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The tent instantly fell into dead silence.
The moment everyone recalled the magic attack called "Purgatory Storm" that they had endured earlier, a chill ran down their spines.
The power of that spell had been terrifying. Even the strongest defensive magic of the city's greatest mage could not withstand it. If Ryoji had not granted everyone a group-wide buff at the last moment, a single hit would have left them seriously injured!
If that female-shaped monster were to complete its Eclosion on the surface and unleash such a wide-area annihilation spell…
There was no need to say more.
Orario would suffer catastrophic casualties.
"And don't forget, there's more than one Jewel Fetus!" Finn's next words hit like an even heavier bombshell.
That was right.
Adding together all the Jewel Fetuses that had appeared on the 18th, 24th, and 59th Floors, there had already been at least three of them. It was impossible to know how many avatars that Corrupted Spirit could produce at once.
What would happen if multiple summons were completed on the surface?
Even a single one required the full strength of the Loki Familia to defeat.
Yet the Loki Familia was one of the strongest Familias in the city, with only the Freya Familia capable of standing on equal footing with them.
In other words, even if both Familias joined forces, they could probably handle only two or three of them. Adding all the remaining adventurers together might increase that number to four or five at most.
But if five, six, or even more appeared at once,
"Orario would be destroyed." Finn spoke in a low, grave voice.
Everyone immediately fell silent.
Even Ryoji couldn't help clicking his tongue inwardly.
Such a scene would be nothing less than hell itself. If several Corrupted Spirit avatars appeared on the surface, Orario would not be far from annihilation.
"This is probably why the remnants of Evilus are cooperating with the Creature, Revis. Evilus has always sought the destruction of Orario, and the Corrupted Spirit perfectly satisfies the conditions for an alliance."
Amid the oppressive atmosphere, Finn continued sharing his conclusions.
"The reason that scenario hasn't happened yet is likely because the enemy's preparations aren't complete, or because certain conditions haven't yet been fulfilled. But we absolutely cannot sit back and do nothing!"
To infer so much from a mere handful of clues and fragmentary information was a testament to Finn's remarkable intellect.
However, the information he had just revealed was so shocking that nobody had the leisure to admire him.
As the city's largest Familia, they had an obligation to eliminate such a threat before it could fully emerge.
Even if they refused to take on the mission voluntarily, the Guild would likely force them to do so.
After all, the Guild possessed the authority to issue mandatory quests. Once a quest was designated as mandatory, participation was no longer optional.
"But we have absolutely no information about how many Corrupted Spirit avatars there are or where they're located!"
Riveria frowned deeply, her face full of concern.
It was impossible to cook without ingredients.
Without sufficient intelligence, there was no way to stop Evilus's conspiracy.
"That's why this will be the focus of our next operation."
This concern did not surprise Finn in the slightest.
After a brief pause, he spoke in a solemn tone.
"Once we return to the surface, we'll temporarily conclude our Dungeon exploration. Our focus will shift to Orario itself. Have our people investigate every suspicious location throughout the city as thoroughly as possible. If the enemy truly intends to destroy Orario, they won't be able to keep their activities hidden forever. Sooner or later, they'll leave traces behind."
"Fair point. Looks like we won't be getting any rest. You sure know how to order people around, you overconfident Pallum."
Hearing this, everyone responded with bitter smiles.
After the meeting ended, the executives gradually left the tent, leaving only Finn and Miss Tsubaki behind.
Tione shot Finn a murderous glare, but Riveria explained that Finn was probably seeking the support of the Hephaestus Familia in the upcoming search operation. Only then did Tione calm down somewhat.
"But why did the Corrupted Spirit's avatar appear on the 59th Floor?"
After leaving the tent, a thought suddenly occurred to Ryoji.
There was no particular reason for it, just a spur-of-the-moment intuition.
So far, the creature had appeared three times.
On the 18th Floor, it was because Hashana of the Ganesha Familia had stolen a Jewel Fetus from the lower floors. Revis had gone up in pursuit, and after encountering Ais, she went berserk and transformed into the female-shaped monster.
According to reports, Hashana had ventured into the lower floors after accepting an adventurer's commission. If that was the case, there were probably others in Orario who knew of the Corrupted Spirit's existence.
With Finn's intelligence, he had undoubtedly realized that as well.
As for the Food Storage Incident on the 24th Floor, Ryoji had not personally participated, so he knew very little. It seemed that Lefiya and the others had concluded that the Jewel Fetus was trying to absorb the energy necessary for Eclosion.
Then what was the purpose behind the setup on the 59th Floor?
What intention of the enemy was hidden behind it?
Were they trying to eliminate the troublesome Loki Familia here?
That didn't make much sense.
Before then, the Loki Familia had known nothing about the Corrupted Spirit's existence. Rather than exposing themselves, wouldn't it have been easier for the enemy to continue operating from the shadows?
Then was it because the Corrupted Spirit wanted to devour Ais?
That was certainly possible. But the same question remained.
Why the 59th Floor specifically?
If its goal was to consume Ais, it could have attempted it on any floor. Why did it appear precisely at the destination of the Loki Familia's expedition?
"Was it simply a coincidence?" Ryoji couldn't understand.
Revis's words echoed in his mind, "If you want to understand everything, go to the 59th Floor."
Now that he thought about it, the statement felt increasingly suspicious.
...
The location was the 13th Floor of the Tower of Babel.
"This is sooo boring!"
"So this time, I'll be the one presiding over the Divine Council!"
At the center of a magnificent hall that resembled a heavenly temple stood an enormous round table.
Around thirty divine beings sat around it in various postures.
Every individual present radiated an extraordinary aura, making it obvious that they were fundamentally different from the people of the Lower World.
That's right.
Every person here was a god, a noble and exalted deity.
"Oho! It's Freya-sama!"
"This is amazinggg!!"
"Ishtar-sama is here too!"
"What a feast for the eyes! What a feast for the eyes!"
"I am Ganesha!"
However, the gods gathered here displayed none of the lofty dignity that mortals imagined them to possess.
Instead, they cheered enthusiastically at the sight of the two goddesses, wearing expressions no different from shameless admirers.
Every so often, a male god wearing an elephant mask would also let out inexplicable shouts.
The two goddesses who were receiving the worshipful attention of the assembled gods possessed silver and violet hair respectively.
Their alluring, voluptuous figures immediately drew everyone's attention, causing many of the gods around the table to blush deeply.
Some crossed their legs.
Others clamped their legs tightly together.
"Freya, your Familia certainly caused mine quite a bit of trouble recently."
The purple-haired, bronze-skinned beauty, leisurely puffing on a long smoking pipe, cast a look of resentment toward the silver-haired goddess beside her.
The hatred of a goddess was truly no laughing matter.
Yet the silver-haired goddess paid it no mind.
She merely covered her mouth gracefully and smiled faintly.
"Hehe. During my Familia's recent Dungeon expeditions, they were frequently attacked by groups of masked Amazons. I imagine that must have taken quite a bit of effort on your part as well."
(End of Chapter)