The iconic white tower at the city center still stood tall.
Legend had it that the Tower of Babel was built with the help of deities, and some said the great god Ouranos had always stayed near it, using divine might to suppress the dungeon. Perhaps out of fear of this, the evil dragon had never targeted this place despite its rampant destruction.
Outside the Tower of Babel was a massive circular plaza, with a maximum diameter of several hundred meters. White bricks paved the ground neatly, with lush greenery evenly distributed on both sides, occasionally interrupted by water-spouting fountains.
At this moment, the plaza was bustling with noise and excitement.
Countless adventurers had gathered here, and large crowds of ordinary people surrounded the area, making the plaza packed shoulder-to-shoulder, completely congested.
"You're here."
Finn found the two who had just arrived.
Eiji and Lefiya were utterly confused, the sheer number of people making it impossible to know where to go.
"Lefiya, go join Anki and the others. Eiji, come with me."
Following Finn's directions, Lefiya spotted the Loki Familia's group of girls and hurried over.
Eiji followed Finn to the center of the plaza.
Looking up, he saw Riveria, Gareth, Ais, and other executives of the Loki Familia gathered there, using their formidable adventurer presence to hold back the crowd and carve out a circular open space.
Not only that, but figures like Ottar and Allen from the Freya Familia could also be seen nearby.
Even Shakti could be spotted leading the Ganesha Familia as they patrolled around the plaza.
Suddenly, Eiji felt an intense gaze.
Looking up, he saw Freya standing by the window on the highest floor of the Tower of Babel, casting a seductive look his way, as if asking, "Want to meet up?"
Come to think of it, he hadn't visited Freya in the past few days.
From the upper floors of the Tower of Babel, he could also sense various divine auras. It seemed the unprecedented "Execution of a God" event in the past thousand years had drawn the attention of many deities.
"That shameless goddess!"
Riveria seemed to notice him looking up and deliberately spoke loudly.
"Speaking of which, I took someone to visit Goddess Freya a couple of days ago, intending to return the labyrinth key to her so Eiji wouldn't have to go to her Familia anymore. But that goddess actually said something about having already formed a new deal, so returning the key didn't matter, and even said she'd already... already tasted the pleasure and didn't want to let go!"
"What?!"
"Is Eiji no longer pure?"
Tiona and the others immediately shrieked.
Ais looked utterly confused.
What did "no longer pure" mean?
"That's not true!"
Eiji hurriedly denied it.
Damn, Freya had quietly dug another huge pit for him!
"Haha, don't say that. I believe Eiji wouldn't easily fall into Freya's hands!"
Finn laughed, trying to mediate.
"It's all your fault, Finn! If you hadn't sent him to ask for help, none of this would have happened!"
Riveria shot him a resentful glare.
Finn immediately backed down.
Seeing that the Familia captain was completely unreliable, Eiji had to rely on his exceptional eloquence to persuade everyone. Thanks to his impeccable character and reputation, he finally managed to convince them.
"Is that the Aurora?"
"No mistake about it—a man more handsome than a god, the only one like that in all of Orario!"
"So, he's—"
"That's right, the current strongest in Orario!"
Once the crowd quieted down, the surrounding discussions reached his ears.
The crowd turned their fervent gazes toward the circular clearing.
All eyes were fixed on Eiji alone, filled with admiration and gratitude.
At this moment, even the likes of the Brave, the Nine Hell, and the Sword Princess were overshadowed by the Aurora.
"Everyone's talking about you."
Finn suddenly stepped forward at this point.
"After your battle with the Evil Dragon, people unofficially crowned you as Orario's current strongest."
Very few knew about Haruhime's Magic, Uchide no Kozuchi.
What the public saw was Eiji engaging in a fierce battle with the Evil Dragon and ultimately defeating it.
After all, even Ottar, the former strongest in the city, had been instantly defeated by the Evil Dragon!
He didn't get up until the entire battle was over!
This scene spread like wildfire across Orario, with everyone believing he had surpassed Ottar. Overnight, countless people became his fans, fervently idolizing the hero who had saved Orario.
"A hero... This is a title the people have given you of their own accord."
Finn spoke leisurely.
"Unlike a manufactured hero like me, you are a genuine hero born from the tides of the times, from the expectations of the people!"
The title of the Brave was something Finn had asked Loki for.
Just as Eiji had asked Loki for the title of Aurora, though Finn's "Brave" carried far more weight than Aurora—he had actively molded himself into a hero.
A fabricated hero couldn't help but feel inferior in the presence of a true one.
Finn's expression was tinged with melancholy.
"I heard the Guild Hall has erected a new statue—depicting you standing atop the Evil Dragon. From now on, every adventurer entering the Guild will behold your glory."
Throughout history, adventurers who became legends or made extraordinary contributions had their statues placed in the Guild Hall for all to admire.
Eiji never imagined he would one day receive such an honor.
"If possible, I'd rather not be a hero."
Eiji suddenly spoke, nearly making Finn's jaw drop.
"Being a hero is exhausting. You have to live up to everyone's expectations. The moment you slip up, people will immediately turn on you, denying all your efforts."
What Eiji wanted to protect was never something as vast as society or the world.
What truly mattered to him had always been the small circle of people close to him.
His battle with the Evil Dragon was merely incidental—fought to protect those around him.
"Rather than a hero, I'd rather be strong!"
Eiji's tone was calm.
But the words he spoke struck Finn's heart like nails.
Soon, noon arrived.
The evil god Dionysus, bound head to toe in ropes, was brought out of prison by the Guild and escorted to the square by high-ranking adventurers.
In an instant, rotten eggs flew through the air.
Dionysus quickly became disheveled, his exquisite embroidered robes stained with countless marks of dirt.
He glared furiously at everyone before him, his divine majesty naturally emanating forth.
But with the crowd's fury at its peak, people's reverence for gods had hit rock bottom, and rude curses never ceased for a moment.
Having lost Filvis and sacrificed his entire familia.
Not a single person spoke in his defense.
Dionysus was forced onto the open ground marked out by Eiji and the others.
Loki raised her blade and brought it down.
A massive pillar of light shot into the sky.
Under the watchful eyes of all Orario's residents, the evil god was sent back to heaven.