While Ishtar pondered whether to confess everything or face death, Alex carefully observed the internal struggle of the goddess. His thoughts occasionally wandered to how male gods could continue visiting Ishtar without feeling dirty. Just being in this place made Alex feel a growing sense of disgust.
As he wrestled with this feeling, one of the male gods attempted to flee. Alex didn't pay much attention, knowing that the god wouldn't be able to leave the hall.
— "Indra, there's no point in trying to escape. The entire hall is sealed," Alex said without even turning toward the god, who was futilely trying to open the doors.
— "Did your group of losers really think I wouldn't do anything to you?" Alex asked, turning his head slightly toward Indra, who glared at him with hatred.
— "And don't look at me like that, it's your own fault. I have no interest in hearing your arrogant speeches about what a great god you are and how I'll pay for my insolence," Alex added, remaining calm in the face of Indra's fury.
— "Thanatos also screamed loudly, but in the end, not even ashes remained of him, only the memories of those who knew him," Alex said, sending a wave of terror through Indra. The god had been trying to use his powers the entire time, but to no avail.
— "Now be a good dog and sit down. I'll deal with you later," Alex said, using magic to forcibly seat Indra back in his place. Indra felt himself lifted and thrown down, feeling pain and humiliation, but what angered him the most was the blow to his divine pride. Alex didn't care about Indra's feelings, viewing him as just another arrogant villain.
— "Are you done thinking, Ishtar? I don't have all day to spend in this disgusting place," Alex abruptly interrupted the goddess's thoughts.
— "Maybe we can make a deal? I could spend the night with you if you let me go," Ishtar suggested, considering the possibility that she wouldn't mind such terms.
— "Looking at you, I feel nothing but disgust. I gave you two choices only because I still need to deal with Indra, not because I find you interesting," Alex replied with such evident revulsion that Ishtar even became angry.
— "Is this all because of Freya? Just because you're with her, you look at me like this? How am I worse than Freya?" Ishtar began shouting, throwing questions at him.
— "Freya has nothing to do with this. Even if I wasn't with her, I'd still find you repulsive. And yes, you are indeed worse than Freya," Alex calmly responded, not hiding his disdain.
— "Ha-ha. We've always been compared, and once again, Freya wins," Ishtar laughed bitterly.
— "Freya has also slept with many men, but you don't find her disgusting!" Ishtar shouted, trying to provoke disgust in Alex toward Freya.
— "You're right, I know she's been with other men. But do you know how long ago that was? I do—so long ago that it's not even worth remembering. And you, for example, just had a romp with Indra this morning," Alex said in a composed tone, ignoring Ishtar's behavior.
— "Even if you and Freya share the same divinity, it doesn't mean she has to be as filthy a whore as you," Alex added sarcastically, staring at Ishtar, who fell silent after his words.
— "You're also a goddess of love. But have you ever truly loved?" Alex asked, staring intently at Ishtar, who struggled to find an answer.
— "I..." Ishtar tried to respond, but the words caught in her throat.
— "There's your answer. But Freya's love is heavy, like a black hole. She was willing to trap me just so I couldn't escape her," Alex said, his eyes darkening.
— "But the most surprising thing is that I didn't mind such love. Isn't love supposed to be like that? When you want the person you love to always be with you?" Alex continued, his eyes growing even darker. Ishtar recoiled at the sight of the same look in his eyes that Freya had.
— "And here's the difference between you and Freya. You want to surpass her, but you won't be able to because you're not ready to give everything you have to one person. You're too proud for that," Alex said, his eyes returning to their normal state as he smiled as if nothing had happened.
Alex's words struck Ishtar, making her question whether she was ready for such sacrifices. Could she love as insanely as Freya loves Alex? She didn't know the answer and had never thought about it before. Throughout her life, Ishtar had relied on various tricks to get what she wanted, while Freya only had to ask, and everyone rushed to fulfill her wishes. Ishtar had tried numerous ways to surpass Freya but always failed. Now she could only offer a bitter smile, realizing she had lost once again. Looking at Alex, Ishtar understood why Freya was so obsessed with him. It wasn't because they were similar but because he could give Freya everything she desired and endure her mad love.
— "Are you done thinking? I don't have all day," Alex asked, noticing that Ishtar had again lost herself in thought.
— "Have you decided what you'll do, or are we going to go in circles again?" he repeated when Ishtar finally emerged from her musings.
— "What do you want to know?" Ishtar asked wearily, resigned to her fate.
— "What was Indra here for? And what help did he offer?" Alex asked promptly, not wanting to waste time.
— "Indra came to invite me to a club of gods who want to achieve some great goal, but he didn't say what exactly," Ishtar answered.
— "And about the second part of the question?" Alex raised an eyebrow, indicating he wanted a more precise answer.
— "He said that his group has a way to deal with you when my family captures Haruhime," Ishtar replied. Alex widened his eyes momentarily, glancing at Indra, who continued to glare at him with hatred.
— "Did he say anything else?" Alex shifted his gaze back to Ishtar.
— "No, he didn't say what the club is. He said I'd find out after I join," Ishtar shook her head.
— "So you don't have any useful information," Alex concluded, watching as Ishtar averted her gaze.
— "You know, I could kill you just for sleeping with Indra and accepting his help," Alex said coldly. Ishtar broke into a cold sweat, her eyes darting nervously as she tried to find a way to dissuade him.
— "But I have other matters to attend to today. Consider yourself lucky," Alex continued, standing up from the throne and approaching Indra.
— "You're going to let me go?" Ishtar asked, not believing his words.
— "You could say that. It's not your fault you were born with an empty head," Alex replied, standing next to Indra.
— "But I did want to harm a member of your family and threatened her," Ishtar recalled the rumors about Alex attacking Apollo.
— "Hmm, you're right, but my priority right now is Indra. As for you…" Alex paused for a moment, turning his head toward Ishtar.
— "Stop behaving like a whore and find yourself a husband. Perhaps your life will improve when you find true love. Forget about always being compared to Freya. You are you, and Freya is Freya. You're two different people. What does it matter if you're better or worse than Freya? It's your life, your story, and you shouldn't focus on others' opinions. That's my advice before I leave," Alex said, looking at Ishtar.
Alex's words made Ishtar ponder whether she could truly leave her hatred for Freya in the past. Was it possible for her to start anew? These questions began to swirl in her mind. She had been so obsessed with competing with Freya for so long that she could no longer remember where the enmity had originally begun. Had Freya ever thought about this? Or did she not care? Alex noticed that Ishtar had once again immersed herself in thought and sighed wearily. He didn't understand why gods spent so much time contemplating. If you hate someone, just hate them.
Shaking off the unnecessary thoughts, Alex turned his attention back to Indra, contemplating what to do with him. He decided it was time for a "corrective conversation" with Indra, but first, he needed to immobilize his "patient." After delivering a few blows to the head, Alex expected Indra to lose consciousness. But seeing that Indra remained conscious after the blows that had knocked out Thanatos, Alex realized he needed to be more decisive and kicked him in the head.
Indra, feeling humiliated by these blows, glared at Alex with hatred until the final blow finally knocked him out. Ensuring that Indra no longer resisted, Alex decided it was time to take him to a place where "bad gods" are "reformed." Ishtar, emerging from her thoughts, watched as Alex struck Indra's head and then kicked him. Her eyes widened in horror, realizing that she could have been treated the same way. But she didn't know that an even worse fate awaited Indra.
Noticing a knocked-out tooth near Indra's face, Alex smiled with satisfaction, seeing the result of his work. He grabbed Indra by the hair, preparing to head home. Before leaving, he addressed Ishtar one last time, instructing her to stop her dirty deeds and start living a normal life. Just as Alex was about to leave, he remembered the three people he had promised to help and summoned them to teleport together with him.
Ishtar watched as Alex took three more members of her family and sighed wearily. The day had been too eventful for a goddess like her. Taking one last look at the unconscious members of her family, Ishtar shook her head, deciding she urgently needed a good sleep.
Alex teleported directly to his workshop and immediately strapped Indra to a chair to prevent him from trying to escape. Having cast a silence spell on him in advance, Alex ensured that the god's screams would not disturb the others in the house. He then turned his attention to the three amazons, pondering what to do with them. Deciding it was best to talk first, Alex woke the women.
As the amazons woke up, they looked around and realized they were in some kind of workshop. They were confused until they noticed Alex sitting in a chair next to the restrained Indra. At first frightened, the women calmed down upon seeing Alex's strange but calm demeanor.
"I see you're awake. I've pulled you out of Ishtar's family, as promised. You could say you're free now," Alex said, looking at the group that included Aisha.
"Thank you for helping us and protecting Haruhime all this time. She is like a younger sister to me," Aisha said gratefully, bowing her head.
"There's no need to thank me. We made a deal, and you did your part, and I did mine. As for Haruhime, it's my duty to take care of her, as she is my family," Alex replied, brushing off the gratitude.
"Still, that doesn't change the fact that you helped us and saved Haruhime from a terrible fate," Aisha continued, wanting to express her appreciation.
"Alright, as you say," Alex shook his head, accepting her words. "Now that you're free, what are your plans?"
The girls were confused, not knowing what to say.
"To be honest, I haven't thought about it yet," Aisha admitted shyly.
"If you're not sure yet, I can recommend a place to work so you'll at least have some money," Alex suggested, which made the girls' eyes light up with interest.
"What kind of job?" Aisha asked curiously.
"Waiting tables at 'Mistress of Fertility.' I'm friends with Mia, and she can offer you a job," Alex explained. Aisha and her friends considered the offer.
"Can we have a little time to think?" Aisha asked cautiously, fearing Alex might get angry.
"Of course, take your time. This is your life, and only you have the right to decide how to live it," Alex replied with a kind smile.
"I thought you were different," Aisha confessed, surprised by Alex's reaction.
"What did you think I was like?" Alex asked, tilting his head.
"Cold, cruel, not accepting refusals," Aisha replied, carefully watching his reaction.
"Pfff, ha-ha-ha! That's something new. This is why you shouldn't believe rumors," Alex laughed, which puzzled the girls watching him.
"Maybe you're right," Aisha smiled.
"Alright, I need to talk to my goddess and gather others. So let's head upstairs," Alex said, getting up from his chair and asking the girls to follow him. Approaching the door, he added, "And please don't spread what you've seen today. It could end badly."
The girls flinched at his warning and nodded, indicating they understood.
Alex led the girls upstairs. Aisha's group, a bit nervous, followed him up the stairs. Their minds were filled with thoughts about what had happened, and they wanted to know why Indra was tied to a strange chair and what had happened to Ishtar. However, afraid of angering the person in front of them, they didn't dare ask questions.
Alex reached the main hall and immediately felt the oppressive atmosphere. In the center of the room were Hestia and Hephaestus, and opposite them were two unfamiliar men. One was a blond in a strange hat, whose face seemed to beg to be hit. Next to him was another man with black hair who exuded kindness and calm, instilling trust. Behind them stood a group of people, three of whom were bandaged after injuries, and one girl standing behind the blond seemed to be reluctant to be there.
Alex immediately recalled a scene from an anime and realized that the situation might be very similar. His suspicions were confirmed when he saw Hestia frown, and anger began to boil inside him.
"Alex, please, calm down first, and we'll talk," Hestia said as she saw Alex's smile vanish upon noticing the strangers in the hall. She realized that Alex had figured out what was going on.
"We'll talk, but as for calming down, I'm not sure," Alex replied grimly, approaching and sitting next to Hestia.
"This blond with the disgusting smile is Hermes, and next to him is Takemikazuchi. Behind them are members of their families," Hestia introduced the guests.
"Hestia, what do you mean by 'disgusting smile'?" Hermes asked with feigned surprise.
"Nice to meet the famous captain of the Hestia Familia. I'm very pleased," Takemikazuchi said with a smile.
"I came to apologize for the actions of my family members," he continued, trying to ease the tension as Alex's eyes grew darker.
"Go ahead," Alex said curtly.
"Alex, listen..." Hestia began, but Alex interrupted her before she could continue.
"I said, tell me what they did," Alex demanded, keeping his gaze fixed on Takemikazuchi.
"How dare you speak to a god like that?" the muscular guy, all bandaged up, exclaimed indignantly.
"You better shut up. Depending on what your god says, you might end up staying here forever," Alex threatened, looking at the guy who seemed to be responsible for the situation.
"There's no need to argue; we're all friends here," Hermes tried to defuse the tension.
"Shut up," Alex snapped without even looking at him. His gaze was fixed on Takemikazuchi, who began to sweat under Alex's intense stare, feeling increasingly uncomfortable.
"My children went on a raid and encountered a group of strange monsters. Unable to defeat them, they decided to flee. And while escaping, they ran into members of your family and decided to provoke the monsters to attack them," Takemikazuchi confessed, avoiding Alex's intimidating gaze.
"So you decided it was better to sacrifice others' lives rather than try to handle the problem yourselves?" Alex asked calmly, sending shivers down everyone's spines. Takemikazuchi's family members looked away, not daring to answer.
"Why are you silent?" Alex asked in the same calm tone. "Where's your courage when you were throwing others to their deaths? Where's your courage now, when you're in the house of those you decided to sacrifice?"
He approached the muscular guy and continued, "I asked you a question. Why are you looking away and not daring to look at me?"
"I..." the guy began, but before he could finish, he received a kick to the chest, feeling his ribs crack.
"You should have sacrificed yourself instead of standing here and trying to make excuses," Alex said, looking at the guy who had fallen, choking on his own blood.
Everyone in the hall was stunned by Alex's actions as he suddenly attacked the injured guy. Hestia was the first to react—she rushed to him, trying to hold him back, with Hephaestus quickly following. They grabbed Alex, who seemed intent on continuing the assault despite the guy's obvious injuries. Both goddesses were unsure of Alex's capabilities in a fit of rage and didn't want to find out. Their main goal now was to calm him down and stop him from further actions.
Takemikazuchi could only smile sadly, realizing that his children had brought this anger upon themselves. Hermes, who had been smiling before, now frowned, disappointed by Alex's unexpected reaction. He had expected different behavior from him, as he was an expert in gathering information and never trusted rumors, preferring to look for patterns in what he heard. Hermes had seen potential for Alex to become a hero, but now he began to realize that Alex was far from being a hero.
"Alex, stop! Don't beat him!" Hestia cried out, holding Alex tightly, trying to calm him.
"That's right, Alex, he's not worth it," Hephaestus supported her, wrapping her arms around Alex's waist to restrain him.
"This bastard would have been better off dying in the dungeon like a dog than showing up here and thinking apologies are enough," Alex spat, trying to suppress his anger and restrain himself from finishing off the guy in front of him.
He abruptly turned to the dark-haired girl who had been silent all this time: "Hey, you, tell me what happened."
"W-We were on the seventh floor, and then..." the girl stammered, clearly frightened by his tone.
"What are you mumbling about? Speak clearly," Alex said, losing his patience.
"We were on the seventh floor and found a strange room with a black wall. When we tried to investigate it, a lot of monsters started coming out. They were black with purple veins. We tried to fight them, but they were much stronger than us. Then they injured Chigusa, and we started retreating," the girl gathered her thoughts and began to explain the situation. Hearing her words, Alex frowned, realizing that this group of failures had somehow disrupted the structure of the dungeon.
"What happened next?" he asked in a harsh tone, increasingly understanding how out of control the situation was.
"When we were fleeing and fighting, we ran into other adventurers and passed by them, hoping the monsters would be distracted by them," the girl added, beginning to tremble under Alex's intense gaze.
"I ordered them to do that, don't blame them," said the guy, trying to rise from the floor.
"OuKa, you don't need to take all the blame, we're all at fault," said Chigusa, a girl with a bob haircut and bangs covering her eyes, trying to stop him.
"No, it's my fault, and as captain, I take full responsibility," OuKa insisted, not letting Chigusa approach him.
Alex watched their interaction, desperately trying to suppress his anger. But the more he watched, the stronger his fury grew. On one hand, he could calm down, knowing he had armed and trained the girls from his family to the point of exhaustion. On the other hand, if there were too many monsters, they might have been harmed. Alex believed they would manage, but that didn't change the fact that the bastard in front of him had tried to sacrifice others to save his own skin.
"Are you finished with your melodrama?" Alex asked, looking at the pair that was unsuccessfully trying to take the blame. Hearing his words, they turned their gaze to him and flinched.
"If something happened to them, if they're injured or, heaven forbid, worse…" Alex began, moving closer to OuKa.
"I'll kill everyone you care about. I'll destroy everything you have. You'll watch as those you love die before your eyes, and everything you hold dear will be torn apart in my hands," Alex said, leaning closer to OuKa. His words sent shivers down everyone's spine.
"Alex, don't go that far. The girls might be alright since you trained them. Please, let them go. I don't blame them, and you should forgive them," Hestia pleaded, rushing to Alex with tears in her eyes.
"My goddess might have forgiven you, but I certainly won't. Remember: whether you lose everything or receive forgiveness depends on their condition," Alex said, turning away from OuKa, who was drenched in cold sweat, realizing the situation was much worse than he had imagined.
Alex moved to the couch, trying to calm down, and began to think. The girl, who seemed to be named Yamato, mentioned a black wall from which mutated monsters emerged. The more Alex thought about it, the more convinced he became that this group of failures had somehow managed to infect the dungeon. The experiment with infecting Goliath was not just a test of monster rex mutation but an attempt to infect the dungeon itself.
Alex pondered this theory deeply: at its core, the dungeon was an organism filled with mana, where the dungeon's bottom served as its heart and the walls as veins. Injecting poison into the blood would infect the entire organism. Everyone in the hall watched Alex, seeing him frown as he tried to understand what he was thinking. Hermes watched him with particular interest. While Alex might not have had the potential to become a hero, there was something else that intrigued Hermes deeply. When he first heard the title Alex held, he realized there was something more behind it. Alex's behavior only reinforced Hermes' belief that Alex was the complete opposite of a hero. If a hero aims to save everyone, Alex, like a Demon King or Dragon, guarded only his treasure—his loved ones.
"Hey, you," Alex said, pointing to the girl with braided black hair.
"My name is Yamato, not 'you,'" she replied.
"As you say. Describe the wall you saw," Alex continued, looking at Yamato intently.
"Just a plain black wall," she answered after a brief pause.
"Did it have purple streaks, like veins, spreading across the wall, almost like poison?" Alex clarified, wanting more details.
"Y-Yes, exactly! How did you know?" Yamato asked, surprised.
"Damn it," Alex cursed, causing confusion among everyone in the room.
"Alex, do you know something?" Hephaestus asked, noticing his frown.
"You understand it too. It's those failures again, trying to amuse themselves," Alex replied, causing Hephaestus and Hestia's eyes to widen. The others present were confused about what was being discussed.
"Damn, well-played, I can't argue with that," Alex muttered to himself, which only increased everyone's bewilderment.
"Alex, what are you talking about?" Hestia asked, trying to understand his words.
"This is their way of getting revenge on me for interfering with their plans and distracting me while Ishtar kidnaps Haruhime. They hoped my anger would be directed at Ishtar, and thus made their move," Alex explained, his eyes flashing with contempt for those behind it.
"You're saying they planned all of this?" Hephaestus asked, trying to confirm.
"Yes," Alex simply nodded. Hephaestus frowned, and Hestia began to get angry, realizing how devious their enemies' plan was.
While Alex and his two goddesses discussed the situation, the others present were left guessing. They didn't understand which group of failures was being referred to and why they were causing so much trouble for Hestia's family. Hermes was particularly intrigued. Watching Alex and the goddesses, he realized they clearly knew more than they were letting on, and their reluctance to share information irritated him. His curiosity to uncover the truth was only growing.
Ignoring Hermes's restlessness, Alex got up from the couch, intending to call Finn to find out how their dungeon expedition was progressing. However, something was interfering with the connection, and Alex realized that mana flow disturbances in the dungeon were causing interference. Deciding to take further action, he called Allen to find out when he last communicated with Finn.
"Allen, when was the last time you spoke with Finn?" Alex asked.
"We talked a couple of days ago when they were finishing up the alarm installation on the 60th floor," Allen replied, not understanding what Alex was getting at.
"Got it. Listen, go to Freya and tell her she needs to come to my place. And don't forget to bring Loki," Alex instructed.
"Why do I have to do this?" Allen replied, annoyed.
"Because shit has hit the fan, so hurry up," Alex answered, ending the call.
Alex sighed wearily, realizing his peaceful life was coming to an end and that the villains had decided to make their final move in their "great" scheme. He didn't yet know who was pulling the strings, but he understood they were resorting to desperate measures. Alex pondered that these villains were not following the usual script—such actions were typically taken when the protagonist is alone, and the villain summons a monster lurking in the shadows. Settling back on the couch, Alex decided to wait for Loki and Freya to discuss the current affairs and the situation in the dungeon.
To be continued…