With Genichi's current strength, he was nothing short of a slaughtering force inside this artificial labyrinth.
As long as Filvis Challia was not here, then there was no one in the entire labyrinth who could stop him.
Level 6 strength, countless spells recorded in the Index of Magic, and the added support of skills such as the Seven Deadly Sins - in this artificial labyrinth, Genichi was like death itself descending.
The shadows created by King of Shadows roamed everywhere, harvesting the lives of Evilus members one after another.
Those Evilus Familias who had once strutted about as though untouchable were completely powerless in front of the shadows, falling into pools of blood one by one.
Genichi himself was not idle, either.
He moved through every corridor and every room in the labyrinth, cutting down every enemy he came across with Mitsukotoba in hand.
Blade-light flashed. Blood sprayed. Screams rose and fell without end.
Before long, the entire labyrinth was drowning in blood and death, and the whole artificial labyrinth was steeped in the stench of slaughter.
After crossing the last corridor, he arrived at a vast underground hall.
Three gods stood in the middle of it.
Around them lay the corpses of countless Evilus members killed by the shadow monsters.
The three gods watched those shadows with a trace of interest in their eyes.
These shadows were only magical constructs created by a single person, yet they had nearly wiped out all the Evilus forces in this artificial labyrinth. That truly was more than they had expected.
Naturally, they could tell that these shadows were the result of someone's magic.
But to nearly exterminate the Evilus forces in the labyrinth with a single magic alone, that person's strength and methods were clearly extraordinary.
Genichi appeared before the three gods.
He looked at these hidden masterminds behind Evilus without the slightest fear in his eyes.
He had already learned the rules from Demeter. As long as a god did not actively unleash divine power on mortals, mortals would not be harmed.
In this world, the gods were omnipotent. With a single thought, they could destroy the world, and with another, restore it again. So if the rules were not observed, everything would lose all meaning.
And unless a mortal committed the act of slaying a god, a god was not permitted to unleash divine might upon mortals. That was the rule.
These gods, obviously, would not break that rule just to kill him.
"Please. Go ahead."
Genichi snapped his fingers, and a portal opened behind him.
On the other side was the Sword-Forging City of Solingen, where Astraea and Demeter were waiting.
Genichi had no intention of allowing these Evilus gods to remain in this world.
Mortals could not strike at gods, because gods possessed divine might.
If a mortal attacked a god and the god responded with divine power, there would be no resistance possible.
Only gods could truly deal with gods.
But Genichi did not need to kill them. He only needed to send them before Astraea and let Astraea act.
That would send them back to Heaven, remove them from this world, and prevent them from continuing to interfere in mortal affairs.
Of course, if these gods decided to play dirty and use divine power against mortals, there would be nothing Genichi could do.
But in truth, almost no god would go that far.
The moment they did, it would mean they had no dignity left at all, and they would violate the unspoken rules among the gods.
Even gods of Evilus would not cross that line so easily.
Thanatos looked at the portal, the smile at his lips deepening.
"How interesting."
He spoke softly. "Your name is Genichi, isn't it? I know of you. Demeter's child. The one who's been stirring up quite a bit of trouble in Orario lately. That would be you, yes?"
Genichi did not answer. He only stared at him coldly.
"Well then, would you be interested in joining my Familia?"
Thanatos suddenly extended the invitation. "With me, you would not need to obey any rules. As long as you have enough strength, you could do anything you want."
Genichi's eyes did not waver in the slightest.
"No interest."
Thanatos arched a brow. "Oh? Such a clean refusal? You don't even want to hear my terms?"
"There's no need."
Genichi's voice was calm and firm. "No matter what terms you offer, I will never betray Demeter."
Thanatos fell silent for a moment, then let out a soft laugh.
"What loyalty. Demeter really did pick up a treasure."
The three gods exchanged glances, and each saw the helplessness and complexity in the others' eyes.
This boy truly was not easy to deal with.
"Please make it quick, gods."
Genichi urged them, impatience creeping into his tone. "I don't have all day to waste on you."
Thanatos sighed.
Though the outcome was already decided, he still wanted to struggle a little.
"You really won't reconsider?"
Genichi did not budge.
"No interest."
Thanatos looked at him deeply, then slowly broke into a strange smile.
"All right. You win."
He spoke softly. "But we're not going to lose so quietly."
The moment those words fell, dazzling divine light suddenly burst from Thanatos's body.
It was the light of a god's true essence, the sign of a return to Heaven.
But Genichi immediately realized that this was not simply a return.
This was suicide.
Thanatos had chosen suicide, forcing his own return to Heaven.
Genichi's pupils contracted sharply.
What was he trying to do?
The next moment, Thanatos's divine body completely dispersed into a pillar of light that shot straight upward.
That pillar contained incomparable power. In an instant, it tore through the ceiling of the artificial labyrinth and pierced into the sky.
Then, almost at the same time, Ikelos and Rudra also chose suicide.
Three pillars of divine light shot into the heavens, and the entire artificial labyrinth was instantly torn apart by that force.
Massive stones crashed down from the ceiling. Walls split open. The floor caved in. The whole labyrinth began collapsing.
But that was still not the worst of it.
Genichi felt rage rising from the deep places beneath the earth.
That was the will of the Dungeon.
The Dungeon was furious.
Because gods had used power beyond the proper limit in the lower world - even if it was only the divine force bursting out in the moment of suicide and return to Heaven, it was still enough to provoke an intense reaction from the Dungeon.
In its rage, the Dungeon began to riot.
Monsters from deeper levels would surge upward. More powerful monsters would be born ahead of time. The entire labyrinth city of Orario was about to face an unprecedented crisis.
Standing in the collapsing labyrinth, Genichi looked at those three pillars of light rising into the sky, a cold gleam flashing through his eyes.
Those bastards had managed to screw him over even on their way out.
Genichi opened a portal and cast one last look at the artificial labyrinth that was about to be destroyed completely.
The corpses of Evilus. The blood-soaked traces. The evidence of their crimes.
All of it would be buried beneath these ruins.
And the DanMachi Genichi's revenge had finally been carried through to the end.
The fury of the Dungeon was about to sweep across all of Orario.
Genichi turned and stepped through the portal.
Behind him, the artificial labyrinth collapsed completely.
(End of Chapter)
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