Ren Isana naturally noticed the two groups of people tailing him. After all, his [Perception Magic] was constantly active. Even Yor Forger had noticed those guys; she even entertained the thought of making a move and slaughtering them all.
Ren's premonition was spot on—they were indeed being targeted. Otherwise, something like this wouldn't be happening. They had been set up tonight.
*So, is the goddess behind us the one pulling the strings?* Yor frowned, pondering whether she should wait for Ren to make his move before stepping in to eliminate that goddess as well.
As for the bodyguard beside her? It would only take a few slashes. Yor didn't take him seriously at all. Even if the opponent unleashed his full strength, it didn't matter; Yor was confident she could handle him.
After a moment of thought, however, she temporarily shelved the idea. She would observe the situation first. With that in mind, Yor continued to conceal her presence and followed closely behind Ren.
Walking beside Ren, Hestia remained completely oblivious to the fact that they were being followed. As they ventured into increasingly remote areas, the pursuers gradually formed an encirclement around them.
As they walked, Ren suddenly stopped. Hestia, who had been enthusiastically chatting with him, looked confused. "What's wrong, Ren? Why did we stop?"
Just as she spoke, Hestia saw numerous figures emerging from the shadows, completely surrounding them. These people wore black cloaks that obscured their figures.
Hestia's expression instantly changed upon seeing them. She hurriedly stepped closer to Ren. After sensing the auras of these individuals, her face darkened. She turned toward the direction they had come from and snarled viciously, "Apollo, what is the meaning of this?!"
That repulsive aura naturally belonged to Apollo. Hestia hadn't expected this bastard to be so lawless as to actually make a move at a time like this.
"What is the meaning of this? Hestia, if you don't want to suffer, hand over that young man beside you!" Under the moonlight, Apollo stared at the two of them with greedy eyes.
Ren, in particular, made him drool with desire. He wanted him—he wanted him *so* badly. He was already getting impatient. As for Hestia? She was nothing more than an after-dinner dessert.
"Are you trying to violate the rules of Orario?!" Hestia glared at the scumbag and immediately rebuked him. Hand Ren over to him? What a joke! He shouldn't even dream about it.
"Why waste words on him? Just kill them all." Ren felt nothing but a wave of disgust. Breaking free from Hestia's grasp, he made his move without a moment of hesitation.
Ren's figure instantly vanished from his spot. Hestia only saw a flash of cold steel, and in the next moment, the cloaked figures surrounding them collapsed to the ground. Seeing this, Hestia's face paled in shock.
Apollo, who had been wearing an arrogant smirk just a second ago, froze completely. He stared at the scene in disbelief. His subordinates were Lv.2 and Lv.3 adventurers, for crying out loud! Even if they couldn't win, they shouldn't have been wiped out like *this*!
The young man standing beside him also underwent a drastic change in expression. He hurriedly drew his sword and stepped in front of Apollo. "Apollo-sama, we need to leave this place immediately!!"
Things had exceeded his expectations and were spiraling out of control. Ren flicked his Tang Dao, instantly splattering the blood on its blade onto the ground, and cast a cold gaze at the remaining two.
They thought they could cause trouble for Ren with just this handful of people? What an absolute joke. When Ren got serious, killing these Lv.2 and Lv.3 adventurers was as easy as slaughtering chickens—one strike, one kill.
Hearing the words of his beloved beautiful youth, Apollo hastily retreated, preparing to flee. He had completely underestimated Ren's combat prowess. The men he brought had been dispatched in the blink of an eye.
In the darkness, Apollo's figure continuously backed away, while Hyacinthus charged straight at Ren, launching an attack. As he dashed forward, he began to chant.
"My name is love, the darling of light, I offer this body to my sun!" As Hyacinthus's words fell, his sword erupted in flames, the fiery glow instantly illuminating the surrounding streets.
Ren didn't make a single movement, simply allowing the opponent to charge at him. Only when Hyacinthus was right upon him did Ren finally act. His figure vanished from his spot, rushing directly toward the enemy.
A cold gleam flashed. The charging Hyacinthus was decapitated on the spot. Without losing any momentum, Ren bypassed him and charged straight for Apollo. Hyacinthus had been instantly executed with a single slash.
When Ren dashed past, Hyacinthus's body still maintained its forward charging speed, only coming to a halt when it reached the spot where Ren had just been standing. However, his head had been left behind.
The captain of the Apollo Familia had been cut down by Ren like a stray dog on the side of the road, completely failing to serve as any sort of obstacle.
Ren's speed as he charged at Apollo reached its absolute peak. The moment Hyacinthus's head hit the ground, Ren was already standing in front of Apollo. Seeing Ren rushing at him, Apollo's face twisted in terror.
He knew very well that Ren truly intended to kill him, to use his blood to christen his blade. At this moment, Apollo couldn't care less about the consequences. Without a second thought, he directly unsealed his Divine Power.
"You damn ant!!" As his Divine Power was unsealed, its aura spread outward. The deities who had yet to leave the banquet hall instantly sensed it. Their expressions changed drastically as they all rushed outside.
Everyone knew exactly whose Divine Power this was. Apollo had actually unsealed himself? Had that damn fool gone and attacked Hestia? Were they planning to start a war of the gods right here in Orario?!
The manifestation of Divine Power in Orario didn't just provoke a reaction from the gods; the Dungeon beneath Orario reacted the most violently. The sudden presence of Divine Power instantly agitated the Dungeon.
A riot began to break out within the Dungeon, but it was quickly suppressed by Ouranos from deep beneath the Guild. Ouranos also quickly learned of the situation on the surface.
This made him extremely displeased. Apollo actually dared to unleash his Divine Power in Orario? What was he trying to do?!
Back on the battlefield, just as Apollo unsealed his Divine Power and prepared to teach Ren a lesson, Ren coldly hurled a dagger at him. With a sharp *bang*, the thrown dagger broke the sound barrier and plunged directly into Apollo's body.
In that instant, the Divine Power radiating from Apollo was disrupted. The newly unsealed energy stagnated, and he reverted back to the state of an ordinary person. By then, Ren was already upon him.
Ren thrust his Tang Dao mercilessly toward Apollo's heart. From the shadows of the night, Freya, who had hurriedly arrived, watched as Ren's blade pierced straight through Apollo's chest.
Seeing this, Freya's expression changed drastically. She truly hadn't expected things to escalate to this point. Moreover, Apollo had unsealed his Divine Power, yet his heart was still pierced?!
"Ottar!" Freya hurriedly shouted, ordering Ottar to step in and help. This was going to be a massive disaster. If Ren actually killed Apollo here, he would become the public enemy of all of Orario.
No god would be willing to coexist with a God Slayer. Therefore, she absolutely could not allow this to happen. After all, if it came to that, even if she wanted Ren, the others would step in to stop her!
"Useless trash!!" Freya couldn't help but curse. Apollo was completely useless. He couldn't help with anything, and now he was about to lose his life here!
Hearing Freya's words, Ottar prepared to charge forward without hesitation. However, just as he took a step, he was forced to a sudden halt. A woman had appeared in front of him.
Yor, wielding her stiletto-like daggers, silently materialized before them. In a chillingly cold voice, she warned, "I wouldn't step forward if I were you. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind killing another deity tonight!"
At that moment, the aura radiating from Yor made both Ottar and Freya's skin crawl. Freya, in particular, could sense it—the lingering scent of a god's curse on Yor. This woman standing before them had slain a god!
Freya's face turned incredibly ugly as realization slowly dawned on her. They had done this on purpose. They deliberately intended to kill Apollo. In other words, Apollo had to die tonight!
She shifted her gaze toward Apollo. Ren's blade was still buried in Apollo's body. Golden divine blood quickly spread up the blade, and in the blink of an eye, it was entirely absorbed by the Tang Dao. Not a single drop was wasted on the ground.
Apollo's eyes were wide open, his face twisted in unimaginable agony. In this final moment, he desperately tried to mobilize his Divine Power to crush the damn mortal before him.
But before he could do anything, Ren twisted the hand gripping the Tang Dao. This motion violently wrenched Apollo's heart, tearing away his last shred of vitality.
Apollo's body went limp and began to fall backward. However, before he could hit the ground, Ren stored the lifeless corpse into his Spatial Ring.
Standing behind Ren, Hestia stared blankly at the scene. She felt absolutely no joy over Ren killing Apollo; all she felt was sheer bewilderment. *Ren... he committed deicide?*
*He actually killed Apollo?* At that moment, Hestia felt as if the sky was falling. Her legs gave out, and she slumped onto the ground, her mind completely blank. She had no idea what to do anymore.
After stowing away Apollo, Ren turned to glance at Hestia and spoke slowly, "Sorry, Hestia. We might not be seeing each other for a while."
As his voice fell, Ren activated the spatial mark on his forehead. In the next moment, a purple Magic Circle appeared beneath his feet, and he was instantly teleported away, vanishing from the spot.
This scene was witnessed by the arriving gods. However, they all felt incredibly confused. What was going on? Where did he go? Why did he disappear? Didn't Apollo just unleash his Divine Power?
At the same time the gods arrived at the scene, back at the Hestia Familia headquarters, everyone had already packed their belongings and was waiting for the drill to begin. However, they waited for a long time without any sign of the drill starting.
Just as everyone thought they had been tricked by Natsuki Minamiya, the marks on their foreheads triggered. In the next moment, under everyone's bewildered gazes, a Magic Circle appeared beneath their feet, followed by... a sensation of weightlessness.
Everyone was forcibly teleported out of this world. Natsuki Minamiya and Shizuka Hiratsuka quietly watched as all the students were teleported away. Once everyone had disappeared...
Natsuki Minamiya spoke up, "Next, we proceed according to plan. You handle the people inside the Familia, and I'll go deal with the situation in Orario."
As her words fell, Natsuki Minamiya cast [Spatial Magic] and vanished from her spot. Shizuka Hiratsuka quickly went to call over the still-vigilant Bell Cranel and Haruhime, beginning to explain a few things to them.
Meanwhile, Natsuki Minamiya appeared in the sky above Orario. In the next moment, she unleashed her power. A massive purple Magic Circle materialized out of thin air, instantly enveloping the entirety of Orario.
Seeing this, the gods' expressions changed drastically. Every single one of them prepared to unseal their Divine Power. The two deities allied with the Hestia Familia—Loki and Hephaestus—along with Aria, hurriedly rushed over to Hestia's side.
"Shorty, what the hell is going on?!" Loki hurriedly demanded, looking at the stunned Hestia. Hephaestus reached out and pulled her up from the ground.
"Ren..." Hearing Loki's words, Hestia opened her mouth but was momentarily at a loss for how to answer. Fortunately, Natsuki Minamiya appeared beside her at that exact moment.
Yor also returned to their side. Natsuki Minamiya cast a cold glance at the surrounding corpses, then turned her gaze toward Freya. "I demand an explanation!"
As her voice fell, several Magic Circles lit up beside her, and multiple figures emerged, radiating immense power. After one particular young man wearing a white mask appeared, his figure completely vanished, leaving not a single trace of his aura behind.
However, the gods were instantly on high alert. They could feel that they had been locked onto—by that very same white-masked youth who had just appeared for a split second!
The others didn't make any moves, but the powerful auras radiating from them firmly locked onto the deities. If an explanation wasn't given, a massive battle was likely to break out.
At this moment, Freya wanted to curse out loud. Natsuki Minamiya was targeting her! She had been set up—completely and utterly set up! This was going to be incredibly troublesome!
If she didn't provide a proper explanation, tonight would not end peacefully. Even knowing this was a trap, Freya had no way out. Who told Apollo to follow them and try to attack, only to get counter-killed?
Who told her to bring her people and follow them, only to be discovered by both them and the other gods? In other words, she had to take the blame for tonight's mess. Yor stopping them from stepping forward was likely just an excuse they had already prepared.
They would claim they were worried she would harm Ren, which was why Yor intervened. But was that the truth? If she denied it, would anyone believe her? Absolutely not, because she *had* followed them.
Taking a deep breath, Freya stepped forward and said, "My apologies... I didn't expect Apollo to be so deranged as to actually attack them. However, he has already been killed..."
Her words caused the gods to freeze for a moment before their expressions changed drastically. Apollo was killed? Was this some kind of joke?!
"And what about you, Goddess Freya? Why did you follow them? Were you planning to do something to my student? Did you want to capture him to extract the magic and knowledge of our world?" Natsuki Minamiya stared at Freya with an icy tone.
Hearing Natsuki Minamiya's words, the gods all turned their gazes toward Freya. *Good lord, that's actually highly possible!* After all, it was no longer a secret that the Loki Familia had learned new magic after allying with the Hestia Familia.
It wouldn't be surprising at all if Freya did something like that. Thinking this, the gods quickly distanced themselves from Freya, terrified that blood might splatter onto them in the ensuing clash.
The people Natsuki Minamiya had teleported over also turned their gazes toward Freya, locking onto her and Ottar. If she didn't give an explanation... she would be next.
This massive, undeniable blame suddenly crashing down on her left Freya completely stunned. She was coveting otherworldly magical knowledge? Was that right? She just wanted to sleep with Ren! When did it turn into coveting otherworldly knowledge?!
*You're twisting the truth!!* Freya desperately wanted to scream that out loud. But now, everyone was suspicious of her. Even if she denied it, no one would believe her. Who told her to follow them like this? Now, even if she wasn't guilty, she was covered in mud!
"Freya, I suspect you're the one who caused everything tonight! Otherwise, why would you invite me to this banquet? Why did you specifically ask me to bring Ren? You damn bitch, this was premeditated, wasn't it?!" Having slowly recovered her senses, Hestia was completely enraged and immediately started cursing her out.
Hearing Hestia say this, Loki couldn't help but glance at her before glaring fiercely at Freya. "Freya, I demand an explanation!" Loki said coldly.
After saying this, Loki glanced at Riveria beside her. Riveria instantly understood. She drew her staff and cast a spell toward the sky.
The magic shot straight into the heavens. When the members at the Loki Familia headquarters saw the signal, they immediately rushed over. After all, with such a massive purple Magic Circle enveloping the sky, they had already gathered together.
They just hadn't moved out because they didn't know what was happening. But now, seeing Riveria's summoning magic, how could the Loki Familia hold back? Without a second word, they charged out, rallying toward the source of the magic.
With Riveria already calling for backup, Aria also drew her weapon, her eyes locked dead onto Freya. As soon as Loki gave the order, Aria would charge!
Freya opened her mouth, momentarily at a loss for how to explain. Because tonight's events *were* indeed initiated by her. Now that everyone had come to their senses, they realized this fact. She was the one who organized the banquet, and she was the one who invited Apollo. How was she supposed to explain her way out of this?