The Elsos Ruins, this was where the god-killer monster Antares had been sealed by the Great Spirits during the Ancient Times.
A monster that rotted the land, tainted the seas, and decayed the forests.
Wherever it went, it drained the life from every living thing.
Not even deities were spared from its hunger.
For a thousand years, even before the Three Great Quests or the founding of Orario, it had been slowly regaining its strength within its prison.
Now, the seal was shattered.
With Artemis captured and her Arcanum being devoured, the entire surface world stood on the precipice of annihilation.
"This place actually looks a bit terrifying up close."
Lili commented, a bead of sweat running down her face.
"Hestia, are you sure you want to go inside with us?"
Artemis asked, glancing at her friend.
"Of course. If you're going, then I'm going."
"I can't let you go alone."
Hestia huffed, her expression making it clear she wouldn't take no for an answer.
"In that case, I should join as well."
Hermes interjected, casually adjusting his hat.
"L-Lord Hermes, what are you saying? You can't just do that!"
Asfi protested, alarm evident in her voice.
Hermes merely patted her head with a soothing smile, as if pacifying a worried child.
"Haha… you knew this was bound to happen, Asfi."
In the end, Asfi could only sigh.
She knew better than anyone how stubborn her god could be.
"Not again…"
She muttered with a groan.
At that moment, a horde of scorpion-like monsters began crawling out from the ruins, emerging from moss-covered walls before charging toward them.
"Oh? Looks like the welcoming committee is early."
Falgar noted, drawing his sword.
The rest of the Hermes Familia followed suit, weapons drawn as they rushed forward.
"As planned, we'll handle these."
"Asfi, you go ahead. You're needed elsewhere and make sure to protect Lord Hermes."
Falgar shouted as he lunged forward.
With the precision and strength of a Level 4, he sliced the first monster cleanly in half.
"We're expecting to be paid handsomely for this!"
Lulune added with a grin, spinning her daggers.
"Um… Judas… ah, I mean everyone, please be careful!"
Laurier called out, blushing as she clutched her staff.
Hearing them, Judas and the others nodded before sprinting toward the entrance, leaving the Hermes Familia to hold off the monsters and clear a path.
While running, Judas briefly assessed those who would be entering the ruins.
Aside from those already mentioned, the main trio of Belle's party, along with the entirety of the Artemis Familia.
As they pressed forward, the sounds of battle behind them gradually faded.
"Everything is so huge… and so old."
Lili muttered, glancing at the weathered monuments and eroded structures surrounding them.
When they reached the entrance to the inner ruins, they found a tunnel.
It was dim and strangely still.
An eerie silence hung in the air.
They paused for a moment before moving forward.
"Don't lower your guard. Those scorpion monsters could ambush us at any time."
Asfi warned, her expression serious.
The group advanced cautiously.
Inside the tunnel, the walls were covered in ancient markings, resembling old hieroglyphs.
Judas didn't understand them, nor did he care to.
But the faint light seeping through cracks in the walls caught his attention.
'I sense something strange from those lights…'
"These are the lights of the seal, activated by my kindred spirits."
"You could say they are my oldest children."
Artemis noticed his curiosity and explained.
"I see."
Judas replied simply.
They continued forward until they reached a massive gate, far more intact than the rest of the ruins.
"This is the sealed gate I mentioned. Only I can open it."
Artemis stepped forward.
"Here goes nothing…"
Welf muttered, his expression tense.
Standing before the gate, Artemis raised her hand toward an emblem at its center, a symbol shaped like an arrow.
Moments later, a warm glow surrounded her as faint motes of divine light drifted from her body.
In response, the arrow emblem began to rotate.
With a deep rumble, the gate slowly opened, the grinding of stone echoing through the chamber.
What lay beyond made Artemis freeze.
"W-What is this?"
Lili asked nervously.
The interior was grotesque.
The walls and ceiling were covered in a fleshy, pulsating substance.
Large, bulbous outgrowths were implanted everywhere, throbbing like hearts.
"It's infesting the temple…"
"How could this happen…?"
Artemis spoke in a strained voice.
This was once a sacred place built by her followers in ancient times.
To see it reduced to this was unbearable.
A wet, squishy sound drew Judas's attention.
He turned just in time to see the fleshy substance bubble up and surge over the gate they had just entered, completely sealing their only exit.
Then, the bulbous sacs began to wriggle and tear open.
From within them, scorpion-like monsters poured out one after another.
"Are these…?"
"They're eggs…?"
Realization dawned as they looked around.
They were surrounded.
"Mow them down."
Artemis' voice rang out, firm and commanding.
Weapons were drawn.
The group surged forward, cutting through the monsters.
Screech!
One leapt from above.
Rethusa reacted instantly, springing into the air and cleaving it in half mid-flight.
They continued advancing, carving a path through the swarm until a massive cluster of monsters blocked their way.
"Get back!"
Asfi surged to the front, hurls flasks of Burst Oil into the center of the horde.
An explosion rocked the tunnel, and the corridor was engulfed in flames.
However, as the smoke cleared, Asfi's eyes widened.
"What!? My Burst Oil didn't work!?"
The monsters emerged from the fire mostly unscathed.
Worse, their bodies began to grow.
Their carapaces began to shift and harden, their limbs elongating and thickening before their very eyes.
"They're starting to evolve."
Hermes said with a frown.
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