Kisuke thought about it for a bit and said, "You want to go through my memories?"
'But even then, that wouldn't count as 'experience'.' Kisuke thought to himself that's why he's not sure what she exactly wants. Though he already has a vague idea what she's going to say next and he's already not liking it.
"You just said that it would be a good idea to experience the world from a different lens, so if I win, not just your memories, but your feelings and what you're going through on that exact instance. You could say it's the first step towards that wonderful advice of yours."
Kisuke's smile disappeared and without any word, he snapped his fingers, activating another barrier that would slightly distort the images that are going out and block the sounds entirely.
Freya looked around and tried to figure out what the barriers were for. However, she was already expecting this and didn't ask about it. Instead, she raised three of her fingers and said, "Then how about three favors from me?"
Kisuke massaged the bridge of his nose and sighed.
"Then five? I believe that's more than sufficient price."
Kisuke then raised his head and looked at her. He knows that she couldn't really blame Freya but he still couldn't help but feel disappointed, "You don't have any idea how enormous the price you're asking for. Even if you raise all of your fingers, that would be nowhere enough. And even if I can assure my victory, I can't just devalue my experience like that. After all, even I have a pride that I want to keep."
This time, Freya raised her brows in wonderment. Although she knew she's asking for something steep, she didn't think that the latter would still not allow it even with all the favors she could offer, 'Is he undervaluing my favors or is he overvaluing his few years of experience. I won't deny that he's truly a unique existence and his experience could be said the same, however, an agreement or contract of permanent nondisclosure could be made so anything about him would still be safe with me. To think that we couldn't even reach that part...'
'But since he blocked the sound from going out, this at least meant that negotiation is still on the table.' Freya thought about it for a moment and instead of making an offer of her own, she asked, "What do you suggest I should put on the line?"
"You."
"...Huh?" Freya wanted to believe that she heard him incorrectly.
"Only when you can offer your whole self that I'll think about it.", Kisuke clarified.
Freya glowered at Kisuke's preposterous words, "If you wanted to refuse, you could just have said it. In what world some experience and that of a single person could become equal to one of the highest seats of this world? Do you know how ridiculous your words are just now?"
Of course, Kisuke knew that no matter how precious his experiences are, there's no way it could be equivalent to Freya's life in her own eyes. With that said, he himself still believes that his experience is more valuable than Freya's entire being, but he wouldn't be able to negotiate with the greatest possible benefits if he doesn't start high. More than his pride, the safety of those around him takes priority.
'She could easily prove the value of her existence, but how should I prove mine?', Kisuke thought about it while Freya silently waited for his answer. As much as she wants to dismiss Kisuke's claims, there's a nagging feeling that makes her want to continue listening.
After a little bit, Kisuke finally made a move and took out a blue polished crystal card etched with various runes and patterns from his inventory and placed it on his forehead before closing his eyes. Freya watched in curiosity and saw that the card slowly changed its color until it was red and the writings on it turned golden.
'This should be enough for a teaser. I should be able to at least get her cooperation for most things.', thought Kisuke as he opened his eyes and said, "Within this card is a portion of my memories. Sadly, I have no way of including what I'm feeling at that moment, as of now. But this should give you a rough idea of what you're asking for."
Kisuke then threw the card towards Freya after saying, "But I'd like you to promise first that you won't reveal anything that you'll see."
Freya caught the card and inspected it for a few moments and deciding, "I promise on my name that I won't reveal whatever I'm going to see.", the moment those words left Freya's lips, her whole body glowed but that shine also instant went away, "How do I use this?"
Kisuke nodded in satisfaction and answered, "Bring it on your forehead as I did and inject your aura into it. Just make sure that you don't reject anything that comes from it or most of the information would be lost."
Freya was suspicious, but she could at least tell that Kisuke wasn't lying. After hesitating for a few seconds, Freya finally did as Kisuke instructed and in the next instant, she was taken to another world.
'This is...' Freya was taken aback but immediately calmed down after figuring out that it was just a fake world created through Magic. She looked around the barren land and what initially caught her attention were the two strange men standing and facing each other from a certain distance.
Freya wanted to move closer but found out that she can't move anything aside from her head. She looked down and saw the familiar green motif eastern attire and wooden sandals, 'So I'm standing in his place.'
Now that she knew she couldn't do anything else, Freya refocused her attention to the men that seemed to be gearing to fight each other, 'I wonder what's so special about this?'
Of the two, Freya first looked at the man in white that seemed to sprout multiple butterfly wings stacked together on his back. But as she narrowed her focus, she shuddered at the concentrated aura that was around the man. The intense unknown aura that Freya felt made her want to hurl and flee the scene, 'W-what's that!?' She only stopped her attempt when she recalled that this is just a memory and she couldn't even move in the first place, 'If it were me in my original body, I would be hurt just from prolonged contact with that thing.'
She then turned her eyes to the other one who seems to be a young man with bright orange hair and wears a similar attire as Kisuke, just black overall. Contrary to the white man, this young man doesn't emit anything. It's as if he's not even there.
Freya couldn't observe any further as the young man started talking, "Let's get started, Aizen. I'm gonna finish this in a blink of an eye."
Although the language was unknown to her, Freya could understand him without any problem and just attributed it to her standing in Kisuke's place.
"...Finish this in the blink of an eye... I see... Now I understand, Kurosaki Ichigo. I understand the reason why you no longer possess Reiatsu. It's not that you've lost it, but you discarded it.", the white man named Aizen started talking.
"I do not know what method you used, but you converted all of your Reiatsu into physical strength. Arm strength, leg strength, grip strength, throwing strength, running strength. You discarded your Reiatsu in order to dramatically increase all of your body's capabilities because you gave up on the idea of fighting me with Reiatsu.", spreading his six pairs of butterfly-like wings, Aizen's aura further intensified, "However, you should abandon all of your hope. I will show you that even this strength that you placed all your faith in is far below that of my own."
Editors:
28th00: Ah, the climactic battle. Yeah, if that doesn't sell it, nothing would.
AN: 06/19/22
That's everything for me today~
Enjoy and have a great day~!
And for those who are hoping the entire Freya Familia to stay dead, I apologize for breaking your expectation. They still have a role to fulfill in the future.
Kisuke didn't have to wait long until Freya finished the memory. Since it's just a bunch of information, the card was able to transfer everything within just a few seconds before it disintegrated into ash, permanently destroying any records after its one-time use.
Kisuke was about to say something to start the negotiation but held his words back when Freya looked at him with eyes filled with fear, 'Err... Was it that bad? Since the only thing I did there was seal the temporarily weakened Aizen, she must have been terrified by both Aizen and Kurosaki-san.'
And Kisuke was right, mostly.
The moment the battle started, Freya could only silently stare in fright as the terrain changed with each of their clashes. It is not to say that Gods aren't capable of such feats, but to obliterate an entire mountain with something as casual as a simple swing of a sword was beyond her realm of understanding and possibility.
In addition to the blinding speeds that she could barely catch with her eyes and instant teleportation that's impossible to predict, Freya, even at her full strength and original body, would just be a mere child in front of them.
And that became even more apparent when the white man used a spell that encloses the target within a dark void. Just from the fluctuation from it, Freya presumed that she would be reduced into a mangled piece of meat if she were to be trapped within it.
When Aizen transformed into a monstrous being, Freya could feel the aura around him disappear. But a few moments later, she figured out that it didn't disappear but Kisuke couldn't perceive it anymore.
At that point, her mind already stopped working as the battle raged on.
After the whole thing, she mostly forgot what she had seen because of three key moments that occupied everything in her head, 'W-what was that? Is something like that even possible to exist?'
In the end, she didn't know what she's even scared of the most. Whether it's the last attack of the young man that seemed to not just physically cut the target but also their 'past, present, and the future, the monster that survived it, or the man who's capable of sealing such a being, she didn't know what terrified her the most.
'A final attack that's capable of cutting the fabric of reality itself... A monster that survived an attack that could even kill immortals with ease... And a man that the monster viewed as his equal and was able to seal the latter... These powerhouses that shouldn't exist are within his memories... I see... So that's how it is...'
As she managed to rearrange her thoughts and calm herself down, Freya finally had the time to properly look at her opponent. Kisuke then noticed a shift in how Freya looked at him. At first, Freya looked at Kisuke as a mortal. No matter what he does, it's still within the realms of mortals. After their fight, she finally viewed him as a threat and an equal. But now, Kisuke couldn't exactly tell how it changed yet again as it was a mix of various emotions.
Even Loki was startled at how Freya changed in front of him, 'What happened to her? What are they talking about?' Though that change wasn't noticed by anyone else.
However, what happened next almost made Loki kick the table away if not for her immediate self-control because others might notice her reaction, 'WHAAAAAT!? WHY DID FREYA BRING THAT DOWN!? WHAT'S REALLY HAPPENING OVER THERE!?'
On the screen, everyone could see Freya raising her arms up before summoning a white orb that emitted a faint light. On the surface was a symbol that looked like interlacing lines that formed a three-point shape. Ever since the sound disappeared and their lips blurred out, everyone has been wondering what the two are talking about and that curiosity only increased with the appearance of the orb, "Loki-sama, do you know what that orb is?", the Elf Hedin asked.
"A Divine item. There's no point in further explaining what it really is.", Loki kept her calm as she answered but more questions kept popping up in her head on why Freya brought down her own 'heart', 'Just bringing it down already risks her of disappearing forever. What on earth really happened for her to take on that risk without any hesitation?'
"What is that?", asked Kisuke after guessing that it wasn't an item used for battle.
"My everything.", Freya looked at him with a small smile, "My heart. Take this, and I'll be yours, forever."
Kisuke was taken aback. He honestly didn't expect that Freya would agree to his first term. However, he was still suspicious of the veracity of her words and kept quiet.
Guessing what's on his mind, Freya continued, "You can confirm it, Loki."
And Kisuke did as she has said, securing a telepathic path to Loki, [Loki-sama, mind telling me what's on her hand right now?]
But Loki remained silent even after waiting for a minute or two. Her reluctance became obvious to Kisuke so he added, [I'll tell you what's going on later.]
Loki was silent for a few moments but eventually spoke, [...A Deity's heart. More specifically, Freya's heart.]
[So that's the source of her power? You can take it out?]
[No... That's different from our Divine Core. It's something that usually sits on the deepest depths of our souls. It's something more important to us than our power. Destroying that won't kill Freya, instead, what makes Freya 'Freya' will cease existing. It'll regenerate over time, but it'll never be the same.]
[I get it. That's her will, ego, and consciousness.]
[You better keep your promise.]
Kisuke didn't say anything else to her and terminated their connection, "Since you took it out, I assume that you're betting with it?"
Freya nodded, "Certainly."
"I've never thought that you'd agree so easily."
Freya chuckled and said, "I'm of the same opinion, but after what you showed me, it would be an injustice to you. Though I do have an additional condition."
"What is it?"
With a beautiful and radiant smile that could capture anyone's heart, Freya responded, "Regardless of the result, I'd like you to take me on a date~ Somewhere far from here."
'So that's what tipped the scale.' Of course, Kisuke knew how not to accept her words at face value and easily found out the hidden meaning behind them. Since he already concluded that Deities of this world can't leave because of the shackles known as the 'Heaven', 'freedom' for them was an impossible thought. For Freya, just being presented with the possibility of shaking off these shackles and experiencing a world beyond her recognition and imagination was enough for her to bet her life on.
Kisuke thought about it for a little while before giving a reply while scratching his head, "You do know how strict your 'parents' are, so I can't really promise. But you can count on me to give it some effort if that's fine with you."
Contrary to how Kisuke predicted she would respond, Freya nodded happily and said, "That's more than enough~!"
'How desperate are you!?' Kisuke internally thought as he realized how important 'freedom' is for these bored Deities, 'Though it might not just be Freya, if the others want something similar, I can use this as leverage.'
Editors:
28th00: Hestia would absolutely want to follow, so would Artemis.