— Heavenly Realm, Elysion's Grand Shrine
"So Ares has vanished along with his aide..."
Seated in one of the six central chairs, the strongest Chief God, Deus, let out a low groan, clutching his head in his right hand. The Chief God was normally overflowing with confidence and majesty, but he now looked utterly haggard, leaving the onlookers exchanging bewildered glances.
"Look at the timing. Ten to one, it's gotta be connected to that other world, Lemuria."
Indra, a handsome man dressed in a kimono and wearing round-rimmed sunglasses, tapped the tip of his folding fan against the space between his brows, pointing out the obvious with a scowl.
"I warned that foolish boy repeatedly. I placed him under strict surveillance. Above all, I erected multiple barriers over that place so nothing could gain Access. There should have been no conceivable way anyone could take Ares away. And yet..."
"The young master vanished into thin air right out of Ares Palace..."
At Indra's murmur, Deus hesitated before nodding in agreement.
"Indeed. They broke through our defenses with absolute ease and abducted Ares. Even I could never pull off such a feat. Meaning—"
"Meaning we've been making a massive miscalculation this whole time, huh..."
Hearing this, one of the Heavenly Army officers in attendance rose to his feet.
"If the threat is Special-Grade, we have no time to lose! We must launch an immediate Barrage against Lemuria!"
He voiced what would normally be the obvious course of action.
"Hah! Are you an idiot?! Do you even know who cast that damn rock-solid barrier?! It was Odin! And they blew right through it without breaking a sweat! What the hell is a pathetic Barrage gonna do?!"
At Indra's bared-teeth fury, the officer stiffened in terror, slumping back into his seat and trembling.
"Indra speaks the truth. If the enemy set their mind to it, they could easily extend their influence over Elysion—no, even over this very Grand Shrine. That means not even those of us sitting here right now can be considered safe."
At Deus's grim, measured words, the color rapidly drained from the faces of the assembled generals and officers, as if the sheer scale of the crisis had only just sunk in.
"Ah-ha! Sounds like things are gettin' real interestin'!"
A boy's cheerful voice rang out from the corner of the room. When Deus and the others turned toward the sound, they saw a boy with an unpleasant gaze, clad in white clothes, a cloak, and a hat. He shoved both hands into his pockets, a hideous grin plastered across his face.
"Tch!"
With a single glance at the boy, Indra clicked his tongue, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. His face twisted in sheer revulsion.
"Tartarus. What business could you possibly have at this late hour?"
"Leave that Lemuria business to yours truly!"
At the white-clad boy's words, Indra bared his canines and roared.
"Don't screw around! Who in their right mind would let you—!"
"Tartarus. What are you scheming?"
Deus raised his right hand to silence Indra, then rose to his feet and leveled the tip of a massive white spear directly before Tartarus's eyes, demanding an answer in a tone that brooked no argument.
"Come on, Deuuus, you're readin' way too much into this. It's just an act of kindness from yours truly. You know my ability, right? Yours truly can strip Lemuria completely bare."
Tartarus responded in an airy, blatantly mocking drawl.
"Kindness from you? I've never heard a line less worthy of trust."
Indra narrowed his eyes and spat the words with bitter sarcasm, to which Tartarus cried out almost sing-song, fixing his gaze squarely on Deus.
"How sad... It hurts that you don't trust meee. But hey, do you guys really have any other choice?"
"...Very well."
"Boss Deus!"
Indra cried out in sharp protest, but Deus quietly silenced him.
"Hold your tongue for now, Indra."
Turning a hawk-like gaze upon Tartarus, Deus fixed him with a piercing glare.
"Dammit all!"
Amidst Indra's furious outburst, Deus solemnly delivered the decree.
"Tartarus, I hereby task you with investigating the current state of Lemuria."
"As expected of Deus. Unlike a certain single-celled rockhead, you actually know how to talk business."
At Tartarus's mocking remark, Indra ground his teeth and slammed his left fist onto the table. Spiderweb cracks rippled across the surface, drawing gasps of alarm from all around.
"However, we will not lift a finger to aid you, no matter what happens. Do you accept these terms?"
Deus pressed him for confirmation. At those words, Tartarus's eyebrow twitched.
"Hey, now. You sayin' that I, of all people, would fall behind some trash from the Mortal Realm? Is that what you're tryin' to say?"
The playful facade vanished, replaced by a chillingly low voice that sent a shiver down the spine.
"No. It is merely a confirmation."
Tartarus stared expressionlessly into Deus's eyes for a moment, but soon curled his lips into an unsettling grin.
"Fine then. Suits me. Don't you dare lay a finger on Lemuria from here on out."
Spitting out those parting words, he vanished into thin air.
"Boss Deus! I'm dead against leaving this to Tartarus! If he gets his hands on it—"
"Lemuria will surely become a living hell, yes."
"Then why—!"
"Indra, we no longer have the luxury of dithering. As deeply reluctant as I am, Tartarus is undeniably the most suited to investigate Lemuria. You know this as well, do you not?"
"..."
Unable to counter, Indra crossed his arms and clamped his mouth shut in bitter silence. Deus let out a heavy sigh, stood tall, and projected his voice across the chamber.
"Barring the Tartarus Faction, all involvement with Lemuria is hereby frozen until further notice! This is an order of the highest priority! Whoever defies it will face severe punishment, so govern yourselves accordingly!"