"!!!"
Forget everyone else—the one most surprised by Freya's decision was Ottar.
He looked like a big dog who knew his owner was about to leave him. He was deeply saddened, but also filled with anger and jealousy toward Eiji.
"Freya-sama... Are you leaving me? For Eiji's sake?"
Freya knew Ottar might follow her, but she didn't care because right now, Eiji was hugging her and she could feel his hand squeezing her butt.
'Ahhh! This feeling...!'
His touch made her body tremble, and saliva dripped from her mouth. She greedily savored Eiji's masculine scent and clung tightly to his body.
The spectators couldn't see the expression on Freya's face, but if they could—they'd all be turned on.
That's because right now, the woman was making a lewd expression just because Eiji was hugging her.
Eiji didn't mind that; he squeezed Freya's plump butt in front of everyone and shot a glance at Ottar.
His gaze was like a provocation to the humanoid boar.
Ottar's fists trembled, the veins on his body bulging prominently. Eiji was clearly aware of his presence, and he was deliberately flaunting his intimacy with his goddess.
Damn it!
This was the first time Ottar had truly hated someone. Not even the men who had slept with Freya before had ever made him feel this way.
That was because, unlike those men, Eiji had monopolized Freya's heart for himself and didn't want to share her with anyone else.
Freya had even agreed to belong only to him.
'From now on, the Freya Familia will be disbanded... If it were before, I would always have obeyed Freya-sama's wishes, even if I had to die for her. But now, I...'
Ottar narrowed his eyes at Eiji; he no longer hid his aura and unleashed his intent to fight.
The ordinary people and adventurers around him shuddered; they all felt the oppressive presence of a Level 7 and were naturally terrified.
"I disagree!!"
Ottar shouted so loudly that everyone within a 200-meter radius could hear him, Freya and Eiji included.
Both of them turned to look at him.
Freya frowned, "Ottar, what do you mean!? Are you defying my will?! How dare you!"
Eiji was still smiling; Ottar's reaction didn't disappoint him.
The man, who was also known for his steadfastness in his original work, finally lost his patience.
He found a way to the underworld, just like Allen and Hedin.
"Freya-sama, forgive me! This time, I truly cannot accept your wish to leave me and the other members of your familia."
"You're doing this just for Eiji! A man who doesn't even love you as much as we do!"
Ottar spoke as if he were speaking on behalf of the other members of the Freya Familia.
The people on the street had kept their distance from him, but none of them actually ran away.
They were all eager to watch the drama unfold.
"Ottar, you..." Freya was annoyed; she wanted to stop the man she was referring to from provoking Eiji.
But the man hugging her interrupted her, saying, "So, what do you want to do? To make your goddess change her mind... Do you want to fight me?"
Eiji didn't shout, but his voice was clearly heard by all the spectators. While hugging Freya, the Goddess of Beauty, the white-haired god with star-like eyes stared at Ottar without a trace of fear on his face.
He was so calm that the women couldn't help but think he was incredibly handsome.
Freya was a little displeased by the stares of the other women now fixed on Eiji; she was very possessive and hugged him tighter in front of them.
This man is mine!
It's fine if I have to share him with the other women in his harem, but you? You're not worthy of competing with me!
The female adventurers were displeased with Freya, who was clearly making it known that Eiji belonged to her. Among them were Tiona and Tione.
"That bitch of a goddess... She must have used her charms on Eiji-sama! We have to free Eiji-sama from her clutches!"
"Whether that's true or not—Tiona, calm down! We can't get involved in the conflict between the Seiya Familia and the Freya Familia!"
"Ugh... But Tiona..."
"No buts! Ais, you shouldn't do anything either—just watch. Remember, we're from the Loki Familia."
After stopping her younger sister from doing something unnecessary, Tione also didn't forget to speak to Ais standing beside her.
The blonde woman was there too.
Ais, who was about to step forward and leave the crowd, froze in her tracks. Her expression didn't change, but she stared at Tione with a look of complaint in her eyes.
She wanted to help Eiji and felt uncomfortable seeing Freya hugging him; she didn't know what emotions she was feeling and clenched her slender fists.
Ais suddenly remembered something, "Tione, I'm not just a member of the Loki Familia; I'm also a member of the Seiya Familia."
"Huh? This…"
Tione was stunned; she had just remembered that Ais possessed Eiji's falna. Technically, she was indeed a member of the Seiya Familia.
Even so, she tried to stop Ais and told her to be patient for now!
At least until Ottar said, "No, I know I can't defeat you because you're a god. Unlike other gods, you seem capable of using your power in the lower world. Not only that, I know Freya-sama won't change her mind just because of me."
"You're smart enough to realize all that. Ottar, right? What exactly do you want?"
Eiji asked curiously.
Ottar had walked closer during the conversation and stopped at a distance close enough for him to see his goddess's face more clearly.
Seeing the displeasure on Freya's face, Ottar suppressed the bitterness and sadness in his heart, and glanced back at Eiji indifferently.
"Eiji, let's make a bet! If I can even scratch you, you don't have to make Freya-sama leave her familia."
The spectators didn't expect Ottar to propose such a wager. The conditions of victory he set for himself sounded unfair to Eiji, but what he stood to gain from it was also quite modest.
However, none of them, including Ottar, knew just how possessive Eiji was.
"Oh? And if I defeat you? What do I get?"
Eiji didn't refuse outright, but Freya could see his smile fade slightly. That made her a little afraid, and she cursed Ottar in her heart.
To be honest, she hadn't expected Ottar, who was usually so obedient to her, to rebel in this situation.
"You can kill me, Eiji."
What Ottar said made many people gasp.
This was a lopsided bet. And in their view, the one at the greatest disadvantage was Ottar.
They didn't know whether to call Ottar brave or crazy. However, many male adventurers admired him.
He truly isn't afraid of death.
Freya felt conflicted, and thought it was her fault for being too beautiful. If only her charm worked that well on Eiji...
"Alright, I agree."
Eiji didn't bother paying attention to Freya's little thoughts. But before he could set up the battle area, a loud voice rang out.
"Wait a minute! This fight is too unfair for Ottar. So, let us help him!"
"That's right! We're members of the Freya Familia, too!"
"Ottar, you bastard! You want to represent us without our permission? No way!"
It wasn't just Ottar; the spectators were also surprised by the arrival of the other members of the Freya Familia.
It seems the news of the commotion Ottar caused has reached the ears of those living at the Freya Familia residence.
That's why, at this moment, the other members of the Freya Familia, led by a Dark Elf named Hogni, had arrived.
The group of more than 150 people crowded behind Ottar, while Hogni and a pink-haired woman, Heith Valvet, stood beside him. However, far behind, there were still more than five thousand people who were not official members of the Freya Familia, but they were all followers of Freya.
It must be said that Freya gathered that many familia members solely through her beauty.
The crowd filled West Main Street, leaving onlookers in awe.
Before coming here, the other members of the Freya Familia already knew about the bet Ottar and Eiji had made, and didn't hesitate to join in.
None of them wanted Freya to leave them.
Ottar wanted to say something, but Hogni cut him off, "It's not just you who doesn't want Freya-sama to leave us. Even if you're our captain, I won't obey you right now."
"....." Ottar was speechless.
However, what Heith said annoyed them a little. "The man hugging Freya-sama is Eiji? The god of the Seiya Familia? He is indeed very handsome, more handsome than any god I've ever seen. No wonder Freya-sama likes him so much. If only Freya-sama would let me stay by her side, I wouldn't mind supporting them."
This woman...
She's on their side, isn't she?
Hogni was worried.
"You all, enough!" Freya shouted, her beautiful voice sounding pleasant to everyone's ears.
However, this made Hogni and the other members of her familia sad. Heith bit his lip and bravely defied her goddess, "No! Freya-sama, we can't let you just cast us aside like this!"
Freya massaged her forehead; she felt a little dizzy and glanced nervously at Eiji.
"This is interesting. Freya, all the members of your familia and even your followers are here. They've come to oppose me as if I were the Demon King who kidnapped their princess."
[That's not entirely wrong.]
'Miss System, whose side are you on?'
[Of course... I'm neutral.]
'You have to be on your host's side!'
Miss System ignored her host; she pretended to be offline.
Eiji really wanted to slap her butt.
"Eiji, I'm sorry. I didn't expect them to cause you trouble to this extent either." Freya apologized, her white hand gently caressing the man's chest. She also looked at him with a pitiful gaze that would make any man feel sorry for her.
Many members of the Freya Familia and thousands of her followers glared at Eiji, and were extremely jealous of him.
Their goddess was so humble and even apologized to him in a flirtatious way.
Why was he able to receive such treatment from her!?
Just because of the small gesture Freya made, Eiji could see thousands of men turning green with envy.
[Amazing! Why didn't I think of a way like this to have fun with Freya?]
[Before this, I kind of underestimated the love her dogs had for her. Compared to the original work, they seem to be even more infatuated with Freya.]
The heroines: "...."
They felt Eiji had a wicked idea.
The proof...
"It's okay, I don't blame you for being so beautiful, Freya. It's only natural that those people are so crazy about you. And I feel like this is getting more fun."
Freya was relieved that Eiji wasn't blaming her, but she felt something was off about his words.
Eiji then glanced at Ottar, Hogni, and Heith before saying, "I don't mind if all of you join Ottar to fight me. As long as you manage to hurt me, you win!"
"!!!" Everyone.
They didn't expect Eiji to agree so easily.
The members of the Freya Familia were happy, but also annoyed because Eiji seemed to be underestimating them.
"Eiji, let me help you! I'm a member of your familia too!"
Still, they didn't expect the famous woman, Ais, to run over to Eiji and say that.
Tiona and Tione followed behind her.
But putting that aside.
Does that mean Ais is also a member of the Seiya Familia?!
Has she left the Loki Familia and joined the Seiya Familia?
Why haven't they heard this news before!?
"Ais, do you want to help me?" Eiji asked, mulling over a few ideas in his mind.
He might be able to use this opportunity to further woo the number one heroine in Danmachi.
"Mhm, let me help you fight the Freya Familia, Eiji."
Ais wasn't good with words; she simply stated her intention without explaining the reason behind her actions.
Freya narrowed her eyes at the blonde woman; she didn't understand how Loki could have let her join the Seiya Familia.
After all, it was no secret that Loki was very possessive of the women in her familia, especially Ais.
"Sure, but... Ottar and the others don't think I'm being unfair, do they?" Eiji looked at Ottar and the other members of the Seiya Familia with a playful gaze.
Hogni snorted, "Even if you asked all the members of your familia to help you, we wouldn't mind!"
"Hey, Hogni! Are you crazy!?"
"Did you forget the Seiya Familia has several Level 8s and 9s?!"
Some members of the Freya Familia panicked and desperately wanted to shut the dark elf up. Unlike him, they actually didn't have the confidence to defeat the members of the Seiya Familia.
They had certainly seen just how strong Yuki and Kurumi were in the previous War Game. The news that the two of them were members loaned by the Seiya Familia to the Hestia Familia had spread.
Not a single one of them was unaware of that.
"The rest of my familia is busy. Ais and I are more than enough to take you all on."
What Eiji said put many members of the Freya Familia at ease.
Although Eiji's arrogant attitude annoyed them, they couldn't believe they couldn't even scratch him!
There are over 5,000 of them!
Even if Eiji is a god who might be able to use a little of his power in the lower world, he'd surely still have a hard time dodging their attacks, right?
...
Not long after.
News of the conflict between the Seiya Familia and Freya spread throughout Orario until the other gods and goddesses also learned of it.
Using his communication magic, Eiji contacted Ouranos and asked him to use his Divine Mirror to broadcast the event live.
He also told her the location of the battle, where he had teleported Ais and the members of the Freya Familia along with him.
Soon, hundreds of thousands of people in Orario once again watched the massive live broadcast projected in the sky.
Many of them were excited to see the battle that was about to unfold. One of the most surprised among them was the goddess who had recently been drinking tea at the Seiya Familia's house.
Aphrodite was stunned when she saw the projection displayed by the Divine Mirror in the sky. She and Harmonia couldn't help but watch.
But what surprised her was how the Seiya Familia and the Freya Familia were in conflict.
From the people on the street, she roughly knew the reason the battle was happening was because Eiji had accepted Freya's confession and made her his woman on the condition that she had to leave all her familia members.
Freya had crazily agreed, but her familia members opposed her wishes until the situation escalated to what it was now.
"Pfft! No way, that bitch... Did Freya actually win Eiji's heart the way I said she would!?"
Aphrodite's face looked gloomy, and her expression was grim.
She felt as if she'd been slapped in the face; she regretted giving Freya that love advice—she truly hadn't expected that advice would end up hurting her own interests!
Eiji had rejected her earlier, but not long after, he accepted Freya's confession and was willing to fight against her own familia members for her.
Didn't that make her look worse than Freya?
She was extremely unhappy!
"Hahaha! Aphrodite... Hahaha!"
"Harmonia, be quiet! You mustn't laugh at your goddess!"
"Hahaha, sorry. But this is so funny."
Harmonia clutched her stomach and laughed heartily.
Aphrodite felt embarrassed and angry. Even so, her gaze returned to Eiji, and she hoped he would humiliate himself!
Two people versus over 5,000?
That man is way too confident.
Even if he's a god capable of using his power in the underworld, he must have limits on the amount of power he can unleash.
Aphrodite was comforting herself by thinking that way.
On the roof of Twilight Manor.
Loki clicked her tongue and said angrily, "Eiji, I won't forgive you easily if my Ais-chan gets seriously injured, or even loses a limb, from fighting that many adventurers!"
From Tiona and Tione, she heard that Ais had volunteered to help Eiji fight against the Freya Familia. She wasn't happy about it, but she couldn't stop her, since Eiji had teleported her away with her.
That meant even Riveria and Lefiya, who were half-members of the Seiya Familia, couldn't help.
"Loki, trust Eiji-sama! Look at him—he looks so handsome and confident standing before thousands of adventurers! Ais will definitely be fine!" Tione said excitedly, gazing at the projection showing Eiji with a sparkle in her eyes.
Loki was jealous and said, "Tiona, you're part of my harem; you shouldn't talk about Eiji like that!"
"Uh... I'm sure I'm single, Loki."
"You, you can't!"
"I can do it!"
"Waaaah! Eiji is truly despicable, he stole my entire harem! Waaaah!"
Hearing Loki cry without tears, the veins on Riveria's forehead bulged. "Loki, shut your mouth. You're so noisy!"
"...." Loki really wanted to cry.
Even Riveria no longer loved her—though her body was here, her heart had been stolen by Eiji!
Seeing how that beautiful High Elf looked at Eiji with worry in her eyes, she cursed Eiji in her heart.
'Eiji, you bastard! How did you even manage to make Riveria like you so much? Teach me!'
Loki gritted her teeth and glared at the handsome face of the man she was referring to. Hmm? Is he even more handsome than before?
That must be the visual effect of the Divine Mirror.
On a battlefield far from Orario—specifically in the ruins of Orza City—an ancient city that was destroyed and now lies submerged in a vast lake situated in the Beol Mountains.
These mountains lie to the northwest of the city of Orario.
Eiji chose this location at random.
"Ais, are you nervous?" He asked the blonde woman beside him.
Ais was a little nervous when she saw Ottar and thousands of other adventurers in the distance, but she didn't change her expression and drew her sword. "A little, Eiji-sama. But I'll do my best to support you."
Eiji chuckled; he reached out to ruffle Ais's hair, making her squint her eyes like a cat. She seemed to be enjoying it; the scene was certainly witnessed by the hundreds of thousands of people watching the live stream.
Loki was extremely jealous; she scolded Eiji for daring to touch Ais!
"Ah, sorry." Eiji pretended it was an accident and pulled his hand away from Ais's head, "I just wanted to help you so you wouldn't be nervous."
"I-It's okay, Eiji. I... I'm not nervous anymore, and I..." Ais stammered, a blush spreading across her cheeks. She was too shy to say she liked it when Eiji ruffled her hair.
It also made her heart race.
The protagonist Bell was actually watching the live stream too, and froze when he saw the woman he liked making that kind of face.
And it was because Eiji had touched her.
He felt incredibly sour, and his heart ached once again like an NTR victim.
"Ais, even you... Are you also..."
Bell was so desperate that he couldn't help but think of Apollo and wanted him to comfort him. However, he quickly slapped himself and felt afraid of what he was thinking.
Why!? Why does he keep thinking about Apollo!?
He couldn't possibly really love him, could he?
Hestia and Lili, who were there, didn't know—and didn't care—what was wrong with Bell, since he had suddenly dropped to his knees on the ground. They were now Eiji's women; naturally, they were more concerned about their man at the moment.