"Ha? Finn and Gareth followed that damn wolf into the Dungeon? And they didn't even bring their weapons?"
Valletta, who had been conducting self-reflection inside the base, froze the instant she heard the report from her god. Then, a surge of indescribable fury burst from her chest.
"Those two bastards did that on purpose!!!"
Thanatos, who had brought the news, gave a faint shake of his head.
"It's quite obvious, isn't it?"
"This time they showed up so openly—it's probably to mock you for falling for their trap last time. Not carrying weapons? Most likely to see if you'll take the bait again."
Thanatos regarded the trembling Valletta with a trace of pity.
At this point, he was certain—last time, Valletta had walked straight into the snare Finn had prepared.
"Valletta, your luck truly is awful. To think you'd catch Finn's attention of all people."
"My guess is, after the incident with Astraea, Finn deduced that our base was located somewhere within the Dungeon. So he sent those two kids down there, just to give you a perfect chance to 'show yourself.'"
"This time, they're coming down on their own. That can only mean they've confirmed our secret passage near the Great Falls. Their goal is obvious."
"To narrow the scope of their search—and pinpoint the location of the 'Gate.'"
Valletta, her face dark, bit out the words one by one as she pieced together Finn and Gareth's intent. When she finished, her expression grew even uglier.
She knew now—Finn truly saw her as nothing more than a fool.
Especially when she remembered how she'd smugly believed she was getting revenge last time… when in truth, she'd been nothing more than a dumb mule being led by Finn's carrot.
She had barely survived, swept away by the torrent Amphisbaena's rampage had unleashed, crashing into the lower food vaults to save her life.
Thinking back on it made her want to grab her blade and storm off to fight Finn right now.
"Calm down, Valletta."
"Don't actually believe they came unarmed. Remember what your last failure taught you."
Thanatos's words cooled some of her rage.
"Controlling Puppets… a new member of the Loki Familia with spatial abilities."
Her last failure hadn't only been Finn's scheming. She had never expected someone with spatial powers to actually exist.
"If they're coming down empty-handed again, this must be another 'fishing expedition,' right?"
Thanatos's offhand remark made Valletta's face twitch.
Not because it was impossible—but because it was almost certainly true.
"Do you remember how Finn broke through your last formation? Once someone with spatial ability joins the battle, traditional ambushes become meaningless."
"That kid might be strong, but even she can't cross space into someone else's domain."
"Just like the ambush against the Astraea Familia. In the end, every one of Astraea's children survived. Aside from the one who escaped using Lambton, all of ours died."
Even Thanatos couldn't help sighing at that.
"Spatial abilities appearing in a mortal child… truly unfair."
Someone with such a gift was nearly impossible to capture. The lower world had almost no methods of restraining spatial manipulation.
"Barca will have to study how to counter it. Until we find a concrete solution, all ambushes against Loki or Astraea are to be suspended."
"As long as that child remains hidden in the background, nothing good will come of it."
Thanatos's gaze returned to Valletta.
"Though I probably don't need to say this again—don't let Finn provoke you."
"…I know."
Valletta ground her teeth so hard the sound of enamel scraping filled the air, making it seem like she might shatter them any second.
She said nothing more.
After all, she'd already fallen for Finn's trap once. Words meant nothing now.
But in her heart, Valletta swore an oath:
Don't let me find the chance for revenge. I'll make you regret this day, Finn!!!
At the Great Falls, after waiting a while and confirming that no one else had appeared, Finn sighed in mild disappointment.
"Looks like Valletta isn't as stupid as I thought."
"Though right about now, she's probably in her room, muttering curses at me nonstop."
Just imagining the scene made a grin spread across Finn's face.
"Hey, Finn, that's just cruel," Gareth said, laughing. "I bet she's in there cursing, saying something like, 'Just wait, Finn, I'll get you for this!' over and over."
The two exchanged glances—and burst out laughing.
It wasn't that they were especially spiteful. It was just… picturing Valletta locked in a dark little room, angrily muttering to herself, was too funny to resist.
Especially since they knew the truth.
They knew everything that had happened to Valletta was the result of Tsuna's calculations. She still believed the false memories he'd planted.
With their little "follow-up act," Valletta and even her god in the Dark Faction probably believed she was perfectly innocent.
Knowing all that only made it harder for them to keep straight faces.
Behind them, Bete glanced back and shook his head.
These two old men are really something else.
Still, he felt no sympathy for Valletta. In fact, he thought Tsuna's way of handling things was brilliant.
She'd picked on someone weaker and got reversed. In that case, she had no right to complain.
If you lose, you take the loss.
Bete perked his ears, listening to the surroundings.
The Great Falls was quieter than usual today. But behind that silence lurked great danger.
He reached to his waist, pulled out a prepared Flame Stone, lit the fuse, and tossed it over the cliff.
The stone plummeted fast—and after a moment, a tremendous explosion shook the depths below.
"Boom!!!"
The blast echoed through the entire Great Falls, awakening something in the darkness.
"ROOOAR!!!"
A bestial roar thundered upward, filled with fury.
Amphisbaena had appeared.
"There you are… my prey."
Bete grinned, the corner of his mouth curling up, and leapt from the top of the cliff.
The hunt had begun.