At this moment, it was business hours, but the hotel had its doors tightly shut, completely devoid of its usual hustle and bustle. Moreover, many people were pointing and discussing outside the hotel, indicating that it had suddenly decided to close.
Something major must have happened.
Ryou hurriedly walked up and forcefully pushed open the door, then loudly announced inside, "I'm back!"
"Boss! You're finally back!!"
Unexpectedly, as soon as he opened the door, a figure came rushing toward him accompanied by a voice full of grievances.
It was Anya, the cat girl.
Usually full of energy, the store's joy-bringer was like a withered eggplant today, her cat ears drooping weakly.
Half an hour later, everyone was gathered in the meeting room.
After listening to Anya and the others' complaints, Ryou's expression turned serious.
He didn't shout; instead, he was as calm as an iceberg that never melts.
Only those who knew him well understood that he was already beyond furious.
Buried deep beneath his rational calm was magma capable of burning everything!
"I've only been gone for a month, and something like this happened."
Ryou laughed out of extreme anger, but his smile was terrifying, filled with killing intent.
"Although I'd also love to smash those guys into a paste, things aren't as simple as you think."
At this moment, Mama Mia spoke up. Given how much time had passed, Mama Mia had naturally uncovered part of the story with her resources.
Ryou raised an eyebrow.
"No matter. None of that concerns me. What I need to do now is very simple: find the enemy, rescue Syr, and kill them all. That's all."
Mama Mia sighed heavily, her expression serious.
"I feel like telling you this might make things more troublesome."
Ryou responded with a smile.
Knowing the full story, he had made up his mind. Whoever dared to extend their claws, he'd cut them down along with their hands.
"What about Syr!? Even if you find the enemy, what if they use Syr's life to threaten you!? Can you guarantee to rescue her without a scratch!?"
Three questions in a row, each hitting the mark.
The one who asked was Ryuu.
Ryou looked at her in surprise. In his impression, this elven girl was always cold and indifferent, showing a bit of warmth only when facing Syr.
However, her behavior today was vastly different, as if someone had cracked the thick ice she used to disguise herself.
Thanks to her, he finally managed to suppress the endless anger in his heart temporarily.
At this moment, a pair of soft hands gently held his.
Ryou instinctively looked to his side and saw Jeanne looking at him with concern.
"Anger won't solve anything. If you calm down, I believe you can perfectly resolve this situation."
The French saint had an incredible power that influenced herself and others. It felt like no matter what difficulties were encountered, as long as one persevered, they could be overcome.
Perhaps it was this invisible power that led so many French people to follow her footsteps, steadfastly driving out the English in their darkest moments.
This power, transmitted through Jeanne's hands, slowly and firmly entered Ryou.
The anger didn't dissipate but was tamed and turned into motivation, while his reason fully returned.
"Jeanne is right. A competent warrior must never be swayed by emotions."
Scathach nodded in agreement.
"Well~ this time, I'll give you special help. Just remember to reward this goddess with some desserts."
Ishtar covered her mouth and laughed coquettishly.
Her revealing outfit and words naturally drew the attention of those who didn't know her identity. However, the place was not short of goddesses; most people just thought she was a goddess who had come down to the lower world out of boredom, glanced at her a few times, and then lost interest.
"I will help Master."
Medea Lily raised her small fist, making a cheering gesture.
As her best friend, Atalanta naturally followed suit.
Even Ais, who usually lacked any facial expressions, had eyes filled with encouragement.
Only Semiramis stood aside, her eyes constantly scanning everything like a typical bystander enjoying the show.
With their encouragement, Ryou quickly calmed down, and his mind began to race.
Upon careful thought, having the system as his greatest reliance, he had no reason to worry at all.
Even if the enemy were a true god, with a god-slayer who had calculated god-slaying theories by his side, along with a bona fide goddess, who was afraid of whom?
Even in the worst-case scenario, if the enemy was someone even Scatach and Ishtar couldn't defeat, Ryou could simply retreat to Chaldea.
Once his strength increased sufficiently, he could launch a counter-offensive anytime.
Thinking this way, Ryou suddenly realized he had been too smooth sailing all the way, causing his mindset to become somewhat unbalanced.
In the past, he always relied on his understanding of the plot and secrets to calculate against others, just like in the Fate Apocrypha, where he tore the Red and Black factions apart using his knowledge of the original story.
But once things got out of his control, he was not as quick to calm down and respond as a battle-hardened warrior.
This time, thinking he knew all the plot because he watched the anime, reality woke him up.
He only knew that Orario's sole LV7 was Ottar, but now a bunch of LV7s, and even an LV8, had suddenly appeared. Moreover, the other side inexplicably attacked his faction, catching him off guard.
Ryou suddenly had a premonition that his opponent this time might not just be a group of LV7 and LV8 adventurers; he might even face gods who had lifted their restraints...
"If you're looking for the mastermind, I know who it is..."
At this moment, a voice said something astonishing. It was goddess Hestia, whom he had always regarded as a cute creature.
Hestia's face was very conflicted. On one side were the friends and the existence she could call home in the lower world, and on the other were her close friends from the divine realm and a special being who had pursued her.
However, this time, the war goddess had gone too far, and Hestia finally chose to step forward.
Mama Mia also took the opportunity to reveal some of the inside information she had gathered.
After listening to Hestia's account and Mama Mia's supplementary details, Ryou's eyes narrowed dangerously, reminding Hestia of someone she found very annoying.
"You mean, all of this is likely orchestrated by that goddess of wisdom and war, and her true goal is to kidnap Bell? We were just collateral damage!?"
With a brief analysis of the information revealed by Hestia, Ryou roughly pieced together the main part of the puzzle.
Combining Hestia's few words with the myths about the goddess Athena he knew before his transmigration, he speculated that this war goddess was a very proud person.
Originally, she just needed to take Bell back, but this war goddess refused to take the easy route.
She couldn't tolerate her chess piece being nurtured by an opposing force.
So, before taking Bell back, she wanted to severely retaliate against the Freya Familia, heavily damaging their strength.
As for the Loki Familia, they were probably just a bonus.
Even the so-called retaliation was likely just one of Athena's goals.
Her true intention was probably to establish her prestige among the gods.
Whether in mythology or from Hestia's words, Ryou found that this goddess of wisdom and war was the most rebellious among Zeus's children.
Myths foretold that Athena would be the next god-king to overthrow Zeus. She didn't dare to rebel openly yet but was constantly making small moves in the shadows.
This time was just another challenge to Zeus's authority.
As everyone knew, Zeus and Hera, along with their Familia, were driven out of Orario by the combined forces of Freya and Loki.
With a little manipulation, Athena severely weakened both the Freya and Loki Familias' strength.
As a daughter, she accomplished what even her father couldn't.
This would undoubtedly increase her prestige among the other gods in the Olympian pantheon.
In essence, in the eyes of this war goddess, Ryou and his companions were not even considered opponents, just pawns to be used and discarded.
At this moment, the proud goddess of wisdom and war had no idea what kind of terrifying person she had provoked.
"It seems we need to have a good talk with Freya and Loki."
Ryou finally made a decision.
"Wait, Ryou..."
Hestia hesitated.
Ryou smiled slightly and gently patted her head.
"Don't worry, for your sake, I will at least spare their lives."
Hearing his assurance, Hestia breathed a sigh of relief. For some reason, she had a gut feeling.
That her invincible, brilliant friend might suffer a significant setback this time...
Ryou turned his head, not letting Hestia see his expression.
Sometimes, living is more painful than dying...
Ryou sent someone to invite the goddesses Loki and Freya for a discussion, then sat quietly in the reception room waiting.
Within less than half an hour, the messenger had already returned.
This event was of utmost importance for Ryou, Loki, and Freya alike.
To his surprise, the first to arrive were the ones least involved in this matter: the Loki Familia.
Unlike Ryou and Freya, whose bases had been ransacked and faces disgraced, losing much of their prestige—one having lost a precious alter ego, the other having had an important female friend taken away.
Indeed, to Ryou, Syr was special.
When he was still very weak, having just escaped the gladiatorial arena and with no place to go, it was Syr who first extended a helping hand to him.
At that time, Syr was like a ray of light, illuminating the path for him, who had crossed over to an incredibly unfamiliar world, fallen into a dark abyss, and was in a state of extreme frustration and confusion.
Ryou was well aware that Syr had feelings for him, or rather, she admired him. But it was precisely because of this that he was somewhat afraid to face this love directly.
Because of his fondness before crossing over, he could pursue Ais and Jeanne without hesitation, using various means.
But when it came to Syr, he seemed to revert to the shy, introverted otaku he was before crossing over.
So, faced with Syr's frequent hints, he could only play dumb.
Perhaps this was also one of the reasons why Ryuu looked down on him. After all, to Ryuu, Syr was also a very special existence.
However, given the recent events, it seemed it was no longer appropriate to delay things...
"That thief is here! How dare he abduct my Ais! I'll bite him to death today!"
A very irritable voice interrupted his thoughts.
Additionally, there seemed to be some voices faintly trying to persuade the owner of the irritable voice.
Bang!
The door to the reception room was suddenly kicked open.
Goddess Loki burst in with wide, bloodshot eyes, like an angry bull.
When her gaze landed on Ryou, who was sitting there as steady as a rock, her eyes immediately emitted a scarlet glow.
"Nguyen Ryou! Prepare to die!"
With that, she performed a perfect mid-air leap, pouncing straight at him.
Ryou, who was not known for having a good temper, was already furious over the recent events. After much effort to calm down with everyone's persuasion, now another troublemaker appeared, making him so angry that he laughed. The anger in his eyes almost materialized.
He was no longer the weakling he once was. With his current strength, even without using Descent cards, he could easily crush any LV8.
Moreover, he had a group of powerful allies by his side.
Strength brings confidence, and now, even if he had to confront the Loki Familia, he wasn't the least bit afraid.
Just as he was about to take action and teach Loki a lesson in manners, a figure stood in front of him – Ais.
Ais slightly turned her head to look at him. Although she didn't speak, he felt as though she had sensed his intentions.
"Loki, please stop causing trouble. I left with Ryou of my own will."
Her light words, tinged with a bit of detachment, shattered the anger on Loki's face.
"Waaa!!! My Ais has been completely taken away by a wild man!"
With tears in her eyes, Loki turned and ran out the door.
Watching Loki's ridiculous behavior, Ryou felt as if he had punched a cotton ball, his anger dissipating.
As expected, clowns will drag you down to their level and then beat you with their experience.
After the farce, Goddess Freya also arrived, escorted by Ottar and several masked, black-armored guards.
The moment he saw Freya, Ryou couldn't help but blink his eyes rapidly.
The change in Freya was so great that he almost didn't recognize her.
The immense confidence and the hidden arrogance beneath her friendly exterior were all gone.
At this moment, Freya's eyes were lifeless, filled with a sense of desolation and exhaustion, as if she had suddenly lost her purpose in life.
But thinking about it, it made sense. Freya had not only lost her precious alter ego but also her long-standing confidence in manipulating the gods.
Athena had used her wisdom to completely outmaneuver Freya, shattering the absolute confidence she had built up over time.
For a goddess inherently proud to her core, this was more painful than death.
Seeing Freya like this, Ryou gained a new understanding of the goddess of war and wisdom.
Beneath that regal exterior lay a dark and malevolent soul!
PS: For the sake of the plot, Freya and Syr are now separate entities. Freya can be considered Syr, but Syr is not Freya. Their situation is similar to that of D and Shiraori from 'So I'm a Spider, So What?'