In the Star Garden, the bathing room.
Warm water washed over the Elf Girl's jade-like skin, rinsing away the Armored Titan's fishy smelling blood. Her flawless body was faintly visible in the misty water, inspiring endless imagination.
She closed her eyes, recalling the perilous situation just now; Roy had almost been trampled to death by the Armored Titan.
"Was he intentional?"
Ryu murmured, her keen intuition detecting a hidden essence within the young man.
A moment later, Ryu, like a drenched stray cat, shook her small head, discarding the jumbled thoughts and water droplets from her golden hair. Why should she care about that guy? They were merely partners.
She helps him hunt monsters!
He helps her revive her close friends and companions!
As for dealing with the Dark Faction, that was his meddling; she would absolutely not thank him!
About two hours passed in the instance world. Returning to Orario, the sky had already grown dim. The time ratio between different worlds seemed to be inconsistent.
Goddess Astrea returned with ingredients, protected by the Ganesha Familia during her outing.
She was still in her familiar evening gown, exuding the gentle aura of an older sister, kind and graceful.
Roy and Ryu tacitly avoided mentioning what had happened in the instance world. The two entered the kitchen. Ryu's cooking skills were not very good; she could char a sandwich, so Roy was the main cook, and she was the assistant.
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.
Astrea enthusiastically invited them to dinner, but they remained at their posts, so she had to give up.
As the three enjoyed dinner, undercurrents were surging within Orario.
The reason was none other than the 80 million falis bounty!
The Adventurers' eyes turned red.
The War Game proposed by Ryu was not taken seriously by the Adventurers at all. Ryu alone could not defeat the numerous Rudra Familia.
Many Adventurers simply regarded the "War Game" declaration as the Elf Girl being overcome by anger, or an attempt to save face for some Familia that had been wiped out.
Adventurers who hunted Rudra Familia in advance could exchange heads for falis at the Guild three days later.
At this moment, it was a race against time. First come, first served. An enthusiastic city-wide campaign to exterminate the Rudra Familia was launched.
"There are Rudra Familia members here, LV.1 small fry!"
"Kill him! There are three more to the east!"
"Have you found the Rudra Familia executives?"
…
Rudra Familia members were hunted down. The crisp sound of clashing weapons rang out, and blood flowed like rivers.
Similar scenes appeared all over Orario.
The orange-haired cat-person Jialuo barely escaped pursuit and hid in the sewers. Sewage washed over his face, and his cold eyes revealed intense hatred.
Of course, mainly D-rank and lower Familia participated in the subjugation. Familia like Freya Familia and Loki Familia did not personally get involved.
High-level Familia chose to watch from the sidelines.
And many Gods watched this dispute with anticipation. No matter who won or lost, those watching the show were entertained.
The most miserable, naturally, was the Guild. They had to maintain order, prevent desperate Dark Faction Adventurers from breaking into residents' homes and slaughtering, and also prevent some Adventurers from fishing in troubled waters, keeping them incredibly busy.
They complained endlessly, harboring the same doubt in their hearts: Why would Lord Uranus agree to such a chaotic situation? This was absolute chaos!
Actually, it was not complicated. Of two evils, choose the lesser. The current chaos was only temporary. The leak of Zagnate's information was not a matter of one or two days.
Twilight Mansion.
The red-haired, squinting, flat-chested Loki lay on the sofa, drinking her favorite wine. "This doesn't seem like Astrea's style."
She was the Goddess of Justice!
"I heard that Gale is accompanied by a young boy… War Game… Underground City tremors… forcing the Rudra Familia into a corner, could it be!" Loki put down her wine glass, her squinting eyes slightly opening.
Loki called over a Familia member, "How much longer until Finn and the others finish their expedition?"
The member, responsible for communications, replied, "Lady Loki, due to the Underground City anomaly, the Captain and his team ended their expedition early and should return to the surface in three days, barring any unforeseen circumstances."
"Three days later…"
Loki squinted her eyes again, murmuring, "You'd better not get us involved, or else."
If Roy were present, he would surely marvel at this Clown Goddess's terrifying insight. Though it was a coincidence, even with incorrect information, she could infer his ultimate goal.
Battlefield Wilderness.
Goddess Freya, standing atop a tall building, exuded captivating charm with every movement. Looking at the chaotic Orario, she said, "I'll leave this to them for now, but that girl, I must have her."
"As the Goddess wishes!"
Otta, whose physique resembled a small mountain, stood behind her. He knew the Goddess had set her sights on that Elf Girl, having reportedly seen a soul color no less impressive than their own.
The next day.
Ryu received news of the Rudra Familia being hunted and eagerly rushed to find Roy.
Roy saw Ryu wanting to join the subjugation team. He appeased her with a speechless expression, "Calm down, calm down. This kind of hunt can at most weaken their strength. It's impossible to completely eradicate the Rudra Familia!"
Roy didn't say it explicitly, but the intelligent Elf Girl's face froze. Completely eradicate the Rudra Familia?
Roy's ambition was even greater than she had imagined!
It was a well-known fact that Familia were established by Gods. If the Gods disappeared…
Roy grinned, "If we're going to do it, let's do it thoroughly. If you don't remove the roots, the weeds will grow back with the spring breeze!"
Looking at the smile on the young man's face, Ryu felt a chill, but it suited her perfectly. Now, she was a beast of vengeance. She asked, "What's next?"
Roy chuckled, "Invite, behead, or take them as dogs? Which card should we play first?"
Ryu replied without hesitation, "Behead!"
Roy's lips twitched. He shouldn't have asked.
"Invite!"
…
Roy and Ryu walked out of the Star Garden, not forgetting to take out the leftover ice powder from yesterday to reward the Ganesha Familia members guarding the mansion.
On a hot summer day, a bite of that brought a look of goodwill to the Ganesha Familia members' eyes.
Roy led Ryu to the slums, the area where he had previously pitched his tent. Familiar with the way, he went straight to a dilapidated house.
Before even entering, a foul stench assailed them.
Roy pinched his nose and said, "You guys still like living in a garbage dump."
"Roy, didn't you move out?"
The seven or eight vagrants living in the house were startled to see Roy and huddled in a corner.
Roy threw a money bag over, "Here's thirty thousand falis. Help me send a message to the Rudra Familia: Goddess Astrea wants to meet Lord Rudra!"