Watching Antares disappear into ash right in front of them, Artemis and her Familia all wore the same dazed, disbelieving smile—like their souls hadn't caught up with the fact that they were still breathing.
"We… survived."
"Yeah—we're really okay!"
"That oniisan is so handsome!!"
"He's like the hero from the storybooks I used to read!"
…
The Artemis Familia didn't even try to hide how giddy they were. Nothing hits like escaping death with your whole body intact—and to them, Takumi wasn't just a lifesaver. He'd dropped in like something out of legend, and on top of that, he was prettier than most male gods. It was exactly the kind of love their hearts had secretly been wishing for.
Even Artemis couldn't bring herself to scold them.
Because the truth was, her own heart was pounding too, that restless flutter threatening to spill past her self-control.
"But… that other monster," Lante asked, forcing herself to speak. Her half-elf ears twitched as she stared warily at Mahoraga. "Is it your summon, oniisan?"
She was honestly scared—Mahoraga looked terrifying.
Takumi just smiled and snapped his fingers.
Snap.
Mahoraga's body collapsed into shadow and melted into the darkness beneath Takumi's feet.
"Whoa! That magic is insane!"
Rethusa gasped, eyes shining with curiosity. "Takumi-san… are you a Level 6 adventurer? You can summon a monster like that and make it fight for you like it's nothing!"
The others immediately jumped in, nodding hard.
To them, what Takumi had shown was already beyond the ceiling of their world.
Only Artemis shook her head.
"No," she said quietly. "It's not that simple."
As a goddess, she could tell. The pressure Mahoraga gave off wasn't something a normal Level 6 could casually command. If it unleashed its full power, it could have pulverized the entire ruin in a heartbeat. The reason the fight hadn't wiped them out was simple: Mahoraga had been holding back—because Takumi had told it to.
Takumi laughed, rubbing the back of his neck like he was embarrassed by the praise.
"Artemis-sama, you're flattering me. Strictly speaking, I'm only Level 3 right now. I'm not denying my strength is… a little above a normal Level 6, though."
That sentence hit them like a slap.
Artemis and Rethusa just stared at him.
"Impossible," Rethusa blurted. "I'm Level 3 too!"
If they were the same level, then her Level 3 felt fake as hell. Compared to him, she was basically a random nobody off the roadside.
Artemis's eyes flickered, searching for an answer that would make it make sense.
"Are you… a born hero?" she murmured.
She knew the old concept of a "hero"—humans in ancient times who could defeat monsters without any Falna at all. But even for a hero, beating Antares like that…
It was ridiculous.
"What happened in Orario while we were gone?" Artemis finally asked, unable to hold it back.
Takumi started walking, motioning for them to follow. "Let's get out first. I'll explain as we go."
As they made their way out of the ruin, he told it like a story—calm, smooth, like he was narrating something that hadn't nearly killed half the city.
When he mentioned Evilus launching a full-scale assault on Orario—and that nine gods had been sent back to Heaven—Artemis's fist clenched so hard her knuckles whitened.
"That happened…? Then what?!" she pressed.
"Then I stepped in a bit," Takumi said with an easy shrug, "and everyone worked together to crush Evilus."
Lante immediately protested, practically bouncing on her toes.
"Oniisan—no! You can't skip the good parts! I want the full version!"
"Me too!"
"Yeah, we all want to hear it!"
…
Even Artemis, eyes wide, was staring at him like a child begging for another chapter.
Takumi sighed theatrically. "Explaining it cleanly is a pain. I'll just show you the footage."
He lifted a hand, tapping the air with a fingertip as if he were pressing play.
"As long as your control is precise enough, you can have magic imitate billions of pixels… then make them move. There."
The space in front of them shimmered—and a floating screen snapped into existence like a movie opening.
"Whoa… it's real! We can see it!"
"This is so cool!"
"It's like the footage they broadcast during War Games!"
The girls clustered closer, eyes glued to the projection. Even Artemis leaned in, fully focused.
It started from Takumi going into the Dungeon to assist the Astraea Familia, killing Vito and the others. The girls erupted in cheers, spitting curses at Evilus and practically worshipping Takumi with their eyes.
Then Ryuu appeared, her confusion and pain spilling out in fragments—and the room of girls softened, moved in spite of themselves.
Takumi's voice in the footage followed, steady and reassuring, and their expressions grew even more resolute.
The projection cut forward.
When Zald appeared, Artemis felt cold sweat bead at her fingertips.
"Zald from the Zeus Familia… a Level 7," one of the girls whispered, face going pale. "That's… not something you can beat."
She wasn't exaggerating. The footage showed it exactly: Freya Familia's vice-captain and captain stepping in—then getting crushed. Loki Familia's heavy hitters tried next—and got smashed too.
The girls watching started to look genuinely hopeless, sucked into the dread like it was happening to them right now.
Then Takumi flew in.
The suffocating atmosphere cracked open. Relief flooded the corridor the moment he appeared on screen—and when he beat Zald, the girls who already liked him practically ignited.
Rethusa [Affection: 98]
Lante [Affection: 99]
Artemis [Affection: 90]
Takumi glanced up at their heads and clicked his tongue, genuinely surprised.
Not a single one of them was below ninety.
So this was what people meant about fangirls being scary. He'd just played a highlight reel, and they'd all mentally moved in.
"Takumi-san—no, Takumi sir—you're incredible!!!"
Lante squealed and threw herself into him, locking onto his arm like she was afraid he'd vanish. Her soft chest mashed against his bicep, warm and shameless, and Takumi felt his focus wobble for half a second.
Rethusa rushed in too, eyes sparkling with pure worship and unmistakable love.
"Senior Takumi—teach me how to fight!"
Takumi almost choked.
Rethusa looked twenty-something. He was only in his teens. Getting called "senior" by a grown woman felt deeply wrong.
But the next wave didn't give him any room to refuse.
More girls piled in, chattering nonstop, swarming him like a pack of starstruck fans cornering their idol.
Artemis watched it all—and, to her own shock, she laughed.
It wasn't the cold, strict expression she wore when her girls talked about love. Right now, she looked… softer. Human.
Truthfully, she wanted to go hug him too.
But as the goddess of chastity, she still had that final thread of restraint, holding her back—just barely…