After gods sealed their divine power, they would lose all their supernatural abilities, and their bodies would become as weak as ordinary humans. All extraordinary phenomena would vanish except for passive abilities.
Moreover, once divine power was used, the god would be forcibly sent back to the heavens.
Of course, for the sake of entertainment in the mortal world, gods would not casually use their divine power. As immortals, they had no fear of death, which was why they acted without restraint.
However, though gods were immortal, if they suffered a fatal attack, their bodies would instinctively activate divine power in an attempt to heal themselves.
But once divine power was activated, the god's use of it would be detected, and they would be forcibly returned to the heavens by a pillar of light.
In other words, as long as a god was killed, they could still be sent back to the heavens.
However, most humans held reverence for the gods who granted them Falna and feared their divine majesty, so they would never dare to disrespect them, let alone kill them.
But Ishtar was unlucky enough to encounter Eiji, who held no reverence for gods and could ignore her divine majesty.
With just one slash, Ishtar was pierced through the chest.
According to Loki, the gods in the heavens were now scrambling for spots to descend to the mortal world. Ishtar, who had just returned, wouldn't be able to come back for the next few centuries.
A thick, milky-white pillar of light tore through the ceiling of the Temple of Sacred Prostitutes, piercing the heavens and earth, radiating sacred divinity.
Eiji stood in the corner of the room. The pillar contained terrifying energy—it felt as though even approaching it slightly would reduce one to dust.
Only after half a minute, when the pillar vanished, did he step forward.
Ishtar had completely disappeared.
The entire Ishtar Familia was effectively finished.
He walked to the window and looked toward the training grounds.
"Hmm?"
Eiji suddenly let out a soft exclamation.
"Well, well, this is truly a rare spectacle!"
...
Training Grounds.
Tiona and Tione had long since fallen into a disadvantage.
"Damn it! Bastard! Bitch! Go to hell!!"
Tione unleashed a torrent of crude curses, veins bulging on her forehead as steam rose from her entire body.
This was the effect of her skill, "Berserk"—it increased her attack power based on her injuries and rage. Normally composed, Tione's explosive power surged dramatically once she entered a state of fury!
But Argana's "Blood Drain" countered her perfectly, continuously drawing the blood of a first-class adventurer from her body, granting Argana an even greater boost in strength!
"The outcome is decided."
"There's no suspense at all!"
The Amazons of Ishtar Familia around them whispered among themselves, declaring the conclusion of the battle.
From the situation, it was clear that Tione was completely overwhelmed, with almost no hope of victory.
The surrounding Amazons were delighted to see this.
As Amazons who remained chaste, Tiona and Tione were already heretics among their kind, despised by everyone. Their defeat was something they were more than happy to witness.
BOOM—!!
Suddenly, a deafening explosion resounded out of nowhere.
"What happened?"
Everyone's attention was drawn by the sudden noise, with shock and confusion filling the crowd.
"Disaster! The Familia's gate has been breached!"
A terrified scream came from outside the training grounds.
"What?"
"How is that possible?"
"Who dares to break our Ishtar Familia's gate in broad daylight?"
"I remember it was made of ultra-hard metal, wasn't it?"
The Amazons erupted in uproar.
Ultra-hard metal—second only to orichalcum in hardness—couldn't even be broken by a Level 5 adventurer!
"It's the Elgram! The Loki Familia's Elgram!"
The entire training grounds fell silent for an instant.
"Has the Loki Familia attacked?"
"They actually drew out a Level 6?!"
"Weren't we told the Loki Familia wouldn't be provoked?"
The clamor exploded abruptly, and everyone's expressions changed.
The square descended into chaos.
The Kali Familia had assured them that only Tiona and Tione would be lured here.
As the sisters' former teachers who had cared for them for years, they knew the pair well—enough to be certain they wouldn't call for backup. That was why they'd confidently executed this plan.
Yet the Loki Familia had come anyway.
Even the opponents on both training grounds paused at the unexpected turn of events.
In the distance.
A flag rose into the sky.
Embroidered on it was the black jester pattern, identical to the one on their emblem!
"Tione! Tiona!"
"Prince! Where are you?"
"Crush the Ishtar Familia!"
Battle cries merged into a chorus.
The clashing of swords rang out incessantly.
Emerald-green gales sharpened into blades, charging forth more urgently than ever before.
The boisterous laughter of dwarf warriors intertwined with the collapse of buildings.
"We're done for!"
"The Loki Familia's main force is really here!"
The Amazons gathered here all paled.
Everyone braced for death.
The exhilaration on Argana's and Bache's faces was completely replaced by fury.
Tione stood frozen in place.
"Everyone from the Familia...?"
Looking closer.
The jester flag drew nearer.
As the outer wall of the training grounds was blasted apart, familiar figures like Raul Nord and Alicia came into view.
Not just them—an elven royalty in sacred robes, a dwarf warrior of immense strength, the Sword Princess wielding her slender blade.
And the pallum leader gripping his twin spears.
Every executive of the Loki Familia, except for Bete, had gathered here.
"Captain..."
Tione stared blankly at the pallum leader.
"Tione, what kind of face is that?"
Finn approached the arena with narrowed eyes, his expression dark.
"Why didn't you tell us?"
"They would take hostages..."
They had to resolve this themselves.
Otherwise, they'd endanger their comrades.
That was what Tione had firmly believed.
"Are you stupid?"
Finn gave her an exceedingly rare look—the kind reserved for idiots.
"Do you think our Loki Familia is so weak that you need to sacrifice yourselves to protect it?"
Tione suddenly froze.
Right, was the Loki Familia weak?
Impossible!
If the Loki Familia could be called weak, then no Familia in this world could truly be called strong!
The expedition to the artificial labyrinth did indeed deal a heavy blow to Loki Familia, but in essence, Loki Familia didn't lose to the Evilus—they lost to the labyrinth itself!
In a direct confrontation, even if the Evilus, Ishtar Familia, and Kali Familia joined forces, they might not be a match for Loki Familia!
In the end, she was blinded by her own past.
Eager to cast aside the filthy history of killing her comrades, she used "concern for her companions" as an excuse to come alone to the meeting.
At its core, that was a lack of trust in her comrades!