Just as the group flew closer, their eyes fixed on the ruins in the distance...
"Urg!"
Artemis suddenly clutched her chest as if struck by pain.
Judas felt his instincts flare up.
'Danger!'
The moment he looked up, his vision was filled with hundreds... no, thousands of rays of light raining down from above.
His pupils shrank.
'That's not a normal attack... that's... Arcanum!'
"Everyone! Watch out!"
Judas shouted.
Hearing him, the others immediately looked up... the countless rays of light reflected in their eyes.
"Move!"
They maneuvered their wyverns, desperately trying to escape the line of fire.
Judas cast a spell, summoning dozens of barriers that layered over one another, shielding everyone.
"This is Judas' magic!"
Belle exclaimed as she looked around, seeing that they were surrounded by layers of circular light.
When the rays of light eventually struck, one by one, the barriers cracked and shattered into nothing.
The sounds of continuous explosions rang out in the forest below as the rays of light struck the ground, devastating the environment.
"That was close!"
Lili exclaimed, quickly patting herself to check for injuries as the barrage finally subsided.
"Is everyone alright?"
"Yeah, we're fine."
"Same here."
Because there were so many barriers stacked on top of each other, the group was able to escape without so much as a scratch and land safely on the ground.
"That was some quick thinking, Judas... that could've ended badly if even one of those hit us."
Hermes said as he dismounted and walked over.
"What were those lights? Was that magic... is someone attacking us?"
Welf asked, absentmindedly patting a wyvern.
"I think... it was me... no... it was the spear it reacted to."
Artemis said, her expression solemn.
'Antares... it's already started using arcanum. Even if it's still weak... it's probably in the middle of digesting it.'
Judas frowned.
At that moment, the sound of approaching monsters echoed around them.
"It's those things again."
Lili said, her expression stiffening as scorpion monsters emerged and surrounded them.
"These seem stronger than the ones I dealt with yesterday."
Judas remarked, quickly assessing them.
Nevertheless, he summoned a magic circle above his palm and was about to cast a spell to eliminate them all.
"Take this!"
A feminine voice rang in their ears as a group of women suddenly burst forth with weapons in hand.
"Lante! Everyone!"
Rethusa exclaimed as she recognized her familia members.
"Don't worry! The Artemis Familia is here to the rescue!"
Lante declared as she shot an arrow that struck down a scorpion monster.
"Lady Artemis and the Captain are back!"
"Let's show these monsters what we're made of!"
The members of the Artemis Familia moved with perfect coordination... like a well-oiled machine, cutting down every monster in their path.
"Looks like they've got this."
Artemis said with a small smile, watching her familia members spring into action.
Before long, the entire horde was wiped out... Judas and the others didn't even get the chance to act.
"Lord Hermes... I see you've finally returned."
A tired but composed feminine voice called out.
Turning toward the source, they saw the Hermes Familia approaching.
"Asfi."
Members of the Hermes Familia gathered around, forming a sizable group alongside the Artemis Familia.
"Hey there, everyone... we're back from Orario, and we managed to find the chosen hero for the spear."
Hermes said, gesturing toward Judas.
"The one who ended up wielding the spear is you, huh?"
Lante said as she observed Judas up and down.
"Judas Spade... so you're the one who drew the spear. Aside from the Warlord, this is the best reinforcement we could've asked for."
Asfi said as she adjusted her glasses, feeling a bit relieved knowing how strong he is.
"Thank goodness our useless god managed to bring someone reliable."
"Hey... hey, is that really how low you think of me, Asfi?"
Hermes spoke with a slump, looking a bit dejected.
"So... what's the current situation?"
He asked, immediately snapping back to normal.
"It's getting worse."
"The decay in the forest is spreading... and the number of monsters keeps increasing."
"Nearby villages have already been attacked and destroyed."
"We tried to contain the damage, but it's beyond what we can handle."
Used to Hermes' antics, Asfi replied without missing a beat.
"I see... you've all done well."
Hermes nodded.
"Instead of giving empty praise, I want my vacation extended instead."
Asfi replied flatly, to which Hermes only responded with a dry laugh.
...
When the sun had begun to set, they arrived at the operation base that the Hermes Familia had set up.
"While everyone prepares, we will begin our raid on the ruins in a few hours."
Inside a large tent serving as the command center, Artemis gave her orders as she sat at the helm.
Naturally, Judas had his own seat at the table, and no one objected to her words.
...
Exiting the tent, Judas was about to get some rest after traveling for so long, feeling slightly jet-lagged, when...
"Psst... Judas, over here. I've got something interesting to tell you."
He heard someone whisper from the bushes, calling his name with a sly smirk.
Of course, it was Hermes.
"Lord Hermes... what are you doing sneaking around like that?"
Judas asked.
Long story short... Hermes had gathered all the men and invited them to peek at the women bathing nearby.
Judas glanced around at the group... the men were fired up, shouting enthusiastically after Hermes' speech about "a man's romance" and other nonsense... the kind of thing Zeus himself would proudly proclaim without shame.
Even Welf had joined in, yelling along with the others.
'This is a waste of time.'
Shaking his head, Judas quietly slipped away and arrived at his tent.
After a while...
"Argh!"
"Urgh!"
"Ah! Forgive me!"
As expected, their little endeavor failed, and the men who tried to peek were captured and tied up one by one.
Ignoring the commotion outside, Judas let out a yawn.
Suddenly, the entrance to his tent flapped open.
"Orion... may I speak with you?"
Judas turned and saw Artemis standing there, a gentle smile on her face.
...
Hidden beneath the shadows of a tree deep within the forest...
"Big sister Dina."
"Yes, Vena?"
A pair of elven twins watched the camp from afar, sinister smiles on their faces.
"I think we've found our prey."
"Yes... we have, Vena."
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