Sigurd looked at the woman but tried to stay calm.
"My name is Sigurd Borson. I arrived here by mistake. Can you please tell me where I am?"
The woman looked at him suspiciously. Although she could feel he was a very powerful god, she couldn't determine which one. He certainly had the aura of an Aesir.
"This is Themyscira, and I am Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons of Themyscira."
Hippolyta looked at him intensely.
"What brings you here, Asgardian? You are definitely Aesir, but we Amazons and Asgard share no bond. Why have you appeared on Paradise Island?"
Sigurd wanted to say he was teleported here without any knowledge, but he didn't know if she would believe it.
"Your Majesty, could you please put on some clothes? This is very… distracting."
Hippolyta realized she was still naked. She quickly moved to the pond's edge to retrieve her clothes.
Just as she was donning her armor, Sigurd felt another presence.
"Who are you?" Sigurd's cold voice cut through the air.
"Hahahah!"
A figure appeared in front of Sigurd with a loud laugh.
"You have taste, Sigurd Borson. Appearing before the Amazon Queen during her bath. I must say, your choice of entrance is uniquely audacious."
When Sigurd heard this, he couldn't help but want to beat the speaker black and blue.
"You would be wise to hold your tongue, Lucifer, unless you wish to lose this avatar."
Lucifer looked at Sigurd, surprised.
"So you know me, Aesir? I don't believe we've met for you to recognize me so readily."
Sigurd looked at Lucifer, recalling what the One Above All had told him.
"Your energy has the distinct vibe of a fallen angel. I've absorbed a version of a Lucifer's soul—a perfect copy of you. You are fundamentally the same in every world you exist in."
Hippolyta, now fully armored, appeared before them and looked at Lucifer with anger.
"Another man? What is happening here? Do you two take my island for your personal tourist destination?"
Lucifer looked at Hippolyta and gave a charming smile.
"Hello, my dear. My name is Lucifer Morningstar. Tell me, what do you desire?"
Hippolyta looked at Lucifer and said flatly,
"I desire to make my island unbreachable and to lead my sisters to a peaceful life."
Lucifer wasn't surprised; every version of Hippolyta he had encountered ultimately desired peace for her people.
Sigurd looked at Hippolyta, his own desire for a peaceful life in Asgard echoing her sentiment.
Hippolyta, shaking off the subtle manipulation in Lucifer's voice, looked at him with wariness and subtly shifted her stance closer to Sigurd.
"Lucifer Morningstar, did you come here on the orders of your father, or someone above him?"
Lucifer looked from Sigurd to Hippolyta.
"No one is above my father. As for why you are here, you will know in a few minutes. This is not the place for that discussion."
He then turned his attention back to Hippolyta.
"Queen, if you choose to join us, there might be a great fortune in it for you. The choice is yours."
Hippolyta looked serious. The great devil himself stood before her, and she was unsure whether to join them. But one thing was certain: whatever these two were involved in could change the course of the universe.
She ultimately chose to join them, but first informed her sisters to look after Paradise Island. Her sister was intensely curious about the two men accompanying the queen, but received no satisfying answer.
At the same time, in the modern world, three figures appeared in a high-end bar where loud music was playing. They were Sigurd, Lucifer, and Hippolyta.
Hippolyta looked at the atmosphere and couldn't help but curse.
"This must be the Devil's world. Otherwise, these humans wouldn't be behaving like animals."
Sigurd heard her but shook his head. He didn't want to comment; he saw nothing inherently wrong with humans drinking and dancing. Hippolyta had been isolated from the world for so long she didn't understand how much humanity had progressed, both in technology and in the social freedom that allows people to pursue their desires.
After all, modern society often runs on the free will of its people. But from Hippolyta's ancient worldview, it seemed like a world of decadence.
Lucifer didn't mind her words. This was, after all, his world: Earth-666.
"Sigurd, welcome to Earth-666. You'll be staying here until we locate our target. He's been hiding, digesting his gains to increase his strength."
Sigurd looked at Lucifer, a bad feeling settling in.
"What do you mean, 'gains'? And you, a great devil, can't find one simple person?"
Lucifer shook his head.
"Although he was a small person, I cannot interfere directly with the world's natural order. My father's orders are clear: you will stay with me until we have information, and you will only take action if this individual becomes a threat beyond the control of local forces."
Sigurd pressed further.
"Can't you even tell me the name of the person I'm supposed to face?"
Lucifer shook his head again.
"Strict orders. If I reveal it, the old man would personally drag this avatar back to Hell."
Hippolyta listened to them with complicated feelings. She understood they were discussing a world-ending threat, but she didn't understand why an Asgardian was needed to solve it.
After all, Zeus, the Olympian god, was the most powerful in her eyes. Why bring an Asgardian?
"Lucifer, shouldn't you inform the other gods about this threat? What can a single Asgardian do? Zeus could single-handedly defeat the gods of Asgard."
Sigurd, who heard this, felt his anger flare. The Asgardian gods might not be the strongest in this universe, but how dare she compare him to Zeus?
"Woman, watch your words," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "You may insult me for my earlier mistake, and I will bear it. But if you speak ill of the Aesir again, I will personally bring you the heads of every Olympian god to show you how mighty those shits truly are."