The sudden rise of Athena's Familia and the conflict it caused with the two kings of Orario even drew the Guild into the fray.
Such a major event was like a shot in the arm for the gods, who had nothing but events to pass the time.
The news of this event quickly reached the ears of every deity.
Two days later, one of the main players in the incident, Goddess Athena, issued an invitation to a divine assembly.
With a mindset of enjoying the spectacle, most of the principal gods of the Familias attended the meeting, except for the two kings of Orario who had already become mortal enemies.
To demonstrate her strength and attract more allies, Athena spared no expense.
The cuisine used extremely rare ingredients, and the chefs were renowned worldwide.
The wine was a divine brew personally crafted by Dionysus, the god of wine from the Olympian pantheon.
But it was all in vain.
Not to mention that the tastes of the gods had been spoiled by the Gudako Hotel.
Athena's offerings could only match in terms of ingredients but fell far short in other aspects.
More importantly, many gods had already been corrupted by earthly pleasures, becoming fish that relied on their Familias for sustenance.
Rekindling their fighting spirit was as difficult as getting a seasoned otaku to abandon all his waifus and go out into the real world.
In response to Athena's proposal for an alliance, almost every god feigned ignorance and gave insincere replies.
Some gods with darker minds even insulted Athena behind her back, saying she had done nothing but waste effort and resources.
On the surface, this seemed true, but what was the reality?
The banquet had ended, but the hostess, Goddess Athena, was still entertaining a special guest.
This mysterious guest wore only a semi-transparent veil, revealing smooth, tanned skin. The so-called clothing served more to enhance the allure than to cover anything.
Judging by the attire, she looked no different from the lowest courtesans on Pleasure Street.
However, she was the underground queen of Pleasure Street, Goddess Ishtar.
She was also an alternate-dimensional counterpart of Ishtar Rin. The source of the faint connection Ishtar Rin sensed in this world was precisely this boldly dressed Ishtar.
Today, Athena wore a pure black evening dress, adorned with numerous golden accessories, transforming her into a goddess of the night.
"Lady Ishtar, regarding our alliance, have you given it any thought?"
Athena gently swirled her wine glass before taking a small sip.
"This is our first meeting; how can I trust you?"
Gazing at the wise goddess before her, a hint of apprehension flashed in Ishtar's eyes.
Not to mention that Athena had quietly developed a super Familia far surpassing the two kings of Orario.
If not for the appearance of Nguyen Ryou, Freya and Loki's Familias would have been almost swept away.
In their brief conversation, Ishtar had already experienced the formidable nature of this wise goddess.
As they talked, Athena had completely taken control of the conversation, making Ishtar unintentionally reveal many secrets of her Familia.
In contrast, Athena remained a complete enigma to her.
How could Ishtar easily trust such a terrifying goddess?
Athena chuckled softly.
"Hehe~ Because you want to defeat Freya and prove that you are the most beautiful goddess in Orario. And I want to step on the corpses of the two kings of Orario to ascend to the throne."
Athena stood up and slowly walked to Ishtar's side, her slender, white fingers playfully lifting Ishtar's chin.
"We are the most natural allies because we share common interests. I've always believed that only common interests can firmly bind two chariots together. Don't you think so, my lady?"
Ishtar had to admit, that while Athena might not be the most beautiful goddess she had ever seen (the most beautiful was, of course, herself, Lady Ishtar!), she was certainly the most charming.
Ishtar preferred men, yet she was still drawn to Athena's charm.
Maybe occasionally doing it with the same sex isn't so bad. After all, she had played around with Amaterasu and Aphrodite a few times...
Unable to resist Athena's astonishing charm, Ishtar's thoughts began to drift in an indescribable direction.
Seeing the slightly dazed look in Ishtar's eyes, a hint of amusement flashed deep within Athena's eyes.
She subtly moved a little away from Ishtar, yet maintained a tantalizingly close distance.
Under Athena's assault on beauty, Ishtar, who hadn't gained any advantage, easily agreed to Athena's request for an alliance.
Ding!
With the light clink of their glasses, the Familias of Ishtar and Athena officially became allies.
"By the way, I heard that the mastermind behind Gudako Hotel is a gladiator who escaped from your arena?"
Athena casually mentioned.
With this incident, as another main character, Ryou's background was naturally dug up thoroughly by those nosy gods. His experience of escaping from the arena couldn't be hidden either. Thus, Ishtar, who missed out on such a prodigious talent, became the biggest laughingstock.
Upon hearing this, Ishtar almost crushed the wine glass in her hand.
It was impossible not to regret it. Originally, she thought he was just a slave with heroic blood, at most a sturdy plaything. Who could have imagined that after escaping from her, he would rise like a hidden dragon emerging from the abyss, developing a force far stronger than her Familia?
It was all Freya's fault! If it weren't for that bitch attacking her newly opened arena, how could such an extraordinary child have slipped away so easily?
Completely infected by the poison of jealousy, Ishtar selectively forgot that she had a chance. It was her matriarchal mindset that made her miss the best opportunity. It's easy to add flowers to the brocade, but difficult to send charcoal in the snow. At that time, Ryou, who had nothing and combat strength like a weakling, was the best time to show him a favor. And with Ryou's personality, even a small favor from Ishtar at that time would have made him repay her. Freya had only indirectly helped him a bit back then, and he remembered it deeply, as one could imagine.
Ishtar wasn't a visionary; otherwise, she wouldn't have been firmly suppressed by Freya and had to rely on some dubious methods. As Ryou's momentum grew stronger, Ishtar's jealousy towards him also intensified. He's just a mere male, why couldn't he obediently wait to become my slave!
In Ishtar's matriarchal mind, there was no mistake in her judgment of people; it was all Ryou, the despicable man, who was wrong!
"What is it that you want to say, my lady?"
Thinking of Freya and Ryou, Ishtar's tone turned hostile.
"Nothing, I just wanted to offer a small piece of advice as an ally. Not everyone in Gudako Hotel is that powerful."
A knowing smile appeared on Athena's face.
Completely unaware that she was being used as a pawn, Ishtar immediately summoned her right-hand and left-hand aides upon returning to her Familia.
One was the captain of the Familia, known as the Man Killer, Phryne Jamil, who was extremely ugly but considered herself as beautiful as a goddess.
The other was Aisha Belka, who had once met Ryou and was highly respected and adored by the Amazons in the Familia for her flexible tactics and splendid fighting style.
"Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit!"
Accompanied by an unpleasant laugh that sounded like a frog's croak, a giant figure walked in.
This giant was three meters tall and equally wide, resembling a wall. Her face was incredibly ugly, almost like a pile of round stones with barely recognizable female features.
Seeing this figure, a hint of disgust flashed in Ishtar's eyes. If there were stronger members in the Familia, she would never use this person.
This woman nicknamed the Man Killer, exceeded the aesthetic limits of both humans and gods, likely only appealing to monsters. Yet, this oddity had no self-awareness and shamelessly compared her looks to those of a goddess.
She would play with men to death.
This kind of person was not only the enemy of men but also a threat to women.
"Goddess, you called for me."
A hoarse, unpleasant voice, like stones clashing, came from the giant mass of flesh. Her tone and choice of words showed no respect for Ishtar, their main goddess.
At this moment, a beautiful Amazon woman entered from outside. She was Aisha, whom Ishtar relied on more.
"Mistress," Aisha respectfully greeted Ishtar with a bow.
Ishtar nodded, her expression becoming serious.
"I called you here today not for anything else. I have allied with the newly rising Athena Familia to jointly deal with that bitch Freya."
Aisha listened respectfully. The mass of flesh suddenly burst into an unpleasant laugh.
"Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit! An alliance is great! I've long been fed up with that slut Freya. I'm more beautiful than her, yet those lowly men always praise her. If I get the chance, I'll carve a few marks on her face. Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit!"
Ishtar's face turned somewhat ugly. Not only had Phryne interrupted her speech, but her words also showed no respect for the gods.
Sensing the goddess's displeasure, the smooth-talking Aisha quickly changed the topic.
"So, mistress, what are your plans?"
Ishtar's expression improved slightly, and she said calmly, "I'm planning to deal with Freya Familia's ally—Gudako Hotel—first."
Ishtar's words shocked Aisha.
"Mistress, I oppose this. It's said that in this incident, Gudako Hotel has shown strength even surpassing the three major Familias of Athena, Freya, and Loki. With our Familia's strength, we can't possibly be a match for them!"
However, good advice often goes unheeded. Aisha's suggestion sounded like self-deprecation and enemy glorification to Ishtar, making the goddess's face even darker.
"Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit! Aisha, you're too timid! It's just a restaurant; how strong can they be? It's probably just a scapegoat pushed out by Freya Familia and Loki Familia to divert attention. Freya and Loki must be hiding their strength!"
For once, Ishtar found Phryne's words more reasonable.
It's all Freya's fault! She mislead this goddess!
Once prejudice is formed, it's hard for both humans and gods to view matters related to the other party calmly and rationally.
Ishtar was in this state, leading her to make a grave mistake, ultimately destroying her entire Familia.
"It's decided. I will move against the Gudako Hotel!"
Ishtar's tone carried an air of unquestionable authority.
The mistress had made her decision, and as her subordinates, they could only comply.
"Yes."
Aisha suppressed the unease in her heart and agreed.
Ishtar valued this subordinate greatly and quickly comforted Aisha in a gentle tone.
"Don't worry too much. Even if the rumors are true, not everyone in Gudako Hotel can be high-level adventurers. As long as we find the right opportunity and act quickly, we can capture a few valuable pawns!"
"Well, alright. I'll follow your orders," Aisha replied, suppressing her unease.
Thus, a plot against Gudako Hotel began to unfold.
...
Meanwhile, Ryou was touring Orario with a group of women.
Originally intending for a relaxing trip, he was unprepared for how quickly events unfolded.
Finally finding some free time, he fulfilled his promise by taking his contract spirits and Syr on a tour around the massive labyrinth city.
Syr was out, and her inseparable companion, Ryuu, naturally followed. A certain childlike goddess with a sizable bust also tagged along upon hearing the commotion.
Seeing this, the catgirls Anya and Chloe wanted to join but were caught by Mama Mia and dragged back.
The group mourned for the two catgirls for three seconds before resuming their joyful outing.
They had no trouble along the way, maintaining at least a façade of harmony.
Ryou led them to the Ganesha Familia's coliseum.
This arena, built with the full power of the Ganesha Familia, was entirely in the style of ancient Rome, exuding grandeur and majesty.
Though it wasn't a Monster Festival day, the coliseum was still packed with spectators watching beast-taming shows, making the main street leading to the coliseum incredibly crowded.
Ryou never expected that a brutal scene would erupt at this moment.
Everything was going fine when Syr suddenly exclaimed.
"Ah!"
It seemed someone had pushed her from behind, causing her to fall to Ryou's left.
As the alter ego of a beauty goddess, she wouldn't let such a golden opportunity slip by.
Syr quickly pretended to have twisted her ankle and leaned into Ryou's arms.
Ryou just caught a faint, pleasant fragrance when he felt an incredibly soft sensation in his arms.
Immediately, he sensed three intense auras locking onto him.
One was Ryuu, with her inexplicable feelings for Syr.
As for the other two...
Ryou suddenly felt a sharp pain in his waist and a chilling killing intent from behind.
He turned his head with difficulty and saw Jeanne smiling at him with an angelic, saintly expression.
"What's wrong, Master? Is there something bothering you?"
Not far behind him, Medea Lily had taken out a strange, curved dagger from who knows where and was examining his body, seemingly looking for a convenient place to stab.