"Not a single person..."
Elise walked alone on the road toward the Freya Familia. Yet at this moment, the streets were eerily silent.
Normally, even at night, Orario would be brightly lit and bustling. But now, not a single figure could be seen.
Not just the streets—even inside the buildings on both sides, Elise could not sense the presence of any living person. In other words, the entire area had been emptied.
"This must be the work of the Freya Familia."
Since she was heading straight to their doorstep, a battle was inevitable. However...
If they wanted to restrain her, wouldn't it make more sense to fight in a crowded area?
From that perspective, Freya still had a bit of conscience. Not much—but at least she was avoiding involving innocent bystanders.
"Since they're targeting only me, they only captured members of the Astraea Familia?"
Although Elise would still save ordinary people, their priority would never be as high as her own companions.
As she drew closer to the Freya Familia, Elise's vigilance heightened.
She did not believe that the members of the Freya Familia could cause her any real harm. Even Ottar at Level 7 could no longer break through her defenses. But Freya herself was a different matter.
Even now, Elise still had no means of completely resisting the charm of a goddess.
Completely resisting.
If Freya used her charm casually, at most she could only control Elise for an instant.
But if she became serious—pushing her charm to its limit—Elise could not be sure how long she could endure.
Therefore, in this rescue mission, the only one worth worrying about was Freya herself. As for Ottar and the other executives, they were hardly worth mentioning in Elise's eyes.
Perhaps in the eyes of Orario's citizens, they were the strongest Familia. But for Elise, that was not the case at all.
At the gates of the Freya Familia.
Elise carefully sensed the surroundings and the number of people within their base...
Aside from Freya's divine presence, she could sense several others inside—just enough to match the eight top executives of the Freya Familia, along with the captured members of the Astraea Familia.
Judging by their movements, they seemed to be making preparations before battle. However, Elise felt that something was slightly off...
"Forget it. I need to confirm Alya and the others' condition as soon as possible."
The spirit crest on her chest gradually shone as Elise mobilized her power. The Sacred Demon Sword materialized in her hand in response to her will.
"Sister..."
Perhaps sensing Elise's state of mind, Est spoke with concern. "Should you rest a little before going in?"
From Est's perspective, Elise had indeed been overworking herself recently. She had been sleeping less than an hour each day.
Ever since she obtained the development abilities of Mystery and Creation, she had devoted herself entirely to research.
Although she had produced many useful results and brought in tremendous benefits, Est did not care about any of that. She only cared about Elise's health and safety.
"It's fine. My body is like this, and with the recovery potions I developed, I can already enhance my mental strength. Relieving fatigue is a trivial matter."
After hearing Elise's answer, Est was still worried, but she could only accept her decision.
Having stayed in the Astraea Familia for so long, even though Est rarely initiated conversations, she had still formed bonds with her companions.
During the period when Elise had been busy, many people had taken care of her.
The playful Alise, the gentle Maryuu, the reserved Asta, the serious Ryana... they were all good people.
So upon learning that some of them had been captured, Est experienced an intense emotional surge—something rare for her.
She would never forgive them!
...
Click!
With the sound of the door opening, Elise finally stepped into the battlefield plains. At that very moment, everyone present turned their gaze toward her.
"You've come, Elise. I've been waiting for you."
There was a large open space in the center, where an extremely luxurious chair stood. The silver-haired goddess sat upon it, calmly sipping red wine. Behind her stood, without a doubt, all of the strongest members of the Freya Familia.
In a corner by the wall, four people sat quietly.
They looked as if they were asleep, with no restraints binding them, as though they had willingly lain there.
Without question, they were the four who had been abducted by the Freya Familia.
Lyra, Alise, Ryana, and Ryuu.
"Isn't this a bit excessive, Lady Freya?" Noticing something amiss about the four, Elise's expression turned ice-cold. "I didn't expect you to use charm on them..."
The charm of a god was not something mortals of the lower world could withstand. Sometimes, even a single glance was enough to make someone devote their entire life.
Even Elise could only resist charm through her unique nature. And unlike her own case, the charm placed on others was far from easy to dispel.
Perhaps in the future she could develop a way to remove it. But for now, she had no such capability.
Though she possessed purification abilities, they were merely derived from an Urm Manadyte. How could they compare to a true god?
In other words, Elise could not simply take them away. She needed Freya to lift the charm herself.
Otherwise, if Freya were to issue commands like "kill Elise" or "take your own lives," the consequences would be unthinkable.
"It is indeed somewhat excessive," Freya said, her tone tinged with helplessness. But the next moment, it turned far more serious.
"But when it comes to dealing with you, it is not excessive at all."
In an instant, an overwhelming killing intent erupted from Elise's body. At once, everyone behind Freya raised their weapons, aiming them at her.
"What exactly do you intend to do? What will it take for you to release them from your charm?"
Elise knew she could not directly oppose a god, so she chose negotiation.
"I merely wish to make a wager with you."
"The eight strongest members of my Familia will face you in a duel. If you win, you may take them back unharmed."
"But if you fail..."
Though Freya did not finish her sentence, Elise understood perfectly.
If she lost, she would have to join the Freya Familia.