< System Space >
< System Siren Rings >
" What is it, System? " Ragna 69 asks for he still looks over Battle Maiden's condition during the battle, including Ragna 100 who still guards the pods inside Space.
...
[ No. CVIII ]
[ ??? ]
[ ??? ]
[ ??? ]
...
< ERROR > < ERROR >
< System lost contact with [Diviner, Aphrodite]! > the System says which made Ragna 69 shocked to hear it.
" Don't tell me... " Ragna 69 remembers that the System could only restore the dead subjects if its physical Core inside Ragna Current's body is still intact or the person stored inside the system didn't destroy themselves with an unrecoverable attack, sealed in another place or...
" She's been absorbed... " Ragna 69 realized this, hence he now knows why Ragna was so scared before fighting Adrian earlier.
...
( Back then. )
[ System Space ]
" What do you mean that most of your group will die!? " 69 asks.
" You had the goddess with you, did you not? "
" Is not like that, 69!? " Ragna stutters after meeting with Battle Maiden.
" It's just... " Ragna gulps, he tries to say what he foresaw.
" I was wondering if the System could store another individual, for now... " Ragna asks.
< Sorry, Player Ragna Current > the System suddenly notifies.
< The maximum of individuals inside this Space is only 6 individuals >
" Did you hear it? " Ragna 69 tells Ragna which made him stressed even more.
" Shit, what did I choose? " he says to 69, regretting what he choose back then.
" What is going on!? " Aphrodite says as she enters the System Space.
< [Aphrodite] has entered the System Space >
" Oh, Lord Aphrodite...? " Ragna 69 says while Ragna just looked at her with sharp eyes.
" What's with you, child? " she asks Ragna while Ragna still went silent which made him look awkward in front of 69 and Aphrodite.
...
( Back to the present. )
" I see why you're afraid, Ragna. " 69 says as he sees that the System had already erased Aphrodite as one of the System's residents since she couldn't be found, anymore.
< System Reorientating >
< System Analyzing >
< ... >
< System has made its decision >
< [Aphrodite] can't be retrieved again. >
< No life signs or energy reading or spiritual reading can be read from [Aphrodite]. >
< Removing [Aphrodite] from the System's Data. >
...
( Outside the Abyss Tower. )
" Victoria, what's going on!? " Tristan asks as he sees Victoria didn't use her powers for even minutes.
" Victoria...? " Yukino asks as she wonders why Victoria's [Volt Thunder] is suddenly gone.
" Tristan, Yukino... " Victoria Volta says as she realized that her Gift is gone.
Seeing that, both Tristan and Yukino tried to sense the Gift inside Victoria's body but...
" You two, what are you doing? " the goddess Artemis says as she approached the three hunters.
" Hmmm... " Artemis approaches, realizing something is wrong with Victoria.
" What happened to you, Victoria? " Artemis asks which Victoria says that.
" My Gift is gone, goddess!? " she says to Artemis Artemis then decides to look at the core inside her using her eyes.
" Hmm...? " she was shocked to see Victoria's core is gone.
" Where's you're Gift Core...!? " Artemis asks which shocked the three S-Ranks, especially Victoria as she asks what the goddess just means.
" Hmmm... strange... "
" Who was your Gifter god, my dear girl...? " Artemis asks.
" My Gifter is Aphrodite... " Victoria says for that shocks Artemis as she knew for sure what happened.
"( I see, so it has begun... )" Artemis says as she sees those who can fight, suddenly lost their Gifts too just like Victoria, meaning they're the same as her, the ones Gifted by Aphrodite.
"( Since Aphrodite is gone, said by great Hera... )"
"( Then her mortals must've lost their Gifts in the moment she dies... )" Artemis says since when their kind dies, the mortals will lose their Gifted powers since the Gifter had already left the universal existence.
"( But why now...? why did it happen just now if she was already dead before this Raid happened? )" Artemis wondered, seeing this.
"( Hmmm..., I hope Allfather and Loki could explain this if I can ask them regarding this... )" Artemis says, telling that those who just lost their Gifts should retreat.
" Retreat Victoria back, take her to safety. " Artemis orders those who can take those who suddenly lost their Gifts which could only mean that those people are the ones Aphrodite Gifted her Divine Powers with.
As it happened, Artemis looked at the Tower from afar, she stares at it for she also wonders why it take Olympus so long to bombard it.
"( What's taking you so long, Allfather? )"
"( Please destroy this Tower already! )" Artemis says as she had enough of this, seeing the situation begin to become non-conductive.
" Is there something wrong. my lord? " Yukino asks the goddess.
" Ah, Fubuki girl... "
" It's nothing, it's just... "
" *Sigh* "
" Let's keep fending off the produced Demonic Monsters for now... " Artemis says while also reminding Yukino and the others to not even enter the Tower's radius.
As she says that, Yukino then acknowledges it, but suddenly...
"( This feeling again, am I being watched all over again? )" Yukino says as unbeknownst to her.
"( She's alright, thank goodness. )" Ragna Twelve says as he keeps monitoring her after ever since.
"( I was worried for you, I was shocked even to see you as a Hunter in this Timeline. )" he says while his spirit can't be seen by the person he sees, despite she can feel it.
Ragna Twelve sees around, seeing those who lost their Gifts being retreated from their position, immediately knowing what happened.
"( So she's gone, truly gone... )" Twelve says as he can only sighs after seeing this, realizing he just missed an ally's death.
" I'm sorry for both of you, I didn't have qualms with you but... "
" I probably had no right to shed tears over your death, Ragna Current has the right to do so... " Ragna Twelve says.
...
( Meanwhile. )
[ Abyss Tower, Top Floor ]
" Aphrodite, Inquisitor! " Ragna shouts, tears of sadness and regret came out from him, seeing the two women be devoured by Adrian Waterson's [Greed & Gluttony].
As he sees it, he sees the System telling him.
< [Aphrodite] & [Inquisitor Park Kara] has been fully absorbed by [Greed & Gluttony]. >
< Failed to retrieve their existing Data. >
< System's decision... >
< Removing the two subjects as [Companion] completely. >
" NO!!! " Ragna says as he sees it, seeing Kara with Aphrodite inside her being devoured, regretting everything as he cries it out in that very instance.
" IT SHOULDN'T BE LIKE THIS! IT SHOULDN'T BE LIKE THIS! " Ragna denies this, he denies this result.
< I'm..., deeply sorry Player Ragna (TT TT ) >
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Extra:
Gift Powers' obvious weakness.
When the Gifter [Diviners (gods) / Deviants (Demons)] dies, the Gifted [Their Mortals] will lose all of it in an instant.