In a fairly spacious hall unlit by magic stone lamps, illuminated only by a few candles that had been lit and that provided faint, wavering firelight, stood a strangely shaped pedestal that was extremely eye-catching, while outside the hall, there were many weapons with frightening appearances, such as daggers, swords, spears, and the like.
Upon closer inspection, the pedestal appeared to be made of stone, its shape resembling that of a tree stump, with layers of vines tightly coiled around it, as though it had fused together with plant life, giving off an eerie and unsettling impression within the darkened space.
And upon this stone-made pedestal, there was not only a crimson jewel, but also a layer of pale, watery film.
At this moment, within that pale water film, a corner of the underground sewers beneath Daedalus Street was reflected, showing the scene of Riezel, Ais, and Lefiya battling fiercely against a group of Violas.
Seeing the scene, the man standing before the stone-made pedestal let out a soft chuckle.
"Just as expected… they came..."
If the people of Orario saw him, they would feel that he was a noble being who radiated an extraordinary aura, one that clearly indicated that this man was not human but a god.
He possessed a decadent air, tinged with a faintly bewitching quality, as well as long, feminine hair that flowed like silk, its deep purple color evoking an ominous feeling. He was tall yet slender in build, dressed in a tattered black robe with gray designs and purple edges, with a frivolous smile hanging at the corner of his mouth.
"Enyo really called it. After clearing the 59th Floor and seeing the nursery there, the Loki Familia was bound to investigate us, and in the end, they would find this place."
He was not surprised at all by the appearance of Riezel and the others.
No—there was a little surprise, at least.
"Hm, much faster than I expected. I thought it would take them quite some time to track this place down, but they arrived this quickly."
He muttered in a tone of mild admiration.
"Loki's children really are capable."
As the god's murmured monologue fell, the one who responded to it was a human who had slipped into the hall at some unknown point.
"…You just mentioned Loki's children, didn't you? Thanatos."
Saying this in a whisper like that of a madman was a human woman wearing a long coat trimmed with monster fur.
Beneath the coat, she wore only a damaged top that barely covered her chest, wearing leather pants on her lower body. A sadistic smile rested on her face, making the violence hidden in her heart obvious at a glance.
"Oh? So you were here, Valletta."
Hearing the woman's words, the god named Thanatos was not startled at all, merely smiling silently as he turned around and looked at the human woman behind him.
"You came at just the right time. I was just thinking of sending someone to call you over."
As Thanatos smiled darkly, he stepped aside from the stone-made pedestal, allowing the scene within the pale water film to be fully revealed to the human woman named Valletta.
Valletta stepped forward without the slightest hesitation, rudely taking over Thanatos's position as she gazed into the water film.
"Hehh~ so it really is you guys from Loki Familia..."
Valletta's whole body trembled as she spoke, her voice sounding as if she were overwhelmed with joy.
"Sword Princess... Thousand Elf... and that guy's gotta be the rumored Liberator, right?"
"Two executives from the Loki Familia, showing up together with the successor to the strongest mage?"
"Yeah, no doubt about it—this place has been found. I bet the rest of Loki Familia's gotta be somewhere nearby."
For those hiding in the shadows, this situation should have been extremely unfavorable, and yet, for some reason, despite how dire it was, Valletta trembled with delight and even let out a frenzied voice.
It couldn't be helped.
"Where's Finn?"
"Where'd that damn Braver run off to?"
"I've missed him so much!"
Words that should have been filled with affection, when spoken by Valletta, instead carried a chilling madness and a murderous aura that spread through the air.
At the mention of Finn, a dense hatred surged into Valletta's eyes, which clearly showed that she and Finn had a grudge—and a deep one at that.
Thanatos then spoke up casually.
"Don't go acting recklessly, Valletta. Loki's pride and joy is already Level 7 now. If you run into him without any preparation, you'll die for sure."
Even as he said this, Thanatos spoke with a casual smile.
"Of course, it wouldn't matter if you died. For the sake of our relationship, I'd arrange a nice place for you once I return to Heaven."
Thanatos's tone sounded innocent and carefree, yet the content of his words sent a chill down the spine.
"Tch, as if I'd just die that easily," Valletta clicked her tongue, sounding annoyed. "I don't wanna die. And even if I do, I'm dragging that damn Braver down with me first. Only then can I die satisfied."
"Hmm, that's a shame," Thanatos said with a regretful look, though his tone was completely indifferent. "In that case, could I trouble you to notify those two goddesses? It's a bit rushed, but it can't be helped. Loki's children found their way here far earlier than we expected. We'll have to follow the original plan and have those two goddesses step in to help us."
Hearing this, Valletta withdrew her gaze from the water film and turned toward Thanatos.
"I don't care about anything else, but Finn is mine."
Valletta spoke in a tone that allowed no argument.
"I'm gonna kill him with my own hands—rip off his limbs, smash his face under my foot, spit in his mouth while he's barely hanging on, and let him choke on his own regret till he's gone."
Venomous words poured unrestrained from Valletta's mouth, and just hearing them would be enough to make a timid person's legs give out.
"Sure, sure," Thanatos did not hesitate at all and said very frankly. "As long as someone dies, I'm satisfied. I don't care about the rest."
"Heh, yeah, that's totally your style, Lord Death God," Valletta said with a grin. "Thanks for keeping it straight with me. I'll go get things ready right away."
"Go on, go on," Thanatos said as he waved his hand. "Don't forget to call Barca as well. If Loki's children make it in here, we'll need his power."
"Tch, got it," Valletta said, sounding annoyed. "I'll drag that damn guy over here."
Leaving behind this mocking remark, she turned around and left the place, and only then did Thanatos lift his head and continue gazing at the water film, letting out a low chuckle.
"Hehe, the real show is finally about to begin."
"So, will Enyo and I win… or will you?"
"It's a rare opportunity. Let's see how it turns out, Loki."
Thanatos's low laughter echoed through the dark hall, causing something like a miasma to slowly spread through the air.
In no time at all, the ominous atmosphere grew even heavier, quietly heralding the storm that was about to arrive.
===
In the dark underground, at some distance from the stone-made pedestal hall, a corridor echoed with a burst of chaotic footsteps, pounding like galloping hooves.
Of course, this was not caused by a group of horses or the like, but rather was caused by a group dominated by amazonesses.
At the very front of the group of amazonesses dressed in revealing—one could even say highly provocative—attire, a brown-skinned goddess led them forward.
A circlet of gold and silver, earrings, ornaments, bracelets, and anklets adorned her body. Aside from these accessories, she wore only a belt, a waist cloth, and bands that covered her chest.
In the eyes of mortals, she was a goddess whose beauty surpassed all else.
A goddess whose beauty was striking, and with many amazoness following her, she was unmistakably none other than Goddess Ishtar, the ruler of the Entertainment District and a Goddess of Beauty like Freya.
Now, she appeared here along with her amazoness combatants known as 'Berbera.'
Behind her were not only numerous scantily clad amazonesses, but also a female giant over two meters tall who looked like a giant toad-like creature, as well as a long-legged, strikingly beautiful, and fierce amazoness.
Beyond that, there was even a cage being escorted at the center by a group of berberas, all moving slowly forward through the dark underground.
Before long, a black-robed man approached from ahead and came to a stop in front of Ishtar.
"...Greetings, Lady Goddess."
Seeming to have his senses stolen by Ishtar's allure, he swallowed hard, then hurriedly lowered his head in greeting, behaving with extreme nervousness.
By contrast, Ishtar appeared to be in a rather poor mood.
"Why did you call me here at a time like this?" Ishtar puffed on her smoking pipe, clouds of smoke drifting as she spoke with clear displeasure. "I'm very busy, y'know."
Ishtar truly was busy.
Recently, she had been preparing to make a move against that detestable archenemy she could not stand.
To deal with that archenemy's strongest familia, she had contacted allies far outside Orario and cooperated with the remnants of Evilus. After great effort, she had finally secured a trump card and was just about to wrap things up and formally launch an attack on that goddess's stronghold, crushing her completely.
Yet, at such a critical moment, these remnants of Evilus had hurriedly summoned her here and had even demanded that she bring the majority of her familia, which thoroughly soured her mood.
In response, the black-robed man hastily spoke up.
"My deepest apologies, but according to Lady Valletta, the Loki Familia seems to have already found this place. As per our prior agreement, we will hand over 'that' to you, and you must act on our behalf once, so..."
He did not finish the sentence, nor did he need to, since Ishtar had already grasped the situation.
"At a time like this, I have to clash with Loki first?"
Ishtar frowned deeply, her expression growing even more displeased.
However, unlike Ishtar, the toad-like female giant standing behind her lit up with joy the moment she heard the name 'Loki Familia.'
"Loki Familia's here? What about the Sword Princess?" the toad-like female giant shouted in an irritatingly loud voice. "Did that ugly freak show up too?"
"Y-Yes..." the black-robed person replied timidly, shaken by the giant woman's appearance and voice. "She apparently came as well..."
"Good," the toad-like female giant grinned grossly and turned straight toward Ishtar. "Goddess, let's mess around with the Loki Familia right here!"
"Shut up, Phryne," Ishtar said coldly. "Don't act like I don't know what you're trying to pull."
Hearing this, the toad-like female giant named Phryne frowned and continued loudly.
"So what? We're about to throw down with the Freya Familia anyway. Why not mess with the Loki Familia first and test out our new tool? What's the problem?"
Phryne's words gave Ishtar pause.
"...You're not wrong."
After a short while, Ishtar's expression relaxed.
"Fine. Since it's part of the agreement, we'll act for you once and test the power of 'that' while we're at it."
As she said this, Ishtar seemed to recall something and turned to the long-legged, strikingly beautiful, and fierce amazoness beside her.
"Aisha, take Haruhime and go with Phryne. Before testing 'that,' let's try out Haruhime's magic first."
Hearing this, the amazoness named Aisha silently nodded.
Behind her, within the cage tightly surrounded by berberas, a golden fox tail swayed slightly, betraying the unease and loneliness in its master's heart.
"Oh, right... My guests seem to have been invited by you as well. Where are they?"
Ishtar asked the black-robed man another question.
In response, the black-robed man lowered his head and answered quickly.
"Someone has already gone to fetch them."
===
At the same time, elsewhere in the dark underground, a group of people had gathered in what appeared to be a room, and these people were also amazonesses.
However, although their numbers were no fewer than Ishtar's berberas, the fierce aura they radiated far surpassed that of the Ishtar Familia's amazoness, filling the entire room with a suffocating, killing intent.
At the center of these amazonesses stood a small goddess with blood-red hair and similarly brown skin, sitting with her legs spread wide, making her resemble the chieftain of some tribe.
Even though she looked like a young, cute little girl, she wore accessories strung together from fake skulls, along with a mask bearing fangs, making her overall appearance rather uncanny.
Behind this small goddess stood two amazonesses with sandy-colored hair, looking like her bodyguards.
They appeared to be twins, their features extremely similar, yet the presence they exuded was anything but ordinary. Even when compared to the amazoness twins Tiona and Tione, they were not inferior in the slightest, and in fact even faintly surpassed them.
At this moment, before the small goddess accompanied by the twin amazonesses and numerous other amazonesses, there was likewise a black-robed man requesting her aid.
"Loki Familia?"
Unlike Ishtar, the small goddess did not feel displeased at having been invited to act, but instead looked rather intrigued.
Not only the small goddess, but the twin amazonesses behind her reacted in the same way.
"Loki Familia? Isn't that Tione's familia?"
"...Tiona is in that familia too?"
The twin amazonesses spoke in turn—one voice filled with blazing fighting intent, the other cold and ruthless.
"Yes," the black-robed man said respectfully. "Loki Familia's Jormungand and Amazon have long been famous. Since they are attacking this time, those two will surely appear."
Hearing this, the twin amazonesses said nothing for the moment, but the small goddess spoke first.
"Interesting... so those two little girls are already Level 6?"
"I admit that was fast. If I'd known, I shouldn't have let them go back then."
"But anyway, it doesn't matter, since the ritual can still be held here."
With that, the small goddess stood up.
"Alright, we agree."
"Next, I'll have my familia take action."
"But those twin sisters are ours. You're not to lay a hand on them. Understood?"
Her condition was naturally accepted without objection by the black-robed man.
"I'm really looking forward to it."
Right after saying this, the small goddess let out an innocent laugh, which reached the ears of the numerous amazonesses behind her.
At once, their fighting intent flared, and a savage light gleamed in their eyes.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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