Danmaku, my skills refresh weekly.

"Hmm?" Astraea's expression was complicated.

She thought that Charles would reveal his strength and turn the tide, so that she could confront Ryu and make good use of this opportunity to warm up their relationship. But she didn't expect that he would have other methods.

Is this child special?

"She is the key to salvation!" Charles sighed, reluctantly pushing Chun Ji into the goddess's arms.

"Gurgle—" Chun Ji was instantly enveloped by a protective cushion filled with maternal love, and a sense of happiness spread throughout her body.

Hehe~~……It tastes like mother's~~~

Her mother died in childbirth when she was very young, so she had never experienced this feeling before and was momentarily lost in it.

Ciel, oblivious to the little fox's flushed face, emphasized:

"You got off easy. Remember, if you want to win, do as I say!"

As he spoke, he stepped forward, pulled out the whip wrapped around his hand, swung it forcefully, grabbed a guard by the neck, and delivered a powerful knee strike, instantly defeating the opponent.

A melee breaks out.

Astraea, protected behind Ciel, had a flicker in her eyes. She stroked the little fox's head and murmured softly, "The key to salvation...?"

Astrea knelt down and gently took Haruhime's hand: "Hey, your name is Haruhime, right?"

"Hi-ee~~~"

"Will you be my family, my child?"

“I…do you. Mother Astraea.” Haruhime nestled into Astraea’s arms again, her face beaming with happiness.

Astrea seemed to have sensed Haruhime's blank-slate mind.

Compared to Arisha, who also joined the clan at a young age, Haruhime, a sheltered young lady, is probably much younger in spirit than she appears.

After obtaining Haruhime's consent, Astraea chuckled as she picked up a weapon, gently cut her finger, and divine blood fell onto Haruhime's back, revealing a radiant light of grace.

When Astrea saw the magic activated on Haruhime's back, her pupils trembled violently.

"This... is truly an extraordinary talent."

Astraea glanced at Ciel with a complicated expression: "Did Jester tell you this too?"

Charles glanced back, his face filled with regret, frustration, and a sigh of remorse.

Astraea rolled her eyes. What are you pretending for?

Sensing Haruhime's naive worldview and way of dealing with the world, Astraea guessed that Ciel had always wanted her to take over Haruhime's position.

This child is too immature and not suitable to stay with Ciel. He doesn't have the extra time to raise cubs, so... I've become a babysitter?

"Was this also part of your plan?"

Charles gave him an expression that said, "What are you talking about? I don't understand."

Now is not the time to dwell on these things.

Astraea taught Haruhime the magic incantation word by word.

The brave little fox, clenching its tiny paws, is babbling away...

"Grow bigger... with its power and its actions, countless treasures and countless wishes."

"Grow bigger...swallow this body of divine delicacies and be bestowed with the golden light of the gods."

"Grow bigger..."

Golden light burst forth from Chun Ji's small body, condensing into a halo in the air before finally enveloping the beaten-up Ryu.

Ryu felt a surge of power within her body. She turned her head to dodge the blow from the iron rod, followed by a fierce high kick that struck Joker squarely in the chin.

"What?!" The overwhelming power brought by the level upgrade easily sent Joker flying.

The instant his body floated into the air, Joker felt a cold glint flash before his eyes.

The pursuing double-cut kasaya slash tore open the Joker's mask, leaving an eight-centimeter wound on his chest, from which blood spurted out.

"Cough cough—" Joker struggled to cover his chest and stumbled backward.

Ryu's gaze sharpened as she raised her sword, pointing it directly at Joker's nose, her expression complex: "You...you're not Joker at all! Tell me, who are you?!"

"What...what are you saying? Don't think you can talk nonsense just because you beat me. Who else could I be but the Joker?!" Under the Joker's mask was a slightly weathered face, around 40 years old, with hideous scars on the upper half of his face.

"What evidence do you have to prove I'm not the Joker!"

Ryu's gaze was icy, and her calm words shattered the imitator's spirit: "Weak...you're too weak!"

Chapter 286 Letting them go?

"Weak? I'm level 4! How could I be weak?!" the imitator roared, "I am the Joker! You can't kill me! Killing me will..."

He'd heard that the Joker was only level 3!

Ryuu showed a look of disgust: "It's precisely because you're not the Joker that I'm not killing you. He killed so many people; if it were him, I would have..."

Hesitation was evident in the elf's innocent eyes.

If it were the Joker... would she take action?

"I've already lost everything," Liu said, his tone shifting slightly.

Regardless of whether the Joker's actions are good or evil, his magnanimity and audacity—looking down on everything and not even putting gods in his eyes—are something this little punk in front of him can never imitate.

His effortless mastery of magic and his combat skills, which far surpassed Kaguya's, were completely beyond his reach.

Ryu was certain that if Joker had been on the city's side, the final battle against the Conqueror might not have been so difficult.

"Ah..." The imitator's eyes widened, his mind stuck in a dead end.

Before he could refute anything, Liu Yi slashed him unconscious with the back of his sword.

While the [Treasure Hammer] was still active, he transformed into a gust of wind and took down all the guards who were entangled with Ciel in a single breath.

Ted collapsed to the ground in fear, his words trembling: "How could the Joker lose? How could that Joker lose?"

Charles kicked the fat pig away, cursing, "You idiot, don't you understand yet? You hired a fake!"

Ryu and Astrea exchanged a glance, then, with Haruhime in tow, they stepped over the dwarf Ted and rushed into the room behind the casino.

As one by one, ragged girls covered in whip marks and bruises were released from the secret basement, Ted collapsed to the ground, repeatedly kowtowing to Astraea.

"I...I won't dare to do it again, please spare me. I only bought some slaves, I didn't do anything wrong..."

Charles stomped on the fat pig's face, crushing it into a meat pie: "Weren't you just trying to toy with my female companion? What happened to you now?"

Ted cried out in pain, tears streaming down his face: "I'm sorry, I was just out of my mind. Please forgive me, I beg you, I will change. From today onwards, I want to be a good person."

"Oh, why are you acting so cowardly? I still prefer your arrogant self from just now. Please come back to normal."

"sorry Sorry."

Seeing the subservient behavior of her kin, Hecate, the goddess who was standing in the corner of the hall, twirled over, playing with dice and swaying her serpentine waist.

She looked at Haruhime, who was now nestled in Astrea's arms, with amusement, and chuckled softly:

"You've won, Astrea. You've achieved your goal. I'll leave the city with my clan, and this farce ends here."

Charles was taken aback. "No, we already agreed, and now you're telling me to release them? What if we lose? Will you release them or not?"

Astraea explained, "Hecate owns more than just this one casino; his influence extends to various countries and is quite complex. The city won't easily offend such an international faction."

Charles felt that the two gods must have had some kind of relationship, which was why Astraea was so magnanimous.

As if speaking to Charles, Astraea said gently, "As long as you refrain from doing evil again and confess your crimes to the guild, we can forgive you, child."

Seeing this incredibly familiar scene, Charles frowned deeply.

In a dusty corner of memory, a piece of information flashes by.

Terry Serbantis.

A few years later, this dwarf will use this name to kill the managers sent by the entertainment city, take their place, and resume his trafficking and abduction of beautiful women. At that time, his casino will no longer be this small operation, but the city's largest gambling den, "Golden Continent."

You could say he's incorrigible.

Ciel didn't want to let such a villain get away with it.

As for his previous schemes against Liu, his gambling debts, and his attempt to steal her fox, the 'pure and innocent' Xia Er didn't care at all and would never write it down in his notebook or mark it as 'a path to death' with a serious face!

……

The doors to the underground casino were reopened, and the Ganesha's clan, who had gathered outside upon hearing the commotion, quickly brought the situation under control.

They immediately shut down the casino and confiscated the illegal proceeds.

"No, that fifty million was the money I advanced for solving the case. At least give me back that money." Xia Er argued with Xia Keti, gritting his teeth, without mentioning that he had arbitrarily multiplied the principal tenfold.

"Also, Ryu sacrificed her high-end dress, worth ten million falies, to defeat the criminal organization!"

"Gu..."

When Ciel called him by his name, the useless elf blushed again.

Astraea teased, "What happened between you two in the VIP room?"

"No...it's nothing."

"You're lying, Ryu!"

"That, that, that, that was all just a charade to shatter evil! Don't take it seriously!"

"Oh, really? Should I go ask Ciel?"

"Whoa~~~ Big sheep!"

At this moment, Yamato, who had been brought by Adi, ran into Haruhime's arms, and the two children, who had been stranded in a foreign land, embraced and wept bitterly.

“Right, right, Adi. What will happen to those women in the end?” Ryu asked, changing the subject as he watched the gods and their retinue being led back to the prison by the Ganesha Familia.

Adi was puzzled: "They'll probably escort them back to their hometown. But there aren't enough people in the city to do that, and they probably won't trust those merchants anymore. They'll probably settle down in Orario eventually."

"The city is currently expanding its population and workforce, and there are many benefits available."