Chapter 0164: Swordlight Like Me—
"Pant… pant… pant…"
In the pitch-black, eerie forest, a small squad of female adventurers hurried along. Leading them was a woman with beautiful walnut-colored hair—none other than Goddess Astraea, the deity served by the Astrea Familia.
"This can't go on—"
Astraea slashed through the branches ahead with her sword, then glanced back at their pursuers before addressing her "children," "You go on ahead. I'll stay behind to hold them off."
A black-haired adventurer widened her eyes in shock, "Goddess, what are you saying?!"
A golden-haired adventurer beside her also protested in panic, "How can we let you stay behind? If anyone should, it's us!"
"Don't be foolish!"
Astraea's willow-like brows furrowed sharply, "What can you possibly accomplish by staying? Hurry and escape!"
All eleven members of the Astrea Familia were currently fighting within Orario, while she had been leading these orphans from other familias away from the city—only for Evilus to dispatch forces to eliminate them entirely.
"But—"
"No buts!"
Astraea suddenly reached out and grabbed a branch in front of her, using the momentum to spin and land on the tree limb. With a powerful push from her feet, she leaped toward the stunned pursuers behind her.
"Shh—"
Her sharp longsword pierced the throat of the nearest enemy in an instant. Without hesitation, Astraea kicked off the man's face, using the force to lunge at another foe.
"Gurgle—"
The man instinctively clutched his throat, but could only convulse helplessly before collapsing to the ground, soon losing all signs of life.
"Goddess..."
Watching the goddess who had stayed behind alone to cover their retreat, Lyra let out a sharp scream.
"Go now!"
Astraea roared.
"!"
Gritting her teeth, Lyra tore her gaze away and grabbed her companion's hand, desperately running forward with all her might.
They absolutely must not betray the goddess's intentions. They must, must escape!
'That's right...'
Watching Lyra's retreating figure, Astraea turned her attention back to the enemies ahead.
"Kekeke—"
Seeing the goddess who had stayed behind alone to cover the retreat, Evilus Member A let out a laugh full of villainous flair.
"What a foolish woman. If you had abandoned those deadweight burdens, you might have been able to escape our pursuit on your own."
"Hah—"
Astraea let out a contemptuous scoff, her eyes icy as she stared at the Evilus member before her. "Don't lump me together with scum like you! Evil-doer, prepare to die—"
Before her voice faded, her sword had already arrived!
A flash of cold light cut through the air, heading straight for the throat of the man before her. But the enemy, already on high alert and prepared, quickly raised his dagger and then...
"Shhh—"
The man who had protected his throat with his dagger stared blankly down at the sharp sword piercing his heart. His lips twitched as he murmured, "Wasn't it... supposed to be... the throat...?"
'Fool, do you think I can't change my move?'
A flash of mockery passed through Astraea's eyes. Evilus members really were slow-witted.
"Surround her! Don't let her escape!"
Seeing another comrade fall, the Evilus members excitedly shouted—one less person to share the rewards with, hooray! Best if there's a tough battle where, after killing the goddess Astraea, all the comrades exhaust themselves and die, leaving only me alive to claim the great merit and big reward!
"A bunch of petty villains..."
Astraea glanced around to prevent anyone from attacking from her blind spots while moving toward a nearby tree trunk—she needed to use the trees to maneuver in battle. Otherwise, unable to use her divine power now, facing over a dozen thugs alone would be truly unwise.
"Keke, Goddess Astraea, you don't actually think we'd obediently engage in a prolonged fight with you, do you?"
At that moment, the Evilus squad leader suddenly stepped out from the group. He walked with exaggerated, dance-like steps, his feet crunching loudly on the leaf-covered ground, creating a grating "crack-crack" noise. Suddenly, he stopped, tilted his head, and said with a mocking expression, "Then you think too highly of us sewer rats—"
Astraea looked at the squad leader and couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. "It seems you have some self-awareness about your status."
The squad leader chuckled and said, "What a pity, the great Goddess of Justice, Astraea, will today be gnawed clean by us sewer rats!"
"That remains to be seen—"
Astraea maintained her verbal sparring while heightening her vigilance—in her view, these Evilus scum wouldn't idly chat with her without purpose. They must be trying to lower her guard to execute some scheme.
"Oh, right—"
Suddenly, the squad leader smacked his palm with a fist, wearing an epiphanic expression as he said, "Respected Goddess Astraea, you don't actually think the faction members tracking your familia are limited to just our few squads, do you?"
"What... do you mean by that!?"
Astraea's eyes sharply contracted. She instinctively stepped forward, her voice turning severe.
"Hahaha, still don't get it?"
The squad leader let out a delighted laugh, boasting triumphantly, "If all goes according to plan, your little darlings have already been caught by several other teams—might even be pinned to the ground getting thoroughly handled right now~"
"You...!"
A flash of fury crossed Astraea's eyes, but she forcibly suppressed it.
'No, I absolutely mustn't lose composure now...' She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself... Hm??
The next moment, a wave of weakness washed through her body. Astraea instinctively braced herself against a nearby tree trunk, then lifted her head with fearful urgency, demanding, "Poison?"
"Correct~" Watching this unfold, the squad leader revealed a sinister, twisted grin, shrieking, "Did you think I wasted all this breath on you for nothing? Hahaha—"
While supporting herself against the tree, Astraea scanned the surrounding ground—soon spotting several uncorked test tubes not far behind her. 'Must be a volatile poison, but the question is...'
When exactly was the poison administered??
"Hehe—" The squad leader gazed at the goddess with smug eyes, taunting, "Your Grace, feel free to keep stalling—it only works to our advantage!"
He wasn't wrong. In mere seconds, Astraea felt her strength further draining away, her vision beginning to blur slightly. If this continued, she'd likely collapse unconscious without them lifting a finger.
'Fortunately, I always carry common antidotes...'
Thinking this, Astraea's left hand swept across her waist, retrieving a test tube containing a milky potion. Pressing her thumb against the cork, she popped it open with a soft "plop."
"Hehe—"
Watching Astraea prepare to drink the antidote, the Evilus members made no move to stop her. Instead, they wore peculiar smiles, quietly observing her actions.
"Gulp, gulp—"
Astraea quickly downed the entire tube. Tossing the empty container aside, she raised her sword with sharpened eyes, declaring sternly, "After all, you're just vermin who shun the light, I... urk..."
Her vision abruptly blurred. Her legs gave way, collapsing her kneeling to the ground.
"Wh...what's happening..."
Astraea shook her head vigorously, then struggled to support herself against a nearby tree trunk, gasping for breath in large, ragged pants.
"Isn't the answer obvious enough?" The leader smugly strode up to Astraea and laughed, "Why don't you take a guess—why did we just watch you drink the antidote without stopping you?"
'I've fallen into their trap...'
Astraea gritted her silver teeth, having already realized—their antidote had clearly been specially formulated to counteract common antidotes on the market. Not only had it failed to neutralize the poison, but it had instead intensified the toxicity within her body.
"Alright, Goddess—"
The leader tossed a dagger playfully in his hand, a grin on his face, as he said, "It's time to bid you farewell—stay put in Heaven! Orario doesn't need you meddling in its affairs!"
Astraea was the Goddess of Justice, and even after descending to the mortal realm, she still upheld the duties of the Goddess of Justice—the entire Astrea Familia took it upon themselves to maintain the peace and order of Orario.
To put it plainly, they were the police.
Who do criminals hate the most? Naturally, it's the police! So whenever members of Evilus, including this leader, talked about the Astrea Familia, they gnashed their teeth in hatred, looking as if they wished they could devour their flesh raw.
"Although we can't lay a hand on the Goddess herself, every last one of those little bitches in the Astrea Familia won't get away!" The leader licked his dagger with a ferocious expression, then leaned in close to Astraea and said in a sinister tone, "I'll torment them bit by bit, making them wish they were dead but unable to die!"
"Scum..."
A flicker of anger flashed in Astraea's eyes. Summoning the last of her strength, she thrust her one-handed sword with all her might, but the leader seemed prepared. The moment she moved, he leaped back and dodged the attack.
With her last ounce of strength spent, Astraea collapsed awkwardly onto the ground. She struggled to get up, but her utterly powerless body left her writhing on the ground like a caterpillar.
"Hahaha, Goddess, what a pathetic and ugly sight—"
Watching Astraea repeatedly try and fail to stand due to her weakened limbs, the leader let out a triumphant, villainous laugh: "Is this Orario's Goddess of Justice? How utterly ridiculous—"
Just then, a cool, clear voice rang out from above.
"Filthy fools! I don't think any of you have the right to mock a goddess struggling desperately to protect her children!"
"My blade shines, cutting away all impurities!"
In the next moment, a dance of sword light enveloped the area.