116 Ironic

Riku simply watched as the god absently dug through his robes, his nerves still on edge as he waited for the enemy Champion to drop in unnannounced. After all, just because the resident god was now here didn't mean that they were safe. For all he knew, this might be another situation like back in the Dicastery where they had to fight someone to get past the challenge.

"Oh, you two can relax now, by the way. I don't like people fighting in my office," Astra reassured them as he then pulled out a key from his pockets. "Please, step into my office."

There was something surreal about seeing a literal god unlocking a door with a key, but Riku supposed such beings were allowed their eccentricities as him and Shizu followed Astra into the now opened door. Immediately, the first thing he noticed was how... lived-in the place was. The desk in the middle of the room was filled with stacks upon stacks of paperwork, and there was even a calendar hanging by the back of the room. A token potted plant sat by the corner of the office, and there were a few filing cabinets lining the walls that had stickers haphazardly labeling them regarding their contents.

Even more, to his surprise, Nyx was already there, along with a few figures both familiar and otherwise sitting on small leather couches.

"Oh, more Champions~ How wonderful~"

The first one to respond was Ragnarok, the Goddess of the End, if he recalled correctly. And surprisingly, the woman that almost killed him was sitting right next to her. The moment their eyes met, the air between them immediately turned hostile.

"You!" the woman snarled. "I should kill you when-"

"Now now, no fighting in my office," Astra coolly stated, his words dripping with power despite his tone. "I made you two drop down to different places for a reason, and I really don't want to see blood staining my floor."

"Ah, apologies, Big Brother Astra," Ragnarok soothingly bowed her head to the god. "I'm sure my Champion would know better after being told once~"

Riku stared as the enemy Champion snarled at him, only for her to quickly school her expression the moment Ragnarok gave her a pointed smile. Relenting, she bowed her head to Astra as well, still clearly angry at being denied her supposed kill.

"M-My sincerest apologies," the woman snarled.

"No offense taken," Astra chuckled with a wave of his hand. "I just want things to be calm around here. I'm sure you know how it is."

The conversation taking place in front of Riku almost felt mundane as him and Shizu stuck out like sore thumb just standing in the middle of the room. Looking around, the other god currently sitting there with the rest was Solis and Luna, the Goddesses of Life and Death respectively. The twins were seated side by side, but with a healthy bit of distance between them as they clearly tried to avoid talking to each other. Beside them were their Champions, a nurse with a scalpel for Luna and a young woman wielding a massive scythe for Solis.

That was... rather ironic.

Done with sightseeing, the two Champions slowly made their way near Nyx, their resident goddess just casually sipping on a cool drink as she lazily looked up to greet them.

"My Champion, Shizu, you two finally arrived," Nyx greeted them as she lazily lounged in her seat. "I was kind of getting worried for a second, to be honest."

"And yet we're still here," Riku scoffed as he took a seat beside her. "Did you really think I'd die out there?"

"Not really, but it's fun being worried sometimes," the Goddess of Chaos chuckled. "And Shizu too. I'm glad you're alright."

"I am too," Shizu chuckled back as she sat on the other side of the three-seater couch. "Should I expect Tyche to be here too?"

"He'll show up eventually, I think," Nyx shrugged, a faint hint of resignation suddenly gracing her tone at the question of her older brother. "Big Brother Astra's planning something else, I think. He's been gathering us here for a reason."

Riku simply nodded as he turned his attention back to the aforementioned god. He was still talking to Ragnarok about something inane and work-related, which was surprising to hear coming from gods themselves. He supposed that even all-powerful beings had paperwork to do to maintain the upkeep of the universe.

"Right, the Champions ahead of the pack have finally arrived at my office," Astra began with a clap of his hands as he sat down behind his desk. "First off, I want to congratulate you all for finding this place. I know even my brothers and sisters have trouble finding my office."

"That's because you keep changing its location, Big Brother," Solis animatedly pointed out with a annoyed tone. "And all those things outside that constantly shoots stars at us... It's hard to get stardust out of our clothes, you know."

"You can always use my washing machine if you want. Same goes for the others if they really want to," Astra teased. "I don't mind sharing."

"And have us wash our stuff somewhere that isn't in our own Realm? No thanks," Nyx chimed back.

"See? Even Little Nyx gets it," Solis quickly followed up. "It just isn't proper, Big Brother."

"Right, Gods and Goddess and all that," Astra casually waved the conversation away, ignoring the pointed looks that both Ragnarok and Luna were also staring into him. "Anyway, please stop staring at me like that. I don't want to hear from Kali again."

"That's what you get for being a perv, Big Brother," Nyx giggled.

"As if you're not any better," Solis quickly chimed in with a teasing tone. "You're just as degenerate at times, Little Nyx."

"I... can attest to that," Luna softly added.

The former assassin could only sit back and listen as Nyx began sputtering beside him. This kind of bickering was far from what he expected to find in this place, but at least he was getting some rest after the constant battles.

Still, he just knew that there was something else to all of this. It would be best to be prepared for the worst.