They say the hour before dawn is the darkest.
When the first ray of morning light finally fell across Orario, it felt like the war had ended.
The followers of the Evil Faction either fled underground or escaped beyond the city's borders. Having burned through the last of their strength, they couldn't even manage to wail anymore.
Orario had won—yet the price was staggering.
One of the shelters was lost.
Meaning at least one-fifth of the city's civilians were gone.
And beyond that, nearly every first-class adventurer was grievously wounded, and the most critical potions had been completely exhausted.
"Not so fast. We still can't say we've truly won."
"Right—are the two Overlords dead?"
"Ottar left a wound on Chaldo… but did that 'Lord' actually defeat both of them?"
Even now, remembering the false daylight that had lit up the entire night sky, adventurers couldn't stop their hands from trembling.
Some of them finally worked up the nerve to head toward the ruined district.
It had been rubble even before, and at first glance it didn't seem any different.
But at the very center, someone had carved a single line into the ground:
Shadow defeated the two here.
They exchanged stunned looks—
and then the city erupted into wave after wave of joyous roars.
As long as the Overlords hadn't been defeated, no one had dared to celebrate loudly.
But now, with proof that the one who called himself Shadow had beaten both Overlords, they could finally let it out.
The news spread through Orario at terrifying speed.
Some adventurers dropped their weapons and howled at the sky. Civilians poured out of shelters to scream their relief. Others clung to complete strangers and sobbed until they couldn't breathe.
The darkest hour had passed.
"Senior… did you see it? We won."
Alicia was crying so hard she could barely stand.
Orario had won, but the veteran Bara—who had steadied her before the battle—was gone.
When the Evil Faction launched their most ferocious assault, Bara had charged straight into the enemy lines to disrupt them. Several old soldiers went with her.
They left the future to those who could still walk forward.
Now Alicia searched and searched, but couldn't find even their bodies.
In the grand ledger of victory, those veterans might not be called decisive.
Yet the shelter behind her had survived—undeniably because of them.
Through tears, Alicia thought she saw Bara smiling.
The smile was so faint, Alicia reached out—
and the figures simply waved goodbye, leaving only a fading silhouette behind.
"…I'm fine. I can keep going."
Amid forced her eyes open.
If she didn't, she knew she'd pass out instantly—and sleep for two or three days straight.
She was only twelve. Studying hard and sleeping on time should have been her most important duties.
No one told her to rest. Someone just brought a basin of water and helped her wash her face.
Because she possessed Orario's strongest healing magic—at Level 1, she was already among the top healers in the city.
And the wounded being carried in front of her now were Ottar and Finn, the leaders of the two strongest familias.
After them came more first-class adventurers—most from the same two familias—each one vital to Orario's survival.
To suggest that Amid should "take a break" here would invite the wrath of the strongest forces in the city.
Amid herself didn't want to rest.
They had just survived the Evil Faction. This was exactly the moment a healer like her was needed most.
How could she sleep now?
"What is the Underworld like?"
Adi, having fought all night, sat on a stone bench and drifted into thought.
Bodies lay scattered in front of her—some Evil Faction, some Orario.
She didn't even have the strength left to help collect the fallen.
With only her mind still moving, she thought of the Underworld everyone feared.
For a long time, people claimed it was just a story humans invented.
But after the gods descended, someone dared to ask—and a god confirmed it.
The Underworld was real.
The answer threw countless people into panic, and that dread had never truly left.
Among the Evil Faction's gods, there was said to be one who governed death itself.
And when Adi considered how many of the Evil Faction didn't fear dying, she felt she understood why.
"Forget that. Think about something good…"
Adi shook her head hard, forcing her thoughts toward tomorrow.
"I lived. Cid will live too. So… where should we go on a date? He's usually kind of clueless, so I'll probably have to plan it…"
She began to look forward to a future she could actually touch.
As for Ryuu—those two were best friends.
Their bond was truer than gold.
So when the time came, Adi would bring Ryuu along on the date.
That was what she and Cid had agreed on.
Ryuu was the shyest elf Adi had ever met—would she even be able to handle it?
The thought made Adi grin despite herself.
"When that happens… what kind of face will Ryuu make?"
At the top of Babel, Erebus stood alone, gazing down at the countless lives of Orario.
This war had been an ordeal harsh enough to carve people open.
When the shadow of war finally faded, Orario's overall strength would likely rise by an entire step.
"…But it's still nowhere near enough. Not Level 6. Not even Level 7."
And so Erebus understood why Alfia and Chaldo had chosen their path.
But he would never choose the same.
"You love the mortal world. And you love humans even more… don't you?"
Astraea, sword of judgment in hand, stepped up behind him.
He hadn't wanted all glory to belong to a single hero, so he had chosen trials for everyone.
It had brought unimaginable casualties—but it had also given Orario a chance, however slim, to one day stand against the Black Dragon.
Whether they could truly reach that future would depend on what humans did next.
"Don't say something that disgusting. I'm the 'Greatest Evil.'"
Erebus's lips curved upward—reckless, unrestrained, as if he wanted the mask of evil to be unmistakable.
"…I heard you spoke with my children. I asked what you discussed. And your words were clearly guiding them to think about what justice is."
"Give me a clean end. Judging the 'Greatest Evil' is your duty as the goddess of justice, isn't it?"
Erebus didn't answer. He only smiled.
"Then answer one question. Just one."
Astraea wasn't angry at the repeated evasions.
She had privately spoken with Hestia.
That kind goddess believed the same as Astraea: though Erebus had always been eccentric in heaven, he didn't truly love death. He shouldn't have been a god who became the "Greatest Evil" without a reason.
To become what he was now, something must have driven him there.
"…."
Erebus didn't refuse—but he didn't promise either.
Astraea asked anyway, because she already suspected the answer.
"Why are you in such a hurry? Do we not have time?"
Erebus finally spoke.
"Isn't that information something more than just I know? Why ask me? The Promised Hour will ignore the contracts we've made. Soon it will come—maybe ten years, maybe eight. Either way, it's close."
This time Astraea fell silent.
For a moment, she felt that Erebus might be the god who loved humanity most.
Perhaps he wasn't the "Greatest Evil."
Perhaps the truest name for him was the "Necessary Evil."
Her gaze dropped to the sword in her hand.
It was the divine instrument bound to her role as the goddess of justice.
Justice judges evil—this was her mission.
But before judgment, there was one more thing.
Astraea turned, and a figure in black stood behind her.
"Erebus. You have a visitor."
"Oh?"
Erebus turned.
Standing there was the one the two Overlords had acknowledged as the single hero.
"Shadow… I didn't expect to see you at the very end. If this world loses its necessary darkness, maybe all its glory will be swallowed by you alone."
Erebus had so much he wanted to say.
But this was the moment he was meant to be judged.
To Erebus's regret, Shadow answered with blunt certainty.
"What are you talking about? Aren't I 'Greatest Evil'?"
"…Hahahaha! Exactly. You defeated them—so now you are the 'Greatest Evil'!"
Erebus laughed until tears spilled from his eyes.
This time, there was no regret left in him. He turned his back to the world.
When the blade of judgment pierced his chest, Shadow spoke a final send-off to the god he had met only twice.
"Farewell, Greatest Evil."
....
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