The Tower of Babel… 30th Floor.
With the declaration of a Wargame, an emergency Denatus was held between the gods.
The buzz of excited chatter echoed across the amphitheater.
Nearly a hundred deities packed the spectator stands, encircling a large stone table set at the center.
Seated across the table on two opposite sides were two goddesses, one grinning from ear to ear and the other wearing a solemn expression.
Of course, they were Loki and Ishtar, respectively, but the difference in demeanor between the two goddesses couldn't have been any more apparent.
Loki looked visibly relaxed, while Ishtar was sweating profusely, her body stiff as a stone as she sat in her chair.
'Damn it… damn it… DAMN IT!'
Ishtar cursed internally, gnawing furiously on the nail of her thumb.
'Where the hell is that damn Hermes!?'
'He was supposed to deliver my Killing Stone yesterday or the day before that!'
Ever since Judas had laid waste to Belit Babili, Ishtar had thrown herself into frantic preparations for the Killing Stone ritual.
After making sure that Haruhime was secured, everything should have proceeded without a hitch.
All she had to do was wait for Hermes to show up and deliver the Killing Stone she needed.
When he failed to show on schedule, Ishtar tried to soothe her rising anxiety.
'He must be late… that's right, being delayed is completely normal, yes, that's it.'
'I just need to be patient… that's all.'
She clung to that fragile optimism, waiting for one of her children to bring news of Hermes' arrival.
She waited, and waited, and waited, and waited… and kept on waiting… until eventually… an entire day had passed, and Hermes was nowhere to be seen.
By the time the sun began to peek over the horizon, Ishtar, who had been battling sleep deprivation and pushed to her limits by mounting stress... finally snapped.
"FUCK!"
She screamed at the top of her lungs, grabbing her hair and violently smashing everything within arm's reach.
'Hermes is one thing… but where the hell did that toad run off to?! She hasn't returned since she slunk off into the Dungeon!'
With Belit Babili undergoing heavy repairs, Ishtar was currently forced to operate out of one of her side inns as a temporary headquarters.
'Fuck! Everyone is completely useless!'
The guard stationed outside her doors flinched as Ishtar's frantic shriek was immediately followed by the shattering of glass and breaking porcelain.
Gathering his courage, he cracked the door open to check on her.
"Lady Ishtar… is something wro—"
A ceramic flower pot smashed into the wall an inch from his face, spraying soil and shattered clay across his cheek.
"WHAT?!"
Ishtar whirled on him with a glare that could kill.
The guard blinked once, wisely pulling his head back and shutting the door in absolute silence.
It wasn't until the day of the emergency Denatus that Ishtar finally visited the Hermes Familia's home to inquire about his whereabouts.
However, it seemed that even they had no idea where he was, and Ishtar confirmed that they weren't lying, either.
In the end, Ishtar had to force herself to attend the Denatus, or else people would think she was afraid.
'Useless! Everyone is useless!'
Ishtar's fists clenched so hard her knuckles turned white.
"That's a real scary look ya got on your face, Ishtar. Wonder what's cookin' in that head of yours?"
Loki drawled with a sharp smirk, leaning back and propping both feet up on the table.
Observing the exchange, the surrounding deities murmured in amusement.
It was a blatant provocation, and Loki was clearly enjoying every single reaction from her supposed rival.
Ishtar ground her teeth together so hard her jaw ached.
"Loki, take this seriously."
Ishtar glared at her with bloodshot eyes.
Loki let out a casual chuckle, causing a prominent vein to throb on Ishtar's temple.
"Alright… alright… I'll play nice. Let's get down to business, shall we?"
Loki spoke, although she still kept her feet up on the table, not changing her posture at all.
Ishtar suppressed the wave of white-hot rage threatening to erupt, doing her absolute best not to fall for Loki's rage baiting.
"Let me restate what you and Judas have already agreed on for everyone here… if the Ishtar Familia loses the Wargame… they will become a subordinate Familia to mine…"
"And if you win… if that's even possible, then my familia will leave ya alone, isn't that right?"
Loki said as she stretched her arms out and placed her hands behind her head.
"That's… right…"
Ishtar spat out through gritted teeth, continuing to glare at Loki as if she were trying to bore a hole through her skull.
Loki subtly shifted her gaze to the Guild worker, who was writing on a document with a quill, recording the details of this meeting.
"Now that the stakes are locked in, let's talk about the format."
Loki said, raising her voice to address the gallery.
"If anyone's got a suggestion… raise a hand and speak up."
Hearing this, the surrounding crowd gradually grew louder.
Excitement could be seen on their faces as more than half of them immediately raised their hands.
"Just a little warning, though… I don't like it when my time gets wasted… so make sure your suggestions are something fun, too. If I find them boring or outright ridiculous… well…"
Loki paused… then her face shifted into a sinister grin.
Sometimes, leaving things to their imagination was more frightening than the actual threat itself.
Seeing this, some of the gods who had been about to suggest something ridiculous, like a 'Maid Dress-Up Competition' or a 'Dick Measuring Showdown', silently lowered their hands.
Still, plenty of hands remained raised.
Among them was Freya, who held up a slender hand with an effortless, serene smile.
"Oh? The Almighty Freya herself has a suggestion? Then, let's hear it."
Loki said, pointing toward her.
'Freya…'
Ishtar thought as she pressed her fingers against the table, looking at her fellow Goddess of Beauty.
Seeing her most hated rival here made her irritation spike even further.
When Ishtar gave her the stink eye, Freya gracefully ignored it as if it weren't worth acknowledging, as though she were brushing off a child's tantrum.
"Instead of bogged-down objectives and complicated rules like past War Games… why not keep it simple?"
Freya proposed smoothly.
"A straightforward brawl. The last one standing wins."
When Freya finished speaking, the crowd let out a collective 'oooh'.
"An all-out brawl, huh? Hmm… not bad."
Loki pursed her lips and rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"Well, let's hear out the rest before we vote."
Loki said as she pointed towards another goddess, who also offered her suggestion.
One by one, the deities who had raised their hands spoke up.
Once the proposals were on the table, Loki called for a show of hands.
"All those in favor of Freya's suggestion, raise 'em up!"
Unsurprisingly, more than half the gods in the room immediately raised their hands.
The male deities were, as usual, total simps who would gladly vote for whatever Freya suggested.
"Well… there ya have it. An all-out brawl, last man standing wins."
Loki clapped her hands together, looking over at Ishtar, who had remained stone-silent.
"I have no objections."
Ishtar replied reluctantly, knowing that the votes had already been cast and it was too late to change anything.
Just like that, the Wargame's format was settled, and later that day, the Guild announced the details to the public.
Soon, a sense of excitement surged through the city, reaching even the places beyond its walls.
…
"The Shreme Castle Ruins?"
Judas repeated as Loki briefed him on the venue later that evening.
It was an old, ruined fortress located outside Orario, surrounded by open plains and prairies.
Having been abandoned for years, with no villages or towns for several miles, it was the perfect battlefield for even first-class adventurers to let loose without restraint.
"Yup. To give both sides time to prepare, the Wargame will start in three days."
Loki said, holding up three fingers.
Judas nodded calmly.
"That's more than enough time."
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