Orario basked in clear skies today. The blue horizon stretched without a single cloud, crowning the city's vibrant atmosphere. As the afternoon waned and the sun dipped toward the west, the pedestrian traffic began to thin noticeably.
However, in the district crowded with restaurants and stalls, laborers and adventurers finishing their shifts enjoyed their drinks amidst a loud clamor. In the heart of it all, one establishment produced a noise that drowned out everything else.
Savory aromas and mouth-watering sounds mingled with the boisterous laughter of customers. It was the pub that doubled as a restaurant.
"Anya, go get Mia immediately."
"Nya? Is it Lord Hermes again, nya?!"
In a corner of the pub, this exchange echoed from one of the tables. A God had sneaked in and, the moment he arrived, began demanding an audience with the pub's owner—that terrifying Dwarf.
"Please, Mia, deliver a message to Lady Freya?!"
"Hah, you again. Didn't I tell you before? Go to her on your own two feet."
Mia Grand, the stern-faced Dwarven owner, replied with weary annoyance. She looked down at Hermes, who pleaded with her as if he were crawling on the floor.
"I swear to you, this time it's a matter of life and death for me!!"
Hermes abandoned his divine dignity, begging with genuine tears. Mia merely stared at him with contempt, as if looking at trash.
"What is it? Did you do something stupid again?"
"No... it was beyond my control... I'm not the one at fault this time...!!"
Hermes spoke while glancing around anxiously. Mia sighed as she listened. The God before her held a very high status among the deities, yet he now appeared in a pathetic state devoid of any poise. His features were filled with a despair that clashed with his usual frivolous nature, suggesting he truly was in a bind.
While Mia felt no obligation to sympathize, she decided to listen despite the boredom etched on her face.
"Actually... Bell, Bell is..."
"Speak up."
Mia prodded him sharply to end his stuttering. He finally opened his mouth as if surrendering to reality.
"Actually, Bell is being watched by Ishtar... he is in real danger in more ways than one!!"
Ishtar was a Goddess of Beauty, just like Freya, and she harbored a deep hatred for Lady Freya, the head of the Freya Familia—one of the two pillars of power in the city. Ishtar had long spun plots to take Freya down, but every attempt had failed.
Consequently, she began searching for Freya's weaknesses, and her eyes fell upon the boy, Bell Cranel, toward whom Freya showed extraordinary interest. Using her power as a Goddess of Beauty, she threatened Hermes—known for his expertise in information—to extract details about Bell.
"Please, Mia, deliver the message for me!! If I tell Lady Freya this directly, she will kill me!!"
The current Bell was not like Al years ago. Bell had not yet reached the stage of immunity against the power of Ishtar's beauty charm; he had barely reached Level 3, so he wouldn't stand a chance if the Ishtar Familia targeted him. Unlike the second-tier Apollo Familia, the Ishtar Familia was a massive faction containing first-tier adventurers. Bell could not face them alone.
As Hermes tried to convince Mia, a cold shiver ran down his spine.
"What do you mean by that, Lord Hermes?... Is Bell in danger?"
Hermes turned slowly to find Syr standing behind him. She wore a beautiful smile, yet it radiated a chilling intensity. Hermes's face turned pale in an instant as he broke into a cold sweat. Syr maintained her gentle gaze. It was an enchanting smile, but to Hermes, it was the embodiment of terror. He looked to Mia for help, but she only gave a mocking snort.
"Was the scent of perfume lingering on Bell also your doing, Lord Hermes? If that is the case..."
"S-Syr, this is a misunderstanding. Actually, that..."
Hermes trembled before the girl who smiled even as the veins of anger pulsed on her forehead. His voice gradually faded under the crushing pressure of her furious, smiling aura.
At that moment...
"I have just returned."
The Elf Ryuu Lion entered through the back door after meeting with her former Goddess, Astraea. Amidst the greetings from the staff, Mia was the only one who—as a first-tier adventurer—noticed that Ryuu had reached new heights of power.
●○●○●
Ryuu Lion "Level 4"
Strength: E488 → S989
Endurance: F352 → S976
Dexterity: A888 → S999
Agility: A889 → S999
Magic: B717 → S999
Development Abilities Hunter: G → F
Abnormal Resistance: G → F
Magic Resistance: I → H
Magic Luminous Wind * Wide-range offensive magic.
Light and Wind attributes.
Noah Heal * Healing magic.
Terrain correction.
Skills Fairy Star Spell * Doubles magic effects.
Buff strength increases during the night.
Mind Load * Increases power by consuming Mind (Mental Energy) during an attack.
Optional activation with adjustable consumption.
Aero Mana * Increases attack power based on running speed.
These were Ryuu's final statistics at Level 4. Astraea had updated them after a five-year hiatus, resulting in these incredibly high numbers. Her Dexterity, Agility, and Magic had reached the absolute limit (S999)—a result she could take pride in as the fruit of five years of struggle.
This was entirely natural. Five years ago, she had engaged in battles to exterminate the Evilus without regard for her own life, driven by revenge. Three years ago, she fought the Juggernaut and Amphisbaena alongside Al, who was Level 4 at the time. More recently, she battled the Spirit Clone on the 24th floor and the "Enlightened" Black Minotaur on the 18th floor.
Each of these battles was a heroic feat qualifying her for a Level up. Her accumulated experience was incomparable to that of ordinary adventurers. Naturally, the status etched on her back glowed with a unique light—indicating she was ready to rank up to the next level.
"Ryuu."
"Come visit me again someday. And bring that 'boy' with you next time."
"── Yes, someday."
●○●○●
In an underground space, behind the "Door" hidden in the waterways connected to Daedalus Street.
It was a dim area with suspicious stone flooring and walls lit only by torches. It reeked of the damp smell characteristic of cellars and a foul, unmaskable scent of blood. The place was packed with thick human shadows, all wearing the white robes distinctive of Evilus soldiers, easily numbering over a hundred. In their eyes, hidden under white hoods, lived a fervor bordering on madness; it was a strange atmosphere filled with religious zealots.
Despite their numbers, a profound and eerie silence reigned. No one moved, as if waiting for something in this unnatural environment. However, one person felt a surging rage.
"This is madness!! Why did you let them in?!"
The speaker was a woman with a slender, curvaceous figure. Her hair was a flaming red like blood, and her yellow-green eyes resembled those of a reptile. She was a beauty radiating allure mixed with the sharpness of a blade. Her combat attire highlighted her physique, but the aura of anger she now emitted turned that seduction into pure horror.
This was Revis, the creature-human who radiated a wrath approaching pure killing intent, enough to make an ordinary person lose consciousness. Revis glared at the figure before her and screamed in anger.
That figure was the sole exception in this place—a strange being wearing a black hood, unlike the others. Even more bizarre was how the figure stood perfectly still, unaffected by the fury of a monster that exceeded the level of first-tier adventurers.
Facing the wrath of Revis—whose stats had surpassed Level 6 and crossed into Level 7—was another monster named Ein, wearing a purple coat and a mask. Although Ein had weakened herself with her own magic to match a weak Level 5, she did not flinch under Revis's pressure.
"Cranel was not the target from the beginning. This is nothing more than reducing the Loki Familia's strength, excluding Cranel."
The voice emerged strangely, as if passing through a voice changer. It was impossible to tell if it belonged to a man or a woman, the old or the young—a mysterious echo vibrating in the vault. Hearing this, Revis ground her teeth and shot a sharp glare.
"── Damn it, that's nonsense!! They will crush us regardless of our goals?! It doesn't matter how many Evilus pawns you sacrifice; they make no difference against them!!"
Revis's goal, and by extension the goal of the Corrupted Spirit, was to seize Ais. The greatest obstacle to that was Al. This also applied to the plan of Enyo, Ein's master; that hero would not allow the destruction of the city or the surface world.
But matters were proceeding systematically. On the 59th floor, despite all preparations, they failed to kill him. Even by luring them into Knossos, Revis and her companions currently lacked the preparation to kill Al, especially since he had now ranked up, making the task even more difficult.
The only chance might be a simultaneous attack from Ein at full strength and Revis together. Even so, Revis believed it was still too early. Al's current level was 8, and it was nearly impossible to rank up in such a short period; even for Al, there were limits to growth speed.
However, things were different for Revis and Ein as monsters. They could increase their stats indefinitely as long as they continued to devour magic stones. Until the day of the final battle, Revis and her companions could grow stronger at an accelerated rate.
That was why she wanted to avoid a confrontation at this time. But Ein had cooperated with Valletta and the Evilus leaders to lure the Loki Familia into Knossos. While it was an opportunity to break one of the city's greatest factions, any mistake could lead to their own annihilation. Even without that, since the Evilus had actually started moving, it was not wise to lose forces before the promised day.
In the worst-case scenario, Revis or Ein could lose their lives. If that happened, the chances of victory against the Sword Saint in the future would dwindle significantly.
"── This won't do. Don't fight... Ein, were those Enyo's orders?"
An evil God named Thanatos intervened to settle the dispute. He was the only remaining evil God in the Evilus, and the longest-serving among them. Although male, he possessed long, soft hair like a beauty, dark purple eyes, and white skin, making him look charming at first glance.
But lurking in the depths of his eyes was something distorted and suspicious. Behind his playful, frivolous, and irresponsible behavior, one felt a terror akin to staring into a bottomless abyss.
"Yes, they are Enyo's orders. We will kill the Sword Princess here."
Ein replied coldly to Thanatos, who had revealed a glimpse of his essence as a God who rules over death. Thanatos didn't care about the strange voice from the changer; he simply muttered with indifference.
"I will watch the situation and return to my 'previous form' as well. I'll leave the task of cleaning up the trash to the Evilus."
Ein left the area, her coat fluttering, and Revis followed reluctantly. After Thanatos bid farewell to his followers, who headed like suicide squads toward the Loki Familia, he remained alone in the dark. A mocking smile curled his lips.
He didn't know if that person realized it or not—or perhaps they did, given that Thanatos the "God" had sensed it—but they were turning a blind eye to the truth. Thanatos mocked that human contradiction that made the person appear as if they possessed two personalities.
"Lying isn't good, Ein."
"You're the only one who wants to kill the Sword Princess, aren't you?"
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