Chapter 831

Night fell, and the rescued merchant caravan, grateful for their lives, brought out the caravan's food to treat Broly and the others.

"Are the esteemed gods and adventurers planning to head further south toward the Corrupted Forest?"

"Caravan Leader, do you know the situation over there?"

"I don't know the specifics, but over these past few months, adventurers have gone there to investigate one after another; speaking of it, some unknown change occurred there — the forest suddenly withered on a large scale, and terrifying monsters were born from within, the very ones that just attacked us, destroying all the villages that were originally near the forest —"

The caravan's leader sighed; as an ordinary person he did not know what had happened, but he clearly understood that this familiar trade route might never be run again.

"That place is already a dead land, and nearby villages have begun moving away with their whole families; there are quite a few people in our group who are preparing to leave the gradually spreading Corrupted Forest behind."

Broly found some people preparing to move and questioned them, but as ordinary people they only knew they had to leave because of the monsters' onslaught — they knew nothing more.

Looking at the philandering male god chatting up the pretty women of the caravan by the campfire, Hermes merely smiled at this side upon noticing the gaze; knowing the other party would not speak, Broly turned and walked toward Artemis.

"You want to sit here?"

Artemis noticed him approach and shifted her butt.

"Thanks." Broly thanked her, sat beside Artemis, and asked, "What were you and Lady Hestia talking about? You looked like you were having a great time."

"We were talking about things after descending to the Lower World — people and events we each experienced."

The Moon Goddess replied.

"Hmm, right now it's mainly about her. Broly, let me tell you — Artemis's children are all pure, beautiful girls; who knows, you might play the hero saving beauties this time and end up embracing a few beauties~"

Hestia said with a slightly seductive tone.

"Then I really have something to look forward to."

Broly replied somewhat helplessly.

"If it's about embracing beauties, you might be disappointed —"

Just then, Artemis suddenly spoke.

"Hm?"

Broly and Hestia subconsciously looked toward her.

"My children have already —"

A sorrowful atmosphere was just about to rise when Hestia slapped her thigh and cut in.

"Ah, I've had that guess for a long time.

But Artemis, don't worry — you might not know my child well.

My Broly, he's the one who possesses hundred-percent resurrection magic.

Even if your Familia's children have died to the point of having no physical bodies left, he can still help you resurrect your dead children anew."

"?"

"Astraea's Familia — I don't know if you know, but her child was resurrected by my child even when there wasn't even a corpse left."

Artemis: "————"

She truly didn't know about this resurrection magic; after returning to Orario, because the situation at the ruins was urgent, she only attended to proper business and never inquired about changes in Orario during her absence.

"Orion —"

"What is it, Lady Artemis?"

"I have a very important matter I want to entrust to you!"

"What matter? Just say it directly — no need to hold my hand."

This Moon Goddess took his hand, her face leaning close until it almost touched.

"I want to ask you to resurrect my dead children."

"No problem — that kind of thing isn't difficult for me at all."

"Hestia —"

The Moon Goddess released Broly's hand and turned to her divine close friend.

"Uh, Artemis, do you also have something you want to ask of me?"

"Yes, Hestia — I hope that from now on, you'll properly help me look after my children."

The Moon Goddess nodded seriously, as if entrusting orphans.

"That goes without saying — what's our relationship? My children are just like your children; I'll treat your children as my own and won't treat them differently from others."

"Good, thank you, Hestia, and also, Ori— no, it should be Broly."

The Moon Goddess offered thanks, giving the feeling of someone who had set down a heavy burden and suddenly let out a great sigh of relief.

And with Artemis's interruption, Broly also put the matter of investigating the ruins out of mind, sitting to the side gnawing on the fresh magic stones Ais handed over while listening to Artemis speak of the adopted daughter she had taken in fifteen years ago — a half-elf girl named Lante.

"I found that child in the mountains; at the time she was still at the age of needing milk, but I had no milk and couldn't find anyone with milk — fortunately, I found a pregnant mother bear —"

Relying on her natural affinity with nature and wild animals, this Moon Goddess actually got a pregnant mother bear to help nurse the infant girl she had picked up.

Tonight's time passed with Artemis introducing her Familia's children one by one; anyone could hear that this goddess was the type who truly cherished her Familia children.

The next day, Broly and the others bid farewell to the caravan they had met by chance and continued toward the Corrupted Forest riding flying dragons.

They had only flown half a day in the sky when an endless dark-purple sea of trees forest appeared before everyone in the air.

"This forest — rather than saying it's corrupted, it's more like something extracted its life energy —"

Broly frowned.

The reason he could see the situation here at a glance was because he had also attempted to extract plants' life energy.

And plants drained of life energy would also exhibit the same deathly, gloomy aura as the dark-purple forest below.

"Correct — the special monster Andarisi sealed in the ruins extracted this forest's energy to gestate the scorpion monsters we saw earlier."

Hermes confirmed his statement.

"Be careful — once we enter the airspace of this Corrupted Forest, we'll be within that monster's surveillance range; its attack could come at any moment."

"Lord Hermes, please don't worry. If it's those scorpion monsters from yesterday, no matter how many come, I can cut them all down."

"Miss Ais is truly reliable. However, if it's just an attack on the level of being assaulted by scorpion monsters, there was no need to rush over here."

Hermes had just finished speaking when, as if to verify his words, a powerful energy wave surged from the distant sky horizon.

"Something is coming from above!"

Riveria gave an advance warning.

And faster than her warning was the short-chant magic, Elven Arc Arrow, belonging to Lefiya, which Broly had already released.

The unerring magic arrows collided with the arrows of light that suddenly shot from the sky horizon. In just an instant, a series of terrifying roaring explosions appeared above the lifeless dark purple forest sea. The heat wave produced by the explosions rushed toward them, but it was merely some hot air currents.

Seeing this scene, Hermes whistled and couldn't help but praise: "Broly, you playing attack magic as defensive magic, the finesse of your magic power manipulation intercepting every single attack, truly lives up to your title of Demon King!"

"Basic operation, don't 666."

Broly replied with a sentence.

"What exactly was that attack?"

Ais frowned.

"It doesn't seem like magic————"

Riveria also frowned.

"Artemis, that's your Arcanum (Moonlight Arrow), right?"

Hestia recognized the arrow of light from just now as her close friend's signature move, and couldn't help but turn back and ask her close friend behind her.

"That's right, that is my arrow."

"But why would your arrow come attack us?"

"It should be because it was attracted by this spear.

Hestia, let's go down first. Being in the sky makes it too easy to be discovered.

After we go down, I'll explain to you."

The arrows of light attacked again. This time, Broly didn't move.

Because Riveria had already deployed her defensive magic, the light curtain of Dimension Severance blocked all the light arrow attacks.

The three flying dragons descended rapidly. After they landed in the forest, the light arrow attacks ceased.

"Speak, Artemis. What exactly is going on?"

Hestia asked with hands on hips in front of her close friend.

"Hestia, you already have the answer in your heart, don't you?"

Hermes walked over and inserted himself into the conversation.

"Lord Hermes, we've already come this far. I hope you can explain.

Otherwise, I really might hit you."

"Ah, I'll speak, I'll speak. Broly, put your fist down first."

The Male God raised both hands, making a gesture of refusing to get physical, and looked at Artemis with a help-seeking gaze.

"Sigh, let me explain. The situation is this: corruption and monsters appeared in this forest. The Guild dispatched Adventurers to investigate. Those Adventurers investigated to the Elos Ruins. The builders of these ruins were the earliest children of ancient times who believed in me. Other Adventurers couldn't open the ruins at all. The Guild commissioned me and my Familia to come here and take over the subsequent investigation————"

"We opened the ruins and discovered the ancient monster 【Andarisi】 sealed inside. It was sealed here by the Great Spirits in the distant past. But after the baptism of years and time, it didn't die. Instead, it re-accumulated strength and began to break through the seal————"

"We wanted to go solve it, but underestimated the opponent's strength. When my children faced a death situation, I wanted to violate the rules and use Divine Power to eliminate this ancient monster to save my children. But I didn't expect it to be an assassin specially conceived by the Dungeon to deal with gods. My main body was devoured by it. My children were also all killed by the opponent who devoured my main body, using my moves————"

Artemis's voice weakened. Hermes then continued.

"Of course, gods aren't that easy to devour. At the last moment of being imprisoned, Artemis used Divine Power to summon her weapon in Heaven — this weapon that looks like a spear but is actually an arrow. She attached her will to it, and it found its way to me to seek aid."

"So, Lady Artemis, what is our purpose for coming here this time?"

Ais asked.

"Before Andarisi completely devours my main body and obtains my complete godly power, use my arrow to eliminate it.

""

The Moon Goddess answered.

"Then after solving it, what about you, Artemis?"

"The God of Assassins monster that devoured Artemis's main body is currently extremely powerful. The not-yet-fully-devoured Artemis main body is the opponent's biggest weakness.

Artemis believes that if she doesn't solve herself first, there will probably be no one in this world who can solve Andarisi. So, the arrow she summoned to the Lower World is the weapon she intends to use to end herself.

And Hestia, your child Broly is the Orion chosen by Artemis — the one able to use her arrow to kill herself."

Broly: "————"

"Hestia, I know you are kind. You might stop me, your close friend. So I had Hermes keep it secret for me."

"Is there really no other way to solve that God of Assassins that devoured your main body, besides killing you?"

"It's useless, Hestia. You should also know just how strong a god who can use Divine Power without any scruples is.

As long as Andarisi completely devours me, this Mortal World will suffer. Even if other gods reach a consensus and lift the restriction on using Divine Power in the Lower World, this world will be beaten into a wasteland in the battle of godly power.

And the only way to stop this tragedy is to eliminate it before Andarisi completely devours me.

That is, kill me and send me back to Heaven."

"But————"

"Hestia, don't make such a sorrowful expression. Gods do not die. Even if killed, there will be a day of resurrection."

Artemis reached out, wiping away the tears at the corner of Hestia's eyes, yet comforting her close friend.

"Indeed, the dead you will resurrect. But the resurrected you, will you still be the you changed by the children of the Lower World?"

"Previously, gods were unchanging. Even if they died and were resurrected, they were the original gods with no change. But gods changed by the Lower World, if they die and are resurrected, they become the original god before the change occurred.

Hermes explained from the side.

"Simply put, Lady Artemis will become the original Moon Goddess, not the one we know now, the one————"

"Lady Artemis, who has undergone changes in the Lower World, correct?"

Riveria summarized.

"That's right."

Hermes nodded.

"However, for you all besides Hestia, you're actually not too familiar with Artemis either, so this kind of change should be of no concern to you either. The one who truly finds it hard to accept is Hestia, who knew the past Artemis and has also accepted the Artemis who has undergone changes now————"

"Lord Hermes, regarding the situation where Lady Artemis's main body was absorbed by a monster, is there really no method other than killing her?"

These words were asked not by Hestia, but by Broly.

And upon hearing this question, Hermes also revealed a smile: "There is, there are still methods."

"?!"

Everyone looked at him.

"It's just that realizing it would be somewhat demanding."

"Please speak."

"It's simple, Broly. Without using Artemis's arrows, you go and frontally defeat Andarisi, who absorbed Artemis's main body, and separate Artemis's main body from its body."

"Hmm, if it were anyone else, I definitely wouldn't think this possible, but if it's you, I believe there is a certain possibility of realization."

", that's right, there's still this kind of method."

Hestia, as if finding a savior, looked at her own child with hopeful eyes.

"How is that possible? Even an Andarisi that hasn't fully absorbed my main body possesses strength exceeding all Adventurers in the Mortal World."

However, Artemis held a pessimistic view. Even with the ability to use Divine Power, the strongest Mortal in the history of the Lower World still cannot defeat the weakest God.

Even if the Andarisi to be dealt with is merely a monster that has not yet fully absorbed her main body.

"Well, Artemis, regarding this point, I think you can believe in your Orion a bit more. After all, the Orion you chose, in terms of strength, compared to other Mortals, even Ancient Heroes, is stronger by not just a little bit."

As Hermes spoke thus, his mind surfaced the contact with an old friend from the Netherworld Place some time ago. That guy Erebos had said Broly's performance in the Netherworld Place was absurdly strong, even compared to that Major God.

This is also why Hermes, upon discovering the Spear Puller was actually Broly, rushed over to the ruins This Side without intentionally having Broly and Artemis ride a single flying dragon. Because he believed Broly might not even need the God-slaying Weapon.

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