This was what Rex meant when he talked about relationships forged using Scavenger. From the moment he entered the room, everything—his speech, his actions, his tone—was determined by Scavenger using his six separate minds, though one was fully occupied just handling Ishtar being naked before him.
It felt fake and left a bitter taste in his mouth, especially the way he spoke. But, again, he needed to manage Ishtar, postponing her attack on Freya to give Zanis enough time to expand their roots.
'Haah,' he sighed internally.
He would rather take the high-level members and let Ishtar die instead of going through all this trouble, but laziness could lead to his downfall. Given the choice between an easy, risky route and a harder but better outcome, it was smarter to choose the difficult path.
"Even if you manage to crush Freya," Rex continued gently, removing his hand from her cheek to grasp both her wrists, still loosely wrapped around his neck, "she isn't the only obstacle."
He slowly massaged Ishtar's slender wrists as he spoke. "You'll exhaust your strength to defeat her, but Loki won't simply watch from the sidelines. She'll attack, and you'll fall before you even savor your victory."
Ishtar's amber eyes widened slightly, her fingers relaxing enough for Rex to remove them gently from his neck.
'She hadn't thought of that?' he wondered, noting her expression. 'How narrow-minded was she that she only looked straight ahead without considering her surroundings?' Her obsessive focus was comically villainous.
He lowered her hands gently to her sides—purposely brushing the side of her smooth, soft thighs with his thumb. "Power to defeat Freya alone isn't enough. You'll need enough strength to withstand the backlash afterward. Which you don't yet possess."
"So you're suggesting I destroy all my competitors first, before challenging her?" At this, a slight smirk returned to her lips. "An intriguing notion." She mumbled softly.
"Exactly," Rex agreed calmly as he released her wrists. "But picking them off individually would alert the Guild. You'll require enough overwhelming power to deal with them simultaneously."
She stayed silent, considering his words, as Rex moved past her to the sitting area, "But let's step back a bit." He casually lounged on the couch. "Goddess, why do you think Freya defeated you?"
The truth was, he didn't remember much about the reason she fell in the original 'show,' and Scavenger wasn't offering much help at this part either. Yeah, he knew Bell kidnapping played a part but apart from that, nothing else. So, he decided to let her speak first—to hear her theory—then build off it with Scavenger's help.
At his question, Ishtar's face hardened a bit, but she tempered her rage and walked back to where her discarded pipe lay. "Loki," she finally replied as she picked her kiseru pipe. "That irritating boy already interfered with my relationship with the Kali Familia."
"Kali Familia?" Rex asked, raising one brow. If they were allies to the goddess intending to take out Freya, they must be strong, so why hadn't he heard of them before? 'Are they a black market Familia?'
"Not surprising you're unaware." She said as she walked toward the ornate dresser, refilling her pipe. "They're from outside Orario—a Familia with two Level Six adventurers among their members."
'???' Rex blinked multiple times in confusion. 'Two level sixes outside of Orario? How the fuck does that even happen...?'
Within Orario itself there were only eleven level 6 adventurers, meaning even with the access of the dungeon that made leveling much easier, barely 10 adventures are currently at level 6. But somehow outside of Orario there is a familia with 2 members that have reached level 6?
'They must have been banished.' He concluded but Scavenger denied it. They had reached level 6 outside of Orario. 'Then what the hell is going on in Orario? Why do we have only seven level sixes in the city with the Dungeon, while some backwater Familia managed two without it?'
"You see, my plan was elegantly simple." Ishtar continued as she lit her pipe and exhaled luxuriously. "Bring them here, grant them the power of the Killing Stone, and elevate them instantly to Level Seven."
She smiled coldly as she turned to face Rex. "With two Level Sevens and numerous first-class warriors under my command, Freya would kneel before me without much problem." Her voice darkened as smoke drifted from her lips. "It would have been flawless—if that pest Loki hadn't meddled."
"Not that it truly matters," she added, walking back to Rex with her hips swaying, causing his eyes to constantly drift down to between her legs. "My true trump was to trap Freya Familia within Knossos—divide them, isolate their strongest, and pick them off individually."
She sat beside him, unbothered by her own nakedness, so close that her shoulder brushed him lightly. "With the Bull of Heaven at my command, even Ottar wouldn't stand a chance."
'Knossos? Bull of Heaven?' A lot of terms were being thrown around that Rex didn't understand, but he kept his face blank as she leaned back comfortably on the couch. He glanced sideways at her, her full breast, abdomen, thighs, then he looked ahead. '...I kinda want to touch her.'
He really wanted to, and he knew she would allow it. She has like zero self respect. Or is it too much? But he pushed it back. He was building himself a high ground and touching her would be submission and all that he had built would be lost. So he continued listening as Ishtar exhaled smoke from her nose.
"But now… seeing that Loki's slithered into talks with Kali and Njord…" Her eyes narrowed slightly. 'That redheaded pest…'
Even from the heavens, Ishtar had known Loki wasn't the type to sit idle. Mischief and meddling ran through her veins like wine. If she caught wind of Ishtar's plans—
Her lips twitched, pausing just short of smoking again, the kiseru handing idle between her fingers. 'Four days? That boy said I would die in four days?' A slight frown formed. 'Isn't four days too early?'
She hadn't planned to launch an attack so soon. That day was only meant for using the Killing Stone on the fox, Haruhime—it would have taken at least another week or two for everything else to fall into place. Luring Freya into Knossos, setting the trap, finalizing the pieces. So did Freya strike before she could make her move?
"Do you think she would just sit back and let you tear down her empire? If you do, then you're a fool." Rex's words echoed in her mind.
So Freya, that silver-haired specter of smugness, did attack first. No wonder she had lost. The plan was for her to strike first—not the other way around.
Now the question was why Freya made the first move. Did Loki discover something in the coming days and sell the information to Freya? That seemed likely. So…
"Loki…" she muttered aloud, brows knitting as smoke drifted upward from the pipe in her hand.
Ishtar muttered, "Loki..." as smoke curled from the kiseru still between her fingers. "I should have Hermes investigate that red-haired snake," she said aloud, crossing her legs.
Rex's eyes dipped for a moment, catching the subtle press of her bronze upper thigh against the lower—for a moment he imagined his member pressed between them—before he forced himself to look back up, saying, "It's best not to bring Hermes into this,"
Ishtar gave him a sideways glance, arching a brow. "Hermes isn't a traitor," she said, finally remembering her pipe and bringing it back to her lips. "He wouldn't damage his own name by betraying me."
"Oh, but he would," Rex replied as he leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on his knees. "Ishtar, apart from Loki, who else knows about your plan? Hermes, right?"
She said nothing, just watching him with narrowed eyes.
"Loki might be smart," he continued, "but there's no way she would discover your entire plan in just a few days unless you were reckless—which I doubt—or unless someone tipped her off."
He raised his index finger. "Either he told Loki directly." Then his middle. "Or he went straight to Freya." He shrugged lightly. "Or maybe... he tipped off both."
Before he could get another word out, Ishtar hurled her kiseru across the room without warning. The sudden motion made Rex flinch, the pipe clanging hard against the wall above the caged fireplace with a sharp crack that echoed through the room.
He slowly glanced at her to see her face twisted in a mixture of multiple negative emotions. For the first time, it looked like the implications were truly sinking in.
"No matter how 'neutral' he tries to act, I don't see Hermes letting you take down Freya." He said after a while as he stood up, brushing off his pants. "She's the top of the city. If she falls, Orario's strength will weaken—and that might cause problems for him too."
Rex made his way to the door. "Like I said," he said over his shoulder, "it's not time for you to attack. But now that I think about it more... it might already be too late." He shrugged. "You might be cooked."
Ishtar sat motionless, frozen mid-thought, the shadows casting a sharp angle across her eyes. 'Shit.' she gripped her hair, her jaw tightening. 'Have I been played?'
Was all her plan just for naught? Even if it came to pass, as Rex pointed out it wouldn't have mattered as she would have lost either way. And now it seems like she never stood a chance from the beginning.
Just as Rex reached for the door, a strained voice called from behind. "Wait." He paused, glancing over his shoulder just as Ishtar looked towards him, her eyes trembling slightly with beads of sweat tracing down her face.
She tried to smile, but it came out crooked, and, while she patted the spot on the couch beside her with her palm. "Let's talk."
At the goddess appearance, Rex's heart skipped a beat. This was the first time Ishtar, with so much ego and pride, willingly and openly surrenders control to him and he felt... good?
'Hehe...' He grinned internally as he slowly let go of the doorknob. 'Who knew having someone with so much pride to submit to you would be soo...' Noticing his train of thought.
'Jesus.' He cringed internally. 'I am so emo. God damn.'
Rex turned to fully face the goddess with a smile. "Yes, Ishtar." He walked back to him, with a feeling like he was looking down at a goddess. "Let's talk."
—✦—✦—✦—
Rex left the room after almost an hour or two, finding Tammuz still standing guard outside the door. He gave the man a small nod, which Tammuz didn't return, but he didn't think much of it.
'Looking at his stats, I almost want to let Ishtar Fall and take him for myself.' Rex thought, glancing over the man's stats again.
— — — — — — — —
[Name] Tammuz Belili
[Level] 4
[Strength] B701 | [Endurance] B700 | [Dexterity] B703 | [Agility] B702 | [Magic] G222
[Fist Strike] H
[Fist Fighter] I
[Crush] I
[Skill]
"Sadek Badma"
— Temporarily increases all physical stats
— Reduces pain received and raises physical regeneration
— Effect increases when protecting someone
[Magic]
"Kur Eruption"
— Upon activation, any damage he receives (physical or magical) is partially absorbed up to a limit depending on Magic stat, does not consume mind
— Stored energy can be released as a shockwave, physical enhancement, or physical regeneration, does not consume mind
— If storage limit is exceeded, the remaining damage is inflicted onto the user
— Releasing stored energy gains extra power scaling with Magic stat, does not consume mind
— While active, mind is continuously consumed every second, with a maximum duration of 4 minutes and 11 seconds at which the magic will be automatically deactivated and won't be able to be used again for another minute.
— Can only be used when mind is full
[Chant: Medium length]
— — — — — — — —
He would make an excellent tank thanks to his skills and magic which were both top tiers. 'His magic especially.' Though it was a great defensive magic, he didn't really feel any interest in it. It would be quite 'useless' once he got the Carbuncle barrier.
Beyond that, his physical stats were outstanding—each sitting comfortably at B-rank. Most adventurers specialized, with one or two high stats and the rest lagging several grades behind. But Tammuz had achieved a rare balance across the board, even managing to bring his magic to G, marking him as one of the strongest Level 4s in the city.
'If Ishtar Familia falls, this handsome man is 100% coming with me,' He thought as Tammuz started leading him out. 'If he reached Level 5, he would be the most solid frontline tank in the entire city.' And he would gladly invest 200 million valis into granting him more magic, which would add more value to the slave.
'Phryne too,' he thought with a nod. 'I should take her if the Ishtar don't listen to me and fuck herself over.'
To be honest, he didn't care about how ugly people said she was. He wasn't exactly good-looking in his past life either, so he didn't like judging others on appearance alone.
Yeah, he have heard about her raping people, but rape and similar behaviors were, sadly, common among Amazonesses, not just her. If she were beautiful, people would overlook it. So he decided to overlook it too and focus only on her worth.
A Level 6 would be a massive addition to his Familia, immediately putting them just below Freya, Loki, and Ganesha. Why throw away a 'good woman' just because she was ugly? You'd have to be shortsighted to even consider it.
'Then again, I haven't met her personally, so my opinion might change.'
Now, you might be wondering what they talked about for nearly two hours. It was basically Rex trying to secure their agreement—she wouldn't attack Freya without his command. But it dragged on because Ishtar kept talking shit about the 'bitch' known as Freya, ranting about their time in heaven and other things Rex couldn't care less about.
Thankfully, Ishtar had 'submitted' as she didn't want to get sent back to heaven before crushing Freya here on Gekai, where her odds were better. Not especially after she saw a new hope in defeating Freya in the form of Rex—after he told her about his quick growth skill that would allow him to reach Level 7 in no time and place her at the top.
With that leverage, she answered every one of his questions, laying out her entire plan. And Rex had to admit, if it had all gone according to plan, she would've 100% wiped out Freya Familia. Even Scavenger confirmed it.
But luck wasn't on her side and her scheme was getting dismantled one piece at a time. First was the Kali deal. Next would be the—
'Demi-Spirit, I assume.' Rex thought as he rode down the elevator.
Demi-Spirits were an artificial class of monsters created by a mysterious 'Corrupted Spirit' deep in the lower dungeon, meant to act as its living avatars.
Ishtar didn't know much about them as she never cared to ask, but she had promised to take him to Knossos soon so he could inspect the creature—and the so-called artificial dungeon—to see if it was good enough to take down Freya.
But, as Scavenger had confirmed, the Loki Familia would kill it within the coming days. Rex guessed it must've happened in a side story—either one cut from the anime or something he'd skipped. And once the Demi-Spirit was gone, all she would have left was the Killing Stone plan, which, on its own, meant nothing to someone like Freya.
'I wish I could see the demi-spirit before the Loki Familia kills it but I don't see a way to join them to fight it.' He thought with a sigh. 'Well, whatever. At least, now that Ishtar agreed to wait, she shouldn't have any reason to kidnap Bell. So Freya shouldn't attack her and destroy her Familia.'
He stepped out of the Belit Babili main tower. 'Now I just need to stop Bell from getting in contact with Haruhime…'
At that, he stopped walking.
He hadn't watched past the next major event—the Rakia invasion—so he didn't know the future. Would removing Haruhime weaken Bell too much? Her level boost magic was ridiculously strong, even better than his own Vouivre Rage since it could be activated at will.
He doubted the author would let something that broken sit on the sidelines. So that meant Bell and his Familia would eventually face situations that needed her. Would removing her trigger an unplanned event that will get Bell killed? Or would Bell's protagonist luck kick in, letting him grow even stronger in her absence?
To give or not to give—that was the question.
Honestly, Rex wasn't the type to steal every opportunity from the protagonist out of greed. Bell was useful—and in the future, only Bell might be able to stand at his side when facing the Black Dragon. Keeping him alive and strong was absolutely worth it.
But if he did decide to let Bell have Haruhime, how could he do it while Ishtar was still alive—
"Well, well. Aren't you a rare sight?" a teasing voice cut into his thoughts. Rex turned to find a tall curvy yet athletic and muscular Amazoness approaching him, her bright brown predatory eyes locked on his.
She was rather beautiful with nape-length spiky silver hair, matching silver brows, and large golden hoop earrings. She wore a tight white bikini with blue-violet outlines that barely covered anything, hoop-like accessories on each of her biceps and calves, and was barefoot.
'A high Level 3,' Rex noted, eyes narrowing slightly at the Berbera. Her stats were good but she had only one skill that left much to be desired but she was good enough to become a level 4. 'Must be one of the executives.'
She stopped a few steps away, hands on her hips. "Looking for a partner, pretty boy?" she asked with a grin, eyeing him up and down. She whistled slightly as she boldly reached under his shirt for his abs. "You're definitely my type~.'
More Berbera closed in behind her, all dressed just as scandalously, grinning like wolves.
'Haah~' Rex sighed as the silver-haired Berbera, Samira, kept feeling him. 'It's hard being handsome.'
—✦—✦—✦—
Morning came after the night out with the Ishtar Familia, and normally Rex would head straight to the dungeon but he decided to stay above ground until the Ishtar event is over. This way, if things went south unexpectedly and Ishtar's downfall happens as in the plot, he would be around to claim her territory, her members, and capitalize on the aftermath.
Since he didn't want to waste this time, he thought now was as good a time to start learning smithing. So, he decided to head to the Hephaestus Familia's main home, the Valka's Crimson Chamber, hoping to cash in the 'twenty-five percent discount' the goddess owed him for training instead.
Ideally, she would teach him personally, but the chance of that happening is next to 0%. If not, maybe she could pass him to one of her best smiths. He wouldn't mind if it was Tsubaki—one of the best in the world—but that was probably another stretch.
Even her allowing him to switch his 25% off on any gear he want to training under her Familia might not be guaranteed, but its worth a try. And if that failed, he would just ask Welf.
'Come to think of it, that boy still hasn't given me the weapon he promised,' Rex thought, pulling open the front gate. 'I should remind him who saved him in the Middle Floor.'
Just as opened the gate, he stopped at the sight of two familiar figures waiting out front.
Hermes lit up the moment he saw Rex. "Oh, how lucky am I?" he beamed. "I was just about to knock, and here you are—divine timing, truly." He threw his arms towards the sky, the morning sunlight seeming to shine down directly at him from the cloudy sky. "Hermes must be smiling down on me!"
Rex stared blankly, his expression unreadable. Beside Hermes, Asfi let out a quiet sigh, visibly unimpressed by the god's usual theatrics. She shifted her stance and turned toward Rex.
"It's been a while, Rex Magnus," she said with a composed tone.
Rex met her gaze, nodding once. "It has, Asfi Al Andromeda."
A moment of silence stretched between them before Asfi said. "Perhaps we should stick to first names."
"We should." Rex replied before turning to the god, asking "So, why am I needed so early in the morning?"
"You grew up in Daedalus Street, right?" Hermes asked, and Rex gave a small nod. "So, I guess you know your way around that maze."
"More or less," Rex replied with a shrug, though in truth, with Scavenger, he knew his way around anywhere.
"We need your help finding something in Daedalus Street." Hermes smiled, tilting his hat down as if to whisper a secret. "The hidden base of a super secret evil organization that wants to destroy Orario."
'So they're looking for Knossos,' Rex thought, and Scavenger immediately confirmed it. It wasn't that hard to judge the plot with what he already knew.
"Okay," he said simply. "I'll help."
Hermes blinked, his grin faltering slightly. Asfi's brows lifted a fraction, then she adjusted her glasses and spoke in her usual level tone. "That was resolved quicker than expected."
"I didn't even get to use the guild order I forged," Hermes groaned, squatting and drawing lazy circles on the ground like a sulking child. "Why did you accept so quickly?" he asked, sounding almost betrayed.
'You forged a guild order???' Rex thought but didn't say aloud. Instead, he replied, "Finding the base of a super secret evil organization trying to destroy Orario sounds fun."
That part was true—and he also wanted to see Knossos and the Demi-Spirit before it was killed. He didn't care much about scavenging it, since any monster that Ishtar believed could threaten Freya Familia wouldn't be easy to deal with. It probably needed its core destroyed to be properly killed—but still, he had a bit of hope. As for why Hermes was asking him specifically, he didn't think much of it.
"An unusual definition of 'fun,'" Asfi murmured flatly, as Hermes let out a soft laugh and rose to his feet.
"Well, I'm glad you'll help," Hermes said, reaching out his hand toward Asfi. The aqua-haired girl opened her cloak and pulled out a folded cloth from one of her many pouches, handing it over.
"But if you're going to help," Hermes said as he handed the white cloak to Rex, "you have to wear this. It's a cloak that helps you blend into the shadows."
Rex unfolded the cloak and frowned. It looked suspiciously like a certain triple-K organization's robe.
"..." He stared at the cloth, then at Hermes—who flashed him a wide grin. "...Alright," He had already used Scavenger on it and found out it wasn't a magic item but decided to humor the god. "I'll get going then." He said as he closed the gate behind him.
"Okey~" Hermes waved as Rex walked past him. "I wish you well on your mission, Rex."
Rex waved over his shoulder and after he was out of earshot, Asfi glanced at the grinning Hermes. "It was unwise to tell him to wear that." She said, but Hermes only chuckled.
[Author's note: Apologize for the delayed post, hope this chapter was worth the wait. Now, what would Rex Magnus Lapis discover in that second 'dungeon' known as Daedalus Street, the place where he was born? Will there be difficulties on his quest, or will it be a smooth ride? What is that cloke Hermes gave him for? Find out next time on Danmachi: Scavenger!
Thanks for reading and hope you have a wonderful day~\(￣︶￣*\))]