Starry Sky Garden, bathroom.
Warm water flowed over the Elven girl's jade-white skin, washing away the blood of the Titans. Her flawless body was dimly visible in the misty vapor, making one's imagination run wild.
She closed her eyes, thinking back to the perilous situation. Roy had been moments away from being crushed by the Armored Titan.
"Was he being deliberate?"
Ryuu murmured. Her keen intuition allowed her to sense a hidden aspect of the boy's nature.
A moment later, Ryuu shook her small head like a wet stray cat, shaking off the water droplets from her golden long hair and the jumbled thoughts in her mind. Why should I care about that guy? They were only partners.
She helps him hunt monsters!
He helps her revive her beloved friends and companions!
As for dealing with the Dark Factions, that was him being meddlesome, and she would definitely not thank him for it!
About two hours had passed in the instance world. Returning to Orario, the sky had already grown dim, indicating that the time ratios between the different worlds were not the same.
The Goddess Astraea returned with ingredients, protected by members of the Ganesha Familia during her trip.
She wore the familiar evening dress, exuding the gentle aura of an older sister, kind and warm.
Roy and Ryuu tacitly agreed not to mention what happened in the instance world. The two entered the kitchen. Ryuu's cooking skills were not great—she could carbonize a sandwich—so Roy was the main chef, with her assisting.
In less than half an hour, the appealing aroma of food spread throughout the entire mansion, making the Ganesha Familia members secretly guarding them outside salivate.
Astraea enthusiastically invited them to join the dinner, but they held their post, so she had to give up.
[The Undercurrents]
As the three enjoyed their dinner, the city of Orario was surging with hidden currents.
The reason was none other than the 80 million Valis bounty!
The adventurers' eyes had turned red.
The adventurers had completely dismissed the War Game proposed by Ryuu. It was impossible for Ryuu alone to defeat the numerous members of the Rudra Familia.
Many adventurers simply regarded the "War Game" declaration as the Elven girl being blinded by rage, or an attempt to save face after her Familia was annihilated.
Adventurers who killed members of the Rudra Familia could exchange their heads for Valis at the Guild three days later.
This was a race for speed—if you were fast, you got the prize; if you were slow, you got nothing. A fierce and large-scale subjugation campaign against the Rudra Familia was launched across the entire city.
"There's a member of the Rudra Familia here, just LV.1 riff-raff!"
"Kill him! There are three more to the east!"
"Did anyone find the Rudra Familia executives?"
...
Members of the Rudra Familia were being hunted. The crisp sound of clashing weapons rang out, and blood flowed like a river.
Similar scenes unfolded throughout various parts of Orario.
The orange-haired cat-person, Jura, narrowly escaped capture and hid in a sewer. Sewage water washed over his face, and his cold eyes revealed intense hatred.
Naturally, the hunt was mainly supported by Familia of Rank D and below. High-ranking Familia like the Freya Familia and Loki Familia were not getting involved directly.
High-level Familia chose to observe from the sidelines.
Meanwhile, many of the Gods watched the conflict with great anticipation. Regardless of who won or lost, those watching the drama were having a blast.
The most distressed group was naturally the Guild. They had to maintain order, prevent desperate Dark Faction adventurers from breaking into residential homes and murdering people, and stop some adventurers from using the chaos to their advantage. They were overwhelmingly busy.
They complained bitterly, sharing the same unspoken doubt: Why did Ouranos agree to such a reckless thing? Isn't this turning the whole city upside down!
In reality, it was not complicated. Choose the lesser of two evils. The current chaos was only temporary. If the information regarding the Juggernaut leaked, that would be a catastrophe lasting far longer than a day or two.
Twilight Manor (Faldna).
The red-haired, squinty-eyed, flat-chested Loki lay on a sofa, drinking heartily from her favorite liquor. "This doesn't seem like Astraea's style."
That was the Goddess who oversaw Justice!
"I heard there's a brat following Gale... War Game... the Dungeon's tremor... forcing the Rudra Familia into a corner. Could it be!" Loki put down her wine glass, her squinted eyes opening slightly.
Loki called a Familia member over. "How much longer until Finn and the others finish their expedition?"
The member, who handled communication, replied, "Lady Loki, due to the Dungeon anomaly, the Captain and the others ended their expedition early. They are expected to return to the surface in three days."
"Three days..."
Loki squinted her eyes again, murmuring, "You better not drag us into this, or else."
If Roy had been present, he would certainly have marveled at the terrifying nature of this clown goddess. Though accidental, combining incorrect information, she was able to deduce his ultimate objective.
Battlefield (Folkvangr).
Goddess Freya stood atop a tall building, radiating a captivating charm with every movement. Looking at the chaos in Orario, she said, "I'll leave this to them for now. But I absolutely must have that girl."
"Everything as the Goddess wishes!"
Otta, whose physique resembled a small mountain, stood behind her. He knew the Goddess had set her sights on the Elf, having reportedly seen a soul color no less brilliant than their own.
The Next Day.
Ryuu received news of the Rudra Familia being hunted and rushed over to find Roy impatiently.
Seeing Ryuu's eagerness to join the subjugation force, Roy sighed and calmed her. "Calm down, calm down. This kind of hunt will only weaken their strength at best. It's impossible to eradicate the Rudra Familia completely!"
Roy didn't explicitly say it, but the intelligent Elven girl paused. Completely eradicate the Rudra Familia?
Roy's appetite was larger than she had imagined!
It was a well-known fact that Familia were founded by Gods. If the God disappeared...
Roy grinned. "If we're going to do it, let's do it thoroughly. Cut the weeds but leave the roots, and they'll grow back with the spring wind!"
Looking at the smile on the young man's face, Ryuu felt a chill, but it suited her perfectly. She was a beast of vengeance now. She asked, "What should we do next?"
Roy smiled. "Invite them, decapitate them, or take them in as dogs. Which card should we play first?"
Ryuu answered without hesitation, "Decapitation!"
Roy's mouth twitched. He shouldn't have asked.
"Invitation!"
...
Roy and Ryuu left the Starry Sky Garden. Before leaving, they didn't forget to take out the leftover iced jelly (Bingfen) from the day before to reward the Ganesha Familia members guarding the mansion.
A mouthful of that on a hot summer day filled the Ganesha Familia members' eyes with goodwill.
Roy took Ryuu to the slums, the area where he had previously pitched his tent. Familiar with the route, he went straight to a dilapidated house.
Before entering the house, a stench hit them.
Roy pinched his nose and said, "You still enjoy living in a pile of garbage."
"Roy, didn't you move out?"
The seven or eight vagrants living in the house were startled to see Roy and huddled in the corner.
Roy threw a coin pouch over. "This is 30,000 Valis. Help me deliver a message to the Rudra Familia: Goddess Astraea wants to meet God Rudra!"