Chapter 176 Aliens.



"Well, all I can say is I'm glad nobody got hurt."

Wearing a brilliant smile, although a fake one, Sam spoke to the two soldiers in front of him. Another five were found lurking nearby. Thankfully the Valkyries were quick to notice something was off and chose to restrain them instead of attacking, and after dragging them back to the ship Sam chose the two that seemed to what he was saying and took them inside to talk.

The soldiers were understandably frightened. Their eyes moved around frantically and neither of them touched the tea that was served. Things won't go anywhere unless he got them to relax, but that was easier said than done.

"Before anything else, I want you to know that your safety is guaranteed. Since there were no casualties we are willing to overlook your aggression and promise to not harm you as long as you cooperate."

"R-really?" One of them asked, surprise clear in his eyes.

"Of course. I believe that, once we're done talking, you'll understand that we aren't your enemy."

Humans had no hope of hurting Valkyries let alone killing them. Normal ammunition can't penetrate the force field the Valkyries use, and though he's still incapable of creating it, Sam's new body is sturdy enough that no bullet could hope to harm him. Getting angry at those men for attacking them would be like a grown man being pissed about a child kicking his leg. 

"Alright then, how about we start with introductions? My name is Sam Sanderson. I'm technically the general in charge of the forty-sixth Resistance base, but that's irrelevant. Let's just say I'm the one in charge of those girls."

What he said clearly took the two men by surprise as their eyes shot open, their nervousness skyrocketing. Sam didn't understand why they reacted that way, after all everything he said was clear to anyone looking. He got his answer soon enough.

"Y-you!... You're O-O-Odin!!?" Said the one on the left, vibrating in his chair like he had to take an emergency trip to the bathroom.

Of course Sam was baffled by what he heard, so much that he was speechless for a few seconds. Why would they think he was the old man? The two of them look nothing alike, not to mention that Wolf was an old man even twenty years ago.

'Now, how should I go about this?'

The two think he's Odin because the Valkyries are under his leadership. One would expect people to know what the villain who almost destroyed humanity looks like so it was a mystery how they made such a mistake. 

That aside, Sam was now having trouble deciding what his answer should be. If he denies that he's the old man it would reveal the fact that he knows about him. But he didn't know if feigning ignorance would help. This conversation would impact the way he would interact with the surviving humans so he has to be careful of what he says.

"Odin… do you mean the all father from Norse mythology?"

After a couple of seconds he decided it would be for the best to hide the truth.

The two men stared at him for a while, their eyes shifting in each other's direction, their suspicion couldn't be any more obvious.

"May I hear your name?" Sam asked in an attempt to move the conversation. The other two were still not talking however so he picked up his cup and took a sip.

"David." One of them said a while later. "My name is David."

His comrade turned to glare at him, silently yelling at him to keep his mouth shut. The man named David returned a determined look before shifting his sight back to Sam.

"General Sanderson, right?" He said. "Would it be fine for me to ask a question?"

"Yes. Go ahead."

Lowering his gaze as his whole body tensed up, David then took a deep breath and spoke again.

"Those… females…" he said, his eyes wandering to Five and CS who stood guard in the corner. "They're angels, aren't they?"

"Indeed." The corners of Sam's mouth curled up as he replied. "But sadly they all belong to me so make sure you don't fall for them."

His attempt at humor wasn't well received. He understood that the "angels" the man was referring to are the Nephilim which meant affirming his suspicion would only serve to terrify him even more. There aren't that many distinctions between Valkyries and Nephilim so it was only natural to assume they're the same.

"Mr. David." Sam spoke. "May I ask what your rank is?"

"It's sergeant…"

"Sergeant David, then." Pausing for a moment, Sam took another sip of his tea before continuing. "Am I right to assume you and your comrades are humans?"

"... Yes."

"The information we have on your world tells us that humans were wiped out twenty years ago. That seems incorrect."

The evidence stood right in front of him, however it was still difficult to believe the humans of this world actually managed to survive when they didn't have the Valkyries helping them. The world was already at war against Wolf trying to steal the secret to immortality from him, but even if they were on guard, Hela's crusade didn't leave them any time to react. 

"We… don't know…" David replied, his head handing. "It was only recently that we started going out. We still don't know if there are any others besides us."

"David!" The second man shouted at him, his glare getting sharper.

"Forget it, Jacob. If they want us dead there is nothing we can do about it."

Letting out a sigh, David seemed to accept his fate and picked up the cup in front of him, staring at it before taking a sip.

"So you have been hiding for the past twenty years?" Sam asked.

"I was only nine when the war started. We were… lucky, I guess." 

There was a moment of silence as each waited for the other to speak. The second man, Jacob, continued to glare at his companion as if warning him not to say anything. Sam could tell they were trying to hide something from him. He was sure it had to do with other survivors. 

David seemed to calm down a little but his eyes kept drifting in the Valkyries' direction. After a while he looked at Sam again, apparently having deduced something from their conversation so far.

"General, you said you know about what happened to humanity, right?"

"... Yes." Sam replied. 

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but doesn't that mean you're also aware of who caused it all?" His eyes carefully studied Sam's expression. "You do know about the angels. Am I correct?"

Sam kept the fake smile plastered on his face and calmly answered.

"Do you mean the Nephilim?"

Though she introduced her kind as that when attacking his world, Sam doubted Hela did the same back in the day. They knew about Odin, but it was doubtful that the people of this world knew who the Nephilim were. It was easy to imagine the conspiracies and myths that would be born from beautiful women coming down from the sky to put an end to humanity. It didn't help that the wings and halos they use enhance the angel aesthetic so it wouldn't be a surprise if some people thought the massacres were just a work of god.

"Is that… is that what they're called?" Asked David.

"The ones on your world, at least. Those two, and the ones outside, are all Valkyries. You could say they're relatives, but they weren't involved in what happened to your people."

"... Does it matter?" It was Jacob who spoke next, his voice shaking with suppressed rage. "They're all monsters. Whether they were involved or not, it doesn't change that fact."

In the corner of his eye Sam noticed CS's brows twitch as a smile formed on her lips. She was clearly pissed, and the same goes for Zero Five whose ice cold eyes were locked on the two men. 

"Your name is Jacob, right?" Sam said. "I understand how you feel, but I would appreciate it if you don't refer to them as that."

"Or what? You'll kill us? You think we're afraid to die?"

His trembling voice betrayed him and the terror he felt was clear to everyone around. He didn't look much older than his companion so Sam assumed they were both around their thirties. That meant they witnessed the war when they were kids and the trauma that left in them is a good reason for their hostility toward anyone related to the Nephilim. Still, in order for the talk to move along he needed them to believe that he isn't their enemy, that's why Sam decided that he needed to explain to the two men that the Valkyries were different.

"Until just a couple of months ago, we were still at war with the Nephilim. The two over there fought on the Frontline against the same enemy that massacred the humans of your world, are you still going to hate them even while knowing that?"

Jacob was speechless once more, his mouth hanging open. He didn't know what to say, and who could blame him? David spoke next looking as confused as his friend.

"Wait, I still don't get it." He said, holding up a hand and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "You have been saying 'your world' for a while now, are you… are you trying to say you are an alien or something?"

"Well, something like that." Bringing his cup up Sam took another sip. "We come from another dimension that closely resembles yours. The Nephilim of your world invaded ours and we have been at war with them for a while now. We were supposed to sign a peace treaty recently but they didn't show up. That's why we came here to investigate."

The quick summary earned Sam more confused looks. The staring went on and on until Jacob seemed to finally get it at which point his eyes turned round. 

"Another dimension? You mean… like another universe?" He asked.

"Wait, the multiverse is real!?" David added, looking as shocked.

Sam could only smile at their reaction. It was understandable, he felt the same when he learned the truth as well. 

"Yes and yes." He replied. 

"Hold on… wha-... How?" 

"General, are you by chance messing with us?" David asked. 

"It's the truth." Sam said.

"Wait, you said you came here to sign a peace treaty? With the angels?" Jacob followed. 

"Yes." 

"Does that mean… does that mean you won the war? The war is over?" 

"Yes." Sam paused, thinking about something for a moment. "Well, as I said before we were told the humans of this world were wiped out. But, since there are more survivors, I will make sure to negotiate your safety with the-"

Just then Sam came to a realization. He remembered the reason they traveled to this other world in the first place, and when he did, his mood soured immediately. The humans of this world had something other than the Nephilim to worry about. It was doubtful that the Olympians would be willing to just leave them alone, and though he wasn't obligated to help them, Sam felt that he couldn't just outright ignore them.

[Doctor.]

As he pondered over what he should do about the situation, B3's voice came in.

"Yes?" Sam said, placing a hand on his right ear.

[Someone is here. He says he has a message for you.]