After getting dressed and leaving Koneko's room, Izumi happened to run into Hestia, who had just returned.
The moment she saw him, she froze in confusion.
"Um… Izumi-kun, Apollo really issued a challenge to us."
"How did you know that?"
Hearing this, Izumi immediately broke into a smile.
"So he really wants to court death."
"When is it? When does it start?"
He looked quite pleased with Apollo's reckless behavior.
Just as he had expected, that guy had set his sights on them.
Hestia sighed helplessly.
"The day after tomorrow."
"And there's a wager."
"The winning side gets everything the loser has."
"Are you sure you still want to fight?"
"He's even planning to participate personally. The rule is simple—any method is allowed as long as you defeat the opponent."
"And divine power will be temporarily unsealed."
After hearing all that, Izumi was genuinely surprised.
He hadn't expected Apollo to go this far.
So he was entering the battlefield himself?
Did he really think victory was guaranteed?
A cruel smile appeared on Izumi's face.
"Interesting."
"In that case, there shouldn't be any problem if I kill him, right?"
He sounded excited.
Hestia was shocked.
"You want to kill Apollo?"
But soon, she realized something.
Right. The person in front of her was a Godslayer. It was only natural for him to think this way.
Which meant… he had been planning this all along?
Did Apollo offend him somehow?
But the two had never even met.
Why was Izumi so hostile toward Apollo?
Unable to figure it out, Hestia felt a headache coming on.
"Wouldn't that be bad?"
"If your identity as a Godslayer is exposed, it might cause unnecessary trouble."
"And… are you really confident you can defeat him?"
"I was actually planning to step in myself and fight after unsealing my divine power."
She had already made up her mind during the divine assembly.
Although Izumi had said they would accept any challenge, when Apollo proposed joining the battle personally, she had resolved to take the field herself.
She had never intended for Izumi to fight.
Izumi looked speechless.
"There's no need for you to go out there. Just sit back and watch."
"He's just a god."
"That's settled. Let me know when it's time."
"I'll kill him personally."
With that, Izumi turned and left.
Apollo? He didn't take him seriously at all. Just a perverted god.
Seeing how firm he was, Hestia could only sigh.
At the same time, she cursed the other gods in her heart.
They had ganged up on her shamelessly.
What was supposed to be a normal War Game had turned into a battle where gods themselves would unseal their powers and fight.
And they had the nerve to say it was to show mortals the strength of the gods.
She knew they were shameless, but she hadn't expected them to be this shameless.
She just hoped nothing unexpected would happen.
The two sides hadn't even met before, yet things had escalated this far.
After letting out a long breath, Hestia returned to her room to rest.
The divine assembly had exhausted her.
As for Izumi, he didn't think about Apollo at all.
To him, Apollo was insignificant.
At most, his corpse might have some value.
Otherwise, Izumi wouldn't even spare him a glance.
—
The next day, the entire city of Orario learned that the Apollo Familia had declared war on the recently famous Hestia Familia.
The news caused a huge uproar.
The Hestia Familia had recently been recognized as the third strongest Familia in Orario.
Although their reputation was partly built on their large number of young female members, most people had accepted the fact.
After all, numbers were an advantage.
But what truly excited everyone was that the gods themselves would fight.
Apollo would personally unseal his divine power and participate.
This made everyone extremely eager.
A battle involving gods had never happened before.
Even beyond Orario, people around the world who heard the news were filled with anticipation.
They had never witnessed the power of gods.
Let alone a battle between two deities.
Everyone believed the upcoming fight would be between Goddess Hestia and Apollo, the Sun God.
The others were almost completely ignored.
Only a few people knew that the real battle might be between Izumi and Apollo.
Among them were Loki and Freya.
—
Inside the Loki Familia, the atmosphere was lively.
Many members were discussing the upcoming battle.
In the main hall, Loki sat on the sofa, listening with interest.
She didn't join the conversation.
She already knew everything that had happened at the divine assembly.
Apollo and Freya had worked together to trap Hestia.
Loki had seen it all.
She had expected Hestia to refuse.
But to her surprise, Hestia accepted without hesitation.
Based on her understanding of Hestia, she shouldn't have been so reckless.
Which meant Hestia must have gained confidence from something Izumi said.
But it was precisely that confidence that made Apollo suspicious.
In the end, it turned into a battle between gods.
Thinking of this, Loki smiled.
She was looking forward to it.
What kind of result would it bring?
That mysterious man must have some hidden trump card.
Looking at the Boosted Gear on her hand, Loki was certain.
Which meant Apollo might suffer a crushing defeat this time.
The thought made her even more excited.
"Let me see your true strength."
She laughed mischievously.
Watching Apollo fail would be extremely entertaining.
—
Meanwhile, while everyone else was discussing the upcoming war, the Hestia Familia remained calm.
Everyone was busy with their own work.
No one seemed worried at all.
Or rather, they didn't take Apollo seriously.
Izumi had defeated far stronger enemies.
Why would they fear Apollo?
Hestia was stunned by their reactions.
Were they just careless?
Or were they absolutely confident?
She couldn't understand.
But when she granted blessings to Megumi Katou and the others and saw their potential…
She fell silent.
Maybe her worries were unnecessary.
Every single one of them was monstrous.
No wonder none of them were concerned.
Although their status showed they were only Level 1, their skills were so abnormal that even Hestia was shocked.