She looked towards Emiya, "Shirou, this might be your credit, you know."
"Being able to level up this quickly, it should be because their ability values were originally very high, right?", Emiya said.
Hephaestus, however, gently shook her head, "No, Shirou, at this level, compared to raising ability values, what's more difficult is actually feats, or rather, the resolve to pursue feats."
"If not for you, they might not have seriously explored the dungeon, and even less would have risked their lives to fight to the death with a Lv.4 enhanced species monster."
Don't be fooled by how lightly they wrote about it in their letter, only briefly mentioning that they joined forces to slay a Lv.4 enhanced species, at most adding a note about the type of enhanced species, a mutant hellhound with two heads.
However, the combat ability of enhanced species has always been the most powerful among their levels, as could be seen from the mantis that Emiya and the others defeated before.
Facing such a strong enemy, the three sisters' success in defeating it itself represented their growth and courage.
The goddess couldn't help but sigh, wondering what belief had supported them in fighting. Was it the desire for leveling up and becoming stronger, or was it to find a reasonable excuse to meet Emiya again?
"I understand," Emiya lightly nodded, "Then, the time and place for the battle?"
"They hope to still have it in that [Goddess Garden]."
Hephaestus answered.
———
Emiya, carrying two Amazon warrior girls, walked up to another girl covered in wounds.
The girl was full of injuries, breathing rapidly, and seeing her two younger sisters being crushed into such a miserable state by Emiya, finally couldn't hold on, her knees softened, and she knelt to the ground.
Her gaze became calm, and at the corner of her mouth appeared the same smile as her sisters.
"...We lost," She softly said, her voice carrying heartfelt submission, and then her body limply tilted forward, completely fainting.
Emiya glanced at the fallen girls and released his hands. The two Amazon warrior girls he had been holding also fell to the ground, lying weakly.
The three sisters were now all unconscious, lying on the ground, their heads leaning together, forming a "clock hand" made of beautiful brown flesh, while Emiya stood at the center of the "clock" they formed.
"Projection release."
Emiya's hands gradually relaxed, the black gauntlets covering his fists, [Nine Lives], gradually dissipated into the air.
[Nine Lives] was the sublimation of Heracles' martial arts and combat skills, which included not only axe swinging and archery, but also ferocious fist techniques.
With the addition of the [Twelve Glories(King's Order)] brought by [Nine Lives], Emiya gained a restraining ability against Amazons.
Adding his own skill [Innocent Monster], greatly enhancing his attack strength against Amazons.
Thus, this fight against the [Phantom Triple Stars] of the same level did not feel more difficult to Emiya than the last time.
Although they had grown during this time, Emiya's progress was clearly more significant.
The upgrade achieved by honing ability values beyond their limit could not be compared to the temporary boost brought by [Uchide no Kozuchi].
In this fight against the three sisters, the only thing Emiya did not use with full power was that he did not activate [Oath Under the Snow] and did not use a magic sword.
Thus, in terms of battle duration alone, this fight lasted slightly longer than last time.
However, it was still less than five minutes. Now, the three sisters were all lying fainted on the ground, having completely lost their fighting capability.
Their current state was even more miserable than before, covered in wounds and exhausted.
However, though there was some pain on the girls' faces, there was also a certain satisfaction, as if this battle had been a long-awaited dream, and their efforts had finally been rewarded.
At this moment, although Emiya had easily won as a victor, the psychological pressure was quite heavy.
The reason was very simple. Surrounding the battlefield was a cheerleading squad composed of Amazon warrior girls.
They wore crop tops and miniskirts, holding pom-poms, continuously cheering for Emiya.
Under those ultra-short skirts, the "poverty" situation faintly visible could not be ignored.
These Amazon girls chanted slogans while dancing, their legs glistening with sweat, probably because dancing was too exhausting.
Just then, Goddess Ishtar walked over, lightly clapping her hands to signal the Amazons to quiet down.
Her charming eyes carried a hint of playfulness as she looked at Emiya, smiling, "Please come with me, and also, help carry these three inside."
Emiya helplessly glanced at the three unconscious sisters, then turned to Ishtar and slightly nodded.
Inside the temple, Goddess Ishtar approached the unconscious girls, holding healing potion, pouring it over them.
Then, Ishtar plucked a gold hairpin from her head, pricked her finger, and began updating their ability values and upgrading their levels.
The three sisters' ability values showed that they each had only one visible development ability, so there was no dilemma in choosing.
The goddess' fingers gently slid across the sisters' backs, updating their blessings.
While updating their ability values, Ishtar did not deliberately avoid Emiya, but Emiya naturally averted his gaze.
Ishtar chuckled softly, "As expected, her endurance has reached S rank, and the other two also have A rank endurance."
She spoke calmly, seeming unconcerned that this valuable information was overheard by a member of another familia, "It seems that entrusting these children to you was the right decision."
Compared to [Man Killer], although Phryne was the only Lv.5 in Ishtar Familia, her potential ability was at most A rank.
"But now, Phryne might start causing trouble again," Ishtar said, her tone casual, as if she didn't care much.
[Man Killer] Phryne had always been hostile toward younger, especially outstanding, female juniors.
Now that the [Phantom Triple Stars] were gradually challenging her position in strength, it would undoubtedly stimulate her pride and self-esteem.
Listening to Ishtar, Emiya thoughtfully said, "Speaking of which, lately there hasn't been much news about [Man Killer]. I originally thought she would try to get revenge on [Gale]."
Ishtar Goddess, "After being crushed like that, she probably has no face left to seek revenge. Moreover, after your reminder, I restricted her male-hunting activities, so recently, our relationship has been a bit strained."
"Phryne didn't have many friends in the familia to begin with, and now even her only hobby is restricted, so she can only vent her anger in the dungeon every day, sometimes coming back reeking of alcohol to ask me to update her abilities," Ishtar continued.
Emiya: "Smell of alcohol?"
"Yeah."
Goddess Ishtar said, "Unable to hunt men, she can only drown her sorrows in alcohol. For us who live in the pleasure district, drinking is a daily routine anyway."
"I see," Emiya nodded.
Goddess Ishtar suddenly spoke, her voice carrying a coquettish tone, "So, what about my reward?"
"I did as you asked, limiting Phryne, managing the pleasure district well, even eliminating several black-hearted brothels that forced girls into prostitution, having done so much, I deserve some reward, right?", Her voice was righteously firm, like demanding what was rightfully hers.
Goddess Ishtar stepped closer, grabbing Emiya's hand, gently caressing, "This time, I want to try... boxing."
The goddess spoke, her slender hand caressing her own lower abdomen.
She licked her lips, slightly curled her lips into a smile, her seductive divine might blossoming without reservation, "How about it, this counts as a righteous transaction, right~"
"Think about it, Shirou-kun, if you give me a reward, I can work harder to govern the pleasure district. The sooner we clean out those underground forces, the more girls we can save," Goddess Ishtar leaned half against Emiya's shoulder, her sweet breath brushing against the boy's ear.
Emiya was silent for a moment, then spoke, "In the west district of the city, there are several underground casinos, can Ishtar Familia make a move on them?"
Ishtar slightly raised her eyebrows, a meaningful smile on her face, "It's not that easy. Behind those shopping streets are some major familias, and even secret support from other countries."
"More importantly, if we Ishtar Familia reach out so far, trying to annex those entertainment venues, it would trigger vigilance from the Guild."
Ishtar Familia already occupied a considerable share of the entertainment industry in the labyrinth city; further expansion would attract attention from city administrators and might lower operational efficiency.
At least for now, Ishtar Familia's strategy was to stabilize their position by improving service quality, not blindly pursuing expansion.
Emiya shook his head, "No need to annex them. I heard that one of the casinos tricks girls or their parents into gambling and then forces them into prostitution..."
Upon hearing this, a cold light flashed in Ishtar's eyes, and a contemptuous smile lifted her lips, "That's easy enough. If it's just dealing with scummy casino managers, I can lift some restrictions on [Man Killer] Phryne and let her take care of those male managers."
Hearing the goddess' response, Emiya nodded.
Then, Ishtar smiled even more charmingly, lightly stroking his chest with her finger,."So, what reward can I get afterward?"
Emiya spoke flatly, "You'll know when the time comes."
Upon hearing this, Goddess Ishtar giggled, her voice coquettish, "Deal~ Then, I'll be looking forward to the next reward. But this time..."
Before she could finish, her hair was suddenly yanked roughly by Emiya, forcing her to lift her head.
The goddess let out a surprised cry, her eyes filled with undisguisable surprise and anticipation.
Precisely controlled fist strength shot out like lightning, piercing her lower abdomen.
"Ohhh~", The goddess' legs gave out, almost collapsing to the ground, only because Emiya was still tightly grabbing her hair did she not fall completely.
Ishtar's body trembled from pain, yet her eyes were filled with a deep satisfaction and excitement.
Emiya briefly confirmed she was otherwise unharmed apart from trembling in pain, then calmly let go, throwing her casually to the ground.
This time, Emiya's mindset was completely different from before.
This was a righteous transaction; he had a clear conscience. [T/N: He and his logic]
Since Goddess Ishtar was willing to act righteously, he didn't mind responding to her expectations.
'My heart and deeds are as clear as a mirror; all I do is for justice.'
Emiya lifted his foot, the sole hovering over Goddess Ishtar's pretty face. He looked down at the goddess with a calm expression.
"Wait, wait... about this, I'm not mentally prepared yet—", Goddess Ishtar finally panicked a little.
Last time it was just her lower abdomen being stepped on; she hadn't expected things to go this far so soon.
Goddess Ishtar's amber eyes met Emiya's condescending gaze.
A twisted thought quietly sprouted in the goddess' heart, to lead a hero whose inner self was like a "saint" to become distorted because of "justice."
No, rather, to guide forth the most obsessive, ferocious, and violent demon nature hidden deep inside him, under the name of "justice."
She would create a most benevolent and most evil Demon King.
Ishtar couldn't help but laugh, 'This really was, too interesting~'
The goddess' beautiful face was stepped on by the man.
The war-star Venus still hung high above the sky, ruling over everything.
"Then, I'll entrust you, Goddess Ishtar, to continue protecting this city."
"Yes, this humble body understands～"
———
The next day, Emiya together with Goddess Hephaestus came to a food street in the labyrinth city.
"Here huh...", Emiya looked around.
Goddess Hephaestus asked, "Has Shirou been here before?"
Emiya nodded, "Mm, before with Riveria... no, it was with Miss Ais, came together. She really liked that shop's fried potato balls."
The shop in front of them, although inconspicuous, had very famous fried potato balls, said that even travelers from outside the city would specially come lining up.
The most rare thing was, this shop's fried potato balls price always stayed at the lowest 30 valis, even lower-class adventurers could enjoy this delicious food without burden.
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