Haley and Yosef joined Joan in facing the councilman.

His soldiers rushed in with weapons out as soon as they heard the commotion. Yosef took out his puppets and made them face them.

"Who the hell are you?!" Diedrich yelled.

"I am sorry, but you will have to place this around your neck," Haley said and showed the collar.

"And she didn't mean it in any way sexual, just to clarify," Yosef voiced.

Joan went and attacked Diedrich with her sword. He summoned a shield from thin air to block the attack made from pure divine power. Diedrich then summoned more to surround and trap Joan from all sides. One even appeared on top making jumping over them impossible. It was like a cage had formed around her.

"Don't think surprising me at a bad spot would make this anymore easier. I am a Verstappen, and I will eliminate all our obstacles like my family has always done," Diedrich said and showcased his immense power and divinity.

Haley then formed crystals in the air and sent them flying at Diedrich. He formed more shields to protect him from the oncoming attack.

As the concentration of the councilman faded, Joan slashed the shields around her freeing herself.

Haley and Joan surrounded Diedrich as Yosef was finishing off the soldiers. His puppets were far superior to any regular grunt soldier. With extreme talent, Yosef controlled them like a true puppeteer master, with one of his puppets still not engaging the enemy.

Joan pounced on Diedrich and again he easily blocked the attack with a shield he summoned from nothing. Haley started to try and stop Diedrich by trapping his legs inside crystals. He answered the attack by having a shield fly towards her knocking her down and losing her focus.

"Guys, since you're doing such a great job, I just wanted to remind you, we need him alive," Yosef yelled with a sarcastic tone.

Haley and Joan were having a hard time putting the collar around him. They were unable to go full out without risking that they would kill the councilman.

"Fuck, why does it has to be so hard. Can't we just kill him!?" Joan asked.

Diedrich sent his shields flying at Haley and Joan. With her sword, Joan kept bashing the shields away as Haley guarded herself with crystals.

A snake made from crystal formed beneath Diedrich and bit him right on the leg. He yelled from the pain and summoned a shield and bashed the snake into pieces.

"Damn you all, I bet you are from the Fairfax kingdom. Once I am done with you all I will gladly march out and burn your country and plant the nation of Brahm's flag in your ruined capital," Diedrich said while holding on to the blood flow from his leg.

Yosef dealt with the soldiers and sent his puppets to attack Diedrich. Even though he was wounded his divine power made it tricky to capture him. He could summon a shield almost anywhere and control them with just a simple thought.

Yosef took out his last puppet that didn't previously have a weapon. It was holding out a dokkaebi rifle and took aim at Diedrich. The shot punctured him through his shoulder as he was too slow to react to it.

"NOW!" Haley yelled.

Joan ran at Diedrich and placed the collar around his neck.

"What the hell is this," Diedrich yelled touching the collar around him.

Three puppets pushed Diedrich down as the fourth one placed his rifle on his forehead.

"Listen here. It is true we are from the kingdom of Fairfax. What is also true is that the collar you have around your neck can kill you with a push of a button. You will now do as we say or we will kill you," Haley explained.

"You want me to be your slave. I rather would die!"

"We don't need anything else than you to stop all hostilities and preparations for war. Most importantly end all coalition talks with the nation of Sparv."

Diedrich started to laugh hysterically.

"Hah, you think I am afraid of my life! I am a councilman of the nation of Brahm and I would rather meet my maker standing than in the bed knowing what I could have achieved," Diedrich yelled and laughed.

Yosef stared at Haley on what to do next.

"I knew it! You need me alive right. Only I can stop the war and if I die it would reignite a war fever in our nation never seen before. Kill me and your kingdom dies or let me live and still your kingdom dies. Hahahahhaa," Diedrich laughed.

"How about her. You care about her so much," Joan said and dragged Diedrich's mistress by the hair.

She slammed her on the door and placed her sword right next to her head.

"What do you want with her!? She has nothing to do with anything?!" Diedrich yelled.

"So, you don't mind if I kill her right here and now?" Joan asked and lifted her giant sword to the back of the mistress's neck.

"Go ahead."

Diedrich watched as the woman tried to resist. Just before Joan was about to kill her he yelled out-

"NO!"

"Just as I thought. Yosef, throw me the collar," Joan yelled.

Yosef took the collar of Diedrich and threw it. She then placed it on the mistress's neck and walked toward the councilman.

"Now, you listen to us or your mistress will be holding her own head in her hands," Joan said looking at Diedrich.

"You think I would risk the future of our whole nation just because of one woman!"

"Yes…..yes I would."

Joan left the villa and passed Haley.

"Next time you need to be the one to make the hard decisions. Life is brutal, so become brutal as well," Joan whispered into Haley's ear.

~ ~

The three plain-looking girls who Haley saved from the harassing man were walking on the streets of Brehmen.

“Why did you decide to help the girl, Clotho? You know how valuable our gifts are and you just gave on for free. What if the other gods hear about this and start asking for them for free also?” one of the girls asked.

“It’s fine, Lachesis. We are on vacation anyway so stop thinking of work. And besides, did you look into the future of that girl, poor thing,” the second girl said back.

“She really has a poor future,” the third girl said.

“Oh, you looked into her future also, Atropos?”

“Yes, but what I thought was interesting was not her, but her brother. I bet you have seen him in many future sights,” the third girl said.

“Oh of course I have. I am dying to see him sail out to the universe. To see the great Rufus the world breaker spread his wings and go on his eeppos.”