Qfter hearing Kali's words, Leon turned his gaze to Argana, who was practically bouncing with eagerness and then to Bache, whose calm expression couldn't quite mask the glint of battle hunger in her eyes.
Leon could only sigh inwardly.
These two didn't bear him any true malice.
Well, that wasn't exactly accurate. If anything, their "ill intentions" consisted of wanting to drag him back as their future husband. And if one looked at it through Amazonian culture, that wasn't considered malicious at all.
In fact, in their eyes, it might even be seen as a form of affection. After all, a gentleman admired a beautiful woman, and the opposite was just as true.
Argana had clearly fallen for him at first clash—no, probably at first sight. Pursuing him in the way of the Amazons... Leon couldn't exactly call that wrong.
Still, he couldn't handle these two the same way he had dealt with Phryne earlier. That had been a fight with deadly intent.
This? This was more like an aggressive confession of love.
With that in mind, he faced Kali and spoke with firm determination, "Let's make a deal. If I defeat both of them, then you and your children will stop bothering me."
Kali raised a brow at his proposal, then laughed with amusement and pride. "Fine. If you can defeat Argana and Bache, we'll leave you alone and return immediately."
Originally, Kali had planned to cooperate with Ishtar's familia to launch an assault on Freya's forces. She even intended to have Ishtar's people stall the Loki Familia so that Argana and Bache could face Tione and Tiona without interference. It was a carefully laid out plan.
But with Ishtar now banished back to heaven, the entire scheme had collapsed into nothing.
Without Ishtar, there was no chance of entering Orario unnoticed. The only option left was to file an official request with the Guild, exposing their presence and intentions to the city authorities.
And that meant the Guild would be watching their every move like a hawk.
Even if she still wanted to send Argana and Bache into a death match with the twins from Loki's familia, it would be a lost cause. Without Ishtar's faction to draw attention, the whole setup would fall apart.
Worse, if she pushed too hard, Kali risked ending up like Ishtar—sent back to heaven by the wrath of another god's familia. She had no doubt that Loki and her children were more than capable of doing just that.
Despite her love for conflict, Kali was no fool. She fought to win but only when the odds favored her and her safety wasn't at stake.
The lower world was far too entertaining for her to throw it away on a reckless gamble. Still, before giving up completely, Kali wanted to make one last attempt to bring Leon back to Telskyura. If it worked, it worked. If not, no harm done.
"Let's move outside. We can't fight properly in this cramped space." Leon said calmly, then reached out and took Haruhime's hand.
The sudden contact made Haruhime's already flushed cheeks turn an even deeper shade of red.
This fox... Truly, she had the potential to become lecherous under the right influence.
"Let's go. I've fought hard to earn you this opportunity—now it's up to you." Kali tilted her head toward Argana and Bache, her smile playful as always.
"Thank you, Kali-sama!" Argana's eyes sparkled with excitement. She bowed slightly, and Bache followed suit, calm but equally determined.
Without delay, the two Amazonesses followed Leon outside.
Behind them, the remaining members of Kali's familia and the remnants of Ishtar's familia filed out as well, led respectively by Kali and Aisha.
The group emerged onto the surface, stepping into the bright light of day.
The temporary hideout of Ishtar's familia in Melen was near a spacious villa district, complete with a broad open area. Perfect for a duel.
As they came into the clearing, they were greeted by a familiar sight—Loki Familia members who had followed Leon's flight path had already arrived.
"Leon." Riveria called out, stepping forward first.
"Aisha? From the Ishtar Familia." Her sharp eyes quickly took in Aisha, who now stood at the head of the former Ishtar forces. Riveria's brows furrowed ever so slightly.
The appearance of so many ex-Ishtar members made it obvious that some sort of large-scale scheme had been underway before Ishtar's downfall. But with the goddess returned to heaven, whatever ambitions she had were now nothing more than mist and dreams.
Meanwhile, another pair of sharp eyes flared up.
"Kali, Argana—it's you again!" Tione's voice roared through the clearing as she stepped forward, rage bubbling to the surface the moment she recognized her old foes.
Her fists clenched, her eyes locked on Kali and the two battle-hungry Amazons behind her.
"Ah, Tione. Lovely to see you again." Kali said with an infuriatingly calm smile. "I had thought of letting Argana and you fight to the death... but now, well, never mind."
"You—!!"
"Calm down, Tione." Riveria stepped in just in time, placing a soothing hand on Tione's shoulder.
Her words had some effect. Tione let out a sharp breath, slowly relaxing—though her glare remained intense.
Then, another voice chimed in with an air of mischief and amusement.
"Little guy, how come you're working together with Ishtar's leftovers now?" Loki approached, grinning slyly at Kali as if meeting an old drinking buddy.
"Ah, might as well spill it. That wench Ishtar tried to recruit me into her dumb plan to attack Freya. We didn't even start before she got herself banished." Kali shrugged as if the betrayal meant nothing.
"But hey, you were really bold, pushing that trash back to heaven. I was almost impressed."
"Heh, thanks. But really, Ishtar was all talk. Trying to challenge Freya with scraps and rumors? She overestimated herself by a mile." Loki smirked and brushed her hair back in mock pride.
The former members of Ishtar's familia stiffened at her words but held their tongues.
They knew it was true.
Even Aisha couldn't refute it. Their goddess had overreached, and in the end, they'd all paid the price. The only thing left now was moving forward.
Loki turned to Leon, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
"So, Leon. What's the deal here? And who's the cutie you're dragging around?"
Leon gave a faint smile and said, "Kali wants me to fight Argana and Bache. If I win, she'll drop the whole pursuit thing. As for Haruhime… she's someone I found for Hestia's familia."
At that, Loki's expression lit up.
Forget the fight—Leon personally recruiting someone for the little goddess? That had to mean the girl was special.
"Hey, Haruhime, right? You used to be in Ishtar's familia? Why not ditch all that and come join mine?" Loki leaned in, speaking in an exaggerated sneaky tone like some shady old man luring a child with candy.
"Ah?!"
Caught off guard, Haruhime hurriedly bowed, her voice sweet and respectful. "Thank you for the offer, Loki-sama but I've already promised Leon-sama. I'll be joining Hestia-sama."
"Aw, what a pity." Loki sighed with mock disappointment, then stepped back.
"Alright, alright, enough talk. My two girls can't wait any longer." Kali declared, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Leon, let's get this started!"
"Leon, don't hold back. Show them what you're made of!" Loki shouted, pumping her fist in support.
She had no doubts. After what Finn and the others had reported from the 59th floor—that Leon had taken down two Level 7 enemies back-to-back—these two Level 6 Amazons wouldn't pose any trouble.
"Leon! Beat the crap outta Argana for me!" Tione added, her voice still sizzling with leftover rage.
Leon smiled, lifted a hand, and waved casually.
"No problem."