"If I win, your Loki Familia will become a subordinate Familia under mine."
"And the ones switching allegiances won't just be Nine Hell."
"Kenki, Thousand Elf, Desperate, Pure Garden, Lady Cat..."
"I want all of the female members."
"As for the men… you can keep them."
That condition—
Honestly, was pretty reasonable.
After all—
He had Summoning Magic.
If he joined Loki Familia…
That would also mean bringing in Silence, Gluttony, Empress, Crimson Bloom, and others.
Of course, Finn had no intel on that.
"You want to build a harem Familia?"
Finn still wore a calm smile, but his eyes saw right through the real intention.
Wanting that many female members—what else could it be?
Raven Eltharion smiled as well.
His ambition was wide open, without a shred of concealment.
"So? Can you agree to that condition?"
From Finn's point of view—
Even if the guy was speaking out of sheer greed...
Was it really possible?
Could he actually beat Loki Familia?
Who gave him that courage?
As someone nicknamed Braver, Finn certainly didn't think it was him.
Just then, his thumb began to throb dully for no reason.
…Could it be—
There were even more hidden cards?
So far, all Finn knew—
Was that Raven had used several kinds of magic during the War Game.
And with Riveria's intel—
The wide-area annihilation magic, while flashy, could be blocked with barriers.
As for sound-type magic?
Any member with Abnormal Resistance could shrug off the effects.
Like Alfia's sonic boom magic—
Back during the Great Feud seven years ago,
They and Astraea Familia had developed ways to counter shockwaves.
So the threat level wasn't that high.
As for fire-attribute magic?
That's manageable too.
They had Aiz with wind-based additional magic to counteract it.
Putting all that together—
What could he possibly use to win?
"Impressive."
"Your courage is commendable."
"I'll agree to your request, but I need to revise mine a little too."
To ensure absolute victory—
Finn had no choice but to set conditions that would limit his opponent's special abilities.
"Go ahead."
Raven looked at him nonchalantly and took a casual sip of coffee.
Behind the counter, the bespectacled café owner was polishing glasses like he didn't care about any of this.
"First, no matter the result, the gods are not to be sent back to Heaven."
"No problem. That's what I want too."
Raven nodded.
Finn continued, calmly:
"Second, if you lose, those three new female members of yours will transfer to our side."
That was Loki's personal request, and Finn was more than happy to help her indulge in her girl-obsession.
"And finally, during the War Game—please don't use your golden magic barrier."
That dull pain in his thumb—probably because of this.
He'd seen Raven facing off against Bete before.
The golden radiance he released back then had made Finn extremely wary.
After thinking it through…
It was best to ban that troublesome magic outright.
Without all that—Finn truly had no idea how Raven intended to win.
Raven paused, then said:
"Alright. I accept."
So they were banning his unbeatable magic barrier?
No big deal.
Even without Phantasmal Feather, he still had divine authority to rely on.
"To be honest—"
"I originally wanted to join your Familia, but your Bete drove me out."
"Oh, really?"
Finn gave a wry smile.
He understood Bete's personality better than anyone else.
"Never thought…"
"That I'd end up clashing blades with you just to get back into your ranks."
Raven sighed, a trace of self-mockery in his voice.
"If you still want to join Loki Familia, we'll always welcome—"
"Enough."
Raven cut him off flatly.
A frozen heart doesn't go back to old warmth.
"Let's talk about the date."
…
After chatting for about an hour, Raven finally stood and took his leave.
Finn paid the bill.
As for the date of the War Game, that would be decided at the gods' conference.
Of course—
Loki had so much say, she could probably decide whatever day she wanted.
Raven knew that too.
So he told Finn—schedule it at least one week from now.
Leaving the café—
Raven headed straight for the new headquarters.
Hearth Mansion wasn't far from the café.
Not long after—
The fully constructed base came into view, filling Raven's vision.
A completely renovated stone mansion, three stories high and built deep.
Calling it a luxury estate would be an understatement.
At the main gate—
The emblem of Hestia Familia, fire and feather, was proudly displayed.
Workmen in uniform had just finished renovations.
Members of Goibniu Familia were packing up and heading out.
At the moment, the wrought-iron gates were tightly shut and locked.
Raven knew that Daphne, Mikoto, and Cassandra weren't inside.
Of course, they'd wait for the goddess to move in together.
He glanced at his watch—still early.
According to Finn—
This meeting had been confidential.
Aiz, Lefiya, and the others probably didn't know they'd be fighting him.
"…Alright then."
"I'll keep tonight's promise with them as planned."
"Yeah—let's drop by the casino first."
…
South Orario, entertainment district.
The Golden Sanctuary Casino.
Ultra-luxury VIP room.
"What?"
"That little Braver brat's suddenly so bold?"
"Who the hell gave him that courage?"
Charld snorted with disdain as he leaned back, savoring his fine wine.
"What do we do about the background noise?"
Alfia, seated beside Raven, raised the key issue.
"Easy."
"This time, everyone's stepping in."
"If I want my Familia to truly rise, we have to devour the other Familia."
Holding a RIO cocktail, Raven took a small sip.
Just like Loki Familia and Freyja Familia did before—
They devoured Zeus Familia and Hera Familia to become the twin kings of the city.
"You sure?"
On his other side, Ragunales seemed surprised.
"Yeah."
Raven nodded without hesitation.
"Let the world rediscover who you really are."
With that—
He put down his glass and slowly stood up.
"Alright. It's time I summoned a few new faces."
…
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