Inner Voice: All Heroines Hear My Inner Voice Chapter 956 956: The hero's arrival

Just as Eiji revealed his ability to resurrect the deceased, a notable stir occurred.

Within the bustling kitchen of the Hostess of Fertility, an elf with dyed green hair froze mid-action, her spatula suspended in the air.

Flashes of the past surged back—memories of her cherished comrades, who she considered family, alive and well. This was in stark contrast to the grim reality of their demise, a consequence of a wicked scheme by a radical organization known as Evilus, which tragically claimed all their lives save for her own.

Though years had passed and vengeance had been exacted upon Evilus, a deep-seated regret remained with Ryuu. She carried the heavy burden of believing her friends' deaths were her fault.

If only she had possessed greater strength back then, perhaps she could have been a help rather than a liability, potentially altering the tragic outcome.

'Alise, Kaguya, Lyra... and the others... Could Eiji possibly bring them back to life too?'

This potent thought took root, igniting a fervent excitement within her, much like Asfi experienced, her heart pounding rapidly.

Her usually stoic countenance twisted into one of profound shock, oblivious to the acrid scent of burning meat that began to permeate the air, until Anya's voice cut through her daze.

"Ryuu, hurry and switch off the flame, the meat is burning, nyaa!"

"Ah—"

With a gasp, Ryuu complied, turning to Anya with an apologetic smile as she sighed,

After more than ten minutes transpired, Eiji reluctantly withdrew his lips from Haruhime's. A delicate strand of saliva connected them briefly before breaking.

Haruhime's face remained flushed, her gaze fixed upon Eiji with a fervent intensity.

Had the machinations of Artemis not urgently called for attention, Eiji would have gladly spent more time exploring Haruhime's other charms.

Regarding his directive for her to level up within the dungeon, Haruhime readily agreed, her sole excitement stemming from the prospect of enhancing her value in her husband's eyes through accelerated growth.

Sensing the woman in his embrace contemplating her own worth, Eiji decided against trying to bolster her confidence further. He knew that true self-assurance would blossom once she truly understood her own latent strength.

Especially with the assistance of his unique Falna System, her rate of progression would undoubtedly eclipse that of any ordinary adventurer.

After offering his farewells to his companions, including Demeter and Hephaestus, who seemed inclined to prolong their stay at his familia's residence,

he initiated a teleportation to a forest situated a considerable distance from Orario. According to Rasiel's intel, his intended destination lay even further afield, but a thought occurred to him.

"Miss System, surely I possess one or two rewards that remain unchecked, correct?"

[Precisely one remains unchecked.]

Eiji found the System to be rather stingy, recalling that he had altered more than a single storyline since his last reward inspection.

Despite all his efforts, to receive but a solitary reward seemed rather meager.

[Do you wish to claim it, or not?]

"I most certainly do. Miss System, please refrain from issuing threats to your host."

[I am not threatening you...]

What a ridiculous statement!

Judging by your response, you are offering me the option to discard my reward, much like you have done on numerous occasions in the past.

Eiji felt he understood Miss System as intimately as he would a wife with whom he had shared many years of his life.

Aware of her host's amusement, Miss System knew he was teasing and, as if to punctuate her exasperation, rolled her eyes.

[Ding! It has been detected that the host has altered the plot of "Danmachi".]

[A 26.7% alteration has been successfully achieved by compelling Ishtar to retreat to the heavens and dismantling her familia.]

Reflecting on this, Eiji considered whether he had perhaps been too lenient.

He remembered that Freya was originally destined to be the one to confront Ishtar in such a manner. However, in this particular timeline, he had intervened, as Ishtar's actions had personally offended him.

Nevertheless, Ishtar had survived, her soul retreating to her original divine form in the heavens.

If that goddess truly harbored remorse for her deeds, that would be commendable. But the reality?

Rasiel had informed him that Ishtar harbored a deep-seated grudge and believed that, from her celestial sanctuary where she could wield her Arcanum, she could subjugate him into becoming her sex slave. She simply lacked the opportune moment to enact this plan.

*Snap!*

Eiji snapped his fingers. Instantly, Ishtar, who had been reveling in her divine pleasures, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Wh-What is happening? Why am I... Pufft!"

She continued to spew blood until her countenance turned alarmingly pale, her ethereal beauty withered, and her form became gaunt.

Ishtar toppled from her celestial throne, throwing the surrounding divine beings into disarray. Swiftly, news of her demise permeated the heavens!

"Miss System, proceed."

In truth, during their prior confrontation, Eiji had subtly infused the 'world snake venom' into the ambient air, mingling it with his Reiatsu. This accounted for why, even after Ishtar's soul had transmigrated, the potent toxin he administered remained within her, capable of inflicting damage upon her very soul.

As long as he willed it, he could still extinguish her life from the mortal realm, precisely as he was doing at this moment.

[Correction: You have indeed slain Ishtar, eliciting even greater apprehension from Ouranos. Upon receiving intelligence of Ishtar's demise in the heavens, he deduced your involvement.]

"The elder god's conjecture is accurate," Eiji remarked coolly, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding forest panorama.

He remained indifferent to whether Ouranos or any other deity suspected him of orchestrating Ishtar's death.

After all, what recourse could they possibly possess against him?

[You have also claimed the virginity of the Goddess of Smithing, Hephaestus. Welf is truly unfortunate.]

[Furthermore, one of the heroines, Ryuu, has developed a heightened interest in you, stemming from the possibility that you might be able to resurrect her fallen comrades. Currently, she is contemplating a pretext to establish contact.]

The corners of Eiji's lips curved upwards further. He eagerly anticipated witnessing how Ryuu would endeavor to persuade him to revive her friends.

He had no intention of undertaking such a feat without receiving something in return.

Speaking of Ryuu's companions, a number of them possessed striking beauty, their appearances rivaling those of many heroines.

He was determined not to let Ryuu know that, even without any enticement, he would still undertake the revival of the women belonging to the Astraea Familia.

However, this was not the opportune moment. Picturing the reserved elf actively pursuing him filled Eiji with a sense of excitement.

Protagonist Bell was on the verge of losing yet another potential contender for his harem. But perhaps this was inconsequential, as his heart was solely devoted to Ais, was it not? He wasn't as insatiably greedy as Eiji himself.

"Fear not, Bell. I shall endeavor to eliminate any hindrances that obstruct the path of your affections."

"Hold on, I recall manipulating the threads of fate between him and Ais... No, what I meant was, I'll ensure you and Apollo end up together, Bell!"

System Miss: This guy is something else...

[Ding! Congratulations host, you've acquired Made in Heaven.]

"What?" Eiji pondered.

The name of this reward was entirely new to him. Even so, the name itself suggested something significant.

Upon reviewing its description, he was taken aback.

"It's a Stand!"

More specifically, Made in Heaven is the Stand wielded by Enrico Pucci, the primary antagonist of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 6: Stone Ocean. This Stand is widely regarded as one of the most formidable in the entire JoJo series due to its unparalleled ability to manipulate universal laws.

For instance, with this Stand...

Eiji can accelerate time to the point of singularity, effectively resetting the entire universe. During this process, time across all realities converges towards new conclusions and fresh beginnings, fostering a harmonized destiny for all existence.

Naturally, he had no intention of employing it to such an extreme; he wasn't a lunatic like Enrico. Such an action would negate all the changes he had meticulously crafted across every universe he had traversed.

His women also ran the risk of being replaced by their alternate selves, their memories wiped, mirroring the fate of many in the JoJo series.

However, if his objective was to synchronize the flow of time across each visited universe, causing them to progress in unison...

That seemed sufficiently safe.

"I'll likely do it later, as the temporal discrepancies between each universe actually work in my favor," he mused.

For example, while he had spent a week in the Danmachi universe, only four days had elapsed in the Draconic Deus universe. A mere few days had passed in the other visited universes as well.

"Alright, time to depart."

...

The scene was drastically different from the daytime in Orario.

Due to its remote location and the time differences across various regions, dim moonlight filtered through the gaps in the ancient temple ruins deep within the forest. It illuminated the swirling dust kicked up by violent tremors emanating from deep beneath the earth.

There stood the colossal scorpion monster, Antares, in all its terrifying glory. Its obsidian carapace radiated a palpable, bloodthirsty aura.

"GROAAAAAR!!!"

It bellowed, its gaze fixed upon a group of individuals, led by a woman with flowing blue hair, her hand gripping a bow.

This woman was the Goddess Artemis, one of the renowned Virgin Goddesses of Heaven.

Her beauty was undeniable, so exquisite that Eiji had momentarily considered her a potential future wife.

Artemis stood resolutely before her devoted followers, her silver bow drawn taut. Yet, her hands trembled slightly, not from fear, but from the dawning realization that Eiji's unspoken thoughts held a disturbing truth.

Having learned that she and her Familia members were destined to perish at Antares's claws, she was understandably reluctant to engage.

But...!

If she refrained from acting, the monster would inevitably slaughter the inhabitants of the nearby settlement sooner or later.

As a goddess with an inherently heroic disposition, she could not stand idly by while Antares, a potential harbinger of mass death, posed such a dire threat.

Thus, here she stood with her Familia members.

She was undertaking a reckless endeavor, attempting to vanquish Antares, and it seemed she had overestimated their capabilities.

"Fall back! Keep them away from the tail!" Artemis commanded, her voice reverberating amidst the crumbling stone pillars.

Rethusa, the captain of the Artemis Familia, gasped for air, a scratch marring her shoulder. "Artemis-sama! Our attacks couldn't pierce its hide! Our weapons actually splintered upon impact with its shell!"

For context, Rethusa was a Level 3 adventurer, the most formidable among the other members. Artemis had clearly placed misplaced confidence in her Familia's strength.

Antares unleashed a deafening, high-pitched roar. Its crystalline tail pulsed with a dark purple luminescence, and then, with blinding speed, a torrent of energy seared through the pillar adjacent to them.

They scrambled frantically to evade the falling debris.

"It's too powerful..." Artemis whispered, her gaze locked onto the pulsating energy core within the monster's chest. This housed the magic stone, but reaching it was proving incredibly difficult. "This is not a monster we can defeat with conventional tactics. It draws strength from the very energy of this land to achieve such power."

"But Artemis-sama, if we retreat, this monster will reach the settlement!" a Level 2 hunter exclaimed, his voice laced with desperation.

Artemis turned, surveying each of her weary Familia members. As the goddess of hunters, she possessed an innate understanding of when to press the attack and when to prioritize survival. "Listen closely! We are not retreating; we are luring Antares into an open area. Maintain a dispersed formation! Do not bunch up!"

"Rethusa, move to the left and create a visual diversion with smoke bombs! The rest of you, follow me! We will draw them out, seeking an opening while executing a staggered withdrawal!"

She issued her orders with stern resolve.

Antares launched another assault, its colossal claws raking the earth, causing it to fracture. Artemis responded by firing three arrows simultaneously, aiming to divert the monstrous entity from her familia's members.

"Now, flee! Do not falter until you reach the forest's edge!"

As her familia members began to disperse, Artemis paused momentarily, her gaze fixed on the increasingly ferocious Antares with a growing sense of unease.

In truth, her words were a deception.

Just as Eiji had surmised, she had contemplated a self-sacrifice to ensure her familia's survival.

She continued to draw Antares' aggression, hoping it would pursue her alone. However, she reacted too slowly when the beast unleashed an energy projectile directly at her back.

'I pray that Rethusa, Lante, and the others have already gained sufficient distance.'

Artemis offered a wry smile, believing she would perish without the opportunity to employ her Arcanum.

Despite knowing that doing so would violate divine laws and necessitate her return to the heavens.

She harbored no regrets about such a consequence.

*BOOM!!*

The energy blast from Antares impacted something, but instead of the expected cataclysmic explosion, a dull thud echoed. A dense cloud of dust obscured the scene.

As the dust gradually dissipated, Artemis's eyes widened in sheer astonishment. Standing before her was a man with snow-white hair, his posture erect, clad in a white robe that billowed in the forceful wind.

This man was somehow repelling Antares' energy blast through means she couldn't comprehend. When he turned towards her, Artemis, typically averse to men, found herself involuntarily blushing.

How could she not?

His countenance was strikingly handsome, defined by a chiseled jawline and golden eyes that held an unfathomable depth, reminiscent of a deity newly descended from the celestial realm.

He surpassed any man she had ever encountered in sheer attractiveness.

Yet, he couldn't possibly be a god, could he?

In the mortal realm, all deities were forbidden from wielding their divine powers carelessly.

"You fought admirably," Eiji declared, a smile gracing his lips. Beneath the moonlight, his profile and attire, which now bore a striking resemblance to Phainon from HSR, only enhanced his heroic aura.

What woman wouldn't be captivated by him, especially arising at such a critical juncture and exuding such an appearance?

Yare-yare.