"You want me to use your Arcanum?"
Judas asked, a slight raise of his brow betraying his curiosity.
Usually, trying to wield a power beyond what your body could handle would cause the vessel to break. That much was true.
However, divine power functioned differently from magic power.
If a deity permitted it, they could directly bestow their power upon a mortal without causing their vessel to collapse.
In doing so, the mortal would temporarily become that deity's avatar or champion… a vessel capable of wielding divine authority.
Such things had happened long before the Age of Gods began, which was why mortals in ancient times already knew of the existence of deities.
Of course, there were conditions.
To receive that power, one had to enter into a contract with the deity and fulfill the conditions set by them.
And once the contract was completed, the borrowed divine power would disappear.
In Judas' case, Artemis' condition was simple.
Defeat Antares.
"Don't worry… I'll guide you."
Artemis replied softly.
"And I believe my divine power is highly compatible with you. You used a power similar to Arcanum earlier, right? Then I believe you can utilize my divinity better than anyone else could."
Judas held her gaze for a moment in silence, weighing her words carefully.
"…Alright. Let's do this."
He agreed without hesitation.
'Eh? He accepted it that quickly?'
Lulune blinked several times in disbelief.
"Lulune… please watch over us while we perform the process."
Artemis said gently.
"M-me?"
Lulune pointed at herself before slowly turning her head toward the distant vortex of Arcanum.
The massive tornado churned violently in the distance, twisting across the night sky with terrifying force.
Just looking at it made her throat tighten.
She swallowed hard, forcing down the fear rising in her chest.
"A-alright… y-you can c-count on me."
Her trembling hand rose into a shaky salute.
"Please… stay still…"
Artemis whispered.
Without a word, Judas lowered himself to the ground and sat cross-legged before turning his back toward her.
For a brief moment, Artemis simply stared at him.
Then she slowly closed her eyes.
Both arms extended forward.
A soft bluish glow bloomed from her palms, faint at first… before steadily growing brighter.
Her lips parted.
"ᔑリᓵ╎ᒷリℸ !¡𝙹∴ᒷ∷ ᔑ∴ᔑꖌᒷリᓭ."
An incomprehensible language flowed from her mouth.
The moment the words were spoken, the air itself trembled.
An invisible pressure surged outward like a silent storm, sweeping across the forest.
Leaves rustled violently, and even the ground groaned beneath the oppressive presence that descended upon the area.
'This is… the language of the Gods.'
Judas thought, his brows twitching slightly.
The divine language of Danmachi's gods differed from the language used in Celestia… yet the power behind each word felt deeply familiar.
To his ears, the sounds themselves were meaningless.
And yet, somehow, the meaning forced itself directly into his mind, bypassing comprehension entirely and embedding itself straight into his consciousness.
"ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ᓭ𝙹⚍ꖎ ∷ᒷᓭ!¡𝙹リ↸ᓭ ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ||𝙹⚍∷ ᓵᔑꖎꖎ."
Artemis continued, her voice calm and unwavering as the glow around her hands deepened.
As though responding to her call, the distant vortex of Arcanum, the very divine energy Antares had been greedily absorbing, began to slow.
Its violent rotation faltered.
The chaotic currents lost their rhythm before the entire tornado subtly shifted direction.
Gradually… it began drifting toward them.
As though drawn in by Artemis' voice.
Judas slowly lifted his hand and touched the first strand of light that reached him, brushing it with the tip of his finger.
'So this is Artemis' Arcanum…'
The moment contact was made, the light seeped into him without resistance, slipping through his skin as though it had always belonged there.
It did not burn.
It did not reject him.
Instead… it felt warm.
Gentle.
Like a quiet presence settling deep within his being.
Judas lowered his hand slightly, silently watching as more strands of light drifted toward him.
What began as only a few threads soon became a steady stream, spiraling around his body before passing through him one after another.
Artemis's brows knit together in concentration.
"…It's working."
The soft glow around her hands intensified as she continued chanting, her voice unwavering despite the growing pressure in the air.
More light poured in.
The drifting strands became a current.
Then a flow.
Then a torrent.
Judas' clothes fluttered violently as divine energy gathered around him, forming a luminous veil that cloaked his entire figure.
The ground beneath him began to crack apart, not from physical force, but from the sheer density of power converging in one place.
Still… Judas remained perfectly still.
His breathing was calm.
His expression unchanged.
But internally…
He could feel it.
The Arcanum coursed through him like a second heartbeat, threading itself throughout his body.
It brushed against his mana circuits.
Slid along the flow of his energy.
ROOOOAR!
The reborn Antares let out a thunderous, enraged roar as it sensed the shift.
The Arcanum it had been greedily devouring was no longer fully under its control.
When its singular crimson eye turned toward Judas' location, it immediately realized why.
Antares reacted at once.
Its roar sharpened into something almost frantic as it intensified its pull, desperately trying to reclaim dominance over the divine energy.
Judas noticed the stream of Arcanum flowing into him begin to slow.
Behind him, Artemis continued speaking divine words, but faint strain had begun creeping into her expression.
'This has turned into a tug-of-war.'
The Arcanum that once moved as a single unified current had now split cleanly into two opposing streams.
One surged toward Antares, drawn in by its monstrous greed.
The other flowed toward Judas, guided by Artemis' will.
It became a race to determine who could claim more of the divine power.
Then slowly…
Surely…
The amount of Arcanum in the area began to thin.
The countless motes of light drifting overhead steadily disappeared as they were absorbed into the two vessels fighting for dominance.
Until eventually…
Nothing remained.
"Haa… haa…"
Artemis let out ragged breaths, her face pale with exhaustion.
Her legs had already began to fade away, and the rest of her figure was flickering like a dying candle.
She had held on for as long as she could.
Her time was up.
And yet… despite that…
She still smiled.
Artemis leaned closer and gently kissed Judas on the cheek, officially forming the contract between them.
"Orion… win."
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
And then…
She vanished.
Her form dissolved completely into countless shimmering particles of light before scattering into the air and fading into nothingness.
Silence followed.
'Artemis…'
Judas clenched his fist tightly.
But there was no time to dwell on it.
No time to grieve.
No time for a proper goodbye.
The battle was not over yet.
A low, rumbling growl shattered the silence.
There was still an enemy he needed to defeat.
Judas stood up.
His eyes, now reflecting a faint, celestial glow, locked onto the enemy.
The battle between two demi-gods was about to begin.
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