In the harbor town of Melen, inside a lavish mansion, two gods sat facing each other. The atmosphere in the room grew tense.
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Sitting cross-legged, one hand propping up her cheek, her head tilted with a comical smile on her face, was none other than the deity of the Loki Familia, Loki.
And seated across from her was a petite goddess whose height was comparable to Hestia's, though their figures were worlds apart and simply incomparable.
This one was completely flat, though she herself would never admit it.
She was adorned in a tribal outfit, teeth, flower garlands, and feathers from some unknown predatory bird stuck in her hat.
On her face was always a bone mask, exuding a strong Amazoness style.
She was none other than the goddess of the Telskyura, Kali.
For this nation, most of what was known came from a book, one that was also archived in the Loki Familia's library. Loki, who had always been interested in the customs and demi-human races across the continent, naturally found it an excellent read.
The book was titled "Chronicles of the Continent" and it recorded in detail everything about the Amazon warrior sanctuary, [Telskyura].
For example: a familia-based nation, rituals held day and night without distinction, and the bloody battles with monsters and humans alike, an unbroken tradition that, to outsiders, appeared primitive and undeveloped.
These original cultural traits, combined with the arrival of the goddess Kali, produced a kind of chemical reaction that had, in recent years, become increasingly brutal, and of course… increasingly strong.
You could tell the nation's actual power from the fact that the Kalif sisters could reach level 6 each.
But even so, Loki was not the least bit intimidated by Kali.
Whether in terms of familia strength, status, or influence, Loki was far ahead of Kali. So even in her opponent's territory, surrounded by Kali's familia members, Loki brought only Riveria with her.
That was confidence.
It was precisely because of her appearance that this meeting became something else entirely.
"Tch, don't get cocky. Tione and Tiona's ritual has already begun. Even if a man shows up, what can he do? Won't he just be held off by my subordinate!? Hmph, this time the victory is ours."
To this, Loki only gave a playful smile. The other didn't know, but how could she not?
No matter how strong Loki was, facing the combined schemes of two familias already in motion, even she was powerless.
But what if a certain person broke through at just the right time? That would be a completely different story.
'I'd love to see the look on this little runt's face when she flies into a rage. Let's see how arrogant you are in front of me then.'
...
"What's going on?"
In the center of a massive lake, a ship floated, swaying with the sea breeze.
By the magic stone lamps at the port town of Melen, one could see on the deck two tall, well-built, and feral Amazoness warriors fighting a battle to the death.
Listening closely, fists and kicks intertwined, every strike tearing through the air, landing solidly on the opponent.
If one were not an adventurer whose endurance had reached rank A after leveling up, they would have already been slammed to the ground and pummeled in such a fierce close-quarters fight.
The thundering, flesh-on-flesh intensity and the surge of primal desire from deep within their blood spurred Tione and Argana to fight even more viciously.
"So this is the skill you honed in the Dungeon, huh? You're finally starting to look like something."
With a twist of her waist, Argana flipped backward gracefully and landed steadily on the deck some distance away, flicking her braided hair, watching Tione with a half-smile.
"But don't you feel your fists getting weaker and weaker?"
"?" Tione held her fighting stance, glaring warily at her opponent.
She knew very well that in Telskyura, any distraction could cost you your life, even more so against someone once your teacher, mentor, and guide. Every bloody lesson had told her that the other's entire being was a lie.
But… as Argana directly spoke the doubt hidden in her heart, her expression flickered slightly.
"Is this your doing?"
Argana smiled seductively. "Do you think, back then, that weak little you was worth me going all out?"
Narrowing her eyes, Tione rapidly recalled everything between them.
No matter how she challenged her, using every tactic, ambushes, traps, she had never gained even the slightest edge over this woman. The other had easily deflected her every ploy.
Thinking back now, indeed… she had never once seen her opponent go all out.
"You… were holding back?"
"Ah, don't make me laugh, Tione. Have you ever seen an adult fight seriously against a child? I was just toying with you."
"Argana, watch your mouth or I'll tear it off!"
"Heehee, do you even have the strength left to tear my mouth? Such a nasty personality."
Though Tione tried to stay calm, the weakness spreading through her body was being clearly transmitted to her brain through her nerves.
Biting her lip hard, she glared at her opponent viciously.
"Don't tell me… you're like Bache, and you also have… [magic]!"
At these words, Argana raised an amused eyebrow, the corners of her mouth curling up.
Like a child showing off a new toy to a friend, she was delighted.
"Well, you're not wrong. But unlike that one, mine has a special property."
"Oh right, I forgot to tell you. Kali calls this thing… [Curse]."
As she spoke, Argana gently caressed her skin, flicked her braid, and tilted her head cutely.
"This curse is called 'Kalima.' You've been an adventurer in Orario for so long, you must have guessed a bit of its effect, right? That's right, so long as I drink the blood of someone with a Blessing, my ability scores will keep rising. Conversely, the one I drink from will have their stats decrease, becoming weaker and weaker."
"!!!!?"
As Argana explained, Tione's face filled with dread.
She'd seen curses before, but one designed specifically for duels, even single combat, this was the first time.
And… because curses were so secretive and unpredictable, they were often called "first-sight killers."
Now Tione herself had fallen into such a trap. If she couldn't break free of Argana's suppressive curse, then as the fight dragged on, the gap in strength between them would only grow.
Unless she stopped Argana from drinking her blood.
But both of them were close-quarters fighters, how could that be possible!
"Kali calls my curse [Blood Absorption]. Not only you, even in Telskyura, only the goddess Kali and my sister know of it. Back when I fought you, I never once used this move."