Today, Orario woke up with a different kind of energy.
The sun had barely risen, but the buzz in the streets already filled alleys, taverns, and squares. It felt like the first day of the year — or perhaps something even bigger.
In the taverns, adventurers crowded together, vying for space near the floating magic mirrors. Some held small bags of roasted peanuts and melon seeds as if they were about to watch a festival. Others drank in silence, eyes locked on the sky, where a curtain of light was beginning to form.
For one day, the Dungeon seemed less important.
No familia had set out on morning expeditions — not Loki's, not Takemikazuchi's, not even the smaller ones like Dian Cecht's. All were gathered in their headquarters, eyes fixed on the magical broadcasts. It was as if time itself had stopped in Orario.
The reason?
"The new War Game has begun!" announced a booming voice from a magic stone shaped like a loudspeaker at the city center.
In the main courtyard of Ganesha's Coliseum, the elephant-headed god raised his arms with enthusiasm.
"I am Ganesha!" he proclaimed with his usual absurd authority.
Beside him, Hermes smiled as he adjusted his coat collar, eyes on the images floating in the air.
"Ever since that kid came to Orario... we haven't had a single dull day," he said, his tone teasing the other gods around him.
"Hmph." Loki crossed her arms, her scarlet braid swaying in the wind.
"Isn't that exactly what we've been looking for? A new hero. Someone who appears without permission, without noble blood — but with enough strength to shake the foundations of this world."
The audience of gods applauded, laughing and toasting their glasses. Some of the bolder goddesses even approached Hestia, who stood in a corner watching everything unfold with a mix of anxiety and pride.
"Hestiaaa~" one of them whispered, grinning mischievously.
"So? How big is he?"
"W-What do you mean by that?!" the small goddess snapped, her face already flushed.
"Oh, just a little friendly curiosity... Do you sleep together? Does he snore? Muscles in all the wrong places? Can I borrow him sometime?"
"W-Why are you all like this?!"
The scene drew laughter, but in Hestia's heart, a thread of worry remained. This game wasn't just a contest — it was a chance. A hope.
And there was a lot at stake.
"Let's begin!!" Hermes announced from the center of the Coliseum.
Immediately, dozens of Divine Mirrors lit up across the city, creating suspended windows that revealed the interior of the Ishtar Familia's stronghold — its walls, towers, and halls.
"The War Game between the Hestia Familia and the Ishtar Familia is officially underway!" Hermes declared with theatrical flair.
"The objective is simple: the challenger must break through the defenses, defeat the palace guardians... and claim victory by force!"
The images then revealed the determined face of Yuri, clad in his battle cloak, eyes fixed on the fortress built by the goddess of pleasure.
Atop the walls, Amazonian warriors watched him, Aisha Belka among them, her gaze sharp.
"And just a reminder..." Hermes continued with a mischievous grin,
"No killing gods, alright?"
The comment drew nervous laughter from the crowd. But Yuri, hearing it from a distance, simply raised an eyebrow.
"A warning... or a veiled threat," he murmured to himself.
He knew what Hermes meant. If he dared cross the line, even the gods cheering for him today could turn against him. But that didn't matter.
Not today.
Not when someone was waiting for him on the other side of those walls.
In one of the luxurious rooms of the Ishtar mansion, Haruhime knelt before a magic mirror, her face bathed in light and hope. Her heart pounded like war drums. Her trembling hands touched her lips as she watched the image of the boy who had promised to save her.
He was there.
He had come for her.
"Yuri-dono..." she whispered, eyes brimming with tears.
"You really... came to save me..."
The city was on edge. The gods were celebrating. The adventurers, mesmerized.
And so, with the entire city watching,
The War Game began.
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."