As previously mentioned, the Ishtar-sama was mindless, yes—but not without cunning.
Yet, no matter how many years of preparation you made, if she acted mindlessly just once… it could be fatal.
Because, in most cases, a god like her during execution is often just called—the worst teammate imaginable.
Specifically… with Ishtar, this brown-skinned goddess had been secretly funding the Evilus in recent years. Naturally, their leaders shared intel and… tools with her.
Among these rewards was the Daedalus Eye.
With it, Ishtar could freely enter and exit the Artificial Labyrinth—Knossos. The catch? It didn't require identity authentication. Whoever got their hands on it could use it.
So, if it fell into the wrong hands…
"That reckless, stupid goddess… she's really going to ruin everything."
The time was 8 p.m. that night.
Inside the labyrinth, the Arachnia of the Thanatos Familia, Valletta Grede, ground her teeth in frustration.
"I told you all along… you shouldn't hand something so important to her!"
Hearing this…
"It can't be helped, Valletta-chan."
The eerie male god shrugged.
"Back then, Ishtar was a must-have sponsor for our plans. We had to cater to her in every way—otherwise, where would all the funding for our 'grand cause' come from?"
Not wrong, but all the more infuriating.
Valletta tilted her head toward a group of fanatical devotees standing nearby. They had been manipulated by their patron god, Thanatos, the God of Death.
These devotees had been promised: if they served him faithfully, upon his return to the heavens, they and their long-lost loved ones would be reincarnated together.
For hearts long dead inside, such a temptation was deadly poison.
As a result, one by one, they had become willing to betray and sacrifice anything, even their own lives—armed with stacks of flame stones, ready to carry out Taliban-style missions (i.e., self-detonation).
Once they feared nothing, there were no limits to what they dared to do.
"Minions, what did you manage to find today?"
In the Evilus, Valletta acted as the strategist.
Cunning, but previously suppressed by Finn, she had grown to loathe the Braver.
Her mindset resembled Ishtar's in one way: a hideous blend of envy and ambition.
Valletta had longed to surpass Finn, to watch the golden-haired little human collapse before her eyes.
But now… survival took precedence.
The Ishtar Familia had been annihilated, and the culprits were none other than the Freya Familia—the strongest familia containing the Twin Stars.
Now, Valletta's greatest fear was these two absurdly strong monsters.
A "savior"? Don't make her laugh.
At their level, she wouldn't be surprised if they turned around and destroyed the world.
"A bunch of ignorant fools… can't they see? Mistaking the world-ending 'demon lord' for saviors—what a joke."
Thus, Valletta fancied herself the only sober observer in a world of blind followers.
Foolish.
Because she feared the Twin Stars, she most of all did not want them to get the Daedalus Eye.
That night, she sent a squad of "disposable pawns" into the Ishtar stronghold, hoping to seize the Eye amid the chaos.
Little did she know… there existed a 'god'-time traveler.
Renjiro, already aware of the plot thanks to his precognition, had set his sights on Ishtar's Daedalus Eye.
After Lumine used her Corrosion skill to truly slay a god, she summoned Mona, who easily located the goddess's hidden artifact using Hydromancy.
Once Renjiro glimpsed the artifact and stored its "memory," he could use the Primordial Human magic to mass-produce these labyrinth-opening "keys."
With this, the Evilus's terrain advantage was drastically reduced.
"Sorry, Valletta. We couldn't find what you were looking for,"
a devotee reported inside the labyrinth.
"However, there were many Amazon warriors inside the Ishtar Familia. On the night of the incident, some opportunists stole quite a few valuable familia assets."
"So…"
"Ah~ ah~ understood."
Valletta waved her hand, revealing a terrifying grin.
"Minions, within one day, find all Amazon warriors who once belonged to the Ishtar Familia. Then…"
The Arachnia issued an instruction dripping with villainous flair:
"Interrogate them about the intel I want. Of course, afterwards, silence them completely. Understand?"
"Yes!"
The fanatics sprang into action immediately.
"Also," Valletta added, "don't act rashly or alert anyone. Schedule it all—tomorrow evening. Questioning and silencing must happen simultaneously."
"This way, chaos spreads in Orario without tipping off the sensitive parties."
She had thought it through meticulously.
And…
"With something this big, handling it alone won't suffice. Time to contact our allies."
"…The enemy leaders will probably make this judgment,"
one voice mused.
"Our threat is substantial; we must act carefully. No need to wait—strike first."
At the same time, at the Freya Familia headquarters, Lumine gathered with the other members to strategize.
"Now, the former biggest funder—the Ishtar Familia—has fallen. They still think the Daedalus Eye is lost."
"They don't know we already have the key."
Lumine continued: "If I'm correct, the Thanatos Familia's Arachnia will call the Ikelos, Dionysus, and remaining Loutaro remnants for backup. They might even hire the famed assassin clan—the Sehmmet Familia."
"From intelligence I've gathered, a male human in the Thanatos Familia, Barca Perdix, is the elder brother of Ikelos Familia's captain, Dix Perdix, aka Hazer."
"Both share the bloodline of Daedalus. Obsessed with ancestral legacies, they are almost driven mad, prioritizing the construction of artificial labyrinths above all."
"Barca is capable of crafting cursed weapons. Being cut by one is incurable except by a battlefield saint or a god. Dix casts wide-area curses; anyone approaching unprepared will go berserk mentally."
"This one,"Lumine noted, "can be dealt with by me, immune to mental attacks. Otherwise, strike quickly and decisively, or use a segmented attack to neutralize the threat."
"After Dix unleashes his curse, his own strength diminishes. Avoid the afflicted allies and strike him directly; kill him, and the curse ends instantly."
"For the Dionysus Familia, pay attention to…"
Lumine continued briefing her peers in detail.
For a moment…
"Impressive, Lumine,"
everyone silently praised.
"Before battle, she already knows the enemy's situation inside out. I almost feel sympathy for those vermin."
Within the Freya Familia, no core member doubted Lumine's intelligence.
Mona, an astrologer wielding overpowered abilities was fully trusted by the other members.
In short…
"Next, prepare for a big show."