Chapter 76: Realizations

When they returned to Orario, everybody seemed a bit defeated. Even though they stopped Antares from causing apocalyptic amounts of damage.

"What the hell's happening here?" Tione asked the guards of the Ganesha familia who weren't letting them in.

"Ahhh, we had big scare earlier this week. So we're extra tight on the gates." The guard noticed them and knew who they are, but he has to do his job.

"Can you call your captain, she will do this faster." Kaguya stepped in and they saw the Astraea familia.

"Y-yes ma'am!" The gate guard sweated, seeing Kaguya's sweet smile.

"Did you really have to scare the guy, he has to change his pants now." Lars sighed.

Being pressured by a 1st class adventurer is definitely not something someone can deal with.

"We just came back from a dangerous mission. And we have to bury the huntresses, that's what they deserve at least." Kaguya frowned.

Artemis had a sad expression, but Hestia was beside her, holding her hand.

"Yeah, I bet that your familia members would love to meet with them." Lars smiled softly and they nodded.

"Un, new friends will do them wonders." Alise smiled as they decided to bury the huntresses in Rivira, beside the fallen members of the Astraea familia.

After a few minutes, they were met with a short haired woman.

(Pic)

"Kaguya, did you really have to scare one of the guards like that?" She sighed.

"Well, we just came back from a hard job. That saved thousands of lives, mind you." Kaguya rolled her eyes.

"Ahh, this is Shakti Varma. Ganesha's captain." Alise introduced her.

'Ahh, is she that Ardi Varma's sister? What a shame that her sister died to evilus.' Lars remembered her from Ryuu and Alise's stories of the great feud.

The time where he was still on the 39th floor, all alone. Until a demon of talent suddenly crashed onto his house that is.

"Lars Johansson of the Demeter familia." Lars shook hands with her and she nodded.

"Shakti Varma as you have heard." She introduced herself.

"Let them in, boys. These guys are VIP's." Shakti chuckled as Ryuu pouted at her.

"Don't call us that, people will say that we're abusing our friendship with you." Ryuu chastised her.

"Thanks, Shakti. We owe you one, we're quite tired you see?" Lars nodded at her.

"No worries, just buy me a drink when we meet somewhere again." Shakti waved at them and they entered the city once again.

Lars chilled the bodies of the huntresses and he cleaned them up one by one.

He then put them in body bags as he went towards the abandoned church where Hestia lives.

As Artemis shacked in with her for now. Arriving at the ruins, he knocked on the church and Hestia opened the door.

They were already wearing black. "Gods are prohibited from entering the dungeon. But that doesn't matter, I'll protect you guys." Lars smiled at them.

The two appreciated his help. Meeting up with the Astraea familia, with the brunette goddess included in their trip.

They quickly went towards the 18th floor of the dungeon.

Utilizing hatches that dropped you down a couple of floors.

They were right in front of a mound where weapons and armor were embedded. The Astraea familia's grave.

Lars used his magic to dig a hole and he made a hardened lid to protect them.

Taking out a large white sheet of arachne silk, he lined the bottom with it and laid down the cleaned up huntresses one by one.

He frowned at the sight of them and Artemis sobbed.

Lars covered them with another sheet as he buried them after Artemis said her goodbyes towards them.

"They'll be happy that you are alive and well, Artemis." Lars patted her on the back and she nodded.

"Lante already proved that to me." Artemis smiled fondly at the little elf.

"It will be hard, Artemis... But you can endure." Astraea held her hand.

"We're here for you, Artemis. My home might not be that good, but you're welcome there." Hestia assured her.

"Thank you, everyone." Artemis appreciated their support.

"How about we drink and forget our woes, goddess?" Lyra asked her.

Artemis thought that wouldn't be a bad idea. And they went towards the hostess of fertility after changing.

Arriving at the pub, Lars stepped in front. "Chloe, Anya, I want a corner table for us. We want to eat and drink in peace." Lars demanded immediately.

"Okay nya, you seem to need it too." Chloe nodded upon seeing their expressions.

"Don't worry nya, we'll serve you real good." Anya smiled at them and they were seated at a corner.

They were served their drinks and Ryuu raised her mug.

"For their rest in peace." Everybody followed and they cheered.

As adventurers, they already know that their lives are in jeopardy all the time.

And it has become a tradition to at least try to wish them a peaceful return to tenkai.

Where they will become a pure soul that will turn into a blank canvas for their next life.

Artemis didn't really drink, so she already had her face flat on the table. Hestia was hiccuping with a red face, and Astraea was being supported by Kaguya.

"It seems we need to go home, thanks for accompanying her. It's hard to lose family." Alise smiled at him fondly.

"Yeah, you would know. I hope Artemis will bounce back from this." Lars sighed.

"She's strong, that's for sure. You don't get a reputation for being a fierce goddess by kust being a virgin goddess." Kaguya chuckled.

"We'll bring them home, Lars. We also owe you for taking down Antares. Now that we know the crisis that got averted, it was honestly terrifying." Lyra shuddered.

The Pallum carried Ryuu who was shitfaced drunk and she supported Astraea.

"You are a kind child, Lars... Take care of Artemis and Hestia for me." Astraea bowed, though she was a bit wobbly.

"Let's go home goddess... And Ryuu, stop squirming damn it! This is why I hate light weights." Lyra grumbled.

Kaguya and Alise then helped Artemis and Hestia get home.

Lars sat down on his table alone and he continued drinking.

But due to his regeneration, he couldn't get drunk. Unlike the adventurers that have abnormal resistance as a developmental ability.

The DA worked differently to his regeneration that just won't let him get drunk at all.

He continued drinking alone with a far away look on his eyes.

"Nya, do you think we should cheer him up nya?" Chloe asked Anya.

"I don't know nya, we probably should just leave him be." Anya replied.

"That would be the correct decision, look at him. He's thinking about something deeply. Don't disturb my junior." Lunoire huffed at them.

"Lars-san..." Syr looked at him in worry. "Oi! What's the congregation about!? Get back to work!" Mia shouted at them and they scrambled to their stations.

"Tche, maybe I should squeeze that tight butt and distract him?" Chloe pouted.

'I need to do better...' Lars clenched his fists. 'Artemis' familia won't be the only ones that will be lost in our battle against the gods.'

Scenes entered his head. Antares who can't even maximize Artemis' arcanum can end the world, given time.

And it is only a matter of when the gods will learn that he is a genuine godslayer.

'They will ultimately try to kill me and everyone that is associated with me.' Lars furrowed his brows, gritting his teeth hard.

The girls, his goddess, his lovers. They would be executed by the gods without mercy.

'I have to be better, stronger. Even more versatile than now.' Lars' introspection led to a conclusion.

He's barely a real godslayer, managing to abuse the rules of the gods that they cannot use their arcanum on the lower world.

What he needs is the strength to fight them head on and win, no matter the cost. For his secret is a time bomb that can explode at any moment.

And he thought hard of what he needed to do. 'They won't be enough... Alfia is the only person that can stand a chance in fighting beside me.'

He clicked his tongue. Their DA; Echtroi can supplement their strength when fighting the divine. But the gods can snuff them out easily.

Without any problems in fact. And there's tons of them, as it is the age of the gods.

'Think, Lars... Think.' He didn't even have the support of a god that could fight.

Demeter's domain is in farming, Hephaestus can help in creating divine armor and weapons to fight the gods, but that won't be enough against real divinity.

Hestia can be a defensive goddess due to her domain of being in charge of the hearth, home, and family.

And that's all a big if. Demeter is the only one that he knows would protect them right now.

It pained him to imagine Demeter being killed due to his strength not being enough.

'Allies, I need more allies. One who can stand tall besides me and fight.' Lars brooded.

He does not have an answer, but he will find it. No matter the cost.

__Wheat manor__

"Lars?" Demeter smiled upon seeing him. 'There you are, with your fond smile on your face.' Lars winced upon seeing it.

"What's the matter?" Demeter walked up to him as she held his hand in concern.

"I... I just couldn't help it but imagine what would happen in the future, Demeter." Lars frowned.

"This... This is because of Artemis' familia isn't it?" Demeter sat him down and she rubbed his back.

"We are just mortal, Demeter. And the only one who can realistically fight back against the gods is Alfia and I." Lars made a realization.

"That is correct..." Demeter agreed with him and he winced. Getting paranoid about the future.

Just like what happened to the huntresses of Artemis, he doesn't know what the future entails.

"Honestly, I'm scared. Demeter... It's us against everyone. And I can easily see it ending bad for us." Lars looked at her seriously.

"You are right..." Demeter went pensive and she thought of what to do. As his patron goddess, she already decided to support him.

"We must have an alliance with other gods. Hephaestus would most likely ally herself with you." Demeter started to show her wisdom as a goddess that has lived for eons.

"I have a good feeling about Hephy too, but that's just not good enough." Lars shook his head.

"Right, she's just one celestial smith against the many more others out there. Artemis would most likely ally with us too. She's known as the strongest archer in heaven." Demeter thought of more people.

"Loki would most likely join your cause because it's interesting. While Freya... She's weird, but she's a goddess of war." Demeter winced.

'She'll definitely try to snatch him up. I've already seen his soul. She would cream herself if she gets a glimpse of it.' Demeter frowned.

It's like she was pimping him to Freya in order to get her support. And it rubbed her the wrong way.

"We have to be careful about this. And there's still the black dragon to worry about for now, Lars." Demeter caressed his head.

She wanted him to calm down for now. "You're right, I should focus on the present right now. The Ikelos familia is still lurking around. And our findings on the 59th floor needs more investigating." Lars sighed.

He was overwhelmed by the pressure of it all. "Shhh, it's fine. Step by step. We'll handle everything. Especially now that you have evidence against Dionysus."

Demeter frowned, she kind of expected Dionysus to be scheming something. Being a god of less than savory tastes, but she was surprised that he was taking his time.

"Yeah, his captain is a monster hybrid. Unlike the xenos who are monsters that reincarnated to have free will, they're people that were revived as monsters." Lars doesn't know how they did it, but it was fucked up.

Because humans cannot live with magic stones as their cores. It's like using diesel on a gasoline powered car. The car would eventually break down.

"Come, rest for now. You have been through a lot." Demeter hugged him and he could feel his goddess' warmth calm him down.

"Thanks for everything, Demeter. For supporting me, even though it can be considered blasphemy." She smiled at him.

"I have to take care of you or you'll get into trouble." She chuckled and he started to get drowsy due to her calming aura.

"Sleep well, Lars. Those who see you as a pillar will need you. Stay strong." Demeter caressed his hair with a fond smile.