you check on how the war on Cybertron is going in the Centauri system?"
Heimdall looked to Odin, who nodded with a smile. "Since you're here for business, let's leave it at that for today. If you need help, you can…"
He glanced back at Thor and Loki. "Speak to Loki. You've already dealt with him a few times—like when trading those healing charms. As for Thor, he's the general in charge of suppressing rebellions in Asgard. If you need an army, he's your guy. But for anything else, talk to Loki."
William knew how to read between the lines.
If he wanted to borrow Asgard's army, Odin would definitely ask for a hefty price.
But if he hired Yondu's Ravagers? All he'd need was cash.
As Odin and Thor left with Angela, Heimdall began scanning Cybertron.
While he worked, Loki sidled up with a grin and whispered, "Maybe I'm remembering wrong, but didn't that space bridge require five pillars, not four?"
William's brow furrowed. So even Loki had noticed?
If he did, then Odin and Heimdall certainly had too—though Thor might need a nudge to catch up.
Eyeing Loki's sly smile, William asked, "Are you trying to trade for something… or extort a bribe to stay quiet?"
Loki quickly shook his head. "No, no, not at all. Just a friendly reminder. Those angelic ladies trapped in the Tenth Realm—they're not the type to give up easily."
William's curiosity was piqued. "How much do you know about the Tenth Realm?"
"Heh," Loki smirked. "Let me put it this way. Just remember this one simple idea, and you'll understand the essence of both Heaven and Hell."
"Oh?" William raised an eyebrow. "Go on."
Loki's grin widened. "Whether you're ascending to radiant Heaven or falling into chaotic Hell, they both want the same thing in the end—souls. Isn't that an elegant little truth?"
William nodded slowly. "Simple… but it tracks."
If souls truly existed, most people would still choose Heaven. After all, even just in appearances, Heaven beat Hell by a dozen leagues.
Ahem.
With William and Loki's chat wrapping up, Heimdall finally spoke.
"From what I see, your allies—the Autobots—are holding up well. Despite having only half the enemy's numbers, they're showing no signs of collapse."
"Good," William smiled. Despite many Decepticon ships and fighters returning to Cybertron, most of their ground troops had been abandoned in New York—again leaderless.
If Optimus couldn't handle things now, he'd have no business being a leader.
"Can you see where Yondu Udonta is?" William asked.
Having personally used the Yaka Arrow, he was now deeply interested in sonic-command weapons.
Although the delivery deadline with Yondu was three months out, William was already eager to craft his own customized version.
Figuring Yondu had probably gone off seeking revenge, he added, "Chances are, he's still somewhere in the Centauri system."
With the search radius narrowed to a single star system, Heimdall soon located Yondu's Ravager ship in deep space—with Yondu himself in the captain's chair.
With a grin, William turned to Loki. "Next time we meet—if I don't hear any nasty rumors—maybe I'll invite you to Oxford for a hunting trip."
"Hunting?" Loki frowned. He'd long since grown bored of such basic pastimes. But with an eye on that space bridge tech, he didn't hesitate to nod.
"No problem. But if we're going hunting, we'll need more... interesting prey."
"We'll talk about it then, Loki."
Loki was slippery. If a juicier opportunity came along, he'd sell William out in a heartbeat—no surprise there.
William turned to Heimdall. "Send me to Yondu's ship."
Heimdall nodded, spun his sword once, and summoned the Rainbow Bridge. Light filled the chamber.
William thanked Heimdall, nodded to Loki, and stepped into the bridge.
Seconds later, he materialized inside Yondu's ship.
"Damn it!" Yondu jumped up as the Rainbow Bridge flashed. He drew his energy blaster and slammed the alert button.
Moments later, William stood calmly in a room now filled with at least twenty snarling Ravagers, weapons drawn and aimed straight at him.
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