The Moon Goddess witnessed the birth of a miracle under the night sky today.
It was an anomaly that even the gods themselves would marvel at.
Yes—an anomaly, not a "great achievement."
A true great achievement would be successfully slaying the Antares—once untouchable even by the Ancient Elves and legendary heroes. That alone would be comparable to completing the three great adventurer commissions of legend.
Yet, even compared to such earth-shattering feats, what Artemis found most unbelievable was…
"I… a god… have been revived?"
Even gods, with their omnipotent divine power, require millennia to resurrect after death.
But just now… that was… a tiny fried egg?
Artemis remembered every detail clearly.
Because she was a god of omniscient zero-energy, not a mere mortal. There was a vast difference.
Even in death, she could vividly recall every moment of what had occurred.
Undoubtedly, she had suffered mortal wounds.
Her heart pierced by a blade, her body even cleaved in two.
Pain so real it could be felt.
And yet, in just a fleeting moment…
The wounds vanished.
Her missing divine form was fully restored.
The only flaw—she was now extremely weak.
And moreover…
"Let me heal you first."
Barbara, who had just landed the decisive killing blow, returned to the ground first.
Once Artemis was safely carried back by Lumine, Barbara had Paimon retrieve a warm, fluffy towel from the spatial pouch, sparing the Moon Goddess any further embarrassment from being unclothed.
Then, Barbara activated her self-developed skill, based on her Elemental Skill instantly consuming mana.
Barbara summoned her golden mana to restore Artemis' nearly depleted body.
And during this process…
"Orion, you truly are knowledgeable."
The Moon Goddess, still lying on the carpet Paimon had laid out, smiled faintly. "You even know how to use 'sacred letters' so expertly."
Upon hearing this…
Not only Barbara, but even Lumine standing nearby, looked somewhat puzzled.
Because…
The so-called "sacred letters" in the other world were nothing more than Japanese written backwards.
Meanwhile, the common language of the lower world was English.
Renjiro, when arranging for Paimon to deliver a warning letter to the goddess Ishtarr, had learned the use of sacred letters in just a few days—because he already knew Japanese from before crossing worlds.
And now, Blessing was an anime opening song sung in Japanese.
It was no wonder Artemis misunderstood.
In the Moon Goddess' mind, it was precisely because Barbara could use "sacred letters" that she could perform such exaggerated magic.
Of course, more pressing than that…
"Orion… that thing just now… uh, the resurrection item?"
Artemis looked seriously at Barbara. "You didn't let too many people—or gods—know about it, right?"
Her concern was genuine.
Barbara replied after the preliminary healing:
"Artemis-sama, you should thank the Traveler properly~"
"The resurrection ability isn't something used often. Each time is precious."
"Before today, he never let anyone else use it."
Hearing this…
"Anyone else?"
The unintended words made the Moon Goddess feel a strange sense of distance.
For the first time, the virgin goddess, who had never experienced romance, felt a bit crestfallen.
Meanwhile, Renjiro, behind the scenes, knew everything that was happening.
Plainly put: yes, Artemis was an outsider.
Previously, he had no interactions with the Moon Goddess.
The rare times they met were when she, struck by a sudden bout of "love brain," mistook her cleric for the "Orion" she had been searching for.
That was it.
So why did Renjiro risk exposing Paimon, even use one of the few remaining resurrection dishes, to save her?
Simple. There was a tangible benefit.
Renjiro had seen the other world's theater version before. Though irritated by many plot holes, he remembered critical details clearly.
For example:
"If Artemis dies, Arrow of Orion disappears too."
That would be a huge loss.
After all his effort, would it all be for nothing?
Considering the cost and benefit, Renjiro thought: "Using a low-level resurrection item to gain a divine weapon is worth it."
If Arrow of Orion remained with someone on their side—even Barbara—it could serve as a nuclear deterrent.
Moreover…
"If we (Twin Stars) used it as a medium for that skill…"
"PUF~"
The thought was abruptly cut off.
The anomaly occurred in three locations simultaneously:
Deep within its borderlands
Orario
Originally…
Near the ruins of the original Elsos, the Twin Stars and Barbara were casually chatting with Artemis—the millennia-old virgin goddess experiencing her first crush.
At the border, Hedin, Hogni, and Riveria had just cleared the remaining Scorpion fragments.
In Orario, countless cheers and praises fell upon those who helped defeat the Scorpion fragments—the King, Braver, and Sword Princess.
The situation seemed perfect.
A happy ending appeared imminent.
But in an instant…
Breath held in shock, eyes widened.
Cheers caught in throats.
An elf girl's head separated from her body.
Before Artemis' eyes…
"Cough~"
Barbara's body disintegrated into starlight, scattering instantly.
Then…
"Kokokoko~"
A hair-raising chewing sound rang out nearby.
Instinctively, eyes followed the noise.
"Ugh~"
"Plop~"
"This…"
From the three distant locations, observers saw the same figure:
A humanoid body covered with dark purple-black exoskeleton. Hands and feet were present, but the head had grown scorpion-like appendages.
It had an extremely long tail, with a poisonous stinger at the tip that flexed in and out, and pincers on both sides.
Just like… the tail structure of Antares.
This was…
"What the hell is that thing?"