Without offering any explanation, Sol strode directly toward the towering structure in the distance.
Though there was still some distance between them, he could already see Ishtar's figure.
She looked completely panicked.
"Long time no see, Ishtar. You've grown bolder, haven't you?" Sol's voice was calm as he slowly advanced toward her.
The Amazons surrounding Ishtar instinctively moved to block his path, but before they could even react, Alfia, who had been silently following behind him, vanished in a blur.
A series of afterimages streaked through the air.
Before the Amazons could process what was happening, darkness swallowed their vision, and they collapsed forward, unconscious.
In the blink of an eye, only three figures remained standing in the tower—Sol, Ishtar, and Alfia.
Sol, as if completely unaware of the Amazons' existence, never broke his stride.
Step by step, his pace carried an inexplicable rhythm.
Each footfall seemed to echo directly in Ishtar's chest, hammering against her heart.
A suffocating sense of dread gripped her, and she instinctively staggered backward, desperately trying to maintain some distance from him.
"What do you want, Sol? Why are you attacking my Familia?!"
Sol's expression remained impassive.
"You're really asking me that? The assassins you sent to kidnap my Haruhime are still rotting in my Familia's basement."
"No—wait! It was just a fox girl! I can apologize! We can sit down and talk this through!"
As she continued retreating, her panic got the better of her. She misstepped, her left foot catching on her right.
Her elaborate dress, already restrictive, made it even harder to regain her balance. She stumbled awkwardly, her limbs stiff with fear.
Sol didn't slow.
Standing directly in front of Ishtar, he knelt slightly, leaning in to meet her terrified gaze.
His expression was void of warmth, void of pity.
A god, cowering like this—it was pathetic.
And she called herself the goddess of beauty?
"You still think there's room for negotiation?"
"Why not? My people didn't actually hurt anyone, right? I can compensate you!"
Sol scoffed.
"You've been in the Lower Realm so long, has your brain rotted?"
Attacking another Familia's members in the Dungeon was already an act of war.
At this point, it was a life-or-death matter.
And yet, she still believed she had the leverage to negotiate?
Sol's tone was almost mocking. "While you were running, my Familia took control of all of the Pleasure District. Tell me, exactly what do you have left to bargain with?"
Ishtar's breath hitched.
A smirk ghosted across Sol's lips.
"Since you've chosen this place as your grave, let's not waste time."
The night was valuable, and he still had plenty of unfinished business to deal with.
He had no patience for pointless chatter.
Without another word, he reached out, his large hand closing around Ishtar's throat.
She gasped, hands clawing at his grip, but her words—her desperate pleas—never left her lips.
Her throat locked.
She couldn't breathe.
Sol's grip tightened.
"See you in ten thousand years, Ishtar."
Click—
A sickening crack echoed through the tower.
Divine power flowed from her body into his, the radiant energy absorbed completely.
Her struggles ceased.
Her body hung limp in his grasp, her head tilting weakly to the side.
With a flick of Sol's wrist, the lifeless body of the goddess of beauty plummeted from the tower, crashing down into the burning gardens below.
The once-proud domain of the Ishtar Familia, now consumed by flames, would vanish from Orario's history along with its fallen goddess.
"It's done. God, I'm exhausted... I should reward myself for all this hard work."
Hard work?
Alfia scoffed inwardly.
We did all the work, yet he has the audacity to act like he's the one who's drained? His shamelessness truly knows no bounds.
"What about the Amazons?" she asked, shifting her gaze toward the unconscious women sprawled across the rooftop.
These were the Familia members who had accompanied Ishtar in her failed escape, though none of them were remotely a threat.
Low-level LV1 adventurers—nothing more than discarded pawns.
Sol barely spared them a glance.
"Not my problem."
Most of the women in Ishtar's Familia were prostitutes—or aspiring ones. There were few exceptions.
What was he supposed to do with them? Bring them back to his own Familia?
Yeah, right.
Riveria would murder him on the spot.
And if Riveria was angry, his life would be a living hell.
He wasn't stupid enough to set himself up for that kind of trouble.
Just as he was about to turn away, his gaze shifted slightly.
"You two, haven't you seen enough?"
Tiona and Tione, who had been peeking curiously from behind the high fence surrounding the rooftop, flinched at his sudden voice.
Startled, they instinctively took a step back, slipping into defensive stances—only to relax when they saw Sol's amused, half-smiling expression.
When did he get behind them?
They hadn't sensed his presence at all.
"Sol-sama, what about that man in black who was with you earlier? We've never seen him before," Tione asked cautiously.
Sol smirked.
"Oh? So you noticed him, huh? That guy—he's our Familia's trump card. A shadow who exists in the darkness, only emerging in times of great crisis… to save the world~"
Lowering his voice dramatically, he leaned in slightly, as if revealing some grand secret.
Theatric. Over-the-top.
Tione rolled her eyes.
"Ugh. Spare me the nonsense."
Before she could say more, Tiona's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"So cool! Can I be the Familia's trump card too?!" she exclaimed, practically vibrating with enthusiasm.
Tione's stomach dropped.
Crap.
This kind of thing was exactly what got Tiona excited. She loved heroic stories, especially the ones where some mysterious, hidden ace appeared at the last second to turn the tide of battle.
And now, Sol had hit the perfect weak spot in her heart.
"Hmph. Your strength isn't there yet," Sol said, folding his arms. "If you want to be the Familia's ace, you'll have to be stronger than Riveria first."
Sure enough, regardless of the shocked expressions of the sisters, Sol casually gave a standard.
Tione sighed.
Great. The kid wasn't the smartest to begin with, and now she's going to be even more of an idiot.