The city in front of them looked very different from Grozh. While Grozh was full of energy and life, this place felt slow and heavy with a quiet stillness.

The streets were sparsely populated, and the few people they saw moved with slow, lazy steps. Merchants leaned lazily against their stalls, barely bothering to call out their wares. Children lounged in the shade, too listless to play, while stray animals stretched lazily in the heat.

Adrian reined in his horse as the group approached the city gates. "This is it," he said, glancing at the map. "The next temple is here."

Lilith snorted, sweeping her gaze over the sluggish scene. "I don't think we have to guess whose temple is here."

The remaining four goddesses—Medea, Abyss, Ava, and Eris—spoke in unison, their tones laced with exasperation. "Hestia."

"That lazy…" Medea muttered, trailing off as she rolled her eyes.

"Well... welcome to Lazy town," Eris announced.

As they rode through the city, the group drew attention—not because they were unusual, but because they seemed to be the only ones with any energy.

A vendor half-heartedly waved a fan to cool herself, her movements slow as if every ounce of effort was a big challenge. "Fresh fruit… if you want it…" she mumbled, though she didn't even bother to look at the group.

"This is pathetic," Eris remarked, her voice dripping with disdain. "How do these people survive?"

"Barely, it seems," Ava replied, wrinkling her nose at the sight of a man who appeared to have fallen asleep while cleaning his shoes.

Adrian ignored the commentary, his focus fixed on the map. He stopped near the center of the city, where the streets opened up into a broad plaza.

The spot on the map marked the temple's location, but as they dismounted and spread out, all they found was an empty square with cracked cobblestones.

"This can't be right," Adrian muttered, scanning the area. There were no signs of a structure, no markings, no indication of a hidden entrance.

"Maybe it's underground," Medea suggested, stepping closer.

Lilith groaned, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Oh, wonderful. Just what I wanted. A crawl through some musty old catacombs."

The mention of catacombs caught the attention of a nearby fruit vendor, who lifted his head lazily. "Catacombs?" he asked, his voice slurred with indifference. "Yeah, there's an entrance over there somewhere." He waved vaguely toward the edge of the square before slumping back into his chair.

Adrian led the group to where the man had gestured, his sharp eyes scanning the area. It didn't take long to find it—a heavy metal grate, rusted with age, set into the ground near an overgrown patch of grass.

He knelt, tugging at the grate until it creaked open, revealing a dark, narrow staircase descending into the earth.

"Well, that's inviting," Lilith remarked dryly.

"Fantastic," Eris drawled sarcastically. "Crawling through tunnels in this heat. Exactly what I signed up for."

Before anyone could respond, the sound of slow, deliberate clapping echoed from the shadows. Five figures emerged, dressed in dark leathers and masks. Each assassin moved with lethal precision, their weapons gleaming in the sunlight.

"We heard you were coming," one of them said in a voice smooth and mocking tone. "Figured we'd save ourselves the trouble of hunting you down."

Adrian drew his sword, his fiery chains hissing to life as they coiled around his arm. "You should have stayed hidden."

The assassin laughed, twirling his dagger. "Oh, we like a challenge. Let's see if you're as good as they say."

Without warning, the assassins surged forward in a coordinated and precise movement. Adrian met the nearest one head-on, his chains snapping toward the man's blade.

Medea stepped into the fray with a burst of black flame, her sword cleaving through one of the assassins' daggers. The man dodged and quickly hit back, but Medea twisted her blade and forced him back.

Eris laughed as she danced around her opponent, her dagger flashing like lightning. "You're slow," she taunted, ducking under a wild swing before slashing across the man's arm. "Come on, give me something to work with!"

Ava stayed toward the back, her golden staff glowing as she cast protective wards around the group. "Don't get too cocky!" she called out. "I can't cover you all if you go too far."

Abyss fought with brutal efficiency, her sword clashing with an assassin's blade. Her blows were hard and constant, forcing her opponent to back away one step at a time. "You picked the wrong fight," she growled, her violet eyes blazing.

Lilith, meanwhile, used her whip with deadly precision, the weapon snapping around an assassin's ankle and yanking him off his feet. She grinned as she advanced on him. "Got you now."

Selene stood at the edge of the battle, her dagger raised in a defensive stance. Her silver eyes darted between her companions, her heart pounding as the chaos unfolded.

She wanted to help, but uncertainty kept her rooted in place.

Adrian faced off against a particularly skilled assassin whose movements were fast and unpredictable. The man's twin blades struck with alarming speed, forcing Adrian to rely on both his sword and his chains to block and counter.

"You're not bad," the assassin said with amusement. "But not good enough."

Adrian didn't respond, his focus razor-sharp as he deflected another flurry of strikes. His chains lashed out, forcing the man to dodge, but the assassin's counterattack came dangerously close. Adrian barely managed to block the blade aimed for his chest.

Medea's black flames forced one of the assassins into a corner, where Abyss finished him off with a decisive strike. Lilith disarmed another, her whip coiling around his wrist before she delivered a knockout blow.

Adrian's opponent, however, proved to be more challenging. The assassin's movements were calculated and efficient, each strike aiming for a vulnerable spot. Adrian countered with equal precision, but the man was relentless, his blades coming closer with each exchange.

Selene watched, her knuckles white as she gripped her dagger. Her heart pounded as she saw the assassin feint to the left, drawing Adrian's chains in that direction before pivoting to strike from the right.

"Adrian!" she yelled, her voice ringing out like a warning bell. "Look out!"

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