The Belit Babili was three towers, the two shorter ones flanking the tallest one at the center, with the central spire standing as the second tallest building in all of Orario—the flanking towers tied for third. Rex made his way directly to the central tower, walking through the massive wooden doors into the tower.
Though the outer structure was round, each floor inside was a massive hexagonal balcony, stacked one atop another in a spiraling formation. From the ground floor, you could gaze straight up through the center, almost like staring up through a giant, layered doughnut.
At each corner of the hexagonal floors, clear circular tubes stretched from the ground to the upper floors, and inside these tubes were circular stone magic stone elevators that carried people up and down. Above the 20th floor, a ceiling blocked the view from the higher floors, which had the private quarters of the Ishtar Familia members.
'This place is nice...' Rex thought, tilting his head back to take it all in. Especially with the floors shaped like hexagons and not something boring like a square or circle.
After all, hexagons were the bestagons.
'I was told to head to the 20th floor waiting area where I should be received by the Vice-Captain, Tammuz,' he thought, scanning the bustling scene. 'But with how busy this place is, getting there by stairs or elevator won't be easy.'
All around, men mingled with their chosen companions, arm in arm, their laughter and murmured conversations blending into a low hum that filled the air. A sweet, heady scent—an intoxicating mix of perfume, wine, and incense—lingered heavily, making the air feel thick and warm.
He looked up again, contemplating. 'Jump straight up?' It wouldn't be too hard to leap 20 stories with the right force, and the red-tiled floor beneath him seemed sturdy enough to take the impact. But... would that be too bold?
Glancing around again, he narrowed his eyes. 'Now that I'm looking closely...' Using Scavenger, he scanned the people in sight. 'There are barely any male adventurers here...'
Most of them were rich men without Falna or low-level adventurers. He didn't spot a single high-class adventurer in the crowd. Odd, considering this was the home of the Ishtar Familia. That's when he remembered about the rumor of what would happen if a high class adventure entered this tower. One word,
Phryne.
"You must be Rex Magnus," a voice called out.
Rex turned his head to see a man walking barefooted toward him. He was rather handsome and stood about six feet tall, with brown skin like the Amazonesses, short dark brown hair, and black eyes. His lean yet muscular body was on full display due to only wearing loose brown harem pants, and a gleaming silver collar around his neck.
'Ah, he's Tammuz,' Rex thought after glancing at his status. Tammuz Belili, the only Level 4 in the Ishtar Familia and the vice-captain, second only to Phryne. 'Guess he was waiting.'
"Welcome to the Ishtar Familia home," Tammuz greeted in a plain, almost mechanical tone. Without missing a beat, he turned and said, "Please follow me to the meeting room."
'Straight to the point, huh,' Rex thought as he followed him. 'Didn't even offer a handshake.' He didn't care, but it was just odd 'customer service.'
Thankfully, with Tammuz at his side, none of the Amazonesses who had started eyeing Rex with predatory interest dared approach. They entered a private elevator and began ascending through the tower. After a few seconds of silent riding, they stepped out into one of the highest floors of the tower.
Leading him through the floor, Tammuz stopped at a set of double doors. He pushed one open and stepped aside, gesturing into the room with his other hand. "Wait here while I get Goddess Ishtar," he said.
Rex nodded silently and stepped into the room, the doors closing quietly behind him as Tammuz departed.
The room was rather large with beautiful tapestries decorating the walls and a rug in the middle of the room where a table stood on top, with two covered sofas on either side. Even though this area functioned as a meeting room, a wide bed equipped with a canopy took up most of one corner, and like every other room, it was mainly colored pink and red.
Walking to the window, Rex looked towards Babel, which was clearly visible because there were no other buildings that reached this height to obstruct his vision. He looked towards the top, staring for a few seconds, before drawing the curtains.
'I don't even know why Ishtar is so obsessed with babel.' Rex thought as he sat on one of the couches. 'It looks like a prison from down here.' Like a bird cage meant to trap the strongest familia god within the city. 'Well, this entire city is a cage so I guess that's no different.'
The walls around Orario aren't to keep people or monsters from coming in. It's to keep the monsters known as adventures from going out. It's a well known fact that enticing Orario as an adventure is super easy. But leaving? That's almost impossible especially for second and first class adventures.
He sat for a few seconds, before standing just as the door was pushed open.
The person who stepped in was an extremely beautiful woman who seemed to ooze temptation from every pore. The tall, shapely woman was accessorized with a golden crown, earrings, multiple ornate necklaces decorated on her cleavage, and bracelets around her wrists and ankles. A long pipe rested in her left hand, with each of these accessories worth more than most familias earned in a year.
The only piece of cloth that could truly be called clothing was a thin red skirt wrapped around her hips, tied at the side by a delicate cord. Nothing covered her voluptuous breasts except for a single red strap of cloth that only concealed her nipples. Her perfectly proportioned hourglass figure and silky smooth coppery skin were openly displayed, enough to make any man lose his mind.
Her beauty alone could bring a country to its knees—her divinity simply pushed it a step further. Truly, gender meant nothing when gazing at her.
If Rex compared her to Freya, the other goddess of beauty he had met, he would put them on equal footing. Each had their own unique charm—but he would never marry either. They were the 'holes of heaven' that countless miles of men had already run through.
...Not that he would decline if they asked him to spend a night with them.
"Rex Magnus," she said as she laid her bright amethyst eyes on him that made him feel like a deer in a headlight.
"Good evening, Goddess Ishtar." Rex bowed politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Mmm. Raise your head," she replied as she sauntered toward him, while Tammuz quietly closed the door, remaining outside. "I prefer to see the faces of my guests."
Rex straightened, meeting the goddess's vibrant gaze as she stopped in front of him, her sweet scent assaulting his nose in a not-unpleasant way. She raised her pipe, the mildly warm metal tilting his chin up, then tilting it to the sides, her eyes roaming over his face. She then lowered his pipe and circled around him slowly, much like Apollo did, before stopped in front of him.
"A flawless build, clear eyes… yet still untouched." she said with a slow, teasing grin as she leaned in slightly, her bright eyes gleaming with amusement. "Tell me, darling, do you save yourself for a mythic princess?"
'You can smell virginity?' he thought, but kept his expression composed as he answered, "I just don't like losing, Goddess."
"Perhaps I'll indulge you one night." she teased, as she walked past him, taking a seat on the couch opposite him. "Now, sit. Explain this 'urgent' meeting before I decide you merely wished to admire me." she said, taking a slow drag from her pipe.
Rex took a seat where he had been sitting before she entered. Now, just like they taught in school, one of the most important parts of an essay was the hook—the opening line meant to seize the reader's attention completely. So of course, Rex was going to use a hook to get hers.
"In about four days, three hours, and a few minutes," he said, raising his hand and pointing directly at her face, "you, Goddess Ishtar, are going to be sent back to heaven by Goddess Freya."
He spread his arms wide like an oracle. "A scene I saw with my very own eyes." he finished, meeting her eyes confidently. He wasn't lying. He had seen it—just not here, but back on Earth, through a TV screen.
At his words, Ishtar's smile froze as a slender plume of smoke curled and died between her parted lips, the pipe faltering from her mouth. She simply stared a him, then she smiled.
"Four days… three hours… and a few minutes?" She repeated the numbers in a soft, amused murmur. "My, what a precise prophecy."
She stood without hurry, hips swaying as she stood before Rex, the bowl of her pipe tapping Rex's chin once more. She once more raised his chin to look at her.
"Tell me…" Her smile returned. "Who whispered such nonsense into those clever ears? Some jealous little witch?" A low chuckle. "Or is this your idea of foreplay?"
And suddenly she roared, "Freya banish me?!" Her pipe whipped sideways, striking him across his jaw, and he moved his head to the side so it would not hurt her arm.
"You dare—" she seethed as she struck him again across the other jaw. "To come into my hall, breathe my air, and spit such filth in my face?!"
Rex slowly turned his head back to face her. "It's not filth," he said simply.
"Silence!" Ishtar screamed, her eyes glowing fiercely.
She wound her arm back and went for another hit, but Rex leaned his head back at the last second, causing her wide swing to miss. The force of her own momentum threw her slightly off balance, and she stumbled, catching herself just before she could fall.
"...?" Ishtar froze for a second, stunned, before slowly turning her glare toward Rex. He met her eyes without a shred of fear.
"Umm, how about... no," he said casually.
Her eyes widened in shock, then her face contorted into a rage.
"Silence yourself, insect!" she roared, her voice shaking the room. The fury in her was undeniable—all of it aimed squarely at Rex.
Rex simply shook his head. "I don't wanna,"
Her heart skip a beat involuntarily and she stepped back before she realized it, her pipe slipping from her fingers and clattering onto the floor. "You…" she trailed off, staring at Rex's plane face. 'Just what the hell is going on with this one...?'
The boy shouldn't have had a choice. Whether or not he shut his mouth, the very fact that Ishtar had taken an interest should have Charmed him on the spot. That was how it worked. Her beauty should overwhelm their eyes, her scent flood their nose, her voice melt their ears, her skin electrify theirs—no one could resist. She could enslave an army without even touching them.
Yet this boy resisted. Casually.
Not only was it baffling—it was downright humiliating. His childish rejection of her command burned her pride, making her a bit embarrassed.
"Why aren't you getting charmed?!" she roared in frustration.
"Uhhh..." Rex tilted his head slightly, resting a finger thoughtfully against his jaw. "Plot armor?"
A vein popped visibly on Ishtar's forehead. "Tammuz!" she shouted, spinning toward the door but no answer.
"Have you forgotten this room is soundproof?" He asked, looking towards the door. "He cant hear you."
Her shoulders stiffened as another wave of embarrassment hit her. Slowly, she turned to glare at him, her pride clawing for something to grab onto. She bit her lip hard, then smiled menacingly, her eyes glinting with challenge.
'Fine.' She thought.
If sight and sound weren't enough, she would use the other senses. She refused to believe a mortal man could resist her completely. Even gods with high resistance couldn't endure a full sensory assault.
She strode toward him confidently, but Rex was no longer sitting. He was by the window now, facing the drawn curtain with his arm folded behind his back.
"Let's talk, Goddess Ishtar," he said, as he looked over his shoulder to the goddess. Rex didn't enjoy treating gods like this since they were, like, gods? But it was necessary to burn her pride a little to stop her.
'Well, not stop.' He wasn't trying to stop her obsession—he knew better than that.
Ishtar would never willingly change her ways or abandon her obsession. She is deeply set in her pride and envy and she lacks the humility or open-mindedness needed to be talked out of her ambitions. Scavenger had confirmed it as extremely high quality.
No, he just needed to delay her attack. Buy enough time for Soma Familia to get their eggs out of her basket. After that, Ishtar could go get herself decimated by Freya for all he cared, while he picks off her Familia members and adds them to his.
Rex turned toward the stunned goddess, his voice calm. "Goddess Ishtar, you want to make Freya kneel before you, right?"
Ishtar clenched her teeth, her pride flaring. "Make a fool out of me, will you...?"
"No, not really," Rex said, shaking his head. "I also wish to take Freya down from her pedestal." He wasn't lying. To reach the pinnacle of Orario, stepping over both Loki and Freya was a path he would eventually have to take.
"However," he continued, "I don't think this is the right time for either of us to move against Freya."
Ishtar scoffed at his words. Seeking to regain control, she slipped off the scant scrap of cloth covering her chest, revealing her firm, perfectly rounded breasts with flawless, gleaming bronze skin. Her areolas were a subtle shade darker than the surrounding skin, with nipples that stood taut from the cool air.
"You think I'm foolish enough to attack without a plan?" she said, dropping her skirt.
Her full thighs, the subtle curve of her thigh gap, and the smooth, hairless skin of her mons pubis came into view, her entire body practically radiating an erotic aura. She stretched languidly, her fingers gliding over the lines of her toned abdomen, tracing the arcs of her hips, and finally settling on her round, firm backside.
Even without Charm magic, her beauty was affecting him as a man. But Rex quickly used mental compartmentalization to have his other minds handle all the sexual thoughts while his main mind stayed calm. This made it seem like he wasn't a single bit interested, which only fueled Ishtar's rage.
"Yes, I know about the Killing Stone," he calmly said. "Your plan to use it on that fox girl to grant your Familia an instant level-up magic."
Ishtar froze, her body stiffening as she locked eyes with him. "How... how do you know that?" Aisha wouldn't betray her. Tammuz either. They were too charmed to do something so foolish. Phryne, while she might be stupid, wanted that level-up herself, so she wouldn't risk it... "Hermes!" She concluded.
Rex waved a hand lazily. "Hermes didn't tell me anything." Before she could ask, he added, "I saw it. Just like I saw your death at Freya's hands."
The temperature in the room plummeted as Ishtar's face hardened, her rage sharpening into a cold, simmering fury. The thought of charming him vanished entirely from her mind; now, all she could see was his broken body, begging for forgiveness beneath her feet. Without a word, she spun sharply on her heel and marched toward the door to summon Tammuz.
Rex's eyes traced the elegant line of her back, the way her spine curved so naturally into the supple swell of her buttocks. Every step she took, every shift of her hips, and he had to put his hands in his pants to adjust his member.
"You should know," Rex said calmly, "Freya Familia has one Level 7, three Level 6s, and four Level 5s. Even if you leveled your entire Familia, you still wouldn't come close."
Ishtar kept walking toward the door without a pause.
"Freya wouldn't even need to lift a finger," he added, a bit more sharply. "Her executives alone would crush you. Not even Ottar is will be needed. You stand no chance, Ishtar."
She glanced back at him, her lips curling into a strained smirk. "Do you think that's all the plan I have?" she snapped. "Do you really believe I haven't thought beyond that? If so, you're a fool."
Rex smiled faintly. "I didn't see you use that 'second plan' before your Familia was decimated and you were sent back to heaven by Freya."
"Stop mentioning that bitch's name!" she roared, her face darkening with rage.
Ignoring her, he continued, "Meaning it either didn't work or it got disrupted," In a blink, he disappeared from the window, reappearing in front of the door, blocking hand as she reached for the door knob.
"Think, Ishtar. Think," he said evenly. "Do you really believe you can take out Freya the way you are now? Do you think she would just sit back and let you tear down her empire? If you do, then you're a fool—"
Ishtar lunged at him with a furious scream, her hands locking around his neck. She squeezed with all her strength, veins bulging along her neck and forehead like cords under the skin. Her face twisted into something monstrous, her teeth bared, eyes wild with rage, as her fingers dug hard into his skin.
But Rex was a Level 5. Her grip, for all its fury, was like a child throwing a tantrum.
"I have said this before, Goddess Ishtar," Rex continued calmly, his voice normal even with her 'strangling' him. He met her rage-filled eyes without fear. "I also want to take down Freya. But that will have to wait."
Her grip trembled slightly, the sheer absurdity of his calmness prying at her.
"You could say I am currently a Level 5." Rex said, raising his right palm slowly, "It won't be long before I reach Level 6. And by then, my skills and abilities will put me on par with—or even above—Ottar, even under his bestial transformation."
He felt her grip loosen just slightly as her rage faltered. He was saying the truth. She knew that.
"Then," he said, locking eyes with her as he gently placed his palm against her cheek, "I'll have the power to take down Ottar and with your help, we could topple that 'bitch' from her throne... and place you on it."
He caressed her cheek lightly, like a lover soothing a furious partner. "So what do you say, Goddess?" he murmured, voice low. "Why don't you wait for me?"
His thumb tenderly brushed along her smooth skin.
"What's five more months?" he said. "You've waited years. You don't have to throw everything away now. Just a little longer—and we can accomplish our dream together."
[Authors Note: How was the chapter? Took me a while to write it, especially because of Ishtar's personality and shit. And no, I am not planning on making Ishtar a love interest. Haven't even thought of anyone as a love interest for the MC.
Fun fact, in the beginning I was actually thinking of making Riveria Ljos Alf the Female Lead, but after a while I just gave up on that idea. I don't see it working out at all. Anyway, this female lead stuff will only become an interest to him later on, maybe before then MC will lose his virginity? Well, just a thought.
Thanks for reading this chapter and have a good day~o(*￣▽￣*)ブ]