One of the two girls, who resembled a blood-stained rose, saw the group appear and immediately withdrew from the black liquid. She grabbed Lante by the collar and dragged her to the side.
In the next moment, a scene replayed where a giant spider-like creature was slain right in front of the spot where Lante had originally been standing.
---
"Noisy, noisy, noisy! So noisy!"
It was simply because the prey hadn't been captured that the harassing thunder from behind did not ring out.
Even so, the scene of being grabbed just now frightened everyone in the Artemis Familia.
Alise, whose head had once been severed, yawned: "Oh my, that really was a bit dangerous just now."
"If my reaction hadn't been fast, you would have turned into brain soup."
"Mmh, uh." Lante also felt fear rising at this moment, and upon hearing this, she hurriedly stood up to express her thanks.
"Yo, thank you for saving me."
"No problem, no problem, we are acquaintances after all."
The last person to try and 'imitate' Alise didn't get the chance to speak, because she was grabbed by Gojouno Kaguya, who had come over just a step behind, and her mouth was firmly clamped shut.
Unfortunately, in front of the Divine, any amount of disguise was useless.
Artemis furrowed her brows at this moment, her face carrying a trace of uncertainty and astonishment as she said: "You are..."
"Scarlet Harnel, and 'Yamato Dog'?!" Fufufu
Gojouno Kaguya retracted her aura: "..."
Alise turned her head and grinned: "Ahaha—well, Lady Artemis, long time no see."
---
"Eh?" [Everyone] Fufufu
Seeing that the two did not deny it, the members of the Artemis Familia couldn't help but let out cries of astonishment.
Lante couldn't help but open her mouth: "Alise, you've lost weight. I heard rumors day and night a few years ago that you died in the Dungeon. How should I put it... I'm quite happy. You guys are living dead."
As soon as the words fell, she was denied by her own Goddess.
"No, Alise and I indeed already died. I remember it very clearly, and our current state is also a bit not right." She looked at the two, and the light symbolizing the chaotic race within them had vanished.
"I see, you are deceased souls currently in a state where the energy of Tenkai is temporarily sealed within you. I heard about the 'God's Descent Labyrinth' incident where a god descended before. If my prediction isn't wrong, you two were the ones who triggered it!"
Alise and Gojouno Kaguya hadn't really looked the gods in the eye before, and coupled with wearing iron helmets for cognition defense, they hadn't been able to hide their identities.
"But if I face a god directly, it's almost inevitable that I'll be exposed."
After that, she simply raised her head and saw through it, meeting the gaze now attracted by Artemis.
"It's all for the best."
The two fell silent in unison. After a while, Alise scratched her head: "Um, Lady Artemis, about the matter of my resurrection, could you tell Lady Astrea for me?"
Hearing this, the blue-haired Goddess revealed an expression of 'as expected' and said with certainty: "You were summoned down by someone from another Familia."
"As for the specific person..."
She thought for a moment and turned her head. Everyone followed her gaze, looking towards the direction on the other side of the black armor.
Not long after, accompanied by a sigh.
A young boy walked out from the forest.
He sported a head of blonde hair, his feet treading upon the famous Pure White. His face was handsome, and he wore armor of gold, silver, and white intermixed. Behind him were broad wings, and in his hand, he held a long sword.
The upper body gave off a tsundere feeling, while simultaneously having a serious air.
But if one shifted their gaze slightly downward, then, seeing the black liquid constantly flowing out from his calves and knees, bystanders would feel a rising sense of horrified disgust and even discomfort just by looking.
"Lady Artemis, and everyone from the Artemis Familia, hello."
Levi, with the Black Grail activated, directly raised his hand in a salute.
"I am Levi Bright, the Captain of the Hestia Familia, who accepted the mission assigned by The Guild to head to this forest, Andaria. Because I just witnessed members of your Familia with my own eyes, please allow me to wish everyone well here."
Only the first half of this sentence was sincere; the second half was flattery.
How could Levi, who had already obtained the White Silver, not know that someone was releasing the Black Grail's 'Domain Proximity' towards him?
The reason he still used the domain's pollution mana to scare the other party was simply to drive away outsiders.
In fact, if Alise hadn't subconsciously chosen to act, even if the girl by the water hadn't dodged just now, the pollution mana controlled by Levi would have merely slid over her body surface.
It wouldn't have truly swallowed her up like it would an enemy.
Artemis: "..."
Being a god, she could naturally hear that this boy's words were insincere.
She immediately frowned slightly and questioned aloud: "You don't wish to see us? Were you planning to drive us away just now?"
Having the nail hit right on the head, Levi couldn't be bothered to pretend anymore: "In the dog's mouth... of course I don't want to see other people appearing here."
As soon as these words came out, they instantly provoked a violent reaction from the girls of the Artemis Familia.
"What 'dog's mouth' person?!"
"If it weren't for Lady Artemis's kindness, who would bother with you?" Fufufu
"Well said."
Alise and Gojouno Kaguya exchanged helpless glances.
They had known Levi for quite some time, so how could they not be clear about their employer's bluntness—
Or rather, his 'Sugar' personality.
Alise opened her mouth, originally thinking of using her identity to act as a peacemaker.
But unexpectedly, Levi saw through her thoughts in advance and directly raised his right hand to draw a symbol.
Then, the girl, who had dyed her originally red hair to flaxen, was silenced with a dian sound.
Seeing such a domineering scene, Artemis, who was originally just slightly uncomfortable, immediately looked towards the boy in the distance with dissatisfaction.
"I didn't expect Hestia to have fallen as well, to actually take a fancy to a guy like you."
The matter of Hestia and Levi becoming lovers was something even Artemis, who didn't care much for gossip, had heard a little about.
It was just that her personality was relatively serious, and she didn't like gossip much. Coupled with the fact that her Familia was active outside Orario most of the time, she hadn't met Levi in advance despite her friendship with Hestia.
And then, the current scene of reprimand occurred.
This wasn't really a big deal.
Levi didn't live for these gods, nor would he get angry just because of a few words from the other party.
But the Moon Goddess's remarks, heard in the ears of Alise and Gojouno Kaguya, caused the two girls to be unable to resist revealing strange expressions.
They had seen Levi use Artemis's Arrow, and more than once.
In the live broadcast of the War Game before, the boy fighting against Ottar had even summoned the phantom of the Goddess before them right in front of all the citizens of Orario.
____
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