Chapter 427: Shelter of the Lunar Cocoon

The instant Artemis was impaled, a boundless surge of golden divine power erupted from the center of the crystal, sweeping across Antares's entire body.

"Hiss... ah..."

Antares's roar warped into a pathetic wail. Jagged, golden fissures rapidly spread from the crystal, webbing across its entire carapace.

Finally, under Hermes's dim, downcast gaze and Furina's silently falling tears, the massive, terrifying monster shattered into a sky full of fragments before dissolving into dust.

As the fragments scattered like ash in the wind, the platinum-white flames slowly receded. Aiden deactivated his Godification State, returning to normal. He stumbled slightly, reaching out through the dancing golden motes of light to steadily catch the body tumbling limply from the shattered crystal.

He swept the Goddess of the Moon, Artemis, into his arms, cradling her gently against his chest.

Artemis slowly opened her eyes. The struggle and agony were gone from her beautiful gaze, replaced only by a profound, relieved serenity. She looked up at Aiden's face and offered a weak but thoroughly content smile.

"You really... did it. Thank you for... setting me free."

"Lady Artemis!"

Just then, a group of girls in hunting gear rushed out from the far side of the forest. It was the members of the Artemis Familia.

When they saw their goddess cradled in Aiden's arms—her chest pierced, her life force rapidly draining away—every single one of them broke down.

"No—!"

Tears streaming down their faces, they rushed forward in absolute agony, completely surrounding Aiden and Artemis. Furina and the others walked over as well, their faces painted with heavy sorrow. The members of the Hermes Familia simply lowered their heads in grim silence.

"My children... I'm sorry, I... won't be able to stay with you anymore."

Artemis looked at her weeping children, a gentle, maternal smile gracing her lips. "Lante, don't cry. You all have to... live well."

She struggled to turn her head toward Furina. "Focalors... can I ask a favor of you? Please, take my children in. I'm begging you."

When a patron deity returns to Heaven, their Familia's Falna is sealed. The only way to unseal it is to convert to another Familia. While some exceptional individuals could break the seal on their own, such people were incredibly rare.

"I promise you." Furina nodded, making the solemn vow.

Having secured the promise, Artemis turned her attention back to Aiden. She reached up with a hand that was slowly turning transparent, gently caressing his cheek. Her eyes were brimming with sorrow and a deep reluctance to part.

"I'm sorry for making you bear the weight of all this."

"But... did you know? When gods die, we are reborn in Heaven... even if that takes ten thousand years."

Her voice grew fainter, yet her eyes shone brighter than ever.

"But I will find you. And when I do... let's fall in love. Let's have a romance... that lasts for ten thousand years."

With those final words, the motes of light leaving her body accelerated. She was on the verge of completely fading away, and the grief in the air reached its absolute peak.

However, a highly peculiar expression crossed Aiden's face.

He reached up and grabbed Artemis's dissipating hand.

""No need to wait ten thousand years," he said. "Let's start right now."

"Huh?"

Artemis blinked in sheer confusion. The suffocating atmosphere of grief abruptly stalled, and everyone froze in their tracks.

"I told you, I'm going to put an end to this in my own style." Aiden's tone was calm and absolute. "So, I'm not allowing you to die. Castorice, if you would."

Castorice, who had been standing quietly in the back, nodded. She reached out and activated her skill.

[Shelter of the Lunar Cocoon]

A soft, pure purple light—as pristine as moonlight itself—instantly washed over Artemis.

Under everyone's utterly shocked gazes, the fatal wound carved into her chest by the god-slaying spear knit back together at a visible speed, leaving not even a faint scar behind. The dissipating motes of light reversed their flow, tumbling back into her body to rebuild her solid, physical form.

"Eh???"

Artemis looked down at her completely flawless chest, completely and utterly baffled.

"Oh, right! I completely forgot Castorice has that skill!" Furina clapped her hands together, crying out in realization.

Robin and the others instantly caught on as well.

Castorice's skill, [Shelter of the Lunar Cocoon], allowed her to resurrect a designated "teammate" once a day. Without a doubt, Artemis, having fought alongside them, had been recognized as an ally. So, Artemis had died for a brief second... only to be immediately brought back to life.

Upon hearing Robin's explanation, the girls of the Artemis Familia stood dumbfounded for a few seconds before erupting into earth-shaking cheers. They wept tears of absolute joy, hugging each other and jumping up and down.

"Hahahaha, I see, I see! So you can do that too! Hahahaha, this is the lower world! This is the beauty of the unknown! Oh, I am so incredibly moved!"

Hermes clutched his forehead and burst into maniacal laughter, doubling over as tears of mirth streamed from his eyes.

"You... you planned this all along?!"

Artemis finally snapped out of her daze. She stared at Aiden, her beautiful face instantly flushing so red it looked ready to bleed. The moment she remembered the incredibly embarrassing things she had just confessed—something about a "ten-thousand-year romance"—she wanted nothing more than to find a hole to crawl into and die all over again.

"You made your choice," Aiden chuckled. "I just acted in my own style."

"You... big jerk."

Artemis's expression shifted through a dozen different emotions before finally settling into a helpless sigh.

"I feel pretty annoyed about getting completely played, but this outcome... it's not bad." Asfi adjusted her glasses and sighed. They had wasted their tears, but since everyone was alive and well, it was fine.

"Miss Castorice, thank you!"

The Artemis Familia girls finally identified the true "hero" of the hour. Squealing in delight, they swarmed forward, scooped a panicking Castorice off her feet, and triumphantly tossed her high into the air.

"My Lord, save me!" Castorice flailed wildly, shouting for help mid-air.

Aiden merely watched with a warm smile. Because of her curse-blocking clothes, Castorice no longer had to fear hurting anyone with her touch, but she still habitually kept her distance from people. It had become ingrained in her. Yet right now, despite her outward panic and cries for help, Aiden knew she was genuinely happy inside.

Not just because she had saved Artemis, but because she was experiencing the warmth of genuine connection, one that completely transcended mere physical touch.

As Antares's colossal body turned to dust, the second moon suspended high in the night sky—constructed entirely of divine power—shattered like a fragile bubble.

──────── ⋆⋅❖⋅⋆ ────────