Chapter 201: The Protagonist Appears

Hearing their urgent pleas, Ishtar finally snapped back to reality.

Unlike the warriors of Telskyura(*Amazon nation), she had no fighting spirit to speak of, nor did she care about saving face. Without hesitation, she lifted the hem of her flowing gown and, under the protection of her remaining followers, hurried down a hidden passageway.

Not long after her escape, the grand doors of the hall were violently kicked open.

The first to charge in was Tione, her speed unmatched. Tiona followed close behind, sticking to Yone like an eager shadow.

"Damn it, she got away! I told you not to waste time!"

Seeing the empty hall, Tione cursed in frustration, driving her fist through the doorframe behind her.

They had rushed here at full speed, yet still failed to catch their target.

The Pleasure District was vast. If Ishtar had truly fled, tracking her down again wouldn't be easy.

Riveria had made it clear—their objective tonight was to banish Ishtar back to the heavens.

If they failed now and gave the Guild or other Familias time to intervene, taking action later would become infinitely more complicated.

"Don't stress too much. Riveria has sealed off the surrounding area. Let's check for hidden tunnels or escape routes first."

"Leave it to me!"

The moment Yone gave the order, Tiona perked up.

She dashed into the room, twirling her massive twin blades before wildly hacking apart furniture, decorations, and anything else that could possibly conceal an escape route.

"They must've fled through here! There's no other way out, right?"

Watching her sister mindlessly destroy the room's interior, Tione sighed and rubbed her forehead.

Ishtar had fled in a panic, leaving behind plenty of evidence in her wake.

A more careful search would have revealed the escape route easily.

But, of course, her airheaded little sister never stopped to think when Yone was around.

Her lovestruck obsession was almost impressive—even by Amazonian standards.

Did they have a family gene for this level of brainless devotion?

"Are we going after her?"

Ignoring her sister's exasperated look, Tiona turned to Yone, awaiting his decision with eager anticipation.

Tione watched in disbelief.

The way her sister was acting—like some lovesick puppy—made her want to punch her in the head.

"Wait."

Yone didn't act rashly.

Before the operation, Riveria had explicitly ordered that no unnecessary risks be taken. If anything unexpected happened, they were to report to her immediately.

After sending a message detailing the situation, Yone soon received a response.

"So? We're going after her, right?" Tiona asked eagerly.

"You two go. I'll stay behind and secure the area until the second team arrives."

This was Ishtar's master bedroom—the most important room in the entire estate.

Logically, anything of value should be stored here.

Documents, treasures… perhaps even the ownership deed to the Pleasure District itself.

Ishtar had fled in such a hurry that she likely hadn't taken the time to retrieve everything.

With three of them here, it made the most sense for the sisters to pursue the fleeing goddess while Yone stayed behind to secure the spoils.

"Why?—shouldn't the master be with us?"

"No time for that! If we slow down, we'll lose them for real!"

Tione was about to resist, but before she could break free, her sister dragged her forward by force.

For two Level 5 adventurers, catching up to Ishtar—who was being carried by a group of Level 1s—was effortless.

Following the narrow corridor, the sisters sprinted up to the roof of the Familia estate.

In their sights, Ishtar, the goddess of beauty, was fleeing toward the high tower at the heart of the compound.

"Running to the top of the tower?" Tione muttered in confusion. "Does she think that's a good escape plan?"

It was a dead end.

As far as she remembered, no one in the Ishtar Familia had the ability to fly.

Did Ishtar really believe they wouldn't search the tower?

If she truly wanted to hide, slipping into one of the many rooms in the estate would've been a much smarter choice.

Choosing such an obvious location… Did she take them for fools?

"Alright, let's move in and—"

Before Tiona could finish, Tione yanked her back.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Just then, two figures appeared on the rooftop.

One of them was all too familiar.

Or rather, it was one figure… dragging another along.

A woman, clad in a pitch-black cloak, pulled their master, Sol, onto the rooftop with her.

"Who's that?" Tiona whispered. "I've never seen that man before."

He wasn't a member of their Familia.

But judging from his demeanor, he seemed far too familiar with their God, Sol.

As Tione studied him, she suddenly felt his gaze sweep in their direction.

For just an instant—just a single glance—her entire body locked up.

It was as if the air around her had frozen.

But the sensation disappeared just as quickly as it had come.

For a moment, she questioned if she had imagined it.

"No way… I'm a Level 5. I'm only one step away from reaching level 6. There's no way a single glance could paralyze me like that!"

Her hands clenched into fists.

Something wasn't right.

Who is this guy? What kind of monster did we just run into?

They had come here to deal with the Ishtar Familia—yet, in the end, she found herself rattled by someone from her own side.

What the hell was going on?

"Tione, are you okay?"

Even Tiona had snapped out of her usual lovesick daze. Her expression turned serious as she studied the man in black.

"Who the hell is that?" she murmured.

She was certain she had never seen him in the Familia before.

"Whoever he is, he didn't come here with hostile intent. If he did, we'd already be fighting."

Tione's voice was firm.

Whoever that man was, he had undoubtedly noticed them.

That suffocating presence from before—it wasn't an illusion.

And if they had to fight him head-on…

Tione wasn't sure she would survive.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the rooftop, Alfia turned to Sol and asked in a low voice, "Should I send the two sisters away?"

Sol shook his head casually.

"No need. They'll find out soon enough. Let them watch."

Both Tione and Tiona were among the strongest in his Familia.

There was no point in hiding the truth from them.

Some things were best left to unfold naturally.