When Apollo saw the group of youthful and beautiful girls in the yard, his eyes, which he prided as dazzling as the sun, instantly lit up.
The expression on his face quickly changed from initial playfulness to undisguised ecstasy, and the corners of his mouth, upturned high, were filled with the greed of a hunter seeing top-tier prey.
"Wonderful! Wonderful! So many treasures gathered here! This is simply a gift from the heavens to me, Apollo!"
He dramatically pressed his hand to his chest beneath his elaborate attire, then suddenly spread his arms wide, declaring to everyone in an aria.
"En! It's decided, you all come and join my Familia too! Become my dearest family~"
Daphne's fists were clenched white, and she turned to glare furiously at this persistent, disgusting god.
"I've said it a million times! I don't want to join your damn Familia! Can't you understand human language?!"
Apollo elegantly raised a finger, shaking his head dismissively.
"Oh, my dear Daphne, you don't understand my deep love for children yet, and I don't blame you."
"However, what I desire, I will never give up, even if I have to chase it to the ends of the earth~"
"You...!"
A sacrilegious thought of god-slaying even arose in Daphne's heart.
At this moment, she finally deeply understood what a troublesome and rogue god he was!
Although she desperately wanted to get rid of this guy, she didn't want to cause this newly formed Hestia Familia to provoke the Apollo Familia, which had been developing in Orario for many years.
Because what she had said before was not a lie; she truly... wanted to join here...
Daphne and Cassandra exchanged glances, both seeing determination in each other's eyes.
They took a deep breath, looking apologetically at the girls in the yard.
"Sorry for the disturbance."
With that, they prepared to turn around and continue their endless escape.
"Wait."
A man's "five-zero-zero" voice suddenly echoed in the courtyard.
The voice was not loud, but it seemed to carry a certain magic, instantly overpowering all the noise.
All the girls suddenly turned their gaze to the newcomer, their faces showing uncontrollable surprise and relief.
Suzuki Jun exchanged glances with the soldiers in the shadows behind her, revealing a faint smile.
"Rod!"
Rod ignored Apollo, whose face grew even more ecstatic at his appearance, and looked calmly at the two desperate girls, asking,
"Where are you going?"
Daphne froze for a moment, unable to answer.
Because she herself didn't know where she could run to escape a god's pursuit.
A bitter smile appeared on her face.
"I..."
Rod spoke softly, his voice not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.
"Come in. Aren't you going to join us?"
An unspeakable emotion of gratitude rose in Daphne's heart, but she still hesitated.
"But, but... he..."
Rod interrupted her directly, his gaze sweeping over all the newcomers present.
"Don't think there's a shortcut to take."
"Everyone must undergo the trial equally; this is the fairness our Familia upholds."
The girls who had just passed the trial were surprised for a moment, then all showed gentle and trusting smiles.
They truly had not misjudged him...
Ilta, meanwhile, secretly watched Rod out of the corner of her eye, her heart filled with complex emotions.
Is this guy... the man favored by the Familia of Justice...?
Just his appearance instantly restored Ke Luoyi and the others to composure.
And as soon as he appeared, without any hesitation, he chose to protect those two unfamiliar girls.
Moreover, his subsequent words ignited the emotions of everyone present, implying that if they were in the same situation as those two girls, he would still make the same choice.
A single short sentence created a sense of belonging for all the newcomers.
This guy... really is...
Daphne and Cassandra looked at each other and whispered,
"Sorry... and... thank you..."
Then, without further hesitation, they each walked towards Ke Luoyi and Maliu, ready to undergo the trial.
Apollo seemed not to be in a hurry at all; instead, he looked at Rod with an even more scorching gaze, as if trying to melt him.
"Oh~ You are that Rod, the most popular hero in the city recently, aren't you? I've wanted to meet you for a long time."
He elegantly waved his hand, beckoning a male Familia member whose eyes were filled with fanatical obsession for him, took a bottle of fine wine from his embrace, and took a sip himself.
"Ah~ good wine, indeed, it only truly reveals its flavor when paired with the finest jewels."
Rod just stood there expressionlessly, waiting.
Apollo also seemed curious about his next move, watching with interest from the side.
"I say, why don't you just join my Familia? Even Hestia can't stop my enthusiasm for you~"
"Or, Hestia can come along too, I don't mind~"
Just then, Suzuki Jun suddenly spoke.
"Master, both of them have passed the test."
The moment the words fell, the atmosphere on the scene suddenly changed.
An invisible cold wind struck out of nowhere.
A suffocating pressure, as if capable of freezing the soul, instantly descended.
Everyone present, whether new members or Familia members brought by Apollo, felt a sudden difficulty in breathing, their hearts feeling as if tightly gripped by an invisible large hand.
Apollo's smile stiffened, and his eyes, which had been playful, narrowed warily.
"Oh dear, Rod, you're not thinking of violating Orario's rules and making a move in broad daylight, are you~?"
Rod stared calmly at Apollo, his dark eyes as deep as an abyss.
"Would you dare to do today's actions to Freya or Loki?"
Apollo's expression was somewhat unnatural.
"What... do you mean?"
Rod took the list filled with newcomers' names from Suzuki Jun's hand, looked down and saw many familiar names on it, his tone terrifyingly calm.
"So I'm very curious, you don't dare to provoke them, so why do you dare to provoke me? Even try to steal my people."
"It seems I'm still too low-key, or rather, I haven't killed enough people."
A heterochromatic Loli silently slipped out of the shadows and lurked in the darkness, quietly staring at Apollo.
"Sophia Flores..."
Rod read out a girl's name. The girl who was called out was startled but immediately stepped forward, bowing slightly.
"Lord Rod."
Rod searched his mind for a long time before he remembered the origin of this girl, who exuded a formidable aura.
A female character from a web game in his previous life; her abilities were quite good.
But she had a younger sister, who was the protagonist of that online game, possessing the most heaven-defying skills in both the main story and side stories of the game.
Rod temporarily noted this down and continued to read names.
"Narvi."
"Y-Yes!"
"Ilta."
"...I'm here."
"Naza, Ruruni, Daphne... the six of you will now follow Ke Luoyi to the Apollo Familia's compound."
In Apollo's gradually widening, incredulous eyes, Rod casually issued an order that was enough to overturn the superficial common sense of all current Familias.
"Apollo himself attempted to steal members of the Hestia Familia in broad daylight. I suspect he is an evil god and has connections with the Dark Faction."
"You will now investigate thoroughly and rescue those members of his Familia who were forced to join."
Apollo panicked, and the dropped wine glass shattered with a 'clink'.
The elegance and composure on his face instantly vanished without a trace, replaced by shock and terror.
"Wait, wait... The Guild-sanctioned battles are only War Games! This is a violation, this is a declaration of war!"
"Give up your bold idea, otherwise I will complain about you to the Guild!"
Rod couldn't help but let out a scoff.
You talk about complaining to me, and I just want to laugh.
The several girls whose names were called looked at each other, their eyes sparkling with excited and determined light.
Daphne, in particular, tightly pursed her lips, her eyes reddening, almost bursting into tears of excitement.
They didn't care what Apollo said, only looked at their future Captain with respectful eyes.
"Yes!"
Although they had just joined the Familia, their sense of belonging was already quite strong.
Apollo's recent actions had truly disgusted them, and Rod's overbearing, clearly protective behavior filled the girls' hearts with unprecedented warmth and emotion.
Rod had deliberately waited until Daphne and the other had passed the trial before saying these words.
The meaning he wanted to convey was simple, crude, and even a declaration of arrogance that no other Captain in all of Orario would ever make.
—Dare to touch my people, I don't care who you are, and I don't care about any damn rules, I'll just blow you up!
A cold glint flashed in Ke Luoyi's eyes, and a cruel smile played on her lips.
"Then, what about those who are still loyal to Apollo? Should we just kill them all, meow?"
Rod glanced at Ke Luoyi, a slight frown on his brow.
"We are a legitimate Familia, how can we just kill people?"
Ke Luoyi was stunned for a moment.
No, Rod, you of all people have no right to say that, meow!
"Then you mean…."
Rod extended a finger, gently tapping the list, and in an understated tone, revealed a plan more vicious than murder.
"Capture them all and send them to the Pleasure Quarter's Goddess Brothel, sell them to Ishtar."
Ke Luoyi's eyes widened instantly.
"???"
Sure enough!
I knew that Rod would never be soft-hearted!
How did you come up with such a ridiculously damaging scheme, meow?!
"If Ishtar refuses to pay, it doesn't matter. Then we'll give all those people to her for free. The condition is that she must assist me in dealing with the Dark Faction."
Apollo saw Rod arranging the fate of his beloved treasures on his own, his eyes burning red with anxiety, his face distorted by fury, and he attempted to unleash his divine power on Rod.
"Rod, are you really going to do such a thing? Do your actions even qualify you as a hero? How could Astrea ever look favorably upon someone like you?!"
Just then, a cold and authoritative voice echoed from behind Apollo.
"Apollo, understand one thing: Rod is my person now."
"No matter what decisions he makes, in my heart, he will always be a hero."
"I will not interfere with the disputes between children. But if any god dares to intervene… then the guardian fire that saves all beings will also transform into a blazing inferno to annihilate enemies."
Apollo spun around, gritting his teeth as he spoke.
"Hestia….."
The next second, he stared wide-eyed, looking at those emotionless, ethereal, and sacred eyes.
"You actually dared to…."
Hestia interrupted him indifferently, her voice devoid of any emotion.
"If the sole reason for my descent to the lower world ceases to exist, then I no longer need to care about so-called rules."
Even if it meant recklessly using divine power, or even instigating a divine war that shattered the entire human world, she would not hesitate!
The Hestia in this state conveyed an absolute, undeniable will.
Lunatics!
Every single one of them was a complete lunatic!
Apollo cursed loudly in his heart, then spitefully spoke to his already terrified Familia members beside him.
"Hyacinthus, let's get back quickly!"
As long as he returned to oversee matters and contacted some other Familia, using a few tactics, things wouldn't escalate to the worst possible outcome.
And he also didn't believe that Rod would truly dare to do something so brazenly arrogant!
Many of the girls who had just joined the Familia actually thought the same.
Daphne let out a long sigh of relief, speaking gratefully.
"Thank you, Lord Rod."
Rod ignored her, merely glancing at Runova not far away, a hint of displeasure in his tone.
"Have your fists become dull lately? There's a villain threatening our companions right in front of you, are you going to let him just slip away unharmed?"
Apollo turned back, clenching his fists, glaring furiously at Rod.
"You're going too far!"
A gust of wind ruffled Apollo's hair.
Before he finished speaking, a strong gust of wind ruffled Apollo's hair.
"Ugh—!"
Hyacinthus, the Captain who had been standing respectfully beside him, instantly transformed into a cannonball, fiercely blasted away!
He crashed through several sturdy walls in succession before sliding down from a hole in the wall, spitting blood, and looking in terror at the woman radiating black killing intent.
Runova's face was terrifyingly grim, her eyes flashing with a bloodthirsty cold light, and her fists seemed to burn with black fighting spirit.
"Hehehehe… To think Rod is angry at me because of trash like you, I'm in a very bad mood right now!"
Runova completely ignored Apollo's furious roar from the side, stomping hard on the ground, causing the sturdy flagstones to instantly crack.
The next second, her figure had appeared like a ghost above Hyacinthus's head, and with a cold expression, she swung her iron fist at his terrified face!
"Although I can't kill you, breaking every bone in your body, inch by inch, should still be permissible!"
On the other side, Ke Luoyi also immediately snapped back to reality, quickly turning her head to shout at Shimomura Izumi, who was not far away.
"Izumi! Grab a few people and give us a ride!"
After being granted Grace, although they hadn't leveled up yet, the continuously accumulating experience points had also strengthened the demi-humans' IBMs.
Shimomura Izumi spoke calmly to Ilta and six other girls nearby.
"After a count of three, jump with all your might."
"Huh?"
"Three, two, one… Jump!"
Without time to ponder the reason, Ilta and the six girls immediately jumped upwards with all their strength!
Just as they were about to land, they were shocked to find themselves steadily landing on an invisible, solid-like creature!
Daphne blinked incredulously, Half squatting, I used my hands to check the touch of my feet..
"…..Is this magic, or a monster?"
Ilta swallowed, immediately denying it.
"I've never heard of magic that can carry so many of us at once."
Naza secretly wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"I, I've never seen… a monster so completely transparent that it's almost invisible!"
The girls only now realized a fact.
This newly formed Hestia Familia, its foundation might not be as thin as it seemed!
Shimomura Izumi lightly jumped onto the IBM's back.
"Hold on tight."
"Wait… there's us too!"
Just as they were about to take off, Aisha and her two companions also rushed out from the corner, deftly leaping onto the IBM's back!
Aisha's purple eyes glowed as she looked back at Rod.
"We want to participate in the Familia's first activity too! As for the trial, we'll make it up when we get back, that's fine, right~ Captain~"
Rod had long noticed their peeking, and nodded slightly to Shimomura Izumi.
"Take them with you."