I've not been motivated to continue this so I don't know when the next chapter gonna be dropped. Prolly tomorrow, next week or prolly not at all.
***
Bete Loga was slumped against a chunk of rubble, breathing rough and uneven.
His arm was bent at a sickening angle against his chest, and his leg was twisted in a way that made it clear he wouldn't be standing anytime soon.
His amber eyes—normally sharp and full of bite—were wide, caught somewhere between pain, humiliation, and disbelief.
He wasn't looking at Lefiya or even at Zamasu. His gaze was fixed on Filvis, limp over the stranger's shoulder.
You could see the betrayal in his expression, clashing with all the years of fighting alongside her.
His jaw clenched, and a low growl rumbled out of him.
Tione Hiryute had pulled herself into a sitting position against the pile of rocks she'd crashed into.
Every breath came short and shaky, each one hurting more than the last.
One hand was pressed to her chest where Zamasu's backhand had landed—hard enough that she probably had a destroyed rib or two.
Sweat streaked her forehead, sticking strands of dark hair to her face. The pain was clear, but her eyes stayed sharp.
They flicked from Lefiya to Zamasu to Filvis, reading the scene like a battlefield report.
The accusation hanging in the air was insane, but she was already working through it with the cold focus of someone used to making calls under pressure.
Tiona Hiryute stood frozen, her usual boundless energy drained into stillness.
Her eyes darted—first to her empty hands, then to Urga lying several yards away, then to her battered sister, and finally to Filvis.
"F-Filvis?" she breathed, the word barely more than a tremor. She took an unthinking step forward, hand lifting before curling into a fist.
Seeing her friend—her teammate, her confidante—bloodied and unconscious, slung over the shoulder of a stranger radiating terrifying strength, didn't fit with anything she knew.
Lefiya's accusation echoed in her head, refusing to be ignored. Partners with Evilus? It made no sense.
But the evidence was right there, hanging limply in front of her.
Lefiya Viridis felt the weight of their stares—Bete's smoldering disbelief, Tione's piercing scrutiny, Tiona's horrified confusion.
Her legs trembled, the rush of adrenaline that had fueled her outburst draining away, leaving only bone-deep fatigue and the throb of half-healed wounds.
She clung to Forest Teardrop, the smooth wood grounding her, though it offered little comfort. She had dropped the bomb.
Now came the fallout.
Tione broke the suffocating silence.
Her voice was strained, each word edged with pain, but the tone was all command. "Lefiya. Status report. Now."
No panic, no hesitation—just the demand for facts. Her gaze flicked toward Bete. "And someone see to the mutt before he bleeds out or bites his own tongue off."
The command snapped Lefiya into action, overriding her shock.
She scrambled towards Bete, her healer's instincts kicking in despite her own depleted reserves. "Bete-san! Let me see—"
"Get off me, shorty!" Bete snarled, jerking away and hissing as the motion sent pain lancing through his broken arm.
His glare burned—not just at Lefiya, but at the world.
"Don't touch me! And get that traitor bitch outta my sight!" He jabbed his chin toward Filvis, the sharp motion wringing a groan from his throat.
Lefiya flinched at the venom in his voice. "Bete-san, please! Your arm, your leg—"
"I said back off!" he roared, teeth bared, the sound echoing in the stone chamber.
Fury blazed in his eyes, stoked by pain and the splintering of trust.
"You expect me to swallow that garbage? Filvis? Working with those scum-sucking Evilus maggots? After everything? After her own familia got butchered by 'em?"
He spat blood onto the floor, the red stark against the pale stone. "Bullshit! Absolute bullshit! Did this green freak put you up to it? Brainwash you?"
Zamasu had been quiet the whole time, just watching the back-and-forth.
"I can't mess with people's heads like that. Lefiya figured it out herself—after fighting her." He shifted Filvis a little in his arms.
"What she told me matched what happened when she attacked me."
"Shut your damn mouth!" Bete barked, trying to push himself up with his good arm.
His leg gave out instantly, sending a jolt of pain through him that forced him back down with a hiss. "I wasn't talking to you!"
"Enough, Bete!" Tione's voice cut through the tension, sharp even with the pain in her chest.
She glared at him, leaving no room for argument. "Sit still. Lefiya, stabilize his leg. At least stop the bleeding. Now."
Her eyes snapped to Tiona, who was still frozen, staring at Filvis. "Tiona! Snap out of it! Secure the perimeter. Check the side tunnels. Move!"
Tiona blinked, like she'd just snapped out of a daze. "R-right!"
She threw one last, pained look at Filvis, then grabbed her fallen Urga.
The motions were automatic, a little stiff, but she got the massive blade into position.
She stationed herself near the tunnel entrance, eyes scanning the dark corners—even as her gaze kept flicking back to the center.
Reminded by Tione's command, Lefiya knelt beside Bete again.
He gave a low growl, but didn't shove her away this time, though his body stayed rigid with tension and pain.
The break in his leg looked bad, the bone was threatening to pierce the skin below the knee. His forearm was a mess too.
Lefiya had no magic left for proper healing, just the last of her stamina and basic first-aid skills.
She fumbled in her satchel and pulled out the last, slightly cracked vial of basic healing potion, along with some bandages.
"This… won't fix it properly," she admitted, her voice tight. "But it should numb it a bit, stop the bleeding, and let you move. We need to get out of here."
She uncorked the vial, the faint blue glow casting shadows across her grim expression.
"This will hurt," she warned, tipping half the potion onto the worst part of the leg wound.
Bete sucked in a sharp breath, his body tensing, a curse slipping through his clenched teeth as the liquid fizzed against torn flesh and exposed bone.
Lefiya wrapped the leg tightly with bandages, trying to immobilize it the best she could.
The potion dulled the sharpest agony to a deep, throbbing ache, but the bones were still shattered.
She repeated the process on his forearm, splinting it roughly with a straight piece of rubble and more bandages.
Bete endured it in furious silence, his eyes never leaving hers, silently demanding answers she hadn't given yet.
While Lefiya worked, Tione addressed Zamasu, her voice tight but controlled.
"You. Stranger. Zamasu. Put her down. Carefully. Over there." She nodded toward a relatively clear patch of floor away from Bete. "Then step back."
Zamasu looked at her for a moment, then nodded once.
Without a word, he moved to the spot she indicated and gently lowered Filvis to the ground, making sure her limbs weren't twisted or bent awkwardly.
He straightened up and stepped back two paces, his eyes scanning the room.
Tiona, stationed near the tunnel entrance, watched the whole thing closely, knuckles white on the hilt of her Urga.
"Now," Tione said, eyes fixed on Zamasu, "Explain. From the beginning. Who are you? How did you get into Knossos? Why are you with Lefiya? And… why is Filvis…" She hesitated, the name bitter on her tongue,
"…in that condition?" Her gaze flicked to the blood staining Filvis's robes—a clear mark of just how much power he had.
Zamasu crossed his arms. "I didn't mean to end up here. I was exploring the 25th floor of the Dungeon, checking out some strange crystals in the walls. Something went wrong with them, and some kind of vortex spat me out here during the elf's fight."
He nodded toward Lefiya and Filvis. "The dark haired elf, Filvis, wanted to know who I was and if I was an ally, but it didn't go well. She tried to kill me."
He touched his forehead briefly.
"She had some pretty unusual magic—destructive stuff. I dealt with her immediately after though."
Lefiya stepped in before he went further. She explained that Filvis was probably being "manipulated" by this 'Dionysus' and working with the Evilus.
"Keeping her alive made sense after lefiya asked me to," he continued, "not just to gather intel, but also to make sure Lefiya stayed cooperative while we navigated this place."
Bete scoffed weakly from his position.
"Her vital signs are currently low, but she's stable," Zamasu said, calm as ever. "She could survive with Lefiya's help. You? Not so lucky if she hadn't stepped in."
He glanced at Bete's splinted arm and leg, his expression unreadable.
Tione tried to wrap her head around it. A vortex from the 25th floor? It sounded insane—but then again, so did Filvis betraying them and this stranger's ridiculous power.
"And you just… decided to help Lefiya? Carry her enemy around?" she asked, suspicion dripping from every word.
"Lefiya knows this place and the factions better than anyone," Zamasu said.
"Her goal was just to get back to her unit, and mine was to get out of here. I figured I should continue with her. Sparing the unconscious person? That was just to keep her moving and cooperative."
He glanced at Lefiya, who was finishing Bete's bandages. "And what she said about Filvis… it matches what I saw. Everything adds up."
Lefiya sank back on her heels, wiping sweat and grime from her forehead. Her hand shook as she looked at Tione.
"It's true, Tione-san," she said. "Every word. I fought her—down that tunnel." She pointed shakily toward the way they'd come.
"Zamasu… he stopped her. Saved me. And when I begged him not to kill her… he listened. He carried her because I couldn't. And maybe… maybe she can still be saved. Or at least we can figure out why."
Tiona made a small, choked sound near the tunnel entrance, quickly muffling it, but a tear ran through the dirt on her cheek.
She kept her eyes forward, scanning the shadows like nothing had happened.
Tione closed her eyes for a second, taking in Lefiya's trembling words and Zamasu's calm account. It all fit together, and it was awful. Her jaw tightened.
"Dionysus," she muttered, the name tasting like betrayal. "Working with Evilus… using Knossos." She snapped her eyes open, sharp and hard. "Lefiya. Did she say anything about Revis?"
Lefiya shook her head, wiping at her eyes. "N-no… just Dionysus-sama and Evilus."
A tense quiet settled over the cavern.
"Okay," Tione said, forcing herself to sit up straighter against the rocks, gritting her teeth at the pain in her chest. "First things first—get Bete moving. Lefiya, did that potion do anything?"
Lefiya nodded. "It stopped the bleeding and took the edge off the pain. He's not fighting anytime soon, but… with help, he could probably hobble."
"Good enough," Tione said. "Tiona! Quit staring at the walls. Come over here. You're on Bete-duty. Help him up—use your Urga as a crutch if you have to."
She turned back to Zamasu. "And you. You want info and a way out? Fine. You lead the way. Your senses are sharp—anything moves that's not us, you call it, loud and clear. You try anything we don't like…"
She let the threat hang, her eyes locked on him. "We finish what's started. Got it?"
Zamasu met her stare calmly. "Got it. My goal hasn't changed."
Tiona hurried over, sliding her massive Urga under Bete's good arm. "C'mon, grumpy," she said, voice softer than usual. "Lean on Ugly."
Bete glared but didn't fight it this time.
With a grunt of effort, using Tiona's strength and the haft of the greatsword, he got his good leg under him and hauled himself mostly upright.
He swayed, pale and sweating, but he was standing. His frustration was practically radiating off him.
"Lefiya," Tione said, "keep Forest Teardrop ready. Save what mana you can. You're our eyes for magic traps or ambushes we can't see. Tiona, keep Bete moving and watch our backs. Zamasu, you lead for now."
She pushed herself fully upright, leaning against the rubble for a moment, face pale. She went over to grab filvis.
"I'll manage. Lefiya, which way do you think the main push was heading?"
Lefiya pointed to a wider tunnel exit on the far side of the cavern, the one opposite where they'd come in.
"That way. Before all this, I was trying to reach a chamber we called the 'Crossroads.' Captain Finn thought it was a key spot for Evilus movements. We found signs Raul's squad came through here—blast marks from Alicia's magic, War Shadow claw gouges… and some Loki Familia gear." She gestured at a dented pauldron lying near the tunnel mouth.
Tione nodded, jaw tight. "The Crossroads. Makes sense. That's our path. Move, stay tight and quiet. Zamasu, lead."
Without a word, Zamasu stepped toward the tunnel, his movement silent on the broken stone.
Lefiya followed a few paces behind, staff ready, senses stretched.
Tiona helped Bete take his first painful, hobbling steps; the scrape of Urga's haft and his hissing curses rang loud in the quiet cavern.
Tione brought up the rear, one arm holding filvis on her shoulder. Her eyes scanning their flanks and rear. Her face was pale, but her expression was all focus and grit.
The tunnel was wider than the last ones, but it still felt cramped and heavy. The air was colder, damp, and the faint light came from a few sickly green crystals set up high.
The walls were scratched up from heavy weapons, streaked with black ichor, and littered with torn Evilus rags.
There were pieces of Loki Familia gear scattered too—a broken buckle, a torn pouch—and footprints in the dust leading deeper.
Everything screamed recent chaos.
As they moved, quiet chatter started, barely above a whisper. They needed to talk, but no one wanted to draw attention.
"Lefiya," Tione called from the back, her voice tight, "the fight with Filvis… what happened exactly? What did she say? What kind of magic are we dealing with?"
Lefiya flinched but kept her eyes on Zamasu's back, trying not to look at anyone else. She spoke in short, clipped sentences, memories still raw.
"Filvis… she said she was loyal to Dionysus. Said Orario… had to fall," she whispered. Her hands tightened around her staff.
"She hit me with this… void sphere. Stone just… disappeared. Then black flames. Shadow blades. And… and this huge spell… Nox Aeterna. I barely managed to block it with Ljos Alf Heimdallr."
She shivered, the memory of it all making her voice shake. "It was… unreal. Like she wasn't even elf anymore."
Tiona struggled to hold up Bete, her face pale. "But… why, Lefiya?" she whispered, voice trembling.
"Why would she… after everything Evilus did? To her own familia?"
Bete leaned heavily on the Urga, growling low. "Doesn't matter why. Traitor's a traitor. Should've let the green guy finish her."
Harsh words, but the hurt behind them was obvious—felt deeper than his broken bones.
"Shut it, Bete," Tione said, her tone sharp. "We need her alive. For intel. For Riveria and Finn to handle." The unspoken "if we get out of here" hung over them.
Zamasu, walking a few steps ahead, stopped suddenly and raised a closed fist. Everyone froze. Bete bit back a groan as Tiona eased her support, letting him steady himself.
Zamasu crouched, eyes on the tunnel floor. He nodded toward it. "Something's been through here pretty recently."
Lefiya crept closer to see.
The floor was messed up—deep scratches like something heavy had been dragged along. And there it was: a big boot print, definitely Gareth's.
Right next to it, a smaller, neat indentation, like Finn had planted his spear there.
"Captain Finn… Gareth…" Lefiya breathed, a flicker of hope cutting through her fear. "They came this way. Not long ago."
Tione limped up, scanning the marks. "Pushing hard. Dragging someone? Or… casualties?" Her expression was serious. "The Crossroads can't be far. Whatever's going on, the real fight's there."
She looked around at their battered group – Bete barely standing, herself gasping for air, Lefiya drained, Tiona struggling to support Bete, and Filvis out cold.
"Alright," Tione said, her voice firm. "No more chatter. Stay sharp."
Chapter 46 end