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After hundreds of rounds, Luo Hao and Hestia were still deadlocked.
They'd already grasped each other's general strength through the intense exchange. To win, they both knew there was only one option left—use their trump cards.
But just as they prepared to go all out, two overwhelming waves of pressure struck from above.
In an instant, both women were blown backward by the sudden force, slamming into the ground.
They weren't hurt, but the impact left them a little rattled—and, frankly, embarrassed.
"The planet's will?"
Hestia, a goddess who'd lived for over a hundred million years, immediately recognized the source of that power.
"Not just that. There's also humanity's will," Luo Hao added quietly.
Watching the live broadcast, Alex's eyes widened as he quickly pieced it together.
He immediately tagged the two in their chat group and sent a message.
Newbie Master: "@Goddess of the Sacred Flame @Wulin Alliance Leader That's Gaia and Alaya! They probably won't allow you to unleash powers that could harm the planet or humanity. Plus, the Age of Gods in this world is long over. Gods aren't supposed to exist here anymore!"
Both women read his message and exchanged a knowing look.
"Seems our battle will have to wait," Luo Hao said, reining in her aura.
"Fine by me. I'll be ready anytime," Hestia replied with a grin, sealing away her divine power as well—well, most of it.
This time she only sealed nine-tenths of her power, keeping one layer active.
Even that tiny fraction still made her divine, but now her presence had weakened enough not to trigger the Counter Force again.
The two returned to the park, and Alex finally let out a relieved sigh.
"We should get out of here. You two wrecked half the park with your energy clash. It won't be long before the cops show up."
"Fair enough. I'll follow your lead," Luo Hao nodded.
"Me too~ I'll go wherever you go, Alex," Hestia said cheerfully, grabbing Alex's hand like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Seriously, Hestia before sealing her divinity and Hestia after—completely different goddesses.
Before: noble, radiant, divine.After: giggly, shameless, and totally carefree.
Esdeath and Roxy both nodded as well—they were here to help Alex with his mission, after all, so his word came first.
Together, the group left the mountains of Fuyuki, crossed the river via the Winterwood Bridge, and entered the eastern district of the new city.
On the way, Alex glanced at Hestia curiously.
"Hey, how come you can understand Chinese?"
Hestia was from the DanMachi world, after all. Yet she'd chatted fluently with Luo Hao earlier, which didn't make sense.
Sure, the chat group auto-translated everything. But this was face-to-face conversation.
"Alex, did you forget I'm a goddess?" Hestia smiled mischievously.
"So gods automatically know all languages? Your world doesn't even have Chinese," Alex said, still puzzled.
"Dummy. Gods can't instantly master languages from other worlds, but our learning ability far surpasses mortals. The simplest way is to invade a mortal's soul, read their memories, and instantly learn their mother tongue," she said, lightly tapping his forehead with a finger.
"So you invaded Luo Hao's soul?" Alex gave her a skeptical look.
Not many people in Japan spoke Chinese, after all.
"Hah! As if she could!" Luo Hao suddenly interjected, clearly offended by the suggestion.
Hestia chuckled, waving a hand dismissively.
"Of course I didn't invade Luo Hao's soul. I wouldn't even be able to if I wanted to. But when I unsealed my divine power, I briefly connected with this world's Root. I got a flood of information from it—including all the world's languages."
"Wait—you actually connected with the Root and came out fine?" Alex was stunned.
Then again, he thought about it and realized it made sense.
Hestia was a bona fide deity, a famous one in human mythology. A temporary link to the Root was nothing surprising for her.
"I did get some nice things out of that connection though," she said suddenly, shooting him a grin that clearly meant you're in for a treat, kid.
"Oh? Now I'm curious," Alex said, his interest piqued.
Anything from the Root had to be valuable. Even the "trash" would be a treasure by normal standards.
As they entered the new city, Hestia, Esdeath, and Roxy stared in wide-eyed awe at everything around them.
Couldn't blame them—their home worlds were all medieval-level societies. Even though this city was only 1990s Japan, to them it was like stepping into a sci-fi movie.
Before long, they arrived at the biggest hotel in the city.
Using a little divine power, Hestia conjured up ID cards and cash, and Alex booked the most luxurious executive suite available.
The suite was huge—six bedrooms, a massive living room, kitchen, and gym. Each room had its own bathroom and shower.
"Wow! This place is amazing! The beds are so soft!" Roxy exclaimed, practically diving onto one.
She couldn't help it—her world, Mushoku Tensei, was probably the most primitive among all the group members'.
Seeing such a modern apartment for the first time was like a peasant stepping into a royal palace—everything was new and fascinating.
Esdeath was just as intrigued. She pointed at the big black rectangle in the living room.
"What's that thing?"
"That's a TV. You can watch shows when you're bored," Alex explained, grabbing the remote and turning it on.
The three women jumped slightly when the screen lit up, then immediately got hooked on the colorful images.
Even if Esdeath and Roxy didn't understand the language, just watching the moving pictures was entertaining enough.
Alex chuckled, then tapped Hestia's shoulder.
"So, about that surprise you mentioned?"
"Ah, right! I almost forgot. This TV is too addictive!" she said, smacking her forehead.
Alex: "…"
Standing up, she clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention.
"Alright! This first gift is for all of you!"
With a snap of her fingers, several threads of divine energy appeared in her palm, shooting into everyone's minds.
Alex blinked as new knowledge flooded his head.
Japanese?
Within seconds, they all understood and spoke fluent Japanese!
Luo Hao, however, brushed the divine energy aside effortlessly.
As a God-Slayer, her learning ability was on par with deities. She'd already mastered the language long ago—back when she'd traveled to Japan several times to hunt down that "monkey" trapped there.
So, naturally, she didn't need Hestia's little trick.
"..."
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