Near the edge of the floating garden, two figures suddenly emerged from the void.
"Ah~ I thought we were done for this time!"
Loki exclaimed, lying on the ground with a look of relief after narrowly escaping death.
"Hey! Get up! We're still not out of danger yet!"
Athena kicked Loki to get her moving.
"Just let me rest for a bit. I used up every last bit of my divine power to force that Blink technique through the barrier," Loki complained.
Athena's eyes flashed at Loki's words, and then she said coldly, "If you don't want to get caught by them, you'd better get up now!"
"Ugh, you're so cold and heartless!"
Loki protested but slowly got to her feet and started walking sluggishly.
"Come here, I'll help you walk!"
Athena offered, much to Loki's disbelief.
Seeing Loki's expression, Athena's face showed a hint of impatience as she lifted Loki and helped her move forward.
After being enhanced by the system, the fully upgraded floating garden was surrounded by a special, complex barrier. Anyone identified as an enemy would have all teleportation methods strongly sealed off, and all attributes drastically suppressed in proportion. Otherwise, with the gods' immensely powerful bodies and far surpassing mortal attributes, they would have escaped long ago.
Had it not been for the need to support each other, Athena's cold and selfish nature would have led her to abandon Loki long ago. Athena dragged Loki, running forward with difficulty. However, from an angle Loki couldn't see, a faint golden light flashed in Athena's hand as she supported Loki.
With Ishtar Rin no longer pursuing them and Semiramis busy playing her hunting game, the two goddesses quickly reached the edge of the floating garden and leaped off.
When they landed on the ground, Loki immediately spread out in a star shape, lying there in a completely ungraceful manner and panting heavily.
"We finally, finally got out!"
"Yes," Athena replied, patting her ample chest with lingering fear before gritting her teeth. "That damned mortal! Don't let me catch him, or I'll rip out his soul and nail it to the Wall of Lamentations for eternity!"
"Count me in," Loki added, seething with anger at the thought of how her Ais-tan had been snatched away. Ryou's plan not only ruined her reputation but also thwarted all her schemes.
At this, the two goddesses exchanged smiles. Having a common enemy and experiencing life-and-death trials together gradually built a bond of trust between them.
"Alright, get up. It's not becoming of goddesses to be lying on the ground like this," Athena said with a smile, reaching out naturally to help Loki up.
"Thanks."
Loki grabbed Athena's flawless hand, allowing herself to be pulled up.
Feeling the softness and smoothness of Athena's hand, Loki's mischievous side got the better of her, and she didn't want to let go.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Athena's expression instantly turned cold.
Although Athena was a genuine yuri, she only liked being the dominant one, so Loki's teasing behavior immediately annoyed her.
"Aw, what's the harm~? We just survived a life-and-death ordeal together. Isn't it natural to get a little closer?"
Loki shamelessly retorted.
"Is that so? Well, if you don't want to let go, don't blame me!"
Athena's expression suddenly became icy cold.
Before Loki could react, golden divine power surged through Athena's body, transferring directly into Loki.
"W-What are you doing!?"
Loki cried out in fear, trying to pull her hand away, only to find that their hands were stuck together as if fused.
"After today's battle, I realized something: without your help, I can't defeat that mortal named Nguyen Ryou."
Athena's voice was gentle, and her expression softened, which only made Loki even more terrified.
As Athena's divine power continued to flow into Loki's body, a large, golden scroll, as tall as a person, slowly unfurled.
"So, I'm going to establish an eternal contract with you. This way, we can be together forever. Of course, I'll be the master, and you'll be my servant," Athena said with a delighted smile, one that came from the heart, as she finally felt her value was being proven.
Recently, Athena had suffered repeated setbacks at the hands of Ryou, leaving her with a psychological shadow. Successfully scheming against Loki in the spur of the moment brought her immense pleasure—it reassured her that her wisdom still had its use.
"By the way, Amaterasu is also one of my female slaves," Athena added as if she had been repressing her need to vent after so many failures, revealing a huge secret.
"What kind of ruler of the Takamagahara pantheon? With just a few sweet words, I had her completely fooled, and she easily surrendered her body to me. After playing with her until she lost consciousness, I forced her into a contract. Now, the entire Takamagahara pantheon is under my control."
"You're despicable!"
Loki exclaimed, her face twisted as if she had been bitten by a poisonous snake after hearing Athena's secret.
"Who would have thought that goddesses are so stupid? I was just testing the waters, and that foolish goddess fell for it. Even I was surprised," Athena said with a smirk.
At that moment, the enormous scroll fully unfurled, and a complex golden magic circle appeared beneath both goddesses. The inscriptions on it were written in ancient divine script, so intricate that even a glance would make someone dizzy.
"Well, it's about time, Loki. Just obediently become my female slave for the rest of your life. Don't worry, once I'm done playing with those cute girls, I'll reward them to you."
Feeling confident in her impending victory, Athena no longer hid her cruel nature.
"Be careful; you might face retribution for this," Loki said indignantly.
Athena dismissed Loki's words as the whimpering of a defeated opponent.
Suddenly, the scroll emitted a brilliant light that enveloped both of them, and the magic circle beneath their feet responded, expanding to its limit. From afar, two golden beams shot up into the sky, piercing the clouds.
When the light finally receded, the scroll rolled itself up and split into two, merging into the bodies of the two goddesses.
"It's done. Now, my dear slave Loki, kneel before me!"
Athena commanded, her face full of satisfaction, one hand on her hip and the other pointing at Loki, exuding the aura of a queen.
But to her surprise, Loki looked at her with a knowing smirk, making no move to obey.
"Huh? What's going on? The contract is definitely in effect, so why isn't it working?"
"It's not working because you've got the roles reversed. Now, kneel and meow like a cat," Loki said with a calm smile.
"Impossible! How could I..."
Athena instinctively wanted to resist.
However, under the powerful influence of the ancient contract, her body acted against her will, slowly kneeling to the ground.
"Nyaa~"
The soft, cute sound paired with the goddess's tearful, humiliated expression was truly exquisite!
"Oh! So obedient!"
Facing Athena's volcanic gaze, Loki patted her head as if teasing a pet.
Athena had never endured such humiliation. She bit her lips so hard that they bled.
Rather than enduring such humiliation forever, it would be better to...
As the thought of suicide emerged in Athena's mind, Loki's sinister voice interrupted.
"Oh~ I almost forgot to put a collar on my little kitty... In the name of Loki, I command you, you are not allowed to commit suicide! You are not allowed to escape back to the heavens! In the face of mortal danger, you must strive to survive!"
Loki had cut off all her escape routes.
Athena's heart turned to ashes, and she lay on the ground with vacant eyes, murmuring.
"Impossible, I checked secretly, and you don't have a trace of divine power on you."
Even now, she couldn't believe she was the one who lost.
"My little kitty, your every move is under my control. If you want to sign a master-servant contract with me, the evil god Loki, you must be prepared to lose even yourself!"
Loki grinned widely.
In contrast, Athena, the once proud goddess of wisdom, lay defeated in front of Loki as if she had succumbed to her overwhelming might.
...
As time passed, there were fewer and fewer gods and adventurers left in the Hanging Garden.
Some were turned to ashes by the EX-level magic cannon, while others, like Athena and Loki, escaped by jumping.
The number of enemies remaining in the Hanging Garden sharply decreased, and Semiramis's control over the entire Hanging Garden became more proficient, causing the survival chances of the survivors to plummet.
Ryou was hunting adventurers when suddenly, a teleportation array glowed beneath his feet, sending him back to the hotel.
At that moment, Scathach approached.
"Shishou?"
Ryou showed a puzzled expression.
"Today is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I've decided to let you experience a chance to fight with a god."
Scathach spoke with a cold, commanding tone that brooked no argument.
"What!? How is that possible!"
He immediately thought he must have entered the teleportation array wrong and was seeing a fake Scathach.
With his current average attributes of C and D, he couldn't even handle high-level adventurers, let alone gods.
He could only rely on his powerful Noble Phantasm to bully level 7 or 8 opponents.
According to his estimation, gods had average attributes at EX-level or higher.
Even under the suppression of the barrier, they weren't opponents a third-rate Servant-like like him, who had just entered the heroic Servant rank, could handle.
So his first reaction was that he must have misheard.
"I've already consulted Semiramis. If the barrier is focused on a single god, it can directly suppress all their attributes to around level B."
Damn, Semiramis, you plotted against me.
Hearing Scathach's words, Ryou was instantly furious.
"I didn't plot against you, oh dear master~ I just thought it would be more interesting this way."
Swish!
Dressed in a black luxurious gown, the Assyrian Empress, full of lazy decadence, appeared before the two.
Semiramis covered her mouth, chuckling as she looked at him.
"I'll settle accounts with you later!"
Ryou pointed at Semiramis and shouted, then turned to Scathach.
"Shishou, can you..."
Before he could finish speaking, Scathach interrupted him firmly.
"You can choose to fight them or choose to fight me."
"I choose to fight them!"
In less than a second, Ryou made his choice.
"Then, Master, please choose an opponent from here. Be quick; the longer you take, the fewer options you'll have~"
Semiramis wore a mischievous smile.
She raised her hand and waved gently, and a large screen appeared in front of him, divided into dozens of small squares, each showing different characters.
This was the method Semiramis used to monitor the entire Hanging Garden.
Ryou gritted his teeth and quickly started browsing.
There was no way to escape this time, as Scathach was adamant.
Therefore, choosing the right opponent became crucial.
First, he naturally ruled out adventurers, as Scathach had clearly stated that he could only choose a god.
Next, he eliminated those with legendary bravery or any combat-enhancing roles.
The ideal opponent would have roles related to agriculture, commerce, winemaking, or other non-combatant positions.
Soon, Ryou locked onto his target but did not immediately speak. Instead, he turned to Scathach and said:
"Shishou, before the battle, can you help me put on a show?"
"Oh~ You want to use tricks to disturb your opponent? Very well, as a warrior, you should do everything to win."
Unexpectedly, Scathach nodded in agreement.
"Good! Semiramis, transport those two here."
Ryou smirked as he pointed to the two figures on the screen.
At a time like this, how dare they flaunt their love?
Who else should I choose but you two!
Semiramis glanced at the scene on the screen and immediately showed an amused expression.
"Master's choice is indeed interesting. Let me enjoy a good drama."
With that, Semiramis waved her hand.
The glow of the teleportation array instantly brightened.
The screen was showing the figures of a male and female deity.
"Demeter, come on! We're almost at the edge!"
A handsome and elegant male god in a purple-blue classical tailcoat with golden hair draped over his shoulders ran ahead while speaking to his female companion behind him.
"Yes! Dionysus, let's work hard together and escape from here!"
Being half-dragged and half-pulled by Dionysus, was a beautiful goddess with orange hair and eyes, and an alluring figure.
She looked at her lover's back with full affection.
"Dionysus!"
The orange-haired goddess suddenly called out softly.
"What is it, Demeter?"
Dionysus didn't turn his head; they couldn't afford any distractions now.
"Last time…"
Demeter, usually known for her bold and big-sister persona, showed a rare shy expression.
"About what you said last time, I agreed."
If Dionysus hadn't been focusing most of his attention on them, he might not have heard what Demeter said.
"Last time's matter?"
Dionysus pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered, and his heart began to race.
"Do you mean... you agreed to my proposal?!"
His voice trembled slightly as if he couldn't quite believe it.
"Yeah~"
Demeter whispered.
"!!!"
If they weren't fleeing for their lives, Dionysus would have laughed out loud.
"Demeter, do you mean it?"
"Idiot! Don't make me repeat such things!"
Demeter shouted, embarrassed and angry.
"What does it matter? I'm happy now! Let's have the wedding when we get back!"
Dionysus laughed heartily as he said it.
"So soon?!"
Demeter looked shocked.
"Why not? We've been together for 10,000 years, right? I've been waiting for this day for so long!"
Dionysus said, giving Demeter's hand a firm squeeze.
"I-I understand, I agree."
Demeter, blushing, nodded slightly.
"That's great, Demeter! I promise to make you the happiest bride in the world!"
Dionysus vowed loudly.
"Yes! I believe in you, Dionysus! Don't ever let go of my hand~"
In the next second, the light of the teleportation array shone brightly...