Elsos Ruins.

-"More on the right!"

~"Leave them to me. Help Elun'dris with her opponents."

-"On it."

When Artemis and I ventured deeper into the forest, we were attacked by a swarm of scorpion-like monsters. While each was weak individually, we quickly found ourselves surrounded by hundreds of them. They also showed the ability to cooperate, and despite not showing any intelligence in their actions, I could deduce that they were something akin to a hive mind.

Rushing into the swarm, I slashed at the oncoming stingers, severing them before I delivered a killing blow by piercing the carapace from above. Dispatching every enemy with two strikes was the most efficient I could get, what limits I imposed on myself for this adventure.

While I was dealing with this side, Artemis used her bow to shoot any scorpion that came her way, hitting every shot accurately into the monsters' eyes. Elun'dris would then finish off any enemy that was able to stay alive despite being blinded.

One by one, we reduced the number of opponents to zero, finally being able to rest.

-"We won."-Artemis petted Elun'dris.-"Thank you for your support."

Due to her moon divinity, Elun'dris liked Artemis, so she allowed herself to be petted, even extending her head so that Artemis could scratch her chin.

~"Yes, but this is a Pyrrhic victory at best. Monsters we killed disappeared into black smoke like those in the dungeon, meaning those are not wild monsters."

-"Now that you mention it. This must be the reason why I was asked to investigate this place."

~"Creating monsters like that is not something that occurs easily. I think that we should move forward with the idea of the seal being completely broken, just to be safe."

-"I don't mind, but if that's the case, why it didn't leave the ruins?"

~"I don't know. I can only hope that whatever we meet inside, it won't be divine in nature."

-"You think some god is involved?"

~"I have no proof, just worry."

-"The only way is to check everything directly."

~"Indeed. Let's move out. We wouldn't want to be swarmed again."

We continued on our way, fighting the occasional groups of scorpions that we encountered.

In Hold, I continued to attend meetings and process documents, returning to the usual routine of an emperor. Of course, along with responsibilities, I could enjoy the pleasures of royalty once again.

-"I hope you liked our performance, Your Majesty."

~"If there was one thing I found lacking in First Mortal World, it would be music and art. You can't imagine how I missed attending your performances, Eden, Robin, Nilou. Thank you for going along with my whim."

-"I'm always at your disposal, Master Yue."-Nilou bowed gracefully.

-"We are training before the Festival, so can you give us some pointers?"-Eden sat next to me and picked up her golden chalice filled with spirit wine.

~"Hmm... I think that you should emphasize your different characters more. Glamorous and dazzling Eden, elegant and demure Robin, elegant and graceful Nilou. Each of you has many fans, and while together you create a beautiful symphony, I think that you somewhat lose the distinct characteristics each of you possesses."

-"You think so? Or is it just that you want to be the only one who can enjoy our joint performances?"-Eden smiled at me, enjoying my compliments.

~"Who knows? If I were to admit that, would you three become my private canaries?"

-"Depending on what you have to offer."

~"A beautiful cage of this Palace."

-"Hmm... I don't know. Maybe if you add something else, then I can consider it a little more."

~"Ok, let's stop with this joke, Eden. We all know that three of you are destined for the stage. Keeping you from it would only upset everyone."

-"Oh, but think of the story. An emperor who is willing to stand against the world for his love of the brightest stars in the empire. Surrounded from all sides by hostile kingdoms, wanting to claim those fair maidens for themselves, and yet, the ruler is willing to risk everything."

~"I think you added some settings here and there, but I must agree this might be a passionate story."

-"Well, as a now famous romantic emperor, willing to throw away his status to live a mortal life with their loved ones, I will have to get some inspiration from you before writing a story."

~"Sigh. Once, I didn't like propaganda due to lies hidden between the lines. Now, I can't stand it because Yae paints me as someone perfect. Lately, even the Foxes on the streets are treated with reverence greater than the gods in Orario."

-"Our fans also request songs that recount Your Majesty's stories."-The still-shy Robin spoke, avoiding looking at me.

-"Yes, I'm asked about Master Yue's daily life when I meet my fans after performances. Some ask even more direct questions."

~"If you want, I can ask Keqing to send some Palace Guards with you so that you are not accosted by people in the city."

-"There is no need for that."-Nilou defended her fan.

-"Indeed, while there are some brave ones, everyone still has decency, not to mention no one would risk offending you on the off chance we truly were your partners."-Eden collaborated with her.

~"Sure, but if anything happens, be sure to tell me."

-"Right, I wanted to ask about that favor you mentioned."

~"Almost forgot about that. Some time ago, Umi, from Chat Group, asked if someone could instruct her and her friends on how to perform on the stage well, so I thought I ask if you want to teach them some tricks."

-"Is she and her friends trying to become actresses?"

~"No, they are idols. School idols, to be exact, but as lack any training aside from what they learned in youth, they can't gather a big audience."

-"I don't mind helping them. What about you two?"-Eden looked at Robin and Nilou.

-"I'm also free."

-"If it won't collide with training from Miss Rita."

~"Don't worry, I'll make the appointment when you are free."

-"Then sure, we can help that girl and her friends."

~"Most likely, it would be two days later, but I'll confirm it later."

-"Then how about seeing one more performance?"

~"Gladly."

While I was enjoying my royal privileges back in Hold, Artemis and I finally arrived at the Elsos Ruins. We fought our way through the tunnels, moving toward the center of the Ruins where the seal was placed in ancient times, but reaching the gates to the main chamber, we could see that the power of the seal had dissipated some time ago.

-"This..."

~"As we thought. Now, do we fight or retreat?"

-"We can't leave it unchecked. Let's try to fight first. If it's beyond our limited power, we will seal it and report back to Orario."

~"Sure, I'll take the front."

-"Leave your back to me."

~"Elun'dris, try to get rid of any scorpions that might want to interrupt our fight."

Elun'dris roared to show her readiness.

~"Good. Then let's go."

Pushing the stone gate open, I entered into a cave-like chamber. I manifested a crystal sword in my right hand and dashed forward. With my last step, I drew the essence of Earth from the ground, turning my crystal sword turbid brown.

The monster inside reacted to my charge, trying to strike me with one of its six hands. Meeting his strike with my sword, I was able to petrify him temporarily with the Earth essence.

Before the monster could recover, another crystal sword materialized, this one adorned with glistening silver shards. Another me slashed at the legs of the monster, disturbing its balance.

To exploit this chance, two crystal swords materialized. One flowed blue, the second blazed red. Another two of my manifestations grasped the swords and struck at the monster.

By that time, the momentary petrification had lost its effects, so the monster tried to not only block two upcoming attacks but also counter them by hitting my earlier manifestations. Before it could finish its swing, the fifth sword appeared, the spring green one, in the hand of my manifestation, blocking that attack.

This attack was much more powerful, and it knocked me back, creating a few meters of distance between me and the monster. Slashing at the side to get rid of black blood from my blade, I looked at the monster in front.

The five swords, different from the clear blade in my hand, also fell near me, shattering back into the Elemental essences. My other manifestations were nothing more than temporary illusions, being true only at that moment.

~"Keep your distance. It tries to absorb anything in its range."

-"What up with all those monsters absorbing something?"

~"No time to think about it now. Find its weakness first."

-"Roger that."

Dashing forward, I continued to attack the monster, striking using one Element, only to blink a short distance to slash from another angle, cycling through Elements to increase my power steadily. Due to continuous attacks and teleportations, it appeared as if there were multiple manifestations of myself fighting the giant opponent.

Artemis took advantage of my distraction, shooting the monster, attempting to find a weak point in its carapace.

After a few minutes of battle, an explosion knocked me to the side.

-"Yue! Some crystals appeared on the monster."-Shouted Artemis from behind.

~"I see them."~I answered while returning to the fight.

-"It was what exploded after being hit by my arrow."

~"I feel rich Elemental essence from them. Most likely, the monster absorbs some of my attacks."

-"The explosion before caused some damage to it. We can use that to our advantage."

~"What's your plan?"

-"Create some more of those crystals. I'll cause a chain explosion to kill him."

~"That can work. I'll listen to your instructions."

As Artemis had a better position to overlook the fight, she gave me instructions on what parts of the monster to focus on. Under her instructions, the big crystal grew in the center of the enemy, with many smaller growths in between the plates of the carapace.

The black crimson monster soon was shining with colorful crystals, and when Artemis gave me the signal, I gathered my whole Elemental essence created by continuously cycling the Emelents. Using his attack to create a distance between us, I retreated to Artemis's side, who loosened an arrow, striking the big crystal in the center.

When the arrow impacted the monster, I struck the ground with my sword, creating a shield with Earth essence, shielding us from the eruption of the whole energy gathered by the monster. Artemis, who was in my arms, laid her head on my shoulder as we waited for the sounds of the falling rocks to stop.

~"Great job."

-"Yes, it was quite a fun fight."

~"Please, don't become a battle junky."

-"Haha, only if you promise to take me on a similar adventure someday in the future again."

~"Then me have a deal."

After a minute or so, I removed the shield, and we exited the rubble. Elun'dris jumped from the shadow nearby, landing next to me and looking visibly displeased by being left outside the shield.

~"I knew you would be fine, Elun'dris. Don't be petty."

My companion Sabercat snorted and shook off the dust from her fur while still standing next to me and Artemis. Sadly, earthly filth won't tarnish the divine, let alone an Aeon, so all that dust actively avoided us two, much to the displeasure of the angry Sabercat.

~"OK. Sorry, I'll reward you in Hold later. Artemis, can you check the remains of the monster? I'll look around to learn more about the seal and those markings on the walls."

-"Leave that to me."

Using my power to restore the chamber to its previous form, I approached the wall near the entrance where lines of hieroglyphs combined with pictographs depicted the ancient history of this place. Using my knowledge of Soul Language to my advantage, I decrypted the meanings hidden by whoever wrote them.

I also analyzed the energy of the seal that remained on the gates. It quickly becomes apparent that the seal originated from the Spirits, which raises another question: why?

The Spirits that created this seal did not possess sentience, nor were they blessed by gods to act as their messengers because there was no divine power mixed in the seal. To me, that implied that the monsters and Spirits were natural enemies.

This made me wonder about the origin of the monsters and, by proxy, the dungeon in Orario. Deciding to put an investigation of the dungeon on the agenda, I gathered all the knowledge I already possessed into a project file and left it in the Akasha System under the pending status. Maybe someone looking for work will pick it up and start working before I find free time to return to it.

Returning to Artemis's side, I looked at what remained of the monster.

-"I'm so relieved that I came here with you and not my familia. That thing is terrifying."

~"Antares. That is what that monster was called by those who built these ruins."

-"Antares... Huh? Wasn't that name associated with some goddess... I don't seem to remember the details, but I'm sure that I heard it before."

~"Interesting, I'll look into it later. Did you learn anything about it?"

-"Yes. Using those tools Hephaestus and Xianyun showed me how to use, I scanned the remains and gathered samples for your Progress. Antares was categorized as a demi-god in power, meaning that only a group of level 10 adventures had a realistic chance against it. Here is the data. I don't understand most of it."

~"Hmm... Calling it calamity would be an understatement. By nature of its presence, it's as if a deep floor existed here. There are some similarities between Antares' body and the dungeon, not to mention the anomalous energy signature. Was it even sentient? By the readings..."

-"Ehem. Yue, can you stop speaking alien?"

~"Right, sorry. I'll give it to my puppet to process, not bore you here."

-"Thank you for your understanding. So what now?"

~"We still have four days before the appointment with Shinto Pantheon. We can either go back directly or make a detour on the way."

-"Hmm, how about returning to Beltane and staying there for two days before going back to Orario?"

~"Sure. Let's clean the battlefield so that nothing bad happens after we leave. Monsters absorbing something, thus becoming strong, starts to get annoying."

-"You can always solve them with your full power."

~"But where is fun in that? Using my body and swordsmanship from time to time is enjoyable."

-"What was it about not becoming a battle junky."

~"Touche."

I sealed the remains of the Antares in storage designed for research specimens and purified whole ruins. After that, we returned to Beltane and stayed there, enjoying our company in a quiet city.