Chapter 179: Arrow Rain Washes the Ground, I Am the One Who Was Washed

In the quiet of night, the children of the Artemis family slowly awoke from their unconscious state, one by one.

"Are you alright? How are you feeling?" Sol asked, his concern evident.

"I'm...alive?" one replied, followed by another weak, "It hurts… That monster didn't kill us?"

Just as Sol was about to continue with his questions, a barrage of voices cut him off, their chatter overwhelming his words.

"Where's Artemis-sama?!"

"Calm down," Sol shouted, silencing the room. "You're safe at your family's residence."

All eyes turned to him, and behind him stood Alfia, who had remained close by, ready to support Sol in this critical moment.

"Who...who are you?" one of them asked tentatively.

"I am Sol," he answered. "And she is my family's adventurer. Are you members of Artemis' family? Who's in charge here?"

"I am Rethusa, the captain of the Artemis Family," one woman spoke up, standing with the help of her companions. "Did...did you save us from Antares?"

"Antares? You mean that monstrous scorpion?" Sol asked.

"Yes, it's that monster. This village has long existed to keep it sealed in the Ruins of Elsos."

"Elsos…this is Elsos?" Sol muttered, realization dawning on him. Rethusa looked bewildered by his response, having assumed that the God who saved them came to support them because of Antares, but now it seems that is not the case.

"You didn't know?"

"Actually, no. I just sensed Artemis' divine presence and came to investigate," Sol clarified, now wondering why there were so few members in Artemis' family here—was she also following the path of elite adventurers?

Suddenly, Rethusa's face fell. "It's Artemis-sama—she was swallowed by Antares!"

"What?" Sol exclaimed. "Artemis... swallowed? How did it come to this?"

"Antares devours life itself. Artemis-sama sacrificed herself to save us. It's our weakness that led to this," Rethusa explained, tears filling her eyes. The other family members lowered their heads in silence, overcome by despair.

The grief weighed heavily on the room as Rethusa's eyes dimmed with guilt. Alfia nudged Sol quietly, signaling that he needed to do something to lift their spirits.

"Listen to me," Sol declared, pulling their attention back to him. "Things haven't reached a point of despair yet."

As a god, he had long since mastered his divine aura, and with just a shift in tone, he projected confidence, reassurance. Though his own followers were used to it, the effect on outsiders was still profound.

"Besides," he continued with a steady smile, "you still bear her blessing, don't you? This means Artemis is still alive."

He'd noted earlier, while tending to their wounds, that the sacred grace of Artemis was still present. As long as it remained, there was hope for rescue, no matter how dire her current condition.

At that moment, a brilliant beam of light shot skyward from the forest nearby. The energy was unmistakable—this was Artemis' divine power. Before Sol could react, the powerful divine light burst into the sky and transformed into a cascade of glowing arrows.

"Brace yourselves!" Sol shouted. 

Even before his warning, Alfia had already leaped skyward, her cold voice echoing, "Peace of Soul—"

Her incantation flickered against the onslaught, slowing but not dispelling the arrows. While Peace of Soul could nullify magic, this was pure divine power, and Alfia's magic could only blunt its impact.

Alfia had anticipated this, however. With two gleaming yellow short blades in hand, she met the falling arrows mid-air. This was the first time Sol had ever seen her bring out weapons on her own initiative—both crafted by their legendary smith Poppy, bearing the name Fanaticism, a high-quality weapon unique to Valoran.

With deadly precision, Alfia swung Fanaticism, neutralizing the arrows in the air before they could reach the ground. Just like that, the assault was deflected, though Sol knew this was only the beginning.

The situation was serious: if Antares, a monster, could wield divine power in the lower realms, it was a direct affront to the gods. Their top priority now was clear: retrieve Artemis from that creature before it could harness her divine power for darker purposes.