*BOOM!*
Inside one of the luxurious rooms of Belit Babili, on the open-air balcony, Ishtar slammed her hand hard against the stone railing in front of her, seething with rage.
It was only natural, for she was able to see the battle unfolding in front of Belit Babili—or rather, it was a battle that had already come to an end.
Soon enough, the roaring, rising flames of the explosion began to disperse, revealing the scene within.
Now, the ground had turned pitch black, and the deep pit where Phryne had been buried had been further shattered and collapsed, forming a charred crater.
Within that blackened crater, the grotesque toad-like giant woman was likewise burned all over, her entire body reduced to a scorched, charred state. Black smoke spilled from her mouth, her eyes rolled back, and she had completely lost consciousness—she was barely alive, on the brink of death.
Standing atop such a woman, the young man who had not even drawn his sword appeared as if nothing had happened as he raised his head and once again looked toward Belit Babili.
In that instant, whether by coincidence or because he had truly noticed, Ishtar’s gaze suddenly met his.
One was filled with fury, while the other carried a faint, ambiguous smile.
Just like that, the goddess and the human stared at each other.
Even though their emotions differed, there was no doubt that both wished to tear the other apart.
"Riezel Brynhart..."
Ishtar ground her teeth as she spat out the name, a name that had now become part of her nightmares, almost on par with Freya. If one were to ask who she hated most at this moment, even she could not distinguish whether it was Riezel or Freya, which alone showed how deeply she loathed him.
"Even Phryne with the level-boost magic couldn’t deal with that monster?!"
Ishtar was beside herself with rage.
"Why does everything have to get in my way?!"
"Why can a mere mortal from the Lower World ignore my charm?!"
"Why?!"
Ishtar was on the verge of being overwhelmed by negative emotions, until—
"I told you already. Your servant and familia are no match for that man."
A voice from the darkness suddenly resounded.
From the shadows in the corner of the open balcony, a figure clad in a purple robe, wearing metal gauntlets and a mask, appeared silently.
"You can only eliminate Liberator by cooperating with us, Goddess Ishtar."
Gazing at Ishtar, the masked figure, who was none other than Ein, spoke in a flat, emotionless tone.
"...You really have a way to deal with Liberator?"
Ishtar shot Ein a cold glance as she spoke.
"As long as you cooperate with me."
Ein answered calmly.
"What do I need to do?"
Ishtar showed little hesitation.
Ein was an evil force attempting to destroy Orario?
So what?
As long as it meant eliminating that detestable man, joining hands with such an evil force was not difficult for Ishtar to accept.
Needless to say, to this Goddess of Beauty, Orario held little importance, since what mattered most to her was whether she could destroy the enemy she despised and obtain supreme status and adoration.
As long as she had those, even if Orario were destroyed and the surface world returned to the dark ages of antiquity, it would be of no consequence, because she would still reign at the pinnacle among goddesses in the Lower World, after all.
As long as that was ensured, nothing else mattered to her.
It was precisely because of this that people like Ein and Thanatos had taken an interest in Ishtar and repeatedly chosen to cooperate with her.
Ishtar was, after all, far too easy to understand.
"You don’t need to do anything right now. Just continue what you’ve been doing."
Ein spoke to Ishtar in the same unchanging tone.
"Haven’t you already had your servant consume ’that’?"
"Although I didn’t expect her to be defeated so quickly, it doesn’t matter. In a little while, what she consumed will begin to multiply."
"So, leave the rest to me."
Right after saying this, Ein turned and left on her own without waiting for Ishtar’s response.
"...Tch."
Ishtar clicked her tongue.
’Enyo, huh?’
’Enyo... Enyo... there’s no god in Heaven by that name, so that must be a nickname or something.’
’Just who are they...?’
Just as this thought crossed Ishtar’s mind, she immediately discarded it.
’Forget it. Whoever they are has nothing to do with me, as long as they don’t interfere.’
Ishtar shifted her gaze and looked back toward Riezel, who was no longer looking in her direction.
Naturally—if he had still been watching, Ein likely would not have stepped out.
However...
’What is he looking at?’
Ishtar suddenly frowned.
Riezel, who had been stepping on the charred Phryne moments earlier, had already leapt down and now stood on the ground, gazing toward the entrance of the Entertainment District.
Ishtar could clearly see his expression, and that expression practically radiated satisfaction about something.
*BOOOM!*
As Ishtar was still wondering, a thunderous sound erupted without warning.
It was an explosion.
It was a roaring blast.
Along with that explosion and rumble, flames and black smoke surged into the night sky at the entrance of the Entertainment District.
*BOOOM!*
*BOOOM!*
*BOOOM!*
Before long, deafening explosions began to erupt one after another.
Under such circumstances, buildings throughout the Entertainment District began to explode and collapse, with blazing fire and black smoke rising from every corner, every direction, and every location.
Commotion and screams quickly echoed beneath the night sky.
"What’s happening?!"
Hearing the explosions and seeing the towering flames and black smoke, Ishtar panicked, and a dreadful thought instantly surfaced in her mind.
"Lady Ishtar!"
Just then, her attendant Tammuz rushed in from outside, his face filled with urgency.
He brought news—news that confirmed Ishtar’s suspicion, yet was still difficult to believe.
"T-The Entertainment District is under attack!"
Tammuz’s words caused Ishtar’s mind to go blank.
"...Under attack?"
Who was under attack?
Her Entertainment District?
In other words, her familia was being attacked?
By whom?
Who would dare attack the renowned Ishtar Familia of Orario?
With her thoughts in chaos, Ishtar quickly fixed her gaze on Riezel.
"Loki Familia?!"
No matter how hard she thought, this was the only possibility she could conceive of, because in Orario, only three familias would dare to attack the Ishtar Familia.
One was the Ganesha Familia.
But the Ganesha Familia served as the city’s enforcers, so they would never commit such a blatant violation of order.
Another was the Loki Familia.
As one of Orario’s strongest familias, they certainly possessed the strength to launch such an assault.
’It’s not just Liberator—has the entire Loki Familia come to attack?!’
Ultimately, this was the only conclusion Ishtar could reach.
Yet in thinking this, she forgot something.
Aside from the Loki Familia and the Ganesha Familia, there was a third familia in Orario that dared to attack the Ishtar Familia—the other strongest familia in the city.
*BOOOM!*
Amid a tremendous explosion, starting from the entrance of the Entertainment District and spreading toward Belit Babili, yet another building was set ablaze and collapsed within roaring flames.
A group of fully armed adventurers appeared, wielding all kinds of weapons, and their races showed no discernible pattern—humans, elves, beast-humans, amazons, dwarves, even pallums—all mixed together.
They sprinted through the Entertainment District and invaded from all directions, their faces devoid of emotion.
Some ran swiftly across rooftops, some dashed through the streets, and others wielded staffs, chanting magic—unleashing flames, lightning, storms, and frost—attacking the surrounding buildings unilaterally, giving rise to screams and explosions.
Clearly, they were the ones who had attacked the Entertainment District.
Some attempted to resist, only to be overwhelmed by an unimaginable force and swiftly struck down.
Some tried to flee, yet the attackers paid them no mind, continuing only to sow ruin.
Even though there was no coordination or teamwork, as each fought on their own in a chaotic and disorderly manner, they still crushed everything in their path through sheer overwhelming power.
Such power made it hard to believe they were adventurers like any others.
Evidently, their levels were at least Level 3, with a large number at Level 4—an extraordinarily powerful group.
If there was anything uniform about them, it was the emblem embroidered on their clothing or equipment.
It was the profile of a Valkyrie, edged in gold.
Upon seeing that emblem, many fleeing tourists widened their eyes in shock.
"Th-That’s the emblem of the Freya Familia?!"
"It’s the Freya Familia!"
"W-Why’s the Freya Familia attacking the Entertainment District?!"
Panic and terror multiplied instantly, severalfold.
A one-sided assault launched by one of Orario’s strongest familia made the situation exceed what many could endure.
Gods and mortals alike fled in madness, as if they had seen a devil—even the berberas who attempted resistance were stunned into paralysis, collapsing to the ground, unable to lift their weapons.
"What a dull battle."
"Hmph, there’s no challenge at all."
"At this rate, we won’t even need to step in."
"Tch, this is unbearably boring—let’s finish it quickly."
Glancing around, the pallum quadruplets known as the Gulliver Brothers complained one after another—one carrying a greatsword, another holding a spear, another gripping an axe, and the last wielding a hammer.
"In the end, they’re nothing but worthless trash. Even thinking up strategies against them feels like a waste."
"...It seems a single swing of my magic sword would turn this place into a lake of blood."
Hedin showed open disgust, while Hogni sneered coldly.
"What a farce."
Allen stared at the burning streets filled with screams as though he were looking at a heap of garbage.
"Lady Freya, we may proceed."
As for Ottar, he remained at his goddess’s side throughout, offering no commentary—only a composed report.
Seeing this group, whose presence differed entirely from the others—less domineering than outright malevolent—the onlookers hiding nearby trembled.
"Bringar!"
"Hildrsleif and Dainsleif!"
"Vana Freya!"
"A-And also..."
"King!"
As the onlookers spoke all these aliases, their voices were no longer mere screams but wails.
Seeing that the executives of the Freya Familia had appeared together, every adventurer lost their composure and cried out in panic.
Even the gods trembled without exception.
Because the silver-haired goddess, surrounded by these ferocious First-Class Adventurers, had personally descended upon this battlefield.
"Freya!"
On the open-air balcony of Belit Babili, having clearly seen the attackers’ identities, Ishtar collapsed onto the ground with a dull thud, her face filled with terror and her eyes with fear.
"How... How could it be you?!"
Ishtar’s question, her voice trembling with disbelief, echoed in the minds of many gods and mortals alike.
Why had Freya personally come to the Entertainment District?
Why was the Freya Familia attacking the Ishtar Familia?
Why?
In truth, the answer was simple.
"Because you messed with someone she’s taken a liking to, you moron..."
Gazing at the scene of destruction, Riezel, as the only person who remained calm in the chaotic Entertainment District, muttered to himself.
"Ottar."
Freya, surrounded by her ferocious warriors, issued a merciless command.
"Go. Anyone from the Ishtar Familia—defeat them all."
Her ruthless order was met with a unified response from warriors bearing varying expressions.
""Yes.""
Ottar nodded, raised a hand, and countless members of the Freya Familia surged forward with shouts, destroying, trampling, and ravaging everything in sight.
"Let’s go."
Freya ignored the tragic scene and walked calmly through the sea of flames and ruins.
Her warriors immediately followed, not looking like they were heading into battle, but rather escorting their goddess on a leisurely stroll.
They did not need to fight.
They only needed to ensure that their revered goddess remained absolutely unharmed.
After all, an opponent like the Ishtar Familia did not require their direct involvement to be defeated.
Just like that, under Freya’s lead, they arrived before Belit Babili, and only then did they finally come to a halt.
However, what stopped them was not the insignificant Ishtar Familia in their eyes, but a single young human man—Riezel.
A young man who appeared unremarkable, yet stood calmly before the gates, utterly composed even in the face of Orario’s most ferocious familia.
"Finally here."
Riezel spoke lightly toward the newcomers, yet his presence caused these ferocious newcomers to, for the first time, reveal expressions as if facing a formidable enemy.
"...You?"
Ottar narrowed his eyes, and beside him, Allen’s expression instantly turned hostile.
===
[A bonus Chapter for every 300 Power Stones.]
[Support me and read next Chapters early at: /VALRRR]