Once a god seals away their Divine Power, they lose all their special abilities, and their body becomes as weak as an ordinary human's. Aside from passive traits, every supernatural phenomenon associated with them disappears.
And the moment they use Divine Power, they are forcibly sent back to the Heavenly Realm.
Of course, for the sake of entertainment in the Lower Realm, gods rarely use their Divine Power. Since they are eternally immortal, they have no reason to fear death, which allows them to act without restraint.
However, when a deity suffers a fatal attack, their body will instinctively trigger Divine Power in an attempt to repair itself.
Once that happens, their use of Divine Power is detected, and they are forcibly returned to the Heavenly Realm by a pillar of light.
In other words, killing a god is still enough to send them back.
Most humans deeply respect the gods who grant them their Blessings and Falna. They also fear Divine Power, so they would never dare to disrespect a god, let alone kill one.
Unfortunately for Ishtar, she happened to encounter Ryoji, a man who had absolutely no reverence for gods and could completely ignore her Divine Power.
With a single slash, Ishtar had been pierced through the chest.
According to Loki, the gods in the heavens were practically fighting tooth and nail for a chance to return to the Lower Realm. Having just been sent back, Ishtar could forget about coming down again for at least the next few hundred years.
A thick, milky-white pillar of light tore through the ceiling of Belit Babili and pierced the heavens and earth, displaying the sacred majesty of a god.
Ryoji stood in the corner of the room. The energy contained within the pillar was terrifying; it felt as though he would be crushed to dust if he went anywhere near it.
Only after half a minute, when the pillar finally vanished, did he step out.
Ishtar was nowhere to be seen.
The entire Ishtar Familia was finished.
Ryoji walked over to the window and looked down toward the training grounds.
"Hmm?"
He suddenly raised an eyebrow.
"Well, now this is quite a spectacle!"
...
### Training Grounds
Tiona and Tione had already fallen into a desperate position.
"Damn it! You bastard! You bitch! Go to hell!"
Tione unleashed a string of vicious curses, the veins on her forehead bulging as heat steamed from her entire body.
This was the effect of her Skill, 'Berserk'. The more injured and enraged she became, the greater her attack power grew. Normally calm and composed, Tione became terrifyingly explosive once she entered a rage.
Unfortunately, Argana's 'Blood Drain' was the perfect counter.
It continuously drained the blood of a First-Class Adventurer from Tione's body, giving Argana an even greater boost in power.
"The outcome is already decided."
"There's absolutely no suspense left."
The surrounding Ishtar Familia Amazonesses whispered among themselves, already declaring the battle over.
It was obvious from the fight itself. Tione was being completely overwhelmed, with practically no chance of winning.
The Amazonesses were delighted to see it.
As Amazonesses who had chosen to remain chaste, the Tiona sisters were considered complete anomalies among their people and were despised by practically everyone.
Seeing them lose was something the others were more than happy to enjoy.
'BOOM…!!'
Suddenly, a tremendous explosion came out of nowhere.
"What happened?"
Everyone's attention was drawn toward the noise. Confusion and surprise spread through the crowd.
"This is bad! The main gate has been breached!" A terrified shout came from outside the training grounds.
"What?"
"How is that possible?"
"Who would dare destroy Ishtar Familia's gate in broad daylight?"
"I thought that gate was made of super-hard metal!"
The Amazonesses erupted into an uproar.
Super-hard metal was second only to Orichalcum in hardness. Even a Level 5 Adventurer couldn't possibly break through it!
"It's an Elgarm! An Elgarm from Loki Familia!"
The entire training ground fell silent for a moment.
"Could Loki Familia really have come here?"
"They actually brought a Level 6?!"
"Wasn't it supposed to be impossible for Loki Familia to get involved?"
The uproar exploded.
Everyone's expression changed, and the entire plaza descended into chaos.
Kali Familia had promised them that only the Tiona sisters would be drawn here.
As Tione and Tiona's former teachers, they had taken care of the sisters for several years and understood them very well. They knew the two would never call their companions for help, which was why they had felt safe making this plan.
But Loki Familia had come anyway.
Even the fighters battling in the other two arenas were forced to stop when this unexpected development occurred.
In the distance, a flag rose into the sky.
Embroidered across it was the same black clown design engraved on Loki Familia's emblem.
"Tione! Tiona!"
"Prince-sama! Where are you?!"
"Smash Ishtar Familia to pieces!"
Battle cries rang out as one, accompanied by the endless clash of steel.
Emerald-green winds transformed into blades and swept through the battlefield with even greater urgency than before.
The laughter of the Dwarf warriors mixed with the thunderous sound of collapsing buildings.
"It's over!"
"The main force of Loki Familia really came here!"
The Amazonesses gathered there turned pale.
Every one of them looked as though they were simply waiting to die.
The exhilarated expressions on Argana and Bache's faces were simultaneously replaced by fury.
Tione, meanwhile, stood completely frozen.
"Everyone from the Familia…?"
She looked toward the approaching army.
The clown flag drew closer and closer.
Then the outer wall of the training grounds was blasted apart, and familiar figures appeared before her eyes, Raul, Alicia, and many others.
And that wasn't all.
The Elven Royalty dressed in sacred robes.
The incredibly powerful Dwarf warrior.
The Sword Princess wielding her rapier.
And the Pallum leader holding two spears.
With the exception of Bete, every Executive of Loki Familia had gathered here.
"Captain…"
Tione stared blankly at the Pallum leader.
"Tione, what's with that expression?"
Finn approached the arena, his eyes narrowed and his face grim.
"Why didn't you tell us?"
"They would have taken hostages…" Tione lowered her head.
They had to resolve this themselves.
Otherwise, they would only put their companions in danger.
That was what Tione had firmly believed.
"Are you an idiot?"
Finn gave her an unusually blunt look, as though he were staring at someone who had completely lost her mind.
"Do you really think Loki Familia is so weak that you have to sacrifice yourselves to protect us?"
Tione froze.
He was right.
Was Loki Familia really weak?
Of course not!
If Loki Familia could be considered weak, then there was no truly powerful Familia in the entire world.
The trip into the artificial labyrinth had indeed dealt Loki Familia a devastating blow.
But fundamentally, Loki Familia hadn't lost to Evilus.
They had lost to the labyrinth itself.
In a direct confrontation, even if Evilus, Ishtar Familia, and Kali Familia joined forces, they wouldn't necessarily be able to defeat Loki Familia.
Tione had simply allowed her own past to blind her.
Desperate to leave behind the ugly past in which she had slaughtered her own companions, she had used "worrying about her companions" as an excuse to face this meeting alone.
But at its core, that was nothing less than a lack of trust in her companions.
(End of Chapter)
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