Let's go back a bit, to the time before the battle with the monsters in Orario had begun. Freya woke up early in the morning, before the sun had risen. She got out of bed, and the blanket sensually slid down her slender body. Her sleepy face made her even more beautiful. After rubbing her eyes and looking out the window, she noticed that the sun had not yet risen. Like any other girl, Freya would have liked to stay in bed a little longer, but she had plans and couldn't let her beloved down.
Rising from bed, displaying her stunning figure, Freya began preparing for her tasks. She knew she needed to finish the preparations Alex had forgotten about. After dressing, Freya left her apartment, where, as always, her loyal bodyguard Ottar was already waiting for her.
"You're already awake, my lady? Perhaps you should rest a little longer?" Ottar asked upon seeing Freya up so early.
"It's fine. I need to retrieve the item Alex mentioned and prepare for a possible battle," Freya replied with a smile as she headed towards the elevator.
"How do you like the sword Alex gave you?" Freya asked, noticing the new sword on Ottar's back.
"This sword suits me perfectly, as if it was made just for me," Ottar replied, showing off the enormous black sword, almost as long as he was tall. The sword had a rough shape, as if designed solely for slaying monsters rather than for show.
"That's true. Alex never does anything halfway," Freya said, admiring the rough-looking sword, though as a goddess of war, she understood its purpose perfectly.
"Mmm," Ottar nodded, saying nothing more.
When the elevator arrived, Freya and Ottar stepped inside and headed down. Freya's first destination was Alex's house. She walked through the quiet streets of Orario, gradually illuminated by the first rays of the sun. She enjoyed the morning stroll but couldn't help but think how wonderful it would be if Alex were walking beside her to share in this atmosphere. By the time she reached Alex's house, the sun had fully risen, lighting up the city.
As she approached the gates, Freya noticed another visitor. It was Loki, who, holding her head with one hand and the fence with the other, was trying not to fall.
"I see you haven't changed, Loki. Even at this hour, you've managed to get drunk," Freya said as she approached Loki.
"It's all because of the stress. I couldn't sleep, so I decided to have a drink, and I ended up getting drunk," Loki admitted, clutching her mouth to hold back her nausea.
"If Alex saw you in this state, you'd be getting another lecture on irresponsible behavior," Freya said, recalling how often Loki had to endure Alex's scoldings.
"You won't tell him, will you?" Loki asked hopefully, turning her head toward Freya, who stepped back, fearing Loki might vomit on her dress.
"Who knows? Now, let's go. We need to retrieve the item Alex requested," Freya said and moved forward, with Ottar following her.
"I don't remember him mentioning any item. Didn't he give you that black box yesterday?" Loki asked, catching up with Freya and holding her head.
"He contacted me yesterday and explained the situation in the dungeon. Just in case, he asked me to pick up another item from his workshop," Freya replied, glancing at Loki.
"What item?" Loki asked, trying to resist the urge to pull a bottle out of her bag and drink to relieve her headache.
"You'll find out later," Freya replied, causing Loki to frown.
When they reached the door, Freya knocked. Hearing approaching footsteps, the goddesses waited. The door was opened by Haruhime, who was already fully prepared. She was dressed in a battle outfit of a priestess, with a katana at her waist.
"Good morning, Lady Freya, Lady Loki, and Lord Ottar," Haruhime greeted the group.
"Good morning, Haruhime. Is Hephaestus already awake?" Freya asked with a kind smile.
"Hephaestus-sama is having breakfast right now. Please, come in," Haruhime replied, stepping aside to let them in.
"Thank you, Haruhime," Freya said as she entered the house, to which the girl responded with a slight nod and a smile.
Freya and Loki headed to the dining room where Hephaestus was having breakfast, while Ottar stayed in the hallway to wait for his goddess. Upon entering the room, both goddesses saw Hephaestus sitting at the table with a cup of coffee.
There were dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep. Noticing the guests, Hephaestus simply nodded at them and continued to focus on drinking her coffee, ignoring everything else around her.
"Good morning, Hephaestus. What's going on with you so early in the morning?" Freya asked, sitting across from her.
"She probably couldn't sleep without her favorite hugging pillow," Loki suggested with a smirk, pouring a familiar drink into a glass.
"Is that so," Freya remarked with a hint of envy.
"What brings you here so early?" Hephaestus asked, not denying Loki's guess.
"Alex asked me to take a golden box from his workshop," Freya replied, starting to drink the tea that Haruhime served her.
"How are things down there?" Hephaestus asked with concern.
"According to Alex, things are bad in the dungeon," Freya replied, shaking her head.
"Can you tell us more details?" Loki inquired, sipping from her glass.
Freya began to recount everything she had learned from Alex about the situation in the dungeon. As she spoke, the goddesses' expressions grew more serious.
"This doesn't sound good," Loki said in a serious tone.
"The important thing is that everyone is safe, and Alex has already dealt with the problem," Hephaestus noted, sighing in relief after hearing the news.
"And which specific golden box did Alex ask you to take? There are many of them, so I need to at least know what it's for," Hephaestus asked, finishing her coffee.
"To quote Alex: 'Take the golden box that will help catch the idiot who's trying to cause trouble,'" Freya replied, trying to mimic Alex's voice. Upon hearing this, Loki couldn't hold back, and liquid came out of her nose as she choked on her drink.
"I think I've seen that one. I'll go check. Will you come with me or stay here?" Hephaestus asked, standing up and looking at the goddesses.
"I think I'll stay here, I'm not feeling too well," Loki mumbled, trying to clear her throat while Haruhime patted her back to help with the cough.
"I think I'll stay too," Freya agreed, pointing to her tea.
Hephaestus nodded and headed to Alex's workshop. Entering, she didn't pay attention to Indra, who was sitting with a vacant expression, drooling slightly. Hephaestus approached a cabinet labeled "Various Stuff" and opened it, seeing many boxes with silly names.
She sighed again, realizing that Alex never knew how to name things properly. Reading the labels on the boxes, she finally found the right one. The box was labeled "For Catching Pokémon." Hephaestus double-checked and took it in her hands.
"Can't he just name things normally?" Hephaestus thought, holding the box.
"And what are 'Pokémon' anyway?" she wondered as she closed the cabinet.
"I'll have to ask Alex what 'Pokémon' are and why they need to be caught," Hephaestus decided, leaving the workshop and not forgetting to close the door behind her.
Going back upstairs and entering the dining room where both goddesses were already sitting, Hephaestus placed the golden box on the table for Freya to take before leaving.
"This is what Alex asked for," Hephaestus said, sitting back in her previous seat.
"Thank you, Hephaestus," Freya said, reaching for the box. But just as she was about to touch it, someone else snatched the box.
"Loki, what are you doing?" Freya asked in surprise, noticing Loki carefully examining the box.
"You already have the black box, so I'll take this one," Loki replied, clutching the box to herself.
"Loki, these are not toys to be played with. Most of what's in Alex's workshop is weaponry, and very dangerous at that," Hephaestus warned, giving Loki a stern look.
"I know it's not a toy, but I'm taking it anyway," Loki stubbornly declared, hiding the box in her bag.
"Freya, maybe you could say something?" Hephaestus turned to Freya, who was still sipping her tea.
"It's fine," Freya responded with a slight smile. "If Loki messes up, Alex will blame her."
"What do you mean, 'blame me'? I'll have you know I'm very responsible," Loki protested, but Freya and Hephaestus merely shook their heads at her words.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Hephaestus, but we should be going. According to Alex, Dionysus will start making his move soon," Freya said, standing up.
"Of course. Take care, and don't make Alex worry," Hephaestus replied, waving goodbye.
The two goddesses left Alex's house, followed by Ottar and Haruhime, who nearly forgot her priestess staff. Reaching Daedalus Street, the goddesses found a spot to sit and wait for Dionysus' attack to begin.
Loki sat back, drinking alcohol without paying attention to the grim atmosphere of the street. Freya, sitting in the shade provided by Ottar holding an umbrella over her, pondered the upcoming events. Haruhime checked her weapon, recalling Alex's words about the importance of thorough preparation.
"Lady Freya, you're here," came Allen's voice as he unexpectedly appeared next to Freya.
"What did you find out, Allen?" Freya asked, turning her head to him.
"There is indeed a suspicious place beneath Daedalus Street, but I couldn't get in—something blocked me," Allen replied, awaiting praise.
"You did well," Freya praised him, and Allen exhaled proudly.
"But were you able to understand what kept you from getting closer?" she asked, wanting more details.
"I'm sorry, Lady Freya, but there was some strange darkness that filled me with fear and made me stay away," Allen answered, slightly embarrassed.
"If it's what Alex mentioned, you could say your child is lucky, Freya," Loki interjected, glancing at Allen.
"You think it's the same thing?" Freya asked, shifting her gaze to Loki.
"Maybe, but I'm not sure since I didn't see what was happening in the dungeon," Loki replied, shaking her head.
"Lady Freya, perhaps you should contact Alex to get more details?" Allen suggested, with a hint of envy in his voice.
"I don't think that's a good idea. He might be fighting right now, and I don't want to distract him," Freya replied firmly.
The group sat in anticipation of Dionysus' attack, waiting for him to send monsters to wreak havoc. Time passed unnoticed, and gradually, the other members of Freya's familia arrived, hiding in various places to ambush the emerging monsters.
The longer they waited, the more oppressive the atmosphere became, as if something terrible was inexorably approaching, and there was no escaping it. In the silence, one could catch the sound of scraping, as if something was trying to break through from underground, waiting for the right moment to attack. The tension didn't last long—soon, a deafening roar of monsters echoed.
Various monsters began to emerge from underground, from goblins to minotaurs.
"Loki, activate the defense!" Freya shouted.
"One second," Loki responded, frantically rummaging through her bag.
"Loki, are you serious right now?" Freya frowned, seeing Loki, drenched in sweat, hurriedly searching for the right item.
"Found it!" Loki cried out in relief, finally pulling out the needed cube and activating it immediately.
As soon as the cube was activated, small glowing cubes started appearing all over Orario, emitting light that spread across the city in the form of runes. The townspeople, hearing the roar of the monsters, panicked and tried to flee their homes, but the magical protection, like an extra layer, surrounded their dwellings, keeping them inside. Freya looked around and was pleased to see that everything worked as planned.
"My children, you may attack. The monsters are now weakened, so give it your all!" Freya commanded.
"I won't let you down!" Ottar confidently declared, gripping his enormous sword and charging at the monsters.
"Lady Freya, I will protect you," Allen announced, staying close to the goddess.
"I'll help too," added Haruhime, beginning a priestess dance to enhance her allies.
"Where are my children when I need them..." Loki muttered, watching as Freya's familia rushed into battle.
Before Loki could finish, adventurers appeared from the other side of the street—members of her own familia.
"Let's go, everyone, and do this right!" Finn shouted, leading the charge.
"I wonder if there'll be a prize for killing the most monsters?" Bete asked, maintaining his pace.
"Maybe you can ask Alex later," Riveria replied calmly, conjuring several fireballs around her.
"Hmph, maybe I will," Bete grunted, diving into the ranks of monsters.
Seeing her children in battle, Loki began loudly encouraging them, urging them to fight better than Freya's familia. However, her protégés, focused on the fight, ignored the goddess's shouts, completely absorbed in the struggle.
The battle raged on, but the number of monsters didn't decrease; if anything, it seemed to grow. Even weakened, they attacked with particular fury, sparing neither themselves nor their opponents. The monsters fought as if driven mad, attacking anything that crossed their path, unable to distinguish between friend and foe.
The fighting continued, and even as Freya's and Loki's familia members started to tire, the monsters kept coming. Ottar, like an indomitable machine, swung his enormous sword, cleaving through dozens of monsters at once, but it hardly made a dent in their numbers.
At that moment, reinforcements arrived—the Ishtar familia joined the fray. Freya and Loki were surprised by Ishtar's arrival but didn't drive her away, understanding that any help in this situation was needed.
"I see you decided to join in, Ishtar," Freya said, shifting her gaze from the battle to the arriving goddess.
"Ishtar, what's with the sudden generosity?" Loki asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes.
"This is my city too, and I don't want to see it destroyed," Ishtar replied calmly, ignoring the questions.
"Maybe tell us the truth? I don't believe you're helping out of the goodness of your heart," Loki smirked, clearly doubting her words.
"I just want to make up for my mistakes," Ishtar said quietly, avoiding eye contact with the goddesses.
"So, you're scared of the consequences and want to prove your innocence?" Freya asked sarcastically, looking at Ishtar with a smile.
"What do you mean 'scared'? I just want to show that I'm not part of that group," Ishtar retorted, giving Freya a disdainful look.
"Ha-ha-ha, of course! You just don't want to end up like Indra," Loki laughed, watching Ishtar.
"What happened to Indra?" Ishtar asked warily, eyeing Loki with suspicion.
"Nothing good. If you were part of all this, you'd end up just like him," Freya replied coldly, ignoring Ishtar, who was now sweating. Ishtar feverishly tried to understand what had happened to Indra, as if he were already considered a corpse.
Freya stopped paying attention to Ishtar and focused on the battle. She watched every movement closely, ready to use the weapon Alex had given her if danger arose. Ishtar, seeing that Freya was no longer interested in conversation, also turned her attention to the fight.
The monsters seemed to refuse to die, no matter how much they were beaten. They kept rising and continuing their attack. The weapons of her warriors only inflicted superficial wounds that didn't cause serious harm.
Ishtar noticed Haruhime tirelessly cutting through monsters with her katana, moving forward. She wondered what incredible training this girl had undergone to become so strong and when she had grown the additional two tails.
As she assessed the situation, Ishtar realized she hadn't seen one of the key participants in the battle. Her search yielded no results—neither the young man himself nor any members of his familia were on the battlefield. Ishtar wondered where the young man who had threatened her yesterday and kidnapped some of her people had disappeared to.
"Where is your lover, Freya?" Ishtar asked, turning to her.
"He's in the dungeon," Freya replied evenly.
"And while such a battle is going on here, he's just having fun in the dungeon?" Ishtar asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow.
"He's doing the same thing we are here, but his situation is much more dangerous. The monsters there are apparently far stronger," Freya answered, trying to hide her anxiety. She was worried about Alex.
"Aren't you afraid he might stay there?" Ishtar pressed, seeking more information.
"He's stronger than you can imagine. For him, this battle in the dungeon is nothing," Loki interjected, completely confident in Alex's strength.
"Oh? And just how strong is he?" Ishtar tried to glean hints from Loki's words.
"If you were on the enemy's side, you'd already know how strong he is," Freya slowly raised her eyes to Ishtar, and they reflected an endless void similar to black holes. That gaze made Ishtar shudder.
"That doesn't explain anything," Ishtar mumbled, trying not to look into those eerie eyes.
"Even if it weren't for Alex, you'd still face a fate similar to Thanatos's," Freya added, and her eyes returned to normal. Loki, watching their conversation, shuddered at Freya's gaze and vowed to stay away from her and not irritate her unnecessarily in the future.
Ishtar once again realized why Freya and Alex complemented each other so well—they were bound by a mad love. Ishtar wanted to ask Freya more questions but feared angering her, worrying that Freya might drive a knife into her heart. Deciding it was better not to risk it, Ishtar fell silent.
"And anyway, why are you here? Aren't you and Freya enemies? And now you're sitting here and even talking to her without disgust. Your face doesn't look like you've swallowed something unpleasant," Loki teased, noticing Ishtar's face darken from her words.
"What's that supposed to mean, Loki?" Ishtar asked with a grim expression.
"Just that. You'd never approach Freya so closely or speak to her without a look of disgust on your face," Loki said, ignoring Ishtar's anger.
"Well, yesterday her lover scolded me and nearly killed me. It made me reevaluate my life," Ishtar admitted after a moment of reflection.
"Heh, I'd say you're lucky. Otherwise, you'd have ended up like Thanatos," Loki said with a cheerful smile.
"And what happened to Thanatos since he disappeared and no one could find him?" Ishtar asked, eyeing Loki suspiciously.
"Well, he..." Loki traced her finger across her throat, indicating what had happened to Thanatos.
"Then why didn't anyone say he had returned to the heavens?" Ishtar continued, eyeing the smiling Loki with suspicion.
"Because he will never return to the heavens. And if you spread this, you won't be seen there either," Freya answered for Loki.
"But how can he be capable of such a thing?" Ishtar asked, her voice trembling with the revelation.
"You don't need to know that. It's best if you forget everything you just heard," Freya said without even looking at Ishtar.
Ishtar frowned at Freya's words. Although she hadn't learned much, what she did learn sent a cold sweat down her spine. How could a mortal kill a god permanently? Ishtar pondered various possibilities and even considered that Alex might be a demigod capable of such feats.
But demigods had not been born in this world for a long time. The descendants of the gods had long since died, and their legacy had become so insignificant that it was hardly worth mentioning. Even Ottar, a devoted follower of Freya, inherited only a tiny fraction of divine power from his ancestor, but it was enough to make him the strongest adventurer at present.
Freya paid no attention to Ishtar, who was lost in her thoughts. She patiently waited for Dionysus to make his final move, either by summoning the strongest monster or appearing himself.
As Freya observed the battle, the number of monsters gradually decreased due to the unity of the three families. When only a few monsters remained and everyone thought the battle was nearing its end, the ground beneath them began to tremble slightly. Something enormous was trying to break free from beneath the earth.
The adventurers took combat positions, anticipating the emergence of a monster from below. The tension grew with each tremor. Everyone awaited the appearance of the beast to defeat it. When the shaking stopped, relief washed over everyone, but it was short-lived.
From beneath the earth, a massive ten-headed hydra suddenly emerged. It looked grotesque, with terrifying eyes scattered randomly across its body, constantly rotating and surveying everything around.
The hydra roared as it surfaced, announcing its presence and displaying its power. Each of its heads roared, creating powerful gusts of wind that nearly knocked the adventurers off their feet.
The goddesses frowned, realizing that this was not a monster their children could handle. Following the hydra's emergence, even more monsters rose from the ground, howling in unison to assert their superiority.
"Freya, get the weapon Alex gave you! Hurry!" Loki shouted, urging Freya, who was frozen in shock at the sight of the monster.
"Right now," Freya replied, pulling out the black box.
"What's that?" Ishtar asked, staring intently at the box in Freya's hands.
"A weapon," Freya replied calmly, opening the box to reveal a strange sphere with intertwining runes inside.
"Freya, hurry up! There are more and more monsters, and the hydra will start attacking soon!" Loki continued to urge her as Freya took out a fist-sized sphere.
"Allen, quickly warn everyone to fall back and throw this sphere directly at the hydra," Freya commanded, handing the sphere to Allen, who nodded immediately and ran towards the group of adventurers.
As soon as Allen took off running, Freya clenched her fists, hoping that the weapon Alex had given her could destroy the hydra and thin out the ranks of the monsters surrounding it. Allen raced towards the adventurers, eager to deliver Freya's orders as quickly as possible.
"Everyone fall back immediately!" Allen shouted from the roof of a building.
"Why should we fall back when we haven't even killed the hydra yet?" Finn asked in confusion, not understanding why Allen had given such an order.
"That's an order from the goddesses, everyone retreat!" Allen continued to shout, urging the adventurers, who quickly began to run in the opposite direction from the Hydra.
"I hope your invention helps in our situation," Allen said, clutching the sphere in his hand.
He threw it at the Hydra. The sphere seemed to move in slow motion, and Allen's heart raced, hoping the weapon wouldn't fail. When the sphere hit the Hydra's scales, there was a soft sound, like glass striking something solid. Everyone held their breath in anticipation. The sphere slightly bounced off the scales, and then suddenly erupted into a brilliant flash of light that blinded everyone around.
The adventurers closed their eyes, trying to shield themselves from the blinding light. Following the flash was a shockwave that swept through the city like an unstoppable force of nature, clearing everything in its path but not destroying, rather purifying the space. When the intense light faded and they opened their eyes, they were met with an incredible sight: where the monsters had been, only their skeletons remained, frozen in the poses they had once held when they were alive.
"This is simply incredible," Loki murmured, rubbing her eyes and addressing everyone.
"Hey, are you listening?" she called out to Freya, who stood with a smile on her face, gazing into the distance.
"Why are you smiling?" Loki asked, watching Freya closely.
"I just felt something," Freya replied, without elaborating.
"And where's the culprit behind all this now?" Loki asked, looking around.
"Maybe he's already escaped?" Finn suggested, glancing at his goddess.
As the adventurers whispered among themselves, trying to comprehend what had happened, no one could believe their eyes. The massive Hydra and numerous monsters had been incinerated by a simple sphere. Some pinched themselves to make sure it wasn't a dream, while others slapped their cheeks, trying to wake up. When everyone realized it was real, joy swept over them—they embraced each other, celebrating their victory over such a threat without casualties. But despite the victory, the two goddesses remained displeased, as the mastermind behind it all had likely already fled.
While Freya pondered where Dionysus might have hidden, Allen appeared, dragging a strange man in tattered clothes.
"Freya-sama, I found a suspicious person trying to escape," Allen said, throwing the man at Freya's feet.
"Well, hello there, Dionysus," Freya said, looking at the blond man lying before her. Her words shocked the jubilant adventurers.
"What does this mean, Freya? Why has your child captured me?" Dionysus asked with slight anger.
"Don't you know? Or should I explain the reason myself?" Freya replied with a cold smirk, staring at Dionysus, who froze at her words.
"I don't understand what you're talking about. I was just passing by, and then I was dragged here," Dionysus began to defend himself, denying everything.
"Well, if you say so. But don't worry, someone else will talk to you. For now, I ask you to stay," Freya smiled, but her smile was frighteningly kind.
"Why should I stay?" Dionysus asked, noticing the indifference on Freya's face.
"Don't chatter needlessly, Dionysus. Soon you'll meet your friend, Indra," Freya said, completely ignoring his words.
"What does Indra have to do with me?" Dionysus continued, pretending to be innocent.
"Directly. You're part of the group that included Indra, Thanatos, Erebus, and Nyx. Or do you really think your friends just disappeared for no reason?" Her voice held a threat, and Dionysus's expression changed from a smile to an arrogant smirk.
"So that's where those two failures went. It looks like you've prepared well," Dionysus sneered, no longer hiding his true nature.
"And now, are you going to take me to Uranus?" he asked, as if he didn't care about the impending punishment.
"Oh no, Dionysus. You're going somewhere entirely different. As my dear one said, you will undergo rehabilitation to become a full-fledged member of society," Freya said, resting her hand on her cheek as she observed Dionysus, who clearly didn't understand what she was talking about.
"Alright, Loki, it's your turn," Freya waved her hand.
"Take this, bastard!" Loki yelled, hitting Dionysus on the head with the golden box.
"I don't think that's how it's used," Ishtar remarked, looking at Dionysus with blood flowing from his head and Loki standing over him with a bloodied box.
"Does it matter? It worked. And if we take him to Alex's workshop, he definitely won't escape from there," Loki shrugged indifferently, wiping the blood off the box.
The adventurers standing aside watched the scene in complete shock. First, Allen had brought the man who turned out to be a god, then that god tried to justify himself, and finally revealed his true nature. And to top it off, Loki hit him on the head with a box, breaking it against his divine head.
The members of Loki's family collectively sighed in exhaustion and looked away, understanding that their goddess had once again handled things poorly. Other adventurers could only look at them with sympathy, regretting that they had such a goddess.
To be continued...