The Juggernaut was dead.
Facing an opponent like Elise, who far surpassed it, not dying would have been strange.
However, the Juggernaut had not died within Elise's eyes. Just like the previous monsters, her eyes had no effect whatsoever on them.
Had they become picky eaters?
For a brief moment, Elise even entertained such a thought.
But as for what the truth actually was, she did not know.
After realizing that this method was ineffective, Elise chose to use the power of the Sacred Demon Sword, reducing the Juggernaut to ashes without leaving even a trace behind.
"Now, it's time to head back."
Watching the monster known as calamity perish, Elise withdrew the Sacred Demon Sword and turned to leave.
"Astraea and Alise are still waiting for me. I suppose I should pick up the pace a little..."
...
Astraea Familia residence.
"Lady Astraea, are we really going to keep her here?"
Alise had originally opposed bringing Kaguya back to the Familia. Kaguya was far too dangerous. Without Elise's contingency measure, her neck might already have been slit.
"It's fine. Just as you said, didn't Elise leave a backup plan? What are you still worried about?"
Compared to Alise's tension, Astraea appeared completely at ease. She was even sipping tea.
"Mm... where am I?"
Just as Alise was still speaking with her goddess, Kaguya's previously closed eyes slowly opened.
She looked around in confusion, seemingly unable to understand why she was here.
"You passed out just now. This is our Familia residence, and I carried you back myself. Otherwise, you'd be lying dead on the street. You should thank me properly!"
Alise's voice came from the side, pulling Kaguya fully back to her senses.
So I lost?
I was only a little bit away from victory...
Her current disheveled state, along with Alise standing there unharmed, made Kaguya assume that she had been the one who lost the duel.
But... her mood didn't seem nearly as terrible as she had expected.
"I retract the vulgar words I spoke to you earlier, Goddess of Justice."
Although Kaguya had been grappling fiercely with Alise during their fight, in truth she had used that struggle to vent all of the unpleasant emotions within her heart.
After fighting it out, she felt refreshed. Even the matter of victory or defeat no longer seemed so important.
Originally, she had planned to apologize again with arrogant composure after defeating Alise...
"Mm, I accept your apology," Astraea said with a gentle smile as she looked at Kaguya on the bed. "But we have something more important to discuss now, don't we?"
More important?
Not only Kaguya, but even Alise was stunned.
"It's about you joining my Familia," Astraea said in an extremely calm tone, as if announcing something trivial.
"Hah?"
After a brief moment of shock, Kaguya's gaze immediately sharpened.
"I say, Goddess of Justice, aren't you pushing things too far?"
"I have absolutely no intention of joining your Familia!"
"Kaguya-chan, you're lying."
Astraea directly exposed her lie and continued, "As the goddess of justice, I can see the justice that exists within people's hearts."
"And your yearning for justice truly surprises me."
"If I were to lose a child like you, I would surely cry secretly under my blanket at night..."
As she spoke, Astraea even put on a tearful expression. It was so obviously fake that Kaguya's lips began to twitch.
"I..."
Kaguya still hesitated internally. Although she had vented much of her emotions, returning to the embrace of justice still required a certain amount of courage.
Right now, she was only lacking a single trigger.
Ding—
The doorbell rang as Elise walked in from outside, holding Est's hand.
"Welcome back, Elise—and Est!"
Astraea was the first to greet them. She slowly walked over to Elise and began making introductions.
"This is the captain of my Familia, Elise. And this is Est—she's a spirit."
"With Alise as well, they will soon become your seniors, Kaguya-chan!"
Alise dared not speak. The moment Elise saw the figure lying on the sofa, she immediately understood the goddess' intention.
So this is about recruiting her?
"Nice to meet you. My name is Elise. I believe we'll become good companions in the future."
Of course Kaguya knew her.
Wasn't she originally the vice-captain of the Astraea Familia?
She hadn't expected things to move this quickly!
"Wait! I haven't agreed yet..."
At that very moment, Kaguya noticed Est standing beside Elise and suddenly came up with an idea.
"I can agree to join your Familia—but I have one condition. If you can fulfill it, I'll join immediately!"
"What condition?"
"As long as every member of your Familia can defeat me, I'll join!"
Although Kaguya had sustained minor injuries in her earlier battle with Alise, they were nothing serious. They would not affect the speed of her draw at all.
That was precisely what she was counting on.
Since Elise was the captain, her strength must be above Alise's. Kaguya wasn't certain she could defeat her. But the other members might not be the same.
And even if she couldn't win...
Wasn't there someone right there to serve as her safety net?
"Very well. I agree to this condition."
"If every member of the Familia defeats you, you must join. No backing out."
Astraea answered before anyone else could. Elise had just said she believed they would become good companions. That was practically equivalent to acknowledging Kaguya's admission into the Familia.
In that case, the only remaining step was to satisfy Kaguya's condition. After all, that was the only way for her to join willingly.
"Of course!"
Kaguya agreed quickly. In her view, this was practically guaranteed. It was almost as if she had already secured victory.
"In that case, who will you choose as your opponent first?"
Astraea's question caused Kaguya to size up the three members of the Familia.
"The violent woman is out. I just fought her—I'm not doing that twice..."
"The captain is out too. I'm not in top condition right now. I definitely can't beat her, so..."
"I choose that short one over there!"
In an instant, everyone's gaze converged on Est.
On the surface, Kaguya appeared somewhat fatigued, but inwardly she was already laughing.
How could I possibly lose?
As for Est...
The moment she heard herself called that, her eyes turned razor-sharp—like a blade freshly drawn.
Well... she was a sword, after all.