What is going on?
Why were the safeguards I set triggered?
Countless questions echoed through Elise's mind, but she was still in the middle of battle.
How could Amphisbaena possibly miss such an opportunity?
Though it had lost one head to Elise's strike, that did not mean it had grown stupid. Monsters of the Dungeon were never simple—let alone a Floor Boss of this caliber.
Seeing that its flames had proven ineffective, Amphisbaena opened its crimson maw once more. With the aid of the surrounding waves, it surged directly toward Elise.
"Monster, I don't have time to keep playing with you."
Although Elise said this, she made no move to evade. Instead, she allowed Amphisbaena to swallow her whole.
Roar... urp!
After devouring the tiny figure, it even let out a belch, almost as if mocking her.
"Roar—!"
But only a few seconds later, intense pain spread through Amphisbaena's body from within. It writhed violently, yet there was nothing it could do to ease the agony.
Brilliant seven-colored cracks gradually covered its entire body. Only at the brink of death did it realize what an unwise decision it had been to swallow that small creature.
If there were a next life, it certainly would not make the same mistake.
Boom—
Amid a dazzling explosion of rainbow light, Amphisbaena's body burst apart. Not even a drop of blood splattered outward.
Elise reappeared upon the water's surface, completely unharmed. She was so spotless it was almost absurd.
Of course, that was thanks to the Barrier of the Stars, which had shielded her from nearly everything.
Incidentally, before obtaining the Power of the Stars, Elise had always used the power of faith to protect herself. The method was essentially the same. Now that she no longer used faith, the fuel had merely shifted from faith to the Power of the Stars.
Appearing alongside her was Amphisbaena's intact giant magic stone. If she sold it, she would probably make another fortune.
With a wave of her small hand, Elise collected the enormous magic stone along with those from the monsters that had perished in the aftermath of the battle.
Without hesitation, she then used the Power of the Stars like a rocket booster, pushing her speed to its absolute limit.
She shot upward toward Babel at full velocity, leaving behind a lake scarred by battle.
Still, the Dungeon possessed self-repairing capabilities. It would likely return to normal before long.
More than that, Elise wanted to know what exactly had happened in Orario. Why had the two barriers she set with the Power of the Stars both been triggered in such a short span of time?
As far as she remembered, twelve years before the main story began, there were no major incidents.
Many of the scum from the Evilus had recently been dealt with by Hedin of the Freya Familia. Orario should have been safer than ever. Yet such an accident had occurred.
"Please don't let anything happen."
She did not know what was unfolding on the surface, but she needed to return as quickly as possible.
After all... if her chief goddess were sent back to the heavens, the divine blessing upon Elise would be forcibly sealed.
"If I find out who did this, I'll scatter their ashes to the wind!"
What Elise failed to notice was that, in that instant, the playful air she usually carried had completely vanished. At least on the surface, she truly looked worried.
Even if her chief goddess were gone, Orario still had many kind deities. At present, what Elise needed most was strength. Strictly speaking, which god she served was not all that important to her.
So why worry?
Was Astraea special?
Was it because she had granted Elise her blessing?
Or because she had silently supported her from behind?
Or had Elise truly developed feelings for Astraea?
Perhaps all of the above—but the deeper reason was certainly not limited to those.
It would depend on whether Elise could discover it herself.
...
"Are you all right?"
The gentle goddess stood before a street that had been reduced to rubble, extending her hand toward the red-haired girl seated on the ground.
It looked exactly like a famous painting of salvation.
"I... I'm fine."
Alise swallowed hard, staring fearfully at the devastation behind the goddess.
What had once been a relatively clean street had been reduced to near ruins with a casual wave of this goddess' hand.
Hey, hey!
Isn't that way too terrifying?
Aren't gods supposed to be unable to use divine power after descending to the lower world?
Then why did this goddess seem completely unrestricted?
Countless thoughts flashed through Alise's mind, but she quickly forced them aside.
Now was not the time to dwell on that!
That terrifying goddess was still staring at her!
If she didn't answer quickly, would she get blown up too?
"Th-Thank you for your help, Lady Goddess. You really saved me."
Astraea was not surprised by Alise's reaction. After all, she had borrowed Elise's power to unleash such a terrifying force. To ordinary eyes, it was indistinguishable from the use of divine power.
"It's nothing. Could you tell me why those people were chasing you?"
"Uh, I..."
"Could you tell me?" Astraea repeated with a gentle smile.
"Y-Yes!"
For some reason, a sense of danger welled up in Alise's heart, as if refusing would lead to something dreadful.
Standing before Astraea, Alise briefly recounted everything that had happened. Throughout her explanation, Astraea's expression shifted several times—so much so that Alise half-expected to be executed on the spot.
Fortunately, luck was on Alise's side once again.
"You did very well. Keep it up in the future."
"Yes! Thank you, Lady Goddess!"
Through the authority of her divine domain, Astraea could see through the girl's soul. Though it differed from Elise's case, her sense of justice was abundant.
Far more than many in Orario.
"There's one more thing I'd like to ask you..."
Just as Alise was preparing to leave, Astraea's voice rang out again, making her flinch.
"What is it? I promise I'll answer everything I know!"
Mortals could not lie before a god. Alise had no intention of asking for trouble.
Looking at the red-haired girl—so tense yet undeniably adorable—Astraea smiled.
She had found another promising child.
"Would you be willing to join my Familia?"