She looked at Shirou: "Shirou, this might be your doing."
Shirou said.
Hefesto, however, gently shook her head: "No, Shirou, at this level, what's more difficult than increasing ability values is actually great achievements, or rather, the awareness to pursue great achievements."
However, the combat abilities of enhanced species have always been the most powerful among their peers, as could be seen from the mantis that Shirou and the others defeated before.
Faced with such a formidable enemy, the fact that the three sisters were able to successfully defeat it in itself represents their growth and courage.
"I understand."
Shirou nodded slightly: "Then what about the time and location of the battle?"
"They hope it will still be held in that [Goddess Garden]."
Hefesto replied.
Shirou, carrying the two Amazonian female warriors, walked to the other young woman who was covered in wounds.
Her eyes became calm, and a smile identical to her sisters appeared on the corner of her mouth.
"…We lost."
Shirou glanced at the young women lying on the ground and released his hands. The two Amazonian female warriors he was holding fell to the ground, their delicate bodies lying weakly.
"Projection release."
Shirou's hands gradually relaxed, and the black gauntlets covering his fists, [Nine Lives], gradually dissipated into the air.
After being blessed by the [King's Order Ninth Order] brought by [Nine Lives], Shirou gained the ability to restrain the Amazons.
Therefore, in this battle against the [Phantom Triple Stars], Shirou did not feel any more difficulty than the last time.
Upgrading after honing ability values beyond their limits is incomparable to the temporary boost brought by the [All-Purpose Hammer].
Therefore, in terms of battle time alone, this encounter with them was slightly longer than the last time.
Their current state is even more miserable than last time, covered in wounds and exhausted.
At this moment, even though Shirou easily won in the guise of a victor, the mental pressure was considerable.
The reason is very simple—surrounding the battlefield where they fought was a cheerleading squad composed of Amazonian female warriors.
The "poverty" situation vaguely revealed under those mini-skirts was even more impossible to ignore.
Just then, the goddess Ishtar walked over, gently clapped her hands, and signaled the Amazons to be quiet.
Her charming eyes carried a hint of playfulness as she looked at Shirou and said with a smile: "Please come with me over here, and by the way, help me carry these three in."
Afterwards, the goddess Ishtar took off a golden hairpin from her head, pierced her finger, and began to update their ability values and elevate their levels.
The goddess's fingers gently slid across the backs of the three sisters, updating their graces.
When updating the ability values, the goddess Ishtar did not deliberately avoid Shirou, but Shirou consciously averted his gaze.
She said calmly, seemingly not caring that this valuable information was heard by members of other familias: "It seems that entrusting these children to you was the right decision."
The goddess Ishtar said, her tone casual, seemingly not caring much.
Now, the [Phantom Triple Stars] are beginning to gradually challenge her position in terms of strength, which will undoubtedly stimulate her pride and self-esteem.
Goddess Ishtar: "Being crushed like that, she probably doesn't have the face to take revenge. Moreover, after your reminder, I restricted her behavior of hunting men, so recently, she's been a little stiff with us."
Ishtar continued.
Shirou: "Alcohol?"
"Yes."
The goddess Ishtar said: "Not being able to hunt men, she can only drown her sorrows in alcohol. Those of us who live in the pleasure district often drink alcohol anyway; it's a part of daily life."
"I did as you said. In addition to restricting Phryne, I'm also managing the pleasure district well, taking down several black-hearted brothels that forced girls into prostitution. Having done so much, I should get some reward, right?"
The goddess said, her slender hand gently caressing her lower abdomen.
195
Chapter 195: All Actions Are Just.
"Think about it, Shirou-kun. Give me some reward so I can work harder to govern the pleasure district. The sooner those underground forces are cleared out, the more girls can be saved."
Ishtar raised her eyebrows slightly, a meaningful smile appearing on her face: "It's not that easy. There are some large familias behind the commercial district over there, and even other countries secretly supporting them."
The Ishtar Familia already occupies a considerable share of the entertainment industry in Orario. If it continues to expand, it will not only attract the attention of the city's administrators but may also reduce its operating efficiency.
Hearing this, a glint of coldness flashed in Ishtar's eyes, and a contemptuous smile appeared on the corner of her mouth: "That's very simple. If it's just dealing with that kind of low-life casino manager, removing some of [Man Killer] Phryne's restrictions and letting her deal with the male manager of that casino will do."
Shirou said in a calm tone: "When the time comes, you will know."
Before the words were finished, her hair was suddenly grabbed roughly by Shirou, forcing her to lift her head.
The goddess exclaimed in surprise, her eyes闪烁with undisguised astonishment and anticipation.
"Oh ho～"
The goddess's legs lost strength, and she almost collapsed to the ground, only because Shirou was still tightly gripping her hair that she didn't fall completely.
This time, Shirou's mentality was completely different from before.
This was a legitimate transaction, and his conscience was clear.
Since the goddess Ishtar was willing to do what was right, then he didn't mind responding to the goddess's expectations.
"W-wait a moment… I'm not mentally prepared for this—"
The goddess Ishtar finally began to panic.
The goddess Ishtar's amber eyes met Shirou's condescending gaze.
A twisted thought quietly sprouted in the goddess's heart—
No, it should be said, in the name of "justice," to guide out the deepest, most prejudiced, fierce, and tyrannical demonic nature within him.
The goddess's beautiful face was trampled under the man's feet.
"Then, I will leave it to you, goddess Ishtar, to continue guarding this city."
The next day, Shirou and the goddess Hefesto came to a gourmet street in Orario together.
Shirou nodded: "Yes, I've been here before with Riveria… no, with Aiz-san. She really likes the fried potato balls at that shop."
What's most commendable is that the price of the fried potato balls at this shop has always remained at the lowest 30 valis, so even lower-level adventurers can enjoy this delicacy without any burden.
“Being able to level up so quickly, their ability values must have been very high to begin with.”
“If it weren’t for you, they might not have explored the dungeon so diligently, and they certainly wouldn’t have risked their lives to fight a enhanced monster to the death.”
Don't be fooled by their lighthearted letters, which only briefly mentioned that they joined forces to kill a enhanced species, at most including a description of the species—a two-headed hellhound.
The goddess couldn't help but sigh, wondering what belief supported their battle. Was it the desire to level up and become stronger, or was it to find a reasonable excuse to see Shirou again?
194
Chapter 194: A Just Transaction.
The girl was covered in wounds, breathing rapidly, watching her two sisters being crushed into such a miserable state by Shirou. Finally, unable to hold on any longer, her knees buckled, and she knelt on the ground.
She spoke softly, her voice filled with heartfelt obedience, then her body slumped forward weakly, completely losing consciousness.
The three sisters were now unconscious, sprawled on the ground, their heads leaning together, forming a 'clock hand' made of brown flesh, while Shirou stood at the center of the 'clock' they formed.
【Shoot Hundred Heads】is the sublimation of Heracles' martial arts and combat skills, which includes not only the skills of wielding an axe and archery, but also fierce fist techniques.
In addition, his own skill 【Innocent Monster】greatly enhanced his attack power against Amazons.
Although they had grown in strength during this time, Shirou's progress was clearly more significant.
The only aspect of Shirou's battle with the three sisters in which he didn't go all out was that he didn't activate 【Guardian's Oath】 or use the magic sword.
However, it was only less than five minutes—now, all three sisters had fainted on the ground, completely losing their ability to fight.
However, although the girls' faces showed some pain, they also carried a sense of satisfaction, as if this battle was a long-awaited dream, and their efforts had finally been rewarded.
They wore midriff-baring short tops and miniskirts, holding pom-poms in their hands, constantly cheering for Shirou.
These Amazon girls chanted slogans and danced, their legs covered in sweat—probably because they were too tired from dancing.
Shirou helplessly glanced at the three sisters who had already fainted, then turned to Ishtar and nodded slightly.
In the temple, the goddess Ishtar walked to the unconscious girls, holding healing potions in her hand, and sprinkled them on their bodies.
The three sisters' ability values showed that they each only had one potential development ability, so there was no trouble choosing.
The goddess Ishtar chuckled softly: “As expected, her endurance has reached S-rank, and the other two also have A-rank endurance.”
Compared to 【Man Killer】—although Frini is the only in the Ishtar Familia, her potential ability is at most A-rank.
“However, in that case, Frini is probably going to make a fuss again.”
【Man Killer】Frini has always been hostile towards her juniors, especially excellent female juniors.
Shirou listened to Ishtar's words and said thoughtfully: “Speaking of which, I haven't heard much about 【Man Killer】 lately. I originally thought she would try to retaliate against 【Gale】.”
“Frini originally didn't have any friends in the Familia, and now even her only hobby has been restricted. She can only go to the dungeon to vent her anger every day, and she comes to me from time to time, reeking of alcohol, to update her ability values.”
“I see.”
Shirou nodded.
The goddess Ishtar suddenly spoke, her voice with a hint of coquetry: “So, what is my reward?”
Her voice was very confident, as if she was demanding something she deserved.
The goddess Ishtar took a step forward, grabbed Shirou's hand, and gently stroked it: “This time, I want to try… boxing.”
She licked her lips, slightly curling the corners of her mouth, her bewitching divine intent blooming without restraint: “How about it, is this a just transaction~”
The goddess Ishtar leaned halfway on Shirou's shoulder, her sweet breath caressing the boy's ear.
Shirou was silent for a moment, then said: “In the western district of the city, there are several underground casinos. Can the Ishtar Familia take action against them?”
“More importantly, if our Ishtar Familia stretches its hands so far, trying to annex those entertainment venues, it will arouse the guild's vigilance.”
At least for now, the Ishtar Familia's strategy is to consolidate its position by improving service quality, rather than blindly pursuing expansion.
Shirou shook his head: “There's no need to annex them. I heard that one of the casinos is luring girls or their parents to gamble, and then forcing them to sell themselves…”
Shirou nodded upon hearing the goddess's response.
Then, Ishtar smiled even more charmingly, gently stroking his chest with her fingers: “Then, what reward can I get next time?”
The goddess Ishtar giggled when she heard this, and said娇声: “Deal~ Then, I will look forward to the next reward. But this time…”
Precisely controlled fist strength was as swift as lightning, piercing through her abdomen.
Ishtar's body convulsed in pain, but her eyes were filled with a deep sense of satisfaction and excitement.
Shirou slightly confirmed, and seeing that Ishtar was only trembling in pain and not seriously injured, he calmly let go and threw her casually on the ground.
My heart and my actions are as clear as a mirror, and everything I do is justice.
Shirou raised his foot, the sole hovering directly above the goddess Ishtar's pretty face. He looked down at the goddess, his expression calm.
Last time, she was only kicked in the abdomen; the goddess hadn't expected it to come to this point so quickly.
To twist a hero whose inner self is like a 'saint' because of 'justice'.
She wants to create a Demon King who is supremely benevolent and supremely evil.
Ishtar couldn't help but laugh—such a thing is really too interesting~
Venus, symbolizing war, hangs high above the all-encompassing sky.
“Yes, I understand~”
“This place…”
Shirou looked around.
The goddess Hephaestus asked: “Has Shirou been here before?”
Although the storefront in front of them was inconspicuous, the french fries were very famous, and it was said that even travelers from outside the city would make a special trip to line up.
