At the Ishtar Familia's headquarters, two training arenas stood side by side in a large open courtyard.
Countless Amazons had gathered around them, packing the area so tightly there was barely room to move. It wasn't even nighttime, and the district wasn't open for business, yet the place was already roaring with noise and overflowing with women.
Tione faced Argana in one arena.
Tiona faced Bache in the other.
"Where's Ryoji?"
The moment Tiona stepped onto the platform, she lost her composure and immediately demanded an answer from Bache.
"With Ishtar-sama."
Bache's reply was short and simple.
"That Goddess of Beauty?"
Tiona's expression changed instantly.
As one of the Loki Familia's executives, there was no way she hadn't heard the rumors surrounding Freya and Ishtar. Those two Goddesses of Beauty possessed an extraordinary ability to charm others, effortlessly turning people into obedient dogs.
Tiona spun around, preparing to leap out of the arena. Her eyes were already fixed on the massive Belit Babili in the distance. No matter what, she had to reach that palace and get Ryoji out!
"Where do you think you're going?!"
A violent gust of wind burst from behind her. Tiona turned just in time, blocking Bache's cannon-like punch with her arm.
"I don't have time for you!"
"I do!"
They shouted at the same time, an exact echo of their past encounter.
Bache refused to let Tiona leave. Punches and kicks crashed across the arena until the entire platform shattered into pieces in the blink of an eye.
"Ugh!"
Tiona quickly found herself pushed back. She had no interest in fighting Bache, she only wanted to rescue Ryoji. But Bache couldn't care less. Because Tiona kept trying to pull away, she was forced to take several heavy hits head-on, and injuries rapidly piled up across her body.
On the other side, Tione and Argana's battle had already reached a fever pitch.
Fists collided again and again. Blood sprayed through the air and flesh tore as they mauled each other like wild beasts. Yet neither woman showed the slightest sign of slowing down. They kept charging at one another without hesitation.
"Hahaha! This is just like the old days!" Argana laughed in sheer delight.
Ignoring her own wounds, she stretched out her long tongue and licked the blood splattered across her face, looking like a terrifying demon.
"Who the hell wants to go back to those days?!" Tione cursed, throwing another punch.
Suddenly, Argana's speed and strength shot up. Their fists collided head-on once more, but this time Argana sent Tione flying backward with brutal force.
"What...?!"
Tione's eyes widened.
Argana had always been physically stronger than her, but the gap between them had never been this wide. Her strength had just spiked to an absurd level.
"Blood Drain. It's the curse I awakened!" Argana licked another smear of blood from her lips. She was practically covered in Tione's blood.
"Kali-sama told me that whenever I drink the blood of an adventurer blessed with Falna, my stats rise dramatically for a short time! The stronger the adventurer, the better the effect!"
A chill ran through Tione.
So all that blood-licking wasn't just an intimidation tactic. Argana had actually been drinking her blood.
'Damn it.' This fight was getting worse by the second.
...
"Those two seriously didn't call for backup?"
Ryoji stood by a window on the top floor of Belit Babili, a severed rope lying on the floor near his feet. From up here, he had a bird's-eye view of the entire Ishtar Familia headquarters. He could clearly see Tiona and Tione locked in brutal fights against Bache and Argana.
He clicked his tongue in frustration.
'Where was Finn? Where was Ais? Someone come rescue them!'
He had only walked straight into the enemy's stronghold because he knew he could slip out whenever he wanted. But those two? They hadn't even planned an escape route. How on earth had they gotten the nerve to barge in here alone?
"Good grief."
Ryoji sighed and summoned his Spiritual Item. With a single fluid motion, he hurled the katana out the window. The blade traced a clean arc through the air, heading straight for the training grounds below.
"All right, Goddess Ishtar. I've changed my mind."
Leaving the window, Ryoji walked over to the bed and pulled back the curtains.
The goddess was lying inside, her hands and feet tightly bound in strips of cloth, wriggling around like a worm. Her struggles had caused her purple veil to slip off, leaving her stunning body completely exposed.
She raised her head, glaring at Ryoji with pure murder in her eyes.
"I'm in a bit of a rush, so let's speed this up," Ryoji said, sitting down at the edge of the bed. "Tell me where you hid the key."
There wasn't a shred of lust or infatuation on his face, only total calm and indifference. Not only had he completely ignored her Charm, but he'd also turned the tables on her, tied her up, and was now interrogating her.
"Oh. Right. Forgot you can't talk."
Meeting Ishtar's furious glare, Ryoji remembered the gag. He reached down, pulled the cloth out of her mouth, and tossed it onto the floor.
It was a pair of small purple panties. Her own.
'Click, click, click!'
Ryoji pulled out his student handbook and casually started snapping pictures of the bound, naked goddess.
"Someone, get in here!"
The second her mouth was free, Ishtar shrieked at the top of her lungs, practically suffocating in rage. In all her hundreds of years in the Lower World, she had rarely been this furious. Not only had this mortal completely ignored her divine Charm, but he had tied her up and treated her like a prisoner.
It was outright blasphemy!
"Ishtar-sama...?"
A guard outside heard the commotion and cautiously stepped into the room. But the moment the girl met Ryoji's eyes, her reason vanished.
Her mind went blank, her thoughts short-circuiting instantly.
With a soft thud, she collapsed onto the floor. Her cheeks flushed bright red and her body trembled uncontrollably, looking as if she had just hit an intense climax.
Ishtar's eyes widened.
She recognized that reaction better than anyone. It was how mortals acted whenever she used her Charm on them. But she hadn't activated it! Why would she charm one of her own followers?
"You...?!"
The realization hit her like a lightning bolt, throwing her mind into chaos.
'This guy... can use Charm too?!'
"Honestly, Goddess Ishtar, can't you just cooperate?" Ryoji turned back to her, shaking his head helplessly.
"...You dare disrespect a god!" Ishtar gritted her teeth, her expression darkening violently.
A vast, crushing pressure erupted from her body, crashing directly into Ryoji.
'Divine Authority.'
Even with their Arcanum sealed in the Lower World, gods still possessed a divine aura strong enough to crush a mortal's willpower. It was the primary reason mortals almost never dared to defy them.
However...
"Behave yourself."
A blade materialized directly in front of Ishtar's face, stopping millimeters from her skin.
"You really think I won't kill a god?"
She fell dead silent.
(End of Chapter)
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