"It's you!"
After seeing the person clearly, Apollo looked confused.
He had never interacted with her before, nor did they have any conflicts.
So why had she come to him now?
"Yes, it's me."
"Apollo, look at the state you're in."
"Do you still resemble the proud Sun God?"
"Shut up!"
"Calm down, Apollo. I'm here to help you."
Despite Apollo's furious outburst, the woman wasn't angry.
Instead, she smiled.
"Help me?"
"How exactly can you help?"
"Freya—that bitch—always acts so high and mighty."
"Many people have long been displeased with her."
"In that regard, we're on the same side."
She said this while looking at Apollo.
However, although Apollo was furious, he hadn't lost his reason.
His eyes were full of mockery.
"Hmph."
"You're the one who can't stand her, Ishtar."
Apollo sneered.
The conflict between Ishtar and Freya had never been a secret.
Even back in Heaven, the two goddesses were rivals.
After descending to the lower world, their hostility only intensified.
Both were goddesses of beauty.
But one was adored by countless male gods—
While the other could only watch from afar.
This reality filled Ishtar with resentment.
Why were they both goddesses of beauty—
Yet Freya stood above everyone,
While she had fallen to this position?
After descending to the mortal world:
Freya's familia grew stronger and stronger.
Now it had become Orario's strongest familia, one of the "Two Kings."
Meanwhile Ishtar's familia, although still first-class, had its strongest member only at Level 5.
Anger.
Jealousy.
Resentment.
These emotions constantly drove Ishtar to try to drag Freya down from her pedestal.
She wanted Freya to fall into the mud—
To experience the same despair of falling from heaven into hell.
For years she had tried.
But she had never succeeded.
However, recently she had obtained a valuable trump card.
Something that gave her hope.
If she used this card properly—
She could finally defeat Freya.
But relying on Ishtar Familia alone wasn't enough.
She needed allies.
To achieve this, she had even secretly collaborated with the Dark Faction, providing them with large amounts of money.
Her goal was to plunge Orario into chaos—
So she could strike at the right moment.
But today's incident with Apollo suddenly gave her a new idea.
As the saying goes:
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Apollo had just been publicly humiliated by one of Freya's children.
Surely he now hated Freya deeply.
Wasn't he the perfect disposable pawn?
"Apollo."
"Today's events will soon spread across Orario—perhaps even the entire world."
"The mighty Sun God being humiliated by a child of Freya."
"This story will be told for a thousand years."
"Shut up!"
Ishtar was deliberately pressing Apollo's emotional buttons.
But that was exactly her intention.
She wanted to deepen the hatred between Apollo and Freya.
"What exactly do you want?"
"Cooperation."
"You hate Freya."
"So do I."
"With the same goal, we are natural allies."
"Allies?"
Apollo scoffed.
But Ishtar didn't care about his attitude.
Because she understood Freya's personality very well.
Today's humiliation would not end here.
"Apollo, today may be over."
"But that doesn't mean tomorrow will be safe."
"What are you trying to say?"
"I know Freya."
"She is not a generous goddess."
"And you coveted something that belongs to her."
"Do you think she'll let you go?"
Apollo couldn't argue with that.
Because it was the truth.
Freya hadn't acted in public because so many gods were present.
But that didn't mean the matter was settled.
Freya's familia was overwhelmingly stronger than Apollo's.
They wouldn't even need their elite members.
Even a random member could destroy Apollo Familia.
And now Hyacinthus had lost an arm—
His combat ability had greatly declined.
"How do you propose we cooperate?"
Finally calming down, Apollo looked at Ishtar.
Ishtar smiled.
Her pawn had taken the bait.
"It's simple."
"I already possess a powerful trump card."
"It only needs a little time to work."
"When the moment comes, Freya will pay the price."
"Just our two familias?"
"Of course not."
"In Orario, many people want to see Freya fall."
Only then did Apollo nod.
If it were only Ishtar, he wouldn't risk it.
After all, he had never seen her defeat Freya even once.
"Who else is involved?"
"You don't need to know that."
"Aren't we allies?"
"You won't even reveal that?"
"Don't worry."
"We have plenty of allies."
At that moment—
The black-robed man beside her released a terrifying killing aura.
Apollo couldn't judge his exact strength—
But he was clearly a high-level adventurer, stronger than Hyacinthus.
And since Ishtar Familia contained only women—
This man clearly belonged to another force.
So Ishtar wasn't lying.
There were others on this ship.
And they were powerful.
"Apollo."
"When the time comes, I'll contact you again."
"That will be the moment Freya pays the price."
"Fine."
"But I have one condition."
"A condition?"
Ishtar frowned slightly.
A pawn daring to negotiate?
Still, she didn't want to break the alliance yet.
"I want that boy—Cao Ye."
"I want to 'cherish' him personally."
"He will become my slave forever."
"Fine."
Ishtar agreed immediately.
Apollo's face twisted into a grotesque smile.
After confirming their alliance, Ishtar and the black-robed man left Apollo Familia.
Once outside, the robed man asked:
"You really plan to cooperate with Apollo?"
"Cooperate?"
"He's just a pawn."
"A distraction to keep Freya busy."
"He's weak, but better than risking our own people."
"That's true."
"But a bunch of Level 1 and Level 2 adventurers won't accomplish much."
"Even one second of delay is useful."
"And besides—there's still a Level 3."
"A crippled Level 3 isn't much stronger than a Level 2."
"That's why he's just cannon fodder."
"And he still dared to negotiate conditions."
"He doesn't even know his place."
"Freya's little pet is mine."
"Oh?"
"You're interested in him too?"
"Of course."
"Taking away a man that belongs to Freya…"
"I can't wait to see the look on her face."
Just imagining it made Ishtar feel delighted.
If Cao Ye were here, he would definitely complain.
In the original story, a man from Ishtar's side was instantly captivated by Freya with just one glance.
Even though both were goddesses of beauty—
The difference between them was enormous.
Freya only needed to stand there to enchant everyone.
Gods and mortals alike.
Meanwhile Ishtar had to actively flaunt her charm—
And even then people weren't always interested.
And as the saying goes:
Fair skin hides a hundred flaws.
Freya's skin was pale and flawless like that of a newborn.
Ishtar, with her dark skin, couldn't compete with that natural brilliance.
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