Mars, The Barren Plains—
One of the few truly flat regions on Mars, the Barren Plains had less than ten meters of elevation difference from end to end. It was the perfect battlefield for clashes between massive divine armies, and as a result, it had become the preferred arena for Four-Digit rule-breakers and even Three-Digits whenever war broke out on the red planet.
From the surface of Mars, the enormous moon hanging overhead was slowly drifting toward Little Garden. In less than ten minutes, Moon and Garden would overlap completely.
"They're here..."
The quiet murmur carried across the empty plain.
Standing atop a low rise no more than three meters high, Artemis gazed toward the Arcadia Alliance's position. She wore military attire, riding boots, and an unstrung bow across her back.
To the Goddess of the Hunt, the two presences ninety thousand kilometers away were as obvious as Little Garden itself hanging in the sky.
Beside her stood a deer, enlarged to roughly a meter tall. It snorted before asking in a muffled voice, "Ninety thousand kilometers... That's not very far, Lady Artemis. Shall we attack?"
"No." Artemis's expression remained as calm as a dormant volcano.
The deer blinked in confusion.
For an archer like Artemis, the closer her opponent got, the less of an advantage her bow gave her. This was the perfect moment to strike.
"Lyra, don't you think it's far more humiliating to defeat your enemy on ground where you're the one at a disadvantage?" The corner of Artemis's lips lifted ever so slightly. "Let's wait until they're within a hundred meters."
"...Seriously?"
Lyra was speechless.
She was convinced Artemis wanted to close the distance solely so she could humiliate her opponent after winning.
Remembering Lord Apollo's instructions from the previous night—to make sure Artemis didn't escalate the conflict any further—Lyra suddenly felt exhausted.
Just then, Artemis's expression changed. She reached for her bow instinctively, only for her eyes to widen a split second later as she stared toward the plain three hundred meters ahead.
At the same moment, Ryo appeared before her. Behind him stood Leticia, in her rare adult form.
The two sides looked up simultaneously.
Their eyes met. Silence settled over the battlefield.
After several long moments, Artemis finally moved. She slowly drew the longbow from her back and frowned at Ryo. "You're still using a human Spirit Rank... Are you looking down on me?"
Humans naturally possessed lower base abilities than gods or other divines. What Artemis had wanted was to fight the future 4th God King—not a human.
To Ryo, however, that complaint made absolutely no sense.
"It's hard to explain. You probably wouldn't get it anyway," Ryo said, scratching the back of his head. He glanced at Leticia. "Um... mind if I bring one more person?"
"It makes no difference." Artemis calmly raised her bow, though she didn't draw it. "I was wondering who would carry you back after I beat you. Bringing someone along saves me the trouble."
Lyra immediately stepped forward. "Lady Artemis, leave the vampire to me."
Artemis gave no reply. Her eyes never left Ryo for even an instant.
Taking the silence as permission, Lyra breathed a sigh of relief before turning to Leticia. "Little Garden Knight... You're troublesome. Pick a battlefield. Preferably somewhere farther away."
'Yay~ If I end up locked in a fierce battle and can't support Lady Artemis... well, nobody can blame me for that, right? Hehe~' she thought, barely containing her delight.
"...The Moon Deer. A divine beast of war blessed with swiftness and holiness." Leticia frowned slightly.
Within Little Garden, Artemis was also known as the Mistress of Beasts and Lady of the Wilderness.
The title reflected her nature as a goddess of nature, intertwined with her authority as a goddess of war.
And its embodiment was the First Divine Beast: The Moon Deer. The sacred beast that governed war itself and drew Artemis's chariot.
'Not an easy opponent.'
Without a sound, Leticia's body dissolved into black droplets that melted into the shadows beneath her feet.
"The Dragon's Shadow!" Recognizing the authority immediately, Lyra's eyes narrowed. Golden motes of light burst from her body as she chased after Leticia.
With their attendants moving the secondary battlefield elsewhere, Artemis finally addressed Ryo again. "Any last words?"
Ryo let out a sigh. "Honestly, I came here hoping to make peace."
Hearing that, Artemis abruptly took a step backward. She raised her bow, aimed directly at him, and watched him with unmistakable caution.
A second or two later, she blinked, "...So it's not another sneak attack like last time? Whatever. Doesn't matter."
"..."
Ryo almost asked how facing her head-on had somehow become a sneak attack, but before he could speak, moonlight had already gathered around Artemis's arrow.
"Don't make me do this," he sighed.
"Make you?" Artemis let out a cold laugh. "Do you think I'm an idiot? If you're going to fight, then fight. I have no interest in listening to your filthy lies."
Ryo twitched.
Taking a deep breath, he nodded, "Fine. I get it. So you've already decided to judge everything I say through prejudice."
He'd originally planned to suggest burying the hatchet after the fight. Clearly, that wasn't happening.
'If she insists on hearing something outrageous...'
He slowly raised the bandaged hand he'd kept hidden.
His fingers opened... then clenched into a fist.
Lowering his head, he planted a quick kiss on his knuckles before grinning at Artemis. "I've never been much for talking. I'm the type who lets my actions speak."
Artemis frowned, unable to make sense of what he was doing.
Ryo's grin widened. "Careful. If this fist kisses you, it'll be an indirect kiss... so please don't ask me to take responsibility. We're not suitable for each other."
Artemis's face instantly darkened.
"You bastard!"
But before the final syllable even left her mouth, the bandaged fist filled her vision.
Then came Ryo's low, restrained whisper, "Thirty percent. Don't disappoint me, Artemis!"
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