A freezing white mist burst out from beneath Leon's abruptly stamping foot, swallowing everything around it in an instant like a silent tide.
Time seemed to freeze utterly in that moment.
The ninja assassin, along with the ferocity locked onto his face in that final instant, the raised kunai, and the resolute madness in his eyes, were all sealed forever within crystal-clear ice, turned into a silent statue.
The gods: "..."
The crowd: "..."
The scene fell into dead silence.
After a brief pause, the gods erupted into a chorus of sharp gasps and a clamor of chatter.
Someone sucked in a breath through their teeth.
"Holy crap! That ninja actually dared to go after Demeter?!"
"Pushed into a dead end, he overcame the instinctive taboo against harming a god... and almost pulled it off?!"
"Unbelievable!"
"So this is the potential of the Lower World?!"
"This is exactly why we're so captivated by the Lower World!"
"Magnificent!!!"
The battle was over.
Everyone had been stunned by the ninja's choice.
The gods, shielded by their guards, all fixed their eyes on that ice coffin forged in an instant, every one of them marveling at the ninja assassin's resolve and courage.
Leon gently steadied the trembling shoulder of the goddess beside him, a steady warmth passing from his palm.
"You all right, Demeter?"
Demeter slowly shook her head, her gaze drifting from the ice statue back to Leon's face. She tucked a strand of honey-colored hair behind her ear and gave a small shake of her head.
"I'm fine."
Then she gave Leon a playful wink, the composure befitting a goddess quietly returning.
"Don't always look at me like I'm someone who needs protecting. Say what you will, I'm still a goddess, you know."
"Hmph, aren't you underestimating me a little?"
Hearing this, at some point the hand that had been resting on her shoulder slipped down and lightly circled the goddess's slender, soft waist. Under her faintly pouting gaze, he leaned down close to her ear and murmured in a low voice:
"How could I ever underestimate you... I just didn't expect he'd really choose that path. This ninja, cornered with nowhere to run by Jeanne and the others, gravely wounded himself, in the end chose to seize you as a bargaining chip... From a purely tactical standpoint, it was a textbook choice. If it were me, I'd have done the same. Even... if it got me called despicable."
At that, Demeter couldn't hold it in and laughed softly.
"You know yourself pretty well, don't you."
And while the two of them were murmuring close like an intimate couple, the figures of Jeanne, Margaret, Iri, Laurier, and Aura had, at some point, come to stand quietly off to the side.
They said nothing, only watched Leon and Demeter's "performance" in silence.
Until the two had nearly pressed together, Leon about to bury his face in Demeter's neck and hair, when at last someone could bear it no longer and cut in on their intimate exchange:
"Heh heh, if it isn't our hero of the hour."
Jeanne's voice drifted over softly, but it carried a subtle note that was hard to ignore.
"Just dealt with the trouble, and already you can't wait to get... this close to Lady Demeter."
Leon: "..."
Demeter: "..."
Astraea and Artemis, who had been about to come over and ask for help with Kaguya's wounds, both stopped in their tracks at Jeanne's words, so obviously soaked in jealousy.
The two goddesses exchanged a glance, eyebrows arching in unison.
The helping can wait a moment. But this juicy, jealousy-soaked bit of drama, we absolutely have to see through to the end.
The two goddesses decided, in the end, to let Kaguya suffer a little longer.
After all... this was a once-in-a-lifetime lovers' showdown!
Unfortunately, though, Leon, long since honed into a veteran by countless "battlefields," knew all too well how to break the situation right now.
He released Demeter's soft waist, turned, and strode toward Jeanne.
Then, under the collective, jaw-dropped gazes of the gods, he grabbed Jeanne's faintly cool little hand and yanked, pulling the unprepared Holy Maiden into his arms.
"Wh-what are you do... mmf!"
Left arm around the small of her back, right hand cradling the nape of her neck, Leon leaned down and kissed her without hesitation.
"Mn...!"
That move of his instantly left the gossip-hungry onlookers dumbstruck, scalps prickling!
"Holy shit!"
"What a hero!"
"Insane!!!"
"That kid... is he the Shadow of Sorcery the Goddess Alliance privately certified as a scumbag?"
"No wonder even Goddess Hathor gave him her nod of approval. He really does have something!"
"Damn it, if I had moves like his, why would I have spent a hundred million years single? I'd have long since..."
"Give it up. Even if you had moves like his, no goddess would look twice at you. You're nothing but a pure simp."
"Goddammit!!"
"Heh, he has the looks for it. You don't."
"Haven't you seen how Lady Demeter already..."
"Hey... I'm warning you, if you've got a death wish, don't drag us down with you!"
"Huh?"
The god looked utterly bewildered, not understanding why the divine friends around him had all abruptly pulled away from him.
Until he met Demeter's eyes, brimming with smiles yet hiding a cold edge beneath...
He shivered violently, a chill running through him!
The next second, he dropped to his knees, kowtowed, and apologized, all in one smooth motion.
"I'm sorry!"
"Hmph."
Demeter gave a light snort, and only then withdrew her gaze.
"Demeterrrrrrrr~~~~~~"
She'd just pressed one down when another delightful character popped right up.
Loki threw an arm around hers and leaned in, grinning.
"Hee hee, darling. Aren't you mad? Your man over there... is tongue-kissing the Holy Maiden, you know~~~~~"
The consequence of that line was earning Demeter's death glare.
Loki: "..."
"Ahem, well, uh... I just remembered I've got somewhere to be!"
She let go at once, backing away as she said in a serious tone:
"I absolutely have to warn our girls to stay far away from your Leon, the farther the better! Best they never lay eyes on each other!"
She lowered her voice, muttering as she slipped behind Riveria:
"This guy... his threat level to beautiful women is honestly scarier than the One-Eyed Black Dragon."
The royal elf pressed a hand to her forehead in resignation, gave Demeter an apologetic bow, then, keeping a straight face, hauled Loki up by the back of her collar and headed for the edge of the battlefield.
Her duty was to guard Loki, but who ever said... that guarding Loki meant she couldn't lend support to the battle?
The city's strongest mage, the Nine Hell, Riveria Ljos Alf...
Hereby, formally joins the fight!
...
Having gotten the troublemaker Loki out of the way, Demeter narrowed her eyes at Leon and Jeanne, who were still locked in their passionate kiss.
No, it wasn't just a passionate kiss anymore.
Leon, never one to know when to stop, wasn't about to let such a perfect chance with Jeanne slip by.
He forced her teeth apart and launched an assault on her cute little tongue!
"Gulp... ah!"
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