In Heavenfield, inside Odin's Supreme Commander office.
"Supreme Commander, more reports have just arrived"
An soldier stepped forward, carrying a large stack of documents and placing them on the desk.
"Oh, alright. Leave them there."
The soldier saluted and turned to leave.
"Yes, Supreme Commander."
He had just stepped out when—
"Wait."
Odin called him back.
"Y-Yes… Is there something, sir?"
Odin picked up the stack of documents, placed them into a large box, and asked:
"Where is Ares?"
The soldier stood at attention, raising his hand to his forehead.
"I'm not sure, sir. Perhaps Grand Commander Ares is out on a mission somewhere."
In a large marketplace, a tall figure walked among the crowd.
Ares wore a black cloak that concealed his face.
"I wonder if people will recognize me… I'm starving."
Suddenly, a child spotted him and shouted:
"It's Grand Commander Ares!"
The entire marketplace turned toward him, and within seconds the crowd rushed over.
"Lord Ares!"
"Give me some money!"
"Can I get your autograph?!"
Startled, Ares immediately teleported away.
Back in the Supreme Commander office, Odin was reviewing the stack of documents.
"How tedious… dealing with this every single day."
He opened one of the files.
"What's this… this week's report?"
Inside were reports from the various levels of Heavenfield, submitted by district leaders.
"Real estate prices up 12%... Well, that makes sense. The last stronghold of humanity—of course it's expensive."
"Residents on the Floor 12 are filing complaints about declining infrastructure and living conditions."
Odin fell into brief contemplation.
"I'll go there tomorrow and see for myself."
He looked down at the final line, his eyes flashing with surprise.
"Food supplies down 20%, while prices have risen 26%?"
Odin immediately set the stack aside and reached into a drawer, searching for something.
Back in Greenpath.
Shinji's group was running at full speed. Shinji glanced back and said:
"Hey, it took us hours this morning just to get here. At this rate, we won't be back to Heavenfield until midnight!"
Running behind him, Lumber shouted:
"Just focus on running! We'll figure that out later!"
Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed around them.
"Hello, this is the Supreme Commander speaking."
They all looked around in confusion.
"Is that Odin?"
Gumber looked at his brother.
"But he's not even here."
Then Gumber remembered something. He quickly reached behind his armor and unclasped it.
At his waist, a familiar silver pocket watch appeared.
"What's that?"
Alba asked.
"Hello, this is Odin."
Everyone froze in shock.
"Supreme Commander!"
Shinji and Alba called out.
"Old man!"
Lumber and Gumber shouted.
"Why are you only contacting us now? And why did you give something this important to my little brother to hold?"
Odin replied calmly:
"Are you all still in Greenpath? Our food supplies are running low. Capture a few creatures or demons and bring them back for food."
The group stared at one another.
"We don't have time for that!"
Lumber yelled into the watch.
"Oh? Then I'll end the call."
Odin was about to disconnect.
"Wait! We're in serious danger right now!"
"Oh? I see."
Odin's voice remained calm.
"We can't make it back on our own! Send reinforcements quickly!"
"Very well. I'll handle it."
Odin immediately cut the connection.
Back in Heavenfield, after hearing them out, Odin let out a quiet sigh.
"Tiring… Sending troops to rescue them would be risky."
He returned to his paperwork, picking up his pen and seal.
"But wait… why did they go to Greenpath again?"
After signing a few more pages, he suddenly paused.
"The demon king's inscription tablet."
Odin opened the drawer again.
"I already forgot about it this morning… It might prove useful for humanity."
He took out another silver watch and initiated a call.
"Tetsutaro, this is the Supreme Commander speaking."
In Greenpath, Lumber angrily shouted into the watch.
"Hey, old man, where did you go?!"
But there was no response.
"Damn it!"
They continued running along the narrow path through the mist.
After some time, the fog began to thin, yet the path ahead remained dark and obscure.
Suddenly, a sharp screech rang out above them, like a bird of prey hunting.
Boom!
A massive rock crashed down behind them and shattered.
"What the hell was that?"
Gumber turned around.
More rocks began falling. One nearly struck Shinji.
Before they could understand what was happening, another piercing shriek echoed from above.
The mist was torn apart.
A massive, razor-sharp beak plunged down into the ground and got stuck there.
"This is bad!"
Shinji shouted, regaining his balance before continuing to run.
The creature became clearer. It had a long beak and an extended neck, with a red crest on its head. Its tiny eyes were fixed on them.
It had enormous wings stretching from its arms down to its legs, fused to its body like a membrane. Its torso and legs were small, completely disproportionate to its massive neck and beak. Its entire body was covered in a thin layer of feathers.
After they managed to run past the first one, another appeared.
It flapped above them, clutching a massive rock in its talons.
"Split up!"
Lumber shouted.
The monster dove straight toward them, smashing the rock into the ground and shattering it.
It was as tall as Alba, who stood over three meters.
Alba immediately slammed his shoulder into it, knocking it to the ground as it shrieked in pain.
But countless more monsters descended from the sky, cutting off their escape.
"This isn't good—we're surrounded!"
Shinji shouted.
The creatures slowly closed in. At the tips of their wings were sharp talons, scraping continuously against the ground.