Netori: Reborn as the Human Aphrodisiac

Because of that uncharacteristically hopeful vision, especially for a Naifem, the Queen Mother's Palace of Indulge mirrored the Garden of Eden.

Akamana, on the other end, saw the world as an organized slaughterhouse where beasts in human skin competed for wealth and glory. And so to enjoy her life to the fullest and impose her vision of the perfect reality, she had to become the apex predator.

Her Palace of Indulgence reflected that grim outlook, birthing a world of infinite darkness from which hordes of Dancing Corpses set out!

The moment these two Palaces of Indulgences clashed, spatial distortions ripped through the air, causing violent hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters to rock the pocket dimension.

In that chaos, no one noticed the Blood-Smelting Hammer rolling towards Mithras. Nagini multitasked, pouring heavy doses of dragon flames into both Mithras and Ishtar. At the same time, Cassandra fed her godson a bottle of love juice, prepared and stocked during the medicinal bath's events for scenarios like this one.

A scarlet gemstone flashed in the middle of Nagini's forehead, and as the illusory image of mighty serpents and draconic beasts rotated within, the Nagaraja's sclera became as bright as the morning's rays. Nagini's aura reached unprecedented heights, and she clenched her fists, causing two scarlet dragon-snake constructs to fly into Mithras and Ishtar's chests.

A furious blaze lit up the siblings, and to the Elektra sisters' surprise, the remaining locks on Ishtar's head neared a complete collapse, with only the final lock remaining. At the same time, the rollercoaster of sensations rocking Mithras from the inside calmed down.

The Violet Flame stabilized, and as the love juice healed his last injury, the Human Aphrodisiac stood up, at last back to peak form.

Drained through and through, Nagini turned pale, falling face-first. Mithras caught her immediately, patting his beloved familiar on the head.

"Thank you, Nagini, you've outdone yourself," Mithras whispered in the nagaraja's ear, and lowered Nagini to the ground before shifting towards Ishtar, aiming his right index at the final lock.

A ray of violet flames burst forth, shattering the final lock, and releasing Ishtar from Akamana's mantra. Her mesmerizing eyes regained their light, shining like constellations as tears dropped from her eyes.

"Hey, love. Welcome back," Mithras stepped forward, reaching for Ishtar's shoulders, and pulling her into his arms.

"Mithras…it's…it's really you? Not another illusion but…you? Mithras…Mithras! I missed you…I missed you so much." Ishtar burst into tears, holding onto her brother as if she feared he'd vanish the moment next.

"Of course you did. How could you not? I am as adorable as it gets, and as memorable as a legendary hero.

Bringing the clatter of music and the drumming of rhythm, I am the sun of your mornings, the star of your evenings, and the garter that keeps you fastened to the pleasures of life!

So, sweetheart, if you don't miss me, who can you miss? Mhm?" Mithras asked in a mischievous tone, and before his sister could form a reply, the Human Aphrodisiac stole a kiss, making poor Ishtar's cheeks flush red immediately.

"Glad to see you're as humble as ever."

"But of course sweetheart, it is only right and proper for a man to stay humble before a goddess. And so Ishtar, I humbly ask you…to let me spoil you for a lifetime," Mithras said in a sweet and honeyed tone, making poor Ishtar's face turn as red as a burning plate.

"Hum, hum!" Cassandra broke the moment, her brows furrowing in frustration while at her right, Elektra looked unbothered.

'They have "that" kind of relationship? And I'm not even surprised. How is this the least surprising thing of the day?

The Lord helps us all.' A part of Elektra wanted to think that nothing improper was going on. But a woman's eyes were like a mirror of her heart, and in Ishtar's sparkling eyes, both Cassandra and Elektra could see the bubbling love of a young girl.

The Astalon matriarch pulled in a deep breath, suppressing her accelerating heart rate and preventing her bad impulses from taking over.

"Ah yes, we will have all the time in the world to celebrate our reunion later. But first, we must make sure the Queen Mother wins this fight. It's starting well…" Acting as if he'd not noticed Cassandra's reaction, Mithras said, shifting back to the Dark Preceptors' confrontation.

Akamana's dancing corpse legions battled with the various creatures of Eden, wreaking havoc across this radiant world. Still, the Grand Priestess failed to gain ground. With neither Palace of Indulgence able to conquer the other.

Pairs of lilac, feline eyes appeared across the dark tides' surfaces, with smiling lips that reminisced of Akamana.

Aware that standard mantras and other Sid Manipulation tricks were all useless against Akamana, Vel'Asha planned to finish the fight with Divine Secrets and Inner Flames. But the Grand Priestess was also aware of that, so how could she give up her advantage and let the Queen Mother tip the scales?

The Sid Particles scattered across the atmosphere became formless blades that moved at the speed of light, hacking at the Queen Mother from all angles. But each time a Sid blade connected, Vel'Asha's body would turn into golden flames, ignoring the blow entirely.

One of the most advanced applications of Flame Manipulation: Impermanence!

By relying on that skill, the Queen Mother's body would take the properties of an Inner Flame, becoming an elemental force that couldn't be harmed by mantras and standard Sid-based skills.

"Sid is supreme," Akamana's voice boomed across the scene, followed by a simultaneous detonation of all Sid particles in the vicinity. A chain reaction of massive explosions took over, sweeping through the Queen Mother.

Realizing that this barrage of explosions could very well blow out her Inner Flames if she tried to use Impermanence, the Queen Mother joined her hands in an arcane sign, causing a flurry of blinding rays to erupt from her eyes.

[Thousand Seals of Glory]

[Burning Landscape]

A golden sandstorm formed with the Queen Mother at its center, spreading outward and forming a screen of golden dust. A dome of solar flames dropped from the heavens, further isolating the Queen Mother from Akamana's tricks.

And when flames and screen fused into one, the barrier became an isolated dimension in itself–with a myriad of flaming rings that rotated nonstop to counter the Grand Priestess at all possible angles.

Meanwhile, the Wheel of Fortune rotated above Vel'Asha's head, selecting the Calamity best suited to bring Akamana down.

But as the conflict reached a critical juncture, the Blood-Smelting Hammer lunged towards Mithras, aiming for his back! Thankfully, the Human Aphrodisiac kept the Sensory Secret active at all times, and with transcendent reflexes, Mithras stopped the hammer, holding the shaft in his hand.

Or so he thought at first!

Bright red flames erupted from the ancient weapon, embroiling Mithras in a blaze of blood fire!